Will in eComm; A Blog. Of Sorts.

Web Design Semester 2 Reflection What is a valuable takeaway you learned from each guarantee? Technology - Sometimes it doesn't cooperate with you, and its your job to make it cooperate with you. Patience is very important, especially when dealing with technology is an important skill to learn early on. When working w/ outdated hardware, or code, it can be very challenging when you have to work around obstacles to achieve your goal. Collaboration - If you don't have a certain skill that someone else in your group does, it is important to learn how to collaborate that way you can both benefit from each-others strengths. This guarantee was more applied in Entertainment Video. Communication - In eComm you will commonly run into roadblocks, and it is important to learn to reach out for help - whether it be to an instructor or peer - and in group work to communicate with your group effectivelye so everyone knows what they're supposed to be working.  Project Management...

What did you learn? No matter how careful you are with actor scheduling and production schedule, you can't solve for incompetency. No matter how early you release the schedule, and no matter how many times you tell your actors to check their schedule, you can NOT solve for incompetency.  Being well prepared with carefully planned out production schedule helps you get all of your actors and crew on the same page, and also allows for easier rescheduling if above incompetency happens to occur. Filming car shots is difficult, and filming at night is worse. Lighting can not be constant, and mic quality is marginal at best. Never give up, even if it seems pointless to try to pull everything together again, never give up. What would you do differently next time? Not use Logan Read as an actor. 

Movie Trailer Reflection What was the scope of the project, what was the assignment? The assignment was to find a movie trailer on youtube, for a movie that was at least high school themed, and recreate it. What was your process? We started out in storyboarding and scripting. We did a paper storyboard, but I also attempted a digital storyboard which proved to be very useful for the efficiency of filming. We then filmed all the shots that we could get with Maicy. Originally we were going to do the entire trailer, but we had a main actor quit on the day we were supposed to film the majority of his scenes so we then adapted and turned the project into a short Netflix teaser trailer. I then completed the editing.  What did you learn along the way?      Technically (Software/Hardware etc.) Digital storyboards are very useful            Professionally (Collaboration, Teamwork, Project Deadlines) Casting for...

Music Video Reflection  Our assignment was to find a music video to re-create. We were required to first storyboard the music video we decided on, drawing out a picture for every scene to base our filming off of. We then scouted locations, and found actors and extras. We were in charge of coordinating all of our talent, as well as ourselves to find days to film and edit. A lot more pre-production went into this project, and I feel like it showed. Preparing before hand made us a lot more effective while filming, and made editing a breeze. Learning how to storyboard, and film scape, and beat sheet, etc. was all very useful, and I while it isn't the most fun thing in the world, I can now see the benefit of doing it. The finished product was very clean, and filming was made easier because we knew every scene and shot we needed, and were able to easily get them. Given how smoothly this project went, there isn't a lot I would change. The snow days weren't ideal, and unfo...

What was your biggest challenge and how did you resolve it? --My first time attempting to work with DIVs was difficult. My code was unorganized, and my CSS was very messy. To resolve it, I ended up just building a new template from scratch, that way I could build everything the way I wanted to. What was your favorite project or exercise? Why? While I didn't really like the content, I liked the Real or Hoax project because it was cool to try to build a project that in the future could be expanded upon. Working with multiple pages and NAVs was a good challenge. What is your greatest strength in Web Design? My greatest strength in web design is CSS styling, as I am (usually) able to get my site looking how I envisioned, although I still have major room to improve. What is your top weakness in Web Design? I think my top weakness would have to be either page organization, or website interactivity. My websites tend to look nice, but the code is not very optimized, and interactivity is li...

https://youtu.be/1j3amFT7t38 Our first real journalism assignment was to create a feature story about an assigned partner in our video hour within a timeframe of about 2 weeks. At first we had a very basic conversation, to figure out things that the other was interested in and begin formulating interview questions. After we had finished writing questions we were ready to begin the filming process. We found locations to shoot, and then filmed using the Panasonic Cameras & Lav mics to better capture the audio. We then walked around the school a couple times, finding good places to get BRoll. Then it was time to edit. I tried my best to make at least semi-professional lower thirds, and wrote a voice over to tell the story. I learned how to use Adobe Media Encoder to ingest footage, and how to use Premiere's Voiceover Feature. The next time, it would be beneficial to get better BRoll, as well as film in a better location to make it more visually interesting. Alth...

Wayback Machine Blog I decided to compare Netflix for this blog because it is a long running service, and has changed their business structure sense 2008 so I thought it would be interesting. A big difference from the 2008 website is the simplification of the website. In 2008 the website had a lot of tabs and buttons, but in 2018 the website has been streamlined to make is simple to sign up.  Another difference is the color scheme used. In 2018 the colors are maroon red and black, but in 2008 they were using a white creme color.  The 2008 website has a big focus on renting DVDs, while the current website makes it clear that it is a video STREAMING platform.  On the new site all of the information about the site is simplified, while in 2008 there was a lot of writing to read through In 2008 the whole website was on one page but not you have to scroll to find any information All of the logos and fonts are new and designed for netflix

People Repellent Our project was to think up a product, and then using that produce design logos, websites, animate Web Ads, and produce a Commercial. The project took most of Quarter 4, and required a lot of focus and hard work. Along the way we hit several bumps, including people (and myself) getting behind in the work. A struggle that I had was learning about weird kinks in software, which I mostly screamed out. Something else I learned was that sometimes when something makes sense to ME, it doesn't make any sense to other people. I think all of the work I did in Q4 was too the best of my abilities. In class, I mostly started projects, but most of my work was done on my computer at home. After I had completed all of my in class work however, I admittedly didn't do much. To help keep my skills I do most of my class work outside, as well as work on little side projects to help improve my skills. I think my biggest strengths in eComm are Cutting video, Af...

sketchup      T his quarter we learned how to use Sketchup, a 3D modeling software. We were tasked with creating a house, and then creating a fly through of it to showcase the best parts.

ESTP Flexible and tolerant, they take a pragmatic approach focused on immediate results. Theories and conceptual explanations bore them - they want to act energetically to solve the problem. Focus on the here-and-now, spontaneous, enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing. Otter

A collection of Gifs.      Our first project in the third strand of animation was to create a collection of balls bouncing using frame by frame animation. First we had to make a rough outline for our ball to follow (using the Pen tool) and copy/pasted the balls into a path. After that we began the long and tedious of converting all of the layers into frame. After that we exported as a gif. I learned how long and tedious frame by frame animation can be, as well as a much more streamlined way of creating all of the frames. After using Photoshop for animation, I also learned how to utilize the timeline functionality to animate. Next time we do any sort of frame by frame animation, I would create much more frames, as the make a much smoother looking video. In summary, frame by frame is a very long and tedious process, which take a lot of work, time, and definitely patience.

Sketching      We began this project by watching a multitude of videos about the meaning of different shapes, and colors, and then started sketching out our ideas on traditional mediums (pencil and paper). After we came up with three ideas we were happy with, we took it to Adobe Illustrator to flesh out or concepts more. Using Illustrator      Now, from previous projects, I had more experience using Illustrator, so I was able to use some of what I learned to start mapping out some ideas. We started first with a black and white artboard, because if a logo doesn't work in black and white, it probably won't work in color. After getting a grasp on the shape I wanted my logo to be, I started experimenting with different colors, and seeing which combinations worked best. Below I've posted both the artboards, and the final design I decided on. Concepts/Final

Website Click Here      For our Quarter 2 eComm Final we were tasked with building a website from a template provided by Mr. Olson. The goal was to create separate pages for a couple of our favorite projects, as well as stylize the website, as the provided template was very drab, and dull.       We used Adobe Dreamweaver to do the entirety of the project, some of which had to be done using popular programming language HTML. Even though we were guided through the process, there was a lot of room to experiment with different styles, and page formats which I ended up spending the majority of my time doing. I had used HTML before, and this project was a great opportunity for me to get some practice in, as well as learn a couple new things.       Hopefully in the future I will have the opportunity to engage in more creative projects like this one. 

CARP Wizard of Oz Poster Contrast       I used Contrast in the font, and font color to make it stand out from the dark green and gold background. I also used a difference in font size to make important things like the title, date, and ticket prices draw in your focus. Alignment      I used Right, Left, And Center alignment to try and separate out different bodies of text, and add more interesting, eye catching details to draw in possible readers. Repetition      I repeatedly used the color white, with a lighter stroke to both bring out the text and provide a unified, centralized look. Proximity       I grouped important information together, like location and time, as well as playwright/legal information. Final Product

Typography Terms      Our latest project in eComm was studying common typography terms, and applying them to our names. We studies several different fonts, and researched what makes them easy to read, visually appealing, and convey a certain mood. We then picked a font, (preferably one with a lot of Serifs to make identifying the type elements easier) typed out our names, and got to work using an array of Illustrator tools. We used the line tools to create the height identifiers and arrows (duh), the text tool to create all of the labels (another obvious one), but creating the blue highlights was not as easy as expected.       The blue highlights were not part of the project, but after seeing them in some other examples, I was curious as to how I could create them. Since I am no expert in Illustrator, I had to experiment with some of the other tools. After goofing around for a while trying to make a decent looking highlight, I finally settled on...

Complementary Krispy Kreme may have chosen these 2 colors because red can easily grab your attention, while green usually suggests freshness, and good. Bank of America used the colors Red and Blue because they are the colors of the American Flag, the Country which they are based in. Warm Tesla choose the color red because it is synonymous with Energy, Courage, Competitiveness, and Innovation. Sense the company is mainly focused on innovating cars, and using electricity as opposed to gas, the color makes sense. Adobe, a company who's main focus is their Creative Software may have chosen red not only because it grabs your attention, but also because of their power and influence in the industry. Cool Dunder Mifflin, a paper company, chose Blue for their logo because of Blue's association with power and stability. As a Paper Provider, other companies rely on them to provide paper, a necessary part of most businesses, so other companies want ...

A Color Wheel;      Our first project in the second strand of e9 (Graphic Design) was to create a color wheel using Adobe Illustrator. Having never used the software before, getting started was a little bit slower than I would've liked, but after getting used to the work flow, and the layout of the software I was able to create a color wheel. What I learned:       In this project I learned the basics of using Adobe Illustrator, and how to utilize the shapes, and text functions. How I can apply it:      I can use it to create shapes, lines, text, and position them all correctly throughout the year. Final Concept:

A Ridiculous Chase Scene;      Our 3rd and final project in the video strand of e9 was to create a chase scene, and utilize the techniques we learned from the 2 previous ones (How to Print, and An Action Concept). With 2 characters moving through the environment, it added another level of difficulty in trying to get the perspective angling right, without breaking the 180 degree rule. Our group also tried out some new angle ideas to try and maximize the drama/mood of the film, most of which I think turned out really well. One of the main challenges was that we filmed on 2 different days, and unfortunately the weather was completely different, so in post production I had to try and edit the sky to make it look similar to the first shots. While the look isn't as realistic as I'd like it to be, it's certainly better than leaving it as it was. I decided that sense I had never actually been in front of the camera, that for our last project I would give it a try, and I think i...

An Action Concept;      Our 2nd project in eComm was creating an action sequence. All of my previous experience in film making had been creating scenes where the characters would talk to each other, but I had never done an action sequence, at least not one where all of the characters were moving quickly throughout their environments. Our project had several bumps that we had to hurdle including We filmed too little for the length that our film needed to be, because we underestimated how long our shots were. We had a couple places where we broke the 180 degrees rule, which had to be fixed in post production. We couldn't find a very effective way to stabilize our shots, so most of the stabilization had to be done in post production. Overall I think I've still got a lot to learn about how to do an action sequence, and I can use the problems we ran into in this concept to help strengthen my knowledge of film. Final Concept:

How to Print. A Production      Our First official eCommunications project was How to Print. A Production . The goal was to demonstrate how to print using a school computer, but our group decided to go a different route, with the stylization, and design ideas being dramatic, and dark, until the very end where the protagonist is finally able to print his document. There were several things that were rather different and non-traditional about our creative process. We joked around for several minutes about an idea, and eventually that idea took form, and we decided that that was the route we wanted to go.  Key decisions were not really made, our group just went with whatever felt right. While most of our group was involved, we could have done better with making sure to include everyone. I was one of the cameramen, and I learned a lot about how to use the tripods, and make a stable pan, as opposed to trying to use my hands to hold the iPad. Our approach to the pr...