Editing Blog for Commercial

For our commercial, we filmed on two different cameras. We started filming with the camera provided by school. However, this camera died shortly after filming the first half of our commercial. Now our commercial has two different qualities: the phone and the camera. In hindsight, I wish we would have filmed it all on the phone because I like the way it looks on the phone better. This also resulted in half of our commercial being filmed with a handheld movement, meaning it was slightly shaky. I figured we would fix this in the editing process. However, when we arrived to school today we were informed that none of the class computers were working. This has also happened previously with these computers. I was worried that I would not be able to get the files off of the computer to put them on my flash drive, but luckily it worked.

Not being able to edit is a big issue. Due to other extraneous issues, we have already had to move our dates further and are behind the original schedule. I want to make sure we finish our project on time, but because of the computers not working, we have many difficulties. Also, my group member is out sick today, so I had to make sure all the work was completed for the both of us. I hope that next class we can get a lot of work done to compensate for all these issues. Our filming process was really easy, meaning we only have a few shots to put into editing. This will make our lives much easier when we continue editing on Wednesday. Today I was able to go back to our storyboard and go over the editing I wrote on the paper. I changed some things based on what we filmed. However, the basis of the commercial stayed the same. 

Lucky for us, I brought my computer from home to school today. I was able to dump our film from the computer to the flash drive and onto my computer. On my computer I have iMovie. I was unable to begin editing because of how long it took to log onto the school computer and transfer the film. At least now the footage is on a secure flash drive and desktop. Now that I have the film in a reliable place, I can feel more comfortable with the state of our commercial. The complications of the day really stressed me out about the project. Hopefully we can get our commercial to the best it can be in time for the due dates. Editing the commercial should be really easy. Based on what we have, I am really excited to see how our commercial is going to turn out. 

Filming Blog for Commercial

Filming our commercial was a long process. We first had to go through the process of checking out the cameras, SD cards, and tripods. Then, we had to make sure we brought all of our materials with us so we would not have to go back after every scene. The materials we brought with us were a coffee cup, donuts, the camera equipment, and our schoolwork. We decided that we were going to film on the track and the senior patio. We did not create a script because we wanted to tell a story without words. However, we did go over the actions before filming each scene. It was a little difficult to figure out how to set up the camera and film, but we managed to figure it out. Also, our camera died mid-filming, so we had to film the rest with our phones. This made dumping more difficult because we had to get our scenes from two different places.

For our first half of the commercial, we filmed on the senior patio. The idea of this was to have our actor do his homework. The issue presented in the commercial would be that he could not complete his homework because of how tired he was. We expressed this by having his hand slip as he fell asleep and he would stop writing when he did this. In the next scene, we placed the box of donuts strategically next to him and from off camera I handed him a coffee cup. He took the cup and drank from it. Then, he acted energized enough to finish his homework. An issue that we had while filming this was the wind. The papers and the cup kept blowing away so we had to weight them down. Overall, the scene only took about 5 minutes to film and we had to film each scene 3 times at most. This was the scene we filmed second, when our camera died, and we filmed it on the phone.

For our second half, we filmed on the track. I changed into my "running clothes" and we set up the tripod on the field across from the track. This part of the commercial was about a runner needing energy. My job was to run sluggishly past the camera to show I was tired. Then from out of frame, my partner threw me a donut. I caught and ate the donut. Then I was told to run past the camera again but fast this time. The only issue with this part was trying to get the camera to pan. We tried to loosen the handle on the tripod but it did not do too much to help. This one took us about 5 reshoots per scene.

Storyboard Blog for Commercial

Angles & shots:  We're going to use and establishing shot into scene which shows where the shot will be. Then a medium close up to to show the chest up and point out the action of the subject. We will then move into an eye level angle which is straight on to point out the subjects mood. We then will use a low angle to make the actions of the subject pop. We will then use a long shot which will shoot the subject head to toe. We will also be using a high angle to view the actor in the 5th scene as she runs.

Movements: Our first movement will be a zoom towards the subject. We are using a zoom because it is a good way of going from a wider shot to a more detailed shot, conveying more of the story. We are also going to be using a pan shot in the 5th scene. We are doing this so that we can follow the actor without using a tracking shot. 

Editing: We will be using 5 different transitions. The first transition is a fade in to the first scene. Then in the second scene, we will be using a cutaway to view the coffee, cutting back to the actor after. We will also be using a jump-cut to go from scene 2 to 3, showing the time passed between the first sip of coffee to when the actor finishes it and is able to complete his homework faster. We will then use a fade in again to show a different storyline. To go from scene 4 to 5 we will use a zoom to go from the establishing shot of the track to a medium shot of the actor running. Lastly, we will use a dissolve to go into the logo screen, using an insert. We will also be adding a voiceover to say the catchphrase. 

Editing Lesson Blog for Commercial

Today we learned how to set up the cameras. We watched them being carefully taken out of the bags and and learned how to attach them to the tripods. We also found out that we have the ability to film our commercial with our phones. 

We were also shown the procedure for checking out and checking back in the camera. We were instructed to fill in the agreement form. The agreement form is a paper that indicates the individual will be using the video camera and allows the person to know that they are liable to whatever happens to the camera as long as they use it.

Lastly, we learned how to use the editing program. First you look for Pinnacle Studios on the computer. You open a new folder and title it "com" for commercial. We must make sure we use the same computer every time. Look for DCIM. Highlight the videos you want and drag them to the folder. This is called "dumping". Open Pinnacle Studios. Then we import the videos and make sure to let everything load. Click on "desktop" and go to the folder and import ALL videos available. Go to edit. We also learned that anything that is filmed and untouched is called raw footage. Drag down clip and put it in AV track. To detach audio you have to right click then press "detach audio". To save your video you press save, then save as, then title, then you move it to the folder. You only export your project when you're completely done and you want to save it as a MPEG4/MP4. Name the file "Dunkin Donuts". If you want to add sounds or music you have to download them as MP3s. 

Planning Blog for Dunkin' Donuts Commercial

Listed is our planning for our commercial. This includes props, costumes, the schedule, a location list, and our back-up plan.

1. Props: What items we will need 

• From Dunkin Donuts: Food - donuts, sandwiches. Drinks - coffee cups, coffee, other drinks offered. Miscellaneous - Boxes, napkins, bags. 
• From us: Tables, chairs, school supplies, backpacks. 

     2. Costumes: What we are wearing 

• Normal school clothes - t-shirt, jeans, sandals, school ID
• Running/exercise clothes - tank top, athletic shorts, sneakers, hair up - ponytail, headband

    3. Schedule: What we are doing each day

• October 7: Research codes and conventions for our commercial type - look at past commercials and find patterns, typical food and drink props and locations. 
• October 10: Plan our commercial - figure out logistics and contingencies, schedule actors and secure locations. 
• October 14: Storyboard our commercial - figure out scenes and scripting, draw out scenes 
• October 21: Filming commercial - Go to locations and film commercial
• October 23: Editing commercial - Edit commercial and perfect scenes, transitions, etc

     4. Location list: Where we are filming

• Senior patio
• Track 

     5. Back-up plan: What if it's raining, closed off, actor out sick etc

• Location issues: If it is raining we will move from the senior patio to an empty classroom. We will also have to move from the track to the gym. 
• Actor issues: If an actor is unable to come at the last second, we can double actors or find someone who will volunteer to replace the original actor. 

Research Blog: Commercial Conventions

For our commercial, Leo and I have decided to promote Dunkin' Donuts. We thought that this would be a good topic because we both like their products and their locations will be very generous with giving us props. We want our commercial to properly reflect the products and the services related to the company. In order to do this, we have to find trends and patterns that show up in food and drink commercials. This could be tricks to make the products appear better, how people use advertising to appeal to the public, etc. We watched many commercials from Dunkin' Donuts themselves as well as others like Starbucks or Dutch Bros. This gave us a general understanding of how to structure the commercial, what to show, and what to say.

Common camera angles used for foods are 45 degree angles which show the most desirable side of the food. Another common angle used to demonstrate an appealing look of food is an overhead shot which is taken directly above the food. Straight on shots are commonly used for burgers because they make the food look more heroic and have a bigger impact on viewers. All of these angles allow the viewers to remain engaged with the food and give them the desire to go out and buy it, which is the ultimate goal of food commercials. Common lighting in food commercials are natural sunlight which gives the subject a more natural glow and produce dull shadows. Food commercials also use focused light sources to create sharper shadows and with this light, they can direct it with mirrors and reflectors. Lighting and angles are very critical components in filming a commercial. 

Something else we noticed is that commercials for food and drink don't necessarily use actual food and drink, or they use a modified version of them. For example, spray deodorant is used on fruits and vegetables in order to make them shinier and more appealing to the viewers. The same goes for using engine oil on pancakes to avoid soaking, as well as shoe polish to perfectly color burgers and meats. Most of the products that we see on television are modified in certain ways to appeal to the viewer and, in this case, make them hungry enough to buy the product. 

Artificial steam used to make meal look hot 

Antacids used to imitate carbon dioxide bubbles, making soda look fresher

Plastic ice cubes used so real ice doesn't melt 

Pictures taken from: https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/15-incredible-tricks-advertisers-use-to-make-food-look-delicious-296860/

Introduction

My name is Maya. I am 16 years old and live in South Florida. I am in 11th grade at Fort Lauderdale High School. I really like my school. I moved to Fort Lauderdale High as a 10th grader from a Jewish day school in Cooper City. I'm really happy I moved to FLHS because I got to meet lifelong friends and make a lot of memories. I also really like my classes this year. My favorites are Sociology, Theater, English, and Spanish. I really like Sociology and English because they are the classes I am genuinely interested in and good at. I also really like my teachers this year. I'm really excited because this is my junior year. Soon I'll be taking the SAT and ACT and applying to colleges and ready to move out.

I enjoy cooking a lot. I come from many different backgrounds: Greek, Moroccan, Israeli, Irish, English, and American. Because of all the different backgrounds, I was able to learn how to cook within many cultures. This allowed me to expand my horizons and realize that I love food. My dad is from Israel, so he was able to bring Israeli culture into our house. This could be through tradition, food, religion, and more. My family is really important to me. I have two younger brothers: Aitan and Etai. One of them is in 10th grade and the other is in 1st grade. Lucky for me, my family lives close together, so we always get to see each other and hang out.

Something really interesting about me is I love music. I play multiple instruments like ukulele, guitar, and piano. Ever since I was young, I've always loved performing. I was the lead in all my school plays from kindergarten to 9th grade. I taught myself how to play all the instruments I know now. Signing has always been a passion of mine, even if it is not what I want to do career-wise. For a career I want to create and development my own skincare and makeup line. This would mean a lot of schooling in order to become a dermatologist, but it's a small price to pay.