Filming Blog

In AICE Media Studies, I, along with everyone else, in my group played a big role in the filming process of the Gatorade commercial. We first began by walking into the class and getting our equipment. I didn't really do much during this portion as I walked in later than my other teammates. Once all the equipment was signed out and we were ready to go, we made our way to the track where we were going to film. I carried the equipment like the camera and the tripod to the location. My main job throughout the filming process was to direct, film, and be a stage-hand. After every scene, I would offer input as to what we could've done better. I also moved the tripod and camera to where ever we needed it. For example, when we moved from filming the track star to filming to person stretching, I moved the tripod and the camera from the track to the grass. Afterwards, I also helped film.

We had two camera people during the filming process, Amy Suarez and myself. She filmed towards the beginning like the track player and some of the stretcher, bu then I took over the camera and continued filming the stretcher and finished her part, the gymnast. I tried to film similarly to how it is in Gatorade commercials and zoom into them when they are drinking or eating. You see I did this with the stretcher and the gymnast. Although Amy didn't follow the same method, that is something we can fix in editing to make it better. During the filming process I also directed. After every scene I tried to fix anything we could to make it as similar to a regular Gatorade commercial as possible. We weren't trying to make an exact copy of one and that's why we filmed three different exercises, to make a split screen and make it overall different. We shot the same scene many times in-case we didn't like the ones we have. Some of our raw footage includes the que given to the actors to start their scene, but like other things that can fixed later on.

One main part of the process that not only differentiates us from normal Gatorade commercials but also keeps our commercials traditional is the voice-over. The voice-over was recorded by me, Emiliano Vallejo, and is very important because it sets the tone for commercial. It can add intensity where we want it, and in this commercial we really needed a way to control our intensity. A voice-over was a tradition and fitting solution. Personally, I believe I didn't do as much work as my other teammates, but I still think I did the right amount of work. Once again, I helped with the directing, filming, and movement of the equipment.

Storyboard, Camera Movement, and Angles

A storyboard is something that we need to help plan out our commercial. It plays out scenes in increments of six seconds. This project is only going to be 30 seconds and allows us to break it up evenly within 5 boxes. We are going to use the boxes under every line to detail what exactly is happening in that scene and how that scene's camera work is going to play out. On the lines we include camera movement and angles including things like low angles and tilts and pans. We are going to use props like a football, the Gatorade products like the energy drink and energy bar. We also are going to use use mis-en-scene like athletic clothing to highlight the kind of commercial that we are shooting.

Our Storyboard is split up into 5 different scenes to match the 30 second commercial. We are going to begin with a tilt starting from the track and going up revealing the runner who is waiting for the race to start on the block. Once the camera reaches the peak of its tilt, she is going to look up and transition to the next athlete being the football player. He is going to be observed from a long shot to only show his torso and head. He is going to be moving his arms in such a way that imitates that of throwing a football, with a actual football in hand. the camera is not going to change position until the next transition which goes to the person who is doing push ups. It is going to be another medium shot, catching him stretching out his arms and getting ready to do his warm up. After these scenes, the screen is going to be split up in three parts each showing every athlete in a close up consuming their Gatorade product. The runner is going to be drinking the Gatorade, the football player is going to be eating the taffy-like energy chewables, and the person doing push-ups is going to be eating Gatorade energy bars. Once again, each person is going to be viewed from a close up shot in each panel of the split up screen. Each transition is going to be a fade in and out.

After they are seen consuming their consumables, they are going to start their sport/exercise. The screen is going to go dark and each panel is going to pop up one by one and display each athlete exercising. The first to pop up is going to be the runner. She is going to be displayed running across the screen with a long-shot, a pan showing her movement, and a voice-over is going to say speed as she is running by. The next one is the football player who is going to be seen beating or moving around a defender and throwing a ball to an off-screen player. Then the screen will display it's final panel of the split screen and show a close-up and low angle of the man doing push-ups. All the athletes will be displayed on this split screen, but it will start on a black screen and the introduce the runner, then the football player, and then the guy doing pushups. but they will all ultimately be on the screen at the same time. For our final scene we are going to end it with a powerful message. Like every Gatorade they usually end with a man's voice-over saying something along the lines of, " Gatorade. Power Your Senses." or something related to that. The voice-over will display a sense of power and strength with the tone in the voice.

Editing Lesson Blog

Today in Media Studies (October 15, 2019) we learned about the editing process and the camera that we are going to sue to film our first project, the commercial. The cameras we're using are Cannon brand camera that are hand-held. We are also getting a tripod to hold the camera during shots to get more stable shots. an SD card to hold our content, and an SD card reader that transfers our SD card content to the computer which is a process called dumping. We use dumping to easily transfer the content to a folder on our desktop. It's a key part in the film making process because if we transfer the content directly into the editing software it can get lost and possibly corrupted. After we made a folder for our project and dumped the footage into the folder, we begin the editing process by importing the footage into Pinnacle Studios. This is a editing software provided to us by the school computers and works well. Importing is another key part of the editing process because it gets our content from the folder on the desktop to the editing software. On the editing software we can alter our footage in many different ways to adjust the commercial to the way we see best fit. This includes stuff like changing brightness, adding text that overlays the video, adding sound or music to the video to enhance the meaning of the scene, we can also add voice-overs which is going to be very common for this project considering it's a commercial.

Without importing the project cannot be edited and this can result in a choppy and overall unappealing result. Continuing on, after completing all you editing you need to then make sure that the result that you have is the one you want. You need to re-watch what you made and make sure that every edit and every scene is done correctly and up to the place where you want it. If you look at the product and don't like it or think something can be added you can bring the film back up on the editing software. You can either start from scratch by making a new Pinnacle Studios tab and re-importing the raw footage that you have from your folder again. If you want to make a change to the product you can just go back into the editing software with the same scene and make the minor adjustments that you may want to make. After you import, editing it the most important process of all of film making because this is what makes or breaks your film. Adding texts where their supposed to be or cutting scenes to make them look cleaner are an essential part ion making sure your product appeals to your audience. As mentioned earlier, a film without editing won't play smoothly and will be very unappealing to your audience. One key part of editing is also the order in which the content has to be. If you want to have title scenes or have text pop up over the film you go put that in AV track 1, the actual raw or edited footage goes into AV track 2, and any sound that you may want to add like a voice-over or music goes into AV track 3. After adding everything, if you feel that you need more music or different sound in your commercial than you can add more tracks.

Last but definitely not least is the exporting process. You press the exporting button after you feel that everything that you have done to make you footage better is complete. After making any necessary adjustments, you press the exporting button and save it into your file. This is your final result so after pressing this button, let the program render the movie and let it smooth out and choppy parts that the film may have. After rendering the film, save into the film file that you made, in this case the commercial file, and re-watch your film in the movie player program on your computer. After watching the film make sure that this is the final product that you want and if it is go ahead and submit it to your grader. If this product is not up to par with your expectations just import it back in to the editing software and make any adjustments that you may need.

Planning Blog for Gatorade Commercial

Today in Media Studies we made a blog pertaining to the planning of our commercial which is due next week. We need to note down all of the props and costumes that we’re going to use as well as the location and timing of our commercial. It will be a Gatorade commercial and we work with each other to create a commercial that not only has that classic Gatorade touch but a hint of our own creativity.

PROPS
For props, athletes will each have different items in their surroundings that contribute to their training/exercise. General props that could be used in any situation would include towels used to wipe off sweat, a watch to time speed, a bag that would be assumed to contain sports equipment, and any actual equipment that would be needed to clearly demonstrate the message. After brainstorming for how our Gatorade commercial should be set up, my group has decided that there would be different elements that would accentuate the concept that Gatorade improves athletic performance and refreshes those who consume it. Gatorade is a company that produces multiple products and we’d like to promote three of them to highlight variety. Furthermore, the essential props needed for the commercial would be the three different Gatorade products being the sports drink, chewables, and an energy bar that each athlete would eat after their exercise.

COSTUMES
As for costumes, the three athletes presented would be wearing fitness clothing that allows them to be comfortable as they train. The clothing is meant to be conventional to show that anyone is able to exercise without feeling pressurized into fitting into any “stereotypes” where clothes need to fit specific measurements, or shoes need to have a brand, or that without talent, one cannot succeed. The diverse clothing is meant to stimulate that message and produce a feeling of inclusion that would be remembered when one thinks of Gatorade. Additionally, vibrant colors may be used to contrast the athlete from the environment and ensure that he/she stands out.

SCHEDULE

• 10/11/2019- We created the planning blog pertaining to everything that we need to have in the commercial, such as props and costumes as well as timing and places in which we are going to shoot the film.
• 10/15/2019- We are going to create the storyboard for our commercial, finish it that day and get it approved as well. From there, we want to move on and potentially start recording. 
• 10/22/2019- We are going to start recording on this day. We are going to make our way to the track and begin shooting our scenes with our actors, props, and costumes.
• 10/24/2019- We are going to edit our video and make our blog explaining our editing process and what each member did to contribute to that process. 

LOCATION LIST

This commercial is to be filmed during 9:20am to 10:50am where sunlight is normally plentiful and strong, which would allow for better clarity. All athletes would be exercising on the track. One would be running, another would be throwing a football, and another would be doing doing a push up. The person who is running will be doing so on the actual track. The person throwing a football will be doing so in the center of the football field. The person doing the push ups will be doing so on the track near the shed. 

BACK-UP PLAN
In the case where the weather of the day that the commercial is being filmed is stormy, the scenes would most likely be filmed on concrete under metal roofs where rain is not a conflict. However, if weather permits and there is light rain, the athletes can proceed to train on the track. Many times, when commercials are filmed under tough circumstances, such as rain, it motivates the audience and shows them that one can persist even the strongest of forces. 

Research- Conventions and Codes

The commercial that our group decided to do is for the promotion of Gatorade. In most Gatorade commercials, you have athletes training or doing sports. The Gatorade usually refreshes the athlete and is implied to influence his/her good performance after a long and extraneous workout. The Gatorade bottle is usually full and can be multiple different colors depending on what they're trying to sell. The bottle is normally wet from condensation to add to the feeling of refreshment to the product. Gatorade also sells energy bars and chewables, which provides a variety of products for athletes to choose from.
Usually, a Gatorade commercial has bright lighting if it's outside or dim lighting if it's in a gym to highlight the athlete and the product. It's either in a gymnasium or outside on a field. There is usually a crowd in the background making noise to add to the environment of the scene. The athlete takes a break from his exercise to consume the product and then comes back into his exercise renewed and refreshed or consumes Gatorade after a won competition to provide a reasoning for a great performance.
Overall, the main message of any Gatorade commercial is to ensure that the audience is aware that Gatorade can essentially better any athletic accomplishment.

Conventions of Gatorade commercials:

• Athletes 
• Workout materials
• Track
• Gym
• Bright lighting 
• Dim lighting

Hello my name is Emiliano but everyone calls me Emi. I go to Fort Lauderdale High School but went to elementary and middle school in Hollywood, Florida. I play water polo and do swimming for the school and am finishing my AICE diploma this year (2019-2020). I'm graduating high school on the year 2022 and plan on furthering my education in college. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do yet but I want to be involved in law. I don't act the same around adults than I do with my friends, with adults I'm more presentable and professional and with my friends I'm really laid back and calm.

Right now my schedule consists of 4 different AICE classes, Media Studies, Psychology, English Language, and European History. So far i feel I have a decent understanding of all the material in all those classes but I think I like AICE Euro the most. It's a class that I heard a lot of bad things about, but so far i actually enjoy the class and my teacher Mr. Alberico. Apart from swimming and water polo i'm also part of SGA (Student Government Association). I'm the class representative for the class of 2022 and take part in creating fundraisers to lower the cost of a senior package at the end of the year. This year I have the opportunity of going to Universal Studios with my AICE Media Studies class and I really would like to go. I've gone a couple of times and I really want to go now.

My at home life is more lax. I just get home and play video-games all day because I usually have my homework done or plan on doing it in study hall. I really don't like doing any school work at home so I just do it in study hall which is my 6th period on Blue days. Anyway, continuing on about my home life, I usually get home, cook myself something, and then start playing a first person shooting game called Rainbow Six Siege. It's a communication and strategy based game and that's what I like about it. You actually have to think.

Thats all I've got right now, thanks for reading.