The Crash Test Dummies

What was the creators approach to seat belt safety in these ads that was so different from previous efforts? What was the effect of the crash test dummy PSA's on society?

Previously, ads promoting seat belts used horrific examples of what can potentially happen if a driver or people in the car did not use their seat belts. However, the new approach gave the same message in a more humorous way using crash test dummies. The crash test dummies became a highly popular PSA, earning more than $337 in donated time, making the iconic dummies into a celebrity. The widespread recognition the dummies got for the PSA finally gave the viewers the an idea of the dangers of driving without a seatbelt. Thus, seatbelt usage steadily rose, saving tens and thousands of lives every year.

Fall Semester Wrapup (blog from 12/22/17)

As our semester draws to a close, take some time to reflect on what you've learned. Write down three things that you've learned and how they will improve your video projects in the future. For those that are continuing into next semester, also list three things that you are looking forward to learning in the Spring. Why do you want to learn these things? What do you want to concentrate on doing better? What could you improve? What kind of projects are you looking forward too?

Things I have learned

1. I learned that the pre-production process is a lot more necessary than I believed previously. The entire process of pre-production seemed to be excruciatingly long when I first learned the concept, but as I completed the pre production for my group projects, I noticed various points that needed to be addressed before shooting. It allowed me to look back at my plan thoroughly and understand which points I have missed and how the entire video flows throughout. 

2. I learned the competitive nature of the film industry. One of the most memorable experiences in the first semester was the face-to-face interview I had with a person who was currently working as a filmmaker. We talked for over an hour about his experiences and his advice for future filmmakers who are interested in film. It was very memorable how he emphasized the harsh realities of payment and employment in the competitive industry. It gave me a better insight on what kind of mindset I needed if I were to think about professionally working as a filmmaker.

3. I learned the different perks and setbacks of various softwares. Coming into SVCTE, I assumed that Premiere Pro was above all, the best editing software out there. However, as I worked with the software, I became aware that it is more effective to utilize different soft wares for different uses. For example, Davinci Resolve is strong in color grading, regarding that the editing and the grading feature is built into the same program. Premiere Pro, on the other hand, is stronger at handling special effects. Because Premiere Pro is a much more popular software, there are more plugins that can be downloaded to enhance the video. Furthermore, AVIUTL is strong on graphics, as every bit of the motion and shape of a graphic can be altered one's ideal style.

Thing I want to learn in the spring

1. This spring, I want to be able to learn how to use more film making equipment to enhance my videos. For starters, I want to be able to use the Osmo Pro for a more cinematic, stable shot. Being able to use this will help improve my videos, regarding how much lighter the camera is compared to the large Sony camcorders. Therefore, the Osmo can be carried to places that would have been too dangerous on the camcorders.

2. I want to be able to use different setting for videos. For example, I want to use 4K to shoot my videos to give me more room to image stabilize, crop, or use other ways of altering the footage without lowering the video quality below 1080. Regarding how the Osmo has the capability to shoot in 4K, I am excited to see how this high resolution will give me more options in post. Furthermore, I want to learn which cameras are able to shoot in Raw, to see the difference in flexibility when putting it into color grading. It will be interesting to see a non-grainy footage even when the exposure is increased.

3. I am excited to learn how to shoot a music video in the spring semester. Before I came to this class, the type of content I was making was mainly focused on creating videos that match perfectly to the music. Music videos can give me all of the flexibility to perform interesting color grading that came off as unnatural in normal films.

Semester XP (blog from 12/21/17)

What do you feel was the most difficult part of your experience in this class this semester? What are three of the biggest challenges you had this semester?

1. I feel like the most difficult part of my experience this semester was trying to keep all the work for film during film hours. Originally, I took this class so I am able to have a set amount of time to do what I enjoy doing the most. However, as I got more involved and got more inspiration on different aspects of film, it became difficult to focus on my schoolwork outside of SVCTE because I kept on getting distracted by the temptation to watch another practical video, find sound effects, or an editing tutorial video to cut down the time spent during lab time doing these activities that can be done at home.

2. In addition to the inability to focus on my school work, I found it difficult to work as a group in projects. Because I was used to creating videos on my own without outside influence, I did not understand how to communicate my vision to others or how to incorporate ideas of others to my idea. Thus, for example in the suspense scene, my attempt to incorporate my group member's ideas in the storyboard ended up as fully using my original storyboard. My teammates only fully understood how the video was going to be edited after I showed them a rough cut. 

3. During the semester, I had the hardest time trying to find time in class to finish projects and practicals. Some practicals require more time than there are left after the lectures, while others require assistance from the teacher because the equipment was never explained. Thus, it goes back to my very first problem in which my attempt to finish work that can be done at home disrupts my time to do other necessary responsibilities outside of SVCTE as well as cutting down on sleep. Although this is effective to a certain degree because it clears up time to spend on practicals, it creates another problem as stated in the first point. This ongoing loop of not have enough time during and out of class is by far the biggest challenge I faced during this semester.

The Ad Council

What does the Ad Council do? What is its mission? Do you recognize any of their campaigns growing up? Which ones? Why do you feel they were effective?

The Ad Council is America's largest producer of public service advertising. They develop campaigns to advertise a certain cause during the donated ad time. Their mission is to "identify a select number of significant public issues and stimulate action on issues through communications programs that make a measurable difference in our society." The only campaign I recognize is Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign. This campaign was effective because it was well advertised through TV shows and collaboration with other organizations. In addition, this movement was successful because the campaign hit a specific audience with a concern that many parents face with their children.

History of PSA

Where did public service announcements begin? What was their main purpose? How have they evolved throughout the decades?

PSAs began during WWII, spreading through radio broadcasters as propaganda. These PSAs advocated the listeners to buy War Bonds necessary for the war. This practice continued after the war in what is now known as a PSA. Their main purpose was to spread nationwide campaigns for a certain cause supported by a non-profit organization. Post-world war PSAs often included the topic of civil rights, environment conservation, and cancer treatment. One significant impact of the popularized PSAs were the anti-tobacco campaigns which eventually caused a decline in smokers as well as a law passed against advertising of cigarettes. However, as media platforms began to suffer from competition and the concept of PSAs began to be criticized, the idea of supplying free ad time came to be seen as unprofitable as well as being unnecessarily controversial, therefore causing an overall decline in PSAs seen in media.

Intro to the PSA

How is a public service announcement different from a commercial? Why are they not seen as often compared to in the past?

Compared to a PSA, commercials are paid advertising. On the other hand, time for the PSA is donated by the broadcaster for the specific public interest. They often appear during low-viewing  time slots because it is considered to be less of a loss when donating the time. However, it is very effective for a popular TV station to air a PSA during high-viewing hours if it is for an impactful cause in the local community. These PSAs are becoming less common compared to the past because PSAs don't directly benefit he broadcaster financially. The TV stations are far more interested in branding themselves with self-advertising.

Spring Semester Goals

If you'll remember, at the beginning of the fall semester we blogged about your goals. Revisit those goals in your first entry of the Spring Semester.

Look back at your goals that you set in the fall, did you achieve them? Why or why not? How can you make steps or corrections to achieve these goals? Where will you need to look to gather help or resources?

1. Learn new editing technics and master the process of editing in Premiere Pro

Although I am now comfortable with Premiere Pro, I am far from considering myself a master at editing in this software. I still do not have the skills to control retime controls, basic color grading, and the color map. As starters, I need to learn how to read the color graphs to help me execute basic color correction

2. Understand how to use film making equipment properly

Overall, I have a good understanding of when and how to use the equipment. Although I still have a lot of equipment to take practicals on, I can always go on youtube or ask the teacher how to use the equipment.

3. Create more visually pleasing shots

This goal was achieved to a certain degree Through the suspense scene project, I learned how being creative with shot can pay off. Because the lenses on the camcorders have large apertures therefore tending to create wider shots, theres is little bokeh to be found that can elegantly separate the subject from the background. This semester, I want to be able to interchange between lenses to create more aesthetically pleasing sequences.