Parker’s Digital Storytelling

Tag: video

  • Video Week Summary

    This week helped me learn a lot more about video storytelling and filmmaking techniques. Before this unit, I mostly just watched movies and videos for entertainment without paying much attention to how they were created. Through the readings, videos, movie analysis, and video assignments, I learned how camera angles, editing, framing, sound, and pacing all work together to tell a story and influence the audience. While video production was a lot more challenging than some of the other DS106 units, it was also one of the most fun because it allowed me to be creative with what I wanted to do and how I wanted to create stories of my own.

    Part II: Learning How to Read a Movie

    https://pmccausland.com/assignments/learn-how-to-read-a-movie/

    In this post, I responded to Roger Ebert’s essay “How to Read a Movie” and watched different videos explaining filmmaking techniques. I learned how directors use camera angles, framing, one point perspective, and editing to guide viewers’ attention and create emotional responses. One of the biggest things I learned was that every shot in a movie is carefully planned and serves a purpose, and after completing this assignment, I started noticing filmmaking techniques that I had never paid attention to before.

    Part III: Look, Listen, Analyze

    https://pmccausland.com/assignments/look-listen-analyze/

    I analyzed the courtroom scene from A Few Good Men by watching it three different ways-visuals only, audio only, and then with both together. Separating the visual and audio helped me notice details that I usually would have missed. I paid attention to camera angles, character placement, editing, dialogue pacing, and how the filmmakers built tension throughout the scene. This assignment helped me better understand how visual and audio elements work together to create powerful moments in film.

    Part IV: Video Assignments

    https://pmccausland.com/assignments/the-procrastination-project/

    For this assignment, I created a short video called The Procrastination Project. The story followed a college student who struggles with distractions while trying to complete an assignment. I used simple shots, music, and editing which showed how procrastination can create unnecessary stress and how time management is important.

    Stories Through Games

    https://pmccausland.com/assignments/the-last-save-a-goalkeepers-challenge-cool-math-games/

    For this assignment, I used a soccer goalie penalty kick game from Cool Math Games. The video followed the goalkeeper as they tried to make important saves and overcome challenges as well as the player who tried to score their penalty kicks. This project showed me that even simple games can create stories through competition, success, and failure.

    Top 10 Sports Movies

    https://pmccausland.com/assignments/my-top-10-sports-movies/

    For my final video assignment, I created a ranking of my top 10 favorite sports movies (this was hard because all of them are so good) . The video included movie posters, rankings, and short explanations for each choice. As a student athlete, sports movies have always been some of my favorite films because they often focus on teamwork, leadership, perseverance, and overcoming obstacles.

    Reflection:

    What did you learn?

    I learned how important visual storytelling is and how filmmakers use camera angles, editing, framing, and sound to influence viewers. I also learned basic video editing skills and gained a greater appreciation for the amount of work that goes into creating videos and movies.

    What was harder than you expected? Why?

    Video editing was harder than I expected because it took time to organize clips, add music, create titles, and make everything flow smoothly and even short videos required more planning and editing than I originally thought.

    What was easier than you expected? Why?

    Recording footage was easier than I expected because many of the assignments could be completed using everyday activities and simple video clips. Once I had all the footage, it was easier to build a story around it.

    What drove you crazy? Why?

    Uploading and embedding videos was probably the most frustrating part of the unit. There were times when files would not upload correctly or videos would not embed properly, which slowed down the process. But I had to adapt and figure out a way so I think there is one video I embeded that I had to post on Youtube for it to be able to get embeded.

    What did you enjoy most? Why?

    I enjoyed creating my own videos the most because it allowed me to be creative and tell stories in different ways. My favorite project was probably the sports movie ranking because it combined my interest in sports with video editing and storytelling, and all of those video I chose are some of my favorites.

    Feedback and Class Engagement

    Throughout this unit, the professor regularly sent class wide feedback and reminders about areas that students could improve. Those messages helped me make adjustments to my assignments and avoid common mistakes. I also looked at the examples that were posted on the assignments for the blog posts on canvas to see different approaches to the assignment and try and get some ideas for my own work.

  • Look, Listen, Analyze

    For this assignment, I analyzed the famous courtroom scene from A Few Good Men , where Lieutenant Kaffee questions Colonel Jessup. I chose this scene because it relies heavily on dialogue, camera angles, and character positioning to build tension. After watching the scene three different ways, I noticed many details that I would have probably missed if I had only watched it normally.

    Youtube link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk

    First Watch: Visuals Only

    Watching the scene without sound made me focus entirely on the camera work and the actors’ body language. The camera frequently switches between close up shots of Kaffee and Jessup as the tension builds. Jessup is often shown from slightly lower angles, which makes him seem powerful and intimidating. As Kaffee gains confidence, the camera begins giving him more close up shots as well. The lighting is bright and realistic which fits a courtroom setting. The scene uses a lot of shot-reverse-shot editing whic allows viewers to focus on each character’s reactions. Even without hearing the dialogue, it was clear that the conversation was becoming more intense.

    Second Watch: Audio Only

    Listening without watching allowed me to focus on the voices and emotions. The dialogue starts pretty calm but becomes more aggressive as the scene progresses. There are pauses between questions and answers that create suspense and make the audience anticipate what will happen next. Jessup’s voice sounds confident and controlled for most of the scene, while Kaffee’s voice becomes more assertive as he continues questioning him. There is no a lot of background music, which makes the dialogue the center of attention. The lack of music also makes the scene feel more realistic and dramatic.

    Third Watch: Visuals and Audio Together

    Watching the scene normally showed how the visuals and audio work together to build tension. The close up shots become more frequent as the confrontation intensifies and the dialogue becomes faster and more emotional. The camera focuses on facial expressions and reactions which helps the audience understand what each character is thinking. One thing that surprised me was how much the camera angles contributed to the feeling of power and control in the scene. The audio and visuals work well together to make the courtroom feel tense until the famous climax…

    This scene connects well to Roger Ebert’s ideas about reading a movie. Ebert explains that filmmakers use framing, character placement, and camera angles to communicate meaning. Throughout the scene, Jessup is often framed in a way that makes him seem dominant, while Kaffee’s growing confidence is shown through tighter shots and stronger positioning. The editing keeps the audience focused on the conflict between the two characters and helps build suspense and by separating the visual and audio elements, I noticed how much each contributes to the overall impact of the scene. The scene works well because all of the camera and sound choices help build tension and lead up to the confrontation.

    Sources:

    A Few Good Men courtroom scene (Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk

    Roger Ebert, “How to Read a Movie”

  • Learn how to read a movie

    (Picture taken from: https://www.kpbs.org/news/national/2013/04/04/remembering-roger-ebert)

    Before this assignment, I mostly watched movies for entertainment and did not spend much time thinking about how directors use camera angles, editing, and framing to tell a story. After reading Roger Ebert’s essay, “How to Read a Movie,” I learned that movies communicate meaning through a lot more than just dialogue and plot. Ebert explains that filmmakers make intentional choices about camera placement, framing, lighting, and editing to change how viewers understand characters, relationships, and emotions. Reading the essay helped me realize that every shot in a movie is carefully planned to guide the audience’s attention and create a specific reaction.

    One of the videos I watched was Kubrick // One-Point Perspective. The video showed how director Stanley Kubrick often places people or objects directly in the center of the frame with lines leading toward a single point in the background. This technique draws the viewer’s attention to the center of the image and creates a very balanced look. I learned that this style can make scenes feel organized and controlled, but it can also create tension or make viewers feel uncomfortable depending on what is happening in the scene. It was interesting to see how something simple like framing can have such a strong effect on the audience.

    I also watched Examples of Editing Techniques. The video showed how filmmakers use different types of edits, such as cuts, fades, dissolves, and match cuts, to help tell a story. Before watching it, I never really thought about how much editing actually affects a movie. I learned that editing can make scenes feel faster, slower, more dramatic, or more suspenseful depending on how the shots are put together and it can also help show that time has passed or move the audience from one scene to another. After watching the video, I realized that editing helps keep viewers interested and makes the story flow better.

    The third video I watched was Camera Angles and Techniques. This video explained how different camera angles can influence how audiences view characters and situations. For example, low angle shots can make a character appear powerful or intimidating, compared to high angle shots that can make them seem weaker or more vulnerable. Close up shots help viewers connect with a character’s emotions, compared to wide shots that provide context and show the setting. I learned that camera angles are very important for storytelling because they affect how viewers interpret what they see on screen.

    What surprised me most was that many of these techniques work so naturally that viewers often do not even notice them. After reading Ebert’s essay and watching these three videos, I have a greater appreciation for the amount of planning and creativity that goes into filmmaking. Movies are not just stories that are being recorded by a camera, they are carefully constructed experiences that use many different visual techniques to communicate meaning and guide the audience’s emotions.

    Sources:

    Kubrick // One-Point Perspective

    Examples of Editing Techniques 

    Camera Angles and Techniques