No Film School Blog Post

Surprise, another assignment for blogger after our final! This time we're browsing a website and looking for cool and interesting articles that pertain to filmmaking! Yay! The article I chose is all about steadicams. Cool, right? They were invented in 1974 by a man named "Garrett Brown." He was a Philadelphia based filmmaker and inventor, and before then nobody had any idea this kind of technology could be a thing. All they had to use back then was the dolly and regular old tripod. So what Garrett did was revolutionary for the entire industry and it would affect it forever. He started out by making a compilation of his works that he had filmed with a steadicam, and thus used this compilation to sell the product and make other filmmakers want this for their next films.
GARRETT BROWN - Walk of Life from Bobfilm on Vimeo.

This video showcases much of his original montage and also some footage filmed soon after people accepted the technology and used it more professionally. Garrett truly was a visionary and revolutionary and we can see this now when we look at how popular the steadicam is and how different films would be if something like this didn't exist. I specifically used this for many shots in our own movie, the Kansas City Saviour. I would shoot mostly everything actually on the steadi when we wouldn't need it to be super still, and the quality of the shots really reflects how great of an invention it is.

Senior Year Final Reflection

As senior year is coming to a close, that means that my time with eComm is coming to a close also. As I look back on the past four years, I feel mixed emotions. I was really excited to get into this program freshman year and I was really excited to start working on awesome projects. But as the years went on my passion really died out and nowadays I have no real drive or want to put an effort to anything. Maybe that's the seniority's, or maybe it's that my annoyance with the program has affected me so much I don't want to be involved with it at all. Maybe the latter.

But this program wasn't a complete waste, I have learned many valuable things about actual equipment or how to do things on the computer, and I wouldn't have this kind of industry knowledge without my first two years in eComm. As a main strength I feel like I am very good technically and as a leader getting things done. I have used these skills to be the director of photography for not only my senior feature film, but also for most of the projects that I have worked on throughout this year and also last year. My weaknesses though is my lack of drive and passion I have for anything related to this program. I just don't want to do a lot of things so I won't volunteer or say anything so I don't have to be involved more than I have to.

As far as eComm's 5 guarantees go, I can say I have used them all effectively throughout the year. For technology, I have improved my knowledge and skill on camera equipment. For example I am now a pro at using a steadicam, Ronan and I know how to perfectly use the 80D DSLR cameras that we've been using. This year has been really fun experimenting with different equipment that I have been able to come in contact with and use on my projects. For collaboration, I have improved and affectively used this many ways. Mainly though when collaborating with either a short film/project crew or with the big movie crew. Everyone listens to what I have to say and they respect what I have to say and I really value that as the main DP. Communication is just another word for collaboration so again I have really improved and used this "guarantee" this year. A new way I have done this is communicate directly with actors and directors telling them what I wanted to film, how I wanted to film it and things like that. Project management is the only one I would maybe be lacking in just because of my lack of projects. But for them all I successfully got them done and turned in on time, correctly, and made professionally. Leadership is probably the guarantee I am the best at applying. I have successfully showed leadership by ways through leading on side projects, leading in the class and leading on set as the DP. It is the guarantee that comes the most natural to me and the one I feel like I am the best at.

However I do not plan on continuing my film career after eComm. I will probably not take another film class or work on another project as the passion just isn't there for me anymore and I doubt it'd return soon.

In conclusion I have very mixed emotions towards eComm, and not really all positive emotions. Certain things like teachers and students have ruined many parts of this program for me. Whether that be something related to video or in a completely different strand.

1st Semester Final Exam

One of the main highlights of the semester was filming all of this years Lip Dub

This was a very fun project and very challenging as there were a lot of different things to work out camera-wise. For example, we really had to decide if I would be sitting or standing while going throughout the school. Each had their own advantages, but we ended up deciding to push me throughout the school to maximize on speed and stability. As far as technically speaking, the equipment we used was pretty basic as far as DSLR and Lens, but we had ordered a new steadicam monopod and used it on this video, and I think it turned out very well. I am very proud of the whole team and how much effort and craftsmanship they put into this to make this truly a good video.

Now for class time. In eComm, a common trend is always going to be downtime. For me, not really involved with much other things besides eComm and not really doing any client work this semester, I would usually always have time to myself. This is when I would really excel on menu items and do things to further sharpen my craft, and take in as much inspiration/learning as possible. This would usually be done through technical reviews reviewing the latest 4k camera, a documentary describing a certain person or life on a certain film set, or even articles released by major film companies. But of course, whenever a class project called for my attention, I would always prioritize the project and do what I can to get it done.


 As far as my personal skills as a filmmaker, I'd say there's some potential. I understand quite well how to film and good ways to film well and film efficiently, and I do feel pretty knowledgable about this field of expertise. I feel like I think outside the box and think creatively when coming up with things like new shots or even new lighting techniques. And I do get along well with anyone I'm working with and always willing to deal and receive constructive criticism. I really maximize these strengths though by making sure I feel at home, and that is when I am behind the camera.

But with strengths always come weaknesses. Some weaknesses I have in other classes that ultimately translates over to eComm is the fact that I don't stay on task well and easily become distracted. This is evident when I need to do something like make a blog post and I end up just watching a documentary on youtube or something. It's something I am aware of and trying to eradicate.

This semester we also went on a field trip and toured a local movie theatre, and even tried out their MX4D technology. I personally wasn't a fan of it, I thought the whole experience just wasn't perfected, but I am excited for the future of film and where things like this can go, and even other types of immersion yet to be introduced.

Overall I'd say this semester was very productive both on a personal level and even on a class level. I feel like The whole class has meshed well and really made some great projects. I am truly excited to start on our movie and see where I can take it as the DP.

Justice League MX4D Review

As this week comes to a close, it is time to reflect on our recent field trip in eComm to the MX4D theatre at B&B Theaters in Shawnee, Kansas. Overall, I honestly hated it. I felt like the 4D was too tacky, it took away from the actual movie and it left me with an overall bad movie experience. It took the one thing that movies should always be, comfortable, and threw it out in the dumpster.

MX4D itself is a different kind of movie theatre. It is a theatre with essentially airplane seats, with a small footrest and features inside the seat that made the movie interactive. It also has jets on the armrest that can emit things like mists of water, air, and even smells of different things. It is a very good idea, but nit executed well. The imbalance and awkwardness of everything inside the seat made for an overall bad experience. 

Before I went and saw this I had seen a 4D showing of some Shrek thing at Disneyland a while ago, and that was the only real interaction I've had in the past with this kind of technology. But no, I would say that it definitely did not live up to my expectations, and the Shrek presentation was so much better. But I definitely feel that with constant improvements, in 5 years this will be so much better.

My favorite part though, if I had to pick one, would be the theatre effects like strobe lights and snow, and also fog. The strobe lights were probably the best executed part about the entire thing. They were always in sync and added a good 4th dimensional feel whenever they were activated. The snow and fog effects were also very cool, but very limited. The fog didn't reach past the first row and the snow was only in the middle, so the people in the front and also the back didn't feel any of it.

As far as my opinion for the whole movie, I'd say if MX4D did anything for my movie experience, it made the movie worse. The distracting features and effects took away from the movie and didn't let you fully focus on the movie. And a movie in a theatre should be a comfortable getaway to go see a movie, but this was not that. I wasn't comfortable once the entire time. It felt like I was on a plane with severe turbulence for an hour and a half.

If I get the choice next time between 4D and a regular 2D movie, I'm definitely choosing the 2D theatre because of the comfort factor and also no distractions caused by the actual theatre. 

Menu Week 3

This week I specifically researched more on my favorite cinematographer, Roger Deakins of movies like "No Country For Old Men" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou." I looked mainly into his style that he used for things like transitions, silences, and his more artistic shots.

With Pre Production of this years feature film coming up, I would really like to nail down a certain style of Cinematography I'd like to incorporate in the feature. And so I studied Roger's work closely for inspiration from one of the greats.

Menu Item #3

This past week I mainly watched some more documentaries as well as did some research on professional grade equipment to further familiarize myself with the industry.
I watched documentaries to further research into techniques and possible inspiration for subject matter. I specifically watched Cartel Land, the documentary based on the war on drugs in Mexico and also on American-Mexican borders.

Menu Item: Documentary Styles

This past week for my menu item I have been watching different youtube videos about DP's and how they shoot, and mainly while shooting documentaries. The main DP I have been watching videos on has been my personal favorite, Roger Deakins. He got a start as a DP in documentaries and it was really interesting hearing his insight on how he portrays emotion through how he films and what he films. This can be portrayed through everything from how a person is shown, how exactly something is being filmed, or even how the equipment is being used. Personally I like documentaries a lot, and I would love to get the chance to film one some day. And if I did, Roger would definitely be an inspiration.

Short Film Blog

This was our first real film project of senior year ecomm and I had a lot of fun making it, and I hope you have fun watching it.

We based our script on an idea that someone in our class already had written up. We made minor changes to the script though, just because of limitations like actor availability and location availability. To start this out in pre production we all collaborated to change this script around to make it easier for us to carry out and produce. This involved changing the script and changing the main focus and also changing the plot points to match. We all got ready very easily and it was a smooth transition from pre production to actual production. Production started and ended all pretty easily, and it was very fun to film. The process took about 2 hours and we shot a lot of the same stuff just to make sure we have choices in post. Post production started at the start of the next week and it was very fun to look back at everything we had filmed. But we did have a problem, we had a lack of dialogue. It would've been OK but not the best. We decided to make it into a silent and old fashioned film, and it turned out amazingly.
My role in this whole project was to be cinematographer. I did not have that hard of a time doing this and I actually had a lot of fun filming this. I used a canon 70D with a standard 18-55mm lens. We then edited the next week all in final cut pro.
Overall I had a lot of fun on this project and there isn't much that I would change. But if I had to pick I would say I would've liked to try and find some better actors and locations, as I feel that we just settled for the minimum of what we could get. And to also incorporate more dialogue into the film.
Something I would keep the same though is the group involved, I feel like we all worked together very well and we were very productive while also keeping things light hearted.

PSA Project Review

The first eComm project of senior year was to make a PSA over a school-wide topic. Our topic in my group was depression and how to deal with depression, whether that be going to someone or an organization for help, or dealing with it yourself. Our process mainly consisted on finding a video idea that had a powerful affect on the topic that sent a message and also encouraged those affected to seek help. So once we found the video idea we met together and planned well on how the whole group execute this fairly and most professionally. And then we were off for the races and all went filming these separate reactions. Me personally my role was in the planning of this video, some filming and also editing my own version of the PSA, same as really everyone else. Something I would do different is when filming get a larger variety of those interviewed, as there is not much diversity. Something I would do the same though is find a way to make a light hearted, fun video about a very serious and very present topic. I will take both of these into consideration when making my next video that is related to this format.

End of Year Reflection

Junior year is coming to a close and that means that another year of ecomm is ending also. This was my first full year only focusing on one strand for 2 hours of the day, and I loved it. The friendships that I have made and the memories that we will  share are unrivaled. But this school year definitely was not the best for me, as I was very lazy and not motivated. This is the reflection on the year all together.

Lets start with the first guarantee, Technology. This year I got to be apart of my first real large-scale short film. And a perk of that is using an extreme amount of new equipment, and learning how to use that for the future. I know now more about the school's DSLR cameras, lighting kits, audio and other much needed components to a movie set. I also started learning a new program, Adobe Premiere. I haven't used this yet as I have only been taught Final Cut but I am very eager to learn more in Premiere so I can use it as my primary editing software in the future. But starting to learn a new program and understanding new physical equipment was definitely not easy, and I'm lucky I had a great group of classmates to help me out.

The next guarantee is collaboration. This year I was more involved in class-made decisions than I have been before and I really liked it. It was super exciting conversing and conspiring over a potential short film, and just being apart of a conversation like that was fantastic. I even willingly took a leadership role when working on group projects with other students. There weren't much challenges in smaller group projects because we were usually all on the same page, but the same can't be said about the short film discussions. That is one of the main reasons this class struggled so much is because we took an extremely long amount of time just trying to come up with something to make a short film over, but we did make one and it turned out fantastic.

The next guarantee is communication. I greatly improved my communication this year as I did much more. First off, I was really involved and present in the discussing of the short film ideas. I also did my first client work project which involved a lot of communication, to make sure the client gets exactly what they want. I mainly did face-to-face conversation which was very good for me as the experience is very valuable.

Project Management is the next guarantee. I didn't do very well in this guarantee at all as I was pretty lazy. I could have done a lot more to put in more effort and get some serious projects done but I chose not to. I did though learn what I need to do for when I try harder next year.

And the last guarantee is leadership. I did very good in this as for all of my projects in a group I took the leadership role almost immediately. I know how to talk to my group and get what I want out of them.

This year had so much potential but I let myself down and I let down my teachers also. I really feel like I under performed and I hate that. Next year will be much better.