The Vibrant Video project was a short maker project that taught us the history of film making as well as many of the key steps to making a great video. Throughout the project Ms. Willemse told us the interesting history of film including the fact that the first film was of a man sneezing. The first larger scale film was of a train arriving and when audiences first saw it, they ran away because they thought the train was coming through the screen and would hit them. 

This project also taught us the process of how to make a great video. The first skill we learned was thinking like a moviemaker. We had to create a simple story with a soundtrack that set the mood. In order to keep track of my story, I wrote them down and ordered them how I thought they would go together. Then using an app called Clips, I filmed all the scenes I needed to tell my story. Then using Clips features, I added filters, stickers, posters, a soundtrack and other effects to my video to bring it to life. My film was about me reading and an exaggerated version of how I sometimes get absorbed by a book and pay attention to nothing else. 

The next skill I learned was framing shots and developing angles. To learn this skill we had to create a silent film in Clips using certain filters and posters to get an “old-time” effect. I am proud of how this video turned out and happy my friend could star in it with me. To further enhance the video, I first put the videos in iMovie to speed them up to get the look that old films have when people are walking around. I also think the music I chose fit the old fashioned theme and if you watch it without the music it looks weird. The music brings it to life.

The third skill introduced us to planning and shooting. We learned about writing a treatment, a logline, followed by a storyboard. For this skill we created a tutorial which we did as a group using an new iMovie feature. Before we started filming, we created and filled out a storyboard to grow in our planning skills and to make sure we included everything we needed to for the instructions to make sense. My team created a tutorial on how to use a vending machine which in the end turned out quite funny. 

The fourth and last skill I learned about in class, was about different effects I could use when making a film in iMovie. Unfortunately, I missed the class when we created the film with effect sequences because I was at volleyball provincials. However, I did see how a green screen can be used. 

At the end of the project, my class also had to film an interview but sadly I was sick the week they did it. I found it really fun to expand my knowledge about how to make movies and I know that will be very helpful for future PLP projects. In the future, now that I know more about making a treatment and a storyboard, I will include more of a planned out plot to my future videos. Laying out the angles and shots will help me get the purpose of my video across and using effects will make the video more interesting.