During our last session with Pro Tools, we recorded some tracks of music with Kevin using the DigiDesign board plugged into ProTools. Kevin played some guitar tracks, and the Kevin from our program played the maracas, triangle and did some finger snaps. We learned how to adjust the levels for incoming sound on the gain, while we recorded using three different types of mics. One was the pencil mic, Schoeps, another was the Neumann, and the last one was the Blueberry. The Schoeps was good for picking up the triangle and the neck of the guitar. The Neumann sounded a little more bassy and worked well for the finger snaps. On the mouth of the guitar, the Blueberry seemed to work best with just a light bit of the Neumann.
On playback, we adjusted the audio levels on the board for the mix, submixed the guitar and added reverb to the sub track and played with the frequency on the 7-band equalizer plug-in. We learned how to “freestyle” the change in equalizer with the shuttle controller while recording, and how to use the nodes to change the waveform representation of the individual frequency on the track. We also learned that you can cut and past the pattern so that you can repeat a particular style. We also used the pan function to give the music some separation.
Kevin also showed us how to mix down the tracks, which occurs in real time. This is important to note because time will need to build into the final mixdown process (Bounce) after recording. Still, it’s a good feature because you can hear the final mix as it’s mixing down in case you need to go back and change something.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Pro Tools session 2
Krystin and Michael gave us an overview of some of the tools for cleaning field audio using Pro Tools. The Paz plug-in worked well for taking a sample of audio and indicating good frequency points to zone in on and pull down. The frequencies up to 250 were able to be brought down, as well as the ones above 4 000. We also learned the noise reduction tools for clicks, hums, and general noise. Some great tips for compensating for some cyber-type sounds in between significant parts of the wave include adding an ambiance sound track to make the sound more natural. Some extra care while recording can also help in post by making sure you have about a minute of the ambiance of a location without voice. I also found the pen tool handy as you can change the frequency more naturally by sloping your changes instead of sharp, jagged lines. This is great if you have a few clicks you want to quickly smooth out. I found a lot of the tools in Pro Tools similar to the ones I’ve used in Adobe Audition.
Also, I had a chance to test out the Audio Technica AT897 boom mic I bought. The levels are fantastic and the mic is highly directional. It doesn’t pick up a lot of extraneous noise at all. There was a fan in the room I was recording in and the mic was directional enough that it didn’t even pick up the sound. It will be a great use if I ever have the opportunity to shoot at a conference again.
Also, I had a chance to test out the Audio Technica AT897 boom mic I bought. The levels are fantastic and the mic is highly directional. It doesn’t pick up a lot of extraneous noise at all. There was a fan in the room I was recording in and the mic was directional enough that it didn’t even pick up the sound. It will be a great use if I ever have the opportunity to shoot at a conference again.
Monday, November 9, 2009
In search of equipment
For my MRP, I've been scavenging around looking for equipment. The distance from home to school has me worried about renting equipment from Ryerson. Those late charges could sure add up if the 401 Eastbound is shut down again any morning I try to bring the equipment back.
I have purchased Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and and Photoshop software. I have a good working knowledge of the editing program and am a beginner at the other two. For a camera, I bought the Canon Vixia HV40. I tested it out this weekend and it is quite good quality. I shot in HDV and tried to import a 45 second clip into my Apple MacBook Pro. After several attempts to import I finally figure out that the camera setting for playback must be on "DV Locked", and the setting on Premier Pro must be on Canon Alternate 2. When I did capture the clip, the program froze and the swirling pizza ball of hell would not vacate my screen. After shutting down and re-starting, i found the clip in my movie file (I imported it as an .mov). I tried to import it into the project but the swirling pizza ball of hell came back. I decided to check the file size. It was almost half a gig for 45 seconds! That's about 10 megabytes per second. I am going to do some more tests before shooting at the ECOO conference this week. Maybe Standard def in widescreen is the way to go.
I also purchased a little side light which fills in the shadows on faces. it tested pretty well. The Audio Technica mic US1Photo sent doesn't work and will have to be sent back. I did an online purchase for one through B and H Photo and sped up the delivery time. That was Friday and I have to shoot Thursday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!(received an email later in the day saying they shipped it out today...still keeping my fingers crossed).
Also today, I tested out audio for field use. Mike Murphy gave us a good overview of the different types of mics and some tips for use. It was interesting to learn how the cardiod shotgun condenser mic works. The phasing that happens with the ridges on the sides of the mic to cancel out delayed sound is highly useful for shooting at a conference when you don't want extraneous noise. I took the mic outside and it picked up the helicopter going by above me quite well and when I pointed it down 45 degrees the volume was noticeably lower. Even the ambient noise changed with the position of the mic. This mic required phantom power even though it was battery powered, unless I was using it wrong. I couldn't get a level without the phantom power on.
I then tried out my Shure SM11 lavalier mic. It needed phantom power as well. The levels were quite a bit lower than the shotgun mic. I tested out the sound in the RCC lobby and talked in a regular voice while a girl beside me spoke in a loud voice. It picked her up as well. I can see how important it will be to have that shotgun mic at the conference and I really hope it arrives before my shoot on Thursday. Ryerson won't let me take out the shotgun mic, nor the portable audio mixer because the first and second years are using them this week. I'm starting to see how important it really is to have your own equipment. However, there are other good reasons for this. I know that starting a project with one camera and mic and switching to other equipment can cause differences in audio and video footage in various a/v levels that can leave you with hours of colour correction and matching audio levels and warmth. I'm hoping to save myself some time this way.
I tried out the Marantz USB recorder. I think I'll use this to record my audio separately at the conference and then sync it up afterwards. I recorded .wav at 48kH. About 4 minutes of audio took 46 megabytes. For my MRP I'm expecting about 6 hours of native audio files. 5 seconds takes up 1 mb. That's do-able. I'm looking at recording 6 hours. That's just over 4 gigs.
I did try to plug both the shotgun mic and the lavalier into the Marantz but the levels were so different and there is only one level knob. The Marantz in no way should be used as a mixer! The ease of transfer from the Marantz via USB is a terrific time saver. This may be the next item on my list of things to buy.
I have purchased Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and and Photoshop software. I have a good working knowledge of the editing program and am a beginner at the other two. For a camera, I bought the Canon Vixia HV40. I tested it out this weekend and it is quite good quality. I shot in HDV and tried to import a 45 second clip into my Apple MacBook Pro. After several attempts to import I finally figure out that the camera setting for playback must be on "DV Locked", and the setting on Premier Pro must be on Canon Alternate 2. When I did capture the clip, the program froze and the swirling pizza ball of hell would not vacate my screen. After shutting down and re-starting, i found the clip in my movie file (I imported it as an .mov). I tried to import it into the project but the swirling pizza ball of hell came back. I decided to check the file size. It was almost half a gig for 45 seconds! That's about 10 megabytes per second. I am going to do some more tests before shooting at the ECOO conference this week. Maybe Standard def in widescreen is the way to go.
I also purchased a little side light which fills in the shadows on faces. it tested pretty well. The Audio Technica mic US1Photo sent doesn't work and will have to be sent back. I did an online purchase for one through B and H Photo and sped up the delivery time. That was Friday and I have to shoot Thursday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!(received an email later in the day saying they shipped it out today...still keeping my fingers crossed).
Also today, I tested out audio for field use. Mike Murphy gave us a good overview of the different types of mics and some tips for use. It was interesting to learn how the cardiod shotgun condenser mic works. The phasing that happens with the ridges on the sides of the mic to cancel out delayed sound is highly useful for shooting at a conference when you don't want extraneous noise. I took the mic outside and it picked up the helicopter going by above me quite well and when I pointed it down 45 degrees the volume was noticeably lower. Even the ambient noise changed with the position of the mic. This mic required phantom power even though it was battery powered, unless I was using it wrong. I couldn't get a level without the phantom power on.
I then tried out my Shure SM11 lavalier mic. It needed phantom power as well. The levels were quite a bit lower than the shotgun mic. I tested out the sound in the RCC lobby and talked in a regular voice while a girl beside me spoke in a loud voice. It picked her up as well. I can see how important it will be to have that shotgun mic at the conference and I really hope it arrives before my shoot on Thursday. Ryerson won't let me take out the shotgun mic, nor the portable audio mixer because the first and second years are using them this week. I'm starting to see how important it really is to have your own equipment. However, there are other good reasons for this. I know that starting a project with one camera and mic and switching to other equipment can cause differences in audio and video footage in various a/v levels that can leave you with hours of colour correction and matching audio levels and warmth. I'm hoping to save myself some time this way.
I tried out the Marantz USB recorder. I think I'll use this to record my audio separately at the conference and then sync it up afterwards. I recorded .wav at 48kH. About 4 minutes of audio took 46 megabytes. For my MRP I'm expecting about 6 hours of native audio files. 5 seconds takes up 1 mb. That's do-able. I'm looking at recording 6 hours. That's just over 4 gigs.
I did try to plug both the shotgun mic and the lavalier into the Marantz but the levels were so different and there is only one level knob. The Marantz in no way should be used as a mixer! The ease of transfer from the Marantz via USB is a terrific time saver. This may be the next item on my list of things to buy.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday October 26th module
Intermediate EFP
Hands-on part of module:
Dana showed me some great shooting tips to help me prepare for shooting at a convention in 3 weeks. It's less cumbersome to take the boom mic off the pole and kneel down under the shot, directing it toward the subject. It's also easier in this position to direction the boom mic with your wrist in the position of the person talking.
The camera is best off a tripod. I will need to practice this.
I learned how to shoot multiple people by keeping a wide shot and walking in towards the subject for a closer shot and moving out when another person joins into the conversation to a 2-shot. With three people interacting, it's best to keep the shot pulled out on all three.
Dana also taught me the duck walk he used at City TV to follow alongside a moving subject and moving forward and back with a subject. (Dana cautioned that it's best to have someone guide you by the shoulder when walking backwards)
More tips:
-Zebra stripes should be set at 80 for Caucasian skin.
-if you have to use a boom mic on top, do so. The camera mic is too directional and will pick up too much noise
-use a light on top of the camera for fill, rather than key
-close your eyes and listen to ambient noise in the room like fans or other noise makers that will wreck your audio track
-look for backgrounds with a “z” access for visual stimulation
-shoot plenty of B-roll and listen to your subject for good B roll clues.
-practice following people shots for B-roll
-Do establishing shots at the convention location...wide shot, find focal point and pull out, could do tilts, etc. Look for interesting shots like architecture lines and flowers to amp up the aesthetic factor.
Paperwork:
Dana went over the paperwork for doc work with me. A plot synopsis is not needed, but a treatment is important for figuring out what technical elements are planned and given consideration, such as camera shots, music, and lighting. If there are more than two people working on a production during the course of a day, a call sheet is necessary just to keep track of the schedule and the people involved. Dana says there's no excuse not to include a map as well. Google Maps is easy to use. A breakdown sheet is used more for dramas than docs so I don't need to do them. Release forms are important for people talking on camera. Background people are to be treated much the way the news treats them. No special release form is needed. Audio plans are helpful for finding extraneous and disruptive source of noise such as fans and buzzing lights. An audio plan is not necessary at a convention as I won't know in advance where I will be shooting, but I will make a point of checking the audio location before I roll tape. No blocked master scene script is needed for docs. EFP storyboards are not necessary, but it is important to do a shot list in case there is some storytelling opportunity through visuals in B-roll. There will not be a set-up and lighting plan for shooting at a convention, again, this is because it isn't know in advance where the shooting will take place. I will scout the location for outdoor light streaming in and move locations if the light affects the colour temperature of my shot too much. I will also attempt to use a camera light for a fill light instead of a key light. Shoot sheets will be used to organize footage by subject and content, but I will not be individualizing each shot. I may do an EDL but most likely I will use the shoot sheet as I will be editing my own material.
After Effects
I joined the After Effects group after working with Dana. We used the vanishing point tool in Adobe Photoshop to create 5 .png walls that a camera and lights could be mounted and moved around within. I kept having difficulty with the Create Plane tool and found that when you cross the points over and over on themselves, the create plane blue line tool will finally disappear! So much for CTRL Z!
We found that the Edit Plane tool needs to be very close to the wall lines to work well in defining the 3D walls.
To create a second panel angle, we held down Command and watched for the white arrow with a tiny grid to pop up before pulling the point out with a cursor. To zoom in and out of the Photoshop project, we pressed Command and plus and to zoom out, we pressed Command and minus.
Next, we exported from vanishing Point Filter as a .vpe file. “Export for After Effects” under the drop down menu in the top left corner. We opened After Effects and went to File, then Import, then Vanishing Point VPE. We were able to add a layer and add lights (the camera automatically loaded as we used the vanishing point feature.
Hands-on part of module:
Dana showed me some great shooting tips to help me prepare for shooting at a convention in 3 weeks. It's less cumbersome to take the boom mic off the pole and kneel down under the shot, directing it toward the subject. It's also easier in this position to direction the boom mic with your wrist in the position of the person talking.
The camera is best off a tripod. I will need to practice this.
I learned how to shoot multiple people by keeping a wide shot and walking in towards the subject for a closer shot and moving out when another person joins into the conversation to a 2-shot. With three people interacting, it's best to keep the shot pulled out on all three.
Dana also taught me the duck walk he used at City TV to follow alongside a moving subject and moving forward and back with a subject. (Dana cautioned that it's best to have someone guide you by the shoulder when walking backwards)
More tips:
-Zebra stripes should be set at 80 for Caucasian skin.
-if you have to use a boom mic on top, do so. The camera mic is too directional and will pick up too much noise
-use a light on top of the camera for fill, rather than key
-close your eyes and listen to ambient noise in the room like fans or other noise makers that will wreck your audio track
-look for backgrounds with a “z” access for visual stimulation
-shoot plenty of B-roll and listen to your subject for good B roll clues.
-practice following people shots for B-roll
-Do establishing shots at the convention location...wide shot, find focal point and pull out, could do tilts, etc. Look for interesting shots like architecture lines and flowers to amp up the aesthetic factor.
Paperwork:
Dana went over the paperwork for doc work with me. A plot synopsis is not needed, but a treatment is important for figuring out what technical elements are planned and given consideration, such as camera shots, music, and lighting. If there are more than two people working on a production during the course of a day, a call sheet is necessary just to keep track of the schedule and the people involved. Dana says there's no excuse not to include a map as well. Google Maps is easy to use. A breakdown sheet is used more for dramas than docs so I don't need to do them. Release forms are important for people talking on camera. Background people are to be treated much the way the news treats them. No special release form is needed. Audio plans are helpful for finding extraneous and disruptive source of noise such as fans and buzzing lights. An audio plan is not necessary at a convention as I won't know in advance where I will be shooting, but I will make a point of checking the audio location before I roll tape. No blocked master scene script is needed for docs. EFP storyboards are not necessary, but it is important to do a shot list in case there is some storytelling opportunity through visuals in B-roll. There will not be a set-up and lighting plan for shooting at a convention, again, this is because it isn't know in advance where the shooting will take place. I will scout the location for outdoor light streaming in and move locations if the light affects the colour temperature of my shot too much. I will also attempt to use a camera light for a fill light instead of a key light. Shoot sheets will be used to organize footage by subject and content, but I will not be individualizing each shot. I may do an EDL but most likely I will use the shoot sheet as I will be editing my own material.
After Effects
I joined the After Effects group after working with Dana. We used the vanishing point tool in Adobe Photoshop to create 5 .png walls that a camera and lights could be mounted and moved around within. I kept having difficulty with the Create Plane tool and found that when you cross the points over and over on themselves, the create plane blue line tool will finally disappear! So much for CTRL Z!
We found that the Edit Plane tool needs to be very close to the wall lines to work well in defining the 3D walls.
To create a second panel angle, we held down Command and watched for the white arrow with a tiny grid to pop up before pulling the point out with a cursor. To zoom in and out of the Photoshop project, we pressed Command and plus and to zoom out, we pressed Command and minus.
Next, we exported from vanishing Point Filter as a .vpe file. “Export for After Effects” under the drop down menu in the top left corner. We opened After Effects and went to File, then Import, then Vanishing Point VPE. We were able to add a layer and add lights (the camera automatically loaded as we used the vanishing point feature.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Adobe After Effects Day 1
I bought Adobe After Effects CS4 a month ago, knowing that I would be able to use it for a learning tutorial. I followed Joanna as she walked us through the first tutorial. I was glad to have her point out the functions in the workspace. Students of mine had demonstrated a project to my class last year, but it was assumed we all knew the basic functions. I didn't want to hold any of my students back by asking too many questions as many of them had already played with the program at home. Instead, I booked a former student of mine to come back and take me through step by step. Fortunately for him, he got a job at CTV and I decided to buy a book and try to learn AE on my own. Well, the school year got rolling and I found I had no extra time to play with the program on my own free time. Joanna's tutorials will be a great help as I will surely forget how to work the program and can now go back and refer to them.
We learned how to bring in various forms of media including different layers from Photoshop and how to use the transform tools of anchor point, position, scale, rotation, and opacity. I learned the importance of locking off a background layer so that I don't accidentally transform it in any way. I also learned how to rag on effects such as sepia, contrast and brightness. There are several of these tools to play with. I also learned how to blend layers by activating Mode.
We briefly touched on cameras and lighting. I'm going to need more time with this part. I got confused when the axes crossed over each other. I'll have to see if I have a chapter in my book to help me along with this.
Lastly, Jim and I got a chance to try out a tutorial on our own. We made a robot fly on a path and put some moving clouds in sideways to look like smoke. We played with the Linear Light mode to make the clouds look like they were blended more into the background. Afterwards, I asked Joanna about render and export and she showed me how to select advanced settings for this.
We learned how to bring in various forms of media including different layers from Photoshop and how to use the transform tools of anchor point, position, scale, rotation, and opacity. I learned the importance of locking off a background layer so that I don't accidentally transform it in any way. I also learned how to rag on effects such as sepia, contrast and brightness. There are several of these tools to play with. I also learned how to blend layers by activating Mode.
We briefly touched on cameras and lighting. I'm going to need more time with this part. I got confused when the axes crossed over each other. I'll have to see if I have a chapter in my book to help me along with this.
Lastly, Jim and I got a chance to try out a tutorial on our own. We made a robot fly on a path and put some moving clouds in sideways to look like smoke. We played with the Linear Light mode to make the clouds look like they were blended more into the background. Afterwards, I asked Joanna about render and export and she showed me how to select advanced settings for this.
Testing Video Export Formats
The Board of Education asked me to edit a video and output it to .wmv so that it could be played from a computer. I asked what venue the video would be shown in as I had been given low quality files to work with. The response was that it would be shown on a big screen in an auditorium. I explained that I would edit the video but that the quality would not be very good, even if I were to export it in a better format. .wmv export was out! The file size was small at 103 MB but the quality was just awful. Since the plan was to run a file off a computer, I tested an export using Adobe Encore to .f4v format and it looked pretty close to the .mov. The file size of the .f4v was only 188MB, whereas the .mov was 3.2 gigs. The quality was amazing for the file size! It worked well on Adobe Media Player and I suggested that computer files be played using .f4v in future and that .wmv format be abandoned right away. .wmv is poor quality and an antiquated format.
In case the computer happened to have a DVD-ROM on it, I exported using the .mov to iDVD and put a menu on it. The file was 666MB. I also exported from the editing program straight to Encore as MPEG-2 and onto DVD. This file ended up being 1.8 gigs. The DVD quality of both DVDs looked the same, though iDVD was quicker to burn. Using Encore is the best option for creating special menus, but it seems that iDVD would be better for burning larger projects.
In Encore, You can burn so that the disc starts up right away upon insertion if the workspace is too intimidating but with a little trial and error and time to spend learning all the features, it's also a great program for creating menus and chapters. The workflow is quite nice. You can edit changes right in the workflow area which is a lot more friendly to use than the properties window. The timeline is easy to use for inserting chapters as well. You can easily move these to an exact point of choice.
In case the computer happened to have a DVD-ROM on it, I exported using the .mov to iDVD and put a menu on it. The file was 666MB. I also exported from the editing program straight to Encore as MPEG-2 and onto DVD. This file ended up being 1.8 gigs. The DVD quality of both DVDs looked the same, though iDVD was quicker to burn. Using Encore is the best option for creating special menus, but it seems that iDVD would be better for burning larger projects.
In Encore, You can burn so that the disc starts up right away upon insertion if the workspace is too intimidating but with a little trial and error and time to spend learning all the features, it's also a great program for creating menus and chapters. The workflow is quite nice. You can edit changes right in the workflow area which is a lot more friendly to use than the properties window. The timeline is easy to use for inserting chapters as well. You can easily move these to an exact point of choice.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
September 28, 2009
Media Production Module September 28
Lori explained the difference between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. Example of web 1.0 included one way communication of information while Web 2.0 entailed a interactive approach with user-generated content. Web 3.0 takes on tasks that are more human-like. For example social media that tracks what content a user is using and can change itself based on those parameters. Last.FM is a good example of this. Jango is as well. Both of these programs are radio programs that track your listening habits and search for the that music being streamed over the Internet and plays it for you as it is streaming.
From a production stand-point, I worked a little with Dreamweaver and Flash. Joanne taught me how to take the loop off of a project in the Publish Settings. It still seemed to loop when I played it in Google Earth so I think I'll go back to the web and search for how to give the .swf direction for the amount of time I require it to play before it shuts off. I also learned how to use the gradient tool in Photoshop. First, you use the magic wand to select the areas you want to apply a gradient to. Next, you mark points on a scale and select the colour as well as the amount of gradient you want for each section. Lastly, in Dreamweaver, I learned to create a template that could be applied to each page simply by designing my index page to a certain point where I want to repeat elements on subsequent pages, and then save multiple pages as new names.
Lori explained the difference between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. Example of web 1.0 included one way communication of information while Web 2.0 entailed a interactive approach with user-generated content. Web 3.0 takes on tasks that are more human-like. For example social media that tracks what content a user is using and can change itself based on those parameters. Last.FM is a good example of this. Jango is as well. Both of these programs are radio programs that track your listening habits and search for the that music being streamed over the Internet and plays it for you as it is streaming.
From a production stand-point, I worked a little with Dreamweaver and Flash. Joanne taught me how to take the loop off of a project in the Publish Settings. It still seemed to loop when I played it in Google Earth so I think I'll go back to the web and search for how to give the .swf direction for the amount of time I require it to play before it shuts off. I also learned how to use the gradient tool in Photoshop. First, you use the magic wand to select the areas you want to apply a gradient to. Next, you mark points on a scale and select the colour as well as the amount of gradient you want for each section. Lastly, in Dreamweaver, I learned to create a template that could be applied to each page simply by designing my index page to a certain point where I want to repeat elements on subsequent pages, and then save multiple pages as new names.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Continuing HTML webpage design
The answer is div tags! I practiced putting a picture into my web-page and found that if I inserted a div tag it didn't embed it far below where I needed to position it.
After experiencing some success with web-design, I decided to try my hand at Flash. I found some old tutorials from back when Flash used to be run by Macromedia. Some of the information carried over but I still muddled through the rest. My biggest problem was in making my text appear in a fade-up. I played with the alpha channels and key framed the text, even converted the text to a graphic symbol. Still, when it came time to do a motion tween, it wouldn't work. There's now this thing called "classic tween" which also didn't work for me. I plan to look up what it means. I'm only familiar with shape and motion tweens. I manually added keyframes all through the timeline and adjusted the alpha levels by 5 percent each time. It worked, but it took a really long time.
I would really like to learn how to apply attributes and how to animate them as well. I intend to do some research on this. The knowledge would be helpful with a Google Earth project I am doing in Digital Virtual Environments class. I would also like to be able to design a Flash button/logo for a possible website that I may include in my MRP. I think the Digital Teachers Network would be a good name. Now I just need to research whether or not the name is already being used and whether a domain name is open for it as well.
After experiencing some success with web-design, I decided to try my hand at Flash. I found some old tutorials from back when Flash used to be run by Macromedia. Some of the information carried over but I still muddled through the rest. My biggest problem was in making my text appear in a fade-up. I played with the alpha channels and key framed the text, even converted the text to a graphic symbol. Still, when it came time to do a motion tween, it wouldn't work. There's now this thing called "classic tween" which also didn't work for me. I plan to look up what it means. I'm only familiar with shape and motion tweens. I manually added keyframes all through the timeline and adjusted the alpha levels by 5 percent each time. It worked, but it took a really long time.
I would really like to learn how to apply attributes and how to animate them as well. I intend to do some research on this. The knowledge would be helpful with a Google Earth project I am doing in Digital Virtual Environments class. I would also like to be able to design a Flash button/logo for a possible website that I may include in my MRP. I think the Digital Teachers Network would be a good name. Now I just need to research whether or not the name is already being used and whether a domain name is open for it as well.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
September 21, 2009
I decided that I should try the web module first, instead of video basics. I’m more interested in learning lighting and shooting in non-typical locations/situations so I will wait for the intermediate video module. I will have to make sure I book out a camera to make sure I review where to locate the filter settings and white balance controls.
I think for my MRP it would be useful to make sure I fill in all the gaps of my knowledge in web design. Last week when I started to think about my documentary idea, I decided I needed a way to help my audience by creating a networking website for teachers. Several of us are using Google Groups, but I would like to learn how to develop a section for bookmarking websites and sharing resources, posting, etc.
Lori Beckstead was fantastic in teaching us the basics of html. She explained everything thoroughly and answered any extra questions we had as we went along. I learned that the word is now being used instead of . I also learned about the use of metatags and why it’s so important to think of key words that search engines will pick up. Because much of my knowledge about web design is self-taught, I had thought CSS style sheets were something Dreamweaver created for its program. Lori showed us how we can design these from scratch.
While playing around with adding media to my site, I had trouble fitting an .flv into the location I wanted to. It kept popping up far below the top column. I tried to add a table to see if it would give me more flexibility but it didn’t. I’ve tried using layers before, but I know layers move around within different browsers. This is something I plan to explore further next week.
I think for my MRP it would be useful to make sure I fill in all the gaps of my knowledge in web design. Last week when I started to think about my documentary idea, I decided I needed a way to help my audience by creating a networking website for teachers. Several of us are using Google Groups, but I would like to learn how to develop a section for bookmarking websites and sharing resources, posting, etc.
Lori Beckstead was fantastic in teaching us the basics of html. She explained everything thoroughly and answered any extra questions we had as we went along. I learned that the word is now being used instead of
While playing around with adding media to my site, I had trouble fitting an .flv into the location I wanted to. It kept popping up far below the top column. I tried to add a table to see if it would give me more flexibility but it didn’t. I’ve tried using layers before, but I know layers move around within different browsers. This is something I plan to explore further next week.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Media Production Beginnings
Instructor Dana Lee has asked us to monitor our media tech skills and knowledge we will need to develop for our Major Project in the Media Production Masters program. We need to come up with a list of skills we have, skills we need to learn, and research we need to conduct.
I am starting off the year with an excellent working knowledge of Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 which is not used at Ryerson. I will need to transfer my skills to Final Cut Pro 7. The last time I used FCP was when it was version 2. I will need to research some tutorials to see what has changed. I have a great working knowledge of Adobe Audition, though I am frustrated by the tinny digital sound during some correction. Ryerson uses Pro tools. I will need to develop these new skills. I have just purchased the Adobe Production suite CS4 so that I can learn Adobe After Effects. I also picked up a book with tutorials on the software called After Effects Apprentice. Other than that, I am going to need refreshers on lighting, clean field audio recording, tips for shooting in HD, and the cameras that Ryerson uses. However, I will likely buy my own Sony HD homecamcorder if I can get away with it. I will need to start my filming before the Spring time as I will have to go back and teach at WODSS for a few weeks and the undergrads at Ryerson will have first dibs on school cams during that time.
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