After all the planning, brainstorming, filming, and communicating, it's time to sit down and edit what we have created for our project to complete it's vision. Our group parnter, Gaby, has a great editing software and enjoys editing so she really wanted to take the lead on this part of the project. The rest of the group members and I helped her with anything she needed like the order of the shots, the font of the credits, the credits placement, and the music and when there was sound or not. We all pieced in our creative input and it all came out into a great film opening.
Adobe After Effects is the editing program Gaby used to put our project together. I do know a bit about editing and how to put clips together with different effects but not as much to be able to use this program so I'm glad we have Gaby in our group. I still want to talk about what Adobe After Effects has to offer and it's advantages.
According to Storyblock, the advantages of this editing software is the ability to "layer multiple audio and visual clips on top of each other and use the software’s many tools to blend them all together, adding visual effects, and the ability to make title and 2D animations." These benefits match our needs well because we want to layer several clips to have the visuals but also the music, we need to add credits since this is an opening, and everything on the software is organized and easily accessible to make the process go smooth since editing can be stressful and time consuming.
Though COVID-19 is keeping us in quarentine, our group is advancing with our projects so then we can complete our CCR's. Our first choice in the song that we want to include was Sparks by Coldplay since it complements the tone of our video. To be able to use the song in the video Gaby filled a liscense request and submitted it. We waited a while but we needed to begin editing and Corona was making it harder for an email back. I decided to just look for other songs that could still match the tone and give off the same effect. I went to Youtube and did some searching and here were the top selections.
1. Woods- Acoustic Folk/Background Music
Gaby found this song and I thought it was a possible option because it was a soft song and I could see it fit into the happy moments. However, I thought it was more on the country-ish side and was a little too upbeat for the video because our story revolves around a lost parent and their grieving teenager.
2. Tranquility- Chill Lofi Hip Hop Beat
With this soundtrack, we immediately discarded it as soon as the best dropped. We had some hope in the beginning with the slow progression, the subtle beats, and the piano but then 20 seconds in the vibe of the song and the video don't match and we had to keep looking.
3. The simple things- Free Billie Eilish Type Beat
As I was searching, this beat came up on the side bar for recommended videos. It was appealing to me so I clicked it on and instantly felt a connection. With every song, I would put the clips and theme into my head and visualize what it would look and feel like. As soon as I heard the first beat, I was hooked and kept listening more and more until I was half way into the song and knew this was a highly likeable suggestion. I shared with the rest of the group members and we were on board with using this song for the video.
None of the scenes and shots taken would of been possible without one special and important tool. The camera. Nowadays, it's so much easier and accessible to record something with the use of our phones. One red button allows us to catch endless memories that we can look backward on at anytime. I want to take time to talk about the camera my group used and how it allowed us to capture nicely colored and crisp shots.
Though I'm not an expert on specifications and features of cameras, I did do a bit of research and found out all about the Canon EOS Rebel T6i. I went to the direct source of the camera first, the Canon website. I found the camera and scrolled down to see why the camera is worth purchasing. According to the source, "its high-resolution 24.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor, updated light-metering system, advanced AF, and EOS Scene Analysis system" all contribute into natural and perfectly detailed shots with approporate lighting and exposure. "The built-in Wi-Fi® and NFC" allow for easy access to all the photos and videos taken. With the features provided by Canon, this camera adequate for what we are filming but I wanted to see from one more source that may be less biased.
CanonT6i.com says that compared to the T6, the T6i is the better option. The camera has a complete touch screen with higher resolution that eases the process of ,"manipulating the camera settings from any shooting angle without having to fiddle with tiny buttons you can’t see." Additional features include a "built-in microphone, UHS memory card support, and the ability to be controlled remotely by your smartphone" which all cater to the convenience of the user.
Both sources confirm that this camera is useful in providing a clean shot with proper coloring and lighting that will give us the effects we are looking for throughout our opening.
I wanted to update everyone on what has been happening in our filming process and why there hasn't been consisent uploads.
As you all know, or if you somehow don't, the COVID-19 or Corona Virus pandemic has affected everyday life including regular school and work routine. Due to this, self- quarentine is being recommended for everyone to prevent the spreading of the virus. Schools and various public places have closed restricting the amount of human contact. So there is good news and bad news, the good news is that our group filmed all the shots needed to complete our vision. The bad news is that because we are all stuck in our houses, we can't meet up to commence the editing process, our license request to use the song for our video hasn't been answered meaning that our editing process is also on a roadblock, and all the shots are on our partner Gaby's computer so we have no access to anything. We need to start looking for alternative songs and begin editing to make sure everything is ready for the due date.
I will try and upload anything that I can regarding our project and process but as of now, we are in an obstacle that we need to get to and there isn't much I can post with the circumstances. I wish you all to be safe, wash your hands, and keep distance to make this quarentine faster so we can normalize our lives again.
I hope you all have been doing good and enjoying each new post I publish. Today I want to talk about representation and how we are using this to diversify our film opening. This is a highly important topic that more consumers should know about and appreciate when they see it any piece of media they view.
The media industry is continually improving with new innovations and technology, software, actors, film ideas, distribution methods, and the list can go on and on. However one important topic that is doing better but isn't there yet is representation. Representation is crucial in a film opening because it,"means that America can finally see itself in all its multicultural, multiracial, beautiful self, there's more minorities than stereotypes, and it can make disadvantaged groups become real people". (www.stanforddaily.com) I've talked about this previously but, when you watch a movie or film a majority of the time the actors and actresses are white. There is minor culture and diversity in productions making media fail at representing and celebrating the vast amount of cultures and races in the world and America. The more inclusion of minorities and women, the higher rate in popularity and income the show or film will receive.
In our film opening, we are including representation of women and hispanics as our lead role in the movie is a female teenager and her family and background is hispanic. This especailly hits home because as I am the lead role, I am able to show the audience my culture and what my parents have taught me about my background. Our culture and rate in popularity increases awarness for the minority groups.
The more diverse representation, the better the media industry will do increasing their income and future in media production.
Throughout filming day 1 we created a behind the scenes little montage to show our process, any funny moments, and whats happening as we film each shot. Hope you enjoy and we will continue doing this to capture the best moments about this whole project!
