High School Trailer

For our second project in entertainment, we were tasked with recreating a trailer for a high school movie shot for shot. The movies we could choose from were films like The Breakfast Club and High School Musical. My partner and I actually chose The DUFF, which, although not originally on the list, is still about high schoolers.

In order to storyboard this, I had to watch the trailer on YouTube and screenshot each shot. When I say each shot, I mean every single one; whenever the camera angle changed, I had to take another screenshot. It was tedious, but we had a solid storyboard at the end. My partner wrote the script, so we could give it to our actors.

Filming itself was, to be honest, sort of a disaster at times. It took way too long to get done with it and we ended up filming some on my phone, which was a good learning experience. I'll definitely make a schedule next time. Our actors were mostly chosen out of convenience, meaning they were all our friends; this was another mistake. Working with acquaintances is fine, because you can stay professional. With friends, however, it's difficult to say, "okay, we actually need to get this done" without sounding rude.

I don't think I've ever made a video this long before, but it's not too hard. I also had to implement music throughout the whole video while keeping the emphasis on the dialogue. Audio gain is a valuable tool in those situations for sure. One of the scenes we shot was on an extremely windy day, and I used Highpass to get rid of some of it, but it distorted the audio. Next time, I'll watch the weather.

Overall, this project was valuable to me because of the realization that came with it: I'm just not meant for film. After turning this project in, spring break started, and I spent the whole time reconsidering my decision for my classes for junior and senior year. When I got back, I changed my schedule from entertainment to graphic design. So, yeah; it may have sucked, but at least it was a wake-up call.

Marks and Symbols

Having a logo is essential to anyone wanting to promote themselves. However, designing one isn't as easy as it seems; there are many rules a designer has to follow in order to be effective.

A symbol is a mark without type, used to identify a brand. These are common because they are unique and easily processed and remembered. A logo is a word or phrase in type. These are also used to identify brands, but are more complex than a symbol. When used together, they are called combination marks.

I'm familiar with logo design, having previously tried it, but there are some things I hadn't thought of before reading about it. While symbols can be abstract, they shouldn't cross the line into unrecognizable shapes, otherwise they are difficult to remember. I often forget about negative space, but it is a valuable tool to use, especially when trying to create shapes without being too straightforward. The thing I found most interesting was that the flow and direction of shapes and space inside marks should always move up and to the right. This creates a sense of positivity and upward movement within the mark.

Designing in black and white or using only one color is by far the best thing to keep in mind. Beginning graphic designers forget this, and create products that rely on color to keep their effectiveness. A logo for a business that is just starting out must be able to be printed in minimal color, or the cost of printing will be too high. By adding color last, the mark will already have its impact, regardless of color.

Marks and logos are extremely important in our society. Even small children can recognize shapes and colors, and they can associate these with brands. In order to appeal to a consumer, a logo must be effective and simple, or the viewer will forget it.