The Process
From the beginning I had no idea what I was going to shoot. I like assignments that are a little more specific and tell me what I need to do. Although a rubric was given, I needed some more direction. Kind of like the one we got in assignment two. I put on my thinking cap and came up with the idea to film my new friend and his drumming skills.
My mind was everywhere and in between before I decided to film Matthew's drumming. I thought maybe I'd film my best friend's dog or maybe a day in the life of a perspective student. When I found my topic, I filmed him for about 2 hours playing drums. While filming, I had my camera on the tri-pod for a long time until I decided I needed to be closer and get more tight shots. I took my camera off the tri-pod, sat on the floor, and started filming his foot hitting the drum. Then I stood up and tried to get some video from a medium shot. I also wanted to make sure my shots were focused and not shaky.
I also knew that my natural sound had to be perfect since I was filming a musician and the sound of the drums would be a very important part of the video. I played around a lot in Adobe Audition and used de-hummer and noise stabilizer a lot!
Another hard part to making this video was deciding how I was going to end it. I knew it had to be related to how drummers end their sets, so I filmed Matthew placing his sticks on the top of his drum and I thought that would be a good place to end.
Reflection:
Looking back on my assignment, I wish I didn't play it safe. I did want to make sure I included all the aspects to the rubric, but I should have been more creative. I really wish I got a high angle of Matthew playing, along with some shots behind him. I also wish I added some of the video of him talking to the camera so it shows the audience who is talking. I tried to focus too much on the drum playing, instead of the person playing the drums. I did enjoy this assignment and the editing portion, but if I were to do it again, I would try to think out side of the box a little more. This was by far the hardest assignment and I took the simple route when I should have gone all out.
For the next assignment, I am going to take the critique I got today and make sure that doesn't happen. I will think outside the box ! Let’s Go!
Watch 'Stix' Here
One thought on “Stix- Video Essay Assignment 3 Ramirez”
Demi,
I liked the idea of your story and think it was good overall! I think you got a nice shot of Matthew with flipping his drumstick in the air and a nice close-up of his feet while playing the instrument. I think it would’ve been good to see his face in the beginning so we can see who is talking and maybe get a few more wide shots. Besides that, it was a nice piece! Great job!
-Zack
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