Final Post of Entertainment Video

My Favorite Senior Projects

1. Converse- Commercial

This video took 3 weeks back in September of 2018. It was the first project of the school year and gave me a chance to start relationships with new students in my class. I was able to work very well with the girls in my group and it benefitted me throughout the rest of the year. Given the fact that it was the first project of the year, there were some obstacles that would have been avoided if it was done later in the year. We had an idea from the very start but decided to "go into the wild" with most of the shots we got. The camera work was more of a collaborative effort rather than our DP. This helped us bond and get the same vision but it was a little unorganized. I did learn how to "roll with the punches" which helped me when we started the main feature film project in November. My group decided to enter this video into the media festival that is hosted by my school. In the Commercial Video category, we got 1st place. This was the first (and last) project that I have been fortunate enough to get 1st place. This video started my senior year and the skills I learned during it helped me with the other projects in the year.

2. Youth- Music Video

This music video was started and finished in October or 2018. I was fortunate enough to be the Cinematographer of this project. While on set, I wanted to use a 50mm lens to get crisper shots but consequently get us shakier shots. I personally thought the style of the shakiness fit the style of the song and the true meaning behind the words but people around us disagreed and thought it was distracting. My favorite part of this video was the opportunity to use a GoPro underwater. The purpose of this was to give the illusion of the girl fighting/drowning in her own mind. This was the first project that I had a lot of creative freedom due to the song choice and the psychological vision that I was wanting. I was hoping to make this video entertaining and leave the viewers with the urge to watch it again to understand the concept. This project was by far my favorite "small" video to do while in my Entertainment Video class.

3. Get Real- Feature Film

Get Real has been the big project of the year. The writing process started in earlier November 2018 by my director, Darby Christensen, while the editing process ended in early May of 2019. I got the opportunity to be Darby's the right-hand man as her 1st Assistant Director. This meant that I was in charge of the business side of production. I made the call sheets and scene breakdowns for each filming day. While on set, I did all the commands and watched over everything while my director was talking to the actors. I originally wanted to be DP but I am very grateful that I got to expand my leadership skills and progress as a film student. During filming days, our scheduling got off due to lack of communication or losing track of time. This caused me to take action and take control over time for each scene and shot. Although it was stressful, it was worth it in the end because we only had to add one day to our filming schedule. There is so much more to say about this film but to get true value of it, as people watch it, I hope they see each detail that was put into each shot that was done by our Art Department and our Camera Department. I appreciate every single person in my class because everyone showed their dedication for this film and the final product would be very different if only 5 of the 29 crew members were devoted to this movie. I also appreciate my actors and their willingness to give up so many hours to this film. I have made so many new relationships and old ones have only become stronger. This experience was truly incredible and I wouldn't change any minute of the memories I made.

e-Communication Program as a Whole

This 21st Century Program has 5 guarantees: Technical Skills, Communication, Collaboration, Leadership, and Project Management. Since freshman year, my teachers have helped me improve each of these skills and I wouldn't be the same if it weren't for these enhanced skills.

Technical Skills: When I entered the program, all I knew about a camera was what my dad taught me. Final Cut Pro was a completely knew editing program to me. I also knew nothing about graphic design, animation, or web design. I now know more about each stand but especially excel in camera work and business work. During my sophomore year, our video classes moved to the editing software of Premiere Pro and I now have moderate skills in editing that I will take and continue to grow in during college and beyond. 

Communication: If you've ever met me, you'd know that I am a huge communicator. But, I haven't always been like that and i even used to hide it but e-Comm has helped me embrace it and use it in the best of times. Both band and video have shown me how to be loud and goofy but still controlled. I also have been able to work on how I express myself professionally. I have had the opportunity to work with local clients and have been able to show how I can take a vision into reality. e-Comm has taught me how to balance my quiet, reserved side with my loud, goofy side.

Collaboration and Leadership: These categories would normally be separate but, for me, they coincide. I personally believe these are my strongest skills. I have been able to get along and become friends with everyone in my class. this is due to my ability to take control of most social situations I come across. I love being in groups because i am not the best at creating ideas on my own but if people are there with me, they can help me or I can feed of their ideas or add ideas to theirs.

Project Management: This is personally my worst skill in e-Comm. I have the tendency to get distracted easily or not particularly focused on project I am not a fan of. I don't like it when a project feels like a chore and I do better on projects that come naturally to me.

Summary

I am so grateful for every experience I have been apart of at Olathe Northwest over these past 4 years. e-Communication has definitely helped me grow as a person and I don't know what I would be doing for college or career if it wasn't for this program. next year, I will be going to the University of Kansas to double major in Strategic Communication and Film and Media Studies to eventually pursue advertising here in KC.