CAPhollywood Weekly Reflection #3

We are down to the wire. Our film is due by the end of the week, and we still need to edit our ending. We finally finished filming so we just need to mix it all up and drag in some music. Ugh. That is if we can find some appropriate music that doesn't suddenly go offline, because that's been the biggest problem we've been experiencing this week. We select the perfect background music only to have it disappear when we are forced to use a different PC. Our group has had to move from computer to computer multiple times and that has caused us to lose some audio files. We've even lost our introductory voice over which is a real problem. That voice over sets the scene for our story and introduces the viewer to our main character, a teenage girl, and to her involvement in the counterfeit money industry. Hopefully we can retrieve the old voice over from the hard drive of our original PC, otherwise we're toast. We will have to re-record that segment and it's been difficult to schedule time with our actress. We have to edit and export out entire completed film by the 24th, this Friday. I have faith in my group; we're all efficient editors and we have plenty of time to edit this week on the days when we're not taking HSAs. I will also have to put in some editing time after school to punch it up and make it good enough to get an A. Our story is worth watching, and in only three to four minutes, we tell a compelling tale. I want it to be professional enough to deserve a showing on the big screen at CAP Hollywood night.  I'm a little nervous because the school year is rapidly coming to an end and other stuff is starting to pile up. I have this film project, my Sophomore change project and all of my other classes gearing up for final exams. Stress!

Okay, where did it go THIS time!

Weekly Reflection #2

Bah! After all my experience with film making, I somehow forgot that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. This week I learned that we are not going to be able to film the rest of our movie until the 18th. This is making me very nervous. Our initial schedule called for us to film last weekend, but someone in our actress's family got very sick so she couldn't come. Now we're cutting it close. I am hopeful that we're going to be okay any way because we are ahead of schedule on editing the first part. This week we actually finished editing Act 1 and all of the footage we've filmed for Act 2. We put a lot of effort into the audio this week. First, I found a solution to the problem I told you about last week where we wanted to edit our voices out of the scenes on the Metro but keep the background noises. In the very beginning of the film we drowned out the voices with some calm, low key music from the Free Music Archive. It's just loud enough to block the stage directions keep the ambient noises in the background. The ambient sound we liked the most but that we thought would be the most difficult to retain while also taking out our voices was the rattling sound of the train on the tracks. Since this train sequence is supposed to be suspenseful, I decided to try dubbing a heartbeat in the background that grows louder and louder. This effect seamlessly removes our talking but retains the metro sounds while also serving the cinematic effect of emphasizing the actress's nervousness. Unfortunately, I was not able to show you this footage on this blog because it isn't compatible with my PC, but you can click here to hear the opening music track. One other success this week was that Mr. Bustillos recorded an AMAZING voice over for the fake introductory radio broadcast that starts the film. He sounds just like a newscaster reporting breaking news in a dramatic way. After hearing him I wondered why he didn't go into the radio business.
Now that we got so much done last week with our existing footage, we don't have much to do this week. We really need to finish filming. Until then I guess we can keep polishing and editing to make the film even smoother and more professional looking than it already is. I can get cracking on this after Tuesday when I finally get take my AP NSL test. I've been studying constantly for it so after I take it I'll feel free as a bird..... and ready to work on a different project  - this film!

Weekly Reflection #1

This week we started the post production phase of the CAP Hollywood project. We're done filming and now it's time for me to do what I do best, lock myself in a windowless editing suite for hours on end making this thing look GORGEOUS. Starting last Tuesaday, I helped import and plan post production, including things like scheduling when people can stay after school and when we can get Alison to come in and record all of her voice overs. She is the actor playing our main character so that complicates things. The group edited act one of the film last week, but it's a little worrisome that we only have two weeks to edit this. I'm pretty we'll work it out. For next week, I need to figure out how to incorporate all the ambient noises from the shots but without having the sounds of my group giving stage directions behind the camera. Here's a clip of Alison getting prompted on how to look panicked. I love the noise of the Metro in the tunnel, but I can't have the sound of people telling her what to do.

This is just one of the many things I'm going to sort out next week. I'm really excited to see how this is going to turn out.

CAP Hollywood Short Film

Money Girl
Becca, Kirin, Laura, and I finished up the script, storyboard, and shot list this week for out short film. The film is called Monet Girl and is about a fifteen year old who's involved in printing counterfeit money. She's being relentlessly pursued through the city streets by a man, but his identity remains a mystery to the audience until the movie's dramatic conclusion. I feel like we successfully created a sense of suspense and drama, and I can't wait until we get to the editing process. Editing is challenging and time consuming, but it's one of my favorite parts of making a movie. Editing can make or break a project.

Clapper Rail

Almost as soon as we stepped off the boat onto Smith Isand, we saw our first great bird --- another life bird for me. It was a clapper rail! An elderly birder named Howard had pulled out his iPod near a patch of reeds and began playing the bird's call. It's breeding season, so the rail appeared immediately and he was hopping mad. He figured he had a rival on his territory and he was ready to kick some butt. I'm not sure what went through his mind when he found a bunch of gawking people toting monster telephoto lenses (which were of no use since the bird was within arm's reach) instead. He stayed out in the open for quite a while giving everybody great looks. He was making a loud barking/coughing sound the whole time. The picture below that was taken by Evelyn Ralston.

Don't forget the sun block

I spent Saturday on a quest for some new life birds. What's a life bird, you ask? Well, it's simply a bird you've never seen in the wild before. I headed to Point Lookout State Park to catch a boat to Smith Island. From the boat launch, I scoped a great blue heron colony. The tall birds dotted the tops of the tall pine trees. They did alot of squawking and displaying. They look way more beautiful than they sound. From the same spot, I was able to observe a nesting pair of bald eagles, several opspreys, a common loon, some cormorants, and a fishing Caspian tern. All this, and we hadn't even boarded the boat yet. I observed more Caspian and some Forster's terns perched on a series of pilings as we cruised out of the cove.
The sun was blazing, but it was windy and frigid out on the open water of the bay. Pretty soon I forgot all about how cold it was when someone called out that we had northern gannets all around us. Gannets are our largest water birds. They have a six foot wing span. They're brilliant white with pointy black wing tips. Their light blue eyes are encircled in a blue line surrounded by jet black skin and they have a yellow wash on their heads. They dive into the water from great heights to catch fish. It was an amazing sight to see. Soon they'll migrate to Canada to nest in huge groups on rocky cliffs.
I saw many more great birds on the trip, and didn't notice that I'd developed a wicked bad sunburn on my face until Saturday evening. You should really get out and do some birding sometime soon. Just don't forget the sunblock.

The Minecraft April Fools Jokes for 2011 and 2013

This year Mojang, the company that produces minecraft,  made the best April Fools joke in history and I fell for it... really badly. Mojang talked to some of the most famous YouTubers and got them in on the prank. They got the administrators of the MindCrack server (a server that only people that are ridiculously famous on YouTube get to play on) to agree to release an exclusive update pre-release video and showcase an "update pre-release". So many things were added to the prerelease like, torches that burn out, the possibility to over feed animals, tinted glass, TNT slabs, and much more. I was so excited after seeing the video that I logged onto a multiplayer server and told everyone about the  pre-release video. This one player then told me, "lol, dude you know that was this year's April Fools joke right?" Well I had to admit it; they TOTALLYgot me. Here's one of the videos by one of the YouTubers who was in on the prank. Skip to 1:40 to see the features of the fake update.

There was also a good April Fools joke in 2011, so if you missed out on that look at this video. The joke takes place from 2:08-3:53

Look out! HAWK!

So... something you might not think about if you're new to the whole birdfeeding thing... If you feed songbirds, you can bet you're going to feed the occasional hawk as well. I've observed two species at my feeding station. One, a redtail, who's lived in our neighborhood for several years will take a bird if he can get one but he's more likely to target one of the fat gray squirrels that visit my yard for sunflower seeds, suet, peanuts, cracked corn, and the acorns from our oak trees. And we don't have to worry about wood rats. He took care of them when they showed up a couple of years ago. Once I made the mistake of watching "big red" eat one through my mom's scope. It was extremely gross.
The other hawk that frequents my yard is a Cooper's. He's long and lean with a narrow striped tail and red eyes that freaked me out a little at first. Coopers hawks are fast and agile and prey mainly on birds. Initially, it really upset me to know that I was putting the songbirds in danger, even though I get it that hawks need to eat too. I did some research and learned that subsidizing the local bird population with with food, water, and shelter does more good than harm. It's beneficial to many many birds, and hawks will prey on birds whether you're feeding or not.
Nature's not always pretty, but it's always interesting. Anyone who's ever watched a lioness take out a cute little gazelle on NatGeo knows that. Man interferes in so many negative ways: habitat destruction, car strikes, pesticide use. I'm glad I can give a little back to our feathered friends with my little bird cafe.

Pictures: http://birdsdowntown.wordpress.com/2012/12/
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/id


A Coopers Hawk remains vigilant while perched on a branch

A soaring Red Tailed Hawk fans out its red tail as it scans the ground for unsuspecting prey

House Finches

  The weather is warming up, and more birds are arriving at the feeder. This week a couple house finches got my attention, so I snapped a few shots of them and decided to make them the species for this week. These birds can be found almost everywhere in the US year round. Male house finches are handsome with a scarlet red wash on their heads and throats. Females are brownish gray with blurry streaks all over. Many finches will overlook a regular tube feeder because the seeds and berries inside are too big, but house finches will sift through the seeds as well as eat the thistle from the finch feeders. These birds are not ground feeders, so unless you have a finch feeder you most likely won't encounter one.  They're hard to spot on trails because finches are very small birds that blend in with the trees that they're perched in. If you don't have a feeder at home (yet!), visit a local nature center. They usually keep their feeders full and you can observe the birds up close and personal.
A fun fact about house finches is that in 1940 a group of illegally sold caged house finches were released near New York City, and now all of the house finches east of the great plains are descendants of these released birds! Birds rule!

A female (left) and male (right) house finch eating thistle seeds from a tube feeder

Two male house finches that were searching for the smaller seeds inside the tube feeder

A male house finch perched on a wisteria vine.

Showcasing: The White Throated Sparrow

I was sick this past weekend, which gave me a lot of time to just look at the birds at my feeder. It gave me the idea that it would be interesting to write some posts showcasing various bird species that visit my little "bird café". This week we have the white throated sparrow. It's easily recognizable by it's white throat and crown. In fact many bird names are very "creative" in this aspect, for example the white breasted nuthatch has a white breast, a purple martin is well... purple, mourning doves make mournful sounds, and so on. However some birds have names that give a false impression of how the bird looks. Take the purple sandpiper for instance; the name makes you think that it's purple obviously. But, if you're at the beach anytime next winter check the rocky jetties for a plump, brownish, long-billed bird probing the crevices, you just might be looking at a "purple" sandpiper. If you use your imagination, and the light is juuuuust right, you might see a very slight purple gloss in their plumage. Anyway, back to the white throated (WT). They are ground feeders and scratch among the fallen leaves for food. My mom and I make sure to throw some seeds and cracked corn on the ground for the WT, mourning doves, juncos, and others. The WT has two morphs. They either have a bright white eyebrow, or a tan stripped eyebrow. WT's have a distinctive yellow lore (area in front of the eye). A fun fact about the WT is that for a while it was believed that the tan striped morph of the WT was simply the juvenile plumage, but recent studies have shown that white striped adults usually mate with tan striped WT adults. Well, what can I say... opposites attract! You can search for a WT in your back yard or as you walk along Sligo's wooded paths. They're present winter, spring, and fall.

A white throated sparrow with a white eyebrow

 

The WT's blend in with the ground (left), unlike the cardinals

A PVP Server

I haven't done a Minecraft post in a while, but I want to share a pvp server that my friend introduced to me recently. I've attached a narrated video of me showcasing the server's features. As I get ready to post my entry, I realize that some might find the Minecraft vocabulary objectionable. The words "kill" and "die" are used to describe events in the battles between two teams of Lego-like characters. There are no guns, no blood; but bows and swords are used in combat. As video games go, Minecraft doesn't contain graphic violence. In my own life, I support peaceful solutions to problems in our world. I spent yesterday working at the Little Friends for Peace organization in a D.C. neighborhood that is plagued by violence. You may have read my earlier post after the Newtown tragedy, about attending a vigil to end gun violence. I don't think my interest in gaming conflicts with my personal values or philosophy about living an ethical life. I, like most avid gamers, know the difference between fantasy and reality. I hope you take my post in the spirit that was intended, and that you have you have a hobby that you enjoy as much as I do mine.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

I've been a birder for a long time. My mom has had me birding since I was 4 or so.  Recently my mom started telling me about this thing called the great backyard bird count (GBBC) so I decided to look into it. The GBBC is where someone can just sit at their window and count the birds they see. They record their results and send their findings to Conell University of Ornithology. It's citizens' science! This is amazing to me because I love to just kick back and watch the birds come and go. Earlier today I filled up the feeders and started recording what I saw. I saw a lot of the birds that I just love, like a flock of dark eyed juncos, a cardinal, and two varites of woodpeckers (1 red bellied woodpecker, and 2 downys). This was a great way to say goodbye to Maryland as I pack my bags to spend president's day weekend in Pennsylvania. I hope I will have time to do more of this in the future, because as I've said many times in this post, I LOVE birds!

I just spent the last 30 minutes looking at birds out my window.

Eggs

Mr. Mayo challenged us to a make a 60 second video focused around a mystery prop. It was exciting and a little nerve wracking knowing that whatever item we pulled from the black plastic bag would be the inspiration for our show. One group got a bloody severed head, so we knew we had to be prepared for anything! Our "anything" turned out to be a birds nest with three eggs in it --- maybe not as exciting as a decapitated head, but we knew we could work with it. After a lengthy brainstorming session, we decided on a theme of suspense. Would the itty bitty birdies survive the fall from the treetop or end up a scrambled mess on the pavement below?
We used sound effects and music to add both drama and humor to our film. And of course Ross came through with a brilliant performance. This one minute film, from conception to final editing, took us many hours to produce. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.
The experience will be helpful with our upcoming CAP Hollywood Project because it was a good exercise in using our skills and imaginations to create a concept and captivating story in a limited amount of time.

I took a shot...

I've always loved acting. I did a little at Imagination Stage when I was younger. I enjoy writing skits and creating characters and doing voices and accents. But I was too intimidated last year to try out for either of Blair's plays. I went to see The Three Musketeers and Les Miserables, and they were fantastic!
This fall, my parents challenged me to audition for The Taming of the Shrew. I used to run into Ms. O'Connor in the drama room she shares with Ms. Jeral. She seemed cool and very nice. Anyway, I finally got up the nerve to put my name on the audition schedule one day. Mine was actually the last name on the list of 84 hopeful students. I figured I was "safe". By the time the O'Connors got to my presentation, they'd surely have already found all the actors they needed, or maybe if I was really lucky they'd just sleep through my tryout. Who did I think I was, anyway?! To my surprise, they were wide awake and enthusiastically watching my and my partner's every move. I even made Mr. O"Connor laugh out loud.
The rest of the story is that I won a small role in the Shakespearean comedy. It's been even more fun than I imagined it would be. I feel really lucky to have had this experience and I hope to participate in future MBHS productions. Come out and see the play this weekend. I'm the guy who gets his butt kicked, literally.

Oh, and if you've been thinking of joining a club or trying out for a sport or the play --- JUST DO IT! You'll be glad you did.

What Silver Spring is to me

I'm going to have to write this post quickly. I have had a hectic past 2 weeks, what with my Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close project, and exams. But now that I'm done with this my schedule should be free. I'm probably going to have a good next few weeks with the play and the British students. So to quote Paul Revere, "The British are coming, the British are coming!" I have always wanted a reason to say that. Anyway. the video may seem a little choppy , but that was only because of the constraint on the time. Also the fact that a few clips are missing... well that's the reason  need to type  quickly. I tried to re-upload the video, and restore the video files, but my computer came up with a blue screen of death. So as I'm writing this my computer is a ticking time bomb for another blue screen and potentially an unfixable one. Hopefully if I shut it down for the rest of the night the problem will go away, and i realy hope this problem will not persist and that  the computer isn't doomed. Well untill then I better give my computer a rest.

Minecraft 1.4.6 Review

I finally had the time to do something Minecraft related! It's been so long since I last posted something Minecraft related on this blog. So today I will treat you with a visit from a long awaited minecraft video. And before you ask, no it's not a machinima. I've been having a hard time coordinating a time that my friends can log on and be actors, and when I finally coordinated a time that worked for everyone, the universe decided that that would be a good time for my server to crash making me unable to film. Well I got around it by recording my review of the new minecraft update. Remember the last update review with the picture gallery? Remember how it took up so much space? well now that I put that in a video this post will not be as long as the 1.4 update review. I did forget to mention in the video that the Minecraft programmers added a Christmas surprise that only took place on the 24th and the 25th, they made the chests in minecraft look like Christmas presents. For some reason blogger is not letting me post a picture, so I will get you a picture of that when I can. There really is not that much to cover because this wasn't as major of an update as 1.4 was. So without any further ado here's the review video. I hope you likle it!