Category: Audio & Visual Design

Final Reflection

This course was very useful to me as a communication and creative professional. I learned how to work outside-of-the-box for numerous projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had to think on my feet and use tools around me that were not necessarily tools that I would have used during a normal semester.

There are no right and wrongs in the art of moving pictures, but there are techniques and skills that help tell stories more effectively. Being able to take criticism will also help to grow as an artist. 

J Cuts

Here is an example.

In this scene, the jump cut occurs at 0:14 seconds. A jump cut happens when there is an abrupt transition from one scene to another. 

L Cuts 

An L cut is a film editing technique where the audio from a scene precedes the actual video footage. Here is an example.

In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the teacher calls roll and the camera jumps to the next shot of the desk chair. The teacher’s audio is still playing in the next shot. Another L cut happens in the same shot when the classmate starts talking while the shot is still on the desk.

Final Project 

Link

In this final project, I interviewed my friend Sara MacDonough-Civitello. She is an athletic trainer at Quinnipiac University for the men’s basketball team. I interviewed her about the day the sports world stood still (when all collegiate sports were cancelled due to COVID-19). 

The b-roll is from Quinnipiac’s main campus and York Hill campus. All footage was filmed by me. 

Module 6 

Read to Inform

Storytelling – social and cultural activity of sharing stories and passing information on 

Documentary Film – a documentary is a non-fictional film that is intended to show real-life events and people in order to inform, entertain or maintain a historical record 

How to Make a Documentary 

• Tell a story you care about
• Research: Having a plentiful amount of information will help tell a captivating story 
• Make a Plan: Have an idea of the style and structure for your documentary 
• Create a Shot List: Having a list of footage and shots will help make your shooting organized and efficient
• Start Shooting 
• Write a Script: A script not only includes voice over lines, but also information about what the viewers are seeing 
• Begin Editing 
• Check Legal and Copyright rules 

13 Rules for Making Documentary Films 

1. Fight Club Rule
2. Don’t make a documentary about things people already know about (example – nuclear power is bad)
3. Don’t imitate a college lecture 
4. Give viewers something they will enjoy
5. Don’t be boring
6. Why don’t more documentaries go after the real villans?
7. Make it Personal 
8. Point your cameras at the media 
9. Books and TV have nonfiction down, go after that
10. Try to film people who disagree with you 
11. What you feel, the audience will feel 
12. Less is More 
13. Sound is the most important feature

Cat Trap King – This documentary was interesting, engaging and effective. The 60 second film gives viewers a quick look at a human-interest story. The voice over tells the story while showing b-roll of the subject. 

Skater Girl – This documentary shows b-roll of a young girl skating at a very high level. This documentary showed a feel-good story and made you feel happy after it was over.

Wedding Video – The video shows a couple’s wedding day. The video starts off with the groom stating his vows as the voice over and introduction to the video. Then, it switches over to the bride’s vows as the voice over while showing scenes from the wedding day.

Mailboat Jumpers 

This news package was really interesting. I had never heard of mailboat jumpers before, and this story was really cool. The narrator takes the viewers through the story of what mailboat jumpers are and what their duties are. Then, interviews give viewers an added look at what jumping is all about. The script is the same as the press release that goes with the video, and the photos are the storyboard. 

Steam-Powered Cider Mill story – The first part of this video is about the history of making cider in Mystic, Conn. The second part of the story is about the owners of the steam-powered cider mill and their cider donuts. The third part of the video is about the ingredients in the cider. 

Sprinkles Cupcakes – The images in this video are not as clear as they probably could have been. But, because it was 2005, the image quality is understandable. I didn’t notice the introduction interview being poor; I thought it was ok. I thought the red velvet b-roll could have been ordered a little differently so that the viewers were aware she was going to talk about red velvet cupcakes before she did. I thought someone on the street waiting in line for a cupcake would have made a cool interview piece to add to the video. 

Old Amusement Park – This video opens with a voice over that narrates the story, followed by interviews. The b-roll shots are aesthetically pleasing with the fall foliage in the background.

Geologist – This video uses the “rock” theme to add lower thirds to the video. This video uses b-roll to show viewers what the geologist would do outside. 

Two speakers – The first speaker’s audio picks up all of the outside sound around the portable speaker on the podium. I think the editors replaced the audio from the normal video with what they picked up on the recorder. You can hear the papers rumbling below. The second speaker has a lav mic on, in addition to the standing mic, so his sounds clearer. 

 Quinnipiac Graphic Design program – This video tells a story with the voice over guiding viewers about the program. 

Top 100 Documentaries – I have seen Blackfish as just an example from this list. It was a really interesting documentary, and I actually almost started an organization in college to help save the sea life in captivity. And that’s one of the main results people who make documentaries strive for. 

Examples 

Michael Jordan Documentary (Trailer) – The Last Dance 

This trailer for the 10-part documentary is just a small example of the extraordinary footage and interviews that the now-airing documentary is showing. The trailer hooked me as a viewer with footage that I had never seen before as a basketball fan. 

Beyoncé’s Homecoming – Netflix Documentary 

This is my favorite documentary to date. As a fan of art and music, I was blown away by the creative team that made this film. It is a combination of behind-the-scenes footage of Beyoncé’s work on her show at Coachella in 2018. The trailer shows a small part of that. The creators made you feel like you were there at the show. 

Pre-Production Document

Readings 

Chapter 7 – Lighting

The most powerful source of light is the sun, but because it’s always moving, it is difficult to work with. A reflector is anything that reflects light, and a fill light is artificial light set up to put out daylight-colored light.

There are three basic types of lighting – focusing quartz, broads and softlights. The focusing quartz light is the spotlight used in movies and in tv shows. Broads are non-focusing lights designed to cover a large area with even light. Softlights are permanent, portable bounce lights.  

Chapter 9 – Doing It

A shooting script is a list of what you are going to shoot and how you are going to shoot it (wide shots, close ups). Communication is key – in order for a shoot to go smoothly, someone has to be in charge and direct the shoot. It is also important to be able to work in uncontrollable situations.

Module 5

Research to Inform

Continuity editing is the process of combining related shots or different components cut from one shot into a sequence. 

A how-to video shows viewers step-by-step how to do something. 

Videos with multiple angles:

Date Night – This scene in Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey shows a classic diner scene with two characters talking. The shots include a standard wide shot of the two characters in the booth and over-the-shoulder shots. The conversation is a great example of the 180-degree line rule. The plane down the center of the actors stays on one side during the entire conversation. It is definitely more interesting to see the emotions and facial expressions of the actors not talking, rather than have the shot always on the actor talking. 

The Matrix – In this scene, there are many “match on action” shots that show one part of the scene and then extend the cut to show more. For example, when Keanu Reeves goes to open his coat, viewers see a small cut of him unbuttoning before the main shot to see what is in his overcoat. 

Filming a Guy Playing a Guitar – The angles in this video are beautiful. There is a great variety of close-ups and wide shots, in addition to the varying speed of the shots. It flows nicely together. 

How to Make a Paper Balloon Water Bomb – This video used multiple angles to give the video variety and kept the shots interesting. 

Reading

Chapter 3 – Viewers find it easier and more appealing to look at different images of a sequences with many angles, rather than looking at the same angle for a long time. Wide shots, medium shots, and close ups are all examples of shots that create variety in a video. When shooting a sequence, your shots should involve a change in image size and camera angle. A jump cut occurs when you only change the size of the image in the frame. Cutting the action helps create variance and keeps the viewer’s eyes active.

Chapter 4 – In video, there is a line between characters called an axis of action. When shooting characters, you should stay on one side of the line and be weary not to cross it. Keeping the screen direction consistent will help you to stay on the right side of the axis of action. 

How to Video

Link – How to Make a Homemade Mask

This video is about making a homemade mask for when you have to go into public during the pandemic of COVID-19. All you need to make a mask is a bandana and two hair ties.

I used multiple angles in this video to show the simple directions for making a mask.

Chapter Readings – Chapter 10

In The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, chapter 10 explains editing as if you were driving a car. Your eyes go to a medium shot ahead, then to your rear-view mirror and then to your speed on the dash. Having a shot log will help make editing easier and more organized. 

The great underlying rule of editing is to make sure each new shot is different from the one before. Pacing is also important – too fast or slow can send the wrong message of the story you are telling. 

Research to Inform – Different Editing Styles 

In Beyoncé’s music video “Single Ladies,” the video opens with a classic fade-to-open shot. This music video uses a unique editing/shooting style. The entire video looks like it is shot in one take (invisible take) and the camera moves in a circular motion around the performers. This creates an interesting look for the viewer, and you are not sure where the background line starts or begins. 

In The Office, a documentary-style of shooting and editing is used. You see numerous zooms, pans and jump cuts to create a humorous and effective look for the shots and story. Interviews are used along with cuts to what the characters are talking about. A standard jump cut editing process is used without any dramatic transistions. 

Georgia football (Monday Motivation video) has given fans a nice throwback to football season with reposts of hype videos from the fall. This video uses really quick cuts that intersect with music in a clean way. At the beginning, the ambient sounds of the grill, the sprinklers, the cornhole bags and the field lights buzzing make you feel like you are really there. A unique transition is used right at the beginning as the voice over begins.

Articles and Examples

13 Creative Editing Techniques Every Video Editor Should Know:

-The standard cut is the most common and simple cut. It places two shots next to each other with no other transition. 

-A jump cut pushes time forward and is usually formed in the same clip.

-A montage shows a passage of time and helps tell a story with quick cuts

-A cross dissolve represents a passage of time with overlapping layers of two shots. 

-A wipe transition is used in animation that “wipes” the scene away to form the next scene.

-Fade In/Out transitions are used as a black screen fades in and out. 

-J or L cuts happen when you want to have audio fade into and overlap with the next scene.

-Cutting on action is when, well, you cut at the point of when the action occurs. 

-Cutaway Shots distract the viewer with a side shot of something away from the main scene.

-Cross Cut or Parallel Editing is when two different shots are used to show two different parts of the same scene. 

-Match Cuts are used to show viewers the next step in a scene without disorienting them. 

-Smash cuts are used in scenes where there is a dramatic flip in the story, like when a character wakes up from a dream.

-Invisible cut is when the editor uses similar shots tied together that make the scene look like it was shot in one take. 

Back to the Future 

The cuts were very quick and there was not one longer than 10 seconds. The shorter clips occurred when the man was hanging on to the clock tower. The pacing with quick for a bit and then slower and then quick again to slower. I believe this was used to show the build-up of the scene. 

Montage Project

This week we were tasked to create a quick one to three-minute montage. Due to the social distancing and shelter-in-place rules and the COVID-19 situation, I had to find something creative to show in my apartment. I used inspiration from my sunlit desk and my morning routine – my “Quar-antine,” if you will. I enjoyed capturing the shots of the candle and coffee on my desk. I added royalty free music from a website called Artist, which I use for work at Quinnipiac. 

Morning in Quarantine Video

Script 

Morning in Quarantine 

Another night

Has come and gone 

Another day

Begins again

Coffee’s brewed 

And work begins

In the light of the sun

We may be stuck

And without endings

But the light still shines everyday

Sometimes perspective 

And a changing mindset

Are all you need

To get through the next day 

Module 3 

Montage – a film technique in which a series of shots are sequenced to condense space, time and information 

Examples/Inspiration 

We have been given a good amount of montage examples. Let’s look back on little things the montages did well:

Peabody Museum – the pace of the video was very smooth and easy to follow. I liked the music and the aesthetic of the shots used. 

Top Gear – this video was humorous; it compared a not-so-great montage with an exciting one. The second montage was fast-paced and thrilling. The audio and shots made you feel like you were actually there and kept your eyes locked on the screen. 

Scottish castle – this video showed viewers the inside of a Scottish castle. I didn’t love how the shots were placed. I was a little lost as to where we were in the castle. I thought the host threw off the vibe/mood of the video by popping up every now and then. 

Thailand – This video was quiet and calm. The shots were relaxing and showed the beautiful island off. 

Intro to Chalk Art – This intro was a great example of a montage. The opening shots set the stage for the establishment and showed some really cool aspect of the restaurant. 

Top Ten Montages – Up is a great example of how a montage was used successfully. The opening story is all about the life of the two main characters – how they met, getting married, their life and then Ellie’ death. It tells this beautiful story quickly with very little dialogue. The montage mentioned from Citizen Kane is another great example – it uses the same shot with the same two people, but changes they wardrobes to show a movement of time. 

Milford Town Promo – This video encompasses all of the cool parts of a town like Milford. From the trains to city hall, the viewer gets quick look at a lot of the great parts of the city. 

Dogtown – A good restaurant montage makes you want to eat there! This one certainly did that by showcasing the food and environment of the hip Milford eatery. 

Beer commercial – This quick beer commercial created a sense of summer in a video. The cold beer with the fresh grapefruit took viewers to a place outside drinking the SWAG drink. 

Planning for a Project 

The pre-planning for a video project will help you to stay organized and on-track to complete the project. To begin, you must define your business objective and the audience for your video. Later you must create a brief and then develop a concept for the video. 

The treatment will come next. This is a document that summarizes the main idea of the project. Later a storyboard will be used to lay out your ideas. A latter step will be to analyze your distribution or where you want the project to be seen. You will then set up the production process and timeline for shooting. 

Types of Shots

There are many different types of shots that are used in videos. An aerial shot is used to show a vast location, usually from far away and in the air. An establishing shot, well, establishes where the next scene is going to take place. A close-up and extreme close-up are used to target one actor and are framed from the shoulders up.

The dolly-zoom shot is when the foreground generally stays the same while the background zooms in or out, creating a dizziness effect. The over-the-shoulder shot is used to film conversations or interviews. The master shot is sometimes confused with the establishing shot, but used to identify the characters in a scene all at once. 

Storyboarding 

Storyboarding is the act of drawing and planning the shots for a video. It should always be done before you film anything. You should include technical details, content, verbal delivery, set location and time of day in the storyboard. 

The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video – Readings

Chapter 1 explains how a camera works, from the lens to exposure. The lens of a camera directs light onto the surface which senses the patterns that is created from different brightness and color. Exposure is the amount of light that is allowed to come through the lens of a camera. This chapter also explains how to set exposure on different types of cameras. When setting the exposure, be wary to not overexpose, or let in too much light. This will create a washed-out photo. Depth of field is a term that explains the look of a photo where everything is sharp and in focus. 

Chapter two is all about composition. Rule of Thirds is an idea that uses the concept of mentally dividing a frame into thirds, horizontally and vertically. Balance, angles, framing within the frame, leading lines and background all create great compositions. Balance is the concept of having a balance of mass in a photo. Angles are used to show all three dimensions – height, width and depth. Framing within a frame creates a frame around an object by using objects in the foreground. Leading lines are lines within a shot that lead the viewer’s eye in a distinct direction. Backgrounds are important as they can create a busier photo or can be blurred to put the foreground ahead in importance. 

Chapter five is about camera moves. The basic camera moves are zooms, pans and tilts. These can all be combined together. 

Chapter six is about montages. A montage is a series of shots used to convey a message or describe a scene. Having a variety of shots is important in a montage. 

Research to Inform

The Morning Show

This show has some stellar examples of framing, depth of field, close-up shots and establishing shots. Some of the best shots in the show include the skyline shots on New York City. They are breath-taking and help establish what time of day it is in the next scene (since it’s a morning show, the characters are up at all different hours of the day). 

0:16: Framing example 

1:37: Depth of field 

Mulan

The fight scene in the mountains from Disney’s Mulan has a lot of great examples of visual composition. At 0:20, the viewer sees a developing establishing shot of the enemy growing larger and larger on the top of the hill. At 0:23, the viewer then sees an example of depth of field and framing with Li Shang in the foreground. At 0:42, the viewer gets another great extreme long shot and sees the vast number of enemy fighters flying down the mountain. 

Stranger Things 

This hit Netflix show does something that is difficult to accomplish – takes the viewer back in time. The show successfully sets the scenes in the 90s. The lighting and shot selection are very important when trying to change the time of the story. At 1:23 in this video, the shot of “The Void” is an extreme long shot of one single character. 

Visual Montage Project

I will be creating a video around the Shoppes of Yale in New Haven, Conn. There is some really cool architecture in this area and I would like to showcase it to someone who is looking to visit the area. This area is in my backyard, so I am here all the time. I run around the city and get to see a lot of cool parts of Yale’s campus.

The planning part was fairly simple. The buildings and streets speak for themselves. All I will have to work with that is unpredictable when filming is the weather.

Podcast – A Brief Overview of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s Fight for Equal Pay

SoundCloud Link

Readings:

Seven Secrets for Getting Pro-Sounding Vocals on Home Recordings 

Most people do not have the option to record music or other audio projects in fancy studios. But, people want to have the same professional audio components like those fancy studios. There are a few “hacks” that can help improve audio while at home or in another non-studio setting. 

Getting in the “zone” will help improve audio right off the bat. If you do not feel like your audio is going to sound great, it probably won’t. Rooms that have little cavernous space and reverberated sound are perfect for recording. Things like beds, windows, curtains and blankets are great sound absorbers. Some people even build their own “booths” with these types of objects.

The position of your mic is also important when recording. You want to make sure the mic is tilted and you speak 2-3 inches away from the mic. One take usually isn’t enough when recording – you should do multiple takes throughout the recording process. 

Sound Advice: Editing Audio for Video

A-Roll is the primary footage you are filming, and it is essential to have in a video. B-Roll is additional footage that is shot as filler pieces that reinforce the story. 

Once a video is edited, a final step that occurs revolves around exporting the audio file to polish it. Applying some compression, limiting and equalization can go a long way.

Top Ten Best Sound Designed Films

War movies always bring the heat when it comes to sound mixing and audio, especially when you watch them in the theater. I think something interesting to remark on is how the evolution of sound has changed over the course of event the last 20 years. Looking at movies like Star Wars or Harry Potter, a viewer can truly see how sound has evolved throughout the years.

TED Talk on Sound Design 

The experiment at the beginning of the video was very interesting. I could not tell if there was a real rain sound being used or if it was all bacon frying in a pan. 

Chapter 8 – Sound (The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video)

There are many steps that a sound vibration must take in order for the message to be transmitted to our brain. The frequency and amplitude of sound waves create the type of sound we hear. 

The frequency of a sound can be high or low, depending on the distance between waves. If a frequency is high, the shriller the sound will be.  Amplitude measures the size of the sound wave. If the size of the wave is large, the sound will be louder. Frequency is measure in Hertz and amplitude is measured in decibels. 

In film and video production, there are three general types of microphones – lavalier, hand mike and shotgun. Each microphone has advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to the user to pick the best one for the situation of filming and producing. 

There are also different ways to record sounds and use them in production. A wild effect occurs when you record a sound in a closeup fashion without picture. This gives you an opportunity to use a clearer sound if needed in editing. A sync effect is a sound recorded at the same time as the picture. 

Engaging Episodes – The Powerful Podcasting Series 

It is always useful to begin creating a podcast by writing a script. An invisible script, however, helps create structure, ensures a flow, builds reputation, gives you a roadmap and cuts down on production time. 

Podcasts should be linear and follow steps. The listener should not have to jump backwards because they were confused. The flow and vibe of a podcast is very different from the written pattern like in a blog. Using contractions, short sentences and plain English without jargon helps the conversation of the podcast to flow easily. Adding personality to the podcast also helps to keep the reader entertained and locked in. 

Taglines can enhance your personal brand for your podcast – they should be short, memorable and direct. 

When planning for your podcast, creating an outline will help organize thoughts and help the flow of the show. A mind map is fun, innovative way to create an outline by drawing or using apps. Before going live, it is a good idea to read over, edit and rewrite the base of the script and outline. 

Kiwi! 

Normal: This video was an evolutionary piece that showed the timeline of stop-motion filming. Stop-motion filming is a very unique way of telling a visual story. The stop-motion refers to the producers and creators taking photos of the action in the scene and then slightly moving the scene and taking another picture. This process continues for a long period of time to create a motion effect once the pictures are edited together. This video used an increasingly dramatic song that told the story of the evolution through sound. In the more dramatic images and videos, the music was louder. I liked the storyline of this video and enjoyed seeing movies from my childhood appear.

Um, not normal: This video was really interesting. I honestly did not understand it and probably should have watched it again, but I did not want to because it made me sad. The music added a very depressing vibe. I thought the hard cuts to black and then back to the action were distracting. 

Different: After watching this video, I felt better about the story because the music was more uplifting and you felt like there was a sense of purpose and work in somewhat of a success story. The little bird always wanted to fly, made a forest and then somehow ended up with a family in the end. Even though this video was basically the same as the first, it was not as sad because of the music. 

Podcast Examples

Beyoncé’s Homecoming – NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour

I listened to this podcast in a different class and loved it. I am a big fan of Beyoncé to begin with and loved the discussion about her Homecoming Netflix documentary. This podcast used Beyoncé’s music to enhance the story line. The music was used directly over discussion at a low volume and then the volume was raised when the editors wanted the song to play alone. 

The Office Ladies 

This podcast is hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey from the show The Office. It is a very light podcast that incorporates interviews, sound bites and conversation to tell the stories from every single Office episode that the duo starred in. This podcast engages the listener with fun stories from the beloved show and brings special guests to talk about different segments from the episodes. 

Dream with Us | Nike Commercial | Women’s World Cup 2019

Nike has always been a brand that tells the most captivating stories in their commercials. As a female, an athlete and a fan of sports, this commercial makes me feel like I can do anything. The sound in this commercial is stunning – from the lockers slamming to the cleats grinding on the pavement, the viewer feels like they are there, running alongside the athletes. The breath floats up from the cold air and you get goosebumps. The line of athletes represents a team coming out before the game starts. It makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger than just yourself. It tells the story of the little girl looking up to someone like Mal Pugh, and it’s told all through visuals and the narration.  

Mindmap – Podcast

Closing the Pay Gap for Professional Female Athletes

Pre-Production Planning Document (PODCAST)

The topic I chose for this podcast is about closing the pay gap for professional female athletes. I chose this topic because it is something I am passionate about and it is relevant in society right now. I hope to spark a discussion with people who listen, and I hope to bring light to a topic people might not know a lot about.