Editing Blog (Commercial)

Today, I filmed more of the current areas I already captured and of new areas that seemed to have potential. I started out at the half-circle; however, this time I started with the other circle that is parallel to the other. There, I saw whether the different view gave more potential or perspective. Then, I filmed more of the senior patio except for this time it was the flags and cars rather than the tables lying around. I did not film any more of the mural; this is because I had already filmed enough for my establishing shot. However, the new film I received would have to be dumped onto my computer and uploaded on my drive. For the new film, some of it would have to be cut or deleted entirely; however, I believe it will improve my commercial.
For the audio, I plan to do a voice-over and have people create a conversation in my commercial. The beginning, that includes the mural, will be the part with the voice over. In the voice over I will say how Wendys' improves students' lifestyles. Then, in my raw footage, I will have multiple people converse about the product of Wendys 4 for 4. However, if the raw footage's audio gets an error, then I will have to resort back to a voice-over. I also see the potential of adding music in the background. I was told in my class that copyright will not be an issue for my commercial. The music will have to relate back to the video, so I have to choose wisely. Any other audio may have to be silenced as that would hurt my commercial. However, some audio, such as the running of the cars, will be left alone to add the effect of naturalism.
For the actual footage itself, I will have to mashup the scenes in the senior patio. Meaning, I would have to compile them and compare them to see which ones are efficient or not. The transitions will be matched with the movements I do such as pan or tilt, so those will also be chosen carefully to create a rhythmic pattern. Then, for all the parts, I will have to see what I will need to cut out or insert. For some of my footage, the take was either interrupted or corrupt in some way. For the mural, I will have to see which take looks best for the establishing shot. The establishing shot will be the first shot seen so, it should be the widest and clearest shot in my commercial. Later, I will have to see all the footage for the senior patio. As the sun was out, there could be a great chance of glare. Meaning, the film is blurry or unclear and would seem more inappropriate.

Editing Lesson Blog

In today’s lesson, I learned about the procedure for using and filming with the camera. I was told how long it took for the cameras to charge and to be cautious about how much battery of the camera I use up; also, the slab of the camera cannot be open on the side because that does not allow the camera to charge. Then, I was shown how to hold the camera and how to see if it was on or not. The camera needs to be held in a fit grip so that there is no shaky footage or so we do not accidentally drop the camera. While the camera is seen on if the side slab is open and is recording footage. I was shown how to insert the SD card into the camera’s slot; it simply clicks in as the person inserts it and if it is not inserting correctly, then, it is inserted in the wrong way. Lastly, the tripod was presented to show how it maneuvers with the camera. The tripod is given in a constricted form so, I have to open everything and set the tripod’s legs up into a stable position; then, the camera can be attached by using a bottom piece to screw to the camera then to position onto the tripod.

Later on, I was shown how to dump our SD card information; that is all the raw footage I will use to create my work in this class. The presentation given was to show, step by step, how to dump our SD card information onto our desktops. I will have to create a folder on my desktop; then I would insert my SD Card into the computer. Once it is loaded in, I will look at the DCIM folder that will be shown in the folder’s categories. The DCIM folder will hold all of the footage collected on the SD card; that will be all the raw footage collected. If my footage is not seen there, another alternative would be to go to another area. This next folder will be called “Private” and then I would click on the AVCHD folder within that one and on the single next folder. The last folder will be shown as “stream” which will be all the footage collected on the camera, no matter the user. In that case, I will have to be very careful with the film I choose to import.

Lastly, I learned about the program called Pinnacle Studio; that is the program that I will use to import and edit all of my footage within this class. To import my footage, I will click on the edit tab; which is located on the top of the page. Then, I will click the button that says “Import,” which will allow me to go to the Desktop and click the plus sign. I will have to go to my folder, that I have collected all my footage with, and uncheck all the items; this is because it checks all items and may check items that belong to other users. So, I will check all the items that belong to me and my work. There may be errors if the program is rushed so I will have to click on my footage only after it has fully loaded. Then, I was taught what all the tracks were for. The AV Track 2 is what will build our film with and the track which we edit the film; the AV Track 1 is used for our title; and lastly, AV Track 3 will be used for music or voice-overs.

Filming Blog (Commercial)

The first day of filming was more hectic than I presumed. First, I had gotten all of my equipment and signed it out of the classroom and walked towards my first destination. I went over to the big mural and started checking all the equipment to make sure I was prepared. Meaning, I checked the camera's battery, the tripod's covers, and I kept my AICE Media badge around my neck. I inserted the SD card into the correct area and checked the camera, once again, and its lens. Then, I had to place and balance the tripod. At first, it was relatively difficult due to multiple factors. One factor was that the tripod was very gigantic and took a long time to set up so, the situational settings would change (such as more shading was available earlier.) Another factor was the stability of the ground, as there was no foundation I had to situate the tripod in the grass where it was relatively unstable and imbalance, allowing the camera's film to tilt. I took my camera and the top small piece of the tripod and fused them together to keep the camera in place. Finally, I got to film the big mural, I created it as an establishing shot so I set up my tripod relatively far to show the whole mural and got a take without any people in it.
I packed up all of my equipment and went on to film a new location. I went to the adjacent area, the senior patio. It's a relatively big area as an extension of the cafeteria but, only for upperclassmen. There, under the metal covering, I had set up my tripod in the shade to prevent any glaring with the Sunlight or blurriness. Next, I repeated the same procedure from the first location. I had seen myself performing the tasks faster meaning, I was getting used to the steps and was producing a routine. I laid the camera on the table to get an eye-level shot and then I started to use a pan movement to present the whole surrounding environment. Next, I placed the camera on the tripod and got a higher view of the area, however, this time it was pointed straight in one direction. Then, I moved over to our high school logo (which is the Flying L) with my equipment packed and I started setting up my tripod again in front of the logo to capture it and the academic spirit. For this take, I used tilt to present the presence and power of that logo.
However, the bell rang for B lunch (we were told not to film in those mentioned areas during B lunch) so, I folded away my equipment and asked people around whether or not they wanted to participate in my project (only if they were in B lunch, though.) It did not take long before I gathered people to film for the commercial. We created a rough script on their lines and what to say however, I told them that it does not need to be presented verbatim. As long as it still elaborated on the point of the commercial, it was fine. I had to get multiple takes of the people featured in it as there would be errors such as stumbling, loud background noises, and forgetting the foundation of their script. The people who were presented in my film were told by me that I would only film them for a few minutes and they will have the rest of their lunch to themselves. As I said, the takes only stretched about 10-20 seconds. Plus, it would be soon to leave the area I was filming. We were told that we had to be back in the classroom no later than 12:45PM EST to conclude toward our next class. When I got back, I would return all of my equipment with the required sheet of paper in the appropriate folder. However, I was allowed to keep the SD card until the end of class as I had to dump my raw footage onto my computer. Once I was finished dumping into my folder, I returned everything back to my teacher and proceeded to my next class.

Storyboard Blog (Commercial)

First, my establishing shot will be of the mural. The mural represents school life and socialization. Plus, it will show the creativity of students and the effort we put into our work. By doing so, allows the sense of school life to mix with the economy and hint of maturation. The actors will be set in the front to help create the reality of the scene. Then, the scene will switch to the half-circle. Over there, will be posters to advertise Wendys. The students will be drawing and creating the posters in the background to represent regular occurring school activities. This also presents the students who are in support of Wendys and their Four for Four special. Again, there will be students in the back to allow the school's atmosphere to compliment the support for Wendys. Later on, I will film the senior patio, the first shot will be filmed from far away then zoomed in. In the senior patio, Wendy's merchandise will lay on a big, rectangular table. Then, the students interact with each other supporting Wendy's food and discussing its benefits. This will be the final scene and will show that Wendys supports education by giving them the energy they need to succeed. So, all the students walk away feeling "refreshed."

Planning Blog (Commercial)

For my commercial, I will need crops that complement the advertisement for Wendy's food. Those props include Wendy's take out bag and an empty cup and the containers for fries and chicken nuggets. These props help create the image of Wendy's establishment and help advertise the four for four which is a targeted advertisement in my commercial. Then background props would be an umbrella at a table, color pencils and pieces of paper. These props elaborate the school setting that surrounds the advertisement to infer that Wendy's is for all ages and compliments and academic environment.

The main actor will be wearing pigtails with normal dress code appropriate clothing; this allows the actor to stand out as they represent the establishment while also wearing casual attire. The second actor will be wearing clothes with either the colors red white or blue; those colors are the main ones found in the windies logo which also allows it to stand out but be subtle at the same time. The background actors will be wearing normal clothing however none of them will be blue, white, or red.

Actors will be allowed to wear other items if they please however it will be approved first and should not affiliate with any organization that is competing against Wendy's. I will collect all of my props by October 19th; then the costumes will be selected by October 19th to October 20th. Furthermore, I will start coming back on October 21st from there I have a detailed schedule for the chronological order. First I will film in the half-circle as it is the closest location to film from. Then I will start filming both the mural area and seen your patio at roughly the same time; this is due to the fact that both locations are quite close to each other and the locations filming times are rather quick then the half circles filming time. After I film I will go back to my classroom to start editing the film I've collected so far is possible to run out of time so I will also come back in the morning to edit if there is anything left.

I will first film in front of the big mirror in front of Fort Lauderdale High School to First give an introduction to the school and give an academic Viewpoint. Then I will film in the half-circle area which is the north side of building 5 on the campus to show students interacting with each other to make Wendy's posters. Lastly, I will film at the senior patio at one of the great rectangular tables to display Wendy's items for the advertisement.

Research Conventions & Codes (Commercial)

There are common overlapping factors in all Wendys' commercials. The commercial from 2019 (USA) has certain technical codes such as how the opening scene is a three-shot which allows people to imply this is a social setting and is being shot in a random location. Another is that the commercial zooms into the two main actors to allow a more personal conversation on the product (which is the Biggie Bag.) The dialogue is then set up so that one of the actors asks the other actor what the product is and implies curiousness to the product at hand.
It also contains symbolic codes such as the "insecure" stranger was told the bag has everything they ever wanted and the script then mentions about a spelling bee award from elementary school; this implies the stereotype of the nerdy, insecure person being the one objected to joining a spelling bee in their younger days. Also, the food is decorated and presented at a beautiful perspective to imply that the taste of the food is equivalent to the beauty of the food.
This commercial also contains several conventions such as how both actors in the commercial start to randomly converse based on the product as that is shown as a "regular action" in everyday usage. Plus, both actors are relatively friendly to both of each other as it is shown as impolite and disrespectful, in context, to ignore or act rude to another stranger in public.

Introductory

Hello, my name is Michelle Durant, I identify as a Cuban American and am only seventeen years old. I am currently a senior enrolled in Fort Lauderdale High School and have been enrolled in this school since my freshman year. I was interested in this school mainly because of its Cambridge Program which granted the Cambridge Diploma by the time you have graduated. Plus, they allowed more advanced courses than schools that surrounded the area I live in. The experience in these classes definitely prepared you for regular college classes and tested the amount of work ethic I contained. With all these factors set up, I knew I had to prepare myself for my future career.
I was and always will be interested in technology and film. Ever since my middle school career, I looked at jobs that involved technology and always envisioned myself developing film, whether animated or realistic. Due to my envisions, I found myself lurking around the technology classes in my ninth grade year. Sadly, most of the classes and programs I wanted to join were absent by the time I reached the required school year, such as reaching eleventh grade as a requirement for a program.
When I was finally enrolled in this class, I was quite content with future assignments at hand. I realized it required many skills that needed to be obtained for the equipment this class would use. Although, most of it is new to me and I am just being exposed to this content, that only gets me more excited for the experiences in this class. That is why the colleges and universities I look at, always has a certain level of technology developed into their majors.