The five projects I thought were very interesting and well-developed…

1. A Pizza Adventure with Macaulay

I thought that the edited version of this video enhanced the quality of the project because it created an exciting experience for the audience. The use of music in this video was a key component because it made the video feel more authentic and real. Also, interviewing the people at the pizzeria brought truth to the story because real customers were involved in the process. Asking the employees for their descriptions of the food was an added bonus as well, mainly because it illustrates the respect the group had for the establishment and the people that run it. I would love to use similar tactics in my own adventure around the Macaulay neighborhood.

2. Tasty Cafe

This video was entertaining because it not only featured a great mix of songs that enhanced the audio, but also because it incorporated many other tools. The group used subtitles to create a plot that the audience can easily follow, it used Google maps to pinpoint the exact location of the cafe in the context of its immediate surroundings, and it also used an innovative feature that sped up the video during the parts at which the students were eating. Not only was it an impressive technological trick, it also functioned to eliminate any dull and unnecessary moments. I would definitely use a similar technique in my own video to make it more aesthetically interesting, and as a tool to set it apart from other videos.

3. The Empire Hotel

This video was particularly sophisticated in both its use of iconic imagery and informational subtitles at intervals. The images the group chose to use were very crisp and clean, distinguishing from other videos in that it set to portray its subject as a parallel to the format of the video. The subtitles were also useful in that they provided information the audience would otherwise not be made aware of, and provided historical facts about the hotel that highlighted its influence on the neighborhood and its unwavering elegance. The use of Hotels.com as a reference also enhanced the information because it provided an accountable source of information, which is vital to any project.

4. Starbucks v. the Sensuous Bean

I liked this video because it was shot almost like an adventure in the jungle, in which the group members commented on the observations they made as they traveled from one location to the other. Rather than focusing on the actual locations, the group chose to focus on the people who make those locations so special, adding a dimensional of realism to the video. I also think its important that this specific group chose not to incorporate music into their video as a way of emphasizing the priority of the people’s opinions over music that would not have been able to  convey the same points. The audio was a little rough at some points due to the background noise, but it is only another example of how city life stops for no one.

5. Julliard

This video was definitely interesting because it showed the “behind the scenes” look at the creative process the group had to endure in order to plan and complete their project. The use of the cork board was also visually stimulating and helped make the entire video seem more professional. This technique helped the group organize the different components of their video, and showcased it using a method that, to the audience, seems very advanced. I appreciated the time and effort this group took to make sure that their video was presented in an exciting way.

I chose “Indian Burial Grounds under the Lincoln Center?”, “Macaulay Rascals in Central Park”, “Security Guards”, “The Young Elder”, and “Lincoln Center Gone Wild”.   The first video is interesting because two very different scenes were edited together to create a very strange effect. In the intro, there is a brief almost subliminal clip of a student eating a cupcake. In the next scene, the group is inside Lincoln Center, interviewing an employee and eventually bringing up the “Indian Burial Grounds”. The camera zooms in on the employee’s face in dramatic slow motion, and there is complete silence. Then, the camera cuts to a student’s face eating a cupcake, with melancholy violin music playing in the background, replaced moments later by fast electric Japanese pop music?

“Macaulay Rascals in Central Park” opens up with some 3d title graphics sliding across the screen. In their description, the group makes the case that Macaulay students do not exercise enough, and that Central Park is the perfect place to do so. The video is a series of clips illustrating various activities one can take part in at the park, such as: making snow angels, skipping down trails, and criticizing the “armies” of poorly crafted snowmen scattered throughout the fields.

“The Young Elder” was one of the more interesting videos. The group visited a Mormon church and interviewed a younger member. The question and answers in this video were genuinely interesting, and instead of filming the interview, the group put the audio of the interview over footage of the paintings that decorate the inside of the church.

“Security Guards” was about crime and punishment in the area around the Macaulay building, the final conclusion being that there wasn’t much. The group interviewed a CUNY security guard who some stories to share. They use title cards.

“Lincoln Center Gone Wild” extensively used many of the  features of the movie program. It had animated titles, fancy transitions, maps, historical photos, music etc.  It used these features of the program to provide historical perspective and convey relevant information  about the subject. It is a good example of how to efficiently communicate through the “iMovie format”.

For my commentary, I chose Adventures at Barnes & Noble, Magnolia’s Bakery, Julliard, Grays Papaya, and The Younger Elder. All the videos were creative and used several different methods and techniques to convey information to the audience. The videos had many common attributes, such as music, titles, and voice overs; however, they employed these techniques in very different ways.

Adventures at Barnes and Noble used an element of comedy and first person camera. They way the members of the group filmed Barnes and Noble makes it feel as if the viewer is actually touring the bookstore. In addition, all the audience members discussed their favorite aspects of Barnes and Noble, thus making me even more persuaded to go there.

Magnolia’s Bakery used a similar technique, but added different methods to it. Magnolia’s group filmed all the various points-of-view of the bakery. They focused on the creation as well as the display of the cupcakes and other desserts. Finally, I really enjoyed the end of the video where the group members discussed their favorite parts and interviewed other customers. It shed light on the reasoning behind buying and going to Magnolia’s Bakery.

The Julliard was an interesting video because it did not use voice-overs or record the group members speaking. The Julliard group recorded various clips of the school and then used to subtitles to explain every part of the school. I enjoyed listening to the music and watching the many clips.

The Gray’s Papaya group did a great job in illustrating the wonders of the wiener. The group used clips to create a movie-like effect. Particularly the beginning of the video made the video seem suspenseful and interesting. I also liked the comedy they used to promote their video and break the suspense.

Finally, The Younger Elder was an interesting video because it focused primarily on video snapshots and voice-overs. The group members interviewed church workers while simultaneously showing the audience various historical paintings and pictures. Finally they explained the reasoning behind the pictures and gave insight into the lives of church workers.

Five of my favorite posts from The 67th Street Project were “Juliard”,”Can I Get A Bite of…Apple?”, “Lunch and Desert on the West Side of Town”, “The Empire Hotel”, and “A Walk Along Broadway”.

“Juilliard” is a video, made on March 3rd, shows the group’s journey to The Juilliard School. Not only do I like the school shown in the project, but I thought the video was edited very skillfully. The group used one of the pre-set iMovie themes, which gave them an easy and unified way to transition between different scenes and shots. The group also made use of the subtitles feature, which helped to clarify what was going on in the video. Finally, they superimposed one song throughout the whole video, which gave it a finished and professional feel.

In “Can I Get A Bite of…Apple?” , the group went to the Lincoln Center Apple Store. I liked that the video made effective use of the iMovie transitions, and also used a variety of different songs. Since the subject of the movie was a brand that is known for innovative technology, I thought it was appropriate that they used so many songs, and also that they shot from an array of different angles.  The effect was that the video, especially the beginning few minutes, looked almost like an iPod commercial.

“Lunch and Desert on the West Side of Town” shows the group going get pizza and then Magnolia cupcakes. I really liked the beginning of the video, because they sped up the initial shots to go along well with the pace of the song used. The result was a really fun and exciting intro. The team also used sound effects really well in the video, and introduced a variety of different shots. The closeups of the different foods and names of the stores were also very well done.

In “The Empire Hotel”, created on February 28th, the group explored the Empire Hotel on West 63rd Street. I really liked how the video showcased very short shots, instead of just constantly walking with the camera. This gave the film a slightly more controlled effect. I also liked how the song they chose seemed to match the swanky atmosphere of the hotel, and their use of the text function in iMovie to showcase interesting facts about the hotel.

“A Walk Along Broadway” is compelling because it combines Google Maps and video editing. I really enjoyed how the group used a Google Map to show an overview of the area, and then allowed you to click on each landmark to see a short video of the place. The fact that you can choose to view videos for specific locations makes you feel more interested with the group’s topic.  The result was a virtual experience that really felt like an actual walking tour of the street the group chose to highlight.

All my fellow Macaulay Honors peeps did a great job in each of their projects. Here’s the list of my  Top 5:

5. “JULLIARD” – This project was great because the authors introduced me to a whole new element that I had never used before in iMovie: the cool templates. I think using the scrapbook template to make the video is a refreshing new spin on making a video. The song they picked was also riveting and kept my interest.

4. “CUNY Timeline” – The use of the dipity app was awesome. I never knew about this app and so I really enjoyed the creativity that the app has to offer. I also like how the app allows for pictures as well. I know this app will come in handy in my IDC class now and in the future.

3. “A Walk Along Broadway” – This project was really cool and fun. I had never seen Google Maps used this way. I enjoyed the cute icons the authors chose and the fact that they were also able to embed video into one of the icons. It was a really unique project and I enjoyed it immensely.

2. “Adventure at B&N” – This project really caught my eye because it was in podcast form but also played like a movie. I’ve only knew that one could include pictures in podcast and didn’t know movie videos, transitions, slides, and music can also be added too. I love Barnes and Nobles and the quirky, funny commentary by the authors.

1. “Broke, Hungry, and Honors” – Last but definitely not least, my favorite project is this. The use of the voicethread  app impressed me the most. I think the project was very clean, funny, and informative. I really like how the authors took advantage of all the features that voicethread had to offer. I like how voicethread allows interactivity from the viewer and also allows the authors to scribble ON the actual picture. It’s like a smartboard, but not really. I also like this project because it discussed food, my favorite topic!

I am really excited about trying out some of the apps that I saw here for my own classes and in my personal projects. I think these cool interactive apps will provide me with an advantage in presentations because they are different from the average video or powerpoint.

My favorite post/project is “Reconstruction at Lincoln Center.” My first time there was at my high school graduation. I was amazed at how beautiful it looked and it will probably look even better.

My second favorite post is “To eat or not to eat” because it is a very creative and humorous way of teaching people to eat healthy.

My third favorite is “Fun at Barnes and Nobles” because the group made it seem like an adventure to go there. Many people dislike reading books and I feel like if there were more ways to make stores such as Barnes and Nobles seem exciting, more people would go there and eventually by a book that looks interesting to them after looking around.

My fourth favorite is “Rediscovering the Mac Store” because before I entered the Macaulay Honors College, I never used a Mac and wasn’t interested either. I was used to PC and when my friends would tell me that “Macs are so much better,” I would tell them to enjoy, as I was happy with my PC. Watching this video, I know that if I didn’t have a Mac, I would want to try one out. This project can help open eyes.

My fifth favorite is “Alice Truly Hall” because I have never heard of the place and based on this project, it seems like an interesting place to just sit and observe. Ever since Turandot in Seminar 1, I have wanted to watch another performance and Alice Truly Hall seems like the perfect place to watch a performance, and sit for some coffee afterwards.