Gantt Chart

Here is the Gantt Chart that I drew up for my whole group.

(Click on image for a clear view)

Video Assessment #3

This lesson, we started putting together ideas for our movie. We had, at this point, planned the roles of all the members or this team and it was as follows:

• Sangeeta - Commemtator/Filming
• Zeenia - Make-up Artist/ Filming
• Vera - Model
• Rowena - Commentator/ Film

I also started the script and we spread out the workload amongst the 4 of us. Zeenia and I would be in charge of completing the script (after she returned from Geography Camp), Rowena and Vera would be in charge of putting the together the storyboard, and then Zeenia and myself would assist them in the process. I had already completed and spread the Gantt Chart to all my members so that was out of the way. Before filming, it would be Zeenia and Vera's job to collect all the materials necessary for the actual make-up procedure during the video.

We had also planned out the beginning of the actual video. I would walk in as the commentator and begin by introducing everyone and what was going to happen in the duration of this video. Zeenia would then continue as the make-up artist with Vera being the model. Rowena would assist me as the commentator and we would take turns filming with Zeenia.

This was a basic outline of our roles and we intended to proceed from here.

However, we were considering changing our idea to meet our convenience and suit our purposes. We considered doing "How to Play Basketball". This way we would learn some new skills and share it with the rest of the class. We had considered this before but I never got a chance to post it on my blog.

VIDEO ASSESSMENT #2

This lesson, we started planning what we were going to do. I managed to finally complete the Gantt Chart, and attempted to make a start on the Storyboard. However, I didn't get very far becasue Zeenia was at the Geography Camp. This was mainly her idea and Vera's, but nobody was sure about the first step for the instructional video. We weren't sure which scene to put at the very beginning or how to begin. I continued reading more on "How to Create a Storyboard", which was on our IST school homepage.

I gained some valuable information and an idea on how to set it out. This was quite useful, but we encountered a problem. I thought that it might be easier to draw the storyboard by hand and scan it onto the computer. I wasn't sure as to whether it would work or not but I was willing to give it a try. This way we could have a detailed storyboard and keep changing it. We could also each take it home to do it, so that each member could contribute to creating the storyboard, once we got our idea straight.

I also voted to do most of the filming, Gantt Chart and Storyboard becasue that is what interested me the most. I wasn't thrilled about being in the video so I thought that this would be a reasonable choice. This was quite a productive lesson and I hope to start the Stroyboard and Script by next lesson.

MOVIE-MAKER!

I have used movie-maker and created the following video on horses. I have used various animations that create an interesting video. Some of these dissolve, checkerboard, circle, crossfade, shatter and many more.

I have also included a specific duration and time period in which the slideshow will play. I have also used titles, captions and credits, each of these being different things. A caption is used on top of a picture, credits being used at the to display whose work it is and the title being the beginning of the slideshow.

This is a simple video that I have put together in the process of learning to use movie-maker. Enjoy!

Video Assessment Task #1

During this lesson, we got briefed on on our assessment task and what our goal was. We were asked to form groups of 2-4 and my group consisted of the following people:

• Myself (Sangeeta)
• Zeenia
• Vera
• Rowena

Our task was to create a video and the only limit was that it had to be instructional. There was also a time limit in which we had to create it and the duration was 3-5 minutes. We had come up with a few ideas such as the following:

• How to make cupcakes
• How to bake a cake
• How to train your dog
• How to get ready for a party
• How to play basketball

The first two were mainly my ideas but nobody seemed too thrilled about doing that. Vera suggested training her dog but we thought that that might involve too much hassle. Zeenia, Rowena and Vera were very eager to do an instructional video on "How to prepare for a party". I, however, was quite against it as I felt that we could come up with something better. They wanted to get two people who could act as models or the people preparing for the party, and apply make up and other such things on their faces. I voted to film most of it as I wasn't overly excited about participating in the make up part, however I was voted to be one one of the models.

I hope to start working on the storyboard and have it finished by the end of next week or the beginning of the next. I plan to have the Gantt Chart to be completed in the near future, so that we have an idea of what we are doing and how we can manage our time. I am quite excited about this project and hope to have an excellent finished product!

Audacity upload

Below, I have uploaded my ringtone that I used Audacity to create. When I completed it I realised that it was much longer than a ringtone. However, I quite liked what I had done so I decided to upload it anyway.
I have used many effects including the equalizer and the compressor to produce even sounds. I have also changed the speed to achieve a chipmunk sort of voice. At the beginning of the song, I have used the 'wahwah' effect with which the sound is thrown back and forth between both speakers (stereo). The beginning and end also fade in and fade out.
I am quite pleased with my creation, even if it is a bit long!

Click here to listen.

The Best Camera Phone...

There's more to picking the best camera phone rather than just picking the one with the most megapixels. Megapixels are just half the story. There are 6 main Essential Camera Phone Features and they include the following:
1. Autofocus - This is necessary as it makes the camera focus directly on the the object of your choice and can help prevent blurred shots. No matter how many megapixels your phone has, the image will look horrible without autofocus. You would be surprised by how many phones don't have autofocus, so make sure yours does.


2. Dual LED or Xenon Flash - Since most photos are taken in low light conditions or dark environments, a high quality flash is essential. Standard LED flashes won't do as they direct less light at the image than shown on your screen. Xenon is the best type of flash as it produces a brighter outburst of light, creating an enhanced image, even in the dark. The only problem with this is that it takes time to reset between shots. There is also another option availabe, known as the Dual LED flash. It is a compromise between the Xenon Flash and the LED Flash. It is twice as bright as the normal LED Flash but 1/1000 that of the Xenon. It capable of running continuously, can be used for videos and is also cheaper.

• Xenon Flash: Pros- Brightest, best quality images, less blurred photos. Cons- Expensive, not great videos, reset takes time.

• Dual LED Flash: Pros- Cheaper than Xenon, better videos, good low light images, twice as bright as standard images. Cons- moving image photos can be blurred.

• Single LED Flash: Pros- Cheap. Cons- Useless!
  
  
  3. White Balance, Exposure and Preset Scene Modes - If you take photos in the bright sunshine outside, then you will need a camera phone that let's you tweak the white balance or exposure settings. Over-exposed shots will look completely washed out and the blue skies will appear white. Being able to control white balance will reduce the effect. To get good quality results, your phone should have a range of presets. The more presets there are, the easier it will be to capture better quality photos. At the very least, your camera phone should have the following:
• Cloudy
• Sunny
• Incandescent-use indoors with tungsten filament bulbs
• Fluroscent-use indoors when fluroscent lighting is being used
  
  
  4. Image Stabilization - Just like autofocus, image stabilization is essential in order for your pictures to not be blurred. Camera Phones produce low quality results because they are placed on a tripod or the person taking the image most probably has a shaky hand. Camera phones are only capable of reducing the blur but not removing them completely. If you want good quality pictures, ensure that there is some form of image stabilization is listed.
  
  5. Moblie Phone Gizmos - The camera phone is also a phone, not just a camera so you are capable of sharing you pictures on social network sites such as Facebook. For this to work though, you need three key features:
• Fast Internet Connection
• Built-in support for image sharing Websites
• An easy to use user interface

You might also want automatic geo-tagging, which stamps the location, date and time of the shot but this is only if you have particular need of it.

6. Megapixels - A good quality 3 megapixel camera with the essentials listed above will produce a better picture than an 8 megapixel camera without the essentials. However you should look for a 5 megapixel camera becasue any smaller than that and the pisture will not have enough detail. If you find a 5 megapixel camera without the five essentials then simply avoid it. As the years have passed by, camera phones with 12 megapixels have been invented to get pictures with the utmost detail and perfection.
So these are the minimum set of features you need for a great camera phone:

• 8 Megapixels
• Autofocus
• Imgae Stabilization
• Range of Preset Scene Modes
• Xenon or Dual LED Flash
• Good Quality Optics
• Fast Internet Connection
• Easy to use Interface

Some of the camera phones that include the major features and are quite good include the following:

• Sony Ericsson Satio
• Samsung Pixon 12
• Nokia N86
• LG Viewty Smart
• Samsung Tocca Ultra