Until you step in to the scene of video or audio production, it may not be obvious how many decisions are being made by the director and the production staff. Making those decisions has been an important part of your job in this course. The more you know, the easier it is to make the correct decision and to do it quickly.
Microphones come in many shapes and sizes and serve many purposes. Do you want to hear one person out of a crowd of thousands? There’s a microphone for that. Do you want to hear the crowd of thousands? There’s a microphone for that. Do you want to hear each instrument of a band individually during a concert? There are microphones for that as well.
I would like you to read through three or more of of the articles listed below to research what you can about microphones. Then I would like you to visit our studio and determine what types of microphones we have based on the descriptions you read in the online articles. List the different microphones you find, draw a diagram (you do not need to turn in your art, but I'd be happy to have it :), and try to classify each one. You may wish to run sound tests through the soundboard to do this assignment. I will be available after school for this opportunity. Finally explain why you have classified each microphone the way you have. Journal Entry due on the day of our final.
Resources:
VideoMaker – Sound Off!: http://www.videomaker.com/article/13029/
VideoMaker – Microphone Mania: http://www.videomaker.com/article/10202/
VideoMaker – Microphone Types: http://www.videomaker.com/article/9520/
VideoMaker – Microphone of Choice: http://www.videomaker.com/article/13002/
Video Maker – Microphone Jungle: http://www.videomaker.com/article/9520/
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Journal Entry 4 - Tripods
Video cameras can be held in a small selection of manners. They can be stabilized on a stationary platform such as a tripod. They can be stabilized on a mobile platform such as a dolly. They can also be held by hand or attached to the body in a different way. Regardless of what method is used, the result on the film will be determined by the method. Most TV shows and movies use a very stable camera, but not always. Some shows deliberately use a very unstable camera to get a variety of effects.
Watch a television drama such as Lost, ER, or One Tree Hill. Watch for camera movement or the lack there of. Write a journal entry detailing significant changes in camera stabilization and what, if any, effect it had or should have on the audience. Note how the camera is being stabilized. Why is it being used by the director or cinematographer?
Resources
VideoMaker – Stability in Motion: http://www.videomaker.com/article/12589/
VideoMaker – Stabilization Tools: http://www.videomaker.com/article/8053/
Wikipedia tripod: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripod_%28photography%29
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/
Watch a television drama such as Lost, ER, or One Tree Hill. Watch for camera movement or the lack there of. Write a journal entry detailing significant changes in camera stabilization and what, if any, effect it had or should have on the audience. Note how the camera is being stabilized. Why is it being used by the director or cinematographer?
Resources
VideoMaker – Stability in Motion: http://www.videomaker.com/article/12589/
VideoMaker – Stabilization Tools: http://www.videomaker.com/article/8053/
Wikipedia tripod: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripod_%28photography%29
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/
Monday, April 7, 2008
Journal #3
Welcome to the new term. Please post your responses to this post and include any journal entries here. Also, all students are expected to not only reply with a journal entry but also to provide feedback to your classmates on their journal entries. Feel free to reply to any entry and to write your own responses that may not be journal entries.
To date, I have watched two of the how-to videos. The drum set how-to was interesting and nicely narrated. More variety and closeups of the drums would have been a nice touch. I also watched the quit smoking how-to. This had a lot of good information but could do with a lot more slide-show type effects. Keep on editing and get those in to me as soon as possible. Good job to those two who have already turned them in.
Journal...the Green Screen
Green screen technology is pervasive in our culture. It does not seem possible to watch a day’s worth of TV without seeing extensive use of green screens. Action movies as we love them today wouldn’t exist without green screen effects and some live action movies are being created completely in great green rooms so the entire background can be digitized in.
Your journal entry will be a simple log over the course of the week in which you keep track of all instances of green screen usage you think you observe in television or movies. It may not be obvious all of the time, but look for things that would be impossible or don’t make sense. Find five samples and write up your list. Post each example to this blog as you find them (this means you may have five seperate posts) and give your impression of the usage of green screen for each example. Was it good quality, too over the top, a worthy purpose, etc?
Post to the blog with links if possible. Please do not include five samples of youtube videos of people playing/practicing with green screen. I want to see/read about actual samples in professional video.
Green Screen Products
Finally, your green screen videos are due by next Friday (4/18).
P.S. - Don't forget the Spring Art Gala is May 13th. Be sure to mark it on your calendar.
To date, I have watched two of the how-to videos. The drum set how-to was interesting and nicely narrated. More variety and closeups of the drums would have been a nice touch. I also watched the quit smoking how-to. This had a lot of good information but could do with a lot more slide-show type effects. Keep on editing and get those in to me as soon as possible. Good job to those two who have already turned them in.
Journal...the Green Screen
Green screen technology is pervasive in our culture. It does not seem possible to watch a day’s worth of TV without seeing extensive use of green screens. Action movies as we love them today wouldn’t exist without green screen effects and some live action movies are being created completely in great green rooms so the entire background can be digitized in.
Your journal entry will be a simple log over the course of the week in which you keep track of all instances of green screen usage you think you observe in television or movies. It may not be obvious all of the time, but look for things that would be impossible or don’t make sense. Find five samples and write up your list. Post each example to this blog as you find them (this means you may have five seperate posts) and give your impression of the usage of green screen for each example. Was it good quality, too over the top, a worthy purpose, etc?
Post to the blog with links if possible. Please do not include five samples of youtube videos of people playing/practicing with green screen. I want to see/read about actual samples in professional video.
Green Screen Products
Finally, your green screen videos are due by next Friday (4/18).
P.S. - Don't forget the Spring Art Gala is May 13th. Be sure to mark it on your calendar.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
An Intoduction
Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, I wanted my TV and Media student to share their thoughts through journaling on a variety of topics. After several sub-par journal entries and a complete disconnect between the students and their writings, I have decided to move into the 21st century.
Starting today, I am inviting you, my students, to setup your own blog site to host your journal entries, comments and any related discussions on TV and Media. Then I will create a webpage that links them all together. From there we should be able to journal, share important links and comment on each other's insight like never before.
Currently, twe are working on three assignments: a 'How To' project, Green Screen Fun, and a brief documentary. In addition to that, the last journal entries were due a week ago on the topic of documentaries.
Journal Entry: Documentaries
A documentary is made with the purpose of telling a story. It is set apart from home videos, how-to, sporting events and other non-fiction genres in that the audience is watching with similar interest as they would put into a fictional movie, yet knowing that the story being told is fact and the footage being seen is (almost always) actual original videos and photos.
Key elements of documentaries include photos and videos, interviews, research, and voice-overs. The topics covered by documentaries can be almost anything that has a story to tell. From living with a disease to the life and death of a moth, documentaries have been made about anything and everything, yet each new documentary can be a new experience.
For this journal entry, you need to watch two documentaries. We will watch one in class. Your second documentary can watched at home from the Discovery channel or by going to YouTube and finding a worthwhile topic to learn about. Document the video you watched at home (what it is, what is the source.) While watching, take notes on the editing, camera shots, locations and audio. Then write two pages describing what you saw in the two videos that are elements you appreciated in the videos. Also write about things that may have been detracting from your experience. Finally compare the video we watched in class to the video you watched on your own.
Resources:
Best Online Documentaries: www.bodocus.com - a compilation of full length documentaries available online.
Google videos: video.google.com search for ‘documentary Educational Resources’
YouTube: www.youtube.com
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film
A good article on the history of documentary and what makes a good documentary
Students...submit your journal entry by writing your own blog. Sign up for a blog account with your existing gmail account or through blogspot.com. Once you have your blog, please send the address to me via email ckipp-mcgowan(_at_)ashland.k12.ma.us
Starting today, I am inviting you, my students, to setup your own blog site to host your journal entries, comments and any related discussions on TV and Media. Then I will create a webpage that links them all together. From there we should be able to journal, share important links and comment on each other's insight like never before.
Currently, twe are working on three assignments: a 'How To' project, Green Screen Fun, and a brief documentary. In addition to that, the last journal entries were due a week ago on the topic of documentaries.
Journal Entry: Documentaries
A documentary is made with the purpose of telling a story. It is set apart from home videos, how-to, sporting events and other non-fiction genres in that the audience is watching with similar interest as they would put into a fictional movie, yet knowing that the story being told is fact and the footage being seen is (almost always) actual original videos and photos.
Key elements of documentaries include photos and videos, interviews, research, and voice-overs. The topics covered by documentaries can be almost anything that has a story to tell. From living with a disease to the life and death of a moth, documentaries have been made about anything and everything, yet each new documentary can be a new experience.
For this journal entry, you need to watch two documentaries. We will watch one in class. Your second documentary can watched at home from the Discovery channel or by going to YouTube and finding a worthwhile topic to learn about. Document the video you watched at home (what it is, what is the source.) While watching, take notes on the editing, camera shots, locations and audio. Then write two pages describing what you saw in the two videos that are elements you appreciated in the videos. Also write about things that may have been detracting from your experience. Finally compare the video we watched in class to the video you watched on your own.
Resources:
Best Online Documentaries: www.bodocus.com - a compilation of full length documentaries available online.
Google videos: video.google.com search for ‘documentary Educational Resources’
YouTube: www.youtube.com
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film
A good article on the history of documentary and what makes a good documentary
Students...submit your journal entry by writing your own blog. Sign up for a blog account with your existing gmail account or through blogspot.com. Once you have your blog, please send the address to me via email ckipp-mcgowan(_at_)ashland.k12.ma.us
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