Reminders for Smart Shooting

Students in CM412 will be shooting more "B-roll," establishing shots, cut-to shots, and interviews. As they proceed to move toward post-production, they will keep a couple of rules in mind.

First: the Rule of Thirds!

Second: the 180 Rule!

Students will take their collected video, photos, fx and audio into post-production soon! Watch for updates!

Pitching the Storyboard

We looked at "The Art of Storyboarding" in our introduction to Storyboards and Video Production Planning. We made note that the storyboard is the first thing we must complete in a video project, since it will guide the entire production (and post-production.) Students will pitch their storyboard, get feedback, discuss options, and incorporate revisions and improvements in their plans.

Students can see the 1943 Storyboard Pitch for Disney's Lady & The Tramp as reconstructed from actual scripts and photos here: Lady & The Tramp Storyboard. 

But perhaps a more useful example is this example for a short animation of "Heroes & Villains." Happy Pitching!

Not Barney Stinson, but...

Your personal introduction video clip may not be this awesome:

But, CM412 students are making a compelling introduction video to include in their websites, portfolios - and yes, possibly in their digital resumes!

They will incorporate their knowledge of design principles, camera work, use of materials, video editing and more to produce a clear and cogent storyboard from which they will build a shot list for production.

Completed video clips will be posted on their blogs first, then incorporated into their other digital projects.

I Shot the Sheriff... with two cameras and several angles

Students will put together their knowledge of their digital video "vocabulary" (and their skills at shooting and editing) o prepare an introductory video for their blogs, websites, portfolios, etc.

During this project, they will review class materials such as:

CC 0.0 (public domain) Photo from Pixabay!

1. Various camera shots and angles
2. Interview Do's & Don't's
3. More Interview Tips
4. Writing the Interview Questions
5. Shooting B-roll interview filler
6. Storyboarding

Before directing the shoot, students will storyboard their project, compile interview questions, create a shot list assign roles, set-up the shoot, review equipment, weather, lighting and other considerations.

Then... they will direct, shoot and edit a great introduction video!

Careful Where You Point That Thing!

Digital Literacies students will be building a repertoire of basic camera shots and angles in preparation to shoot some "B-roll" in the field. Students will review the Basic Shots and Angles worksheet.

Students will check out the free tutorials and examples of various camera shots at the Atomic Learning page here: http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/freeshots.shtml

Students will also review the free "Rules" tutorials and examples at the Atomic Learning page here: http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/freerules.shtml

Students will be prepared to:

• complete a Quiz on the vocabulary of angles and shots, and 
• apply their learning to an "in the field" project wherein students will create "footage" from a number of angles as illustrated in this web page 
• Students will compile their shots into a "Shots Samples Video" -using titles for each clip- and post finished video on their blogs by Tuesday midnight..

Sample for Baseball Opening

Digital Literacies students worked on a project to learn and apply various elements of video editing available in Premiere Pro. They were given a music sample and flag video clip (licensed for educational use from Video Blocks,) along with three still images (public domain from the Library of Congress.) They put these together to make an introduction/opening for a documentary about baseball. The instructor's "quick and dirty" sample looks like this:

Some of the tasks I completed while making this clip:

• cutting a video clip into two segments
• dropping in a music clip for background
• shortening a music clip
• "fading out" a music clip
• adding title
• adding photos and resizing photos for frame
• fading in - and out - title
• fading in photos
• cross-fading between photos
• "Ken Burns" Effect - rough cut - on still photos
• fading video to black
• and more...