1st Semester Entertainment Final Exam

           The first project I did this semester was a PSA. My group decided to make our PSA over depression and the importance of showing your true emotions, because many people going through depression don't convey it. In the video, we asked kids around school to laugh without smiling. The project took a couple days to film and probably about a week to edit. Some challenges I faced during it was actually going up to random kids and asking to film them. As you can imagine, it was usually pretty awkward. Some other challenges came from the editing process. I had some difficulty finding a fitting tone and pacing to the video. But, besides that, it was a relatively easy video to make. Along the way, I learned how to make a typing effect and how to add black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. Compared to older videos I've made, I think this one actually looks kind of professional. I was given positive feedback for the majority, though I didn't actually show my video to the class so I didn't get feedback from them. I think it was a pretty good video, though I'm not entirely happy with the pace of the typing at the beginning. Overall, however, I am satisfied with this video. 

           The second project I did this semester was a short film. My group's short was about a girl trying to protect her little sister from an abusive alcoholic mother. The actual filming process didn't take long at all. We finished our filming within a day, and, except for the loss of a few clips and a camera dying, it went very smoothly. Some challenges we faced were, again, camera malfunctions and a limited time schedule, but those issues weren't too prevalent or difficult to work past. Along the way, I learned how to manage props and actors (my little sister was in the film) and a few editing tricks as well. I learned how to add filters to your footage to make it more appealing and color correction in post-production. My group was given mostly good feedback, except that we had to go back and edit out a curse word that had been in the script. Besides that, however, we were given positive feedback. I am pretty happy with this film. Still, it could have been better if we hadn't lost the footage of the end. In the original footage, it ends with Katie driving Eva away from the abusive mom to freedom. But, because we lost those clips, it ends kind of abruptly and weirdly. 

I have used my time in the class productively. I have not turned any major projects in late, and when I have work to do, I do it. Unfortunately, I can be forgetful sometimes and turn in Google Classroom assignments late, though I am working on ending that. When I finish early or think I am done in class,  I repeatedly watch my video to see if there are any mistakes. If so, I fix them or watch youtube videos that can give me advice on how to. When I'm done with that, I usually spend my time working on personal film projects (my friends and I enjoy making our own films outside of school) or other schoolwork. I also really enjoy watching youtube channels centered around film production like NerdWriter1 or Lessons From the Screenplay. 

My strengths in entertainment, I believe, are scriptwriting and editing. I am still working on improving my cinematography skills, which is why I'm hoping to buy my own camera in the future so I can film videos at home and practice. I learned a lot about cinematography from our guest speakers as well. When he brought in all of the different professional equipment and high-quality camera, it was extremely interesting to me and made me have newfound appreciation for cinematography. When Mrs. Smith's son came in to present to us, it gave me a lot of useful information as to how to succeed as a video producer. He made me realize that being a "one trick pony," or only being exceptionally skilled in one area of video, would not be enough in the professional world. 

This semester, we made a fun trip to a movie theatre to experience the only 4D theatre in the midwest. My favorite part of the whole field-trip actually wasn't the 4D at all, surprisingly, but getting to tour the theatre and see all of the cool technology B&B had renovated. It made me feel pretty proud to think we are the only state in the midwest to have such state-of-the-art features. The 4D is marketed as providing an immersive experience a step up from 3D. Your seat would shake and move with the character's movements, and smells and water would be shot at you. Though the 4D could definitely use some adjustments, I enjoyed it. I feel like it could definitely use some improvements, but it's still a relatively new concept so I don't think we should be too critical on it. In the future, I can see 4D movies being a huge hit as they perfect the technology further so it feels even more realistic. It really provides an experience you can't have watching a movie at home. 

In conclusion, this semester provided many opportunities for growth and learning. I really enjoyed making the short film, and editing all of my other videos as well. If I could change anything, I would actually want more opportunities to film outside of school and make more short films. I learned a lot this semester about what to expect from the professional world of video and the pre-production stage as we have been working on our feature film. One goal I have set for myself is to film and edit more outside of school and to do more client work. I'm excited to see what the new year has in store for us entertainment students, especially in terms of the Kansas City Savior.