20.219 Final Reflection
The production of the fractal video has been completed. Iām thrilled to see the final product. I hope the videoās soul is not gone after its bits are pieced together after tens of repetitions. I did my best to keep the meaning of the phrases as I said them again and again.
The original for-grade production was quite different. My directors, Paul and Kenneth, did their best to apply the principles learned in class, but with the poor quality equipment, limited resources, and time constraints, we couldnāt explore a variety of angles and deliveries.
If I could alter the video, the first part Iād change is the sound. My voice sounded high-pitched and unnatural in many places, and, as I realize now after the professional production, that can be quite distracting. Also, the music levels were off in most places. After multiple conversions and adjustments, many parts of the video only featured percussion, which wasnāt my intent. Sound levels (video vs music) are a tricky part to adjust. If I had more time, Iād definitely experiment with various levels of ducking. After all the video clips were divided into small cropped segments, adjustments were impossibly long (especially on my old version of iMovie which had the most annoying slider tool).
I would also ask my groupmates to change the filming angle. In many shots, the camera is filming from below. Much of the attention is given to my chin rather than, say, eyes. Also, I tend to look up while talking, which doesnāt help when the camera is underneath. Iād prefer if the camera was above eye level. This would be most helpful in the in-shower scene as well as the one where I sit on the windowsill and talk. That part was borderline condescending because of the angle (though the background was cool).
Having better animations would be awesome. I wasnāt able to do too much with those because my computer didnāt have the capabilities, and I could only transfer the video to another computer as one full clip, with no necessary breaks. For example, the phone image in the beginning looked odd because it had a white border around it and was different in shape and framing from the snowflake. Fortunately, the timing worked out well for those, and if the pictures were better, it may seem like Iām actually sliding them onto the screen.
The timing didnāt work that well for the image of the Menger Sponge. I intended to use the zoom in feature to cover up the odd shower transition (when I turn on the water for no apparent reason). The idea was for the Menger Sponge to slide out gradually as I turned the knob, as if I was āturning onā the sponge. The zoom would stop at the next section, and Iād have a static sponge for the next clip, until it disappeared quickly at the next transition (where I was centered). And I was able to achieve that, but for some reason, iMovie didnāt upload it to YouTube that way (which was heartbreaking, because the zoom in as I turn on the water part was probably my favorite part of the video and accomplishment).
On the topic of the Menger Sponge, I wish that Iād considered the animations more when filming. The part where I first introduce the fractal looked odd because I held up the hand to receive the sponge too close to the right edge, leaving lots of space on the left unused. To hide that flaw, I zoomed the Menger Sponge to full screen instead. Similarly, I didnāt realize how difficult it would be to animate a hedgehog from an iPhone. The hedgehog clip I found on YouTube was a cute replacement, but not the best fitting piece of the video (and it took a long time to make it look sort of natural).
Lastly, Iād adjust lighting. The first/last scenes by the Stata mural looked the best. i didnāt even need to adjust the color levels. The lounge scene was also pretty good. I would, however, rethink the other locations. iMovie video editor helped a lot in covering up the odd shadows (and the bathroom stall), but if Iād had more time, Iād put more thought into good lighting from the beginning.
On a positive note, I am pretty happy with my final product. The final idea was way more concrete and clear than the first (Iām still shocked at how I ever thought Godelās Incompleteness Theorem would appeal to middle schoolers). And, I learned a lot about fractals, which is great, because now I notice them around me, while before I knew very little on the subject. The video itself looks generally acceptable. With the limited time and resources I had, I canāt imagine making a better product. And, I never expected to learn so much about editing in a month!
In fact, I didnāt expect to learn so much about anything in a month. The class has even changed my outlook on life. For example, now I canāt watch movies without considering how much time was put into them, especially after the professional filming part. I never wouldāve thought that making lighting look ānaturalā required so much āartificialā equipment. I shudder when I think at the incredible amount of time editors, producers, and directors put into piecing everything together, noticing the little details and making adjustments, and just generally creating the movie. I respect even the worst films now. I watch a greater variety of videos on YouTube, and learn from them.
However, I did learn that being an actor and having to say things over and over isnāt too bad. I enjoyed trying different deliveries. I do hope that professional actors get the lines right sooner (in fact, Iām pretty sure they do). Itās a skill I would love to have. And by the end of filming, I did feel more comfortable with delivery. I memorized the lines better and practiced on my own, tried to keep my voice down and not go high pitched, have smoother transitions between sentences and phrases (without pauses and weird emphases), vary the intonation in the most casual way possible, and, most importantly, keep imagining that Iām not doing a show, but rather telling a story.
Overall, I had a great experience, great month, and a wonderful filming time. It definitely made for a cool IAP. Thanks a bunch to all the instructors, guests, and students for making it so!
