Category Archives: Fall 2014

Starts Here, a Plant Nursery

https://youtu.be/ycyYtlWH_D0

When I imagined making a “movie” I agonized over what I could make. A day in my life seemed so boring. I just sit in front of my computer doing my classwork.

On the morning I was to drop my daughter at my mother’s house, I briefly discussed with my partner what I should do for this project we locked eyes, discovering a seed of an idea. And it was ripe for the picking!

Starts Here, a plant nursery, is owned and run solely by my mother. She has just begun this life-long ambition after a separation. A sentiment I think many of us can relate to. She is of the earth and shrinks from technology. So, this was a way to help her business shine with little to no effort on her part.

I had originally planned to include more audio from her, but as anyone with a toddler knows, adult projects are often in the wind. Essentially, I captured very little of her talking about Starts Here. Even so, I was amazed at how it came together.

I was able to break away and film some of her starts and vegetable garden on what was a magnificently blustery day. Feeling discouraged about what my final product would look like with only videos from a winter garden, I told myself I would cut in some of the photos she has shared with me and plowed forward.

It worked.

I then realized that Starts Here is still without a logo and so I had to mock that up as well.

That also worked.

Finally, when I sat down to use Premiere Pro, I realized that the application is way over my head. I felt as if I were bumbling in the dark. There is another instructor who had mentioned that there are students who do video editing all on their phones! I thought, “No way! I can do anything. I’ll use Premiere Pro! I got this.” I did not.

So, I checked out the app she suggested and the reviews were dismal. I told myself I had to start somewhere and just downloaded the top-rated video editing app, a sort of desperation. I opted for the 7-day ‘Pro’ trial with YouCut as Teresa’s words echoed in my head, “This is a quick turnaround.” Reflecting on it, that phrase helped me stay in motion.

Once in the app things were very straightforward. I lost track of time as I built and learned the task of video editing. In the end, I had to edit down quite a bit. Per assignment instructions, I tried to get the photos to switch on the beat, but oof, that was proving difficult. I was very limited in the audio the YouCut provided. I was unsure if I had the time to search online for domain-free music that would suit both my and Start Here’s preferences. That said, I hope I never have to hear that guitar solo again!

I feel much more confident in video editing and I might even try at using Premiere Pro again.

I would really love some feedback, as I am considering posting this video on the e-commerce site I am mocking up for Starts Here.

by Sarah Stuart

P6 Final Project

So this will be one of my last posts for this class. We’ve finally reached the point of our final project for my media arts class! We were allowed to do anything we wanted to, and I originally had the idea of a music video with my friend. When my friend bailed on me (that’s showbiz, kid), I was offered to team up with my friends Brian and Derek. Brian told me that they were doing a music video as well, so naturally I was intrigued. He also told me that the girl they originally were planning to use was very flaky. He said that he originally imagined me as the lead in the music video. Needless to say, I was flattered.

Once they extended me the offer to act in what was now our project, I was ecstatic. I had never had much experience acting, and was always under the impression I couldn’t. I was definitely very nervous. I was really hoping that my facial expressions could convey what we were after.

The original story that he explained to me is it’s a first person video in black & white, and it’s a guy going through his daily routine. He wakes up, gets ready for the day, meets his friends, goes to a bar, etc. It’s like he’s basically going through the motions of his life. Then he goes to a park where he used to spend a lot of time with his girlfriend. It all fades to color and she appears. He starts to reminisce what it was like to be with her. You definitely feel the tone of the vide change. Then all of a sudden, she’s gone and it changes to black and white.

He starts to walk to the bridge and he’s looking out across the water. All of a sudden, she appears again. She walks forward and takes his hand. You see clips of what it was like for them to be together. You really feel the happiness and light she brought to his life. It then fades back to black & white, he looks to his left and she’s gone. The video ends with him walking down towards the lake to convey a feeling of loneliness, which is definitely apparent. The original ending was supposed to be that you would see him pull out an urn, and it was supposed to show that it was his late girlfriend. It’s more of a tragic ending, but unfortunately the video could only be 3 minutes maximum.

There’s also one other thing I’d like to touch on. The music! The song we used (and got permission for), was “For Someone” by the band called Why? Very interesting name I thought. The song is absolutely perfect. It starts out with a strong back beat, and the way the camera is showing clips from his life is timed very well. When the female lead comes in, the song slows down and is more relaxing. I couldn’t think of a better song.

When it comes to my experience, it was so fun! It was great to walk around with Brian and Derek and see their creative minds collaborate with mine. Brian was a great director, he gave good direction and Derek gave a lot of great ideas that we used. His storyboard was impeccable! We would all throw out ideas, our creativity  definitely fed off each other. I’ve admired both of their work that I’ve seen in this class, and was so fortunate to work with them. The weather was unusual for Eugene but I definitely couldn’t complain. It was so fun to show different parts of Eugene. It was great exposure, and something I definitely want to keep doing.

Hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,

Hannah

P6 Final Project

So this will be one of my last posts for this class. We’ve finally reached the point of our final project for my media arts class! We were allowed to do anything we wanted to, and I originally had the idea of a music video with my friend. When my friend bailed on me (that’s showbiz, kid), I was offered to team up with my friends Brian and Derek. Brian told me that they were doing a music video as well, so naturally I was intrigued. He also told me that the girl they originally were planning to use was very flaky. He said that he originally imagined me as the lead in the music video. Needless to say, I was flattered.

Once they extended me the offer to act in what was now our project, I was ecstatic. I had never had much experience acting, and was always under the impression I couldn’t. I was definitely very nervous. I was really hoping that my facial expressions could convey what we were after.

The original story that he explained to me is it’s a first person video in black & white, and it’s a guy going through his daily routine. He wakes up, gets ready for the day, meets his friends, goes to a bar, etc. It’s like he’s basically going through the motions of his life. Then he goes to a park where he used to spend a lot of time with his girlfriend. It all fades to color and she appears. He starts to reminisce what it was like to be with her. You definitely feel the tone of the vide change. Then all of a sudden, she’s gone and it changes to black and white.

He starts to walk to the bridge and he’s looking out across the water. All of a sudden, she appears again. She walks forward and takes his hand. You see clips of what it was like for them to be together. You really feel the happiness and light she brought to his life. It then fades back to black & white, he looks to his left and she’s gone. The video ends with him walking down towards the lake to convey a feeling of loneliness, which is definitely apparent. The original ending was supposed to be that you would see him pull out an urn, and it was supposed to show that it was his late girlfriend. It’s more of a tragic ending, but unfortunately the video could only be 3 minutes maximum.

There’s also one other thing I’d like to touch on. The music! The song we used (and got permission for), was “For Someone” by the band called Why? Very interesting name I thought. The song is absolutely perfect. It starts out with a strong back beat, and the way the camera is showing clips from his life is timed very well. When the female lead comes in, the song slows down and is more relaxing. I couldn’t think of a better song.

When it comes to my experience, it was so fun! It was great to walk around with Brian and Derek and see their creative minds collaborate with mine. Brian was a great director, he gave good direction and Derek gave a lot of great ideas that we used. His storyboard was impeccable! We would all throw out ideas, our creativity  definitely fed off each other. I’ve admired both of their work that I’ve seen in this class, and was so fortunate to work with them. The weather was unusual for Eugene but I definitely couldn’t complain. It was so fun to show different parts of Eugene. It was great exposure, and something I definitely want to keep doing.

Hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,

Hannah

Inspirational concept artist.

Professional Practices.

 I had the pleasure of meeting professional concept Don Carson through my digital drawing class recently. He sat down and showed us a demo of his work, revealed his workflow and planning process, then was kind enough to answer a ton of questions the class had. Don works on concepts for many things, but I think his most impressive accomplishments are creating concepts for Disney theme parks and rides.

The first thing I noticed about Don was his warm welcoming personality. He addressed every one in the room with kindness and respect. he was very honest, and humble when he spoke about his work, abilities and passion. I think everyone in the room felt like he was our cool old uncle.

As I stood behind two rows of people clustered tightly around Don, it was clear he had the room’s attention. Don flipped through his sketchbook, and scrolled through previous projects while I, and the surrounding students watched in awe. Don’s passion for what he does was unmistakable. I think the only time I looked away from his work was to confirm that everyone else shared the giddy expression I had on my face.

Don talked a lot about how he plans and works through his various projects. I found it extremely interesting to see the projects in their different stages. Dons sketch book is the start
of a lot of his ideas. he had page after page of beautiful sketches. A single page of his sketchbook would have anywhere from twenty to fifty small objects drawn on it. Each page seemed to have a different theme. One notable page was filled with architectural details from Paris, he had made  while traveling. He showed us other pages that he had sketched while watching movies for reference.

While explaining the multiple processes he goes through to complete a project, it was clear Don goes above and beyond when working or a client. He explained that our job as an artist and professional is to bring the client a project that when looked at leaves them with no questions. I thought that was a pretty important statement.Don mentioned that he hadn’t needed to show his portfolio to anyone in twenty years, proving that word of mouth advertising still works if you make your clients happy.

I found everything about Don’s presentation to be extremely motivational. From the basic planning and design, to finished project and client relation, Don Carson is a true professional.
I think everyone in the class came away with the same impression. Its amazing to have the opportunity to be around so many artists at school, but to be able to share ideas with someone with that sort of experience was a real treat.

I was lucky to be able to share some of my work with Don, and ask him a few questions. He gave me some good advice and things to think about while working. He was very kind when addressing my work. I was very proud and a little blown away when he said that he felt I could get work at any video game or movie studio, after looking at my concept art. I personally know I have a long way to go before i reach the level I want to be, but getting a pat on the back from someone like Don reminded me I’m headed in the right direction.

Check out Don’s website at Doncarsoncreative.com

Toontown_Roger

X4 Professional Practices – Portfolio Workshop

Brian Ross MUL 101 W15

maportfolio-poster2015-1

I was happy to attend the “Portfolio Workshop” hosted by the Lane Media Arts program. It took place in classroom connected to the chroma-key studio in building 17. I personally feel it was wonderfully organized and very interesting. The speakers were energetic and well prepared. The seminar itself was very informative to learn the intense importance of a proper online portfolio for future business ventures. Most of the speakers were either my current or past instructors, with the addition of a few future instructors. Meredith did an outstanding job as the main host, her emphasis on why having a very professional online portfolio was important. I immediately began refining my current online resume/portfolio based mainly off her advice that your clients do not want to be “bored” and have “little patience” when searching for the right freelancer.

Knowing that I am going into my second year in the program, this workshop and Meredith’s business practices class really sparked my effort in collecting every bit of my past work to present to potential employers, since I want to be a “jack of all trades” media arts freelancer, it’s important to refine some of my past work, and really showcase my current projects to my fullest potential. Jeff Gooslby spoke about how dire it is to enter into as many local art shows as possible since recognition really reflects great work ethic and ability. I did miss the deadline on the current student art show but I defiantly plan on entering the spring Media Arts showcase.

One speaker in particular (Jon Christopher Meyers) really intrigued me with is presentation and current work, I am excited to enroll in his class in the future and really refine my photography skills. I noticed he used Squarepace for his online portfolio, and since I use the same company for my own portfolio, I was able to really gain some great ideas on how to present my photography based off his examples. Jon’s work with the raptor center was fantastic and not only interesting to the viewers, but beautifully showcased with a well produced video and presentation. When I originally entered into the media arts program, I did not realize that not only am I decent at photography, but it’s a great skill to marker for clients who want a full re-branding or design work. My biggest take-away is that I want to refine my photography skills to the same level as my cinematography and concept development talents therefore a lot of photography and lighting classes are in my future as direct electives.

Though I did have a little bit more knowledge than some of the other attendees (since I am currently taking Meredith’s business practices class), I still gained a wealth of information on my current major and excitement in selling my skills in the media arts market.

I really did not find any shortcomings in the event other than the location appeared a bit cramped and there was a class directly behind us in session, my only recommendation would be having future events in the theater room located directly above the classroom.

Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take a photo of the event, but I did speak with Teresa and various instructors during the event.

I appreciate the amount of effort our instructors put into helping us succeed in this field of work and in our own personal lives.

Audio Engineering

The main focus of my study right now is the creation of studio music recordings. This is a field that is well over one hundred years old, and with such maturity comes a variety professional practices and definitions of  success. In order to develop and cultivate skills in this field I sought the guidance of local professionals in the field. My search lead me to Sprout City Studios where I enrolled in a class thought by its owner Thaddeus Moore. This series of  five lectures and discussions, with a small group of extremely passionate music enthusiasts, developed my skills in both the technical and personal aspects of the industry.

The technical aspects of the class ranged from proper microphone placement and recording techniques to the intricacies of various types of electronic signal processors like compressors, limiters, equalizers, and pre-amps. The difference between op amp, tube, and FET processors was also introduced. Several examples of microphone recording anomalies were discussed and demonstrated. The most interesting of there was the mid/side set up which allows for increably flexible processing after recording. Additionally the effect of doubling the distance of the microphone from the source was proved to create drastic changes in timbre. When the focus of the class shifted to the signal after recording the computer roll in the class became much more prevalent. Thad first began with equalization. He demonstrated the flexibility of modern digital equalizers then he moved on the show how digital emulations of hardware signal processors color or distort the sound to achieve a more “traditional” analog results.

The next discussions was all about how data compressions affects recorded sound. The meat of this discussion was establishing the nuances the differntiate bit depth and sample rate. Once that concept had been established the mechanism of audio data compression was introduced with the .MP3 format being the focus of the lesson. In short .mp3 files are inappropriate for professional audio production because they have been arbitrarily truncated, in terms of musicality, and inserting them into a project and arbitrarily truncating them again at the end of said project produces uncontrollable and often unmusical results.

Attending this series of lectures increased my understanding of professional recording practices. Not only was Thad more than proficient and explaining the technical side of engineering recordings. He also offered several insights throughout the class as to was type of etiquette is expected in an environment where you are receiving compensations to technical assistance in the creation of  another’s artistic vision. Delicacy, charm, and confidence all must coexist to get the most out of working partnerships such as these. I found these classes to be extraordinarily worthwhile because they not only laid  solid foundation on which to continue to expand my abilities, but also because they brought together a group of like minded people from various age groups and backgrounds and got them to share their thoughts and opinions on concepts that actually interested everyone there.

Creative Chaos 2014-12-08 22:35:57

This project was a lot of fun and mostly came from experimenting with different light painting techniques as well as learning my way around Adobe Premiere. Originally I had much different plans for this project but they were still in the realms of producing a video to accompany music made by friends. Due to a series of unfortunate events I turned my focus on creating hundreds of light painting stills using different techniques and then bringing them together in premiere to produce a continuous video from the stills. I used my Nikon D3200 with stock lens to take the photos. My partner and myself had a lot of fun with the light painting shots and once we got started the ideas were coming at an incredible rate and we needed to recruit more bodies to execute them. We were able to include the kids in this process which was great fun for them although I can’t help but wonder what passing people might have thought as it may have appeared we were having our own rave in the park with a bunch of kiddos hopped up on candy canes. Some of the shots didn’t make the cut this time around because they were still a bit experimental and needed perfecting so there will definitely be more trials and perfecting to this art form in the future. I was fortunate enough to have a friend that could put down a music track relatively quickly although originally my plan was to have the video accompanied by the full band, the guitarist and Garageband worked out well. The hardest part of this project was my computer crashing in final edit and having to start the whole editing process again, thank goodness I still had all the camera shots.  I have definitely learned so much from this process in so many aspects. It has triggered an urge and desire to expand and refine in the future.

P6 Final Project – Light Painting

This project was a lot of fun and mostly came from experimenting with different light painting techniques as well as learning my way around Adobe Premiere. Originally I had much different plans for this project but they were still in the realms of producing a video to accompany music made by friends. Due to a series of unfortunate events I turned my focus on creating hundreds of light painting stills using different techniques and then bringing them together in premiere to produce a continuous video from the stills. I used my Nikon D3200 with stock lens to take the photos. My partner and myself had a lot of fun with the light painting shots and once we got started the ideas were coming at an incredible rate and we needed to recruit more bodies to execute them. We were able to include the kids in this process which was great fun for them although I can’t help but wonder what passing people might have thought as it may have appeared we were having our own rave in the park with a bunch of kiddos hopped up on candy canes. Some of the shots didn’t make the cut this time around because they were still a bit experimental and needed perfecting so there will definitely be more trials and perfecting to this art form in the future. I was fortunate enough to have a friend that could put down a music track relatively quickly although originally my plan was to have the video accompanied by the full band, the guitarist and Garageband worked out well. The hardest part of this project was my computer crashing in final edit and having to start the whole editing process again, thank goodness I still had all the camera shots.  I have definitely learned so much from this process in so many aspects. It has triggered an urge and desire to expand and refine in the future.

P6 Digging the duality of graves

I have been playing at the idea and practice of reading cemeteries for a very long time. I was struck by the realization that, inside the given of a cultural landscape, cemeteries had neighborhoods and enclaves that were as distinct and open to interpretation as any street or cityscape. Before moving to Oregon, most of my wandering have been within cemeteries that had been established well before 1850, and the majority of Civil War headstones marked the graves of men killed during the war. That is why I was struck my the number of grave markers for Civil War veterans, most of whom were from the upper Midwest and who had died as very old men after moving to Oregon. These men and their cemetery told a much different story about Eugene and the evolution of Oregon as a whole.

When I originally envisioned this project, I   anticipated using a mix of video and stills with voiceover and text. My still photos were much stronger than my video bits, and I was getting wigged out at the amount of voiceovers I would need to record. The final project, therefore, is all stills with a lot of text. [Note: The date on the final should read 2014, and I know through doesn’t have two ts.]

P6 Final Project

By Laura Hale

I really wanted to capture the aspect of storytelling with this project, which was actually much harder with the narration than I thought it would be. I had to cut out a lot of sentences and adjust timing  and cut even further down to make the three minutes. I also had to make sure I had to keep enough information inside the story to keep its beginning middle and end as clear as I could. If I had to redo this entire project I would use a different program to record my drawings and make them more detailed. Again, it comes down to the program and what it allows you to do and what you can figure out for its abilities. Audio levels were also very important, both in timing and how loud they were coming in for, they couldn’t overwhelm the narration for the most part nor each other. Image quality wasn’t too much of an issue with this project as all of the image were digital or at least digitized through filters. Lessons learned, know certain programs a bit better and keep up to date with them.