Class Evaluation

1. In general, what did you like most about this class?

The variety of projects and lessons on both sound and video.

2. In general, what did you like least about this class?

The lack of camera equipment relating to getting certain shots. But it is fun building that stuff myself.

3. What were your most favorite project and least favorite project and why?

Most favorite was the documentary because it accidentally gave me a new outlook on the subject I was doing when it was finished. Least was HANDMAN because every decision we made in that project was a gamble.

4. Do you feel that this class will help you achieve your future academic or career goals? How or why (or why not)?

Yes because as a career I want to mix music with many different artistic fields like animation and film, and having a background on them surely helps the process.

5. Additional comments:

This was the only class I've been in where I was paid for my work. Pretty cool class if you ask me. Also I can't believe my blog has looked this crappy for the past 2 years.

Reality TV Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Families watch reality TV because they like it. Never would have thought.
- James Poniewozik is a hypocrite that won't let his kids watch all the awesome shows he watched as a kid.
- TV has become more specific I think.

2 opinions:
- "Tuned In Jrs"? This guy is one cool dad.
- Reality TV is not unlike scripted TV because they use scripts also.

1 question - Seriously, that S.W.A.T show looks ridiculous. How could you not let your kids watch that but consider letting them watch game of thrones?

Think Your Film Was a Challenge Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Aleksandr Petrov rocked the socks off of traditional animators.
- Paint-on-glass is the caviar of animation.
- You can work with multiple levels of glass when using paint-on-glass animation.

2 opinions:
- Petrov deserves 100 Oscars for such hard work.
- Operating the multiple glass planes sounds confusing as hell.

1 question - The animation stand alone took 8 months to make. How did they not go insane making this?

Reaction to Disney Trademarking

Weekly Report 5/19 - Nope not the last blog

What I learned: I learned a lot about credit score.

What I want to learn: How to stream console games.

What made me happy: Made some vids over the weekend.

What made me sad: oh god karate video oh god independent project oh god documentary

Interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam

Melamine foam is what "The Magic Eraser" is made out of. It is also the same material that is used to make certain soundproofing foam. I've looked around the internet and saw that you can get giant 50 to 500 bulk pack of cheap melamine sponges for about $6 to $180. So, in theory, you could possibly piece together a bunch of that foam, slap it on a wall and boom. Inexpensive soundproofing.

In theory. I want to try it.

Attack of the Sexy Sparkles Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Disney had pushed Brenda's last button.
- Disney changed the look of the main character of Brave to be more girly.
- Some artists won't take Disney's crap no more.

2 opinions:
- Good on Brenda for winning an oscar.
- How could they take away her bow and arrow I mean come on.

1 question - What would of happened if the film was made by Pixar instead?

6 Dumb Dumb Documentary Mishaps Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That the script is the last thing you make in a documentary.
- A wrongful sound track can destroy any film.
- You need a question or theme that your documentary revolves around.

2 opinions:
- The "writing the script last" rule can be broken and still be successful. Just look at our documentaries. (Can't say the same for every other video in the class where scripts were often written last).
- I usually question the dramatizations that somehow capture moments in high quality 1080p HD.

1 question - Is documentary making really one of the hardest productions you can get into? Also, why is the grammar so bad in this article.

Weekly Report 5/12 - This the Last Blog? Can't Remember.

What I learned: How to edit a clip in both Adobe Premiere and After Effects simultaneously.

What I want to learn: Everything we already learned so I can pass that test at the end of the year.

What made me happy: Filming my final project.

What made me sad: Oh god I hope I can finish this project.

In my rushing of finding music for my final project, I finally started using this site for all my music needs:

http://incompetech.com/

Has music for any mood or genre, and it's all royalty-free. Not sure if this was posted in the class list of usable sites but screw it. It's awesome.

Crowdfunding Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- More studios have been crowdfunding lately.
- Cartoon Hangover is an example of successful independent programming.
- Joe Murray made a whole website dedicated to independent animations.

2 opinions:
- KaBoingTV should have been more popular.
- smgo.tv's voting system is a great idea.

1 question - Why not keep your show strictly online?

First Film On iPad 2 Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Sometimes you have to write a story around what kind of camera you're using.
- There's tons of apps and lens perfect for iPad filmmaking, yet this is the first iPad film.
- The iPad on-board mic isn't worth it.

2 opinions:
- The trailer could have gone without milking the "filming with an iPad" concept so much.
- His P90x analogy is spot on.

1 question - What does a iPad tripod even look like?

Weekly Report 5/5 - oh no its gonna be monday again

What I learned: How to deal with the backlash of procrastination; just stop caring.

What I want to learn: How to deal with the backlash of sleep deprivation.

What made me happy: Recording a pretty cool jam session with my friend Sean. http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/533386

What made me sad: Haven't been getting farther in any projects.

A bunch of 5-10 second videos in celebration of the Vine competition:

Vine Competition Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- There's a lot to think about to make a good 6sec film.
- There's a lot of rules to break when making a 6sec film.
- You can win some good money for simple things like this.

2 opinions:
- That is A LOT of  money for just a 6 second film.
- Having a better lens on your iPhone shouldn't give you a better chance in the competition.

1 question - How much would these films cost if they were featured in movie theaters?

Cute Characters 101 Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That the spacing of eyes can matter when making a cute character.
- Being fat helps cuteness. Can't be too fat, though.
- Evil traits added onto a cute character makes it even cuter.

2 opinions:
- Hello Kitty is horrifying with it's dead stare. It knows who you are.
- Gangly armed teddy bears sound amazing.

1 question - What about the way a character sounds?

Human Documentary Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- People will be more than happy to tell their secrets to a robot.
- People will have relations with the mothers of these said robots.
- Intercourse with Americans is bad according to the Dutch.

2 opinions:
- The robots need to go beep boop and do it often.
- It's really easy to steal these things.

1 question - How many questions do these things ask?

Weekly Report 4/21 - I Am the Audio Removal King, Hail to Me

What I learned: How to destroy background audio with a vengeance.

What I want to learn: How to multicam edit. But how on earth will I accomplish that?

What made me happy: Organizing my computer's desktop. Best week ever.

What made me sad: My friend made me play starcraft. Had a 2 hour long game of me running around with one unit from my friend's gigantic army. Sad times all around.


Life saver:

Adobe Audition CS6 Tutorial | Reducing Background Noise | InfiniteSkills

Disney Dun Goofed Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Deviant Art is a great place for free art for your merchandise.
- Disney just doesn't give a poop about anything anymore.
- Disney likes to not respond to problems upfront.

2 opinions:
- I'd totally buy that shirt + handbag.
- Dat girl needs to sue till she blue.

1 question - I wonder if this would make the cosmetic bags worth a lot of money for collectors?

JoCo's Code Mo Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- JoCo is still messin with his songs and whatnot.
- JoCo is successfully printing money.
- They got a famous artist doing the comic I think.

2 opinions:
- It's probably gonna get a ton of money, cause it's Kickstarter.
- They should just make a movie already.

1 question - Are there gonna be both physical and digital copies?

Weekly Report 4/14 - Introduce Your Child to the Beast

What I learned: How to spam warp stabilizer onto all your video clips.

What I want to learn: How to raise money for a steadicam.

What made me happy: Meh.

What made me sad: Not finishing stuff and looking forward at all the stuff I have to do.


What suddenly made me happy:

My friend that I did some work for on his concept album had finally released the official songs onto YouTube today. They feature several artists along with my friend Sean and myself, with Sean providing audio samples and lyrics and myself doing the video trailer and small guitar parts.

HELLO LEVIATHAN Trailer (Posted again for introduction)

The HELLO LEVIATHAN Trilogy Playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwfaDCG789o&list=PLUS4APK2uV9pGsjZ5QP5z1fAI0yLNShqS

Ten Storytelling Pointers Response

3 things I learned from this article:

- Removing backstory is a safe bet.

- Replacing your simple overused verbs with better ones makes your story much more interesting.

- Character thought monologues are a must need.

2 opinions:

- This definitely doesn't apply to all kinds of stories.

- A good hook is something I think about for every story I try to tell.

1 question - Will stories eventually become a few engaging sentences with no filling at all?

Smell-O-Vision Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Oils are the best options for smelling.
- Using scents during theatrical events has been used over a hundred years ago.
- Fried chicken is the only thing people want to smell through a TV.

2 opinions:
- This is only good if I can prank my friends by putting in awful smelling oils into the machine.
- This is obviously a marketing technique by KFC.

1 question - Would there be 3rd party manufacturers making their own oils to put into the machine?

Weekly Report 3/17 - Seth Rogan is Coming Into My Life

What I learned: How to make scary beeps and boops in FL Studio.

What I want to learn: How to fend off the shadowers before they attack again.

What made me happy: Making my first horror themed movie. I say horror "themed" because it's not scary at all.

What made me sad: Finally getting the urge to re-edit the documentary, but then I had to move furniture into my grandparent's house.

This. Freaking this:

*This is the End* Official Red Band Trailer #1

My dream movie. It has come true.

Pixar Scientists Are at It Again Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Many elements in 3D animated movies can have their own physics engine behind them.
- Using parabolas instead of polygons has become industry standard.
- Rendering out complex animations like these aren't as bad as they should be.

2 opinions:
- I don't think super amazing hair physics make a more engaging story.
- I thought I disliked making 3D animation before, now there's no way I'm going into that field.

1 question - How come making new hair physics in animated movies looks amazing, but making a new one for a game ends up looking silly and glitchy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOL-mSTJYH0

Video Blogging Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Don't be egotistical when making a volg.
- Good editing software isn't required from vlog making.
- Talking in front of the camera is normally a difficult thing to start doing.

2 opinions:
- It is possible to act the exact opposite of what was said in this article to have a successful vlog.
- Much of this information was really common sense to me.

1 question - Are tutorials really considered vlogs?

Weekly Report 3/10 - Finally Finished That Projec- OH NO THERE'S MORE

What I learned: How important it is to manage time when dealing with busy actors.

What I want to learn: How to color correct a little better. Just a way to cut down on time so I'm not experimenting with every single correcting-tool for an hour.

What made me happy: I got some ideas for my future projects. Also I obtained music editing software which I might use in later projects.

What made me sad: I've had no time to shoot any footage at all this week.

Contest!:

The ever so popular Flash animation/game site Newgrounds is holding a contest for animators of any talent to create a "Newgrounds commercial." Top 3 winners will get a $25 store credit prize and the grand winner gets a super secret prize! Deadline is April 1st!
Link here --> http://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1328768

Indian VFX Artist Response

 3 things I learned from this article:
- That Digital Domain and Rhythm & Blues were two of the biggest VFX companies.
- Even offshore workers aren't benefiting from the outsourcing of VFX work.
- India has crappy labor laws.

2 opinions:
- Being a freelance 3D artist shouldn't be a better working choice than working with an actual VFX company.
- Holy poop, 150 staff members reduced to 5? Get your act straight, "random VFX company in India."

1 question - I wonder if it is worse in other countries like China or Malaysia?

VFX Bankruptcy Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- VFX companies are silently getting screwed over.
- The VFX team behind Life of Pie was upset over their absence of recognition at the Academy Awards.
- Life of Pie was filmed in a pool.

2 opinions:
- I can understand taking money from hard-working companies, but to make them go bankrupt altogether? That's silly.
- Any hard work put into a film should be recognized and supported.

1 question - How could you not thank a large portion of your staff for creating your movie?

Weekly Report 3/3 - I don't know what I did This week

What I learned: How to go through walls like a champ.

What I want to learn: How to breathe underwater with Flash Premiere Affects 6.9 Xtream.

What made me happy: I got some projects done early!

What made me sad: Oh god more projects help me black jesus

Stuf:

This is the song I'm gonna use for my stop motion project http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/512189

'Tis gonna be crazy. Yowza.

Disney Film Tips Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That Disney is so emotionally entwined to their work.
- That it's best to not to throw away any work.
- That you should be yourself and not try to copy the styles of others.

2 opinions:
- "Perfection is TEH Enemy of TEH Good" No. Stawp it Disney. Bad. *hits with rolled up newspaper*
- Kinda weird to have the Assassin's Creed picture at the end there.

1 question - Since I read this article, am I as good as Disney now?

Motion Capture Response

3 things I learned:
-Andy Serkis is creating his own film studio.
-Mickey Mouse never got an award till he was 80.
-Animal Farm is gonna have it's own CGI movie. Oh laud.

2 opinion:
-I still like practical effects better.
-I'd like to see actual animals do motion capture for Animal Farm. It'll Give PETA something to do.

1 question: Will we eventually not need real actors to be on screen anymore and just have monkeys in ball covered suits do all the movement for us? 

Weekly Report 2/10 - I Should Do Stuff

What I learned: How to turn myself into a 5 man dance party.

What I want to learn: Ehhhhhhhh.....how to get encouragement to do stuff. Yea lets go with that.

What made me happy: Creating the skills video with a new style I never tried before.

What made me sad: I haven't personally made anything in a while...

A nifty animation:

Here's an animated short from a college student entitled "Partners in Mime"
Link - http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/610721

6 Tips Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- Lying and stealing is a good start to a filmmaker's career.
- Something you work hard on might not make it big in any way, but you should still learn from it.
- Tarantino is crazy in every good way.

2 opinions:
- I always thought being a little personal with your movies was how you should write them.
- I personally like to loosely follow a script instead of doing everything that's in the script.

1 question - I wonder how many directors have done the same as what Tarantino has done but haven't ever been in the lime light?

Paperman Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That a simple thought can provoke an entire new animation style.
- That combining the look of 2D and 3D animation could look so good.
- That I'll never understand the process this animation went through.

2 opinions:
- The animation style was pulled off very well.
- It's cool that they created a new way of animating rather than making a new style using old techniques.

1 question - How often will this new style be used?

Weekly Report 2/4 - I Want Bagels

What I learned: How to teach Digital Media.

What I want to learn: How to get Ms. Licata to only get blueberry bagels from Panera.

What made me happy: Having the potential to win the contest I entered.

What made me sad: Not being able to finish redoing the documentary this week.

Something completely different:

I've never been truly involved in a web comic. Not an actual one, and certainly not when it first comes out.

But here is a comic (that just started) that caught my attention. http://www.eraoferrors.com/

For just beginning, it's art style looks fantastic. I only know of it because it's created by one of my most favorite game commentators Azuritereaction who wrote the entire story for the comic which spans many, many chapters. I highly recommend it.

Era of Errors

SkyDisney InfinityCraft Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That Epic Mickey was a game. I forgot that it was.
- That if you combine enough successful game concepts together you'll eventually get something good.
- Disney can make children's toys glow magic.

2 opinions:
- Jack Sparrow be lookin goofy, yo.
- It's pretty cool that its like skylanders and minecraft but not really kinda maybe.

1 question - Whoa, you get to ride a bike as Sully?

Count

me

 in.

Escape From Tomorrow Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That it's possible to shoot a whole movie in a theme park without getting caught.
- That controversial movies become popular more quickly than non-controversial ones.
- That orcas are plotting their takeover as we speak.

2 opinions:
- Those animatronics are evil.
- It's hard not to make something corporate when it's getting so much money.

1 question - When's it comming outttttttttttttttttt

Weekly Report 1/20 - I Did Stuff!

What I learned: How to make the easiest camera dolly ever!

What I want to learn: How to make moar DIY camera things!

What made me happy: Starting filming my PSA!

What made me sad: Watching a video of the saddest moments in Scrubs!

The thing I made!

A perfect and inexpensive way to create a camera dolly. Only requires a drawer slider and a few pieces of wood! It creates smooth and professional looking panning shots that challenge real expensive camera rigs.

Simpsons Short Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That this is the Simpsons' first theatrical short.
- That the Oscars had an animated short award.
- That people actually saw the new Ice Age movie.

2 opinions:
- "If you think we've done everything that we could possibly do on the show, you’ll be surprised." I'm pretty sure they've done everything by now.
- It'a nice to see the Simpsons doing something different.

1 question - How could they NOT win an Oscar for this?

An Actually Helpful Microphone Article Response

3 things I learned:
- Handhelp mics have a "heart-shaped" pickup pattern.
- Cheap wireless lavalier mics are usually terrible.
- Shotgun mics don't pick up sound from a far distance.

2 opinions:
- Lavalier mics r so guuuud.
- Shotgun mics r so guuuud when you don't have lavalier mics to use.

1 question: Why do reporters use the hand held mics so much when the shotgun mics work really well also?

Weekly Report 1/13 - All Your Teachers Heard You Liked Homework So They All Gave You Homework

What I learned: Lighting. Finally. Woo. I guess.

What I want to learn: How to figure out ways to extend deadlines further.

What made me happy: Extension on project.

What made me sad: "Oh hey Alex you have a project due? Let me help a little bit and GIVE YOU LOTS OF HOMEWORK AND MAKE YOU GO TO YOUR JOB ALL WEEKEND ADFASJWJBFAJFBDASJJFFLFFJGA;" - Fate

For the last few months me and my pal AirplaneRadio have been working on his new concept album entitled The HELLO LEVIATHAN TRILOGY (or HOW to INTRODUCE YOUR CHILD to the BEAST), with him composing the music and I doing the video work. At this moment the trailer for it is out and the album shall be finished this Febuary.

The HELLO LEVIATHAN TRILOGY Trailer:

So technically, this is my first video I edited for a customer. 

Dungeons and Dragons Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That there were 3 D&D movies.
- D&D made lots and lots and lots of monies.
- D&D still isn't as widely accepted as it should be.

2 opinions:
- D&D should at least be accepted as the popular game it is and not as an obscure following.
- Math in board games is scary.

1 question - How do you win?

The Animooted GIF Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That the first gif was in 1879.
- That gif was the word of the year in 2012.
- That porn could be measured in tons.

2 opinions:
- A type of picture file shouldn't be the word of the year. I mean seriously.
- GIF's cannot be used as educational devices. They are only good for funny cats falling over and Brendan Fraser doing awkward clapping motions.

1 question - Why can't GIFs be on actual paper yet?

Also, my GIF of the day

Weekly Report 1/6 - Cool New Techniques

What I learned: NOTHING. Because it was a short week. But I did learn a cool new trick you can do with a DSLR lens.

What I want to learn: LIGHTING. PLEASE. ITS BEEN WEEKS. I NEED MY FIX.

What made me happy: I got a new DSLR lens for my birthday! Lenses are expensive!

What made me sad: Hearing the screams of my wallet during the Steam holiday sales.

The trick I learned:

It's a trick you can do with DSLR lenses where you TAKE OFF the lens and hold it in front of the camera, letting in light inbetween. It gives these cool looking light flares that is surprisingly often used.

Here's a quick example of it in action:

3-D Sucks Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That The Hobbit is most CGI.
- That facial work could affect character development.
- In a time where films have great potential, great potential is usually wasted.

2 opinions:
- 3-D can be good. But it's rarely used in new and interesting ways.
- It's ironic that a tool used to make a film seem more real can kill the realism altogether.

1 question - Why films no make good 3-D films?

7 Rules Writing Short Films Response

3 things I learned from this article:
- That making shorter films is easier because you don't have to care for your crew as long.
- That the story is what your should mainly focus on, not just a concept or other side idea.
- That one of my previous short film ideas fell under one of the cliches.

2 opinions:
- Short films usually have the best endings.
- On a small budget with a lot of people, the most budget will probably go towards feeding them.

1 question - What if someone made a film that went against every one of these rules?