To Be Done, Perfect, or a Bit of Both

As mentioned in my previous post, I did my first conference presentation last weekend. I must say it went well and the group at the Ventura County Office of Education did a great job setting up this tech conference.

So, looking forward, my brain seems to keep bringing me back to the fact that we have less then four weeks left in the school year. This means we need to start wrapping things up and cramming as much in at the same time. As usually, I am dealing with two conflicting ideas...

How does this relate to multimedia? With any creative project, you have to balance the ideas of being finished and making it the best it can be. On one hand, you want to be done with it. Maybe you've been spending a lot of time on the project or maybe it just isn't interesting. That's all well and good, however, you can't just say I'm done becuase you want to be done. On the other side of the coin, you may be obsessing over every little detail, taking for ever to get anywhere. Ask any artist and they will be able to tell you where all of the imperfections are, but to the common observer, there are no imperfections. How do you strike the balance? Like most things, with practice and focus, you will find what works for you... I hope!

My First Technology Conference Presentation!

This Saturday, May 21st, I will be presenting at a technology conference at the Ventura County Office of Education. The topic of my presentation is Moodle, which is an online content management system, which basically means a website that allows it's users to interact with the site. Moodle is an education focused, open source software, that came out in the early 2000's. The beauty of Moodle is that is allows a teacher to have a robust online experience for his or her students and it is all secured or password protected. Each student has an account and the data base that is associated with the program keeps track of that users experience with the program.

So... there's a basic description of what Moodle is. I am sure I could write a novel trying to explain the program and all of it's great uses. For more info on Moodle, the best place to go is the Moodle website (http://www.moodle.org).

Now, back to this conference I'll be speaking at! I am pretty excited because this is the first time that I will have ever presented at a conference. Of course there is a bit of nervousness that goes along with it, but that kind of energy is good energy, because it will motivate me to make sure I have a great presentation set up. So, enough of this blog post, I need to get to my presentation...

I'll let you know how it went next week!

What Makes a Good Video

So as I said in the last blog, I am going to expand on the list of 5 things you need to have to make a good video... and by video I mean a presentation including pictures, video, and music edited with the intent to share. Some examples would be a school project, activities (sports, dance, etc.), or a special occasion video (birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, etc.). The DVD yearbook my students create 2-3 minutes clips for is a perfect example. We are not talking about documentaries or movies... That's for the more advanced video editor.

Anyway, here we go...

1. Good pictures and video - A good picture is well cropped, clear (not fuzzy), and not washed out because of bad lighting. Never take a picture looking into the sun or lights. The subject will come out dark and it just makes for a bad picture. Sometimes you can make some adjustments using Photoshop, but bad pictures aren't always fixable! In regards to video, you really need to keep the camera steady. Nobody, likes feeling sick because they feel like they are on a boat, watching the clips. If you are panning across your view, do it slowly! When you go too fast, it is worthless footage. For the most part, you want your clips to be between 3-7 seconds. You don't want it to drag on and on. Be sure to get in tight on your subject, but don't zoom in too much, because it is nearly impossible to keep the camera steady when zoomed in a lot.

2. A good song - OK, this is important! What you are hearing when you watch a video can make or break the presentation. I can't express enough how a good song can create the emotion in your audience that you want. Pick wisely...


Now, on the subject of music. I should be clear that it is not legal to use someones song in your project without permission... but it happens all the time. Does that make it right? Probably not. These are the moral dilemmas, that have to be dealt with when it comes to content that is not yours. There is certainly nothing wrong with using music you have created or copyright free music, which there is a lot of. Anyway, good luck figuring it out, but you have to have something good to set the mood.
3. Well timed transitions - A transition, in this sense is when a picture or video cuts to a new picture or video, either with a fancy transition that comes with the video editing software or with a simple cut from one picture to the next. The timing aspect is important, because it adds to the drama of the video. When clips and pictures are moving with the beat of the song, it has a cool effect on the viewer. It just gives the video more life.

4. Readable title and credits - This is straight forward. Don't make the words too small or too big. Don't have them scroll off of the page too fast or too slow. Make the correct adjustments. Attention to detail is very important! This is where the good become the great!

5. Not too long and not too short - Again, very straight forward. If it is too long, it gets boring. If it is too short, you are left wanting more.


I am sure there are a ton more tips and tricks to think about, so if you have any, post them! If I think of anything else, I'll let you know...

Monday Morning...

Most Monday mornings, I have to take a second to figure what the priorities are, well not this Monday. My yearbook class has been under the gun, trying to finish our DVD yearbook, which consists of 11 2-3 min. videos on various subjects, like academics, sports, clubs, etc. The end of the year is coming fast and to get the final DVD ready and sent out for mass duplication, we need to get these videos done. Needless to say, some students have needed more help then others. For the last few weeks, we have been pushing hard to get it done. Well, last Friday, I spent most of the day wrapping up about half of the videos. If nothing else, I am sure my video students have learned that it is not easy to put out a well edited video.

So here is the educator in me...

A well edited video needs;

1. Good pictures and video
2. A good song
3. Well timed transitions
4. Readable title and credits
5. Not too long and not too short

So those are the basics for a simple video that incorporates pictures and video to document an aspect of a school year. In the next blog, I will expand on those 5 elements, giving more detail!

See ya!

Getting It All Set Up

So here I am, using my sister-in-laws iPad, trying to figure out how
to post to my blog, which I still need to figure out how to get people
to find and read it. Of course the free blog website that I am using,
Blogger, doesn't like the iPad, but the good news is, I have now
learned how to blog to my Blogger account through email. Bottom line,
"getting connected" is all trial and error, like most things... I feel
like I still have quite a ways to go to get my head wrapped around all
of the technological possibilities, but at the same time I am
excited.I am really beginning to integrate the various technologies,
like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, this blog and my two websites
(www.multimediapandd.com
http://www.venturausd.org/balboa/Anter/mranter.html).

I am glad that I am tackling this all now. In May I will be presenting
at my first conference and to be as professional as possible, I need
to be set up and connected. The big question is, can I keep it up??? I
do have a whole lot going on, not only with work, but with family as
well...

So a big part of this blog will be to describe the continual process
of learning and growing. In that regard, more to come!