I’ve been blogging about the movies I’ve watched but wanted to create a database as well. I considered using the wiki but figured there was probably an honest-to-goodness database out there. Sure enough, the Internet Movie Database has a “my movies” section where you can add movies and add notes. In addition, you can share the list publicly. Here’s my URL with the six movies I’ve watched so far: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=22954544 I feel like I’ve watched more and then I remembered that Monterey Pop was a three-disk set and Netflix only sends one at a time.
Category Archives: adult learning
My First Project
My first movie–Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary–is in the can. Actually, it is is the envelope since I burned it to DVD. I really want to upload it to the web but can’t seem to get it small enough.
I am, all in all, pretty pleased with the project. It definitely evolved. I had originally planned to do just the music part, and only added the introduction over the past few days after I had an inspiration. I think the introduction helps because it names a lot of the animals you see in the musical part.
I picked Corkscrew as a topic because it was small; we only spent a few hours there. Unfortunately, that meant we didn’t have a ton of footage; you’ll see a lot of repeats, like the little blue heron. We probably stood and watched him for 10 minutes so he shows up a lot in the video. As I consider my next project, the amount of video and number of images available will be a consideration.
I only used a few transitions in the piece. I want to experiment with them and filters during the next project.
I think I wasted a lot of time on the music. Using midi files with multiple tracks will help speed that process along even if it means I’m not performing the song.
What A Difference
Haven’t posted…been too busy working and learning to reflect. But now, as my (hopefully) last DVD is burning with my first FCP project on it, and I’m waiting for a load of laundry to dry before heading out for the day, I can sit back and think a bit. I’ll at least start with the first question:
What did I learn?
I learned how to do a few technical things in FCP and GarageBand, but I also learned some personal things, too. (Or maybe re-learned since I’ve fallen in this trap before.)
Finding Time to Learn
I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now. Despite the fact that I have a four-day weekend ahead when I know I will be able to spend time working on a paper, Moodle screencast, and my video, I am in the midst of one of those crazy weeks that included a whole day out of the office on Monday and a 3-hour meeting in Charlottesville on Thursday that manages to take up the whole day. First of all, I hate being out of the office on Mondays; it really just messes up the whole week. I had to shift media center hours to Tuesday so then I didn’t have that free either. EEK! Meanwhile, the paper is writing itself in my head and is to the point where I need to get the words on paper. I know exactly what I’m going to do for the screencast, too, especially now that I discovered I can record audio along with video in SnapZPro. As for the video, I’ve stalled out on the soundtrack. Decided to use public domain sheet music, but just need time to tinker and record.
What have I learned about my learning? I need big chunks of time to really dig into things. And this week, all I’ve got is an hour here or there. Not enough time to even boot up the computer. I know, if I just had a morning to myself, the paper would be done. Another morning and the screencasts would be published. With them out of the way, I could spend the rest of the weekend working on my movie. But, Friday seems a long way away. One strategy I am developing is to always have a book, magazine, or newspaper (mostly Education Week) nearby that I can read in those short time spans. Makes me feel productive and helps ease my anxiety a little bit.
As for my learning contract, I am working away at it even if I’m not working on the video. Watched Nanook of the North, which I will discuss in a separate post. Starting to flesh out the wiki for the Media Center and hope to hack away at that today.
Self directed learning
I’ve been trying to figure out how to create a soundtrack for my movie. I downloaded some public domain sheet music. Played around with GarageBand and want to explore it further, but for now, I’m just using my midi controller to play the music straight. At this site, in addition to pdf files, they have annotated sheet music with ideas for how to learn the piece. A good example of how the web can teach subjects that have usually taken place face to face.