I’m going to miss having a Toolkit course in my schedule next Fall, and I think taking the two courses has been one of the best educational decisions/investments I’ve made at the University of Florida. This semester has went by so fast, but I want to make sure that I remember the most important things I want take away from the class. Before Toolkit 2, I had no real experience with shooting or editing video so I have learned a lot to say the least. But here are the 3 main things I will take away from this course:
1. Basics of Shooting
Out of al the things I learned, I think I am most confident about telling a story and making sure I have a variety of interesting shots and audio. I wasn’t as creative with shot angles and ideas in the first video I shot for class, but now I’ve become more comfortable with thinking about how the angles, sequences and pacing of shots can add visual interest. Now, I also know how to use the tripod appropriately for interviewing and also for controlled movements like panning, tilting and dollying.
2. Importance of Scripting/ Visualizing the Story
The first time I captured video I remember sitting there and thinking “Ok, what now?” Although Mindy required a script for the first video, I realized how the editing process really unfolds easily after you’ve created a script. Scripting allows you to match the audio with the most appropriate visuals to tell the story effectively. For our final project we wrote proposals where we had to visualize the beginning, middle (arc) and ending of our video before we even shot at a location. This was very helpful, and it’s something I always want to keep in mind for future projects.
3. Editing in Windows Movie Maker/ Final Cut Pro
We mostly used Movie Maker for all the video projects this semester. Although it’s not the most advanced or flexible editing program, we saw how with careful and creative editing journalists can create quality video in Windows Movie Maker. Although we only had a day or so to play around in the lab with Final Cut Pro, I think I could edit in the program succesfully if I spend a little more time building on the basics we learned from class.
Other notes about the course:
Although I know the basics about building a Flash project, I’m not as experienced in this area. But after the tutorials Mindy guided us through in class, I think with one or two more days of playing around with the program I could become more confident. I also wish we would have had more time to include another short video project into the syllabus. But realistically, I’m not sure how much more we could have included. With all the interesting information we discuss and learn about multimedia reporting, I think most students would say a semester is never enough time to explore something they enjoy. I can’t wait to use what skills and resources I’ve gained from this course in my future educational and career endeavors!
“I also wish we would have had more time to include another short video project into the syllabus.”
This is really good advice, thanks.