Why I Am Fed-Up With School Computers

So I know that last week I said I would be posting my documentary on my blog but when we were trying to export it the computer freaked out.

This wasn't the first time that I have had problems with a school computer while working on my documentary project, or any project at all for that matter.  While some of these problems may have been my fault/someone in my group's fault, some of them were also computer malfunctions.

Problems I have had that have not really hurt me include the computer just not logging me in, the computer taking a solid 20 minutes to log me in, the computer not logging me out, or the computer taking at least 10 minutes to do absolutely anything (open a document, go to the internet, go to a given website...)

Other problems that I have had have more affected my work.  During the documentary project, our project got saved to some random folder and it took us an hour to find it (this problem was probably self induced.)  Also, during the documentary project, we would try to render what we had made so far and it would take anywhere from 45 minutes to and hour.  Another time, I clicked on a document to open it and then all of the sudden the most high pitched, obnoxious beeping anyone could possibly imagine started happening.  We finally got it to stop by unplugging the computer - which obviously made us lose the most recent work we had done.

The most recent experience I had - which is why I am not posting my documentary on my blog this week - is that my group mate went in at lunch to export our documentary.  The computer said it would take an hour, so she left and went to class.  The next day, I went in at lunch to try to upload it to my blog and my group mate was still logged into the computer and there was a message up saying the export had failed.  Not only was this extremely frustrating, but I had to make sure that the documentary was not altered in anyway.  I know that maybe had she stayed something could have been done - but everyone in our group had class.

This entire experience has been very frustrating, but for some reason I am still looking forward to our next video project.  I will probably begin posting about it soon so...

 

This is a picture of a Final Cut Pro screen - the program we use to edit our videos

Image Source: Final Cut

Finished Dystopian Trailer

So a while ago we started this project where we come up with a premise for a dystopian movie and then film a trailer for it - I wrote a post about it before where I put up a sample movie poster for it.  Anyways, we finally finished our trailer and I posted it above so you can watch it.

Our trailer is called iPower.  The basic story is that sometime in the future machines, specifically phones, will control everything and everyone but without the knowledge of the people.  The machines can send certain people back in time to kill those who have too much knowledge in the future.  Eventually one girl finds out what is happening so sends herself back in time to try to stop the machines from ever being invented.

I think that our trailer came out pretty good, especially considering that no one in our group really knew how to use Final Cut Pro before the project started.  It was all a learning process for us and I feel like that I am MUCH more comfortable navigating Final Cut than I was four weeks ago.  There is still A LOT more that I need to learn how to do on final cut; adjusting sound on music, key frames, transitions between shots (like fades), and overlaying clips are just a few to get the list started.

I enjoyed this project.  I liked how it connected things we were doing in English to Media and I liked how it gave us some freedom but it was guided (yeah, I know, kinda contradictory).   It was fun going out and filming and figuring out what we were even doing.  There were a lot of moments that happened when we were filming that might not have been so funny then but looking back now are hilarious.  My favorite is when we got yelled at by a farmer lady saying we were killing the planet by filming.

Even though this project required some dedication, I wouldn't mind doing another one like it.  And I'm really looking forward to Friday when we get to watch all the other trailers - I've seen a few already and they're really well done.

Dystopian Trailer Critique

The Hunger Games. Gary Ross. PG-13. 2012
When 17 year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is sent to fight to her death for the entertainment of the cruel Capitol, she uses the opportunity to ignite a spark and start a rebellion against those taking away the freedom of the people.

The trailer for Gary Ross' The Hunger Games is exemplary in its portrayal of a dystopian society, characteristics of the protagonist, and summarizing the movie's plot.  The first thing one notices are the characteristics of the dystopian society which are captured through the telescreens, images of everyone dressed in the same drab grey color, a fence separating the outside world, and so on.  Then one notices the outstanding personality of the protagonist, Katniss.  One sees her ability to hunt, her caring and motherly side, her slightly weaker side, and her strong will to achieve her goals and her courage.  Finally, as the trailer finishes, the viewer comes away with a sense of what the movie will be about.  Through a voice over, one learns what the Hunger Games are; through words one learns of the intensity of the games, and through snippets of dialogue one learns of the struggles the characters will endure throughout the film.

In my dystopian movie trailer I plan to show several shots of dirty, run down neighborhoods to show how the society is falling apart.  I will include pieces of dialogue from the protagonist to help develop who they are and to show what their hopes are to change the society.  Finally, I plan to use words to establish when and where the trailer is taking place and voice overs to help establish the plot.