Animation Article Review

http://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/04/movies/special-effects-
are-revolutionizing-film.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

This article was meant to address that special effects change and add significance to current and future film. The author is arguing that filmmakers are recreating stories from books into movies with glorious effects. He supports this with many examples of futuristic films with special effects. The author has very many examples to show how many films use special effects, but does not give plenty of commentary to explain the examples. The author does a good job of supporting the main point. The evidence is fairly convincing in my opinion, and attracts me toward the article. This relates to my work because learning to use certain effects can dramatically change a project. Overall, I think that this is an accurate article.

Video Final Reflection

Semester Reflection

Description

Over this semester, many things happened. The complexity of this class versus the small section of video we learned in e9 was much wider. Within this semester, we learned everything from how to J&L edit to how to work together as a team in order to succeed. Also, there were a few major and a few minor projects assigned throughout the semester. First, we were assigned to complete a couple projects that brought everyone back into the video mood. This contained basic knowledge of video production, such as how to work the fancy equipment and tripod, how to edit videos correctly, and more basic video production processes. After that, we were assigned to create a story on somebody's hobby. This was a fairly large step in explore A/V because it was the first story that we interviewed someone. Then came the blood drive, where we interviewed people on the spot, and captured live B-Roll. For the final project, two teams were assigned among the class. This project was special because everybody had to manage their time correctly and be responsible. Also, this project used all of the skills we have learned over the course of this class.

Reaction

Some issues that came across were not having enough time, having miscommunication with the partner or group, and having issues with the technology. Although time was sometimes an issue, you could easily come in before or after school to finish any project needed. Miscommunication was only an issue among certain people, and certain circumstances. Technological issues occasionally came across, and those are sometimes hard to fix. Mostly everyone experience some diet of technology trouble, but help was given to each individual. Each problem I experienced caused me to react in different fashions. Sometimes I got angry, but soon attempted to resolve the problem.

Evaluation & Analysis

The elements that worked in some situations were the collaboration of some groups and the communication between groups. When it came to help, most problems were solved by fellow peers, This is a vital element in eComm, because everyone needs to be on the same page. One element that didn't work as well was the amount of focus during class time. Not having a teacher in the room really sets some people off task in a hurry. Some students decided to not work very much at all with their class time, and this set them off to a bad grade.

Learning

There were a vast amount of concepts, technical skills, and soft skills that we learned. A few examples include how to J & L edit, how to set up the camera correctly, and how to do many other things. Learning how to setup very expensive cameras was quite difficult for me and I need to make sure that remember how to do this for second semester. You need to adjust the iris, focus, and zoom all depending on the situation. Also, when using Final Cut Pro, you need to J & L edit so that your interview does not look lengthy and boring. You also need to adjust the audio between 6 and 12 so that your video is not too loud or quiet. Not only did I learn concepts and technical skills, I have also found that I have learned how to communicate and collaborate much better than before. In addition to that, I have come to believe that my time management and project management have improved as well.

Action

I plan to take all the skills I have learned into next semester and into life. Some of the skills  I have learned from explore A/V are very useful within an everyday life. The communication and collaboration can help me in various ways within life. Although I have learned many useful things in this class, I can improve on my skills that I have right now. For example, I need to be able to hold the camera more steadily. I need to stand in a certain stance that Mrs. Morris showed. This stance is a bit awkward but allows very stead shots. Also, I need to work on creating a great angle or viewpoint on a story. For the audience of the video to enjoy what they are watching, there needs to be a good angle on the story. (Beginning, Middle, End) Overall, this semester has thought me many, many things and I want to continue the learnings.

Technial Tutorial (Animation)

How to Use Boolean Difference in Maya

1. Make your first shape

2. Scale it to a reasonable size

3. Align/Move the object to a position that you feel you can work with

4. Create a second shape (preferably a cylinder) and scale to to be slightly smaller than your first object.

5. Move the shape into the shape how you want it. (There are many ways to do this)

6. Select the first object you selected, then the second object. Both objects must be selected.

7.  Select Mesh>Booleans>Difference. Be careful not to select Union or Intersection because those are different tools.

8. Easy as that! You should have a shape with a gap inside of it. Feel free to add more shapes to make the shape more complex and unique.

Blood Drive Reviews

Evan

- Well put together voiceovers

- A tad louder interview noise is needed

Nick

- Used Rule of Thirds correctly

- Missing voiceovers

Allison

- Great angle on the entire interview

- The B-Roll was a bit shaky

Courtney

- Good overall B-Roll

- Iris needs adjustment

Demma

- Used the Rule of Thirds correctly

- It's present tense rather than past tense

Rosy

- Well put together interview frames

- Short sound bytes

Emily
- Non-Shaky B-Roll
- Long Soundbytes

Conlin
- High Quality shots (well-focused, iris)
- Shaky B-Roll, Boring Voiceovers

Cyle
- Well-worded Voiceovers
- Not well-framed interviews

Jake
- Great Interviews overall
- Voiceovers need work

Delaney
- N/A

Amy
- Well-planned angle
- Low volume soundbytes

Abbey
- Great Shot Selections
- Negative sounding angle

Chelsea
- Well designed frame for interview
- Minor softness in voice

Alyssa
- Great Voiceovers
- Some shots out of position a tad

Kierstyn
- Good interviews
- Low volume Soundbytes

Rylee
- Well rounded camera work
- No J&L edits

Catherine
- Well worded V.O.'s
- Out of frame interviews

Alex
- Good iris levels
- Boring Voiceovers

Mitch
- Great interviewees
- Voiceovers don't transition well

Nicole
- Non-Shaky B-Roll
- Some soundbytes were cut off

Drew
- Good interviews
- Interview lacking angle

Overall, this was a great project to hep improve my skills in video production. My interviewing skills and camera work is much better than before. I will work on many things to improve the work that was completed. For example, I will attempt to hold the camera better while filming B-Roll in order the capture stable footage. Also, I need to improve the way I create a story with each project. A larger angle and more clear angle is needed to succeed within this concept.

Nemo Professional Review

The scope of this clip was to express Dory's feelings towards the whale. The clip was all-around well done, with the areas of focus being primary and secondary motion. Dory's body is moving all over when she is explaining things out. Dory was telling a story about the whale, by talking very loudly with the whale being very near the area of focus. I would most definitely apply the secondary motion to my work. That can be a very important and intriguing factor in animation. I have already learned that a fitting color scheme is important. The creator(s) did a good job with the overall design and movement. One thing the creator(s) could improve is the level of background movement. Overall, this scene is greatly detailed and very impressive in total. Mostly everything is well done, and the entire scene is all-around detailed and in depth.

Video Blog #1

The scope of this project was to reintroduce and refresh the 6 shot system into our heads. We had to storyboard the video shot-by-shot to show the sequence of shots. I learned that strong voice overs are very important and that each shit should be about 3 seconds long at the most. I would change the way that I analyzed the video and try to receive suggestions from my neighbors. I now know how to complete the 6 shot system smoothly. 

Video Blog #2

Florida: A Happy Newsroom

A newspaper company in Florida is explaining that it is possible to keep employees happy during their improvement of work. PNJ was struggling because of the 2013 layoffs in Gannett. Over the year, PNJ found that a new way to make conditions improve. Troy Moon stated that the working environment is much improved and that there is less stress in the offices. The author is arguing that a new way of keeping PNJ's employees happy is working better than it was before. This news journal is receiving public attention over their new ways of doing things. The author does a good job at explaing the details. One thing she could do better is talk about what the employees felt during this change. The evidence is convincing that the new way in the office keeps employees happy. Overall, this article is well built, and explains clearly what the author is trying to say or claim.