The World's Pulse revised

I revised the World's Pulse video a little bit so here is the new version that I turned in:

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Jerry critiqued our class for this project and he thought that if I completely took out the words "one nations pulse affects every nation" it would be even stronger. So, I tried it. Below is what it would look like without the words:

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The World's Pulse

For one of my assignments in Photography and Typography, I had to choose an essay out of a stack that I was given and I chose T.D. Jakes' "The World's Pulse". I then had to talk about the essay with three different people to get a rounded view on what others got out of what was written, research the author, and just analyze the essay to get all that I could out of it. For Photography, we had to get three different images that would represent the essay as we percieved it. We were also given the options of using video instead of still photographs. For my interpretation of this essay, I chose to use video. Here is what I got out of "The World's Pulse":

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Halloween

Below are some Halloween blips that I had created for Access. The backgrounds are from a public domain site, and the music is from a collection that Access has. I made the rest of it in LiveType. Except for the Access logo; I just imported a jpeg I was given and then changed the color to match the Halloween theme. It may be late, but enjoy!

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If you want to see more stuff, you can checkout my internship blog at http://cats-internship.blogspot.com/

Rewind

Ok, I haven't been on here a while and a lot has gone on so I'm just going to give a weekend story. A couple of weekends ago a couple of friends and I went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. We stayed the whole weekend, which was good because we got rained out Saturday. I swear it was storming from 1 in the morning until noon. Rain, thunder, lightning.....the real deal. It even made the hotel alarms go off.......TWICE. Yeah that wasn't fun. So, since it was soaking wet that day, we decided to just shop Saturday and we'd go the festival Sunday (rain or shine). Instead we went to Crown Center, which is a really big, elaborate mall/hotel/restaurants complex. I've never been before so it was cool to go. But I have to say that I think the Legends is better.

Sunday turned out to be a really nice day, and there weren't too many people for being the last day of the festival. For those of you who haven't been there, it's actually really fun. The skits go on all day, and they're all comedy (really funny!!!). There's this singing comedy group called Jolly Rogers that we always go see, but this time there was a film crew there. The group sells CDs and now a T-Shirt, so I don't know if they're making a video of their skit or what, but it was pretty interesting. There were three cameras set up (one on each side of the stage, and one down the middle). The one on the right of the stage was on a small crane that would swing the camera around from a higher view of Jolly Rogers, to a view of the audience (either above them or beside). Anyway, it was worth the wait. And that was the festival weekend.

what plans??

As the title says, this weekend did not go as planned. At all. As you all know Saturday was cold and rainy. All day. Which just happened to be the day that I went to the crafts fair, which was in Hillsboro, where it also rained. All day. Now, you all know that I love rain so I had no problem walking through the craft show in it. We actually thought it was fun. What I didn't like is that people would crowd around so you couldn't move, and they NEVER put their umbrellas down! I about lost my eye 14 different times. But other than that, and having to come all the way home freezing cold in soaking jeans, it was a lot of fun.

Then the next day, me and a friend went out of town so I could shoot some photos for a project, but the road suddenly changed from sand to black dirt and it was A LOT more muddy than we thought it'd be. Needless to say I got my car stuck in the mud. But hey that was a first for me so I don't feel too bad. Luckily we got stuck literally right beside my friend's dad's house. So he came and dug/pulled my car out. It took us about 20 minutes (give or take) to get out, and the mud on my tires was so thick, it made my whole car was vibrating on interstate. So that was my eventful weekend.

THUNDER!!

Before anything else I have to say that I am loving this weather. It's a nice change, and it was even thundering this morning when I came to school! Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE storms(so I'm pretty much happy even when we only have clouds), and now those of you who didn't know do. Well, my classes and internship have been keeping me pretty busy so there's not really any dull moments going on right now. Looking forward Saturday though because I'll be out of town for the day to a craft show. I've never been to it before (it's an annual fair somewhere around Gypsm), but everyone says it's pretty cool and well known. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Let you know what it's like when I get back!

Opera

The upcoming student opera is called the Cavaleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivarlry) by Pietro Mascagni. It's a romantic tragedy that takes place in one act, and has about five main actors (Turiddu, Lola, Alfio, Santuzza, Lucia). I think you can sign up for an audition now, and the opera is planned to take place sometime in November at the Stiefel Theatre.

Moving On

Ok, now this blog is moving on from "From Pups to Public Service". I got the documentary completely done, burned onto DVDs (with a cover and label), and distributed out through KSDS, family, and friends. So now (being in Media Production I) this blog is going to be about many different things that are going on this semester.

Pitch

For the final in this class, we have to pitch our video idea by explaining the idea/contents of the video, give samples of graphics and media, provide the storyboard/script, and convince our teacher why it would be a good idea to produce our video. We are given five minutes to do this, 30 seconds of which has to include a sample of our video. The clip needs to show acceptable/proper use of final cut pro, graphics, audio, and composition of what is in the video. Put simply: show off the best 30 seconds of our video. This is what I chose to show:

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This clip shows examples of the only graphics I use within the documentary, and two of the three transitions I use as well. I can explain the third transition easily enough, and even without it, this is the best 30 seconds to show as many different aspects of the video as possible. Not only about the transitions, but also voice-over, captions, camera angles, music that was used, and the opening title itself.

Label

Now that I'm done with editing the video I've been making cover art for the DVD. You've seen the sample of what the case would look like, and right now I'm working on the label that will be on the DVD itself. Right now it's looking a lot like the case cover; same background color along with an image of a KSDS dog and the title. This is just one idea though. I have a couple that I'm thinking through that have different backgrounds and font styles.

The Song

You've already seen/heard how music is going to work in my documentary, but what that was only a small clip. I've broken up a single song to play in different parts throughout the video. This is the song I used:

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Background music

I did decide to use background music in this documentary and this is how it'll look:

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I chose this song because it had a soft mellow tone to it that just seemed to work with the video. What people talk about in this video comes from the heart and the music helps carry that emotion across to the viewers. I set the volume low so that it doesn't cover the speaker, but at the same time the viewer can still hear it playing softly in the background.

B-Roll

While fixing my project I also put in some extra b-roll, or filling footage. Some of my interviews had the viewer watching the speaker for a while, so I added some cover action to give a more visual component to what was being explained. This is an example of what I did:

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When before it was a simple interview, I added extra footage to keep the viewers' attention.

Fix It

Having watched the entire documentary, my professor noticed some mistakes that I had missed. Such as this:

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If you look carefully at the background of this clip, you'll notice that while the one clip is turning you can see the image of the next clip in the background before the turn is actually complete. What I did was overlap two separate clips, to create a voice-over, but I had the hidden clip extend farther than the viewed clip. Then when I put the transition in, the hidden clip was picked up. All I had to do was move that clip back a few seconds and the clip was completely hidden again. Then the background was black just like it was suppose to be.

Listen

I had mentioned before how I had trouble fixing the audio between different clips because of what the background did to the audio; such as adding a little echo. This clip shows what I was talking about. Just listen closely to the audio.

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You may notice the first clip is fairly smooth with the audio, while in the second you can tell that the room echos. This shows how the two work after I had adjusted the audio. All I was really looking to do, and did do, was make the second audio louder so that it was at least on the same level as the first clip. While the background is different for each, at least you don't have to strain to hear one section and then get blown away by the pitch of the second, or vise versa.

Cover

The above image is what I decided to use as the cover for the documentary. I got the images off the footage I had taken, and faded them together in photoshop. I decided to use blue as the main color because KSDS uses blue vests to destinguish their dogs from others. I did use a lighter blue then the KSDS vests because I just thought it looked better in the end.

Audio

Today I went over a lot of the audio for the film. I'm trying to get every piece around the same level, which isn't too easy. It's really the background that is making it a little difficult. Some clips have other people talking in the background, some are in rooms that echo, and some just have quiet people talking. Most of these clips are mixed together, so I'm trying to get the audio to flow smoothly from one video to the next. I don't mind a little difference. Actually I think that it adds to the visual component of the film; helping transfer the viewer from one situation to the next. I just don't want it to be so drastic that it throws the viewer around.

Near the End

A couple days ago I more or less completed my video. I still need to review the entire thing as a whole, more to make sure the audio matches between clips than anything, and just get a full finish on it. I've gone through a lot of it, and adjusted the audio as best I could. It's difficult with some clips because the area I was filming in was good for sounds to echo so they have that metallic chime to it, while the clip right next to it will be nice and smooth because it was a sit down interview inside a tighter area. I tried to even these areas out as best as I could, but really I don't mind them all that much. I actually think it adds a little to the video....helps bring the viewer into the video like they were there themselves.

Vision

I had mentioned that I want most of my documentary to consist of action video while others tell the story. This is what I was going for:

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While listening to Jenna, a puppy raiser, explain the commands each puppy is suppose to learn, the viewer can also watch Randa carry out each command. This allows the viewer to actually see what the speaker is talking about, and it makes the video more interesting.

Caption

As I've already shown you, I've changed the opening title of this video because I didn't think it fit with the colors and effects I used for the captions. This is what the captions look like:

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The blue I was for this just did work with the red (and slow writing) of the original title opener. I like the caption better, so I decided to change the title instead of the captions. Looking at the color of the letters in the title you'll notice that it is actually the same blue effect that is used as the block of the captions. This ties the two together in the video, and I actually like the new opener much better than the original.

New opening

With the way my titles are looking, I decided I needed a new opening to go along with them. The red just wasn't working, and neither was the graphic effect. I kept the same idea for the opening I just changed the font color and the effects. So, now the opening title looks like this:

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Lost

Opening my video yesterday I found out that I had lost an hour of footage. Somehow my scratch disk wasn't set right, and my footage was lost in the computer or erased. Either way I had to relog that hour of tape, and edit as much as I could to put back into my film. While I waited for it to log, I went through and wrote down all the pieces that were missing to make the re-editing go quicker. I'm still fixing that right now, but here is what I met with when opening my video:

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Other transition

I showed you an example of the transition that I plan to use to separate different aspects of this video, and now I'd like to show you the transition I plan to use within the different aspects of the video. They will look like this:

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It's just an ordinary cross dissolve, but I think it's a good change from the other transition I'm using. This transition is smooth and usually gradual between two places, while the other is quick and sharp. I think it'll help viewers with the story of the video.

Lighting

The other day I logged and captured my final footage into the computer and was able to edit about 75% of it yesterday, but I'm not completely done with it yet. I was able to finish the section that portrays the life of someone living with their KSDS dog after they graduate, but I need to finish the section that focuses on one particular puppy raiser. Watching the video on the TV, I did find a few problems with the footage. There are a few places where the lighting would suddenly change, because of windows and/or a different type of light setting, which affected the color and/or exposure of the film. Fortunately this only happened in certain parts of the video, and since I took a lot of footage I can edit those parts out. I'm hoping to complete the puppy raising section soon and then I can add it to the rest of the video.

Filming

I am offically done with filming for this project. It was a little difficult filming because I did it today, and it's been raining all day, so I couldn't get all the shots I wanted (like with the dogs outside). In a way I did like the rain because I wanted the video to show how a person working with their dog in everyday life, and the rain is just something they have to deal with. So, it actually added a little to the video. It was also nice that K-State allowed me to come into the building to film this person and interview them, and that everyone around us did what they could to not bother the project. I still have to put the footage into the computer, but then I just have to finish editing. I have about half of the editing done (since I broke it up into pieces), but there's still quit a bit of work left.

Transition

Here is an example of one of the transitions I plan to use in my video. The video itself isn't that long because I'm only showing the transitional part of the video clip, but this transition has a point. I plan to use this particular transition only when the documentary moves from one point to the next. For instance, in this clip the viewers are being moved from the KSDS graduation to how people can get involved with KSDS. These are two aspects of KSDS, so I decided to use a transition that would seperate them a little. To do this I used one that looks like a door opening, and it tured out like this:

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Final Filming

I'm finally getting to film the last of my footage. I have the time, place, and people all ready. It took me awhile to fix this up because I needed two different people to cover two different ideas. I lucked out and get to cover both of them at the same time. One person works full time, and the other goes to school full time, so being able to film both of them at once is almost a miracle. So, by tomorrow I should only have to worry about finishing my editing.

Opening Title

Here is the opening title for the From Pups to Public Service documentary.

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My main problem with creating this is getting the words of the title to appear quick enough, and stay long enough that viewers will be able to read it while Michelle is giving the mission statement. I also had to adjust the postion of the title because I wanted it to be above the KSDS stone sign, but not at the very top of the screen. I tried to get it floating just above the stone. I also had to change the font size and tracking of the title so that some of the letters wouldn't be dropping on to the sign, while at the same the end's of the title wouldn't be cut off of the screen. This is the ending result.

Grad.

Here is a small clip of the graduation I went to a couple weeks ago. It was fun watching the graduation, and I was able to get some good footage of different dogs and people interacting. There was a lot of people there and many brought their assistance dogs, or puppies in training with them. So, there was always something going on. This clip will give you an idea of the action:

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First Sneak Peek

Here is an example of what an interview scene will look like in this documentary. Today I went through some interviews again so that I could find which part of each interview I want to use. Before I could do that I had to log and capture my latest footage, which was the rest of the graduation. I had to cover most of the tape, so it took almost an hour just to get it onto the computer. After that I edited a little bit. Mostly I was separting the content so that I'd be able to plug it into the final project easier. I also started working on the begining of project, and was finally able to get the opening title to work. I had been toying with it for awhile now, but couldn't get the right look until now.

Close....

This week I'm focusing most of my time trying to get the last of the filming done. There are a couple of people I'd like to film working with their dogs (one a puppy raiser/one a service dog owner), and interview them. I've talked a bit to one of them, and we're working on a day to film. The other person I'm still trying to get a hold of, but hopefully I will soon and can wrap up filming this week.

Log It

Right now I have most of what I want filmed, so I'm getting all of that organized. I was able to visit KSDS earlier to film the facility and the Christmas pups being given out to their puppy raisers, and just this past Saturday I was able to film the service/guide dog graduation. All of this took a little over 2 tapes to film. So, I'm logging the tapes, putting the footage into the computer, and separating the different content found throughout the tapes. On top of this, there are a couple different aspects of the service dogs that I have left to film. I'm hoping to get all of that filmed soon so I can start editing everything together.

Summary

Ok, so this is my blog to tell you guys about what I’m doing in making my mini-documentary called “From Pups to Public Service”. The documentary’s about the service/guide/social dogs raised and trained at Kansas Specialty Dog Service (KSDS) in Washington Kansas. The video is going to focus on the dogs themselves: from the time they are given to puppy raisers at 8 weeks old, to the time they graduate and go home with their permanent owners. I want to show life from the dogs’ perspective, so I’m going to cover the training, testing, handling, and human interaction they go through while being groomed for this life. I’ll film different dogs going through training, and interview different people who work and/or own KSDS dogs. In the end I want this video to inform the public about service/guide/social dogs, and the pups in training, so that they can better understand what is going on if or when they encounter one.