Project Final - Video Techniques / Studio 1

This is my project final for the class Video Techniques / Studio 1.  I worked on this with classmate Rachel Rodrigues.  We scripted it together, and I storyboarded it.  We took turns setting up the camera for the shots.

[Please view this video larger, clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

Rachel is the actor.  She arrives in the parking lot, steps out onto the running board of her car, and enters the building.  She takes the elevator to the second floor.  Alternately, she takes the stairs to the second floor.  Lo, and behold! As she crests the staircase, she sees herself coming from the elevator.  She waves at herself ... and she waves back at her other self.  The two Rachels meld into one at the entrance to a corridor.  Rachel walks down the hall to classroom 205, Video & Audio Production.

A note:

Since Rachel was a fellow student, and not a hired actor, I couldn't be as coercive as I might've wanted, in insisting that she make sure to land the same foot on the same spot, in order for the "meld" to take place.  Once it was all said and done, she was able to see what I was talking about.  But for a first attempt, I think it came out okay anyhow.  However, the part where the two Rachels are waving to one another, I must admit, was flawless.

I created the logo from a photo I'd taken a few years ago, and added the lettering via Photoshop.

The sound effects came from a SFX generator http://naturesoundsfor.me/

For this presentation, I removed the slate (as well as bars and tones) from the beginning.  The video quality is terrible, as I basically lost everything on my hard drive.  I only had a very low resolution version of this video that I made as an experiment.  I hopefully waiting for Rachel to send me her high quality copy of the file, so that I can replace the current one with a more pleasing version.

The Story Begins

Every story has a beginning.
This is the beginning, the Lord willing, of my new career in television and film production.
My story begins in being laid off from a dead-end, under paid, under appreciated 12-year (plus) job situation in which I was in, and from which, through God's kind providence, in the midst of recession, I was laid off.  There I was, looking for a new job in newspapers, Internet, friends, etc., when it struck me.  Am I going to just look for another job, which I might very well find myself hating (though that never stopped me from doing my best), even feeling nauseous about going to each and every morning?  What would I do if I could do anything I wanted?  Well, treasure hunting, as fascinating as that might seem, would not be agreeable to the wife, and I can't say it'd very well fit into my own life for numerous reasons. But the second thing I thought of was that which I've always had an interest, which is motion pictures and television -- really all aspects of it, from acting in front of the camera to being involved in one or more of the many and diverse positions which exist behind the camera.

So I did my research, found New England Institute of Technology had an Associate and a Bachelor degree program in Video & Audio Production / Digital Recording Arts.  I checked with my unemployment insurance, and the course was approved for me to attend, and collect at the same time.  So I became a full time student, beginning on January 3rd, 2012.

This is where the story begins.