Senior Capstone Final

The Five Guarantees 

Technical Skills:  I learned it mostly from trial by error.  It is important because it'll help me in careers moving forward.  I didn't really face any challenges along the way.

Communication:  I learned to better communicate with my fellow peers.  It is important because it'll help me in careers moving forward.  The only challenge I faced was being heard.

Collaboration: I learned to better collaborate with my fellow peers.  It is important because it'll help me in careers moving forward.  The only challenge I faced was people acknowledging me.

Leadership: I learned it mostly from trial by error.  It is important because it'll help me in careers moving forward.  I didn't really face any challenges along the way.

Project Management: I learned to make use of my time and work under strict deadlines.  It is important because it'll help me in careers moving forward.  I didn't really face any challenges along the way.

My Best Work

Royale: Infinity Blade

This project started off as a joke.  Me and my group decided that we wanted to take fortnite and marvel, combine them, and make it into something serious.  It took us about a month to film and then another week to edit.  I choose it as one of my top three because it my best work by far.  We all worked hard on this.  It was our last project for e-Comm and we wanted to end with a bang.  I helped with audio on this and whatever else was needed.  I think that there isn't anything we need to do to make this better.  I personally believe that this is a masterpiece that we all worked hard on to make it look amazing.

KC Wildlife PSA

This project is my favorite.  Not because it is my best work, there's a lot I could fix, but because it's what I want to do for a living.  My ultimate goal is to create a better world for future generations.  And I plan on doing that by focusing on protecting and preserving our wildlife and environment.  This video is the start of that very goal/dream.  It's the first video I've done that I did everything by myself.  All footage and photos were shot by me.  What I would have personally done different is made the entire thing video with no photos.  The day I shot this I was also trying to get photos as well.  I plan on making a better one this summer that is completely composed of footage and will even have a voiceover and possibly vfx.

Jack and Todd's Legendary Poker Game

This project made me feel like I was actually shooting a blockbuster feature film.  I'm not gonna lie, there was a lot that went wrong with this.  Mostly because of one person, not gonna name names but if you were a part of this feature and are reading this then you know who I'm talking about.  There was also Covid that played a major part in this.  Our normal six months to work on this was cut in half to only three months.  Our normal hour long features were cut down to about 30 minutes.  A lot of things went wrong from cinematography, to actors dropping out, to taking too long to film individual scenes.  But, it was super fun to work on.  If we had the full six months, who knows, maybe we would have been able to pull it off.  We may never no but a guy can still hope right?

Summary

What I loved most about entertainment video this year was the project that I got to work on.  I would have personally gotten rid of Covid, but that's kinda impossible so......  The overall takeaway I'll take away from not only e-Com but my senior year as a whole is to appreciate life and enjoy it while your here.  One goal I'd like to set for myself is to build a zoo.  I have already started on planning it but who knows,  we'll just see here in the next 10-20 years.

Film Reel 2021

 I believe my film reel represented me as a creator as a whole.  As a creator I strive to show the bright side of life and show the hope, beauty, and joy of it.  I feel that I showed my best shots in this reel ranging from this year my senior year, all the way back to my sophomore year.  What made my film reel diverse is the different genres that I showcased within it.

I branded myself as a cinematographer and an editor.  I choose this because I would like to go into cinematography as well as editing.

What I would do different is possibly brighten I few shots that were darker.  I'd leave everything else the same.  What experiences I will draw from this is the storytelling part.

Film Reel 2020

The story and concept I was trying to portray was of teen life and the many different aspects of it.  I was mainly an editor for these films but I was also a cinematographer for them as well.  I showed good cinematography through different shot angles and different lighting that fit the mood of the individual films that I was showcasing.  I edited my reel based on the music.  I made sure that when there was a major key change that I chose a shot that fit the dramatic change so it felt smooth and seamless.  What I would do different would be changing some of the shots where they just jump cut so it didn't look as seamless as I wanted it to.  What I would do the same would be the use of a variety of shots that lined up with the music.  What is still needed to make my reel complete would be to just keep adding my work to it.

Music Video Professional Project Review Post

This video showcases a heist followed up by an intense car chase scene with the song Harlem Shuffle by the Rolling Stones playing over it.  The story was about just how intense these jobs get for Baby.  The things that I would take from this would be the intense chase and just how involved and dramatic it was and apply it to my music video.  What the creator did well was the suspense and action of the chase because it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.  I think that they did well and don't need to change anything about the scene. 

Short Film Redacted

Our short film is called redacted which was written by Malik Alexander.  Our process was we planned out exactly who, what, and when we were going to film.  But after pre-production and the time to film came along is where we really ran into some difficulties.  With our jobs we struggled to figure out dates we could all help to film and when we did figure it out, our main actor dropped out on us twice a day before shooting.  My role in the project was editor.  What I would due differently is make sure we find an actor/actors that are able and willing to film and that don't drop out on us last minute.  What I would do the same is keep the same people I was working with and work on the same script again because I really loved the idea of it and loved working with the people that I got to work with.

Hrs 1 and 2 Entertainment Semester 1 Final

This is my short film called Redacted and was written and directed by Malik Alexander.  It took us about 2 months to get everything done with pre-production to post production.  The biggest challenge that me and my group faced with this project was actors.  Our main actor dropped on us twice so we were forced to film last minute and had to film it all in one night because that was the only time our actors could do it when we were available.




This is my commercial that me and my group did for snickers.  It took us about a month do get everything done.  Some of the challenges we faced were deciding what we should do for our commercial and what to do with it when we figured out what we would use.  The feedback we got was that it was a good idea and the flashback transition was a cool idea.  We also were told that it would have made a little more sense if we actually showed the kid fall instead of cutting it when he trips.




This is my camera assignment 1 which is a PSA on profanity.  It took us about a month to get it all done.  The challenges we faced were figuring out and idea on what we should do and then what days we could film.  Some feedback we got that it was cheesy (which is what we were going for and it was said as a good thing), it was humorous and that the beeps were to loud.  What we changed were the beeps so they weren't to loud as they were before.


I used my time in class as best as I could.  I worked on what I needed to and if I couldn't work on anything then I made sure I didn't have anything I needed to get done before I did anything else.  Especially with my short film I had a lot of free time since our main actor dropped on us twice I tried my best to find actors and figure out when we would be filming.  I enhance my work outside of class by working on projects on adobe premiere pro or just exploring premiere.

My area of strengths are definitely in editing.  I am naturally talented in editing and I am mostly self taught by just exploring the different parts of adobe premiere pro.  I have found that I love editing and find it quite enjoyable.  I now know that I want to pursue a career in film editing and hopefully work for a big company like Universal or Dreamworks one day.  What I can improve on is trying others roles as well and try to be able to help film since I haven't been able to because of work.

What I learned from our guest speakers is that we are truly lucky that we have a program like E-communication and should never take it for granted.  I have also learned that just because I am from Kansas doesn't mean that I can't make it big in Hollywood.  I have also learned that I should always make a good first impression so I can use that person as a contact or they could use me for a contact.

My production role in our feature film is colorist and editor.  What I'll bring to our film is my skills in editing and passion for it.  I will do the best I can for this film and I'm very excited to work on a film of this proportion.

What I loved about this semester is all the people I have gotten to meet and all the films I have gotten to work on.

Short Film/Final Blog

This project was our Short Film written by Alex Pauli.  It took over a month in general and about 2 weeks to film and edit.  The challenges we faced were casting, filming locations, scheduling, and timing.  I learned that I need to make sure I'm available when needed and need to plan ahead for these things.  It was good overall but the beginning was kind of dragged out and the rest was kind of rushed.  We didn't really change anything.  I think that we could have done better on planning and scheduling.

I have used my class time pretty well.  When I was finished with what needed to be done I did mess around a little bit.  Outside of class I research the different things for editing and photography did enhance my knowledge.

Some areas that I'm great at are editing and working the camera.  I've mostly taught myself how to do both and I've learned along the way how to add effects and transitions when I need to.

In my Short Film I was an editor.  The genre of our video was comedic murder.  I learned not to attempt something if we aren't able to replicate it because it will cut our time down.  My writing skills have some what improved.  My script was in my opinion good by the way I wrote and produced it.

The thing I loved most about this semester was working with my friends and gaining great experiences.  I would change how we used our time and made sure we used everything to the best of our ability.  To do the best to my ability and use my time wisely.  One goal I would like to set for next year is do the best to my ability.

High school Movie Trailer(Professional Project Review Post)

Unfortunately I do not have my video available.

The project started of well with us getting pre-production stuff all done and we started off great but when it came to planning and going to film we all were super busy and had to push everything to one day and we got about half of the trailer filmed but we got the story across which is basically a girl falls in love with a vampire.

The story that we had originally planned on telling was a girl falls in love with a guy only to find out that he is a vampire and that other vampires want to stop this love and kill her.  We got the first half of the story across which is the love bit so you could say we did a teaser trailer.

The one element that I would take away from this work is my leadership role.  I really stepped up and made sure things were planned and that the people knew where to be and when and that I got the equipment there.  I even bought an extra SD card a s back up in case the others didn't bring theirs and it ended up being the one we used to film the whole thing.  One element that I used was my knowledge of technology.  I knew how to work the camera but some things I still wasn't sure about so I messed around with it to figure it out and in doing so was able to fix the lighting issue that we were having with the camera.

I think that we could have better prepared for the long term when it came to scheduling since all of us were busy with sports, work, events, and personal things that we could have rescheduled if we had done so when we were working on pre-production.  Other than that I think we pulled through in the end and made it as best as we could with all that we had.

Music Video

The song we chose was The Man Who Sold The World By: David Bowie.  We kinda of couldn't decide on a song and I was sick when they made the choice so I don't exactly know why they chose the song.  They wouldn't really elaborate on why the chose it.  The theme we were going for, since the song didn't have a music video, was dark and gloomy and about half way through the video it would change to mysterious and curiosity.  Our process was kind of delayed.  We didn't actually start when the other groups did and if we had we could have beaten the winter weather and got the last shots filmed.  We kind of just went basic and used the lyrics as our guide and that took us to the dark and gloomy and depressed beginning, to the song actually starting in the middle, and then the song would've eventually ended at the end of the video leaving off with a blurred image of the strangers face.

My role was editor and I learned not to rely on my team as much as I did.  I wasn't able to go out and film during this project and I wish I had so that maybe they wouldn't have goofed off as much and we could've finished everything in one go.  I should have been more assertive with my opinion because me, Carter, and Carson didn't want to do this song so I should said something when I was texting Carter about it when I was sick.

What I would have done differently would be more assertive with my opinions,  I should have made time to go help them film, not waited on starting the project, and not work with Cain.

Semester Review

This project was about finding someone in our class that was special and we would have to do an interview about them.  It took me and my group about a week to do but we got it done. Some challenges we faced was communication and also two of our group members were being interviewed so that left just three of us to try to work things out.  I learned that communication is the key to just about anything in life and that even if problems are thrown in your face you can work around them to get done what you need to get done.  Some feedback I was given was that I needed to center Maleah more.  I didn't change much except for centering Maleah.  I think that it was good project overall.



Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to upload my news story to YouTube.

The project that we did was about the underclassman play and what it was about.  It took about a week to complete.  Some challenges we faced were if any of us could stay after school to film it but fortunately two of our group members were part of the play so we had that covered.  Some feedback was to make it a bit longer.  I did end up making it longer.  The overall project was fun and I enjoyed being behind the scenes and seeing how everything worked.



I used my class time well and got all my videos done in class but sometimes was not able to finish my blogs in time.  I could of used it all to my advantage but I admit I would get distracted and off task sometimes but I did end up finishing all my videos on time.  I usually got done with not much time to spare so there wasn't much I could do in the little time I had left.  I usually watch the videos that you have posted to help me understand more about being in video production.



My areas of strength are editing.  I've always been good at editing and I also took a class over the summer of 2016 that got me started at editing and I also did a class about animation which led me to the E-communication program.  Some areas I need to improve are using my time wisely and not get so distracted as easily and focus on what I need to get done.  My role in the ONW NOW sophomore edition was behind the scenes and making sure everybody was where they needed to be and to tell the people when to start.  My team made a video on the underclassman play.  I learned that I need to be more communicative with my group.


What I loved most about this semester was the ONW NOW sophomore version because it was fun to work behind the scenes and see how everything worked and it was really fun to experience that.  What I would change differently was how long we had to do the blogs in class because I never really had time to do them in class.  My overall take-away from this semester is that communication is the key.  One goal I would set for myself next year and next semester is me more confident with my ideas.

Advanced Feature Story

Our story was about the Web design teacher and why he chose this as his career and why he chose to come to ONW.  My group chose to do this because not many kids choose web design as a career path and not many people know much about web design and how important it is in life.  My role in this was as editor.

Our process was to first come up with what to do and once we did that we needed to come up with a script. Once we came up with the script we tweaked it till we thought it was good and then we started to film B roll.  Then we set up time with him to start the interview then we started to edit.

We took a different approach this time by interviewing a teacher who has had more experience than the students have had and can tell us about web design better than they could.  What I would do differently next time would be to make sure the audio is on so we actually have a interview that isn't just static. The experience that I would take from this is to double check that the sound is on.

ONW 1 in 2000

Our story was about Maleah Boyd and her experience as a dance team member.  We asked her multiple questions like what she enjoys the most about dance team.  We also asked her how long she has been doing dance and why she does it.

I process was originally going to ask her if she wanted to be interviewed and then ask her dance team coach but she never responded back.  We then came up with the questions we were going to ask her.  Then we set up a time and found a location and started to interview her.  We were going to origanlly interview her in the gym but people started to play basketball in the gym so we had to move outside in the event entrance.

My role in the project was script supervisor or as an extra hand since we had 5 people in my group. I mainly ran around getting stuff done.  I would run back and forth from the room (editing) to the event entrance (to help them or ask questions if needed).

What I would do different is maybe a little less running because if I had gotten their numbers it would of saved me the trouble and I would also ask the coach earlier than we did and maybe goof around a little bit less.  What I would do the same would be keeping my group because I had a fun time and we did goof off a little bit more than needed to be but in the end we got the job done.  The main experience I would draw from this is to have fun with what you're doing and not be uptight about it but have the right amount of fun.

Procedures

The concept my group came up with was how to properly act during a fire drill.  We and up with this idea because it is something everyone needs to know and know how to do.  We came up with this because usually kids just yell and push past people instead of doing what they need to do.  We also picked this because we thought it would be easier to film for our first project of the year.

My role in the team was director so I was the one behind the camera the whole time tell my group what to do when they needed to do it.  What I learned along the way was to be a little bit more direct in what I say and be a little bit more commanding.  I also learned how to take charge because I'm usually seen as a follower.

What would I do different is maybe be a little bit more commanding and more talkative.  I would change this because I would like to take control every once in awhile so I need to learn how to.  Everything else I would keep the same because we did okay in the rest of the project.  The experience I will draw from the most in this project would be the leadership.

Self Portrait

Self Portrait

I chose to represent myself with my dog because I love animals and want to help animals in my off time or as a hobby.  I wanted to show others how much I love animals.  I enjoyed Malik's the most and really liked what he did.  It was very unique and well thought out and liked all the lights.

I was going play a video of dog barking in his sleep but decided that it wouldn't be interesting enough so I recorded a video of my dog playing with his favorite toy, his hedge hog.  It is always dark in my hallway because there is no windows so I turned on the over head light so you could see.  I chose to do it in my hallway because that's usually where I usually play with him.

I hope users learn that I love my dog a lot and that I love animals.  I think that I was successful in achieving my goal because I was playing with him.  The challenges that I faced was how long he would play and I really didn't conquer them because that was all he would give over the weekend.

Quarter 4 Reflection

It took me and my group 9 long weeks but we finally finished our project Smart Tech.  Some challenges were team collaboration but other wise we were fine.  We struggled to finish up stuff at the end but we got it done on time if but barely.  I learned teamwork skills, to come out of my shell even more, to work efficiently, and meet deadlines on time.  I was given good feedback to what I could use and change later in the future.  We changed our whole logo because we decided to go for more of a company approach than just a product approach.  Overall I had fun with this and it was my favorite part of E-comm this year and my favorite thing at school this year.

I used my class time well and worked on what my group needed me to get done like the animations, the logo, and the ads.  I went back and checked everything multiple times correct it and tweaking it to make it the best possible.  Outside of class I play video games and watch movies to see different animation styles and see how things move and act and compare them to their living counterparts.  I also look up how movies and video games were made to get a better feeling on how it works because that is what I want to do when I'm older which is to make Video Games and Movies.

My strengths that have grown this year are in Animation and Videography/Filming.  I've learned the basics to prepare me for next year and get me started on the journey that will be my life later down the road.  I know I've only broke the surface of E-comm this year but I can't wait for next year when I'll learn more and more and more.

Areas I need improvement in are probably Web Design. I get it but it's still confusing so I have to try to understand it better and work on it more to do better.

I loved the whole create you own product idea from the very beginning.  I would maybe make the presentations in the Auditorium other wise I leave everything the same.  I learned to put everything that I learned in Quarters 1-3 into one project.  I would like to make something amazing in animation next year.

SketchUp House

https://www.houseplans.com/plan/480-square-feet-2-bedrooms-1-bathroom-beach-home-plans-0-garage-32887

 

 

 

Description: This is my house that I created and here are 2 of the textures I took from the internet.  I choose this house to do because I thought it looked cool and would be fun to create.  I took the trees from the tutorial but made the rocks and the pond myself.

 

 

What I learned: I learned the basics of SketchUp and how to make something from scratch.  I also learned how to put in how long or wide something has to be and I also learned hoe to make a slanted roof and windows.

 

 

How it went: It did take me awhile to find a house but I eventually did.  I did learn how to create windows I just forgot how too but if I had remembered then my house would of looked ten time better.  Overall it went smoothly and the only thing I had trouble with was the fence on the deck. 

 

 

 

My Personality Type

Extravert: This means that I like to hang out with people more or animals in my case but I do feel at ease when I'm around people and animals it make me feel safe especially around the ones I love.

Intuitive: I have always that of the bigger picture than the smaller details because it gives me something to work toward and I like the feeling of earning something after I've put a lot of time and effort into it.

Feeling: I've always been an emotional person and have always had a big heart and let my decisions be decided on feeling rather than logic so I basically follow my gut a lot of the time.

Judging: I have always liked to plan ahead and observe my enemy in video games to predict when, where, and how they might attack and what they might attack with.  I always like having a plan before I fight or work or play so I don't go into something blind.



On the Lion, Otter, Beaver, and Golden Retriever I was 34 lion and 34 otter, 26 golden retriever and 16 beaver.

Ball Bounce

Overview: I did exactly what was asked of me to do on the first two animations. I wanted to mix things up on the last one and instead of making the ball leave the frame I made the ball enter the frame.  I knew from the start of the last one I wanted to do something related to Doctor Who which is one of my favorite TV shows. 

What I learned:  I learned the basics of Adobe Photoshop and how to actually make an animation from something simple like a ball bouncing up and down to the Tardis coming into frame and The Doctor coming out of the Tardis in the form of a ball.

How it went: It went really well for me and I probably spent two or three days on the Tardis (Time And Dimension In Space) alone.  It was a last minute decision but I decided to make the ball like The Doctor.  Overall the first two animations were fairly easy in my opinion.

WEB project final

I used Adobe Dreamweaver for my project and I instantly understood it without having any trouble.  I used two of my project that I think I did really well on from quarter 1 and quarter 2 and the colors I chose I think go really well together. 

I learned about the software and how to use it with adding pictures, videos, links, and the date modified. I also learned how to work Adobe Dreamweaver for the future because I know I will use it again in the future. 

I think that I actually did a great job because I knew how to use the software and figured things out pretty quickly.  I will be able to know how to create a web page in the future and how to add links to things as well as how to use Adobe Dreamweaver.  

Elevator Pitch

Hello my name is Alex Tolman and I’m currently a 21^st century student at Olathe Northwest in the E-communication program.  I am looking for a job that needs an animator either computer or hand-drawn.  I’m very talented when it comes to drawing and I work very well with technology so I could work for both or either one.  I’m am very resourceful because I am book smart and very good at coming up with ideas and I’m very adaptable.  I can get very competitive but I’m very strategic.  I also have a big imagination allowing me to create new ideas and my passion for my work allows me to succeed.