When I interviewed Maggie, it was hard for me to think of questions to ask her. I had a couple of things in mind and started with those to see where the interview would lead. I enjoyed editing this and adding b roll. I also learned how to edit and color Maggie so she was not so whited out. It was interesting to learn about Maggie. I found it difficult to not laugh or agree with her when she was talking at times. I also found it difficult figuring what to cut out and what to keep in the interview. I felt that she had some interesting stories that I had to cut out to make the interview shorter. Additionally, sometimes it was hard for me to use a clip when I would ask the question wrong and Maggie wold answer with yes or no. I want to learn about how to ask questions so that the person who is answering them has to repeat it back to me. Overall, I learned a lot about the process of film making. 

For this interview, I was the Director of Photography. I helped set of the light and and the camera. I also said "action!" and pressed the play button. I made sure that it was a good shot of him and the rule of thirds was followed. Since this was my first time really being in charge of the camera, I got the feel of what it is like to be in charge of the camera and I got to know how to use it more.

I am not used to being in front of the camera. I found it difficult to talk about myself. Sometimes I found it difficult to answer the questions and to make sure that I spoke clearly and tried not to say um or like that often. I tried not to look at the camera and to look at Daniel the whole time. I don't really like to watch myself or hear my voice on camera so watching this was kind of weird. Overall, I learned a lot about what it feels like to be interviewed and will definitely take that into consideration when interviewing next time. 

This time I felt a little bit more comfortable in front of the camera. I kind of knew the questions that I would be asked so it wasn't very different. I knew to say things in longer sentences so I could help Cece when editing this. Overall being interviewed was kind of fun and I didn't think it was as uncomfortable as it was before.

When I interviewed Devin, I really tried to engage him on things that I thought he would want to talk about. We filmed for a long time so I had to cut out a lot of film. One mistake that we made was that we set up our camera right next to the window when the sun was rising. That made it hard to edit because the beginning of the film and the end of the film were completely different. For this film, I did not spend as much time adding b roll as I did with Maggie, so it is not as well edited. Overall, I had fun interviewing and editing Devin's interview. 

I did not receive Devin's interview of Cece but I was Director of Photography and something I would have done differently was not set up the camera next to the window. Since the sun was coming up, it was hard to edit because the camera kept changing. 

Vocab:

B-Roll: alternative footage intercut with the main shot

Video Server: computer based device that delivers videos 

Rule of thirds: having the person in either the first third of the shot of the last third and have them looking not toward the camera

Where are the lights and light stands?: light stands and lights are found in the green room or the green screen room 

Where do the batteries get charged when you are finished?: charging station in cinema room 

JVC HM100: new type of camera we were able to use for the interview

Lavalier Mic (Lav Mic): mic that plugs into the camera for better audio

Canon T3I / T5I: type of camera we will be using

Director of Photography: "chief" of the camera crew 

Dissolve or fade: when using b-roll, you have dissolve or fade out the image to make it less choppy 

Editing: process of editing a video in post-production 

Editor: person who does the editing 

Event (in FCPX): where you edit 

Final Cut Pro X (FCPX): software we use 

“Fix it in Post": leaving an edit to be done in post-production 

Lower thirds: the "title” you use when you use the rule of thirds

Pre-production: before production begins

Post-production: after production begins 

Shoe" attachment you put on the camera to attach to the tripod 

Transform: editing a b-roll image so it fits in the whole shot

Ken Burns: famous documentary creator who has an effect names after him "ken burns effect" that zooms and through an image cinematically

I really enjoyed watching the documentary. To give you some back ground, Amanda Knox is a student who was studying abroad in Italy and  convicted of killing her roommate. The story is told through Amanda, her boyfriend (who is also convicted of killing the roommate with her), the main prosecutor, a journalist, and some other people. I thought it was really interesting because the prosecutor is completely convinced of Amanda's guilt; however, Amanda is telling us all about her innocence. So I am rooting for Amanda, but I am also rooting for the prosecutor. Additionally, they told the story so well. They introduced the characters and told the story in order which made it so much more compelling. I think the best part for me was that I did not know the ending of the documentary and felt kind of anxious the whole time to see how it would end. 

I liked how all the people were interviewed in the exact same spot. It made everything so much more compelling because you know that the prosecutor and Amanda were in the exact same spot. I noticed that when they were interview the people, they put the person in the direct center of the camera, and had the person speak directly to the camera. I also noticed that the background of where they where interviews was not traditionally white but a gray. It was almost like the person was  talking just to me and I think that it made the movie much more interesting. I also really liked how they used the music in this film. They perfectly aligned it with the dramatic and the happy parts of the movie. I found that the most interesting parts of the movie were the parts when they did not cut out the interviewer asking the questions because the persons answer was so dramatic. I found that their b roll was very effective. They used shots from the trials and sometimes they used news clips. They also presented the information very clearly. I know nothing about crime and DNA and they made it very simple to understand. Their use of b roll on pictures explaining the case was very interesting and effective. Since there was no acting I cannot review that. 

I would definitely recommend this film, especially if you have not heard the story if Amanda Knox. I was especially interested in this film because I did not know how it ended. This documentary has you on the edge of your seat. At one point I was trying to write some of my paragraphs and watch the movie and I could not focus on the writing because I was so intrigued. It was especially interesting because half of the documentary was in Italian. This added to the story because it was not all taking place in the United States and in English. It had the added intrigue of being filmed in another country. This documentary is perfect for any time and will keep you wanting to watch more. 

Notes:

2/2/18 - Watched documentary and wrote paragraphs

2/1/18 - Watched a documentary and worked on writing for the interviews

1/31/18 - Edited interview 2

1/30/18 - Edited Interview 2

1/29/18 - Film Interview 2

1/26/18 - Edited interview

1/25/18- Edited interview

1/24/18 - Edited interview

1/23/18 - Interviewed

1/22/18 - Learned about interviewing