EXERCISES
April 21,2025
21/04/2025 - 12/05/2024(Week 1 - Week 8)
1. Pre-Production
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Idea Development
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Story
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Storyboard
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Visual References
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Location & Props
2. Production
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Lighting
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Costume
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Principal Shooting
3. Post-Production
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Offline Editing
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Online Editing
Audio Editing
Physical Class Summary
In this week's physical class, Mr. Martin provided an overview of the Video & Sound Production module, outlining the complete production pipeline: pre-production, production, and post-production. He introduced the three main projects that will form the core of our assessment, each worth 30% of the final grade:
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Audio Editing using Adobe Audition
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Video Shooting and Editing using Adobe Premiere Pro
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Final Project involving either a visual effects video or stop motion animation
Mr. Martin also introduced essential equipment, such as headphones, tripods, and microphones, and emphasized the importance of documenting our creative process and reflections through an E-Portfolio.
Week 2
Production Notes:
Three Main Stages of Video Production
1. Pre-production
This is the planning and preparation stage before any actual filming takes place. It ensures that the creative direction and production logistics are clearly defined.
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Idea Development: Establishing the core concept, message, and target audience.
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Story: Writing the narrative outline or script to define the structure and flow.
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Storyboard: Visually planning each scene or shot for smoother production.
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Visual References: Gathering inspiration for style, color palettes, lighting, and composition.
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Location/Props: Selecting filming locations and preparing necessary props or set elements.
2. Production
This is the execution stage where actual filming is carried out, transforming ideas into visual content.
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Lighting: Arranging lighting to shape the mood and emphasize key visual elements.
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Costume: Choosing appropriate outfits based on character profiles and thematic settings.
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Principal Shooting: Capturing the footage according to the storyboard and script.
3. Post-production
This is the finalization stage, where raw footage is edited and polished into a complete video product.
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Offline Editing: Rough-cut editing to organize scenes, define pacing, and eliminate unnecessary clips.
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Online Editing: Fine-tuning visuals, adding effects, performing color correction, and inserting subtitles.
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Audio Editing: Enhancing audio quality through dialogue syncing, sound effects, and background music.
Week 3
Notes: Audio Editing Task – Dialogue & Sound Effects (Premiere Pro)
Task Objective
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Use Adobe Premiere Pro to add dialogue and sound effects to the given video.
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No background music is required.
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Focus on syncing speech and sound effects to improve viewer engagement and atmosphere.
Required Elements
Speech / Dialogue
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Record dialogue using a mobile phone.
Sound Effects
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Hard Effects: Specific sounds such as door creaking, glass breaking, gunshots.
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Ambient Effects: Environmental sounds like traffic, wind, or crowd noise.
Production Workflow
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Open and watch the video in Premiere Pro.
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Use a spreadsheet to list each scene and the sound effects it requires.
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(Reference: Google Sheet Example)
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Record dialogue and collect sound effects from online sources.
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Import all audio files into Premiere Pro.
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Sync all audio elements to match the video timing.
Technical Requirements
Audio Track Setup
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3 dialogue tracks (one for each character)
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4 sound effects tracks
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3 ambient sound tracks
Audio Editing Tips
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To change voice types (e.g., male to female, adult to child):
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Use:
Audio Effects → Pitch Shifter → Semi tonesin Premiere Pro
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Volume Guidelines:
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Dialogue: -6 dB to -12 dB
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Ambience: Below -20 dB
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Sound Effects: Adjust based on scene needs
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Shooting Exercise: Framing
For this exercise, we paired up to shoot a series of 5-second clips using different framing techniques. The objective was to explore how shot size and camera angles affect visual storytelling. The required framings included:
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Low-angle wide shot (WS)
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Frontal medium close-up (MCU) – soft background
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Frontal medium shot (MS) – soft background
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Extreme close-up (ECU)
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Side angle medium shot (MS) – soft background
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3/4 angling medium close-up (MCU) – soft/blurry background
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Close-up (CU)
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Eye-level medium-wide shot (MW)
I worked with my teammates to capture each of these shots, experimenting with background depth and camera positioning. Below are the eight resulting video clips from our shoot.
Film 1: Lalin
1. Act Structure
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Act 1:
We are introduced to Lalin, a young woman living in a rural, tradition-bound society. Her life is shaped by arranged marriage and family pressure, revealing her emotional bond with her mother and her yearning for personal freedom. -
Act 2:
The tension escalates as Lalin discovers she is pregnant but lacks her husband’s support. She chooses to keep her condition hidden, highlighting her isolation and the emotional toll of defying societal expectations. -
Act 3:
The truth eventually emerges, and Lalin faces a pivotal decision: to submit to cultural norms or reclaim her autonomy. The film concludes with emotional ambiguity, balancing tragedy and resilience.
2. Inciting Incident:
Lalin’s discovery of her pregnancy without support from her husband marks the turning point, catalyzing the internal and external conflicts that drive the narrative forward.
3. Midpoint Scene:
The hospital birth scene serves as the emotional and narrative midpoint, where personal crisis, family scrutiny, and cultural judgment converge, symbolizing a critical shift in Lalin’s journey.
4. Climax Scene:
Also centered on the childbirth scene, this moment represents the ultimate confrontation between personal choice and societal constraint, with Lalin’s fate hanging in the balance.
5. Theme:
The film explores the tension between female autonomy and traditional patriarchal values, highlighting women’s struggle for self-determination within oppressive cultural frameworks.
Film 2: Everything Everywhere All At Once
1. Act Structure
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Act 1:
Evelyn, a Chinese-American laundromat owner, juggles a crumbling marriage, generational conflict, and an IRS audit. Her mundane life is disrupted when her husband introduces her to the idea of the multiverse, setting the stage for a surreal journey. -
Act 2:
Evelyn navigates multiple universes while grappling with different versions of herself and her daughter, Joy—now Jobu Tupaki. Her failures and discoveries slowly peel back layers of emotional truth and identity. -
Act 3:
Instead of fighting chaos, Evelyn embraces empathy and understanding. She reconciles with her daughter, learns to accept her imperfect family, and reengages with her life with renewed clarity and compassion.
2. Inciting Incident:
In the "Bagel Universe," Evelyn encounters Jobu Tupaki and realizes she is a multiverse version of her daughter. This existential revelation destabilizes Evelyn and propels her toward a crisis of meaning.
3. Midpoint Scene:
Evelyn resists Jobu Tupaki’s nihilism by choosing love and empathy. Through a heartfelt conversation, she reaches out to Joy and begins healing both their relationship and her own fractured identity.
4. Climax Scene:
The climax centers on Evelyn’s philosophical breakthrough—she chooses to combat absurdity not with control or violence, but with compassion, humor, and acceptance across all universes.
5. Theme:
The film affirms that meaning can be found even in chaos. By choosing kindness, love, and connection, individuals can navigate existential uncertainty and find purpose in everyday relationships.
Shooting Exercise: Camera Techniques and Collaboration
In this shooting exercise, my groupmates and I worked together to execute a series of assigned camera shots, including deep focus (foreground: medium close-up, background: full body), over-the-shoulder (O.S) shots in medium and medium-wide formats, and two tight medium shots (M.S).
For the deep focus setup, we placed one subject in the foreground and another in the background, carefully adjusting the aperture and depth of field to keep both subjects sharply in focus. This approach enhanced the spatial depth of the frame and visually emphasized the connection between the two characters.
In our O.S shots, we paid particular attention to composition and eye-line accuracy. These shots were framed in both medium and medium-wide distances to create a natural sense of dialogue and interaction between characters.
The tight medium shots were used to highlight facial expressions and subtle emotional cues. These shots proved effective in conveying the character's inner thoughts and reactions.
Throughout the shoot, we maintained close communication and shared responsibilities, including camera setup, shot framing, and lighting adjustments. This hands-on experience not only improved our understanding of the narrative functions of each shot type but also strengthened our technical proficiency and collaborative workflow.
VFX Integration and Sound Design Reflection
After completing the basic VFX composition in After Effects, I exported the sequence and imported it into Adobe Premiere Pro for further editing. In Premiere, I added a simple voice-over that aligned with the visual action, helping to clarify the narrative and enhance viewer engagement.
To enrich the scene further, I layered in several basic sound effects—such as impact hits, whoosh transitions, and ambient background noise. These audio elements added realism and energy to the sequence, making the VFX feel more grounded and immersive.
Through this process, I gained a deeper appreciation for how sound design complements visual effects. I learned that even subtle audio choices can significantly elevate the emotional tone and atmosphere of a scene.
Specific Feedback:
This week, Mr. Martin introduced the overall structure of the course and broke down the three main stages of production: pre-production, production, and post-production. In the first editing exercise, I learned how to create a new project in Adobe Premiere Pro, import video clips, arrange them in a logical sequence, and export the final output. The second task, which involved reordering jumbled clips, was more challenging but helped me understand how editing choices shape the flow and meaning of a story.
General Feedback:
Mr. Martin’s guidance was clear and easy to follow, and the hands-on exercises helped me quickly get comfortable with the editing software. I now feel more confident using Premiere Pro and am looking forward to applying these skills in upcoming projects.
This week, Mr. Martin introduced various types of framing, including close-up, extreme close-up, medium-wide, and ¾ angling shots with a soft background. In our physical class, we were divided into small groups and given 30 minutes to complete a framing exercise. We captured each shot type in landscape format and applied shallow depth of field by zooming in on the subject. This hands-on task helped me better understand how framing and composition influence the emotional tone and visual clarity of a scene.
General Feedback:
Mr. Martin’s explanations were clear and easy to follow, which made the exercise feel approachable. The in-class activity gave us a valuable chance to practice camera work in a collaborative setting. I feel more confident in choosing appropriate framing for different scenarios and look forward to applying these techniques during editing.
Week 3
Specific Feedback:
This week, I started working on Exercise 1 of Project 1, which focused on audio dubbing. I downloaded the materials from Teams, including the silent video and script, and began planning the dialogue recording. I searched online for suitable sound effects and reviewed how to organize audio tracks properly in Premiere Pro. In class, I learned the importance of syncing sounds accurately and how different layers—dialogue, hard effects, and ambience—work together to build a believable soundscape.
General Feedback:
This task gave me a clearer understanding of how audio influences the atmosphere of a video. It also improved my familiarity with Premiere Pro’s audio tools, especially syncing and pitch shifting. I still find perfect timing a bit challenging, but the example spreadsheet and class guidance provided a useful framework. I’m looking forward to learning more about voice transformation in the upcoming session.
Over the past three weeks, I gained a solid understanding of the video and sound production process. Week 1’s class gave me a clear overview of the production stages and helped me get started with Adobe Premiere Pro. I found the editing tasks especially useful—particularly the second one, where I had to reorder jumbled clips. This made me think more critically about how editing choices affect the flow and meaning of a story.
In Week 2, the framing exercise taught me how different shot types and camera angles influence the mood and composition of a scene. Practicing these techniques in class helped me better understand the importance of visual planning and on-set collaboration. It was also a great opportunity to apply camera skills in a team setting.
Week 3 introduced me to the world of audio dubbing and sound design. I began to see how sound plays a key role in building realism and emotional impact. Organizing audio layers and adjusting elements like pitch and volume gave me new insight into the complexity of post-production. Although syncing sound is still challenging, I now recognize how dialogue, sound effects, and ambient noise work together to enrich storytelling.
Overall, these three weeks have helped me grow both creatively and technically. I’m starting to approach each production task with a more thoughtful and holistic mindset, considering how every detail—from visuals to sound—shapes the audience’s experience.
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