I decided to take a different approach to learn more about film by doing a screen recording of the greenhouse that I created on SketchUp I recorded the 3-dimensional sketch of the greenhouse that I plan to bring to life for my final project. After watching a few tutorials on the University of YouTube I felt confident enough to explore film editing. I used Adobe Premiere Rush to edit the video and added sound to enhance the viewing experience. As you can see, I played around with slow motion as well as speeding up the pace. I think that the music and sound effects added to the video really makes all the difference. However, I do believe I can do a better job next time at trying to record a less choppy video and learn how to keep my spinach in the sketch looking like spinach and not green blocks.
FADE IN:
EXT. HOME - DAY
A human walks in with a new plant, places plant on the coffee table, spritzes plant with water, and walks out.
Coco:
Welcome to the Franco household
Lola:
Why thank you, I..
Coco interrupts:
Woah, you have a funny accent.
Lola wilters down embarrassed.
Coco:
Sorry I did not mean to offend you. Let me introduce myself. I am Coco formally known as Spathiphyllum (Peace Lilly). What is your name and where are you from with your accent?
Lola:
I am Ananas comosus (Pineapple plant), however, I believe my new name is Lola. The humans were going back and forth between Lola and Gigi. I am glad that they picked Lola. To answer your question, I am originally from Madagascar.
Coco:
Lola, I like that name. And Madagascar, how did you end up here?
Lola:
Well, I traveled a long way in a case that was specifically designed to transport me from my native land, across the seas to here. It was a long journey and I met some interesting species along the way.
Coco:
I am interested to hear about the case. How did you breathe in there?
Lola:
They designed the case in a way to make me feel as though I was in a bubble of my desired climate. I was warm and cozy the entire trip. The case also had clear walls so I could see outside throughout my entire journey, and during the day the sunlight would seep through the walls and keep it moist in the case.
Coco:
Wow, that sounds very interesting. I would like to take a trip in a case like that. So tell me, what was Madagascar like?
Lola in a dreamy state:
It was warm, oh so warm. The crystal blue ocean was just a few feet away. Now and then I would feel the mist of the salty ocean spray onto my crown. It would dry up and the salt would crystalize my leaves. I would sparkle in the sunlight. Oh but the Lemurs were a nightmare. They would try and pick our fruit. You know, we only produce one fruit every two to three years. So to have your fruit taken by a Lemur is quite a traumatic experience. My crown protected me from being picked.
Coco:
Wow, you are one interesting species. How are you going to adapt to your new climate? We are miles and miles away from the ocean.
Lola:
Well, I like humid climates and I prefer to be in direct sunlight. But I can live indoors. Since I strive better in a humid climate, I may need to be placed near the bathroom where the steam from a hot shower will make me feel as though I am back in Madagascar. I do not like to drink water too often. I only like to drink water when my soil is dry to the touch. I am feeling a little tight in this pot, I would love some more room to grow.
Human walks in with a large ceramic pot, soil, and a few pebbles. Human precedes to re-pot Lola
Human:
Hi sweetie, welcome to your new home. You are a far way from Madagascar, but I am going to take good care of you and ensure you grow into the sweetest, juiciest pineapple. I will leave you near the window during the daytime to get some sunlight and then move you to the bathroom in the evenings.
Human places Lola near the window and walks out of the room. Lola smiles and hums a happy tune as she inspects her new pot and settles in. Coco is silent as he fears telling Lola the scary truth.
Lola:
So, what do you think of my new pot? I can finally stretch my roots.
Coco stutters:
I, I, I like it. The patterns bring out the color of your leaves.
Lola:
Is everything okay? You do not seem as bubbly as you were just a few moments ago. You are looking pale and seem to have lost some color.
Coco:
Lola, I have to tell you something. You will not have to worry about Lemurs over here.
Lola:
Yes I know, I am far away from them. Nothing is going to get me now.
Coco:
But Lola, just a few days ago I saw the humans drinking something that smelled a lot like you. There was a terribly loud blending sound from the kitchen. When they walked past me I heard them raving about how good their Pina Coladas tasted. I am not sure what a Pina Colada is, but they had mentioned that they could not wait for their sweet Lola to arrive so that they had the freshest fruit on hand to make many more Pina Coladas.
Dramatic music starts playing
FADE TO BLACK
THE END
For experiment 3, I decided to go to Oakdale Greenhouses in Charlotte. I recorded the interior and exterior of the greenhouses to get an idea of the mechanics that go into operating a greenhouse. I also spoke with the owner who gave me some helpful tips on starting and operating a greenhouse. I learned a few things. Greenhouses are not as simple as putting together a few posts around soil and plants and covering them in plastic. There is a lot more to it. For instance, researching where the sun shines the most. Deciding on the design and size of the greenhouse, and researching what plants will survive and thrive in a greenhouse environment, specifically in North Carolina. I also need to decide on a watering system for the greenhouse. An internal water system set up would be ideal for the functioning of the greenhouse garden. Although I think I am going to water the plants myself, that is for now at least. With that being said, good drainage is needed too. Believe it or not, another important factor to consider when setting up a greenhouse is a heating and cooling system. This is really important as it will help maintain the optimum temperature of the greenhouse to help in the growth of the plants and to prevent plant rot. Greenhouses should have a thermometer inside to monitor the temperature. By actually visiting a greenhouse, I feel a lot more confident about building mine. Watch this space.
I decided to explore a new video editing software as I plan to use film as part of my final project. I used Wondershare Filmora unfortunately they have a large watermark that you have to pay to get rid of. Lesson learned!
For Studio 3 I decided to record my backyard for a day and observe the sun pattern to decide on where to place my greenhouse. Before setting up my camera, I did some research on a website called Sunclac to observe the sun pattern in both my front and backyard. I was able to record from sun up to sunset by setting up my tripod and GoPro on my back deck with a time-lapse setting of 30 seconds, which means the GoPro captured a frame every 30 seconds. Since I would be recording over 7 hours I knew I had to use a setting to speed up the final video. I am happy with how the video turned out, even though my neighbor decided it was a great day to pressure wash. As you can see in the video, this project has helped me to decide where I should place my greenhouse to get the most amount of sunshine. Based on the sun pattern I plan to place my greenhouse near the center back of the yard.
The first video was actually my initial attempt at observing the sun pattern which turned out to be a little bit of a flop. I had checked the weather, it said it was going to be partly cloudy in the morning and then clear skies for the rest of the day. However, there was a lot more cloud coverage throughout the day than I expected. As you can see there is no way to tell which parts of my backyard get the most amount of sun from that video. Luckily there was a crystal-clear day the following day for me to get the footage that I needed.