For this project we were to interview a member of our group. The objective was to get them to tell a story, because everyone in ONW has a story to tell. We chose Brian as our interviewee, and he talked about his experience in transferring to Olathe Northwest.
Process
We were allowed to use a mic this time, so Brian strapped it into his t-shirt and we were ready to shoot. He was placed by the main stairs. We adjusted the white balance and made sure the audio was good. Shelby asked him a series of questions relating to Olathe Northwest and e-Communication. Once I put it on Adobe Premiere, I made sure to overlay several different b-roll shots on top of Brian's interviews. I didn't do any color correcting this time.
What I Learned
I learned a lot about interviews. As the interviewer, you should get to know and listen to the person you are interviewing. You should also make sure the audio levels are correct and that the interviewee is placed according to the rule of thirds. Adobe Premiere was also easier to work with and navigate through.
Improvement
I could make some of the b-roll shots shorter as well as brighten up the clips that we were interviewing Brian. We could also shoot some more b-roll and add voiceovers between Brian's soundbites.
Next Project
I will definitely use these new skills I've acquired from this project for the next feature story. The rule of thirds and b-roll are just two of the many things I could implement into the next project for an even better product.
Overall
All in all, I feel that we did pretty good. I think that we got enough b-roll to get by which allowed the video to be more interesting. Brian was also easy to interview so it allowed us to get great soundbites. I can't wait for the next feature story!
For this project, we were to use photoshop for various different designs. Some included deleting objects from a picture, and some included adding objects to a picture. We went through a series of tutorial videos and created several different designs. I learned how to navigate through the different layers, use the marquee and magic wand tool, and also use adjustment layers to edit the final photo.
What Did I Learn?
I learned that, by putting a certain layer on top of the others, it would show up on top of the final photo. Also, renaming the initial layer "Layer 0" changed its settings from a background layer to a normal layer where you could edit at will. This became very important later on in the design, as I would need to edit that exact layer. I also learned about the magic wand tool, which came in handy quite often. To use it, you would click on a certain object you wanted to select and it would "magically" select it based off the smart selection. At that point, I would be able to edit that object and move it around. Finally, I learned about the adjustment layers. You could change the color, brightness, saturation, etc. of the specific layer. This became important because it added contrast and made the photo better looking overall.
Favorite Tool
Magic wand. All the way. This tool pretty much does all the work for you! Let me explain why it will be useful later on: if I am working on a project that requires me to mask out the rest of the background but keep the center object, I will just select the object with the magic wand tool instead of selecting it by hand. It is that easy!
Strengths/Weaknesses
My strengths would include navigating through the layers and using the magic wand tool. However, I found it somewhat difficult to edit an individual layer as well as find everything Photoshop (tools, panels, etc.). I definitely think once I become more familiar with the program I will remember where everything is at.
Different/Same
One thing I would do differently is make the edge (above) cleaner where the sky meets the father's head because it looks a little dark compared to the rest of the sky. I would also make the blue shirt (above) cleaner because it still looks a little rough after removing the logo. Some things I could stand to keep the same are the removal of the logo on the surfboard, removal of dots on the white wall (with the man to the right of the picture) and removal of the flecks of mud on the kid's face (left above). The removals don't take away from the photo and actually add more to it in a sense. The photos look cleaner and more professional with the adjustments.
Summary
Overall, I think the course went pretty well, although I had a few problems with photoshop along the way. I think the designs could use some improvement but the general idea is there. We are also given the task to create a design using five or so images and this is what I came up with:
The objective of the project was to create a video highlighting procedures of some sort. We were to create a 30 second to a minute video. I worked with Dylan and Jake to create a video about what and what not to do in Mr. Cooper's class.
Process
First, we created a storyboard with the different shots, mostly of which were over the shoulder. The idea was to make a shot of what NOT to do in Mr. Cooper's class, and then another very similar shot glorifying what TO do in Mr. Cooper's class. We grabbed a camera and started shooting right a way in the sound room with the soundboard. We were able to shoot every scene in a timely manner, adjusting the white balance and iris along the way. Then, post-production was next. I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the 1 minute video. I placed an X on the shots of what NOT to do, and a check mark on what TO do. I also did a little color grading and brightened the video up a bit. The video took 16 minutes to render!
I Learned.
I learned how to use the white balance settings on the camera as well as the iris. I also learned about zooming in on the Panasonic camera. The real gain of the project was that I got more comfortable with Adobe Premiere. I was able to find all the effects and sift through the project timeline easier than last year. I worked with Dylan and Jake, so we all came up with suggestions along the way to improve the shots (i.e. what if we did this?).
Improvement
Some things to stay the same in the video would be the music and the sound effects as well as the graphics because they add to the story. As for improvement, I could have used a tripod to stabilize the shots. I was trying to go for more of a sitcom type of camera movement, but this is not what the project was asking for. I could also brighten up the shots more and could stand to not zoom in but instead have several more different shots.
Next Project
I will use the added skills I have acquired from using Adobe Premiere for the next project I have. I will also use a tripod as well as spend more time on the storyboard. Finally, I will draw up more shots to make the next video more interesting.
Overall
I feel like we did a pretty good job.... or at least for our first video. There are definitely things to be improved upon though. One major thing would be the use of a tripod, as well as more storyboarding. I look forward to the next project and can't wait to get started!
For our 4th quarter project, we were to implement the skills we acquired from the quarterly rotations (graphic design, animation, and video). We were put into groups based off our personality types. My group was Jenna, Hattie, and Nicole, all of which had different personality types. We decided on the name "E-Team" because we were in e-Comm. Then, we designed the "Cupbrella", a unique cup holder umbrella. We made graphics, logos, animations, and videos off of this idea, and it took until pretty much the last final days that we before presenting to finish it. Some of the challenges we faced were when people were absent and might have been currently working on a certain part of the project. We just had to fill in their spot and continue the project from there. I learned communication skills and project management skills along the way. I also got good presentation skills! I was nervous before the final presentation but ended up doing better than I thought I would. Finally, I got some technical skills in from all the rotations. I was given some feedback on our graphics, so we tweaked them a little bit until they looked just right, such as the color and size of certain fonts or graphics. I also was given information on the audio in my video and fixed that as well by boosting it. Finally, people gave us feedback on our presentation, and we changed the script up a bit to fit their comments. I really liked our work in 4th quarter because it allowed us to see how much we really learned from e-Comm and what we could apply to team skills and project management.
The Website
Our task was to create a website that showcased all of the work we made in video, animation, and graphic design. It took about a week to make, but maybe another three weeks to actually put all the extra things in the website (like the commercial). Some challenges we faced were when the commercial wasn't showing up on the home page. I learned more about the code view and overall web design concept this way. Some feedback given was to just change the size of fonts and layouts on our website, but we fixed this by making the fonts the same size and making the website more organized. I really like our website because its organized and easy to use!
Graphics & Video
In graphic design, we were to make a logo of our team and product, as well as an ad and coupon. It didn't take a long time to make this because of their simplicity and how fast we decided on them. Some challenges we faced were getting them turned in on time. I learned more about the elements of graphic design this way and some feedback given on our colors and overall size of the graphics helped us to change them (the size) to fit the proportions of the logo. I thought our graphics were very strong and good.
Our video was carefully planned out and we wrote the script for the voiceover to detail about the product. It took a day to film, but maybe a little less than a week to edit. Some challenges I faced were the audio quality and color grading of the video. I learned more about Adobe Premiere this way! Some feedback I was given was to make the audio better, so I boosted the sound. I think our video is good, but could be a little bit better.
Animations
For this project, we were to create a 2d animation in Photoshop and a 3D one in SketchUp. It took about the entire two weeks we had to plan them out and make them. Some challenges I faced at the beginning were putting the graphics onto the Cupbrella building in Sketchup. I learned more about 3D animation and design this way though. I wasn't given much feedback, but I did add raindrops later on to fit the scene. I really like our 2d and 3d animation because they explain what the product is.
Time Management
I used all of my time in class to work on whatever the group needed help with or what was responsible for doing. Even if we were thought to be done, I went into some graphics or animations to tweak some things in order to make it look better. I also watched my commercial over and over to make sure it was good. Outside of class, I have worked on short films. I have currently made about five shorts and look forward to continuing them this summer!
Strengths
I think I have strengths in the video category, or at least I hope I do. I also feel like I manage my time well in class so I can get things done on time. I maximized my strengths by working outside of class to create short films and other little projects to implement my skills acquired in e-Comm. I also help others if they need help in class.
Areas of Improvement
A definite area of improvement would be team skills and working with other people. By doing this 4th quarter project, I feel like I have boosted myself in this area and it has really helped me to learn how to work with others. Another area would be animation. To fix this, I volunteered to create the 3D animation, which turned out better than I thought.
Summary
I loved the video rotation most this semester because it was fun seeing what our product would be like in real life and how we could get people to buy it. I would change our 3D animation by making it more colorful and adding more objects to it, as well as change the commercial. I would stay away from the infomercial type of commercial and go towards comedy or something in that nature. One thing I learned, as I said, is good communication skills and presentation skills. Working in groups really pushed this concept. One goal I'd like to set for EVERY year is to win the eMagine festival in the video category. Definitely. Number one goal. This year in e-Comm has really been helpful to boost my technical skills in all areas and teach me more presentation and communication skills.
Our product logo of the Cupbrella is a combination mark of a logo and topography. We combined the graphic plus black and white colors that represented our company and product. I like the logo because it symbolizes comfort and stability while displaying our product and its name.
Company Logo
For this logo, we used blue as well as repetition for our company and product. I really like this logo because it showcases our company and also is easy to read and figure out. Since our name is the E-Team, we colored in the "e" in "team" to show this. The simplicity of it makes it a great logo.
Cupbrella Coupon
Our coupon was also quite simple and easy to look at. We decided on 10% off so that we could still make a profit but also have people want to buy our product. The colors yellow and blue are prominent throughout our graphics, so they are shown here as well.
Cupbrella Ad
I know I keep saying the word "simplicity", but in our ad, it was really stressed. We decided to put not only our graphic and company logo, but also our slogan. This way, the viewer knows that the Cupbrella is about "cover up, drink up" while also seeing what it is by the graphic displayed. Plus, they will find the manufacturer's name as well.
Website Banner
This is definitely my favorite, if not second favorite. The colors yellow and blue are still prominent, and our slogan is shown as well. We decided to put the product logo on there because it had more of a rectangular shape to fit a website banner's proportions. The E-Team logo at the bottom was purposely made small to put more emphasis on the slogan and graphic.
E-Team
Overall, I really think that we worked well together to create all the graphics, animations, and videos. Our website functioned properly and I think our presentation went well. Better than I thought it would! We were on a time crunch, so in the five minute span that we presented, we held the audience's attention. I think our work overall was good and we worked well as a team.
For our team (E-Team), I made the SketchUp animation of our product, the Cupbrella. Regarding graphic design, I made the web banner and company logo. The SketchUp design worked well, although I had a little trouble importing the graphics in the beginning. I put the Cupbrella logo on the doorframe, and the E-Team graphic on the building. I tried to make the other buildings more of a neutral color so that the E-Team logo would stand out. When I made the Cupbrella product in SketchUp, I made the umbrella and cup separately and then combined them into one item. One thing that I could have done better is put more rain drops (as that is the setting) and could have added more buildings, bushes, or street lights. Overall though, I think the design worked well.
The E-Team
I think this rotation in animation went good for the most part. I feel like some people in the group didn't necessarily work the whole time. The way we divided jobs up was good, as we had Hattie and Nicole working on the Photoshop animation, and Jenna and I on the SketchUp animation. Hattie and I helped with the content of the website and Nicole worked on the website. Overall, we worked well together, but there are a few things that we could improve, like time management and staying on task. Staying on task is a big one because some group members don't stay focused the whole time on the project.
Our product is called "Cupbrella". This item holds your drink while you are walking in the rain so you don't have two full hands. The cup holder attachment on the side is very useful for things like a morning coffee. For our first assignment, we were to come up with a product logo. I sketched several different combination marks for our item. Then we implemented the final sketch into Illustrator.
The Details
We wanted to target a younger audience for this product, so our target group was 18-33 years old. The reason behind this is that younger people are always walking around for work or school, so a Cupbrella could definitely be useful to them. Our slogan was "cover up, drink up". This meant that you can cover up under an umbrella while holding your drink at the same time. Finally, the product logo was made simplistic with a square around an umbrella (like an app icon) and the word mark "Cupbrella" next to it. The color blue was put into it because it serves as a calming factor for the viewer.
5 Guarantees & Presentation
First, we showed technical skills through Illustrator and designing the logo on a computer. Second, we communicated during the sketching process and the final design. Third, certain people took leadership roles to make sure everyone was on task and on time. We collaborated on the final design and the overall idea of the product. And, with project management, we made sure to turn in the product on time. During the presentation, our group dressed appropriately and made eye contact with the audience. We also spoke clearly so that everyone could hear. No one was slouching or anything. Overall, I think we did a nice job with the product and presentation.
