Drones are actually very useful accessories for filming, especially for cinematic aerial shots. The formerly tough or expensive shots can now be done cheaply and easily, plus these drones are small enough to bring wherever one needs it. (Fun fact: There is a film festival for drone... films... drone filming? I don't know, filming with drones) Drones can also be sent to places unattainable by humans, such as around an active volcano too dangerous for people to be near. Apparently Harry Potter movies had used drones, along with Skyfall.

You had me at making fun of Kanye... And irritated me with the selfie-er "dronie" as it was called... Ew... But anyway, Drones! I'm kind of sick of hearing about them because people can't shut up about them. Now it would be amazing to get some nice shots with little actual effort, so yeah these things are cool. Heck, apparently they're being used to ship packages to people now. It's also pretty sweet that you can get drones close enough to a volcano to get some sick shots that would be too dangerous for a normal dude to try and pull off. And you can use them to spy on third world countries! Oh, that's a different type of drone? Oh well. Then just spy on your neighbors, you creep. Joking aside, these can be a really cool tool for a video fanatic, and they're probably more fun than those rc helicopters that we all wanted when we were little. Don't lie, you wanted one.

response to go with your strengths article

Animation is a dynamic being. Most animators are given a new scenario each time they work on a new film causing them to have to make new decisions and solve new problems. They may have to change their style for new technologies, methods, or audiences. This means to be a successful animator, one should be adaptable. One should not focus on any specific 'strengths' they have because they must be able to change their skills to keep up.

Yes, it is important to be able to keep up with an ever changing market like animation. And I can see how if one were to try doing the same thing over and over as their priority just because they are good at it, it would most likely be their downfall. One definitely should be able to adapt to overcome any and all new obstacles. I've never heard the term self-efficacy before, and learning new words is always fun.

response to six reasons to film everyday article

A professional camera man or video fanatic should film video everyday. The article clearly expresses six reasons why. The first reason is that when you film everyday you familiarize yourself with the cameras and equipment. This makes using the equipment a second nature for you. The second reason is that you get better when you do something over and over. Your skills will increase with more and more experience. Reason three is that you will be able to experiment with different things (camera angles, framing, etc.) and you'll learn new ways to shoot. The fourth reason to film everyday is that you will start to realize what your strengths and weaknesses are, causing you to learn from mistakes and improve yourself. Reason number five states that you will make filming a habit and habits can be your friend. Lastly, you should film every day because it makes you look for new subjects and ideas.

I probably could've shortened this list a bit, but ehh. Alright, so really good tips, if I actually had access to a good camera everyday, I'd probably start shooting in my free time. It's always a good idea to train yourself if you want to be good at something. I like the idea of realizing what your weaknesses are and improving upon them. It might seem a little tedious but if you like video, why not shoot something everyday to better your skills?

weekly comments #16

Yes I know its number 15 but I screwed up last week, so... Yeah...
Anyway

1. I learned that prep work is a pretty decent grade and should probably be handed in, that being said maybe one day I'll be able to do that.

2. I'd still like to learn or remember when its okay to jump cut between shots and when I should fade/dissolve to a new shot.

3. I was frustrated that I forgot both last week's blogs, AND THE FREAKING FILM CRITIQUE, MY GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?! I need brain help.

4. I think I liked my fictional short, or at least I liked it and then I saw some of Lucas's, and now I think mine is dumb. But it was all improvised so 7\10. (Maybe if Brian didn't constantly need me to help him for his, which totally could've been our combined project anyway)

Anyway, ran out of ideas for a link so since one article was about SpongeBob here's some unsettling Photoshops of spongebob, Patrick, and squidward in real life. WARNING CONTAINS MATURE LANGUAGE (ABUSE OF THE F-WORD, ETC.) AND IMMATURE IDIOCITY, ONLY FOR THOSE WHO REALLY WANT TO QUESTION WHY THEY WATCHED THIS AFTERWARDS. That being said, you've been warned, no liability.
 http://youtu.be/EJs0LiIfPV4

response to spongebob article

The new SpongeBob movie: Sponge out of Water is already the second highest box office performer of 2015. The film uses a style of 3D CGI characters on live action backgrounds. The characters's 3D models had to be textured a special way to make their appearances stay as true to the 2D appearances as possible. To help with the live action filming, they had stand ins dressed in frameworks and props for the life sized characters. They also puppeteered maquettes for the smaller characters.

I was always a spongebob fan as a kid, I knew most of the episodes by heart, and knew all the references. And I enjoyed the first movie as well. CGI is a step that I don't believe SpongeBob had ever taken before, and as I look at these new visions of the simple cartoon characters, I can see that they did something right. I'm excited to see this movie, I know it's already out, but I haven't had an opportunity to see it yet. It looks amazing and I like that the article shows us the behind the scenes type shots and pictures.

Response to bouncing light article

Bouncing light is a good idea for when you need to only make a slight adjustment to the overall intensity of the light in a scene. Bouncing light is also used to redirect light from a light source and make it go further to\through your scene. Directly lighting a subject can create harsh shadows behind them and if you do not desire them, bouncing the light off a wall or reflector can help cut down or eliminate them. Using a reflector can give you more control over the lighting of your subject than pointing the light at a wall. Bouncing light also creates a nice soft light on your subject.

It's always nice to learn tricks and tips such as these. Well it's usually boring... but, still useful. Lighting is not my cup of tea, and I usually screw it up one way or another and don't notice until I'm editing my footage. So I hate the idea of grabbing these reflectors and all this extra equipment for a shot, but it does look better and it is helpful. I do like the idea of bouncing the light off of a wall because that's easy and convenient. Most people have walls (and they have to be guarded by men with guns), so hurray for being lazy.