The VHS Video Team

Well, this is the first of many updates that we will be giving as to the status of our current projects. Today was the first day back after Spring Break, so there was (and still is) plenty to do and sort out as we try to finish new projects and start new one.

The main focus of today was the Stop Bullying video, which is our latest concoction and was filmed last Wednesday (yes, during Spring Break). When I arrived at school, Danny ambushed me and started complaining, and rightfully so, about a plethora of problems with the footage we shot on Wednesday. Several of the clips were drastically out of focus and in a couple of others, the camera was tilted and/or capturing a substandard frame. Anyway, it was good to be back in the Mac Lab.

On a side note, the Mac Lab got its iPad today!!!! Read this to hear more about the iPad.

When I came back to the Lab at lunch, Danny was working on the Stop Bullying video in Final Cut, and he informed me that I would be responsible for the last third of the video. I also learned that I would be editing Christian and Philip’s Dance Crew video, which is still in the works. Somewhere in the chaos of lunch in the Mac Lab, Mr. Skocko talked to us about a possible Mac Lab book coming in the near future, and so Kyle and I volunteered to help make it. The book would feature the best work from all the different media types in the Mac Lab, and text describing them (yes, text!!!!!!!!!). This idea came in the wake of Mr. Skocko discovering that Adobe InDesign can produce EPUB files, which is the file type that the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad use for displaying books. This makes the possibilities endless. We have finally found a use for InDesign!!!!!! Maybe, if we work at it, the Mac Lab can get a book on the iBook Store. And maybe, if we work hard enough, the iPad Development Team could get a few apps on the App Store. Maybe. But wouldn’t that be awesome!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! The Mac Lab making money. Now that’s something cool. We could work towards becoming a self-sufficient classroom…

Also during lunch, Kyle informed me that the Video Team needed a blog, and so I offered to help. Kyle manages more than a few WordPress blogs, and has gotten quite good at it.

When 7th Period rolled around, Mr. Skocko gave a speech on the possibilities the future holds for the Mac Lab and how the last few weeks of the year should be spent working towards the future, not flatlining. It seems that the future of the Mac Lab is tied to the iPad, and with the world’s first truly smartbook in hand, the Mac Lab will march forward and boldly go where no Mac Lab has gone before. He also mentioned to the class that I got an iPad.

After that wonderful and inspiring speech, I got to work on the Stop Bullying video. I was unsure of how to begin, so I just watched the clips over and over until I got a feel for the order they needed to be in. I proceeded to trim and rearrange them until I found a way to make everything in my third of the video work. I am moderately happy with what I accomplished, but this was my first real try at using Final Cut, so I know there is lots of room for improvement. Kyle worked on this blog, and made lots of progress towards getting it up and running.

Based on all these posts, something tells me that this one is a bit longer than what will be the norm. (Not that there’s anything wrong with being to-the-point.) That’s it for now. I leave you with this blog, the new home of the Mac Lab Video Team, Mac Lab Media.