the objective

We were tasked with one thing… Make a scary video. Yes, that did have some guidelines, but it was up to me and four of my classmates to set a scene using our skills from COM-202 to make a video that not only stuck with the audience, but might leave them a little shaken, and so we did just that. While storyboarding, we all thought of our favorite horror films… Scream, Smile 2, and Unfriended all happened to make their way onto our group’s whiteboard, and so, we intertwined the plots of each of these films to create what we call “Unplugged.” We were skeptical of exactly how we would shoot the movie. Still, in the end, it all came out exactly as we had envisioned: dark enough to scare someone, but funny enough to make our audience engage even more with the plot and overall content. Although we had planned to film the short story on a Tuesday, things fell through. Eventually, we were in Hipp Hall at 9:00 P.M. on a Sunday, sitting on the floors of classrooms and bathrooms, and lying face down on the concrete to catch the sequences of Jackson being caught by his arch nemesis. It was all worth it!

the product

Not only did I learn some excellent group communication skills, like how to include someone who gets sick and can’t make it or someone who is having issues with a camera, but I also learned how to eloquently marry sound to my video. When Jackson walks down the steps, as I was editing, I realized it just wasn’t eerie enough, so I went online and found the Smile 2 soundtrack, which I put under some of my videos to truly set the scene and make it just as eerie as my group had imagined. Having been tasked with editing, production, and camera work was difficult, but it almost made me feel more confident about how the project would come to life. I felt so at ease knowing exactly what content the group had prepared, so I felt comfortable editing the sequences together. All of these new communication and production skills are so handy, since they don’t just apply to themed videos, and I can use them in future group work and projects, Halloween or not. I am pleased with the outcome because I know the level of introspection my group used to make sure the shots were perfect, which made it easy for me to piece together, clip by clip.

the takeaways

As I enter the Spring Semester, navigating career conversations, interviews, and job applications, I can now feel confident in my ability to create an entire project. (working with the camera, storyboarding the shots, editing, and distributing my media) This project gave me the tools to work with a group, allowing me to instill my creative vision and create something so full of life! I had a wonderful time working with a group on something because they made it so manageable, even if I did edit the entire project! I always felt that I had someone to help me no matter what, and that excites me to go into a field where collaboration is a necessity. Overall, I learned many new skills and will apply them as I move into the world of creativity and collaboration.