second semester video

Happy Campers

This project consisted of writing, casting, and filming our own short film. There was a lot of time and effort put into this project, especially into the script which I spent countless nights working on. This project took about two weeks. It seemed much shorter though due to deadlines and stress to get it done. The biggest challenge was probably the fact that the script was supposed to be crafted by the time we got into groups by the person who's story idea it was. But, none of it was done. So, I spent the entirety of pre production writing the script, which then put a delay to the production schedule and storyboarding. I learned that sometimes, in order to get work done, you need to pick up your group's slack. If they aren't doing their work, sometimes you need to do it for them, in order to get done.This was really valuable for me to learn now, because I know I will experience this again later in life. We ended up not getting about half of our footage so our most critical feedback was that the continuity was off and that it didn't make sense. I think our story had great potential and it was going to be great. I am very disappointed in how it turned out but I learned several lessons.

Love, Simon

Our assignment was to recreate a high school movie trailer with people we know and the technology we were provided, and the movie our group choose was Love, Simon. Our pre-production was the storyboard of the scenes we could do and get some actors. We had a lot of struggles throughout this project, mostly teamwork issues. Despite our issues, we still ended woking together the best we could and finishing the project. Caitlyn was originally the director but eventually, Brooke morphed not more of the director. I was the second lead actor. After tons of time editing, we ended up having a finished product that we liked, even if it wasn't exactly what we were going for. 
What I learned along the way was that it is always best to look at the big picture and most of all, teamwork. You may not always be in a group where the group chemistry is high and you have no drama. We had a TON of drama and almost lost our main actor but in the end, we realized that our grade was more important and we had to finish the project. I also learned that technology is not always cooperative and you have make due with what you have. When some of the most funny clips ended up not recording, we had use extra footage to make it still look finished.  What I would do differently next time is to possibly take on more of a leadership role and step up when the group needs it and speak my mind. If something isn't working, we need to talk to each other about it instead of telling someone else because it will always get back to someone but twisted into a rumor. I liked how my group banded together in the end and worked together despite the drama and that shows maturity. 

Time usage

I have used my time in class very well. I always work until the last minute to make my project as perfect as possible. If one thing is bad, I make sure to fix it and make it look better. I don't ever finish early but if I do, I will keep perfecting the video because it can always be better. I make music videos with my sister for fun to improve my skills and get better. 

Strengths and weaknesses

In Ecomm, I'd say I have a lot of strengths. I love this program so much which I feel really shows up in my work. My passion for the friends I have and these classes and my work helps me to really show my true colors and push through it all. I also think that my enthusiasm for the program helps me to get work done and get it done happily. I think I have a good vision for just about anything of the creative field so I always have a general idea of what I want to do. These characteristics really help me to pump out a good product.

For areas of improvement, there are definitely some areas I could work on. Of all five ecomm guaranteers, I'd say my worst one would be time management. I get all my work done on time, but I do it so close to the deadline that it stresses me out. I could definitely work on that and making sure to work smarter not harder. Especially on a big and stressful project.

Short film experience and summary

I feel like the short film had potential to be great fun and a great experience. But, it ended up being more stressful than I had anticipated. I did most of the work which caused me to stress a lot. But, I feel like overall it was a good experience to deal with the stress and work load. All in all, I had a really good semester. I grew a lot as a person and it was very beneficial to me. I learned how to work through disagreements and still get my work done, despite the conflicts. I would't change anything because all the challenges I faced helped me. I want to increase my knowledge in film and video next year and improve as a person even more.