Media Meditation #3: Kewl Kids at Champlain

The setting: a sunny Thursday afternoon on April 7th in Burlington, VT. Feelings of spring were running high on the campus of Champlain College. With the snow just on its way out, it was a perfect day to shoot the Champlain commercial for CCM120!

We filmed all over #campchamp, from Perry Hall to Quarry Hill! After putting in some time editing it on Sunday, here's the final result:


There is a good representation of CCM120's "Power Tools" in the video:

-The Limbic Brain is utilized when the effects occur, black and white changes to color, and when the music comes in.

-Technological Shift is shown because this video is available on YouTube with 1080p HD. This was filmed with a Canon t2i, a SLR photo camera with video. (photo from lazyphotog.files.wordpress.com)

-Different Production Techniques can be found throughout the video with the specific framing, color composition, audio track, filming style and editing effects.

-Emotional Transfer can be felt through the actors' genuine, happy promotion of the school.

-Pacing can be felt through the editing and voiceover. Also, this video is filmed in 24 frames per second to mimic film.

-Humor can be seen in the actors' speech and actions.

-Plain Folks persuasion is used by using real students as actors.

-Rhetorical Questions are asked with "Do you want to go to a school where...?"

-Symbols can be found with the campus setting and Champlain College sign and banner in the dorm room.

-Bandwagon method is used to convince the viewer in stating "Everyone's applying."

...and there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the complete breakdown of the ad!

- Joey

Snowboarder Magazine, not to be confused with Snowboard or Snowboarding

Dual cover design of Sept 2010 issue. (snowboardermag.com)

General Info:

- Founded and created by Pat Bridges, who is still the editor.

- Part of Grind Networks’ Action Sports Group which is owned by Source Interlink Companies.

- Snowboarder’s website, www.snowboardermag.com, features videos, photos, contests, gear, articles and updates on a sleek design. A little too much advertising, though.

- Facebook page has nearly 30,000 fans and is updated multiple times a day.

- Twitter account, @snowboardermag, has 11,000 followers and is updated many times a day.

September 2010 Issue:

- Interesting dual cover design with colorful pictures.

- Flips content at centerfold.

- Bold, bright fonts on both sides.

- Color schemes coincide throughout the cover content.

- “Not just a website” and “with extra bacon” are creative and funny subtitles on either cover.

- Free poster to attract sales.

Power Tools:

- Limbic Brain interprets colorful covers, photos and advertisements throughout the magazine.

- The Neocortex interprets the notes and articles throughout the magazine.

- Epistemological Shift can be seen throughout the magazine because there are many more vibrant pictures and advertisements than wordy articles.

- Technological Shift is shown in Snowboarder’s extensive website and social media efforts on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

- Ownership can be considered one of Snowboarder’s Principles because it is part of Action Sports Group which is owned by publishing giant Source Interlink Companies.

- Emotional Transfer is used throughout the magazine in its pictures and articles to transmit the overall feeling that “snowboarding is awesome.”

- Snowboarder is filled with Symbols such as well-known mountains, logos, company advertisements and well-known professional snowboarders.

- Humor can be found throughout the magazine, especially on the covers with “not just a website” and “with extra bacon.”

- Beautiful People is a concept seen throughout most of the advertisements and photos, especially if you consider snowboarding beautiful.

- Testimonials are found in product reviews and articles from well-known snowboarding industry contributors and professionals.

Media Meditation #2: The Busiest Idea

In short, the first week of March can be marked as my busiest week this semester. The above video is a "teaser" for a ski and snowboard video project that 2 other friends and I have been filming for this season. The week up to its release, however, was pure misery. I was up past 2 AM most nights between balancing schoolwork, teaser editing, website coding and design, and the launch of our Facebook page. Somehow everything came together, just in time.

I'll let the video explain itself, but if you did not catch on, The Main Idea is a film collaboration between The Gold Project, CS Films and Juice. We will be producing a full-length ski and snowboard film as well as releasing webisodes for the rest of the season. We've filmed everywhere from the Chic Chocs to New Hampshire to Utah and we were very exited to present a peek at the footage. A few days after the release, a Newschoolers.com article was published, which can be found here. Make sure to follow us on Facebook!

(logo by Jake Caggige)

Here are a few photos from the season:

Adam Newhard at Jay Peak, VT (photo by Ian Ray)

Evan Williams in Syracuse, NY (Photo by Justin Cash)
Have a good one!

Media Meditation #1: Inspiration Results in Creation

Last week I had the opportunity to re-watch one of my favorite ski movies from the 2009-2010 season. Produced by the guys at 4bi9 Media, the movie Gunnie Season features some the most creative filming and editing in the industry. Despite the fact that the group of skiers fall into the "amateur" category of freestyle skiing, there is an extremely talented skill display in the movie. The filmers are also students at the University of Utah. The movie features great segments from Utah backcountry, Mammoth, Park City, Mt. Hood, Oregon, a variety spots in Colorado, and even features some east coast locations such as Stratton, VT.

Check out the teaser for the movie:



After viewing the movie, I was certainly feeling inspired. This weekend at Stowe, I used my recently purchased Glidecam camera stabilizer to mimic some of the camera movements in Gunnie Season. Watching the film helped me think differently about the angles I chose to shoot. It definitely resulted in some creative shots.

Photo: Glidecam.com

If you get the chance, check out the film. www.4bi9media.com

- Joey

Behind the Camera

Photo by Mike O'Leary

I'm Joey Szela from Danvers, MA which is about 15-20 minutes north of Boston. A fun media experience I had over break was when I filmed some snowboarding at Sunday River to do a promotional video for Black Bear Energy. I think that video is a very powerful media tool, especially with the recent ability to stream HD video online. I like the ability to easily stay in touch with people and have instant access to significant amounts of information. However, I do not like the fact that everyone knows what everyone else is doing because of Facebook, texting, Twitter, etc. In the future I would like to be involved with marketing or advertising in the ski industry.

Click here to check out some of my other "Juice" videos.