Hey guys! I just thought I'd write about how this past Tuesday, Mr.M gave us back our graded scripts. After talking to Mr.M, there are just a few minor details to fix, and then were on our way to a finished video! I just really wanted to have as much time as possible to edit our video, so that it can be done neatly and nicely, and so that we can turn it in on time. I also really want to make sure I don't repeat my big first quarter mistake, which was procrastination,because sometimes its so easy just to say "I'll do it tomorrow" or "I've got plenty time, so why do it now?". But anyways, I guess I'm just excited to have gotten our script back and I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks for reading!

I can't believe that Second Quarter is almost over! In fact, in just a few weeks our Second Quarter project will be due, and then it will be Christmas Break, and then, before we know it, Third Quarter will come around. And with Third Quarter, we will be on our own, with no partner, and with a PSA, or Public Service Announcement to create. I think that making a PSA is going to be really cool, and there are so many great ones out there, all with great messages. As Third Quarter comes closer, I've been checking out some cool PSA's to get an idea of what mine could be like, and I think I have some good ideas. But my favorite PSA that I've watched (and that you'll read about in the next few paragraphs) would have to be Laura Koga's MADD video.

One reason that I liked Laura's video was that it was quick and to the point. It was very meaningful and nicely written, but it didn't drag on like some videos do. It felt long enough so that you could get the powerful message, yet not too long that it just seemed to drag on and it got boring.

Another reason that I liked Laura's  story was that there was good acting. In her video, the actor had to be really emotional because her best friend just died from drinking and driving and the friend could've stopped her friend. The actor made it really believable (although I think the sad background music helped too) and it made the video just that much better.

Finally, I liked Laura's story because it had a good message that was delivered at an angle that more people should see. In general, I think that any video against drinking and driving has a neat message, but Laura's video was different because instead of having a video just show the consequences of what drinking and driving can make, she had a person give a personal story of how drinking and driving killed their friend, and how she regretted it and wished she would have spoken up to stop her friend. I also liked the message at the end of the video which was "Could've, Should've, Would've. There's no excuses." The message was simple (and kind of catchy, at least to me), yet powerful and overall I just think it was a really great message.

In conclusion, my favorite PSA would have to be Laura Koga's MADD video. I liked it because it was quick and to the point, there was good acting, and it had a really good message. I really want to apply these great things to my video, and even more. It's my goal to be able to make an amazing PSA, because if they're done well, they really can be great and inspiring messages.

So, this past weekend, CKTV hosted our first Street Fair ever. My dad and I went, and I think that it was a cool fundraiser. I was impressed at how good the food vendors were, and I was especially surprised at how many people came. There must have been at least 500. I helped out by greeting people and then later on, by helping out with bingo. It was cool because we set up games for kids by the administration building, we had face painting, then of course all the yummy food, and then, inside the cafeteria, little trinkets and goodies like jewelry and stuff being sold. I think it was a very good fundraiser that families could enjoy together because there was something for everyone. Overall, I think the night was a success and I think that we should definitely use the Street Fair again as a fundraiser for our Media Trip!

Awwww! I'm so sad! My first pen pal letter hasn't arrived yet!! I've checked my email so many times, but each time... nothing. Oh well, I guess I just have to be patient, right? But anyways, there are many reasons why I think having a pen pal for media is a good idea and lots of ways that we can make this relationship with another middle school a good idea, which is what you'll read about in the next few paragraphs.

 As I said earlier, there are so many reasons why I think writing to another middle school  is a good idea. One reason I think that having pen pals would be cool is because we get to communicate with another middle schools media class. This is a neat opportunity because we can talk about what we're doing in class, what some of the biggest challenges are, and tips we have learned.

Another reason why having a pen pal is a good idea is because it helps us in communication skills. In order to have a good relationship with your pen pal, you need to be able to communicate clearly and efficiently, and so that is a key skill that we will use. Finally, having a pen pal is a good idea because we get to make a new friend!! How cool is it that we will have the chance to get to write to someone and become friends with them through writing, and then, when we go on our trip, we will get to meet and hang out with them!  So, in conclusion, there are many benefits to having pen pals with another middle school.

 To make our relationship with another Media Class a good idea, there are a lot of things that we can do. For one thing, and as I mentioned in the paragraph above, it's important to be a good and effective communicator in order to have a good relationship with your pen pal. That way, they understand what you're trying to tell them and it makes having a pen pal just that much better. Another thing you can do is to ask them questions and answer questions that they ask you. That way you'll get to know your pen pal by the time we go go California.

 I think that getting to know you pen pal before going to California is something you should do. This is because when we go to California, we will get to meet up with our pen pals. We will also exchange gifts with them and spend time with them. If we got to know our pen pal before meeting up with them, then we would know what gift to get and a little about their personality. However, if we didn't get to know them, we would have a hard time picking out a gift for them and I bet it old kind of be awkward to spend time with them because we know so little about them.

 Overall, I think having pen pals is a great idea. I think it's important to get to know your pen pal before meeting up with them, and there a lot of things that you can do to make our relationship with another media class a good idea. I'm just so excited to get my first pen pal letter!

Wow! My week has been crazy! If you asked me on Monday how my Second Quarter Project was coming along, I would have said that it was definitely NOT going well. I mean, our interview with Bethany hadn't gone well, and Mr.M said we needed to reschedule it, but Bethany wasn't answering my calls. Also, everyone else that we were trying to interview wasn't on Kauai and they weren't getting back about when and where to interview, so I wasn't sure if we could interview them in time. But then, all on Tuesday, everything changed from bad to good and I'll tell you more in the next few paragraphs

So, on Tuesday, when I checked my phone I saw that Bethany texted me. She said that we could interview her on Thursday or Friday. I was so happy I was basically jumping off the walls (literally!) Anyways, on Wednesday after school when I was waiting for the bus Bethany texted me again and said the only time she could interview was that day at 4:45 at Pine Trees. I had to rush to get everything ready and coordinate my parents bringing me, and thank goodness for Brooke, because Sierra couldn't come so Brooke did. I think the interview went pretty good- the sound was MUCH better then our first interview with her, and we got some b-roll of her in the water. As for the angle of her when we interviewed her, her face was a little dark but I think we can work with it, and the background this time was way less distracting.

Also on Tuesday, Bethany's older brother called and said he could interview. I was super happy (again) because I wasn't sure if we would be able to in time. So, on Friday Sierra and I interviewed him and it went really well. And just now, a little more than an hour ago, we interviewed our last interviewee. It went well and I'm really happy because we were able to blur out the background beautifully, and there was really nice lighting.

But anyways, that's how our Second Quarter Project in media is going so far. Now, I'm going to work on transcribing, but that shouldn't take too long. After that, we'll have to hurry to work on the script because it's due on Friday, but to be honest, I'm not too worried about it. The reason I say this is because once we finish transcribing (which I plan to get done ASAP) I can work on the script at home,or wherever I have an Internet connection.

Overall, you can really see how my Second Quarter Project has gone from bad to good. I plan to work on finishing transcribing and writing the script, so that we can start editing the project as soon as possible. Thanks for reading and I'll definitely keep you guys informed about how our Second Quarter Project is going!

So, on Monday, I got to see the movie Wreck-it Ralph with the Media Class. It was really fun, and I thought it was super cool. We got to watch the movie in 3D and the previews were great because you could really tell they were 3D, but the actual movie itself didn't have the best 3D quality. I kept waiting for something to pop right in front of my face, but that never happened and most of the time, the movie just looked normal and not 3D, so I didn't think the 3D was worth paying $3.50 extra for. On the bright side though, I thought the movie itself was really cute. I thought it was a really creative idea to make a movie based off of arcade games... I mean, who would of ever thought of that? The movie inspired me to think of creative ideas like that and it got me thinking... What if I thought of a cool and unique idea like that and made it into a short movie for my Fourth Quarter Project? But anyways, back to Wreck-it Ralph, on top of the great story, I enjoyed it even more because I got to watch it with my friends. I'm glad that I got to see Wreck-it Ralph, but I advise you, if you want to see it in the theaters, see it in the regular version, not the 3D version!

I thought that this week's Constructed Response Blog Topic was very interesting. I mean, I had never thought about how music can affect a movie or video, but when you think about it, it really does and it plays a huge part in making the audience feel apart of the video and setting the mood. I'll tell you more about this in the next few paragraphs as I tell you about how music is important in the show "Once Upon a Time"!

As I said earlier, music plays a big part in making the audience feel apart of the video. For example, in the TV Show "Once Upon a Time", there are a lot of sound effects. If the sound effects weren't there to match with what you were seeing though, it would be really weird. Music and sound is important because humans can relate to it and when it's a part of the movie, it makes them feel a part of the movie.

Another way that music is important in videos is that it really sets the mood. When an intense part of the movie is happening, intense music will be playing to help the viewer feel the intense mood. Another example is in the show "Once Upon a Time" because they always play very suspenseful and eerie music when characters are in a scary place and aren't sure about what's going to happen, or sweet and calm music when the characters are safe and relaxed. You can see how much music affects the mood of the movie.

Lastly, music in videos cues the audience to what's about to happen. If scary, fast music starts to play, you know you are going to watch an intense part even before you see it. And in "Once Upon a Time", the music sometimes changes from really fast and intense all of a sudden to really sad because a character was fighting and they died. Another example is when the main evil character of "Once Upon a Time", Regina ,is plotting an evil plan, a specific soundtrack plays letting the audience know she's up to something bad.

In conclusion, music plays a huge parting in the making of videos, whether it's a movie, TV Show, or any other type of video. It really draws the viewers into to the video and makes them feel apart of it, sets the mood, and cues the audience to what's happening. Before writing this blog I had never really thought about how music has an impact in videos, but now I know how important it is!

Wow! It seems like it never stops, right? Apple just keeps coming out with new products!! From the iPhone, to the iPad, to the iPod, and then all the new generations of those. Anyways, the newest gadget that I will be writing about today is the iPad Mini. Basically, it's just an iPad that's well, just like it's name, mini. It can do everything that a regular iPad can do, but it's more convenient because of it's size. Now, you can hold it in just one of your hands! And of course, it has all those cool features like "ultra-fast wireless", an app for almost everything you can imagine, and vivid and bright colors that really enhance the screen. I think it's a pretty cool gadget and I just can't wait to see what Apple product will come out next!