Color Video

Prior to this course I had self-learned Premiere Pro to edit some old VHS videos. Through this assignment I learned some new features and relearned others. It was frustrating organizing my photos in the right order when I kept changing my mind. I wasn't successful and resorted to the old stand by of cut and start over. Luckily there were only a few photos so it wasn't so bad. My learning process was that I thought I started with a plan only to find I that I had to adjust my plan along the way and learn to make those adjustments in the program. I am not so frustrated anymore, really, which is a nice feeling.

Intensity

This one built on the last assignment. The last assignment was to build the intensity of color. This one was about intensity of the shot and/or sound. I hope I accomplished that with the sound. It was fun to select videos and matching audio. At first I couldn't remember how to do the scene/audio changes but after watching the tutorials I quickly mastered it. I had a video where I needed to zoom in on my subject so I do a Google Search and found another Adobe Premiere Pro tutorial on how to do it with video. I learned last assignment on how to do it with a still image. I am proud of myself for picking up these video skills. Last summer I converted old VHS video to digital. Using Premiere Pro I self-taught myself how to do things. This is reinforcing what I learned and filling in the gaps of what I obviously missed. I could see this as a fabulous assignment in a variety of classes not just digital video. This could accompany a lesson on music, writing, reading, history, etc.

Shot/Reverse Shot

This one was fun. I kept it easy simply doing the shot/reverse shot to make sure I could master that piece. I didn't have someone to "act" for me and I didn't want to see me on video so I used my two Dr. Seuss dolls -- Thing 1 and Thing 2. They were very well behaved for the entire video shoot. I thought about using my two dogs but knew they wouldn't sit still for me even for the few seconds needed for the shots. As I thought about what to do and realizing I didn't want to video myself, I had to find something to use at home. It was then that I remembered I had the two dolls. After that I had to do a Google Search for a Dr. Seuss knock-know. Believe it or not, there aren't many. As luck would have it I found one referencing Horton Hears a Who!! Now, Thing 1 and Thing 2 aren't in this book but I decided to use them anyway.

Keeping to the 180 rule was easy and fit the assignment of a knock-knock joke. I could improve upon it by zooming in on certain parts of the joke. I think I will try that now that I have at least done the basic piece here.

Somehow I felt quite confident with my editing skills. Still a novice but I felt I knew how to import, sequence and even add effects. I was able to touch up the color balance and even scale a frame or two. The fade in and fade out (audio and visual) aren't as strong but they are there. I was even able to correct the noise on my audio. Not 10% clean but much improved over original.

Momentum Edit

What factors did you need to consider when cutting on action? -- I needed to consider the exact moment when the action was changing from far to near. I also need to consider what was in the shot and what action was taking place. I had to remember which hand I used to do what and how things were facing so that when I went back to shoot the close-ups the images matched. The storyboards would have been quite helpful in this sense. Not only would it have kept my focus as to the flow but helped me focus on the small details in my shoot.

Did you have any issues in maintaining continuity? What did you need to pay attention to to ensure this was maintained? I maintained continuity by shooting the entire piece first and then going back to shoot the small pieces that I wanted to emphasize with close-ups (at least I think I did).

How did the way you edited your assignment establish pace? How would you describe the rhythm or feel of the end product? My pace is easy. Nothing to fast or hard. The rhythm is gentle. I hope that the flow was maintained throughout the few edits I made.

Instructional Video

What was your experience of creating an educational video? What was easy? Hard? What surprised you? What did you wish you could do that you could not? -- I have created educational videos at work using an Oracle software product. Once I learned the format for screen capture it was easy because I was creating a training video on a product I knew extremely well. Also, I had done live training on the product so many times before that I already had a script that I had in my head to create my voice overs. For this I was a bit stumped. I didn't know what to do and then when I decided on a "lesson" the content was too long. Novice was supposed to be 30 seconds and advanced was 90 seconds. Mine was in between. The voice over was hard as well as keeping within the time parameters. I wish I had the advanced skills to create better title screens. With more practice I am sure this will come along.

How might you use videos or projects like this in your classroom or for your school? -- currently I am not in a classroom but I can use it in my current job of supporting staff. I can think of ways to send out weekly updates or training tips by using the screenshots and video capture with added enhancements.

Final Reflection

This is my second Adobe class and I have loved and hated it. It certainly has challenged me not just with the skills but with the artistic content. My hobby is photography so the switch to digital video was fun. I enjoyed working with video much more than I anticipated. I began with Premiere Pro about a year ago when I converted VHS tapes to digital and then needed to do some editing. I self-taught by searching for training videos on-line as well as trial and error. I found Adobe Teacher Exchange and am loving the information available to me. Some assignments I dove right in and completed it. Others took more time first to figure out what to do and then how to do it. I am excited about my new skills and can't wait to find new ways to use them and build upon them.