How to Put Michael Bay Style Explosions into Your Video

Alright, so we've all seen those Michael Bay movies. We know Bay loves his explosions and I know you do too. Today, I'm going to be showing you how you can import those effects into a simple editing software and add them to your project.

Now, the website I use to get my effects is footagecrate.com. Once you're there, you are going to want to scroll over to the "Video" tab and press the down key. You'll see that one of the links says "Fire/Explosions". Click on that and select a random fire or explosion effect. (For the purpose of this video, I will be using the "Slo Mo Explosion 3" effect.) Click download, trust me, it's safe, my computer isn't destroyed yet.

Next, open up your editing software. I don't have FinalCut Pro at home so I will be using iMovie (Just FYI, never use iMovie unless you absolutely have to. I would recommend using AfterEffects or Final Cut instead. )

Alright so now that you have it open, create a new project. (File> New Project) and put your footage on the timeline. Now what you're going to do is go (File> Import> Movies) and select your explosion effect you downloaded earlier. You're going to drag the explosion onto the footage, and then select the "Green Screen button". (Note: The explosion will not play in iMovie, but once it exports, it should be good). Adjust it however you want, and export.

Boom! You're ready to direct the next Transformers!

Whiplash gave us Whiplash

Damien Chazelle's Whiplash (which was just released at the end of last year) has received widespread critical acclaim. After watching it for the first time this weekend, I can attest that the hype isn't an exaggeration.

Whiplash tells the story of Andrew Neiman, a young relatable college student and drummer, who wants to become "one of the greats". One night, while practicing, Andrew is interrupted by Terrence Fletcher, the conductor of the university's top Studio Band. Fletcher eventually gives Andy a spot in the band and pushes him beyond his limit.  

On the technical side, Whiplash is very artistic. The camera angles are quick and numerous, featuring many gritty and uncomfortable close ups. The filter (a yellowish tint) is fantastic for setting the tone of the story. JK Simmons's performance merits an Academy Award (Heh) and Miles Teller plays a very convincing character. 

Whiplash has strong themes of dedication, leadership, and the film has many elements we all can relate to. All of us are like Andy. We want to be successful, rich, famous, whatever it may be, but we don't realize the effort we must put in to actually achieve these goals. Andy is overcome with stress and pain because of Fletcher's constant pushing, but he keeps going. I think that is a powerful message to send to your audience. To be a legend, you must pay the price. 

Newsnax: Not Necessarily Independent

The media (digital or otherwise) has a tendency to portray itself as politically unbiased. Newsmax, a fairly prominent internet news outlet, has the slogan "Independent. American." Yet, on the front page of the website, there was an article titled, "12 Reasons Ben Carson Would Make A Good President."

The article itself has a BuzzFeed style design. Bold, highlighted numbers followed by a non-sequitor. Number 2, for example, on the list claims that Ben Carson would be a good President because "He's not politically correct." The author does not explain why Dr. Carson would be a better President than his competitors, nor does it describe why political incorrectness is a prerequisite to a successful Presidency. This claim is simply is a talking point, that is put in an article to make it seem like it is a relabel and accurate assertion. The author does not end the article with a conclusion, she ends after finishing reason Number 12. 

Anyone unfamiliar with Ben Carson will most likely not be swayed to support him based on this article. I am sure that this author is familiar with rhetorical devices, as she does use anaphora for almost every bullet point, and she probably is a good writer, but this article was written to rile up conservative voters and to make a quick buck. This has become a gigantic issue in the digital media. There is no editorial point of view, so Newsnax loses validity when they post an article like this.  If someone wants to write a political article supporting someone, that's fine, but don't post it on a website that claims to be independent. 

http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/ben-carson-good-president-reasons/2015/05/04/id/642490/