Thursday, May 25, 2017

Semester Reflection

What I did this semester?

Over my semester in video class I have learned a lot of new information about the Adobe software and how to make good quality videos. I have also learned more than just how to edit a video but I have also learned more about the skills that you need to work in the real life.

Technology

     Throughout this course I have learned more about the technology aspect of this program. At the beginning of this year I was introduced to a whole new editing software. I had to adapt to Adobe Premiere. My peers and I had to learn about the software and we got to learn it together. I feel that I am way stronger in Premiere than I was in Final Cut Pro.  I learned how to make freeze frames, I learned how to fix the audio, and I also learned how to use transitions. I think that Premiere is a lot more organized and I prefer it over Final Cut. If I ever had questions for editing I would just search up tutorials on the internet. I think I had the most difficultly with audio. There was times where I couldn't get the audio levels to be the same. I also did not care as much about audio until it was too late. I think that a lot of people do not understand how important audio is. I think that knowing technology in today's world is so important. Technology is advancing rapidly and to start learning about technology at my age will likely help me in the future. I feel as though I have such a great advantage by being in this program. I am provided a variety of technology tools in this program. I have the chance to work with some technology and equipment that some adults will never get to use. 


Collaboration

Along with learning about technology, I also learned about collaboration. I found out that working with others is so critical. It adds a lot of value to your projects. My peers have given me such great feedback on my projects and I know that they really want everyone to do well. They have helped me improve my videos so much. I also learned how valuable it is to work on projects with others. You get to share ideas with one another and you get to form a story or project using everybody's ideas. When you work in a group your opinion always matters. Along with getting more ideas when working with others, you also get to make new friends. I have made so many new friends just by working together. I think that collaboration is crucial in any career that you go into whether it be something to do with e-Comm or not. You are always working with people in any job so it is important to know how to collaborate with others and how to work with people that you don't like. 


Communication

Communication is such an essential skill in any job. I have improved my communication skills a lot throughout this course. I have had to communicate during group projects. I have had to discuss due dates, production schedules, and a variety of others things to the groups. In all the groups I have been in this semester we have always communicated with each other when we can film. We have been able to plan out days to shoot really well just because we communicated with each other. I think that you use communication everyday. In a job you have to be able to talk to anyone and you have to be able to be understood. You could have the best product in the world, but if you don't communicate the product to people your business will most likely fail. 


Project Management

Throughout the semester I have gotten my projects turned in on time. If there was a time where the project wasn't done I took the initiative to come in after school to complete the project. I had a couple projects that needed some after school editing but I always managed to get things turned in on time. I believe that if you do not have good project management skills you will likely be fired in any career. Your boss will not appreciate you constantly turning in assignments late. If you don't have good project management skills you can not be trusted or counted on. If you always turn in things late no one will trust you to ever get things done on time. 


Leadership

I feel as though I have shown some leadership during this semester. During the Trailer Remake Project I took the initiative to stay up at night to make a detailed production schedule. I organized all the shots by setting then I went even further to analyze each shot by outfits so we could get all the shots done in one setting and one outfit. It was really helpful to have that resource during the filming process. I also think that my group appreciated this tool as well. I think that leadership is very important in a career because you can get promoted if you show good leadership during a project.

My strengths

I feel that my strengths in video are that I collaborate well and I am good at communication.  I think that I work well with any group that I am put into to. I can find a way to get along with everyone in the group. I also feel that I am good at communicating. I think that I am very flexible when it comes to making production schedules and I also tell my group members when I can not film.

My weaknesses

I think that I lack skill when it comes to showing leadership. I do not think that I am a bad leader, however, I feel that there has been times when my group has needed a leader to step up and I did not take the opportunity to be a leader. Next school year I hope to improve my leadership skills and take all the opportunities that I am given and step up in the group.

Would I change anything?

If I could change one thing it would be my music video. I think that I did not realize how difficult it is to come up with a story for a music video and execute it correctly. Since this project was our first assignment in entertainment I think that my skills were not as good as they are now. I think that if I were to redo it now I could make a better video with an actually story rather than just watching a person lip synch a song.

Overall

I have really enjoyed my time in entertainment. I think that a stronger in other areas but I really do enjoy making short films, music videos, and other types of entertainment videos. I also think that I am better at writing stories with facts rather than making up a story in my mind. I think that not only has my technical skills have improve but my other skills as well. I believe that being in this class has prepared me for the real world and getting a job. I am looking forward to my future in the e-Comm program.