Reflection: After viewing the piece again with audience, I believe that the work achieved everything that I intended it to. My opinion was apparently not distinguishable as sarcasm or seriousness, which I viewed as a positive. Black Friday is one of those very American events that may be disgusting to the rest of the world, but for Americans, is excepted as part of the culture. It is a confusing feeling one goes through when excepting such blatant materialism, so if the true motivation of my words was hard to understand, that was actually probably the truest representation of my feelings that I could convey. If I were to redo the piece, I would keep the overall tone and purpose that I strived for during this project, but I would strive for more personal and precise B-Roll footage. I felt that much of the footage was fit perfectly to the voiceover, but at times, the footage shown could have been more exact to what was being said. Other than this though, I am very pleased with the overall tone of the project, the comments that were made about it, and the message that I believe the piece conveys. America may consume like pigs, but that's America, and in the short term, it seems that one must take it or leave it.
Audience Response: As stated above, the audience expressed some confusion when trying to distinguish my true feelings behind the opinions I gave which is something that I viewed as a positive. My feelings behind Black Friday are confusing to even me, and I believe that the piece reflected the confusion one feels when trying to make judgements about the country that I love, but sometimes displays deplorable behavior. The audience seemed to enjoy the pace that the video maintained throughout which was definitely a focus of my production stage. The fact that the audience noticed this made this a very successful piece for me personally because I believe that improving pace and sustained entertainment value was an opportunity that I had going into this final project.
Distribution: I have posted this video on youtube and will definitely keep an eye on the page to see if it gets any views, or if anyone leaves a comment about the video.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Post-Production Reflection
After assembling my video, I am extremely pleased with the finished product. The style of this this video is definitely nothing like I have produced in pervious modules, but for the first time, the finished product send the message that I wanted to convey. Black Friday is a strange occurrence that takes place every year and it seems that those that participate love it, and those that don't think that people who wait in lines at four in the morning are insane. My goal was to show that while Black Friday definitely has its down sides and its opponents, at its core, it is another time that families enjoy spending together during the holidays.
Throughout the assembly of the video, my ideas were constantly evolving. Viewing footage would spark ideas on what I could say about the "holiday" and then those ideas would lead to several minutes of video. More than any previous film, this project was exciting to construct from the beginning to the end.
I was fearful that the video would appear to be negatively stated, or that it would be perceived as being critical of all of the madness that takes place. However, after reviewing it, I believe that some of the movie is comedic, some is informative, and visually, both sides are presented. I am pleased with the entertainment value that I believe the movie gives, and I am excited to show it to the class.
Throughout the assembly of the video, my ideas were constantly evolving. Viewing footage would spark ideas on what I could say about the "holiday" and then those ideas would lead to several minutes of video. More than any previous film, this project was exciting to construct from the beginning to the end.
I was fearful that the video would appear to be negatively stated, or that it would be perceived as being critical of all of the madness that takes place. However, after reviewing it, I believe that some of the movie is comedic, some is informative, and visually, both sides are presented. I am pleased with the entertainment value that I believe the movie gives, and I am excited to show it to the class.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Production Journal
The process that went into the production of this video was significantly different than the one that took place for the previous three projects. My shooting process, though it went well, failed to produce any of the shots that I was hoping for, and I was forced to adapt to pull together a product that conveyed some of my views. I settled on a video about the happenings of Black Friday 2008, and though I had to be creative with the visual content of my project, I believe that the final product turned out to be my best project of the year.
Style and Elements: Very little of the video that I used retained its natural audio in the final product. Instead, I opted to pace the video with my own voice overs and music at the very beginning. I believe that after viewing the video thus far, this has turned out to be the correct choice.
Storyboard: In the end, the "story" that my movie would tell was my greatest challenge. I decided to provide an unbiased view of Black Friday and the participants for the majority of the movie, and in the end, I responded to criticism of Black Friday shoppers. My goal was to allow the viewer to make his/her own decision about Black Friday and I believe that the movie will accomplish that objective.
In the Field, Reflection, Improvisation: As we heard from the interview with Ira, sometimes footage is simply disappointing. When this happens, one is forced to adapt and that is exactly what I attempted to do in this video. Ironically, this video is the product that I am most proud of out of all of my videos. I am excited to see whether or not the final product will have the impact that I imagine it to have as I assemble it. I believe that I have out together a project that is entertaining, informative, and comedic, and these are all qualities that I look for in the movies that I watch.
Style and Elements: Very little of the video that I used retained its natural audio in the final product. Instead, I opted to pace the video with my own voice overs and music at the very beginning. I believe that after viewing the video thus far, this has turned out to be the correct choice.
Storyboard: In the end, the "story" that my movie would tell was my greatest challenge. I decided to provide an unbiased view of Black Friday and the participants for the majority of the movie, and in the end, I responded to criticism of Black Friday shoppers. My goal was to allow the viewer to make his/her own decision about Black Friday and I believe that the movie will accomplish that objective.
In the Field, Reflection, Improvisation: As we heard from the interview with Ira, sometimes footage is simply disappointing. When this happens, one is forced to adapt and that is exactly what I attempted to do in this video. Ironically, this video is the product that I am most proud of out of all of my videos. I am excited to see whether or not the final product will have the impact that I imagine it to have as I assemble it. I believe that I have out together a project that is entertaining, informative, and comedic, and these are all qualities that I look for in the movies that I watch.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Pre-Production
Personal: I have a firm belief that it is of critical importance to remain healthy at all times, both through a balanced diet and plenty of exercise. The United States mass culture seems to support the exact opposite in its citizens, and because of that, illnesses such as heart disease have become the leading killers of Americans.
Hypothesis: I believe that it is vital to the health and sustainability of the United States that its citizens take a much more active interest in remaining physically fit and healthy. I intend to show the disturbing trends that should persuade people to stay healthy, and the benefits of just a few hours of exercise a week.
Research: I have done much research about the different theories on diet and exercise and feel qualified to give a comprehensive overview of what it means to be physically fit and what one needs to do to attain that goal.
Anxieties: As always, the the fear that people will be unwilling to participate in the interviewing process. The fear that the piece will not have the intended impact that I am seeking.
Background: The amount of people that die from CVD every year will be a powerful statistic to have. The pain that being obese can cause many people and why they don't choose to get fit.
Conflict: Being myself vs. taking control of your life. Many people use the excuse that they are happy with who they are but how do you establish the difference between being genuinely happy and lacking the motivation to take control?
Hypothesis: I believe that it is vital to the health and sustainability of the United States that its citizens take a much more active interest in remaining physically fit and healthy. I intend to show the disturbing trends that should persuade people to stay healthy, and the benefits of just a few hours of exercise a week.
Research: I have done much research about the different theories on diet and exercise and feel qualified to give a comprehensive overview of what it means to be physically fit and what one needs to do to attain that goal.
Anxieties: As always, the the fear that people will be unwilling to participate in the interviewing process. The fear that the piece will not have the intended impact that I am seeking.
Background: The amount of people that die from CVD every year will be a powerful statistic to have. The pain that being obese can cause many people and why they don't choose to get fit.
Conflict: Being myself vs. taking control of your life. Many people use the excuse that they are happy with who they are but how do you establish the difference between being genuinely happy and lacking the motivation to take control?
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