NEWS STORY:
TITANIC
Stephen, Katelyn, Noah and I did our news story on the fall play, Titanic: Trial and Tragedy. Overall, I think the final project is good, especially for our first news story. I did the stand up for our story, which was kinda rough for me. I was really nervous, and I had a mini anxiety attack before, but as I finished the intro and started the outro, I realized that I was much more comfortable in front of the camera. Also, I didn't realize how bright the lights are, until I stood in front of them. Jarrett also taught Stephen and Noah a little bit about the 7D while we were filming it, which sucked because I didn't really get to learn anything while I was standing on the other side. I still dont like watching myself on camera, so it was good that Katelyn did most of the editing. However, I didn't agree with some of the editing decisions she made. The "montages" in the beginning and towards the end were a bit awkward to me, and I didn't really like how they worked into the final product. It's also a bit long, because we all had trouble debating what to cut out. In the end, I said we should take out all the parts about Casey which ended up saving us about 40 seconds (Casey's shot was also the worst out of the three, because of a crooked bar in the back. Honestly, I think the piece works better without her interview). Most of the B-roll worked, I really like the old black and white photos, and the part with the script. Some of the B roll of the stage building was out of focus, but I dont think it detracts from the overall message of the piece. Other things that I disliked were some of the locations. In Jim's location, it was a pretty good shot overall because of the focus and color correcting, but the reflection of the window in the posters bothered me. During Jim's interview, Jarrett also taught us about the hair light, which I think was a big part in making sure the shot looked nice. The lights in Jim's location were important, as we had to place them so they wouldn't be caught in the reflection. In Paul's location we had to be careful of kids walking in and out after school, as well as the placement of the tripod. We ended up placing it on top of a table, and I really like the background where we have the actual plan of the set. For our interviews, we made sure that two were on the right third of the screen and one was on the left side to have some difference in the interviews. We were really lucky that Casey was one of the two filmed on the right third, otherwise Jim and Paul would have been filmed the same way and that would have made for a pretty boring video. Pre production was also an important part of this, as the first day we got assigned our group, we all immediately starting planning who we would interview, when, what B-roll we would need, and the script for the stand up. The pictures to the left are of Katelyn's notebook. Sadly, we didn't get any BTS pictures, which could have demonstrated the struggles with lights with Jim and the tripod situation with Paul. Again, I think its a good news story, but there are definitely things I would have done differently. I know I need to speak up more often to voice my ideas and notes, even if it isn't "my" project.
