Recording the narration for these videos is always a challenge, so we need to add some new procedures to keep things moving quickly.  Otherwise, it takes forever for us to complete the task.

1. Where can you record your narration?  

• In the studio
• Go out my door, then turn left.  Left again at the end of the hall, then record between the two doors where the carpet is.
• In a corner of the cafeteria or down by the back door of the school that leads to the football field.
• Any hallway where you won't disturb the other classes.

Disturb is the key word here.  By allowing you to work in the hallway, I'm opening myself up for complaints when you make too much noise.  If I hear this, you are grounded to the classroom, and yes, it's one strike and you're out.  If your scene involves shouting, record it in the studio, even if you can hear us through the wall.  Background noise will not factor into your grade.

2. Seventeen minutes is all you have.

When you leave the room, you have seventeen minutes to go to your spot, record your voice, then hurry back and import.  You must move quickly if everyone is to get a turn.  The first time you take longer than this, or the first time you get busted for making too much noise in the hallway, you're done with voices and I'll have you add sound effects only to your movie.

This is why I ask you to practice at your desk before you leave.  Say the words out loud with the movie.  Get into the actor's timing and emotions, then duplicate it as best you can.  

3. Start early

Don't ask to record voices the last ten to fifteen minutes of class.  It's not enough time.

4. It doesn't have to be perfect.  

You get one shot at each character.  We don't have time for fifteen groups to record all three character voices twice.  Do your best, and forget the rest.  PS - If you haven't practiced the lines at your seat before you leave, you haven't done your best.

5. Need help?  Ask before class ends.

Lots of people are sitting in silence all hour, then rushing up to ask me a question after the bell rings.  If you need something, ask while class is in session.  Checking with me before the last five minutes is best.  After that, I may not be available, especially if I have three other student questions on my plate.

Check Camera Four and follow these instructions \to figure out your issue from yesterday.

Great TV hosts are also great conversationalists.  If you can talk to other people, you can do this.  Take these notes on how to get started.  We will quiz over them tomorrow, plus watch a video or two today to demonstrate what I mean. 

Usually for the wrong reasons.  First, watch the video.

Here's my example.  All five paragraphs done, but it's more of a Stuff That Drive Me Crazy instead of Stuff We Like, but it still works.

Topic sentences are in white.  Notice how the rest of the paragraph proves that they are true.  In many cases, I put them at the end and build up to them.  I recommend you do the same, otherwise, you'll stop on sentence six, saying, "I can't think of anything else!"  Imagine that your main idea is at the top of a big staircase, and you have to climb to get there.  

​Dig, if you will, my paper.

I did absolutely nothing today, and it was everything I thought it could be.  That’s what many of us think at school, and many adults are in the same mode at work, too.  There’s one thing we’re forgetting, though.  A lack of production always catches up with us, usually when report cards come around.  Students are mad, and so are parents, but we all know what the problem is.  Do we have the courage to change it?  Here’s another quote for you: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.  Are you tired of low grades?  Turn in quality work.  Until you do that, you aren’t going anywhere. (10 sentences) 
 
Consider the assignment we’re doing right now.  First, we watched scenes from three different documentaries so we knew what they looked like, and how they worked.  We did vocabulary, we talked about what we saw, and you were silent during the movies, so I know you were engaged.  We quizzed over the project, so you had to prove that you understood what we were doing.  What was step one?  Pick a topic and come up with five ideas for body paragraphs that would look at five different issues of whatever you wanted to talk about. (Show it on screen)  Only 32% of you did it.  68% had absolutely nothing.  The next day’s assignment was easy. If you wrote your first paragraph, move on to the second.  If you didn’t, catch up and bring one with you tomorrow.  55% of us did it, but 45%, that’s 51 students out of 114, still had a big old zero.  The work started on Friday, but it was Tuesday now, four days later, and nearly half of us had done nothing at all. (12 sentences)
 
Here’s the weird part about this problem.  As I write this, it’s 10:30 on Sunday night.  Saturday, I drove six hours to go to a family birthday party, because you know what?  Sometimes, even your day off is hard work.  Today, I ran three miles, mowed my lawn, did a load of laundry, then spent two hours putting price tags on our old clothes for a city-wide garage sale at the Coliseum, then made dinner for my wife and kids, and loaded the dishwasher.  After all that, I finally sat down at my computer with a cup of coffee before bed, putting in another ninety minutes working on this paper for today.  Are you busy, too?  Sure, you are, but when you say there’s no time to do anything at home because your family’s schedule is so crazy, what about mine?  I made a decision that you seeing a strong piece of writing as an example for this assignment was important, so I made the time to do it.  Anyone can say they want to ace their paper, but if they don’t do the work, their desires mean nothing at all.  (9 sentences)
   
I’ve always thought there were two kinds of students.  The first learns everything that I teach them, so they know how to produce great videos.  The other needs to learn a more important lesson that they seem to have missed: There’s no making up for a lack of hard work.  These are the guys who do as little as possible, then blame their failures on the teacher or their teammates.  It’s not the truth, though.  Yeah, sometimes time gets away from us, but when you write nothing in class, then do nothing after school, or if you do everything at home, then leave it there, it does you no good in the classroom.  I’ll ask you to rewrite it again from scratch, because if I don’t, many of you will sit and talk for the rest of the hour.  Don’t get mad, just show me you have the guts to not get offended when I ask you to do something that you don’t want to do.  It will make you a better writer and a better student, and more importantly, after you go through it, you’ll be less likely to forget your assignment the next day.  (9 sentences)
 
One last thing to remember: you aren’t hearing this from the whip-cracking teacher who watches the door to see if you’re three seconds late, or screams when the class is too loud.  We usually start the day with a Kahoot, and the first place team gets a sucker or a Jolly Rancher.  All the lessons, plus all the instructions, are on the website so you can watch and rewatch them a bajillion times until you get it right.  Objectives are on the board so you know due dates and everything else, and even when I teach really aggressively, my aim is to give you 30 minutes of work time each and every day.  My big question to you is this - Are you using that time well?  Will your grades go up until you do?  No.  Does this make me mean?  No.   It means I want to give you every chance to succeed that you can get, but sooner or later, you have to put in the time, and you’ll see that you can improve, and have fun working so hard.  Media Production is one of those classes.  So let’s make a movie.  You'll like it.  See ya later.  (12 sentences)

Many of us are dealing with big, social topics for our C-SPAN documentary, which means we'll have to paraphrase.  Here's a quick lesson on how to do it, recorded just yesterday in sixth hour.

Now, let's look at our introduction.  I've included mine here, and I've done something different than most - I have a two-paragraph intro.  Notice that I'm telling a story - I'm setting the stage for what I'm talking about through personal example.  You might want to do the same thing if it fits your subject.

As a teacher, I see lots of weird things everyday, but there’s one that I’ve been reading about more and more, and it effects your generation more than any other in history.  It’s called entitlement; otherwise known as the belief that you have a right to special privileges.  Last year, I had a student complain that she had a 97% instead of a 100.  She confronted me as she was headed to her bus to go home, and when I told her that I didn’t have her grade memorized and she should ask me tomorrow when I had her in class, she got really upset.  I checked Pinnacle. There were only two quizzes there.  She got a perfect score on one, and a twelve out of thirteen on the other.  She had an A, but was furious that she didn’t have an A plus.
 
Let me tell you a little bit about my history.  I was not a good student.  Mom and Grandma taught me to read early, and I could write before I entered kindergarten, but by third grade, all my friends had caught up with me, and I wasn’t so special anymore.  I quit trying.  In high school, Ds and Fs were all over my report card.  I didn’t turn around until I took Media Production as a junior, and found my own career, and do you know what grade your teacher got when he took the class he teaches to you today?  I got a B.  What has happened?  (My thesis statement, and the main question of my paper, is this:) When did an A minus become failure in the eyes of many Americans, and what are the harmful effects of this inflated sense of achievement that has many of us believing that we can bully the teacher into giving us the grade we want?

Our five paragraphs need to be written, peer evaluated, and corrected by the beginning of class on Tuesday.  If you're working on your Foley project more than your documentary writing, STOP. Notice there's no due date for the video, but there is one for the writing.  When your paper is done, then go back to iMovie.

Open note quiz next time we meet!  

This is one of the biggest problems with our writing: we say the same words over and over, and because of that, we don't say much.  Here's how to fix it while we write our documentaries.

We've watched clips from three films this week to introduce our documentary unit.  The first was (Dis)Honesty - The Truth About Lies.

Next, we moved on to health and nutrition with Fed Up and SuperSize Me.

Producing video documentaries isn’t as complicated as you might think.  Here’s how it’s done.
 
Start with a subject that matters to you.  We have two choices for your theme.

• Stuff We Like – Tell us about something you think is great in a way that’s upbeat and exciting.  Write three minutes minimum with an introduction, at least three body paragraphs, a conclusion, and interviews that are directly related to your paragraphs.

​

• C-SPAN StudentCam – What is the most important issue our new President and Congress address once they take the oath of office in 2017?  The project will need at least one C-SPAN video clip in it, and it must be five to seven minutes in length.  Click the link to read details on the contest, or check a second page to see the prizes being offered.  I recommend an intro, conclusion, four body paragraphs plus interviews to make the five minute minimum timeline.  Search for possible video clips at C-SPAN's online library. 

Whichever option you choose, your script should be finished, peer evaluated, and turned in by the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 27th.  Here's what I need:

• Your rough draft peer evaluated by at least two people.
• Rewrite the entire paper, eliminating all mistakes.  Be diligent when you grade.  If I'm the only one who can find your errors, they will cost you points.
• This assignment is in addition to any video work you're doing right now.  It's one per person, and yes, it's due for everyone.
  
• Staple everything together with the rough draft on the bottom, the final draft in the middle, and the peer evaluation sheet with your name on it on the top.
  

 
Once the script is written, videotape yourself or someone else doing whatever your subject is, then edit the demonstration video over your narration, so we see you performing the task while we hear you talk about it. 
 
This is all about writing and hosting your video with style and passion.  You wouldn’t watch a boring movie.  Don’t make one. 

Here's the fun thing to remember about documentaries: Once your writing is done, your interviews can take your project in a totally different direction.  If that happens, you  may need to rewrite or restructure.  Don't be afraid of making changes if it gives you a better video - which means a better grade, too.

This video answers the most common one.  Take a look.

Look in the top right corner of your web browser for a plus sign that looks like what you see below.  If there isn't one, move your cursor up to the line where you see the web address of the page you're viewing and it will appear.  Press this plus sign twice to open two new internet windows and Google each of the following terms to get their definitions.

Front row - Myopic and rational
Second row - Irrational and Vindictive
Third row - Systematic and Rationalization
Back row - Predictable and dishonesty

Today, we'll watch ten minutes of a film called (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies.  Check my notes.

When I lied on the application, I just thought I was doing what was in the best interest of my daughters.
 
I knew it was wrong.  I didn’t know how illegal it was.  I figured it was illegal.  I just didn’t think I was gonna get caught.
 
I’m pretty sure I convinced myself that I wasn’t harming anything or anyone.
 
The monster’s so big that it doesn’t need you anymore, and you can’t control it, and you kinda just hope that it doesn’t eat you.
 
I even asked my lawyer, “I’m certainly not going to go to jail for this.  What do they do with guys like me?  They don’t send me to jail.  Can I pick up paper on the road?”  And he says, “No.  They send guys like you to jail.”
 
While I wished I didn’t have to go through that, I understand now, “Oh, okay.  I’m not the only one.  This is a deeply human experience.” 

• How did these questions make you feel?
• What did you think about the people saying these words?
• How do you think the people felt while saying them?  Did they look comfortable?  Uncomfortable?  Defiant?  Sorry?
• Does it make you open to hear their stories?

 
If your answer is yes, the filmmakers have done a great job of creating the perfect introduction:  They hooked you emotionally so you would stick around and watch their film.  Your intro should do the same two things:

• Tell the audience what your topic will be
• Engage their curiosity and make them want to hear your story

                                                                                                           
Once the main topic of the film is set, we move into another introduction: telling us about the first person in the film.  Who is he?  Where does he work?  What does he study?  Why is he so interested in people who ignore others so they can have their own way?  How did it touch his life?
 
Consider the graphic that puts several reasons why people lie on the screen at once.  Look at all the ideas you’re getting:
 
Everybody’s doing it
Conflicts of interest
I’m not hurting anyone
Lying for others
Creativity
Lack of supervision
Social Norms
Fatigue
Distance from the crime
 
In a ten-second piece of film, you’ve seen nine reasons why people lie everyday.  That’s pretty efficient storytelling.

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY - Think about something you love.  Or hate.  Write down five or more things about your subject that could each serve as a body paragraph in a video about it.  We need one per person, written on paper, not your computers.  If I chose little league baseball, here would be my topics.

• Where do kids play?
• What do you learn in practice?
• How do games work?
• How can parents get involved?
• Do you have to be a killer athlete to play?
• Is it expensive?
• How much travel is involved?
• How do you take care of the baseball field?

But imagine you want to get political and answer this question:

What is the most urgent issue for the new President and Congress to address in 2017?

Immigration reform?  Raising the minimum wage?  Racial equality?  Gender equality? Terrorism?  Guns?  Global warming?  Health care?  The deficit?  

We have lots of choices.  Click here to see a video contest we've been invited to join.

Either way, bring your list of five subtopics to class on Monday, then we'll start writing.
  

Simple stuff.  Here's how they work.  Study for tomorrow's quiz.

It's time to take our cameras home and make movies.  To avoid everyone needing them the same week, I've changed up our due dates for each class.  Here's how they work.

Each group films and imports one project per week, beginning in October. Bold titles must be filmed at home. One per group is required unless specified.  The studio is open for after-school use by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is recommended for Announcing projects.  Sign up early.  If it is not available, news intros and outros must be filmed at home.

If you can't meet with your partners after school, use anyone from your home or your neighborhood to be your actors.  A JMS Media student should always run the camera because we're trained on its proper use, and I want to see how well you do it.  
 
The letters NLT mean Not Last Time, which means whoever was the camera operator on your last project may not do it again for your next one.  The same idea applies for your Announcing projects.  A new person should be behind the camera, and in front of it, for each video.
 
Successful Media students work ahead of schedule.  All cameras usually go home on Friday, so filming on a weekday is an easy way to get things done early. 
 
Projects may be edited for up to two weeks at a time.  Due dates may be extended with instructor permission.  If you always have a project to work on, I like to give you the maximum amount of freedom to finish it. 
 
Front Row
10/03       Everyday Drama
10/10       :30 Stuff We Like Intro, :10 outro (Two per team, one after-school studio day, NLT)
10/17       Photo project of at least 15 pictures (2 per team, NLT) 
10/24       Foley Project (Two days maximum to record and import voices)
 
Second Row
10/03       Foley Project (Two days maximum to record and import voices)
10/10       Everyday Drama
10/17       Stuff We Like Intro, :10 outro (Two per team, one after-school studio day, NLT)
10/24       Photo project of at least 15 pictures (2 per team, NLT) 
 
Third Row
10/03      Photo project of at least 15 pictures (2 per team)              
10/10      Foley Project (Two days maximum to record and import voices)
10/17      Everyday Drama (NLT from Photos)
10/24     :30 Stuff We Like Intro, :10 outro (Two per team, one after-school studio day, NLT)
 
Back Row
10/03      :30 Stuff We Like Intro, :10 outro (Two per team, one after-school studio day)  
10/10      Photo project of at least 15 pictures (2 per team, NLT) 
10/17      Foley Project (Two days maximum to record and import voices)
10/24      Everyday Drama (NLT from Photos)
 
Choices of projects are flexible for those of us who have taken Media before.  New students are asked to follow the schedule.  By the end of the term, they will have produced up to thirteen different kinds of videos.  Teams with new and returning producers working together are subject to instructor discretion when choosing their next assignment.

Let's put them to use.  Quiz tomorrow over the handout.  

This is something we struggle with daily, so here's a tutorial on how to make sure your computer is juiced and ready to roll.

​Assignment for our next class meeting?  Study for the iMovie quiz.  This is a BIG one, so if you have internet at home, go to jeffmedia.weebly.com, and you can rewatch the tutorial until your eyeballs fall out.  Seriously.
 
Open iMovie before you scan, or import, your video. 
 
If you insert the SD card and your video images aren’t there, Click on iMovie in the top left, Quit iMovie, then click your blue smiley face in the dock, or in the line of icons at the bottom of your screen.  This is known as the Finder.  Look under Devices, and if the card is inserted properly, there will be a device called Untitled or Unnamed or Kodak or Nikon or something like that.  Click the button next to that name that is a circle with a triangle inside of it – that’s the eject button.  Once that name disappears from the Devices, wait five seconds, then pull the SD card.  Reopen iMovie, wait five more seconds, then plug it back in.  You should be golden. 
 
Maximize iMovie with the diagonal arrows in the top right, or the green dot in the top left.  To minimize it, press ESCAPE, which will minimize any program from full screen.
 
Click the first shot to scan in, hold down shift, then click the last.  Be sure to only import your video, not everyone else’s.  (2:09)
 
Go to the Import To line, click New Event, and name it.  Capitalize the words in your title, please.  Next, click Import Selected. (2:12)
 
To create a movie where you can edit these clips, File, New Movie, No Theme, then Create it, giving your project a name and being sure to capitalize it.  Click OK.  (2:52)
 
Don’t pull your SD card out until you see the words Import Complete.  Click Eject to eject “Untitled.” (3:16)
 
Double click a clip in the picture.  It will turn yellow.  Drag and drop it into the timeline.  (3:36)
 
To cut out the video you don’t want, find your starting point and click Command B to split.  (4:08)  Press the big, fat Delete key, next to the plus sign, to get rid of the parts you don’t want.  (4:25)
 
Which shots have I used?  The orange line tells me.  (4:59)
 
Match up your shots so that Shot Two begins at the same second that Shot One ends.  If the door is halfway closed in One, it should be halfway closed when you cut to Two.  Don’t let people do the same thing twice, and don’t leave any dead space where nothing happens.  (5:22)
 
To mute the audio, find the up and down arrows in blue.  Click, hold and pull them down.  (6:32)
 
To trim part of a video clip, use the side to side arrows next to the picture. (7:10)
 
Use transitions to fade in and out.  Drop a cross dissolve before Shot One.  (7:14)
 
Fade to black at the end. (7:47)
 
Trim your clips as short as you can.  (8:20)

I recently made a friend who is on the board of directors of a film seminar in Indy on Saturday, September 10th.  We've been given some free tickets to attend, so I'm looking for nine students to take a school bus with me and spend the day learning about women in film history, and how you can use this class to produce something great.  Here's their promo video.  

Who is speaking?  Good question.

I'll get with the office and receive training in how to drive a mini-bus, so there's some work on my end.  I'd like to get the names of any students who would like to go, then make my decision who the nine students will be.  If we max out our seats, other students can attend for $25 each.

Here's the agenda for the day.  More news as it happens.

Voiceover narration is when you hear someone speaking, but see something other than his face.  You'll see it used during sports interviews.  We hear the athlete talk about an amazing play, while we see videotape of it happening in real life.

Here's how to do it.  

• Videotape the thing you want us to see.  

• Record your narration with the camera down by your belly button.  If you go any higher, your voice may be too loud, and the audio may sound crackly and distorted.

The tutorial below shows you how to use the Detach Audio function to remove the talking from your narration, then put it on the video that you want us to see.  

I edited my image so it matched up with the words I said.  You do the same. The timing should be right, and the clip should be trimmed properly.

Use voiceovers instead of trying to cook on camera and say your lines at the same time.  Here's an example from one of my foreign exchange students.

Do what you see below, then click here to go to your video downloader.
Once that's done, write out every word of dialogue as instructed by the notes on the board.