# Made by Highschoolers: Technology in Education



## silvestography (Feb 1, 2014)

Hey folks,
if you have a few minutes, I'd really appreciate it if you'd check out this video a friend and I made. It's an entry for the White House Student Film festival, and features our concept of a future classroom. I helped direct and film the video, but my friend (http://nemroffpictur.es) did all the editing and CGI. Let me know what you think!

Technology in Education: A Future Classroom


----------



## flowers (Feb 1, 2014)

I thought the concept was good and you realized it well.  I don't know what the expected duration for the festival is, but I'm sure you know if it's the right length or not. Good luck!


----------



## silvestography (Feb 2, 2014)

flowers said:


> I thought the concept was good and you realized it well.  I don't know what the expected duration for the festival is, but I'm sure you know if it's the right length or not. Good luck!



The maximum duration is 3 minutes, so I think we've got it about right. Thanks!


----------



## mkabi (Feb 4, 2014)

Its brilliant... but did your friend do any color correction?
Thats the only area I can suggest you may spend some time with... play around with exposure, some clips are brighter than others.


----------



## sjschall (Feb 4, 2014)

Such a sweet video! Nice work all around, filming, directing, and the post work. 

The only thing that was tough for me as a viewer was the darkening of those two opening shots, before the lights come on. You can tell it was done artificially and my mind doesn't like it. I'm not sure how to make it look more realistic though. Maybe add a bit more range between the blacks and whites.

Still, really cool video and idea.


----------



## flowers (Feb 4, 2014)

sjschall said:


> Such a sweet video! Nice work all around, filming, directing, and the post work.
> 
> The only thing that was tough for me as a viewer was the darkening of those two opening shots, before the lights come on. You can tell it was done artificially and my mind doesn't like it. I'm not sure how to make it look more realistic though. Maybe add a bit more range between the blacks and whites.
> 
> Still, really cool video and idea.


I actually agree with this, it really looks more photoshop than futuristic.
Idea: have the lights actually out and just cut out the part where someone turns them on.


----------



## Northstar (Feb 4, 2014)

silvestography said:


> Hey folks,
> if you have a few minutes, I'd really appreciate it if you'd check out this video a friend and I made. It's an entry for the White House Student Film festival, and features our concept of a future classroom. I helped direct and film the video, but my friend (http://nemroffpictur.es) did all the editing and CGI. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Technology in Education: A Future Classroom



nice job!!


----------



## silvestography (Feb 5, 2014)

mkabi said:


> Its brilliant... but did your friend do any color correction?
> Thats the only area I can suggest you may spend some time with... play around with exposure, some clips are brighter than others.



He actually did a ton of color correction. His 550D was running ML (my 600D was not), and apparently he likes to set things up a good deal darker and less saturated than my neutral picture setting on the 600D. His shots ended up underexposed and with crappy color casts, and my understanding is he did just about everything he could to make his shots look more like mine.


----------



## silvestography (Feb 5, 2014)

flowers said:


> sjschall said:
> 
> 
> > Such a sweet video! Nice work all around, filming, directing, and the post work.
> ...



The concept (something I think already exists) is simply that the room is intelligent and energy efficient, so the lights come on automatically when someone enters the room.

Now I may be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that shot actually wasn't artificial. From what I remember, there was someone off camera flipping the switch as soon as the door was opened. I think the artificial look had more to do with his ML settings I mentioned above. 

Otherwise, thanks!


----------



## flowers (Feb 5, 2014)

silvestography said:


> flowers said:
> 
> 
> > sjschall said:
> ...


Oh, that's so strange! I thought it was done in post too! Well, it's well done but I would take one last look at the color and curves to add a final polish.


----------



## tntwit (Mar 12, 2014)

> The concept (something I think already exists) is simply that the room is intelligent and energy efficient, so the lights come on automatically when someone enters the room.
> 
> Now I may be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure that shot actually wasn't artificial. From what I remember, there was someone off camera flipping the switch as soon as the door was opened. I think the artificial look had more to do with his ML settings I mentioned above.
> 
> Otherwise, thanks!



Oh, they definitely exist. Our company just moved into a new space and renovated for the move. All new energy efficient light switches that turn on when you enter the room. It is nothing more than a motion sensor where the switch would be. The problem with them is that they turn off even when you are in the room. During a meeting the light will turn off several times until someone waves their arm around for a few seconds. We even have them in the restrooms where the switch is at the entrance door and out of sight of the stalls. Yes, there has been at least one person that ended up in the dark.

On a more direct note to your video, you are depicting the lights to come on as soon as the door opens. In fact, at least with what we have, they come on as you walk past the switch. I don't know if they'd be sensitive enough to come on the second the door cracks open, but maybe.

It's a moot point anyways. I'm only cognitive of it because we just had them installed at work. I was just wondering if the lights coming on as someone enters the room (as opposed to the door cracking open with a tight shot of the door) would better convey the idea of a motion activated light. I didn't catch that it was motion activated until you pointed it out in the above post. 

Everything else in your video is so amazing that I doubt anyone would be impressed by a low tech motion switch anyways, so it really is just a moot point.

I wasn't phased by the underexposed scene, I though it was just for effect. It wasn't until it was pointed out that I realized it, so I don't know if it's that big a deal. I think it helps to add contrast from the pre scene to the main scene, sorta helps to escalate the momentum.

Just my two cents.


----------



## flowers (Mar 12, 2014)

tntwit said:


> Oh, they definitely exist. Our company just moved into a new space and renovated for the move. All new energy efficient light switches that turn on when you enter the room. It is nothing more than a motion sensor where the switch would be. The problem with them is that they turn off even when you are in the room. During a meeting the light will turn off several times until someone waves their arm around for a few seconds. We even have them in the restrooms where the switch is at the entrance door and out of sight of the stalls. Yes, there has been at least one person that ended up in the dark.
> 
> On a more direct note to your video, you are depicting the lights to come on as soon as the door opens. In fact, at least with what we have, they come on as you walk past the switch. I don't know if they'd be sensitive enough to come on the second the door cracks open, but maybe.
> 
> ...


I've actually seen many ways of doing this, there are commercial solutions and there are DIY solutions. You can also have multiple switches: one rigged across the door frame (so any movement that passes the doorframe, including the door, will trigger it) and others in other places. Lights can also be rigged by a raise in temperature (when people are in a room its temperature starts rising) or they can be conversely set to turn themselves off after a drop in temperature. All these solutions are doable, the important point in choosing the solution is the cost effectiveness. Is it to save energy, for minor convenience, or to really impress those foreign investors? If it's the latter you'd better make sure your lights don't go off in the middle of a meeting.


----------



## tntwit (Mar 12, 2014)

> If it's the latter you'd better make sure your lights don't go off in the middle of a meeting.



Good point!

I don't know, they have conference rooms specifically for customers. I haven't been in one of those yet, so I don't know if they have the same switches, although I heard this morning that some of the switches have been 'fixed', though I don't know specifically what that means. Maybe they can adjust them or maybe they were replaced.

Going dark in a meeting with customers would be less than desirable.


----------



## silvestography (Mar 17, 2014)

Here's a little bump/update to the thread. 

The video ended up being selected as one of 16 winners and was displayed at the White House. Unfortunately, I had plans that day, but some other friends of mine who worked on the video were lucky enough to travel to DC and meet people like Bill Nye, Kal Penn and Neil Degrasse Tyson.

I appreciate all of your feedback, and we're hoping to put out some more work soon!


----------



## jackstevens (May 26, 2019)

You did a fantastic job! It makes me happy, knowing that there are so many bright minds out there in the world. You are our future, and so is technology. Education systems should be innovated and upgraded every year. I will do my job and tell all students to buy research paper online at this site as a study material so that they can be ready for a digital future.


----------

