Proactive or Procrastination?

Hey Everybody! What's up! Today I'm writing about something that challenges a great amount of people, and it's called Procrastination. I admit it. I am a total Procrastinator. I know the effects this can have on me, and I have always wanted to be Proactive, but well, it's harder than it looks. With my very busy life style, putting things off is pretty dangerous to my grade. I always have at least swim after school for two hours, school itself, and usually something else as well. Robotics, which just ended, was an hour and a half, so I would need to go right to swim afterwards. Then, in a little while there is paddling, and my moms many classes scattered around the clock, so I'm booked around the clock.

I feel that because I have so little free time most days, when I do have free time, I feel like I need to use it the best I can. I am usually going all the time, so when life actually stops for a little while, I seize the moment. However, I do realize when I procrastinate, it leads to nothing but stress and fear, and I end up with less time anyway, and I'm often unprepared for things. I also find myself with less time all together! Therefor, it is important for me to get things done as soon as possible.

For me, the hardest part about being a procrastinator is the fact that it makes me feel like I have no control over my life. It's hard to control things, which as a control freak is an important thing for me, when you are busy doing things last minute. I really need to step up my game, especially if I would like to see that shiny 4.0 on my report card this semester. Semester grades are the ones that really count, so I want to stay at the top.With the end of Quarter 2 coming up I really need to keep up my hard work and stay with the program.

I would certainly work on my time management skills, and be prepared for everything that is going to happen. I will also take more time on things, to make sure I have perfect, quality work. I would also like to learn how to keep that laser focus that helps you get things done. I really need to learn to prioritize a little better, and be more organized. These are the kinds of things I need to hold my 4.0 average, and that is what is important to me. If I could learn about these things, then practice them, I believe that I can finally overcome my procrastination and become a proactive person!

Lessons Learned

Hello everyone! Here's an update on the latest and greatest from awesome team six! Our project is going good, (For more on our news story on health and fitness check out this post) and we are really bonding as a team. Anyway the most interesting part of of our project so far has been doing everything from a different perspective. Let me explain. Last year it was my first year with Mr. Sanderl. I spent the first few projects learning, letting the seventh graders teach me. This year, my seventh grade year, I've become the teacher. At times it's hard to be a team leader, to take responsibility of the project, while making sure that my team learns along the way. Even so, I really enjoy mentoring these girls.

The biggest roadblock so far has been getting everyone together to shoot. There's always at least five people, (Team plus the interviewee) and very expensive (and heavy!) equipment that all need to be in one place for at least an hour. And usually someone can't make it. Add  in interviewee's that are 30 minutes late, last minute scheduling problems, and interviews that literally are scheduled THAT DAY, and well, you have a stressful mix. It's my job to make sure everyone is where they need to be, and that we all look semi-professional, and that everything runs smoothly. I'd give myself an A for effort. Yeah.

I'd say the most valuable part of film making is the knowledge you receive. In just two years I've learned so much. Before I was in this class I barely knew how to create a document using pages. Now I'm producing films for Hiki'
No! A big thank you to Mr. Sanderl for teaching me so much, and thank you to my girls for putting up with me, and helping complete this project. Go Team Six!!!

500 Viewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone, yes I know I'm back, it's exciting! Let the streamers fly, because believe it or not, this blog just made 500 viewers! Yes, I know to some of you that might not seem like a lot, but I'm really excited, because knowing that 500 people around the world have seen my work, well, that's amazing to me! So keep the views coming, I want to make 1000 before this school year is up! If we make it, then I will give virtual cookies to everyone ever. See you later!

Back to School

HEY everybody!!!! I am so sorry that I haven't posted in two months! It's just that summer vacation was very busy, what with all the sports and exciting things I did! (I will do a post on that. Eventually) Anyway, I'm back at school for my seventh grade year at K.M.S! It's already the third week of school, I can't believe how fast time flies. This year Is going to be great, I can already tell.

Anyway, because this is a school assignment and stuff, I need to follow the requirements, and that involves telling you about the most challenging part, and best part so far. Well, the most challenging thing so far is getting up in the mornings at 6:30 and actually functioning. Like I need to get dressed and not just lounge about in my pajamas all day. Also challenging has been figuring out how to find everything. My pod is different this year, so I've gotten lost several times, and been late too. Oh well, I might be a slow human being, but eventually I'll get it!

The best part so far is defiantly my two elective classes, Gt, which you will be reading about a lot, because most of my posts are about it, and Art. Gt is always fun, and Mr. Sanderl is a great teacher. I love art because when I go into that classroom I just relax instantly, and I always enjoy the lesson. I know that it is important to have that stress free class where you can just breath. I tend to stress, (a lot) so it's important to have a "calm class" so I don't have a heartattack by the time I'm 16.

To be successful this year, I will try to stay on top of things. I just need to know what I'm doing, then everything can get done, faster and easier for everyone involved. Using my planner more would probably work too. Lots of things to help me not run around in a blind panic day after day! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little insight into the mind of me, I hope you'll come again and be dazzled soon! (Joking) Leave a comment down below, and if I like it, I'll publish it! See you later!

Me and my bestie Kasiah Vercelli. (She is the one on the left)

Profile Project Progress

Hi everyone, it's me! What I want to talk about is the newest project we have been working on, an interview for Hiki No. We have interviewed Kasiah's mom, Katie. She volunteered for the Peace Corps, and was stationed in Senegal, West Africa. She and her husband, Jason spent a lot of time working in their village as agricultural extension agents. They helped the people there to use their resources to help themselves.

To shoot interviews, you definitely need to use this thing called B-Roll. If you don't, your video won't be interesting at all! B-Roll is extra visuals besides the basic interview shot, the head and shoulders. The visuals have to relate to the interview, meaning if your interviewing a cow herder, don't go off and shoot B-Roll of the wildflowers in his garden. Go out there and take some sequencing shots of his cows!

Also, to have a great interview, you need to have great voice overs! A voice over is a narration for your video. Unlike the interview itself, the voice over faces the camera, and talks directly in to it. They are usually used as transitions, or intros and conclusions. The B-Roll's job is to cover the person talking. We needed to take lots of B-Roll in order to cover our very long interview.

My team can work together better by being less stressed and more focused. We got this project rough cut turned in on time, unlike the practice one, and when we were shooting it, it was a much calmer environment. Now we have a week to edit it again and get it ready for the final project. We have to try and keep it together though. No stress allowed here!

To improve our video, and to take it from good to great, we plan on re-filming some B-Roll to reduce very shaky shots, and to edit our story. We also plan to improve our audio and shorten our story. The most important thing to remember though is to split up the work and be a team, not just a group of independent students. As long as we stay calm, and plan carefully so we use our time to the fullest, then I know we can do it! Use those time management skills! We plan on working hard to finish on time for our class film festival!

Practice Story Reflection

My GT class had a project this past week. We were to split into groups of 2-4, pick one person to interview, and ask them questions. My group consisted of 3 other people (Talia, Preston, Kasiah), and we were going to interview my good friend Kasiah about her gymnastics class. Now, this was just a practice story, and the real one would be done about a wise person we knew. We had to shoot an interview, collect B- Roll (Extra Imagery), record transitions with a narrator, and piece it together in Final Cut Pro.

      

My group had many challenges along the way. We were a group of 1st year Gt students, not that has anything to do with it. Non of us react well with stress (Especially me), and this was a very high stress project. Arguing was a common noise around our workspace, and although we tried to avoid it, the stress caught up to us, and we bickered about dumb things that we could have just ignored, and lost a lot of time that could have  been spent more efficiently.
     
I will take away a lot from this experience, stressful as it was. I hope that everything stressful I go through will bring me a little closer to my altimeter goal of being able to handle a high pressure environment better. Next time I know my group will be able to work together better, and I am looking forward to that. It is an amazing experience to be able to do the things we do in Final Cut Pro, and what I learn everyday with Mr. Sanderl is awesome. Can't wait to tell you about our next project coming up!!!

ALL ABOUT ME!!!!!!!!!!

Before After!!!

Hi, my name is Maddie Hoesel, if you didn't already know that from the title of my blog, and my URL. This blog is my way to share all of the fabulous, fantastic, projects we do in GT media. But I talk enough about GT in my GT Portfolios. What's this one labeled! Personal Updates!!! So it's all about me. I guess.

I go to school at Kapa'a Middle School, on Kauai. Yes I do live in Hawaii. I am the luckiest girl in the world. I live in the most beautiful place on earth, and I have a wonderful happy family and a cozy house. I was born here and have been raised here and will most likely live here till my senior year. I love school, and it a very important part of my life. I'm one of the geeks you pass in the hall and see carrying the big stack of books and the huge bag and is always bickering with her friends about whether or not Pluto should be a dwarf planet.

My favorite color is light blue/green, just like the color of the ocean. I love water. Any water, whether it be the ocean, a lake, a waterfall, whatever. I compete on the Mokihana Swim team, and also during the summer paddle canoes for Pu'uwai canoe club. I love the feel of the water rushing past me as I try to crush the enemy with my fabulous speeds. Actually, I just started about three moths ago, so I won't be doing a crushing as of yet. I hope to be a marine biologist when I get older, and I want to build a submarine that can withstand great depths so I can see the midnight zone. That has been my dream for as long as I can remember.

I also love writing, and I especially love cranking out a great story just as the bell rings. I usually write about twice the amount needed in English; just today I wrote 10 pages instead of the required 6 paragraphs. I also love science, except for the fact that my class is a little loud in that subject. Math is harder for me, but I still work hard and do pretty good. I am in honers Math and English at my school, and would be in honors science and social studies, but they don't offer them at my school. I want to go to college, and have already started researching for schools.

A few months ago I decided I wanted to make a difference. I thought about, and in turn rejected, many ideas. However, after thinking and thinking, I decided I should donate my hair to locks of love! It was perfect. I just wasn't sure I would have enough hair! So after going to a salon, and having it measured, I chopped off 10 inches and gave it to a cancer victim. It felt so good to do something for someone like that. So great that I plan on doing it again!  I am going to grow it out and cut it off again!

I have a dog named Dancer, a 16 pound muscle bound terrier mutt who is the sweetest best dog ever. She is black with brown and white spots, and she loves cheese. I also have two cats who go by the names of Yoda and Emmy, one of whom is a very fat, old, grumpy Siamese whom I love to distraction (Yoda). He's big, weighing in at the same as our dog, two times as much as the normal cat does, and who used to go outside and get beat up by cruel neighborhood cats, but being gone for three weeks and loosing an astounding half of his body weight, he no longer goes out, and is back in fighting shape. The other, Emmy, is just barely out of kitten hood, and has too much energy for something with claws. She recently spilled a cup of water on our family keyboard, and we were forced to replace it once keys E, A, D and a few others stopped working. Made it wicked hard to look things up, and of course, blog. She constantly breaks things, and picks fights with everyone, but is too cute to get in trouble, the little devil. She is a tabby. All our animals are either former residents of the Humane Society shelter, or were saved from it. All cats have claws intact. (we believe it is cruel to De-claw)

We also have a lot of fish, from guppy's in the kitchen tank to our pride and joy, our golden talapia's  in their tank upstairs on the front balcony/porch, and they fertilize our homegrown strawberries and kale. We use hydroponics to grow our produce and we built the tank and it's frame ourselves. For those of you who don't know what hydroponics is, it a form of gardening using water instead of dirt. We also have an orange tree, a papaya  tree, banana trees, and lots more.

Thanks, this was me!!! I will see you later with more posts.