Final Reflections /// Allena
Originally, I was planning to do this in vlog form with a blooper reel, but qualifying exams have managed to get the best of me, which brings me to point one of my reflection:
Suggestions for future students
Work on time management /// I have serious problems with this, especially when I have huge deadlines looming and, even though Elizabeth told us that the process would be time-consuming, I didn’t realize the exact extent to which that was true.
Try new thingsTry new things /// I got to play around with the DSLR for a bit and it was a lot of fun! I didn’t end up using it in the end, as I couldn’t seem to make the lighting work (which is, admittedly, definitely my own fault) but I had fun in the process and I feel like I learned a lot. Plus, it made using FilMiC Pro feel like a piece of cake!
Pick a topic that you’re really interested in /// It makes the research a lot more fun! I had a great time reading about the history of GMOs and farming and connecting that to breeding in a more tangible way.
Rent a tripod /// Thought I had one. Realized when I started shooting that that was a lie. I had lent it out and haven’t gotten it back yet. So before I rented a tripod, this was my super macgyvered set up:
yes, the tripod is in there, but see the two IKEA tables, a dog crate, and two upside-down baskets that are the same height as the tripod. Yea, that.
Have fun! /// I assume you’re not taking this class just for the credit. This class is supposed to be fun! We all have a passion for science and it should show. Enjoy your time!
The script (or, at least, the general idea of it) /// I still feel like there are portions that feel weird (specifically, the transitions toward the end to the different types of GMOs) but overall, I feel like the script was interesting. I thought that it was cool to know that dogs and GMOs aren’t so different (but I might be slightly biased) and I think it’s super helpful for the general population to know, too. Maybe they won’t be so scared of something they don’t understand anymore.
Making appropriate framing choices /// For the most part (except where I somehow forgot to put Genetically Modified Organism on the screen, yeah, big no-no) I made distinct choices in framing. When I had animations up, I left enough room for them in the shot. When I talked about the roundup resistant crops, I came in really close, since it’s really important. I would probably change the framing of the initial apple/dog scene because it feels like there’s a lot of dead space to my right and my left but I think the only way to do that would have been to bring in pictures, rather than the actual thing (which might have been better because Daisy HATED filming).
Clipart! /// I ended up going with Elizabeth’s draw on paper and scan method for my clipart, which I think turned out pretty well, especially the pups! Aside from the lack of the term GMO popping up on screen, I think the clip art was well used and fun. If I could go back and redo it, I’d probably take more time to draw different dogs so they weren’t all the exact same and I would work on my animations a bit more, because they were all just jump cuts. I’d also lighten the background on the dogs “animation” because it got really dark and was hard to see. But I still like the brick as visual interest.
Aside from everything I mentioned above? I feel like I could have made this a lot more interesting had I had a bit more time.
Different scenes /// Because of time constraints (admittedly self-imposed), the entirety of the video was shot in my apartment. I’m, frankly, pretty proud of how much variability I got, even in the small space, but I think I could have done more. I really wanted to film the scene that was in front of my fridge in a grocery store (which probably wouldn’t have happened anyway, given our filming experience during class), although I will say, it definitely helped to have the cut watermelon!
More complementary, rather than redundant, video /// I didn’t quite realize it until later, but a lot of my video ended up being redundant. I love the animation that was next to me when I was talking about antibiotic resistance in plants, but it didn’t really add anything to the text. The watermelon example was a great complementary scene, as well as the intro, but I think the rest of it might have fallen short on that.
Lighting /// None of it was really bad on its own, but it changed a lot throughout the film, which was a bit jarring. Some scenes were really dark and some were a little on the overexposed side. I would aim for more consistency here.
Audio /// Not only was there a consistency issue here, but it was just bad. My apartment is really echoey and I tried using the lav mic, but leave it up to Apple to make that impossible without an adapter (because everything needs an adapter, apparently). I tried to make it work for a very long time and then just gave up, resulting in the not so fabulous audio quality. If I could redo it, I’d just buy the adapter.
My hair /// Last one and yeah, it’s superficial, but my hair looks horrible! Flat hair for me on camera is apparently not a good idea.
Overall, I had a really great time in the class and I can’t wait to apply what I learned to other videos. This class has made me more and less critical of online videos. I now know what makes a good video, and can better “put my finger on it” when it comes to quality, but I also know how stinkin’ hard it is! It makes me appreciate the quality ones that much more.
In the coming months, I will be helping my dad film a few short clips for his business so we can put his process in video form on his website. I’ll also be starting a video series for my blog, but that’s a down the road thing (like after qualifying exams are done!)