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.