Posts Tagged ‘ future ’

First Video of the 2nd Semester

Well, it’s been a while since the Mac Lab video team actually had a video project and it’s high time that we get down to business. It’s my pleasure to announce that Mr. Owens has commissioned us to produce a video encouraging students to do their best on the California Standardized Tests. This, along with the new 825 Academic Performance Index poster, will hopefully increase student interest in these seemingly pointless exams.

And so here’s the story. A few weeks ago while we were making slight changes to the Sweethearts 2010 video so that it could be used for 2011, Mr. Owens explained an idea that he was developing for a complex multi-month video project. He already had a thoroughly planned idea as well as basic storyboards, which saves us the difficult task of thinking up a cool story.

Before I post the actual outline, Philip, Kyle, and I need to review it again with Mr. Owens as well as get final approval from Mr. Skocko.

The idea still needs refining, but it definitely has potential and is within our technological reach. The only challenge is time. Mr. Owens wants to cast students from the Theatre Department, but the Theatre students will be preoccupied with their own work until just two weeks before our deadline. That gives us about three months to plan, but only about two weeks to shoot and edit the video. This will be a challenge, but a challenge that we can overcome. We will use the next three months to thoroughly plan the video and test various ways of using our equipment to best convey the tone that Mr. Owens wants to convey.

These next three months will give us a chance to teach the new members of Mac Lab Media some of the basics of camera use and video preparation. I will keep you updated with more details as to exactly what will be going on once the process gets off the ground.

2011
02/08
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Mandatory Meeting

Attention all video team members, there is a MANDATORY meeting update:THURSDAY, September 16th at lunch in the Mac Lab. All Mac Lab Media/Video Team Members must attend: NO EXCEPTIONS!!! As for people who are considering joining the Video Team, please attend as well.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss our first project: the filming of Odin’s March.

2010
09/10
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Mac Lab Media Must Know Info

I’m going to keep this simple. Here are a few facts about the 2010/2011 Video Team and upcoming events.

Facts:

1) Christopher Canel (video guy ) and James Wirig (audio guy) are the new leaders of the Video Team.

2) Danny Owens and Steven Moyer will be working with the Video Team throughout the year.

3) This year’s Video Team will be much more structured and organized than last year.

4) There are will be a lot of projects. I’ll leave it at that.

5) People will either be able to rotate through different tasks (filming, audio, editing, effects) or choose a specialty or any combination of both.

6) If the Video Team is going to accomplish all that we want to, then we are going to need many new, motivated students who are willing to learn, work, and have fun!

Upcoming Projects:

1) Telling Our Story – A massive multimedia project about VHS (year-long). Client: Admin

2) Cheer is a Sport –  A persuasive documentary that does what the name suggests. Client: Cheer Department, Mrs. Sellers

3) The Road to District – A documentary about the cheerleading teams’ road to the District Cheer Competition (year-long). Client: Cheer Department

4) One Day on Earth – Tell an interesting story to be used in a massive documentary about Planet Earth and humanity. Client: These Guys (Due 10.10.2010)

5) IVIE Awards – not many details yet

6) Bumpers – Produce 5 second bumpers to be displayed between advertisements on the 72 inch televisions coming soon to Valhalla. This is a project for After Effects (1080p only). Client: Orange Nation TV, Mr. Owens

7) Numerous unnamed videos for ASB and Orange Nation TV – details coming all year. Client: ASB, Orange Nation TV

Don’t forget to visit the Jobs Page to keep up-to-date with all new jobs for Mac Lab Media in case I miss something.

Update: Mario S (alumni) has offered to help with the bumpers but needs ideas. Anybody have any ideas for a cool bumper? And don’t forget to browse through his blog.

2010
09/07
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Our First Update

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.

2010
04/05
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