Maddie's Magnificent Movies!- Feature Story

For the past few weeks in Video Production, we had to do an interview video. My group decided to interview me, since out of the 4 of us, I had the most issues to talk about. On the first day of this project, Mr. Cooper asked everyone to share their story. I talked about my Asperger's Syndrome and how it has affected my life. This ended up being the topic of our interview. The filming process was, put simply, tedious. We originally filmed on Thursday of the first week, but because of one of my group members losing all the footage, we had to reshoot the entire thing. After that was all complete, I chose some relaxing Kirby music to play in the background, and I added B-roll.

Technologically, I learned how to use B-roll, sync up two audio clips better, how to use a clip-on microphone, and how to look like you're playing Mega Man on a PC when you really are just watching a video of someone playing it. I also learned about teamwork, how to not be such a drama queen when it comes to how quickly my videos are made, and how to act when I'm interviewed.

If there's anything I could have done better, it's the decision to use subtitles instead of narration. The only reason I didn't use narration is because it seems a little weird for the interviewee to narrate it at all, let alone refer to herself in the third person. I believe I did an excellent job on editing the B-roll and selecting the right music, though.

Maddie's Magnificent Movies!- Science Procedures

Ahhhh! After 10,000 years I'm free! (And by 10,000 years, I mean, like 4 months) It's time to conquer Earth- I mean, make videos!

So, in Video Production, we were supposed to make a video about procedures, and my best friend Tate and I decided to do science lab procedures. Here's our video:

The first day we didn't get anything done due to our failure to operate a camera. But on the second day, we filmed everything. Originally, we had dialogue, but since we forgot to turn on the audio while recording, we had to voice over the only line we thought was worth keeping ("Man, forget about this! Let's pour napalm all over the auditorium!") and left everything else to be communicated via our expressions.

Recording day was a blast, I tell you. Not only did I get to mug for the camera and do a thumbs-up on two occasions, I also got to run off with Tate to pour napalm all over the auditorium, watch Tate eat paper and hold up Wilson the Wombat (who is now our unofficial mascot) in the Circle of Life pose, put my hand on a hot plate without flinching, drink sulfuric acid, and play dead on the floor.

I learned, for the most part, how to operate a camera. Before this, we recorded things on iPads, so this was my first experience with a camera. I also learned that my best friend and I can indeed get a lot of things done in 1 class period, and that Wilson the Wombat is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Maddie's Magnificent Movies!- Escape from the Exploding Building

This is a film I made for my A to B project with help from my friend Ryan. (He was the camera man.) Unlike my previous short film, "A Disney Princess Interview", this one is actually good. The general plot consists of "the building is going to blow up and our hero needs to escape". 

I did a lot of sprinting while filming this, and it was a workout, I tell you! The music was the escape music from Super Metroid, which I chose because it plays when the planet you are on is about to explode. I also used stock explosion sound effects. The cinematography is, again, very strong, and it was well-executed.

Now, I know how to make something more engaging and better than "A Disney Princess Interview". I had fun making this and can't wait to do other projects in Video Production!

Maddie's Magnificent Movies!- A Disney Princess Interview

This is a terribly acted, terribly written skit performed by me and my partner Brianna for my Six Shots Project. Well, I guess YouTube is where the poop is, after all. It stars Snow White (me) and Belle (Brianna) talking about their princes, animals, and apples.

The cinematography is its main redeeming quality, incorporating all 6 shots I discussed earlier. If there is one thing I did fantastically on, it was that. And it was the thing we were supposed to do.

Next time, I'll try to make something a lot less cringeworthy. But, despite how cringey it turned out to be, I enjoyed making it.

The Six Shots- Practice

Today we learned about the six shots- closeup, extreme closeup, wide shot, extreme wide shot, middle shot and over-the-shoulder. These shots are used all the time in film and television, and since I am currently in Video Production, it makes sense that we would have learned these. Then, our teacher  asked us to take pictures demonstrating said shots. Here are mine:

Closeup. And yes, this is what I look like.

Extreme closeup. My eyes look good, but my pimples do not.

Wide shot.

Extreme wide shot.

Medium shot. Yes, I am wearing a Kirby T-shirt.

Over-the-shoulder.