For the final project, I decided to test my skills and patience by making a stop motion animation. I wanted to do something fun, cute, and creative. Using very detailed Playmobil toys as my characters, animals, props and structures, I got to literally play with my ideas and use a sky blue colored sheet to act as the background. Imagining and creating these scenes was the fun part of the project, using a variety of props and animals to show attention to details. I knew that filming would be tedious, because it’s taking hundreds of photos and moving the toys and props a half an inch every frame; but this was not even the worst part.

The most challenging part was by far editing. So initially I was going to use Vimeo, however my Vimeo membership had expired, so I tried to go the free route. Big mistake, I used FilmoraPro to edit my video because it was listed as one of the better softwares for free editing on Google. After completing my video, I exported it and discovered that due to using the free version, there was a giant water mark in the center of the frame for the entire video. There was also a constant piano key being played, actually ruining the audio. So after purchasing the premium software (Filmora9), I had to download more software, only to discover that I am unable to retrieve any of the edits I made on the free version. So we are in the process of starting editing over, and scrambling to redo everything (hopefully it’s done before Sunday). I strongly recommend not using Filmora for anything.

As stated earlier, all characters, props, animals, and structures are Playmobil toys. I was able to use royalty free sounds and music from personal recordings and freesound.com. I used Filmora to edit, but again, It’s great for editing, not exporting. I also used the Stop Motion Studio app on my phone to record all the stop motion clips. Stop Motion Studio is a great app for anyone trying to make simple stop motions, while keeping all photos and videos consolidated in one app. Despite this project to be challenging at times, I do think I achieved all of goals to test both my skills and patience while making an entertaining short film. Please enjoy this preview in the meantime!

For my final project I decided to make a video. It takes inspiration from the movie Le Samourai by Jean-Pierre Melville. We had talked about this film in Concepts of Visual Literacy and we even watched a scene from it.This film is about a French hitman named Jeff Costello who is seen by witnesses during a “hit” job. I later decided to watch the whole thing on my own time and I just loved the way the director framed movement coming in and out of the frame. I was kept engaged watching this man move from location to location it all seemed slick and seamless. The attire from the 60’s was something I also really liked I feel like it added to the coolness of it all. There’s a sequence of about 5 minutes where Jef Costello is released from being held under police custody after being a suspect of the murder, he leaves the station gets in a cab and takes it downtown where he is on his way to meet his employer. He suspects he’s being followed by a police officer therefore walks for a long time to lose him. This is when the director thrives in his composition and really makes you feel like you’re walking with him trying to lose whoever is following you. 

My interpretation has a simple plot. I had my talent wake up from a nap to a phone call that doesn’t clearly tell you what’s going on but you can see it sets him off in his journey out the door. This is followed by a long walking sequence where he walks through several sceneries until he gets to his location right before dark giving the effect that he walked for a long time. At the end you can see a car pull up in front of him and an exchange being done with the talent and the driver. What would look like some kind of drug deals ends up actually being a deal or transaction for a cloth face mask.

Im very happy to have had the chance to finally do a short video. I also feel fortunate to have good friends that understood my vision and helped me make this. I learned that it takes multiple shots and camera angles to get a well rounded sequence. I constantly kept continuity in mind as we had to do retakes when moving the camera to a different angles of the same shot. I thought it would be funny to use the face mask at the end as it’s relevant to right now. I also used some fun pieces of my wardrobe to replicate the same “cool” feeling I got from Les Samourai. The music used is actually an original piece from my friend Sebastian Hernandez and his dads album called Fade Away. I challenged myself in this project, did my own interpretation of something I liked and i’m proud of the outcome. 

By Carlos Padilla

For my final project I decided to make a video. It takes inspiration from the movie Le Samourai by Jean-Pierre Melville. We had talked about this film in Concepts of Visual Literacy and we even watched a scene from it.This film is about a French hitman named Jeff Costello who is seen by witnesses during a “hit” job. I later decided to watch the whole thing on my own time and I just loved the way the director framed movement coming in and out of the frame. I was kept engaged watching this man move from location to location it all seemed slick and seamless. The attire from the 60’s was something I also really liked I feel like it added to the coolness of it all. There’s a sequence of about 5 minutes where Jef Costello is released from being held under police custody after being a suspect of the murder, he leaves the station gets in a cab and takes it downtown where he is on his way to meet his employer. He suspects he’s being followed by a police officer therefore walks for a long time to lose him. This is when the director thrives in his composition and really makes you feel like you’re walking with him trying to lose whoever is following you. 

My interpretation has a simple plot. I had my talent wake up from a nap to a phone call that doesn’t clearly tell you what’s going on but you can see it sets him off in his journey out the door. This is followed by a long walking sequence where he walks through several sceneries until he gets to his location right before dark giving the effect that he walked for a long time. At the end you can see a car pull up in front of him and an exchange being done with the talent and the driver. What would look like some kind of drug deals ends up actually being a deal or transaction for a cloth face mask.

Im very happy to have had the chance to finally do a short video. I also feel fortunate to have good friends that understood my vision and helped me make this. I learned that it takes multiple shots and camera angles to get a well rounded sequence. I constantly kept continuity in mind as we had to do retakes when moving the camera to a different angles of the same shot. I thought it would be funny to use the face mask at the end as it’s relevant to right now. I also used some fun pieces of my wardrobe to replicate the same “cool” feeling I got from Les Samourai. The music used is actually an original piece from my friend Sebastian Hernandez and his dads album called Fade Away. I challenged myself in this project, did my own interpretation of something I liked and i’m proud of the outcome. 

By Carlos Padilla

By Anne Starke

I can’t remember exactly what Teresa said in our Zoom class while she was telling us about our final project, but it inspired me to make my final project be about something that has brought me joy during these interesting, turbulent times. Life during quarantine has been an emotional roller coaster, but I have discovered small moments of joy and peace while working in my garden. These moments surprised me because even though I’ve been an experimental gardener for years I’ve never noticed how the garden makes me feel, literally, happy while I am in it. So I set out to capture the cuteness of small things in hopes of conveying some of the joy and peace I feel when I engage with them.

I shot the video on a couple of different digital cameras, experimenting with focal lengths and discovering which camera is best for getting down into the plants. Filming allowed me to engage with the plants and bugs in a new way; all of a sudden the caterpillars were interesting subjects rather than evil destroyers who must be eradicated (although I must confess to murdering them after filming them). Interestingly, I often saw more bug activity when viewing the film later than what I saw in real life. I put the video, music and sound effects together in Premiere Pro. It was fun to learn and I know I just barely scratched the surface of what it is possible. The music came from the YouTube Music Library and the sound effects from freesound.org.

I enjoyed this form of expression a great deal. It has definitely inspired me to learn more and continue taking classes in multimedia design.

DISCLAIMER: All parties shown in this video are above 21. This video was shot in Eugene, Oregon where the use of marijuana is legal in a private residence.

For the final project, I knew I really wanted to make a music video. I’ve had a passion for creating video and photo content from a young age. Recently when I’ve started thinking about what I’d like to do with my future, video and photo work for musical acts is what I’ve landed on. Since a music video was even one of the suggested options, I thought this would be a great time to start getting some real experience under my belt. Luckily I live with a few different guys who are pretty established in Oregon with rap music. However, this project showed me that even when you see someone everyday locking down a time to actually shoot can be quite difficult. That combined with trying to find the most PC song of theirs that they wanted to make content for made the shooting process of this harder than expected. This video ended up being shot on a random night when Vincent’s friend was in town for the night. I had originally wanted to combine VHS and digitally shot video. I managed to include a little bit of digital video but for the most part I couldn’t make it cohesively flow like I’d seen done in big-budget videos. Beyond that, this was my first time shooting with a VHS-C camera and using FinalCut Pro. Both came with their own frustrations and learning curves. Though, after a few stressful hours of troubleshooting, I can say I’m so happy to have those skills under my belt. I’m really happy this project gave me the push to learn how to edit in FinalCut Pro. I’ve been using iMovie for years and didn’t realize how much I was limiting myself in terms of what I could create with videos. I’m really looking forward to using the program on my own time and honing my skills.

The Museum animations is a short story about an apple and an orange, with a participation of an unexpected Titan. I hope you enjoy it.

Note: It is a thriller.

I have fun with this project, it was a therapy for me during this end of this ‘quarantine’ term.

My goal was to use stop motion techniques in a way that I do not rely on people to get my work done. But I end up mixing photos with video, which for me had a very interesting outcome.

I was looking for something fun but also with some suspense and mystery. I planned to eat the apple anyways, but it was just an idea, I realize my self creating the story while shooting. That was cool because I had my storyboard but while working I start adding things. So I can say that the story was created with the flow but started with the storyboard. I gather all my previous artwork to create my scenario and the two only fruits that I had left in my refrigerator.

I had two production days because I needed an extra shot, and it ended up being a smart choice, I got a cool idea which was the end. I had another day to put them together and another day to work with audio. Having those breaks for me was good because I felt that working with a fresh mind in each part of the process made me more creative and I did not feel overworking on it.

I used Premiere Pro for post-production and to record the voices of the characters. Instrumental music used in this animation is from the Incompetech website. Tools used: Camera, Tripod, desk lamp.

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to all of us that are trying our best to keep up with this quarantine term. I wish you all the best and hope to meet you in person in other classes. It was such a great experience looking and get inspired by the beautiful work among all of us.

Keep doing creative work,

Stay healthy and safe.

We made it!!

By Sara Baptista

I was inspired by my son to have the idea to do this video. by his question on the virus to me, I was wondering what kids think of the Corona Virus Crisis.

In early March, with the outbreak of Coronavirus in the U.S. I still went to my work, one morning, my son came to me when I was about to leave for work, he begged me not to go to work and he said there was a virus outside. I was so touched and this is the first time I noticed that this could be an issue to understand for 4 years old. I thought he might just find an excuse to keep me at home, but, his action on the second morning made me think of his request seriously as he was serious, he asked me if I was still going to work immediately when he woke up.

To face such a pressure of being quarantined for months, it is hard for many adults. Those kids have been cut away from their little mates, parks, and outdoor activities for months. What do they know and how much do they know and how are they dealing with the issues? What we can give them is more attention and love to help them come over and be stronger as they seem to be facing more challenging and uncertain worlds in the future.

I really like the procedure to produce the video, I feel grateful to have been accepted by kids’ parents and was able to approach their kids on camera. I love kids’ reasons on camera over the topic, they are authentic and pure. I feel humble to talk to them. I think, to understand how we understand the world has a large determination on how the people around us understand and interpret the world when we are small. They are the future of our world, we should be very careful about what we do and how we demonstrate the right ways and attitude to respond to them. 

by-Jimila