Assignment 3: Treatment

Objective:

The main objective of the video is that the learners will be able to explain why an expression cannot be divided by zero and to recognize what values of a variable are non-permissible for an algebraic expression.

The content of the video is to meet the requirements for Outcome P20.3 in the Pre-Calculus 20 curriculum:

Expand and demonstrate understanding of rational expressions and equations (up to and including degree 2 numerators and denominators) including:

• equivalent forms of expressions
• operations on expressions
• solving equations that can be simplified to linear or quadratic equations.

More specifically, the video is to meet indicators P20.3b and P20.3c

P20.3b - Verify, with explanation, whether or not a given value is permissible for a given rational expression.

P30.3c - Develop, explain, and apply strategies for determining the non-permissible values of a rational expression.

Also, the project aligns with the the philosophy behind the new mathematics curriculum encouraging students to make decisions based upon their prior learning (dividing), ability to develop number sense (does it make sense to divide by zero?), logical thinking (finding non-permissible values of the denominator by sight and by factoring), and their understanding of mathematics as human endeavor will also be considered in the planning behind the material presented.

Needs Assessment:

The new mathematics curriculum requires that students not memorize mathematical principles but understand mathematical concepts. Students typically have a difficult time with the topic of division and their reliance on algorithms and lack of understanding of the concept becomes very evident in Pre-Calculus 20.

The principle of dividing by 0 is introduced in Pre-Calculus 20 and is a major component in Pre-Calculus 30 and Calculus 30.  The intent is to present the students with a learning resource early on that will help them to understand the concept by using a simple, real-life example acted out on film.  The purpose of the video is to help understand the facts that 0/# = 0 and that #/0 = undefined.

The video will show learners using a dramatic re-enactment what dividing by zero means using an example such as withdrawing money from a bank, relating the current topic to their prior knowledge. After that, the students will apply the principle of dividing by zero by recognizing non-permissible values of the denominator.  The aim is to introduce new vocabulary such as “non-permissible values of the denominator”, “infinity versus undefined”, and “vertical asymptote” in an introductory fashion.

Audience Analysis:

The intended audience is primarily for Pre-Calculus 20 students in grade 11. I would like to design the video in such a way, however, that it can be used in teachable moments in grades 9 or 10 when students wonder why dividing a number by 0 in their calculator gives them an error. At this point the instructor could show the video to the grade 9 or 10 students and stop before the discussion on non-permissible values starts.

The introductory dramatic portion would be acted out in such a way that a student would require minimal knowledge of “pre-calculus” principles in order to understand the topic. The issue is that many texts over-complicate this topic by introducing mathematical jargon right away.  The intent is to hook the students with a humorous yet accurate depiction as to why an expression cannot be divided by 0.

Another target audience for the video are adult learners going back to school learning pre-calculus after a long period away from mathematics.  A real-life demonstration explaining how you cannot divide by zero would also be beneficial to mature learners who lack confidence in understanding somewhat difficult concepts.  

Content:

The video will be 5 - 10 minutes long and feature myself as well as extras who are yet to be determined.  The video will be filmed at Clavet School after school hours.

The video will include a dramatic explanation as to what happens when a person goes into a bank and makes withdrawls in their account until the account is empty.  The second scenario will explain what happens if a person goes into a bank but takes no money out - driving home the relationship to dividing by 0.  The third scenario will describe what happens when 0 is divided by any other number (except 0, a topic saved for Calculus 30).

The video will explain why students need to learn this topic (in order to draw complicated graphs later on). A graph will be used to explain why the result of dividing by zero is referred to as being undefined (rather than “infinity”) but graphing is not the main purpose of the video.  The concept will then be applied to an algebraic principle called “non-permissible values of the denominator”.  The students will then algebraically apply the principle to find non-permissible values in rational expressions.  The instructor (myself) will give explanations either directly, by voice-over, or by other participants.  In order to turn a somewhat dry topic into something a bit lighter, various filming techniques, angles, computer-generated graphics, and humour will be used.  Parts of the video will be reportorial style narrative as well.  

Evaluation:

Supplementary activities such as a worksheet will be provided as an exercise to go along with the video activity.

Costs

No extra costs are to be associated with making the video.

Renting a facility will not be an issue since  I will be using Clavet School, where I work to film.

Regarding to talent costs, I will be using volunteers or members from ETAD 879.6 as potential extras.  Consent and release forms as appropriate will be distributed and collected.

Assignment 2: Shot Selection

 

For those readers who are not familiar with what we were to do for this assignment, we were given the task of providing evidence that we know how to shoot 33 different shot-types.  We were given free reign to do whatever we wanted to film the shots.

When I sat down to decide what to do for this assignment, I set out to make it as fun as possible which in turn makes the exercise more authentic for myself. I tend to learn better if I am applying something to a situation that I enjoy. I recruited two of the funniest people I know (Jonas and Candace) who I knew would be good sports as actors. As you will see, Jonas’ apartment has all kinds of great things to use as props (ie: classic video game consoles).

I learned a LOT from doing this exercise:

a)     keep a spare (charged) battery around.  I had the battery charged to full capacity but I did not realize we would take as long to film as we did.  I used the Rebel to film the bulk of the shots.  This took over 4 hours of filming and we did not have time on our side. It was daylight out when we started and pitch black outside when we finished which effected the lighting and we had to get creative with the lighting to get continuity. This was not planned initially but caused me to think on the fly about how to use lighting which ended up being an application of what we are to learn in the first place!

b)    Once the battery in the Rebel died, I thankfully had a back-up camera in tow. Unfortunately it was a different camera (this time a Sony borrowed from my workplace) and I can tell the difference in quality in the clips used with the Sony (not as good as the Rebel). So – have an extra (similar) camera around if no spare battery!

c)     Panning moving objects is not as easy to do as it looks. The scene filming the moving car took about 5 takes.

d)    Shooting scenes from a television with a movie camera is not a good idea. It worked out ok for this video since I used only quick shots of the screen to as cut-aways but the scrolling effect you get on the camera from the TV was frustrating. Thankfully the graphics on the video game (Combat) were basic.

e)     Size matters.  The confines of an apartment made the light bounce everywhere and made some shots hard to do. We had lights dangling from door closers!

f)   Make sure you have the proper software to upload your files.  It took 5 computers, 6 people, and 7 days to finally get the files off of that Sony camera.  Much time was wasted!

I think I may have over-done it a bit with this assignment but I wanted to challenge myself as much as possible.  In some cases, in one shot I combined different shot types to see if they worked.  Below you will find a shot-by-shot breakdown of each shot:

0:00 – 0:06 Title shot – the apartment building

0:06 – 0:10 Long shot – doorway of apartment building

0:10 – 0:14 Medium shot - doorway

0:15 – 0:18 Close up – door

0:18 -  0:25 Extreme Close up – keying in to get into apartment

0:25 to 0:55  Sequence: establishing shot/medium shot/close up/re-establishing shot:

0:25- 0:34 Pan (still) object and establishing shot (Candace getting ready to play Combat)

0:34 – 0:38 Medium Shot/cut-in (phone ringing on couch)

0:39 – 0:44 extreme close up (text message)

0:45 -  0:47 close up/cut-in (Candace’s face/phone) and tilt

0:48 – 0:55 re-establishing shot (Candace on couch, now crying)

end of establishing shot/medium shot/close up/re-establishing shot sequence.

0:56 – 1:02  Dolly (following Candace to the bar)

1:03 – 1:06 Balance – Candace getting drink at the bar. I tried to not keep her centered and get a more varied shot by featuring the cabinet on the left of the screen. This shot took a lot of practice to get the dolly and balance all in one.

1:07 – 1:13 Low angle – Candace pouring wine

1:15 – 1:18 Objective perspective – wine coming towards Candace’s mouth

1:19 – 1:24 Subjective Perspective – view from wine glass going towards Candace’s mouth. I like the way this shot turned out

1:24 – 1:29 Rule of thirds/Balance. Note the placement of the phone and the chair Candace is sitting in. I tried to balance out what could have been a bland shot by putting a book with the phone and the wine glass. I figured that there was a bit too much white space on the wall and this could take away from it a bit. I hope it worked.

1:29 – 1:34 Medium shot/effects – I tried to create a somber mood by playing with the focus in this shot. I tried a swipe shot at first but I didn’t like the way it turned out so used this instead.

1:35 – 1:39 Selective focus – I tried to put the focus on the bottle and have Candace looking somber in the background

1:41 --  2:41    playing around with lighting. I thought I would try all kinds of combinations to see what effects they would have on the shot.

a)     1:41 – 1:46 back light only. We had a lot of trouble shooting this shot due to the small size of the room.  We tried holding it over her head but we had a horrible glare.  I liked the atmosphere this backing light gave to the shot.

b)    1:46 – 1:51 – key light only

c)     1:52 – 1:57  - key light and fill light only

d)    1:58 -  2:04 – key light, fill light, and back light.

2:05 – 2:12 Pan moving object (car coming up back alley)

2:13 – 2:16 cut in/flat shot  Car tire stopping. I tried this shot initially as a completely flat shot and thought that it looked “wrong”.  I raised the angle slightly which I feel improved the shot so I included the slightly angled rather than a flat shot in the clip. (I liked the way this revised shot worked out)

2:17 – 2:22 Truck – me walking sideways filming Jonas walking to the stairs with the flowers

2:23 – 2:27 Dolly/low angle – Jonas walking up the stairs.

2:28 -- 2:29 cut in (Jonas about to knock on door)

2:30 – 2:32 Cut away – door knocking from inside the apartment

2:33 – 2:34 Close up – Jonas with flowers in front of face

2:34 – 2:39 Medium shot – Candace angry, shutting door.

2:39 – 2:45 I originally tried to do a wipe shot here but it didn’t work. Instead I just focused on the door again but this time as a close up to contrast the medium shot beforehand to foreshadow that it would open again. I also tried to do a selective focus shot here to focus on Candace’s face and blur the background of the kitchen. This took multiple tries but I think I pulled it off.

2:46 – 2:50 swish pan. Rather than move left/right/left I did some other research on swish pans and came up with the idea of Candace throwing the knife at Jonas. (inspired from this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkX8HvjNki4)  This was hard to do. This took two shots being put together.

2:50 – 2:54 medium shot/establishing shot/balance. I tried to balance the shot a bit by putting some things on the table (note the knife Candace threw at him, bloodied with sodium-free ketchup, the flowers, and the chips).  I don’t know if I’m convinced this enhanced the shot or not. If I was to re-shoot this shot I would have closed the window blinds as there is a bit of glare.

2:57 – 2:58 head-on/cut in --- Candace telling him he can’t text message break up.

2:59 – 3:01 back to medium shot/establishing shot/balance

3:02  - 3:04 High angle -  Candace looking down on Jonas, being dominant

3:05 – 3:09 Low Angle – Jonas looking up, being submissive

3:10 – 3:13 Flat angle  --- I couldn’t figure out a way to get a flat angle shot in here to fit the story so I thought that I would shoot this at their eye level but upon reflection to me this is more of a close up/cut in. 

3:14 – 3:25 follow- focus/zoom out (all in one shot) – following the Atari cables, zooming out to get shot of Candace and Jonas on the couch

3:26 – 3:27 cut-away to the TV, Candace and Jonas playing Combat on screen

3:28 – 3:34 High angle/zoom out -  shot of Jonas and Candace on couch

3:35 – 3:36 cut-away to the TV again… These TV cut-away shots were hard to do due to the lining of the screen

3:37 – 3:40 medium shot  - Candace and Jonas playing again

3:41 – 3:47 tail away from tv diagonally to the video game console, bottles, and games. Looking at this shot now on the screen I don’t like the balance of the games and the bottles. It looks a little too “perfect” – almost mirror image. I would reshoot this.

3:48 --  3:50 cut-away/zoom in – on to TV screen

3:51 – 3:56 Medium shot, re-establishing shot. Jonas offering Candace a drink.

3:57 – 3:59 cut-away/zoom in – another shot to the TV screen

3:59 – 4:04 reportorial – Jonas telling us (audience) he’s “got the game in the can now”

4:05 – 4:10 effects.  I bought some cheap magnifying glasses and held them in front of the camera to give a “drunken effect”. For the most part I think I succeeded. These shots were hard to do.

4:10 – 4:17 effects.  I tried using a different magnifying glass that gave an even more swirly effect.

4:17 – 4:18 cut-away shot to the TV. One tank shoots another.

4:19 – 4:26 cut-away/rule of thirds -  Candace lying on the couch, text notification, she wakes up.

4:27 – 4:31 extreme close up – text message.

Here is the video featuring all of the shots:

Here is an attempt at a wipe shot that I didn’t include in the video (I didn’t like the focus). I re-shot the shot but forgot to do the wipe trick for the clip in the main video!

I look forward to your comments and critique.

Baby Scratches & Releases (Assignment 1: Video Critique)

For assignment number one, I initially spent a lot of time stewing over what kind of instructional video to critique.  It was a bit daunting trying to narrow one down.  For inspiration I ended up watching, basketball coaching instructional videos, home improvement videos, math instruction videos, videos explaining how to set up a multimedia server, among others…

To make this assignment as authentic as possible, I asked myself: “is there anything in particular I would like to learn how to do?”  I am a huge fan of music and have always secretly wanted to learn how to scratch and mix using turntables and vinyl.  I set out to see if I could find any video resources that could teach me how to scratch and mix.  I was skeptical that I would find something appropriate.

Much to my surprise (and delight) I came across TurntableU, “The World’s Premier Online DJ School”.  Frustration (and boredom) experienced by watching the other videos then transformed into some serious motivation.  With my headphones on I was ready not to spin and mix, but to analyze and critique.

Semiotic Analysis

The first thing I noticed from the first seconds of the clip is how important semiotics are in sending a message as to what the video is about and how the message will be delivered. Within the first 10 seconds you knew who the target demographic is: people in their teens/early 20s… not a late-30-something-grad student.  How did I know this?  Read on…

Use of Audio

Note the male voice over in the intro and the emphasis and tone of his voice – a voice used over a microphone in a nightclub or radio, not in a classroom or a university lecture theatre!  I would also not enter my classroom greeting my students using “what up folks” as she does.  Her greeting, however, is appropriate to the consumers in the market of the video.  It is evident that this culture has it’s own style and lingo in the first 30 seconds of the clip  (ie: “I’m chillin’ with turntableU.com”) and its use gives the video extra credibility for those who are involved in the culture.

The introduction also features an electronic backbeat giving a hint of what you will learn using this kind of music. It’s not overpowering but evident in the background.  It soon fades out as our host starts to speak.  Her style of speaking also sets a mood – she speaks quickly, yet clearly, which to me could indicate the “fast-paced” nature of her work!  She is animated, uses her hands, and keeps our interest.

Her choice of record (or “loop”/”beat”) to use for this introductory video is also interesting.  She chooses a somewhat funky, mid-tempo hip-hop beat which, to me, serves two purposes: 1) for semiotic purposes, it gives a “street” sound indicating credibility and 2) for practical purposes, it’s easier to instruct with just a mid-tempo breakbeat rather than a fast, 120 beats-per-minute (or faster) dance beat.

Note the absence of music while she speaks allowing us to focus on what she is teaching.   The only time we hear music purposefully is in the intro and the outro of the video. Otherwise, we only hear her voice or the record when she is demonstrating a new concept.

Colour Choice and Fonts

The font chosen in the intro gives a “street” feel and the blurring of parts of the graphic and font indicate an “edginess” or “coolness” associated with dj culture.  This is important since this is an introductory video and it would be hoped that these early impressions would watch (ie: subscribe) to further productions.

The immediate use of black (the record), and white and red font in the introduction also set a tone. The choice of brand and colour of the clothing by the instructor also set a tone. The instructor wears a red and white Adidas jacket giving a feeling of “street credibility”. The dark background also maintains the red-white-black theme from the intro.  It is obvious that care was taken into keeping things uniform.  Upon examining the website www.turntableu.com it appears that red, black, and white are their signature colours so it makes sense that their videos portray this image for continuity and branding purposes.

Note the use of the “collegiate” typeface on her workstation “www.TurntableU.com” which also attempts to give a credibility to their organization.  We are reminded frequently throughout the video that we are watching a video from TurntableU.com either by the camera shots of her workstation or in the editing phase when it is periodically placed in the top part of the screen.

Lighting

The video was obviously shot in a studio.  The lighting is set in a way that shows the contrast of the colours and provides for minimal glare which is important for the view-from-the-top scenes of the records which could reflect the light should they be too bright.

Gender Biases/Stereotypes

I was very impressed that they used a female dj since the industry is predominantly male.  One would initially expect to see a male since male DJs are more common.  Having her present the series sends a message that females can be leaders as DJs, and in this particular case, they can also be viewed as instructional leaders in a male-dominated field of work. 

Analysis of Camera Work

When watching the video, you will notice the absence of any zooms or any camera shots involving movement of the camera.  I think this was a smart move by the producers and directors since any camera angles involving movement would distract from the primary focus of the instructional video: the turntables, her hands, and the cross-fader.  As a result, the choice of camera angles focuses on instruction rather than just esthetics.  The use of minimal variety camera shots in the clip gives the video sense of continuity.  In order to keep our attention, however, clever tricks were used in the editing phase that would turn what could be unexciting shots into ones featuring action.  I’ll describe those later.

I noticed a pattern of camera shots.  A series of establishing shots, medium shots, close-ups, top-down shots (direct overhead view of the turntables) were used that all go back to a re-establishing shot.  The video alternates between a view of the entire studio with her turntables and computer screen, another shot identical except slightly closer with the words “turntableU” in the backround, and a variety of top view shots of her turntables to provide just a little bit more variety in the shots without dramatically changing the view.

The quick interchange between the choice of shots in the video hold my interest since my eye is always focusing on something different.

The Rule Of Thirds is evident all over the video.  At the 9 second mark you can clearly see www.TurntableU.com  at the top third, her computer/dj workstation/her name in the bottom left third, and the TV screen focusing more on the right third of the page.

Another example of the Rule of Thirds can be found at 7:02.  Notice the placement of her left hand (bottom left hand of the screen – the crossfader) and the turntable needle (top right).  This scene is to show us the how the left and right hands are to work together to achieve this sound and I feel that this shot does it very effectively.

Just like any good lesson, at the beginning of the clip she introduces herself and what the video is about.  I feel that her motivational set succeeds because I now expect to learn about the “baby scratch”.

Analysis of Editing

I think the editors did a clever job of editing the video.  There are portions throughout the video where she is explaining techniques.  Her explanation could be 20 seconds long but in those 20 seconds we cut to a close up of her, then to her turntables, then to a top view, then back to a view of her, and then a view of her with the camera pulled back slightly with the www.turntableu.com at the top third to break up potential monotony in the shot.  An example of this technique can be found in the 3 seconds between 4:00 and 4:03.

Another use of subtly changing the same shot to break monotony can be used when the editors periodically bring in her name and the turntableu.com URL at the bottom left of the screen.  It is first introduced at 0:11 when she introduces herself and then repeated throughout the video at 2:27, 5:28, 7:57, and again at the end of the video at 9:29.

The editor edited the video in such a way that focus is placed on topics she is discussing.  For example, when she discusses the importance of the cross-fader and mixer, we are presented a close-up of the appropriate equipment.  The focus is split between her, the equipment, the needle, and the cross-fader.  Some shots are under 2 seconds long but I feel that they match the pace of her explanation and maintain a proper flow.  Note when she is talking about the left- and right-crossfaders.  We have a view of both turntables with a focus on the cross-faders, but when she says “move to the left” the moment she clicks the cross-fader to the left the shot cuts to a close-up of the left cross-fader the second she clicks it (if you watch and listen closely you can actually here the click of the switch and the shot changes to the close-up at that instant --- see 6:34 in the video).

The only thing I may have added at the editing stage if I was editing the video would be emphasizing the new vocabulary she uses by just flashing it on the screen for a second or two in an open spot on the screen to help drill the point. Specific instances of where I would do this would be when she first describes what “baby”, “baby scratch”, “releasing” and “headphone cue” are to further drive home the fact that these are commonly used words in this culture.

Analysis of Quality of Instruction

Her explanations are clear and concise with appropriate demonstrations of her explanations.  She demonstrates the new concept and repeats/re-demonstrates key concepts for further understanding.  She would also summarize the concept before moving onto another topic which I feel is important in any mode of instruction.

I also noticed a few times in the video that she corrects herself when she finds herself using lingo specific to DJ culture.  Seeing as this is an introductory instructional video, it is important to keep the language simple.  For example, she describes “holding the platter" and then corrects "platter" by saying "uh, record” and “feel the torque" correcting herself immediately by saying "uh... spinning” throughout the video.  So, in an indirect way she is bringing new vocabulary, using the normal, common version of the word, and demonstrating the concept visually all at once.

She speaks at a fast pace and the choice of camera shots and editing follows her pace accordingly.  I feel that she goes at an appropriate pace for the video and if there is something that I missed I have the luxury of rewinding the video and watching again.  Her voice was not monotone and she tried to inject humour when appropriate.

Analysis of Goals & Use of TV As a Medium of Instruction

I think the video meets its goal of instructing how to do a baby scratch and release.  I think this is an appropriate medium to educate learners since it is allows us to revisit as needed.  The close-ups and camera angles helped emphasize the important points the instructor was trying to make.  The production did not appear to be low-budget and appears to be a professional production giving me confidence in their product and a desire to watch more videos to learn further techniques.  I was surprised and happy to learn that I can learn these skills using video/TV.

Here's the video.  I look forward to your comments regarding my analysis!

Some inspiration!

Welcome to my blog!

In the hopes of making my learning in my masters program as authentic as possible, I try to tailor my assignments so that they cater to my interests.  I believe that if you are able to apply theories or new knowledge to something that you really enjoy, you'll learn it easier and are then able to apply it in completely different situations later on.  So, when the task of finding an instructional video to critique was presented to us, I went out to find something to dissect that really interests me.

Those who know me well know that I love music.  I love music of all kinds of music but I unashamedly love electronic music. Even though this video is not the one I am critiquing, a lot of what the DJ says pertains to my goals for this class.  Take a look... and while listening to what she has to say try and replace what she says about DJing/turntable-ism/music production with "film production" (she actually mentions "mixing video").  In fact, what she says can apply to any situation where anyone is new or uncomfortable!

I liked her points on the importance of...

1) practice
2) not getting bookings (or any job actually) unless you have SKILLS  (ignore the part about using your assets...)
3) practicing, being a nerd, staying home, practicing....
4) creating
5) criticism... and the importance of having the ability to sort constructive criticism from criticisms  stemming from jealousy

The only thing I challenge her on is her telling us to "not read the forums" --- I am looking forward to, and RELYING, on the feedback from my peers in this class!  I know that you will not be what she refers to as "talking smack"!

Let's get this class started...