Progress Update 

Over spring break, I finished my Tesla commercial video, here it is: https://youtu.be/uwfohev7iAs. I’ve made a few changes to my rough draft (link is in my previous blog post). Firstly, I’ve added text to support my (muffled) voiceover. I learned how to play multiple clips on the same screen at once. I also color corrected the clip. Specifically, I thought that the sun in the stock footage was especially bright, so I toned down the exposure and added a blue tint to pair with the white car in the video. I’ve had another meeting with my mentor as well to discuss the videos I would be creating for my learning center.  

 

I’ve also purchased a microphone kit. After trying it out, I think it’s definitely worth it for anyone who records voiceovers, vocals, or attends online meetings regularly. It’s easy to set up, and the difference in audio quality from a phone/headset to any lower-end microphone is phenomenal (this is the kit I purchased: https://www.amazon.ca//dp/B07YTS5YYX). 

 

How to Have a Beautiful Mind 

Concepts 

When learning a new skill, we will be faced with many new concepts. Concepts can help us make sense of newfound information and facts. I like to think concepts as the reasoning behind something. For example, the reasoning (concept) behind In-Depth is to learn a new skill. In my case, I learned and explored new concepts related to video editing and filmmaking. Some of the most recent concepts I’ve discussed with my mentor include: 

• Taking time to select a good music track. The concept here is to set up a feel to your video to base your editing off of. I’ve come to see the music is an important foundation of editing. 
• Creating a detailed plan for your video. The concept is to create a more organized and engaging video while spending less time editing. Spending just a few minutes to plan out what you want to create can save hours wasted editing.  
• Keep it simple. Don’t dwell on choosing text fonts, transitions, or effects. The reasoning behind this is because although it might seem cool and fun to have sophisticated effects around your video, it can be overwhelming and not particularly engaging for the viewer. Sure, it might be nice to have some cool animation here and there, but for most videos, especially professional videos, stick to readable and well-known fonts, and clean transitions.   

 

Alternatives 

De Bono states that “The main point is that having a way of doing something does not mean it is the best way of doing it.” There may be an unlimited amount of ways to complete a task, some may be more efficient than others. These different ways are alternatives. Alternatives provide insight, improvements, simplifications, and flexibility, which are all very important during a learning experience like this one. Here are some examples of alternatives my mentor has offered me during our meetings: 

• Using stock footage instead of shooting footage myself. In the beginning, I thought I would need to shoot all my footage myself. I hadn’t thought of using clips that were available online. This was a great alternative since it allowed me to focus more on editing rather than shooting videos.  
• Three alternative ways to color grade my videos. 
• An alternative editing sequence of my videos. Instead of editing the footage, then choosing the music, my mentor suggested first choose the music, and then edit the footage accordingly. The latter worked much better for me.  
• For one of the videos, I will be showing in my learning center, I was planning to edit a montage of some clips of an outdoor activity from one of my peers. My mentor suggested an alternative that I could give that peer some questions, ask them to record their answers, and add the voiceover to the video of the activity. This might not happen, but we both agreed that it would add a lot more engagement and insight into the art of that activity rather than just footage of the activity.  

 

My Learning Center 

My learning center will be relatively straightforward. I will have three videos posted on YouTube, linked on the blog post for my peers to watch. I will also add a description of either the point of the video or some insight into the creation of the video. They can comment on my blog post, and they can also comment on each individual video on YouTube. I have chosen varying topics for these videos so that I can capture what I’ve learned as much as possible. I hope that my learning center will be interactive through the engagement of watching the videos themselves. My goal is to provide some insight to my audience into what happens behind the scenes of production (I will dedicate my third video to explaining this).  

 

 

Hope to see you at the In-Depth learning centers!