Final Project Buzzed Video

Did you know that nearly 13,000 people are killed each year due to alcohol-related incidents, or how about an estimated 32% of fatal car crashes involve an intoxicated driver or pedestrian. It seems that even though these statistics are increasing yearly people still tend to do it. Is alcohol that addictive that people must drink and drive? It is sad to say that people have to learn the hard way for them to understand the danger that they put themselves in when you drink and drive.  A story I feel like everyone should know about is “Went to the Party” by Brett M Christensen, where an innocent young women went to a party and decided to drink sprite instead of alcohol because her mom asked her to, but of course others were drinking alcohol at the party. Young adults, a party, liquor, and driving this sounds like a recipe for disaster, as it was because on her way home a drunk driver from the party crashed into the young lady’s car. The only thing she could do was tell her mom that she loved her through the words of journalist who was there recording everything she said. I encourage anyone who sees this to read this story because it can save life. One day the message will ring a bell and people will stop drinking and driving, but until then I hope everyone makes it home safe from the parties that they attend.

Final Project Top

Don't Drive and Drink, Think!

Aiden and I will be doing a report on the student body's "Buzzed" event as well as talking about drunk driving.

This podcast will combine both video, audio, and images, and will be mainly focused on the student's trying to prevent harm to their peers, as well as some facts about drunk driving and its risks.

Aiden and I already have a lot of video, and some pictures, but pan to use copyright/royalty free images in order to create an image gallery to accompany audio which will be more informational about drunk driving.

We want to perpetuate the understanding of drunk driving and it's ramifications, and hopefully this video will prevent any future accidents, and help raise awareness around drunk driving and how preventable it is.

Video 2 Critique

Hula Hooping and It's Place In Society

Hula hooping is an old traditional activity that was said to be created in England back during the 14th century,and hit international fame in the late 1950's.

Traditionally the hoops were made out of willow rattan, grapevines and grass but today they air made out of plastic with creative colors and accessories. "Hula" came from the Hawaiian dance because of the hip movements you have to do in order to keep the toy swirling around your waist.

 The "hula hoop" was used by the Native Americans as a form of storytelling dance, as they used over a dozen hoops to create shapes and formations representing symbols, animals, and storytelling elements.

 Recently the popularity in hula hoop dancing has increased exponentially, especially in teens and young adults.There is actually a "World Hoop Day" to celebrate hooping and you can find the hooping activity at a couple of festivals.  Today we consider hula hooping a recreational activity.

It creates a steady rhythmic groove when twirling the toy around your waist, neck, arm, or leg so that the hoop doesn't stop twirling. The hoop can provide a simple cardio exercise as it speeds up your heart beat, but also give you the sense of pleasure and fun.

Originally created for pleasure and exercise, the hula hoop was more often sen as a fun play toy, rather than an expression of creativity. But since individualism has become more highly prized in society, many teens scramble to fit in.

 Adult hula hoops are about 40 inches and kid’s hula hoops are 12. Hula hoops are being made with certain weights and size due to the advancement in tricks, and modernization of hooping. The heavier and larger hoops are used for slow hooping and body tricks.

Lighter hoops are used for the hoop for fast twirling and quick hand tricks. Hula hoops are used in a glow in the dark circus act using glow sticks and LED technology, they are also used in tricks in which the hula hoop is set on fire through kerosene and professionals are able to hoop. 

Since festivals and EDM have become a prominent part of young culture, many young people, and young adults begin using their leisure time to learn hula hooping, poi, and other related activities.

I (Aiden) went to Electric Forest and Camp Bisco my senior year in high school, actually the summer after I'd graduated. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had, both spiritually and mentally.

I'd never been out of state without my parents before, so both experiences fueled my independence. I felt like an adult, and individual amongst this sea of bodies, paint, and bright clothes.

After the festivals, I kept up my interests, even picked up some poi techniques. Poi is a combination of body and wrist movements which controls the direction of two balls, either colored or LED, which are held by rope or cord and spun.

I got the hula hoop pictured, Rainbow Dash, for Christmas last year and since the suns come out, I have been avidly trying to relearn all skills and tricks.  It's been a struggle.

David did really well, keeping his body and legs even, and understanding that the correct hula hooping motion is back and forth with your hips, less of a "bring it around town" motion. He eventually got it on the third try, and kept the hoop on his hips.

The trick, called the vortex, is extremely hard to learn, but easy to master once you've gotten the knack for it. The rule is to use the opposite hand from the way your hoop is going.

You use the motion of the hoop to create the illusion of the hoop moving like a hurricane around you. Once you've mastered getting into the vortex, you can keep trying to get out, and then learn other tricks, like cat eyes, isolation's and others.

Keep practicing, and don't get discouraged! Hoop like nobody is watching!

Video Project 2 Topic

For the project Aiden & I planned on doing another instructional of video of a physical activity. Aiden is going to show me how to do a trick with a hula-hoop. We plan on having a from  background software music from the IMovie program as we'll as audio of her instructing me on how to do the hula-hoop trick as our sound source. In the write up for the video we plan on discussing the general background on hula-hooping and some other interesting facts to go along with it.

Recording - David & Aiden

Video Editing - Aiden

Article - David & Aiden

Video Review

Stannard Gymnasium, Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, VT- Today I learned some tips and tricks from my friend David, as well as some of the members of the men’s basketball, The Hornets. I learned proper stance, hand placement, all the sweet moves.

It was a lot of fun working with David, Jojo and Josh because they put up with me so well. I’m terrible at most sports and basketball is no exception. The guys were very patient, and their pointers made sense. That’s one thing that I like about sports; the logistics of it. If you keep your elbow in an L and use your non-dominant hand to guide the ball, you get more power, more lift, and more control to your shot. It’s like watching a tennis ball hit a wall, and using math/logic to figure out where it’ll land; with the right trajectory and amount of force combined with a keen eye, you can properly make a basket.

There’s certain rituals each person has; Jojo bounces the ball twice, David spins it and brings it around his back, I do a little jig and then kick my heels up. Whatever works; as long as you can properly assess how far you need to shoot, and how much strength you need have to shoot. Really the game all boils down to trajectory, force, and complete self-confidence. Like David said, you have to step up to the line knowing you’ll make it, because negative thought may fool the mind, and you want to be successful at the charity stripe.

Plus, just having some sort of physical activity in your day to day life is extremely healthy and could even help prevent certain illnesses in the future. Having hobbies at this age is healthy for our personal health, as well as the health of our relationships; you’ll never meet anybody new if you never do anything new. Even though I felt uncomfortable because I wasn’t at their skill level, the lessons they taught me were simply, yet very easy to remember.

Finally, the last thing that I learned, or re-learned rather, is that perfection is earned, not just rewarded. I wasn’t automatically good because I wanted to me, and the guy weren’t automatically super good either; we have to work towards our dreams and goals, and put our time and effort into things we’re passionate about. I had fun, and I made new friends, while trying something new.

Video Script

The purpose of this video is to show Aiden how to accurately and consistently make free throws. It will also give the guys some time to show off and do some tricks, and give me more pointers. David-Today w’re in the Stannard Gym, I got a few of my teammates here, and we’re gonna show you some free throws and (routines) (David introduces friends, being shotting, showing correct form, et ct.) Jojo- How do you wanna shoot? Underhand or overhand? A- I wanna shoot overhand, like you guys do; Teach me so I’ll know what I’m doing Jojo- Which is your dominant hand? A-Umm. I guess my right… Jojo-Okay, then put your left hand on the side of the ball to guide it, then place your right hand on top. Spread your fingertips, the throw should be all fingertips A- So keep my elbows in, fingertips do all the work, feet spread, knees bent? Jojo- Yeah, however feels more fluid…comfortable (I shoot a bunch, finally get it) Josh-Okay, so when I shoot, I walk up to the line, bounce the ball twice with his right, then shoots. (Keeps D-When stepping up to the free-throw line, you always need to put in the most amount of effort; you can never think about missing, no one is perfect, so even if you miss, keep trying. -I bounce the ball twice, spin it in my hands, then bring it around my back, then shoot (David shoots) D- Perfect way, square your back, plant your legs, keep your elbow in an L shape, ball resting on your palm, then squat, and shoot (extending your arm) A- okay, so like this (insert bloopers, failed attempts, David & Friends Laughing) (Finally makes the shot) D- Okay Aiden, in order to free throw correctly you need to plant your feet shoulder width apart, knees bent, and loose; remember its all in the wrist D-For free throws, always remember; elbow, legs, and follow through on your shot. Do that, and you’re good to go. Persons Included; Josh Bosworth (Interviewed), David Johnson, Aiden Pichette, Trayvon Shirley, Jojo Woodruff (Free Throw Teacher)

Video in Newspapers

I researched a local newspaper in Rhode Island called "The Pawtucket Times". I had chance to actually read a hard copy of the newspaper and it was professional looking, but the Internet site looked like a pop-up type of page. The website did look amateurish and could use a lot of fixing up, however, the stories were interesting. This paper drew my interest because they did a personal article on one of my closest friends from the of town Pawtucket. I looked through the site and i found a couple of videos that close to a minute long. Usually newspaper sites have video archives where you can go and see videos that are related to some of the stories but the Pawtucket didn't or at least I wasn't able to find it. Another thing I noticed was that they had a out of date video as one of their video feed headlines which is not a normal thing either. iReport and Pawtucket times are similar because they both publish recent news, but they differ becuase iReport has news from all around and "The Pawtucket Times" covers local news. Don't consider this is not a bashing to "The Pawtucket times", instead consider it a friendly review.