I interviewed Ian in the Hunter Seminar room, and Jarret was DP. I asked Ian about life at BBA and then about traveling. To keep the video at one minute, I only used the clips of him talking about going places. I feel like I used B-roll very successfully and made the transitions smooth. The video goes pretty well. The cuts between his responses are not too sharp and they make sense.

We could have definitely used better technique while filming. We did not even use the microphone because it was in the wrong port. We could have used a couple extra lights to make the interviewee pop out from the background. We could have moved in on the interviewee so they were more of the focus than some plain chairs. But otherwise, it was a solid video.

I was the DP for this interview. I think it would have been good to have a light or two to bring all of the focus to Jarrett. We used the rule of thirds, but I could have positioned the camera a little better. And I should have plugged the microphone into the right port so we picked up the sound with the lav mic.

Jarret interviewed me and Ian was DP. I think that I did a fair job answering the questions and giving interesting information, considering that I'm normally quiet. I probably should have enunciated better and maybe have been louder. I also could have given better answers by elaborating more and telling the important stuff.

I was able to quickly put the raw footage onto Final Cut Pro, cut up the video, take out the questions audio, and add B-roll to make a good interview film. I think I was so efficient with this interview because I worked through problems on the first one and asked the advanced students questions. I feel very comfortable editing films now. 

To reflect on my job as interviewer, I think I asked some decent questions and waited properly to give time to edit out my speech. Henry gave some short answers early on, because I didn't ask big questions. But towards the end, he gave some really meaningful, in depth answers that helped me make a good film.

Unlike in the first interview, I actually gave a lot of input to our group on how the shot should be angled and where the interviewee should be. I suggested that they sit so that it is more comfortable to talk. We eventually decided to position both people in the sun with the sun going into the interviewee's face. I also actually moved the camera around to get the best shot. I think this video turned out well with our filming decisions.

Leonie interviewed me. I think that I answered with some interesting responses and decent detail. I think that I enunciated well and looked enthusiastic in front of the camera. I also think that I gave good answers that led into good follow up questions.

           Michael Jordan's Playground briefly shows how Jordan got to be so good and also how he is performing in the NBA at the time of the movie.  At certain points throughout the movie he talks to a high school player that was recently cut from his high school basketball team, just like Jordan was. There are a lot of his highlights along with other NBA players' thoughts about him. Even though he had only been in the league for 7 years about, the movie gives him a certain sense of invincibility. 

              He is shown as a god-like figure, but I like how the movie also shows him personally talking to the high school player and giving his thoughts to the audience. I really enjoyed watching the switches from his highlights to interviews of other NBA players to the high school player to Jordan reflecting on his career. I think the music is well-chosen and well-timed because it adds to the feeling that is already made by the shots. I also like the quick changes of shots like during the highlights of him dunking. If you are doing a movie on Michael Jordan, you almost have to show how amazing of an athlete he is. And by stringing the dunks and unguardable plays together like the movie does, it seems like no one can touch him. The effect is added to by the other players' thoughts on him and the commentators remarks added with B-roll. 

            The basketball court that was chosen is really cool and creates a cool feeling. The graffiti on the walls matches the colors of the introduction of the movie is really nice. All of the colors of the graffiti are also cool when the shot of the court switches back and forth with the highlights of Jordan going around the jerseys of all his opponents. In both scenes, everything else besides Jordan just seems like a flash of color and makes him seem even more unreal. And, in the beginning, Jordan calls playing basketball his "fantasy." Another part I really like is the one with Jordan talking about himself flying through the air in games. They use B-roll to switch between a soaring eagle and Jordan soaring during a dunk with him talking over both shots. Then a plane flies towards the camera and it jumps to a new scene and audio. I really enjoyed specific parts like that one.

            The lighting is also cool. Most of the lighting is from the lights set up on in the basketball arenas, so those are always the same but always well set up. I think the light for the player interviews works because they are not the focus of the movie and do not need to be lit up and shown as very important, relatively. The lighting of the outdoor court shot is nice and adds to the effect of the graffiti and the metal fences.

            I really enjoyed this movie, mostly because I like basketball and have never seen a true documentary on Michael Jordan, just Space Jam. There are maybe four other movies like this one on Jordan, and I think I will watch all of them after seeing Michael Jordan's Playground. I would recommend this to basketball players and fans, or people who are curious about Michael Jordan. However, while I enjoy watching older basketball games and movies, other people may not. The video quality is not great, the style and clothing is definitely different compared to today, and the music be not be likable for everyone who would watch this. But it is informative and also fun to watch. Unless you want a more formal, explanatory 10-hour documentary that will be available in the next year or two, I would definitely recommend this movie.

B-Roll - you can add B-roll in Final Cut Pro to make the final film smooth and fluid. It helps cover up the cuts between clips so the viewer doesn't see unnatural head movements.

Video Server - a computer device designed to deliver video. We can use it to take video clips from other people to use in our videos.

Rule of thirds - DP's should position the shot for interviews so that the person being interviewed is early just to the left or right of the center, in one of the thirds, and their eyes are even with the upper second third of the shot.

Where are the lights and light stands? - The lights are in their black bags by all of the other equipment on the left wall in the classroom. The light stands are in the news room.

Where do the batteries get charged when you are finished? - They go on the table next to the camera shelves. They should be separated from the fully charged batteries.

JVC HM100 - the cameras that we used for our second interviews. They are 3000 dollars each.

Lavalier Mic (Lav Mic) - We used the lav mics for both of the interviews. They plug into the correct port on the camera and hook onto the interviewee's shirt and pick up their speech. The ones we used for our second interviews were a lot better and more expensive.

Canon T3I / T5I - They are digital single reflex cameras. They are used for photography and look like picture-taking cameras, but we use them for cinema.

Director of Photography (DP) - the person in charge of positioning the camera and interviewer and interviewee and lights. They also start, stop, and move the camera during filming.

Dissolve or fade - how you transition between clips in a smooth way

Editing - taking the raw footage from filming and making it into a final project on Final Cut Pro. editing involves adding B-roll and sound effects and music and layering speech and moving around clips

Editor - the person who does the editing of the raw footage on Final Cut Pro 

Lower thirds - how you place the name of the interviewee in the film below their face to stay out of the way

Shoe / Quick Release plate - used to attach the camera to the tripod. You slide it off of the tripod and screw the camera onto it and put it back on the tripod.

Shoe 

Transform - it's an editing function on Final Cut Pro, it allows you to move, rotate, and size an image

Ken Burns effect - a cropping effect on Final Cut Pro that pans across a picture over a set period of time

-you should position the interviewee using the rule of thirds

-you should add a key light to make the interviewee's eyes pop

-light from different angles really helps the interviewee look better 

-cut out the interviewer's questions so that the whole video focuses on the responses

-cut out unimportant parts of responses or repeats from the interviewee

-always check to make sure the advanced student did not plug the lav mic into the wrong port

-if you don't use the lav mic, background sound hurts the quality of the video

-have camera shot at eye level of interviewee

-remember to get a charged light battery or charge one

-properly stop camera in between shots