This is too easy

November 11, 2008

     I edited the footage from the Careers in CAT Panel discussion everything ran so smooth.  he actual footage was way too long for my liking so what I did was try to cut it down to just 2 panelist answers per question.  During the actual panel every panelist answered every question.  I knocked out the sequencing and the transitions.  I didn’t use any filters I wanted to go for a modern news type of feel.  Now all I have left is the Opening title shot and the rolling credits at the end and it’s a wrap.  And just think a few weeks ago i had never even used a MAC for editing video.

Alan Q

Capturing footage shouldn’t be this hard

October 28, 2008

     Last night was the Careers in CAT Panel discussion at Anne Arundel Community College.  All of te members of the Graphic Design Club were there to help out each one utilizing their specialty to chip in.  I chipped in by video taping the entire event.  And guess what now I have some footage of my own to edit!!!  The panel discussion took a little over two hours and I only had two tapes (Always come prepared more tapes, batteries, etc.,) But I still taped the majority of the event.  It took all day to capture the footage onto the computer ICS has this totally different system that I have never encountered.  I can’t even remember the name of it but it was a lot more than just put the tape in and hit capture on the program.  My mentor wasn’t there so I tried to capture the footage on my own and that didn’t work by far.  So I asked one of the guys to help me and he tried one thing that didn’t work then he tried another and another, but he wasn’t the quitting type.  He told me that after lunch he would know how to do it and by the time I returned from lunch, the equipment was rigged up and ready for me to make a capture.  By the time I finally had captured all of the footage the day was over and I hadn’t made any edits but now i have new footage for next week though and I’m excited.

Alan Q

Learning the Filters were cool but I’m tired of this footage

October 21, 2008

Alright now that I’ve learned how to use the transitions maybe this week I’ll get some new footage and I can start something new in Final Cut a project of my own.  Nope!! Today “Alan the same thing that you did with the transitions last week I want you to do this week but with the filters.  I want you to use every filter until you know what each one does.”  Cool that’s how I learned to use the transitions even though I can’t stand to look at this same footage for another second let alone a whole day but ok.  Everything started out pretty smooth just as it had with the transitions until I started getting these error messages needs to be rendered. huh?  So I gave my mentor a call and he then told me how to render footage over the phone and I went on about the business of learning each and every filter in Final Cut Pro.

That’s what I’m talking about some transitions

October 14, 2008

     After having a talk with my mentor about the footage that I was “editing” this week he gave me some new direction.  This week he gave me the same footage but he gave me a little more guidance.  He said,  “Alan I want you to take this footage and use every transition until you know what each one does,  Every Transition.”  At first I thought to myself here we go again but once I started going through the transitions one by one using each one I actually felt like I was learning something.  I began seeing some of the different transitions that I had seen in movies.  Then my mind started to wander I could use this transition for this, and I could use that transition for that then I could possibly double up and use one of these followed by one of those.  It was a great feeling I learned how to use transitions in Final Cut Pro !!! 

Alan Q

Practice, Practice, Practice

October 7, 2008

    I’m still working on the same practice footage.  I wasn’t particularly fond of this footage last week and I still feel the same about it this week.  I don’t want to complain but I feel like I’m just making random cuts and placing random transitions and whoever looks at this footage after I’m done is not going to know what’s going on.  But hey if these are the directions that I’m given, then these are the directions I will follow.

Alan Q

Hands On Finally

Sept. 30, 2008

   The Days has finally arrived and I got my first whack at Final Cut Pro….  It was a bit more challenging than expected, the tutorials can only prepare for so much and well let’s just say it wasn’t enough.  I’ve got to cut Final Cut Pro some slack, the actual footage I was given to edit had already been edited partially.  In addition to this I didn’t really have any direction or vision.  I think I can do better next time if I’m editing some footage that I shot maybe.  I pretty much went through and made some cuts discarded some footage and even made some transitions but overall I didn’t know where I wanted to go with the footage and I don’t think I got the best out of this experience.  Next week I’ll be sure to seek guidance from my mentor and hopefully have a more meaningful second experience than I did with my first.

Alan Q

Day 2

Tuesday Sept. 23,

    I finished going over the tutorial DVDs today it seemed like it was never going to end, but I finally got through them.  The whole thing of Final Cut seems pretty straight forward in my video1 class I’m using Adobe Premiere and they both seem very similar as far as the tools and everything.  I still didn’t get a chance to get any hands on today but I did speak with my mentor and he informed me that next Tuesday he would have some footage for me to edit.

Alan Q

1st Day @ ICS

Sept 16th was the first day of my internship with ICS Learning Group.  It was pretty cool they set me up on a computer and I proceeded to learn Final Cut Pro.  The whole thing is a new experience for me seeing how I don’t have much experience using a mac, but I’m a fast learner.  I made it about 3/4 through the tutorials before I got out of there for the evening.  Final cut seems pretty easy I can’t wait to hurry up and finish these tutorials so I can get some hands on training maybe next week.

Alan Q

Now it’s on !

OK so maybe I jumped the gun a little bit in my last post.  I GOT THE INTERNSHIP !!! I’ll be assisting with the video production and editing at ICS Learning Group.  I have very limited experience with editing video but I’m at the right place.  I’m a fast learner and they specialize in developing online learning videos and software. ( Fast Learner + Great Teacher = Success??? ).  I went in and met with everyone once again yesterday, they set me up on the computer and I began learning how to edit video with Final Cut Pro 4.  So the journey begins I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Alan Q

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

Alright so I guess I put all my eggs in one basket.  I thought I was rolling I had already been in touch with this one company, sent them my resume and cover letter.  I went in for an interview and sat with the owner I met another gentlemen that was going to be my supervisor and I thought everything was going great when I left they told me they would be in touch with me.  Well it’s been about two weeks now and I think it’s safe to assume they’re not interested.  So what’s a student to do?  Back to the drawing board, now I’ve got to send out more resumes more cover letters and go on more interviews.  It took me a while to realize that I was wasting time sitting around and waiting for this internship to fall in my lap like it was owed to me.  But it’s cool now I realize I have to go out and  get it.

Alan Q