S. P. WILKEN
I'M A VLOGGER NOW: THE WONDERS OF ROWING
My final video project of the year! The assignment here was to make your own blog, and the parameters were broad–to say the least. I knew pretty immediately that I'd be doing mine on rowing–the best sport of all time–simply because (a) I love it, and (B) I do nothing else besides row. So, for two or three weeks, I compiled a bazillion video clips, and spent a lot of time talking to my phone, all while hiding the shenanigans from my no-nonsense coach, Plamen Petrov. The final product is a solid mix between vlog and informational video, which is very much because rowing comes with a plethora of indecipherable lingo. I'm happy with it, even though it's 5 minutes over the time limit, and even though the conclusion is a little abrupt...I like to think it's abrupt because my relationship with rowing is far from over.
CHANGING THE GENRE: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Alright, third video project of the year. This time around, the goal was to teach an old dog some new tricks, or (ditching the idioms), I wanted to put a new genre on a favorite movie. The 2005 remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has always been a favorite of mine, and horror has always been a favorite genre. Admittedly, Tim Burton made the job of spoofing pretty easy: the hours and hours I spent editing this really opened up the childhood trauma this movie gifted me. Anyway, credit to Roald Dahl, his buddies, and several free audio sites, where credit is due. Enjoy!
MY FRIEND ANDREW: A SHORT FILM
MADE WITH KALEA GEBHARDT, CAMILIA SAULINO, & OREN LIBBUS
BEFORE YOU GO ANY FARTHER, READ THIS: When you click the play button on My Friend Andrew, it may or may not work, due to some issues I've been having with darling YouTube. In the event that it does not work, I suggest you click the link (which reads, roughly, "Play video on YouTube") and hope for the best. If THAT doesn't work, I apologize, and promise that the problem will be solved sometime around February 13, 2019.
Moving on. My Friend Andrew is, among other things, a tale of loss. In the very first scene, it is revealed that Andrew is dead, and that his funeral service is underway. From there, in the form of a confused funeral-goer, chaos ensues, and the service is hijacked by a series of comedic eulogies, all revealing that Andrew's life vaguely resembled that of Forrest Gump's. My group and I think that this story is hilarious
On the technical side of things, I would like to mention some of this project's strengths and weaknesses. First and foremost, I am extremely dissatisfied with our audio quality. We didn't have a working shotgun microphone, and there is only so much you can do to fix poor audio in post-production, especially with this project, which we (my group and I) were BARELY allowed to edit, and not allowed to cut. On the other hand, I am very happy with how the sound layering turned out--I think the music and sound effects made a wonderful and hilarious impact on the story. On that note, I would like to give credit to Alan Silvestri, for "Forrest Gump Suite," Matti Paalanen, for "Last Vigil," and Little Trees, for, "Help! I'm a Fish." We couldn't have done it without them.
VIDEO STORY PROJECT
This assignment was all about telling a story through sequenced images, telling a story through a song. I chose "Street of Dreams," sung by Ella Fitzgerald, played by Nelson Riddle and his orchestra. Ella's "Street of Dreams" is more upbeat than most every other variation, and the warm jazz has a wonderful effect on your mood. My message, told through the images of The Pink Panther Show, Walt Disney Productions, Chris Beard, and (most prominently) myself, is one of love, and of finding happiness in the smaller details of life, in nature, and in our loved ones. I believe that this message is more important today than it has every been before–we are a society wrapped up in the negative, in the tragedies, in the conflict. Watching this video, I want you to take a moment, and relax into all of the good.