Editing the Commercial

        Today in class I began to edit to edit my footage with the help of my group. Before I started editing, I pulled my notes out and reviewed them. I reviewed my notes to ensure that I was clear on how to edit my footage. We had some difficulties in the beginning of this process. This included that we could not get our computer to turn on. After a long ten minutes, the computer finally turned on. I plugged the flash drive into the computer and found the folder with all of our footage in it. I reviewed the footage with my group and then dumped it into an app on the computer called pinnacle studios. Once pinnacle studios opened I was able to see all of our footage and edit or review it. Pinnacle studios is a great way to edit all of our footage. It gives us a way to make sure all of our scenes look good for the final version of the commercial.

        I had a few difficulties with our footage in pinnacle studios. The first difficulty that occurred was that our footage was blurry. Something was wrong with our camera. This caused our footage to be very slow and blurry. This is a major setback to the editing process because our footage was completely messed up. With the help of my group we tried to figure out a way to make the footage look better. We wanted to be able to use the footage because we worked so hard to film all of it and make it perfect. We tried for a very long time to get our footage to work, but unfortunately could not get it. I started to wonder if it was a problem with the computer or our footage. So I decided to upload all of the footage to google docs to see if our footage would be usable for the commercial. After another ten minute upload process, I finally saw that it was in fact a problem with the computer and not our footage.

        Finding out that our footage wasn’t messed up was a huge relief to me. My group and I were worried that we would have to redo all of our footage. Not having to film again saves us a lot of time that we can use to properly edit our footage. It is essential that we have the full amount of time to edit  our footage. I want to make sure that my commercial reaches the full potential that it can. Using pinnacle studios will help move along my editing process much faster. The tools that pinnacle studios  has are very essential to our editing process. Without pinnacle studios our commercial would not be properly editing. It also would not look as good because we would not be able to use transitions that we planned to do. My group and I want to make our commercial as similar to the storyboard that we can so that our commercial can turn out amazing and very well planned out.

Filming Blog for Commercial Project

        Today my group and I filmed our 30 second Gatorade commercial. Throughout the filming process, I learned a lot about many aspects of the filming process. Firstly, I learned how to properly check out a camera and SD card reader. This is very important to know so that all equipment is handled properly and doesn’t get lost. The second thing I did with my group was go to our filming location which was the track/ football field. I got all of our props ready and set up the camera on the tripod so that we were ready to film. The first scene we filmed was of two runners in track uniforms coming out of the starting blocks. During this scene we used many different camera angles and shots such as long shots, medium long shots, and tilts. The next scene we shot was of a girl playing soccer. In this scene she dribbled the ball and took shots into the goal. We also used different shots such as tracking shots and close ups.
        In the next scene we shot, it was a shot with all members of our group in it. We all showed our different Gatorade bottles in our athletic wear such as the track or soccer uniform. We used pink and blue Gatorade’s for this.  In this scene we all made a fierce face or a serious look. This was to show the importance of this scene and emphasize the main product of the commercial. In the next scene we slammed the Gatorade bottle on the bleachers to make a splashing effect. When we slammed the Gatorade bottle, it created a very cool splash that we will use as the main scene emphasizing the main product which is Gatorade. Finally, we just took some shots of the Gatorade bottle which we will use to end out the commercial. This scene is just for the purpose of showing Gatorade. There are no other athletes or things in the background, because we want the main focus to be on the Gatorade bottle specifically.
        Throughout the scenes my group and I used different things to make the scene look realistic. For example we used a spray bottle to spray onto the gatorade bottle. This gave the effect of condensation on the bottle. I also sprayed water on my forehead and neck to show that I was sweating. By showing that we were sweating it portrayed that I was working hard or being athletic. All of the props my group and I used helped contribute to the understanding of what was happening in that scene. We used track starting blocks, Gatorade bottles, a yoga mat, and a soccer ball. All of these were very important in making the commercial more entertaining for the audience. After my group finished filming we went back to the classroom and I dumped our footage onto the computer and saved it as a file. And that’s a wrap on what I did during the filming process!

Storyboard

Today, our group did a storyboard for our Gatorade commercial. In each box we carefully planned out what we will do for each 5 second scene in our commercials. The first scene of our commercial contains 2 track athletes at the starting blocks preparing to take off. This scene will contain heavy breathing and heart beat sound effects (non-diegetic sounds). These sounds effects  and action shots will help to emphasize the importance of the scene. The second scene of our commercial will be a jump cut from the first scene into a girl playing soccer. She will be juggling the soccer ball or shooting into a goal to show that she is playing soccer. We will use long or medium shots to focus on her playing soccer through different camera angles. In our third scene it will be a cutaway from the girl playing soccer to a girl doing yoga. The music will change into a very peaceful sound to show the change in the scene from a more hardcore scene to a very soothing scene. In the fourth scene it is an action match of each of the athletes from the different scenes drinking Gatorade. This will show each subject and the main product of the commercial. In the fifth scene all athletes join together and fiercely slam the Gatorade bottles down for effect purposes. This will show effect of the Gatorade bottles that are emphasized throughout the commercial. The sixth and final scene will cut to a black screen with the Gatorade logo and a member doing a voiceover of one of the companies’ popular slogans.

Editing Blog Lesson

        Today I learned a lot about how to edit a blog. Having this knowledge is extremely essential because it allows me be able to edit all future projects that I will create. The first thing that I learned about the editing process  was the procedure of checking out a camera. In order to check out a camera I must remember to fill out a form that I will hand in to receive a camera. After using the camera I have to ensure that I turn it in the following school day with the form and camera in the conditions they were in when I received it. The next thing I learned about was how to properly handle and use the cameras that are provided to me. The camera needs to be charged in order to function properly and with the opening flat shut. After this, we learned about how the tripod functions. The tripod must always be carried closed and never open to prevent it from breaking. When using the tripod you must also remove the sliver button with the lever and tighten the screw on the bottom of the camera so that the camera doesn’t fall off of the tripod. All of these are important in making sure all equipment is used and handled properly.
        Next I will be going in depth on how to get your footage from the camera to the computer in order to view and edit your video. First you must locate the pinnacle studio 18 app on your desktop. After pressing on the pinnacle studio icon you will put your USB in the SD card reader. Then you will put the SD card in the USB. With the footage off the USB you will create a new folder on your desktop or computer. When you press on the folder if you can’t find your video on the main folder you will go on to private then AVCHD then finally press on stream and your video should be there. After this you will highlight all of your footage and dump it onto a USB, then click to import all of it into pinnacle studios. You will then highlight all the footage again and drag it to the bottom of the screen where it says A.V. Track. You can then use all the transitions on your film such as splitting the video, making a title, or any open affects. Now you can move onto the export process of your video. You will first click export and start to export your film. You will save it as a screen and then minimize to ensure that it saved correctly. Then after this process you can add any voiceovers. Finally you will save the movie as the title of the film and move it into the folder.
        Throughout this process it is very important that all equipment is handled properly and that I can fully understand how to properly edit my video. The editing process is something that will be used throughout the course of this class and in future films that I may create outside of the class. In order to succeed in this class you must fully understand how important this editing process is to all of the films you will create. I’m going to review some of the basic guidelines and rules that need to be remembered and followed to succeed in the editing  process. For starters all equipment must be handled properly and returned in the condition that it was received in. Next, all forms need to be filled out for all equipment that is checked out. When you return the equipment the next school day you need to have the form with you, so make sure the form is kept in the proper folder. You should always follow directions given to you by your teacher on the assignment or equipment; listening and understanding is an essential skill in life and throughout this class and editing process. Lastly, make sure you follow the instructions very carefully on the editing process. This is such an important part of how your film is created. As long as the guidelines I was taught today are followed, the editing process should go smoothly!

Planning Blog for Gatorade Commercial

    For our blog, today we are going to be planning out the details of our Gatorade commercial. This includes props, costumes, schedule,location, and our back-up plan. All of these will be very essential in creating a commercial that is entertaining and effective. Planning is a very important step in film making. This is because planning helps you write out step by step what your commercial will consist of and look like. Without planning the filming process becomes long and unorganized. Planning helps to save time and money and insures that filming will be successful no matter what.

  Props are extremely essential to a commercial. They give the commercial livelihood and make it more entertaining and understandable for the audience. Throughout our commercial some of the props we will be using consist of : 4 Gatorade bottles (different colors), spray Gatorade bottles, regular spray bottle, 2 block starts, a soccer ball, and a yoga mat. All of these props will be incorporated into our commercial to make the commercial the best that we can. We will include the Gatorade bottle with different colors throughout each scene with a different sport being idolized. For example, for one scene we will focus on yoga using our yoga mat as a prop, we will play soccer for another scene using our soccer ball as a prop, and lastly we will show track using our starting blocks as a prop for that scene.

     In this paragraph we will discuss another very important part of film known as costume. Costume plays a huge role in how the audience will interpret the scene. The costume allows the people watching to understand what you are trying to portray in that specific scene or the entire commercial in general. For example we will be using a school track and soccer uniform to allow the audience to understand that we are trying to show athletes playing soccer or running on the track. We will also be using athletic clothes as costumes to show the audience that the main focus of that scene is working out or doing something athletic. Going along with costume, another essential part of a scene is location. Location sets the entire basis of where you will be filming for each of your scenes. For our scenes we will be filming on the schools track field and the football field . This will set the scene that we are going to be playing sports or doing something dealing with physical education. This is a very important part of film because it allows the audience to know where you will be filming and gives them a better idea of the scene and film in general.

    The schedule for our filming process will go as follows. Today we began planning for our commercial which included props, costumes, location etc. Then we are going to storyboard over the weekend so that we can start filming on Monday 10/14. On Monday we will start the filming process. We will shoot the scenes from the storyboard we drew up over the weekend. We will then change into costumes and go to our locations. Next we will continue to film on 10/16. We will shoot any scenes that we feel we should redo and shoot some scenes twice so that we can pick from the better out of the two. We will be filming outside for our whole commercial so if it rains we have a backup plan that will work and still cut across the same message. If it starts to rain then we will change locations from the track to the stairs and shoot two people running up and down the stairs. We would also change from the outdoor patio for yoga to a roofed hallway. Also, if someone from my group is absent then we plan to shoot everything the same but the activity that that person was supposed to do in that shot someone else will have to do. These plans will work when we are faced with any scenario.

Research Convention & Codes

The product my group selected is the refreshing and revolutionary Gatorade. We selected this product because we thoroughly enjoy the drink and watching the entertaining Gatorade commercials. In most Gatorade commercials there are little to no women at all. This encourages us to want to make a commercial to show that everyone can be in a Gatorade no matter who you are or what you like. We want to be able show equality throughout different things in society, even through commercials. Throughout most of our lives we have been all played a sport or been involved in athletic activities. While playing sports we always look to Gatorade to fulfill our thirst quenching mouths. Gatorade is such an essential part of al of our lives.

In most Gatorade commercials we usually see people performing athletic activities. For example, activities like running, football, soccer, and cheerleading are usually idealized in these commercials. Mostly in Gatorade commercials there are different amounts of people who belong to a team or are performing individual sports. They are usually either warming up, exercising, or actually doing the sport. Towards the end of the commercial the product is displayed in an exaggerated way to catch the attention of the audience. The producers of the commercial usually portray this by having the athletic figures walk away and drink the Gatorade in a somewhat refreshing way. They also do this by placing the Gatorade in a focused area with the background as the athletic activity.

The company Gatorade uses sports because Gatorade is a sports drink directed at active people that want to “fuel” their bodies. These commercials usually convince their audience to want to get up and be active. That’s when their product comes in play. Whenever the audience decides to be more active or workout they will feel that they should pick up a Gatorade to drink in order to perform accurately. These commercials usually use score in their commercials. This consists of intense inspiring music that helps to inspire and engage the audience. Also common amount these commercials is tracking shots. These shots are used when the athletes are performing in the sport. Commonly used as well is a zoom. This is used to mostly zoom in on the drink and show a refreshing icy looking drink that makes the audiences mouths water. They also use this shot to zoom in on athletes drinking or holding the drink. Sometimes Gatorade companies use star athletes in their commercials. They do this to show watchers that professional athletes use this product and so should they.

Introductory Blog

        Hi, my name is Jade. I am currently writing this blog to introduce myself, so here goes nothing. This year is my second year of being on the school track team. Last year, I managed to make it to states and place 13th out of 30th, which is pretty good considering it was my first year and I competed with people who had been doing it for 4 years. For most of my life I have been pretty involved with sports. I was on a competitive swim team for 4 years, I played soccer for 3 years, I did gymnastics for 3 years, and now I am starting my second year on track & field. Being active and playing sports makes me really happy and I enjoy doing it on my free time.
        Enough about sports, now i'm going to talk about my academics. This year I decided to take pretty hard classes including: 4 Aice classes (Psychology, English, European History, Media studies), Chemistry Honors, and Algebra 2 Honors. I managed to get straight A's throughout most of middle school and my first year of high school. I plan to continue to get good grades and graduate with my Aice diploma. I hope to get into a good school, such as the University Of Florida where I can hopefully continue to do track and field.
        Now, a little bit more about myself. I enjoy going to the beach or the pool on a nice sunny day to relax. I like hanging out with my friends on the weekend and going to fun places. I enjoy traveling to explore and experience different lifestyles in other places all around the world. And I love to watch/ go to the Florida Gators Football games; I have been a huge fan since I was younger and watching the games gives me such a rush of excitement. One thing I strongly dislike is the amount of homework and studying I have to do on the weekends and after school, it takes up a lot of my free time. Another thing I dislike is the taste of peppers (green, red, yellow, and orange peppers) I think the taste is so strong and gross. The last thing I dislike is getting a bad grade on something that I know I worked hard on, it is not fun to see a bad grade when you open pinnacle.