Introduction
The Reflections unit was the first unit of senior year at Freestyle Academy. The theme was “Who am I.” Our classes and elective had us undertake projects that are about ourselves. In film, my elective, this was the reflections video essay. It is a short, 1-minute look into how I think. In English, the reflections project was the personal essay from common app. It is a 650 word essay about who I am that I was able to then use for colleges. In digital media our projects included creating a unique personal mandala and using Adobe After Effects to create videos showcasing simple techniques. The hope is that by expressing ourselves through art, we can learn to better understand ourselves.
Part of the reason why I chose to do Freestyle this year was to learn about how to better express myself. I was under the impression that either I didn’t know how to share the ideas in my head or that I didn’t have any good ideas. The reflections unit was a perfect example of how freestyle stimulates creativity and improves communication skills. I also learned about the creative process. Going into the year, I would often have ideas that I didn’t feel the best about so I would delay working on projects to try to wait for the right idea. This was the wrong mindset. As the year went on I discovered that good ideas could only come if I was actively working and thinking about a project. The reflections unit has taught me that if I improve my work habits and get a lot of practice with different mediums of artwork, I will be able to be a stronger communicator.
Mandalas
A mandala is a circular symmetrical artwork that is popular in south and east Asia. The artwork reflects one slice onto the rest of the circle. In Adobe Illustrator I started with a square canvas with different circles and lines to mark where I would draw and to divide the circle into several slices. I then made a clipping mask to make it so I could only draw in one slice. I then made this slice reflect onto all the other slices. With this template I went to work and made multiple mandalas, including a black and white one, a colored one, and a laser one.
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Black and White Mandala and Colored Mandala
Mandalas are difficult. Every line, every dot, and every figure you draw has a purpose in the artwork. I spent a long time working in Illustrator making drafts and revising to make my mandala. The work was worth it, as the symmetry makes the artwork beautifully come to life. Making mandalas helped me grow artistically as it showed me the importance of little details. I am proud to submit this artwork as it reflects hours of focused hard work that I put in.
This project taught me a lot about the process in which artwork is created. A lot of time is needed to brainstorm ideas. Constant revision and attention to detail is needed to create effective artwork. Being open to criticism and editing based on multiple perspectives refines a project into a finished work. Understanding this process has prepared me for future projects and also has caused me to find greater value in the artwork of others.
Personal Essay
The personal essay was an assignment in English class to meet the personal essay requirements on Common App. The essay’s prompt is simple: to show who you are to the college admissions officers. When I started writing this essay I thought that I could make a list of my achievements and goals. I started writing a list-like essay but midway through the writing process I was reminded of something my film teacher Mr. Taylor said. He said that there are millions of people with similar achievements and goals to me. What makes you unique is not your qualifications; it is the way you think. With this in mind I rewrote my essay about a major activity in high school that was really important to me – football. I was never a starter on the football team but I kept playing all four years of high school. I wrote about the events that made me care about football as well as my motivation to stay with the team even though I knew I was never going to get great playing time. Writing the personal essay helped me reflect on the events that shaped who I am and what I care about.
Motion Graphics
After Effects is a video editing software by Adobe. The main feature of After Effects is to add simple animations and graphics to enhance a video or create an animated video. I learned how to use techniques such as rotoscoping, null objects, and to use simple animation effects like trim paths. These animations and techniques will help me to create better films. Below is a screenshot of the After Effects interface of one of the videos I made.
WilliamB-My Cool Graphics and Audio:
From previous lessons, I learned how to sync animations with audio. In this video I showed a cat running around the screen next to a picture of a dog. The cat’s fur and the picture of the dog are both synced with the music.
WilliamB-My Simple Motion Graphics:
For this assignment I had to use sound effects, star bursts, waves, and trim paths for a creative project. I have no idea why, but I thought of having a video of my cat Oslo crossing the Delaware like George Washington in the battle of Trenton came to mind. I added starbursts around him, waves below him, a title that glowed and used trim paths, and finally snow with sound effects.
WilliamB-Rotoscoping:
For this video I learned how to integrate text and animations with text into film. The text does cool animations around the person in the video and then goes behind the person. This allows a sense of depth to the text within the video and it makes it seem more apart of the video rather than just a title pasted on the film.
Being able to produce these simple motion graphics and animations in my film will help me to make cleaner, more refined films.
Film
Reflections Video Essay:
For the reflections video essay I had to make a two minute film that shows who I am and how I think. This short film was not supposed to be a resume. It is supposed to show what makes me unique on a deeper level. After weeks of brainstorming and going through different ideas, I decided to make my video about my relationship with my twin brother Sam.
Green Screen Video:
This was my first assignment where I needed to use a green screen. I decided to reenact a scene from vertigo with me losing my grip and falling off a ledge.
1 Minute Movie:
This was my first assignment of the year. I was in a group with Ethan and with Autumn and we made a short video about a guy losing his car. This assignment helped me learn a lot about the pacing of work on a film as well as the various shots that make up a good film.
1 Period Videos:
For this project the film class was sorted into groups and given the whole period to make and then edit a short film. There was a catch however. After filming we were to hand off our project to a different group and edit a different group’s project. Below are the two videos that I was involved in the production of.