Cultural Event: You Can't Take it With You at MHS

Musselman High School, where I myself graduated from, was hosting a play called "You Can't Take it With You." It was directed by Michael Stiles and well my younger brother Brett Miller was in it. I myself used to be in the theatre department there and it was great from a cultural aspect to see how things have changed around there since I was originally there. The play itself was rather poignant and showed great variety in the ensemble. The overall point of the play though really hit home as it showed how we all sort of come from different backgrounds and may be seen as strange by the common ideals of society but ultimately we are all great people in our own right when it comes to how we go through our daily life.

The interaction was very believable between each characters for being High School students and first years alike. Theatre and acting itself is like its own culture as it is. Being able to portray someone else and encompass their own thoughts and ideas as your own for a set amount of time is not something all people are capable of pulling off. When it comes down to the ideas and characters there is no real right way of portraying a character other than how the director shows you. When it comes to variation and small details being shifted in order to make it more relative in this day and age that is also a director's decision. All in all the director is ultimately responsible for making these decisions that will impact the show's reception. Audience is key when it comes to this sort of thing and knowing your audience is always an amazing skill to have,

Cultural Event: Wreck it Ralph

Typically I'm not one for children's films, but honestly when I had first seen the trailer for Wreck it Ralph I just felt this responsibility as an aspiring voice actor to go see it. My younger brother also kind of twisted my arm...  It was interesting to see many things I had known since childhood all put into a format together on the big screen. Various video game characters and archetypes being showcased on one movie together was just rather refreshing in the world of Pixar and the like. It honestly felt as if it could have been the next Toy Story of this generation if they had stuck more with the classic game characters for more than the first thirty minutes of the film. It was rather confusing to go from so many big names in video games to like the story's own little universe.

This may be by and large the video game companies and their willingness to lend their characters to such a film. These are people being asked to plop their intellectual properties into a sandbox with all sorts of characters that are similar in many ways and still sort of competing against one another.

This honestly was a cultural experience for me as it takes much of what is important to me and sort of jams it all together. The voice acting aspect and taking key ideas of how to do the voices shown and also how it must be so intensive to think of how to do the voice beforehand and not have an original to go off of. Truly that is the crux of being a voice actor though. Having directors must really help but having distinctive voices really creates a powerful narrative.

Cultural Event: Bidder 70 Film at ACFF

Civil disobedience was always something I glorified and thought of as truly humanity at its prime. With the film Bidder 70 I was in shock as nowadays you don't hear of cases of such things other than possibly the occupy wall street campaign. In Bidder 70 we see the case of one man's fight to protect many acres of lands that were being fought over by different oil and gas industries in Utah. By acting as a bidder he was able to invalidate the auction at the cost of possibly serving time in prison on federal charges.

Something like this is only stuff people joke or say someone else could do. When people actually act on their ideals and fight for what they believe it is magnificently spectacular to see in all its glory. To that end how many individuals do we know that would put their own livelihood at risk in order to protect something as precious as pieces of land? Few and far between I would say. I can't say I would either but at the same time if it truly was something I felt that fervently about it'd be a no brainer.

http://www.bidder70film.com/ is the official website of the film and has various means of showing how you can help out. The trailer itself was also good at encapsulating what the film really was about in a smaller span of time.

Cultural Event: Vegucated at the ACFF

Vegucated was a documentary about three individuals that are quite into meat and dairy products that go on a vegan diet for six weeks. As someone who also quite considers themselves a carnivore of the highest degree it was interesting to watch people's life change from just changing their diet. Some of the things shown were kind of graphic when it came to how animals are processed. Some of the people in the Byrd Center felt the need to walk out after witnessing some of the footage of the animals. Honestly do I think the film impacted me that much about my own diet? Not really but it was deeply insightful to see how the vegan lifestyle actually works as opposed to the stereotypes most people promote.

http://www.getvegucated.com/ is a great resource on how the film can also be put into action. Stimulating others to go towards a vegan diet by allowing the showcase of different styles of vegan diets and how to create them. Overal it was a nice experience regardless of if I felt I wasn't giving up cheeseburgers anytime soon.

Cultural Event: Watershed Film at ACFF

During the American Conservation Film Festival I went to go see Watershed, a film discussing issues about problems in the Colorado River Valley. Robert Redford narrates and executive produces this documentary. During the film it really helped me think about our own issues of watershed all over the country and how we have to really think about what we do to the environment. When it showcased all the effects the Colorado River Valley was facing I truly felt like it was something poignant and well worth the time sitting through and learning about what is happening over there.

That being the major issue with water is that it isn't really a renewable resource. It takes a good while to cleanse water of impurities or a great deal of chemicals. With all sorts of pollution popping up all over the world it truly makes it a difficult task without several thousands of people working simultaneously together in order to achieve a goal such as this. Walking away from the film after I truly wanted to learn more about what could be done and luckily they had great resources on their website that would help towards pointing others in the right direction.

http://www.watershedmovie.com

After Board Session

After having the session in the Ram's Den I truly feel good about my product and ideas. I do think I should rework the motion graphics a bit more as suggested and better understand what it means to represent myself as an After Effects user. With more motion graphics I might really wow my audience and potential employers. Beefing it all up and better working the visuals might keep the people into the video and not grow bored of the presentation of it all.

I felt really excited about my board. It really felt like it came together and looked professional. It will definitely be something I keep and hang up on my wall sometime. Using my portable gaming device was pretty interesting but I had failed to think to bring headphones for it. Honestly I feel if people had been able to hear my project better it might have been a little more interesting to them regardless of how well I was able to explain it.

Going to make some changes but overall just looking forward to enjoying the feeling of a job well done so far.

After Review Session

After having the review with the staff about my capstone project I have mixed feelings. On the one hand I'm trying to work to the industry and their standards while thinking of what the professors would rather see for the project. In terms of changes they'd like more motion graphics added in to make distinctions between voices. With this I feel for the every day average joe it'd be helpful but for those in the industry looking at it they might raise a brow. I suppose for now I'll keep it as is until I can come up with a better means of presenting the demo reel in such a way that works out for both. In the mean time I must work on getting the board together and the like in order to be ready for the presentations. If I get the feeling the changes should have been made I will definitely act on that it is just difficult making the choice of which way to go.

Some ways I do want to update it would be to change some of the voices around and rework the dialogue. The young boy voice would need some work and it's understandable that the flubbing of the lines is kind of noticeable. How this might be better suited is to cut out parts in order to better reevaluate the ideas of the context.

Flooding the Market

As we progress in game content, so too does entertainment. From this we can see a spike in YouTube as a medium for gamers to showcase themselves as players. Anymore you can't go onto the top viewed categories without seeing some player's winning kill or the like present and accounted for. This brings the exploration of being the "best" players and showcasing skills or feats of luck that may wow and enthrall fellow players who might have just been looking for some fun commentary. With this we also bring the flooding of such a medium in which everyone feels entitled to be internet famous for their videos, thus resorting to all sorts of scripted and silly antics in order to garner fans and monetary value. What we see more often than not is the lack of entertainment and more senseless children throwing out bigotry, slurs, and the like in order to try and appear edgy fun.

This in that of itself becomes a game.

The most videos, the most subscribers and all the rest in between  is just another game to them in which they must obtain the highest score. Often times it has crossed my mind of turning this process into a game itself. Think about it: Enlisting bots or enraging fans in order to destroy a competitor's video channel or the like in order to reach the high score. It happens more times than not. The fact is many things become games to people with little respect or admiration for their competitors. Do we shun them for it? Not at all, some companies thrive on competition.. so is it all just a game until someone loses an eye?

Reworking the Chalk Board

When we think of the games that garner the most attention nowadays we think of the ones that truly encompass our imagination. With the advent of Steam for computer players as opposed to console players; they have embraced modifications for games. This leads to, more often than not, multiple more hours of game play than originally imagined by the creator. As with the other blogs on gaming this one incorporates what can be done outside of the conventional realm of what is before us. Remembering back to games such as Timesplitters that allowed you to create your own multiplayer maps and game mods was hours of endless fun; whereas now with the more main stream titles such as Battlefield and Call of Duty there is little to adjust in the game modes. Creating small tweaks to games can provide much more depth and strategy to the experience while the original content may be just as well.

A major portion of this goes to Valve's Counter Strike game in which different game modes may be found off the Garry's mod game which may be bought. Garry's mod allows the creation and destruction of already active content such as major titles like Portal, Team Fortress 2 and more. What we find throughout is furthering the content with the minds of multiple creators. Giving the audience free roam into creation and tweaking which then leads to YouTube videos and the like propagating the original game for them to then buy and download. The system itself is "self-fulfilling" and yet many major gaming companies do not wish for videos or mods to be made as they deem the coding their intellectual property. With this we see a decline in the understanding of how game mechanics work. Is there a right answer? Not really, but it's been tested that allowing your potential buyers to test and or sample what they will be getting certainly ups the odds of their purchase.

Retention

Ideas are easy enough but the execution is always something else completely different. As we go forward our minds mold into new concepts than the original perception. In this we must push the ideas forward like a ball of snow until it gets larger and more complex than the initial. Sometimes you can build these large concepts into things like snowmen or they get away from you and roll out of control down a hill. The destruction our concepts can cause as they roll away are still our responsibility.

This past week as I've been sick I have been able to update my old drupal/godaddy website in order to have it up and operational for showcasing my voice acting video.

http://www.trueredgraveproductions.com/  was my professional website from a few classes back. In it I have projects and works from other classes.

Understanding

Well many challenges have arisen in this past week. Vehicle problems kept me off campus on one of my work days, but it is now repaired and hopefully no more trouble. The above is the shortened portion of the motion graphic. The size was too large for me to correctly upload onto YouTube so I shortened it and scaled down the resolution. The voice work might be a few more days as I believe I've coming down with a sinus infection or something of the like. The voice portion is easy though compared to the rest so I'll be primarily working on my website until I feel 100% again. The time and effort put into all this has been pretty intensive at times but I'm pretty confident I can get back on schedule once I feel better. Luckily I gave myself that last week for touch-ups and the like so I could factor this sort of thing into the schedule.

Thus my favorite saying.. "Always give yourself some wiggle room because life likes to throw wrenches into everything."

Literary Interaction

Authors create and shape a world that is their vision and ideal. There is another outlet though for people that are small time writers that can create various worlds in conjunction with other writers. In text based roleplay you break the boundaries further than most other outlets. Your words give shape and your ideas are formed as long as those around you can imagine them as they read. This can be done through various formats:

• Chatrooms
• Forum Posts
• Email
• Etc.

With each there is a new means of adding additional ideas. In further blogs we will go over how these concepts are then added to media like MMORPGs to add an entire level of more content to games that already have massive servers full of content.

Text Based Roleplay is hard to nail down as there are no clear rules of engagement. Most set up profiles and clear rules as to what they will and will not tolerate. At times there are "unspoken" rules of engagement that often are either upheld or in the bad cases disregarded. With the lack of respect it takes for people to "force" their ideas it breaks the immersion the players feel. This was given the name of "God-modding" by the community who knows how long ago. Simply put it is when someone regards their character as a god in terms of taking meta knowledge such as profile information or otherwise completely unknown information and using it as if they character knew it the entire time. Simulation of real life interactions is the clear objective of these interactions and yet many will force upon their actions towards others. Force-ably killing, harming, or worse to someone else's creation without their consent. I used the author idea in the beginning to frame this, imagine whilst Stephen King was writing a book, another author came into his home and wrote in his own character without his consent, then proceeded to destroy the fabric of reality King had created. With this we see that this kind of interaction needs to be more of a dance than a game in which the players have free roam. Give and take are key for co-operations and these things to work out.

Going the Distance

With gaming there are various means of pushing the realm of reality. Tabletop gaming most of all establishes a sense of space and time while there being no prior imagery. The mind creates and fills in the blanks for the environment after the overall area is given. The smell of the trashcans or the sound of the passing people is all something that the mind creates in order to establish the game as a reality. In this the players take their pre-established characters and interact in the world within the confines of the world. Rules, Statistics, and points are all what allow the players to work and interact within boundaries of the world.

This leads to a state of virtual reality without the use of an interactive unit or board. The game's creator calls the shots and puts this all to work for the players and in this we can see what happens when our minds are the storytellers and not something pre-scripted by a developer. The player shapes the world and bends the boundaries of what is before them without losing the grip of what is and isn't in the world. This sort of mental gaming could be influential in the games to come when we develop more and more bits of technology. Having computer programs interact and fulfill our need for a truly "open" world setting may be in the cards at some point.

Progression

As of the time I'm writing this blog I've made some really good headway. So far I've gotten a good chunk of the motion graphic done and put into a storyboard. The next portion will be onward to finish the motion graphic and add voice work to it. This means I must also finish up on my script-work. The next two days will be allocated to this, working on finishing the portrait and voice work in order to keep on schedule. The main thing I've learned as I've been running solo on this is that I'm actually pretty decent at managing my time towards specific activities in terms of getting them done early.

As I continue forward I hope to also update my old website as a means of using the template I had to further my professional persona for the work place. Drupal is a decent content management system that gets the job done for whatever you'd like as a website. My drupal site is set up through godaddy.com so it's simple enough to work through.

Research to Fruition

When we watch media and the like we don't think of the work being put into it behind the scenes. The ideas that each person puts into their portion of work towards the cumulative whole of the project. In terms of voice acting you can't really be right or wrong unless you are emulating someone else that is already established.

From my research I learned the fundamental idea behind being desirable in voice acting. Be Yourself. They main thing that studios want is people that are new and fresh that can bring variety. If you can sound like Mark Hamill that is all well and good, but they could just as well approach him on their own if they felt he was best for the job. Create and maintain your own voices and ideas. This will put you well above the others auditioning that haven't figured this out yet. Being original and being desirable all come from how well you can bring new fresh ideas to the table. Sure it is great when we hear something familiar in a project, but bringing a voice that is brand new to the industry always inspires others to do so as well.

Breaking the Boundaries of "Games"

Gaming has spawned off all kinds of different ideas. Tabletop gaming, LARP, and the like are all small little sub-sets of games. Sports are also very much gaming regardless of how much emphasis it is put into being an athletic event for national pride. This portion of my blog is going to be devoted to how gaming extends past boards, dice, and any other medium and is created by the players. Dungeons and Dragons or any other pen and paper RPG being the spearhead of this segment. The games are 90% played inside the player's mind. The game master creates the environment and the players fill it with meaning. When you give someone a story, do they simply accept it all at the end as complete? No, most times there is something unresolved that you as a viewer would like to see fit completion. Another example that primarily grew from the early stages of things like AOL were the advents of online roleplaying chatrooms. In these and in some cases forum postings people were able to represent a character as if they were a character in a story either canon or original. In these we see the rise of imagination but it is still considered a game as many uphold rules towards these postings. Most places you find involving such postings you can find like-minded individuals with a few clicks and immerse yourself into their story.

This is gaming without boundaries but with few rules and as long as their are other players you may continue on.

Capstone Project Topic

For my capstone project I would like to delve into the one passion I have had since I was young. Voice acting is my one true drive I've had in the past few years as I've wished to find myself voicing many characters in animation, games and cartoons. I intend to work on a demo reel which showcases my talents and range in order to better sell myself into the roles needed. With this I can send my reel to various studios and be considered for auditions and spots for advertisement and all sorts of other positions. My research entails all kind of spots from well-known actors with years of experience under their belt.

The main thing I'm keeping in mind is that I am showcasing myself. Impersonations are all well and good but the companies could just as well hire who I'm impersonating. For this project to go the way as planned I must be myself. This means I must have my own original voices and ideas to give me an edge over others that are auditioning. My hope is to encompass my entire range and make sure I'm giving every bit of "me" I can put into maybe a few short spots.

COMM 333: Blog 10 Music Video Author

Creating something from something already made is not easy. What I intended to do in this video was create a sequence of events that would draw in the audience and captivate their attentions enough to want to see more. To direct them towards my friends and their videos filled with amazing writing, editing and dialogue. In doing this I took away a bit of their say in the process but gave a different attempt at doing something they had already done. While I feel the promo they made fits their presentation a bit better, I still feel mine has the ability to possibly appeal to a different demographic or audience. By showing the fantastic points in the series they are creating I was able to establish them as named characters while anyone just coming into the series might not understand their on-going jokes.

Through the typography I gave them a name with each face in order to establish the character. Character can be everything in terms of the audience and their perception. By giving them a name and showcasing a few of their moments in the video we come to know what to expect from each. In this it lets the audience know it is okay to see a character commit a certain act as it is within the confines of the established character.

Alternatively I was also trying to see what I could do as an editor. Through editing and working with their footage I was able to connect with the work and understand how certain shots were made. It sort of comes down to the concept of being the man behind the curtain and knowing what each lever does. Through this process one can see the inner workings of the video and establish themselves as part of the creative process after seeing the imagery and interpreting something completely different from the original. The same could be said of any time an author steps down and allows their assistant to continue the writing due to fatigue or the like. Ultimately though we gained respect for one another's artistic views and learned from our experiences. What else could an artist want?

COMM 333: My video

Regret is not something I feel once I have worked on something for as long as I have with this video. I worked hard, learned a great deal and thought of how I could do things differently the next time I were to attempt a new project. From a production stand point I would like to have the time to know Final Cut Pro better, but from working with programs like After Effects I feel I have learned a decent amount of knowledge I can bring to an employer. The process was not simple in the slightest but it was made easier through great resources and networking. Through my friends at TPWL Productions I was able to have great footage to work with and edit to suit the needs of the video. 16Volt was also a great resource with their willingness to allow permission to create the video with the use of their song.

I feel the typography works well, my song choice might not have been the best but at the same time I worked with what I set out to do. As they say you cannot do wrong when you stand behind what you have done. The greatest bit of knowledge to come from all this is that one cannot pull of a production like this alone without any help. Being able to work with a group or to coincide with a group that is willing to help makes all the difference in a production. In that I feel I have great prowess as an editor when it comes to making things work regardless of if they thematically work together. Transitions are also something I feel I'm rather proud of in this work.

Either way the video is something I stand by as something that should exist and something I would watch even if I myself hadn't made it. Through the use of programs and footage I was able to create something new from something already done.

COMM 333: Chapters 9 and 10 Expression, Perception, Logos and Echos

 Williams - Why I [Still] Want My MTV

"Twentieth-century art has, to a large degree, brought forth the displacement of perspective as central to the representative of reality, questioning, in particular, in spatialization of knowledge and its propensity to measure all things linearly."  (Williams p. 199)

 To understand our reality and its confines we must explore past these linear ideas through imaginative thinking of what "could be." The moment one accepts all things to be as they are and has no desire to see them as otherwise, they cut out a piece of that "what-if" scenario that is never fully understood. With Perception and Expression we are able to justify and bend the concepts of what is reality. Through CGI we distort images and curve the idea of the minds of the audience to give a thought of wonder, a feeding into the great what-if. As in the "Knights of Cydonia" video we see various themes and images we know not to be true, but the perception  takes the vision as truth for those few moments in between.

Logos/ Logic are what many justify as being the only rational means of thought. Without logic there is emotion or ignorance left as many would claim. But what of the other means we cannot define? What is beyond the intentional or directness? Symbolism seems to resonate with audiences just as much as anything else, but why take an indirect approach. With echos we see the idea of logos and the concept of representation through video.

"I suggest echos as a metaphor and way to understand the mutual interpenetration of sights and sounds- and indeed of the presence of multiple logics- and as well of the multiple ways in which such a work may be read, interpreted, and become meaningful in one's life." (Williams p. 211)

Is it a logical man that interprets any other text than its direct meaning? No, but it is a man that sees past his own hands. One that can reach towards the stars and see them as symbolic meanings as ancient civilizations interpreted them as such. With science we take these ideologies and apply them, but yet still find new and more answers. It is felt that in imagery and expression we may find a new perspective that may define our ever evolving selves.

COMM 333: Chapter 8 Aes, Ais, Syn

 Williams - Why I [Still] Want My MTV

"The goal here is to understand the superfluity and plasticity of the human experience and awareness of the world; how that world can be articulated and understood in different ways." Williams pg. 167


Music at its essence is the understanding and rational we have attributed to our world put into rhythmic and semiotic senses. With the Aesthetic, Aisthesis and Synesthesia we find further means to categorize these interpretations and meta-meanings to our ideologies. When we take into account typical aesthetics we build a set mind view of how something should be in terms of spacial and internal characterizations. A person sees something that really works and afterwards anything else similar never lives up to this set expectation. Is it wrong? Not entirely, but from the aesthetic mindset it can be very wrong and upsetting depending on the audience and their prior knowledge.

"The visual things I see appeal to my sight and to other senses as well." Williams p. 183


 When a video or imagery of any type appeals to the individual on a macro scale such as the entire sense of being; an artist has then truly created something worthwhile. When a single person can feel the very essence of the music and vision through their soul it is safe to say one has given a near perfect embodiment of ideas. To touch something that important and viable is a once in a life time thing. Similarly when music makes an individual cry, laugh or enrage it is just as important. Meaning that comes with what we can see, hear, touch, taste, smell and ultimately take as part of our own being in the mind is something we all strive for in our works of life. We each want to be something to someone. In this great sense it is understood that true artists are capable of being the whole world to their fans.

COMM 333: Chapters 6 and 7

Visual Communication, as found in Williams, shows that music video and other such outlets "maintain a strong relation to print models." (Williams p.131)


The visualization has to be something people can relate to in some form or fashion in order to truly be seen as a visual media. Finding an audience that understands one's work is difficult enough, but it is made much easier in music video in how they are capable of having lyrics along with the imagery of the media. As with the video seen above; we see a distinction between knowing what is and isn't reality. The visual side of it allows us to see something in reality that isn't. Vision is our reality and in turn when we are able to see that which our brain tells us isn't real it becomes the reality of the vision but not so with the mind.

Vision is something that reality cannot achieve in most senses as what we see can often be misleading and in the misbelief we sense another part of reality that we all wish to touch. "This naturalness shows itself as constructed when it breaks-" (Williams p.144) or in other words when our disbelief is destroyed from any amount of small details our vision also takes in that adjusts our reality. When we suddenly see a wire on someone that is 'flying' it ruins the entire mystique of the idea that the person is flying. The imagination is destroyed when we can see how the 'trick' works.

In turn we all want to be shown something that bends reality, but we are curious as a species to want to know how the bend works. You hear the music from a guitar and you cannot just accept the music for what it is, you must understand how the music comes out that way. As such we can see music videos but we want to know how they did those fantastic images and editing. Our minds go to all the different means they could pull of such amazing shots and imagery just because we need to know.

COMM 360: Production B

I worked with production B "2012 and End of the World" program. With the sudden loss of power it was left up in the air as to what we were going to do, thankfully power was restored. Quickly I jumped to take the guest's spot in the worst case-scenario of her being unable to make it due to the power outage. Last moment she made it so the job I had originally meant to have was filled so I worked in the booth over-seeing the production. Being flexible and quick to fill in for others is something I pride myself on, but alas it often leaves me the odd man out if I'm not needed.

Other things I helped with were things such as added a questions to the pool of things we could discuss with the guest. Helped get us more towards the subjects we took into account such as factual parts of the Mayan calendar and the global climate change issue. Had attempted to get in contact with a few clubs that might be along the same lines of thought, but sadly came up short when my digging proved for nothing. Was also integral on discussing our different options for guests as we discussed various professionals we could have on the show.

COMM 333: Chapter 5 - Style

From Why I [Still] Want My MTV - Williams

"Videos can be interpreted in terms of patriarchy and capitalism; as within the purview of  contemporary myth and ideology." -Williams p.95


Style is a massive labyrinth that we can all judge the workmanship and concepts behind it while keeping the subjective process of being the audience. The originators message can be vastly misinterpreted depending on the "contemporary." Some are timeless struggles that can be felt through the ages but others are simply a telling of the times. Creativity and style go hand in hand with the central thoughts of pastiche as we take something that was retro and conform it into the modern ideal.

With each new generation of music video there are new concepts and old concepts. Some are way out there in terms of their content but that does not diminish their artistic integrity to create them as they are. As with the Erasure video we find a strange and on some level disturbing vision while at the same time it intrigues the mind into asking, "Why?" Do we have a right answer? Not really as we can't fully tell the artist's thought process from the abstract representations. 

"Rhymes may be implemented less for meaning than for sound." (Williams p.109)

In the sense of style and how it has changed over the years ambiguity is where all music thrives in the contemporary. Rock no longer holds the banner for this style choice as many other genres have taken to using the same for their lyrics and imagery. To keep the audience guessing and to not necessarily give them all the answers is also a trick most writers use today, as it stirs the feelings of the audience driving a need for more and in some cases allows them to mentally create their own content.

Style allows for many things, but in the end it ultimately allows for a true connection between the audience and the creator. Music given a life and theme to it, gather a following that love the style and message they interpret from the content, it all goes so well with the ideal MTV originally put out in the beginning. Self-promoting advertisement. 

COMM 333: Production and 3-point Editing.

With Final Cut Pro it is essential at times to know the values of three point editing in the sense that it may do many functions that simple drag and drop to a timeline may not. The idea of setting in-and-out points allows a smoother flow of your videos while keeping it linear and professional. Below is a series of instructions on basic three point editing via Final Cut Pro.

• First and foremost one must have their footage at the ready for editing. Then promptly setting the sections of when you want the in and out points of the clip.

• Secondly stating where in the timeline sequence you would like the clip to go with in and out points.

• Third is making sure the audio and video tracks are lined up through the in and out points for the timeline before you place it into the actual sequence.

Then we simply add the clip to the timeline and work towards the video being much more parallel to the ideas of the footage and overall vision. Overall I'm probably going to be using this as much as possible in my video, but so far my footage is still in the development stage and hopefully I can get it evened out a bit more to justify my vision of what the video can be. So far I have a few stills and titles but I still need to gain more video footage of the imagery I'd like.

Comm 447: Drupal modules

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesc/88771524/

Drupal has some amazing modules for use on their managed sites. I chose to go with three in particular that I found to be rather interesting other than the ones required.

• CaptchaRiddler - Fun little make your own riddle and answer version of Captcha. Doesn't have to be riddles but I found it amusing to say the least.
• PrivateMsg - Had to get a few other modules to make this truly work as intended. Figured that if I made it a big enough project and included enough content many would join the community.
• Forums - A pre-loaded module but decided to activate it so as to get a sense of how to manage a message board type forum.

These three I can see being very fun and at the same time useful as it adds a certain level of it being my own product and community in that sense. With the idea in mind that I can do such cool things with these modules I can feel like it is my own and that I should feel proud over it.

COMM 360: The Shoot

While much of the shoot was trial and error as per any project, it was a great experience to learn more about certain roles I was able to work on in the process. During the first day I was able to run the switch board; granted it didn't get much use, but being able to use the slider and switchers as practice was great in terms of being able to fully understand how they may be used correctly. Sadly was not able to do much else other than try to keep the noise level on set to a minimum.

http://showproaudio.net

Second day I tried my hands at the lighting which was certainly a new task to me since I had not worked with studio lights prior. Theatre lights for the stage from about 4 years about had been about the crux of my experience thus far. Working to create just the right atmosphere and dynamic with three point lighting was daunting at first but with the shared knowledge of myself and the others assigned we were able to accomplish this in a decisive manner. The flaps on the furthest fill light were crucial to keeping the shadows off the subjects neckline which created a much more solid image we were aiming for. In this sense we were able to improve upon the lighting of the prior shoot.

COMM 360: Studio Roles

First and foremost due to many other individuals not attending class I had to repeat various roles in order for us to have a run through. Many were completely against even attempting the roles given as it was supposed to be a fair and black and white transition of everyone's roles being set in the sheet. For this I was unable to attempt a few roles I had looked forward to doing.

http://www.motivationaltwist.com

As one with theatre experience I can understand those that fear the concept of being in the public eye, this is a natural fear from how much we are taught to fear what others think of us. I for one have been through too much in my life to worry about if I look okay on stage or with a camera in my face. Knowing myself this well has come from many experiences, but ultimately it is something that isn't learned in a classroom. You cannot learn competence in one's self or to fight that voice of fear that plays to your insecurities through a text. Only when you accept that you are the only person you can ever be can you truly accept yourself as part of the stage.

I was rather fond of directing the actions of my team though as it almost felt as it came natural. Learning more concepts and understanding the ideas of studio production will even further this feeling as with knowledge also comes competence.

COMM 346: Helvetica

In the film Helvetica many seemed to be obsessed with the simplistic nature of the font and its use. Others went on to tarnish and destroy the idea of Helvetica as a font. All in all I'm not thoroughly impressed with any of the people and their lines of work, but what I did take away and resonate in the film was my own love for fonts that truly stand out to me. Now in this I don't say the "simplistic" fonts are any less, but over idolizing them isn't what I would say to be the most stable choice. I suppose there are worse things to obsess over, but that's neither here nor there.

In all truth fonts are rather amusing to say the least, especially when there is a certain look you are going for. Where I feel it does best though is when things like Helvetica and other such fonts come along that just make sense. Words in the sense of expressions are boundless and everlasting, even from using such words as those many bits of imagery fill your head. Words mean a lot to people as much of it can lift you up and others tear at you from the core. Phrases still mean things to people and fonts mean so much more as they can convey a warning or a reward depending on the font. Art that is inspired by words can be meaningful as just a simple image on a black and white picture with 4 words can make a person's entire day or inspire them.

COMM 333: Music Video

Here is the song I intend to use, there is a large intro portion at the beginning so I intend to sort of use that as time to sit up the exposition of the video. The first verse I am planning on using to build emotion and then once the chorus hits lead it into the first set of passion to it. The second verse drops the beat back down so I intent to convey a bit more of the situation or another's similar situation that leads back to the chorus in the same light. Overall The song is very powerful as a means of evoking emotion from those that have felt the same.

My initial idea for a video is sort of continuing from 16 Volt's "Burn" video only a similar circumstance and more of a chronicling of two individuals that are mad at the world because of their home lives. When they meet initially they hate one another and it leads to fighting among the two, but once they fight they reach an understanding somehow and walk away friends. I take this occurrence from my own personal experience with others from childhood, having had many other guys dislike me until we fought one another.

In a few Eastern culture there are stories of similar happenings, the ideology that one may "speak through their fists what words cannot."

COMM 360: Production

First and foremost, studio production is not nearly as easy as one would first anticipate. Watching many videos on the subject they make it look so easy, but that is very much a misrepresentation. From hands on work it is very apparent that it takes everyone working to their fullest to accomplish the production's ideals and vision. People must each fulfill their set tasks in order for it all to be successful. Comparing it to something such as theater though it is difficult, as you can gauge your audience in a single moment in live theater versus on camera you don't see anyone. Essentially you have to take what people say after the fact as the means of deciding if it was good or bad. One thing that I kept form doing theater though is the aspect that the show must go on and no matter what technical issue one comes across you do have to work around it in some sense or fashion if at all possible.

Overall though a great start and cannot wait to do more.

COMM 403: Hermeneutics

Mimes

By definition it is a construction, Hermeneutics that is, as it establishes itself as a science and philosophy of interpretation. Feels sort of like a paradox how one can make a science of interpreting things that are created to give meaning to action. Emotions, ideals, personalities and memory are all things we have created and use to interpret our surroundings. If we spoke to a foreign alien race, would the find the same things valuable we would? Would loved ones be a concept they could understand? Its a muddled topic one can't pin point as we are biased.

The five types of Hermeneutics break it down a bit more, but ultimately it is up to the interpretation of the individual to find the meanings and relate their own interpersonal experiences to the concepts.

• Natural -basic miscommunication for the most part. (Not useful, but understanding it will lead to less instances of misunderstandings.)
• Normative - using text as basis for decision making (Using things such as laws as the means of making decisions.)
• Scientific - History and means of measuring to form ideas (Taking things such as events and data to use towards factual interpretations) 
• Philosophical - Coming up with some means of understanding existence (Finding others and being able to clearly describe my own means of understanding existence and life. Finding meaning.)
• Depth - Questioning things instead of simply accepting blindly ( May help lead towards reform and the change we need in society.)

COMM 406: Contemporary?

With this blog I am treading into a territory I've often tried to stay neutral on and kept an open mind. When I saw the trailer for this game though a few months ago it sends me into a conflict with myself. Lollipop Chainsaw is a new game coming to major gaming consoles that depicts a chainsaw-wielding cheerleader that fights hordes of the undead. At the helm you have Suda51 and James Gunn, Suda being well known in the gaming industry for being the "Tarantino of Video Games" and Gunn working on major films. In the first trailer it shows the protagonist, Juliet Starling, as being a cute and innocent individual while having a figure that would certainly make many feminists stand on their heads.

I chose this trailer as it stands as something of a "guilty pleasure" in which I find it mocks the mindset I have that wishes to keep the thoughts and feelings of others in mind while the other part just wants to play it and see what is going on. Knowing Suda's work though I know for a fact there is a great deal being left out that will be left to those that actually play the game. He has a way of taking a character and truly fleshing them out into a very deep and meaningful individual that his fans know him for. On the surface I think this game looks bad and many probably will be outraged by it, but ultimately trailers these days can be misleading while others hold true to what they set out to achieve and provide those that buy their products. Will I think the game will fully redeem itself? No. Will I still buy it and probably enjoy myself? Yes.

COMM 346: Tank again!

Granted I have used this example before, but it still feels well-suited.

Tank! the opening to the acclaimed series Cowboy Bebop has an exceptional use of  various hues that exemplify the many facets of the characters. Spike Spiegel, the shows many protagonist, is shown in various colors in a fast paced mash-up of various ideas. At one moment he is seen in blue, calm and relaxed with a darker shade to sort of add to the mystery. The next shown in a red that almost gives that eerie look of real blood as he runs. Another frame he is shown laid back and cascaded in a deep purple that adds more sense of mystery to the character.In the next moment completely covered in a joyful yellow that is somewhat darker. All of which are faces and parts of what make the character as a whole.

In this we see simple representations as the young boy, Dr. Tran, is sitting and enjoying some quiet log time. We can tell he is pure and innocent by the hue of the baby blue shirt he is wearing. The chicken has green eyes which shows he is envious of Dr. Tran and thus why he proceeds to torment him.

COMM: 333 Video vs. Radio

Did Video kill the Radio Star?

From the beginning when sound and vision were made into the consciousness of existence there has been a sense of music and rhythm. To ask if Video killed Radio as a means of people obtaining music, for that time frame it did indeed. In the grand scheme of things, no it did not. Music is a universal sensation we feel in our very core.

Video can maximize or diminish the ideas the artist has with their music. Many feel a music video may take away from the vision of the audience and strip the idea of their own creativity, but in the opposite it may sprout life and flourish into a grander vision.

We feel it, a sense or tickle of nostalgia that filters into our minds when we hear the music. How the radio can be on while you drive and you relate an experience with a specific song. Thinking in the extremes of is one way of music better than the other does not hinder or help what music is about. Music is about touching the soul of the people that listen to it. True music as Chris Cornell put it "defies the concept of genre" and ultimately is about showing our humanity. Sharing our experience and connecting with others on a macro level.

COMM 406: My favorite Ad Campaign >Frith Analysis.

Well, in my tastes I hit a sort of wall. A Frith Analysis of something simplified can have merit as others could take away more than I could. At first glance it is your typical adventure RPG, but moving into the business meanings one could take away that they do intend everyone that sees this ad to instantly want to see it for themselves. Graphics that rival many out there and monsters that come from the darkest horrors of people's minds.

All leading up to the cultural or deeper meaning of the analysis. To Struggle, endure, to suffer, and overcome are things we teach many as they grow up. This first commercial dictates to do all these things within the game. With prior knowledge it is known that many find the game "too difficult" "sadistic" and as one put it "an abusive relationship".. it is heavily known that many buy the game for this reason alone. In an age of video games that point out the obvious and make every attempt to take the difficulty out, it is refreshing to see a game ready to say "No, I'm going to break you, but if you keep at it you will overcome." Many these days want instant gratification.. Dark Souls certainly isn't for them.

COMM 403: Media Literacy

http://www.digitalpassionwebsite.com/

In a world of forever expanding technology and media there are many ideas and media being processed as it comes down to what we can filter. People are beings of intelligence in most respects as they soak up knowledge like a sponge. This means though that there is a certain way to read this information. To be literate means to understand the information given and therefore be able to recite said information, but it is ultimately up to them to do fact checking. Without this process wrong information gets propagated and passed onto others.

There are many out there that would bank on this and continue the idea of many being given misinformation for the purpose of their own gains. (IE: Hacking, fishing, spam.) Culturally one could say that the internet itself is now a culture, and with this I fully agree as it allows the removal of borders and geography to dictate who interacts.

COMM 406: My favorite Ad Campaign.

Dark Souls

Many video game companies and developers resort to some stupid stunts and gimmicks to sell their games. One company did not. FromSoftware and Bandai/Namco opted the route many of us that enjoy games would prefer. Simply a trailer showcasing the game and many portions we may look forward to if we purchase their product.

This was the first trailer. A display of how amazing the world of Dark Souls, a fantasy RPG that is well known for its difficulty. In this we get a brief glimpse of the environment and overall severity of the situation. "Prepare To Die" is the main hook of the ad, and once you see the horrors you face it is well earned.

This was the second, a much more hopeless feel but ultimately gives you the full warning that you will feel utterly destroyed by this game. As someone who has actually beaten the game there is no greater feeling than overcoming this pantheon of fantastic boss fights.

That level of minimalism and yet letting the game speak for itself was all that needed to be done and as a game enthusiast I find it refreshing compared to the many childish antics some companies will stoop to sell a title.