Plushie

This is my first video of the semester, which was just a little test film. I honestly just had fun fooling around, making a very cheesy movie, and learning to use the software. If I were to do this again, more seriously, I'd probably come up with an idea for an actual storyline or purpose before actually going out and filming, instead of just filming some random shots and trying to piece those together with some semblance of purpose. All in all, this was a fun first film to make and helped me understand the basics of Final Cut Pro and use of the camera. 

This video was more fun for me to make, and also easier, since I came up with an idea before I went to film anything. It gave me more purpose and helped me make the process faster. I played with filters as well, and it was interesting to find the perfect effect. It was also very helpful to learn that there is a "stabilizer" effect, because some of the shots I had were very shaky — though I think in the future I would just retake those shots. I had to insert some sound effects which was a learning process because I had to go onto youtube and convert that into mp4. FCPX has a wide selection of sound effects and music choices, but some are just not quite right (or nonexistent in their own library), so it's good to know how to use youtube/video content and convert it into a usable format. This project really gave me a better feel for what my next, more serious projects will be like. I created a storyboard and really had to think about what every shot would be like and what sounds would be playing. Each decision was deliberate, even if the final outcome was still kind of ridiculous. 

Below is my storyboard for this film.

Brian Gawlik

      — was a teacher here at Burr and Burton Academy for many years. He taught cinematography and was an inspiration to all of his students. He sadly died from leukemia at a young age, leaving behind the legacy of the Gawlik Awards, an awards show to showcase the work of film students at BBA.

Gawlik Room

   Named after Brian Gawlik, this room is ...

Canon Vixia

    An easy-to-use hand-held filming camera. 

Clip

    A short piece of video.

Editing

    Assembling and polishing video clips into a final product. 

Library (in FCPX)

    A library is your personal page in FCPX that holds all your projects, events, etc. 

Event (in FCPX)

    An event is a collection of footage that will be used in a project. 

Project (in FCPX)

    A project is the film you are editing. 

Final Cut Pro X

    Film editing software that we use. 

“Fix it in Post”

    Fix the problems later, while you're editing. 

Initializing SD Card in Canon Vixia

    It's just clearing the card and getting it ready for your own filming ventures.  

Jonathon Levin

    Was a teacher who was brutally murdered by one of his students. This wing of the Smith Center is named after him, because his parents gave money to the school. This led to the hiring of Brian Gawlik. 

“Lock it down/lock it up”

     Shut up and sit still, filming is about to happen

BBA News Room

     The news room has now been converted into the greenscreen room, which is used for special effects films. Can also be called the studio.

Pre-production

    Everything that needs to happen before a video can be filmed. 

Post-production

    Editing after the film has been taken 

Scene

    One event or part in a film

Timeline

    The order in which events occur