AICE Media Studies

 Attached is the presentation of my creative critical reflection.

 All in all, this music video could have had major improvements from the beginning. My idea was unique and pioneered a different genre of music video. However, it might have benefited from a different plot with more human actors. In my defense, I was the sole director, editor, and writer. This music video also would excel from shots focused on scenery. With lack of audio besides the music, it would have been hard to develop any other storyline. Additionally, since I did not have lyrics in my song, all the mood would stem from the song. I had many different challenges during the entire production. I had to try and film during good weather with enough sunlight. This meant consistently stopping during an overpass or when other people were in the shot. However, since my setting was nearby, I was easier for me to quickly move outside and get the shots I needed. Probably the most difficult part of the project was the editing. Even with the storyboard to refer to for all of the shots, the...

Today had  almost perfect conditions for filming. To begin with the weather was nice, a clear sky with cool air. I managed to retake some of the shots that were still very shaky. They turned out much more stable and the movement of the camera was at a much more consistent speed. When filming, I was able to steady my hands and stay level with the ground. Since it was not wet, I had no problem in slowly moving my arms and hands without slipping. I also tried carefully dragging the camera on the sidewalk to avoid unwanted tilts. However, this just made the entire video shaky and I eventually just tried to stay as still as possible. The final shot of the scene came out fairly good. It was steady and consistent throughout. My only concern is that I cast a large shadow because of the time of day when I recorded. Here, the Sun was at my back and no matter how close to the ground I got, I could not completely get rid of it. However, I hope that with the right effects this will not be as no...

 In Photoshop, I was practicing creating layer masks and using the transparency of Portable Network Graphics (PNGs). I realized that I can make any opening within the any parts of the video and replace it with another video or even some images. This way, I can completely change the setting without actually having to film the same props at a different background. This could help me with the whole concept of using garbage as the subject in the video. I can take a still video of the props and simply mask and feather the borders with the videos from the first day of filming. I experimented with the feathering of my masks. A high value meant it blended super smoothly, but I had to be cautious as to blend all of the objects and colors together. A general value that worked was around 80%.  However, I do not have a clear picture on exactly the props I can use. I am thinking about using the biodegradable, slightly textured napkins, utensils, and cups. These do not shine and hence, will...

I decided that I will edit all of the clips gradually for the music video. Since I won't be using any other clips, pictures, or green screens other than the recording, all of the footage will be directly imported from my phone straight to the software. There is one exceptions, being layer masks that I can make an import simply out of making black outlines. For editing this project, I will use Wondershare Filmora9 because of its simple interface. If I wait until after all of the filming, too many videos will have accumulated that I would have to sort through before I can even start trimming them and removing the major imperfections. Speaking of video editing, I know that this project will mostly use cuts that synchronize with the music and and different colorings to match with the mood created. Another way to add more effect of the video would be to change the playback speed. This will match the tempo of various points of song and can make the other cuts easier. Although I have the ...

 Today was both a perfect and horrible day for filming. To begin with, the heavy downpour in the area had been going one for hours until late afternoon. With the recent time adjustments, the sun begins to set much earlier in the day, so the sun is nearly setting, giving a lighting that could be seen as the beginning of the sunset or the break of dawn. This would help the video seem to be organized chronologically since the first scenes would look like the start of the day. As I began to film, I immediately ran into some problems. Although the scenery looked nice, it was incredibly slippery and hard to get stable footage of all of my tracking shots.  After a few attempts, I realized I needed much more planning. I would need more time to think of a solution for the slippery set. Even on places that are resistant to slipping, such as the asphalt for the road scene, it was difficult to film. I was trying to get my camera perpendicular to the ground to show the flat surface of the ...