Production Blog: Editing Hurdles

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is editing hurdles.

Backup Transition

In case I am unable to bring the camera through my terrain to come up to my face, I have an idea to just bring it through and then put a transition to my face by putting in a zoom-up animation, like the one I used for my commercial. 

Effects

What would be a true music video without any sort of visual effects? I have added a deep filter to my video, to give it a more 'dangerous" yet adventurous feeling. Since the background will be white for almost every scene, I'm trying to see if my skills will be sufficient enough to do it, even if I do not have a green screen. Maybe I'll add some fun visual effects to my bard to make them more charming.

Cutting

Bringing back some cutting action, it seems great to bring up here. I will have many cuts in this video. I had to change some things in the actual prop lineup though, since I was missing my giant dice, but that's fine. A minor offset will not disqualify this video. I can cut through many failed plans in this video since I can adapt to many conditions that may apply to the extraneous nature of these variables. 

That's All!

That's it for this Production Blog everyone! I hope I made at least most of my descriptions and intentions clear. This actually may be the last Production Blog before my actual music video! Did you know that?The next post will be my music video! I hope you're as excited about this as I am, Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive!

Production Blog: Allies in numbers

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is filming with my allies.

 Late Start

We are in the final week of production and I have not finished recording and editing everything and I have to say, it is quite daunting especially since I've seen my friends finish their music videos completely. So I have to rush and get through everything. We're at the homestretch now!

Fortunately, I do have mostly everything set up, so I just need to costume up and record.

Action!

So I got my little brother to agree to film for me since I have no one else to help me. So I'll play all the characters, while he records everything. The angels would be impossible for me to do by myself, so I need another set of hands. Fortunately, it does not require much teaching to know how to move cameras in certain ways so I should get to that quickly.

Light.

Lighting is a pretty hard hurdle to jump over since it's difficult to control without the proper utilities. In my "recording booth" I have about 3 windows, that's all the control I have. Worst-case scenario, I have artificial light from the ceiling fan above. But I don't have those huge fancy umbrella lights you see on picture day, so I'm trying my best to make my face visible instead of a dark shadow.

That's All!

That's it for this Production Blog everyone! I hope I made at least most of my descriptions and intentions clear. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Production Blog: Capcut Progress

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is my Capcut progress.

What I've Been Doing

So outside of this class, I got quite familiar with Capcut... VERY familiar. It was a dark and cold night as I was in my room, and I decided to give Capcut a visit, as I hadn't used it since my commercial, and boy did I get hooked. I discovered the "templates" section where essentially, you can input images into pre-created videos, and Capcut will turn those pictures into a cool edit ( Like in my Editing Production Blog.) So naturally, the first thing I did was implant my friend into one, and it looked so flamboyant! I absolutely adored it. So I made more, and more, and more! Until it was about midnight, and I was tiredly on my phone creating edits of my friend. One of them is posted here below.

What Did I learn from it?

Over this time period, I practically just learned how to use the templates on Capcut. OR so it seems. By actually viewing how the templates work, it is all made in Capcut. Ergo, I can use them for my own edits and transitions. I stated before in a previous Production Blog that I do not plan to do any super flashy or flamboyant transitions, however, I can use my knowledge from those transitions to make the whole music video move more cleanly. And that sounds like a good plan to me!

That's All!

That's it for this Production Blog everyone! I hope I made at least most of my descriptions and intentions clear. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Production Blog: Song Conflict

  

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is about my thoughts whilst producing this music video; the song (again).

The Purpose

The purpose of this production blog is to defend my song, in the case that my song gets flagged for rejection in any way. I already created the storyboard and got the materials needed to create this music video, so doing this all for nothing would be an unfortunate turn of events for this project. Therefore, I am worried about the profusion of rules that may cancel my video, particularly: the theme song rule.

Is my song a theme song?

Both sides could be argued, but because of the nature and background of this song, I'm inclined to vouch that it is not, and here's why.

This song is the signature song of a YouTube series called Critical Role, but it's not uncommon for Youtubers to use songs, that doesn't necessarily make it their theme song. This song, while used by a series, was actually made by famous voice actor and director Sam Riegel and his half-brother Peter Habib. So it's not out of question to assume this was a song made by them for the sake of song-making, and then the song was deemed the introduction song to the series. 

The Song Contents

The content of the song seems to be the make-or-break of this decision since that's what makes a theme song a theme song. I can understand the rejection of a song if it actively sings the name of the show or series; presenting itself as an opening cinematic for the show and is forever linked with it. However, the same does not apply to this song. Listening to the song lyrics by themselves, it is not obvious that it is linked to a series as the lyrics can apply to any fantastical setting. Nor is the name of the series this song seemingly belongs to ever mentioned. Therefore, this song should not be struck in any way, as it may stand as a separate party.

That's All!

That's it for this Production Blog everyone. I hope I made at least most of my descriptions and intentions clear, as the decision to keep this song is an important one. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Production Blog: Camera work

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is my camera work for my upcoming commercial.

Angle Admission

Because I'm working on this project solo for the most part, it takes a lot of work to get all the angles I want. Therefore most of my angels will be quite simple and stationary. So don't expect any dutch or canted angles, but you will see eye-level angles that may move in the video. Speaking of movement.

Movement Manipulation

There will be quite a lot of camera lens movement in this music video, which whilst doing this solo, sounds as difficult as it is. The camera itself starts moving from the very beginning of the video, and there are lots of zooms though there are few actual movements of the camera itself, as the scene will be stationary, with myself making most of the illusion of movement.

Shot Stlyes

Now there is a bit of an establishing thought in the beginning, but because it's a small area, I'm not sure if it would count. Contrary to that, I do know that I used some close-ups and extreme close-ups of my upper torso and some medium-long shots.

Editing Emissaries

I don't plan to be too flashy with the transitions besides the initial one after the terrain zoom-in. There isn't very much to say about the editing besides that, everything will mostly just be cuts.

That's All!

That's it for this Production Blog everyone! I skipped sound because it's quite obvious as this is a music video. I hope I made at least most of my descriptions and intentions clear. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Production Blog: Story Board Building

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith and it feels great to talk to you all again without being restricted by a template! Anyway! Today's topic is my storyboard process!

How'd it all start?

Thinking about the scenes was a bit difficult, as when I started the only scene I had was a single verse in the song (From the Healer, to the Renegade) So everything else I had to make up on the spot! Fun stuff. I tried separating the story blocks with the change of subject, rather than the change of scene, which led to a few chopped-up drawings. However, since I am an artist, I did enjoy the process quite a bit. Drawing the first landscape was fun since there were so many little details I could put in. My first few drawings were a lot better than my later ones, I got a bit discouraged to really finish since I didn't know what to do for the final scenes.

What I gained from it?

I was able to generate ideas for everything I needed, from the outfits to the props. I'm using outfits I didn't think I'd be wearing from the beginning and new props I never thought of either, like my heart wand and monster chest. By making this storyboard, I was also able to learn about the process in general. This will definitely be helpful for my later videos for this class.

That's All!

That's it for this Planning Blog, everyone! I hope I made most of my descriptions and intentions clear. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Planning Blog: Starting the Build up

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is the planning for my actual video.

I'll organize this blog in a format that shall be easy for you to read quickly! Organized as such: Props, Location, Schedule, Backup Plan, and Costumes. Let's dive in.

Props

This film will take a more fantastical setting, so my materials will reflect that. I have an umbrella sword (since I don't think my real katana would be appreciated) and a mini wand to wield during the "From the Healer to the Renegade" part of the song. If I decide to act as a bard, I also have a foam guitar that I may use. I also plan to use my D20 Dice to throw as a transition. Any other props will be mentioned in the "backup plan" section.

Location

I primarily plan to film in my house, my living room, since I have a big, blank, white wall. However, I also might plan at my Church, since it is also a school! They have costumes beyond my wildest dreams and large empty rooms I can film in, so that would be a prime location for me to record. Besides those two locations, I don't think I will film anywhere else.

Schedule

I am able to record when I have no other work to do. So I will work on the weekends. And if my brother can act on Sundays at my church, that would give me the perfect opportunity to record there. I will have the music video uploaded by November 8th.

Backup Plan

In case my song isn't available, because it is on the borderline of being considered a "theme song" I have playlists of other songs I can formulate into a music video, such as "Come Back Wolfie" by Pungence. However, I hope I can use this song because it is the shortest song I know, and the rest of my songs bypass the song's time limit.

Costumes

Now I have some costume ideas, such as a roguish outfit for the "Renegade" And I'll make a makeshift Cleric Vestments with a white outfit and a towel. Should I need it I also have access to a Viking helmet and bard outfits.

That's All!

That's it for this Planning Blog, everyone! I hope I made most of my descriptions and intentions clear. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Research Blog: Music Video

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is my song genre and it's conventions.

My Song Genre

"It's Thursday Night", the song my music video will be on, has a genre I wasn't able to identify too easily, but I pretty much pinpointed it to "Alternative Folk" which is a pretty unique genre but I think it's cool. So I'm going to watch some music videos in the Alternative Folk genre to see how I can apply some of their techniques.

Song #1: I will wait

Cams:

• Pans throughout the video all over
• Tracking shot of singer
• Zooming out

Editing:

• Cutaways to different scenes
• Cuts to different scenes
• Fade out as an outro

Sound:

• Music as a result of the music video
• Ambience at beginning
• Sound Motif of their signature notes

Mis en Scene:

• Casual Outfits
• Guitars as instruments
• Setting outside and inside

Song #2: Gloria

Cams:

• Tracking shot of singer
• Mixture of high and low angles
• Establishment shot of domain

Editing:

• Fades in as an intro
• Cutaways to different scenes
• Cuts to different scenes

Sound:

• Music as a result of the music video
• Ambience at times
• Iconic sound motif

Mis en Scene:

• Relaxed outfits
• Casual Makeup
• Location in bright locations

Song #3: Ho Hey

Cams:

• Lots of zooms throughout
• Low angles used throughout
• Shaky Tilts

Editing:

• Sudden cuts to dancers
• Jump Cut from throwing bottles
• Eye Line Match looking at ship

Sound:

• Music as a result of the music video
• Ambient Sea Noises

Mis en Scene:

• Old fashioned clothes
• Dirty Face make up
• Location out in the open

That's All!

That's it for this Research Blog everyone! I hope you were able to understand my song genre and its respective conventions! Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

StoryBoard

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is my storyboard for my music video!

I'm going to show the pictures of my storyboard first, then I will outline the scene afterwards!

Scene 1: Starts off in a plastic domain; camera goes though area then tilts up.

Camera zooms up to my face and I grab the camera at "~Night~"

Scene 2: Close up foot level after I step there, then it pans up to a cautious/curious face of mine.

I see a box with a D20 in it, and I grab it, with a smile on my face at "two by two~"

Scene 3: Shows "Bard" running at head level, then zooms out, and transitions to cloak me rolling dice.

On "How do you wanna do this" There will be a dark shot with an extreme close up of my bottom face"

Scene 4: Lets go punch, transition to various scenes of my characters "preparing"

Various preparation sequences

Scene 5: "From the healer" shows a Cleric. "To the Renegade" shows a rogue.

Scene 6: "We all share the same goals" shows Bard singing

"Making more allies" has me signing a "Join Us" paper. And "Taking more chances" Opens a monster chess. Then another dice transition comes

Scene 8: "You can certainly try"

That's All!

That's it for this blog everyone! I hope you guys like my idea for the music video! I really enjoy drawing as you all probably know haha!. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Group Blog: Solo Creating

 

Greetings and Salutations!

Welcome to Media TL;DR the series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And Today's topic is The Group Blog.

Who am I with?

Because I have a particular situation at this school, as of now, the workforce will consist of me, myself, and I. That's right, I'm running solo. 

"So why?" You might be asking? "You have many contacts you know who could help you right?" While this is most definitely true, I am still choosing to rely solely on myself. Unfortunately at this school, there is one fatal flaw when it comes to my social life: I live lightyears away from school. Which means I seldom meet with anyone outside of school. So because of that, it would be very burdensome to work with anyone else, despite the advantages that would come with it. But I'm actually quite fine working solo, I'll be able to play all my characters the way I want, or maybe if I change my mind, I can get some actors to play alongside me. But when it comes to the actual production and blog posts, that will all be under my command.

What's the song going to be?

I thought about which song I was going to choose for a long while because the parameters for this song are 1:10 - 1:15!? I find that absolutely crazy because I know no real song that short. And the ones I do know, they are significantly less than a minute long. Regardless, despite these strict rules, I did end up landing on a song, because it is only 25 seconds over the time limit, so I plan on fast-forwarding the song just a bit to fit that time. And the name of this song is: It's Thursday Night. By Sam Riegel, Peter Habib & additional guest singers.

I chose this song because of how short the song was, but it's also made off of a game I enjoy playing called Dungeons & Dragons, which is about adventurers with many abilities. So I think I can form some costumes to act in for this video. I already have the beginning scenes thought out, so I can just branch from there. It's definitely going to be a challenging ordeal, but it should be fun!

That's All!

That's it for this Group Blog everyone! I hope you understand why I'm working solo, and I hope you enjoy the song I chose. Thank you for reading! And until next time, stay cool and attractive.

Intro Blog: My Return... With a Music Video!!

 Welcome back to my blog!

Welcome back everyone! Greetings and Salutations, this is Media TL;DR! The series where I break down my greatest projects so you can easily dive in and understand my original ideas. I'm your host Jaydon Smith! And I'm going to reintroduce myself for my newer viewers 'cause we're making a music video now!

What I do

I am still a mere high schooler at Fort Lauderdale High School, and I hail all the way from Coral Springs! I've made a commercial showcasing some of my hobbies. The information about my art preferences is still the same:

I really enjoy drawing; both traditionally and digitally, though when I draw traditionally, I often trace my work on digital software afterward. I used to draw in a more humanoid and Japanese animation-esque style, but I have transitioned to a more cartoony style. The two of these pictures were drawings I've made of a few of my close friends. For both of them, I originally drew them on paper, allowing my brain to run free; experimenting with certain shapes and poses. After that, I went on my digital drawing app to trace and color this drawing. The app I prefer is called Ibis Paint. After lots of time, I can confidently say that I truly enjoyed drawing them quite a lot!

Another activity I enjoy is Origami, which is a Japanese art of folding paper into fun and decorative shapes or figures. I usually make origami as birthday presents for people that I care about. I've made creatures ranging from simple birds and fish to cute dragons and cats! There are some folds that I find difficult, but I enjoy the challenge! 

What now?

I'm sure my more engaged viewers have viewed my commercial by now, and in that commercial, I do indeed showcase my drawings and the origami I've made. I've actually shown the colouring sheet versions of them. 

So you may be thinking, what am I doing now? I guess you'll have to wait until my NEW research blog! Coming up real soon! I hope you guys are excited to see it. The process will be explained there, but I will be making a music video!

A wrap

This concludes my re-introduction. I've listed some things that I like and my growth from my commercial as I showcased my craft. I would like to thank every last one of you viewers, you made it all possible. I'll see you next time in my Group Blog! Where I showcase the party for this project. So until then, stay cool and attractive y'all!