Time Based Instructions

Jasmin Kim
Nov 5 · 10 min read

How to make Pancakes

Procedures

Prepare a big bowl where you can mix ingredients.

Use a measuring spoon or any measuring tool and add:

  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 tablespoon(tbs) of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon(tsp) of baking soda

Using the fork to mix all ingredients. Then, put a 3 tablespoon of butter on a bowl to heat up in the microwave for 30 seconds. After is melt, take it out from the microwave.

Again, use a measuring tool and add:

  • 3 tablespoon(tbs) of melted butter
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1 egg

Using the whisk, mix dry ingredients and liquid ingredients thoroughly so that it is evenly mixed.

After you are done with mixing, wrap a bowl and leave it for 30 minutes so that it can rise gradually at room temperature. After 30 minutes, heat up a pan on the stove with Power Boil level(fire level). Pour the dough for three seconds until circular shape is formed on a pan.

Wait 20 seconds for a pancake to be cooked and using a turner, check if the side is well cooked(by color of a pancake). When the color of the side is light brown, flip it over to the other side with a turner. Cook the other part for 30 seconds and when a pancake is cooked, move it to a plate. Takeout a maple syrup and get ready to eat.

1st Trial / October 20, 2019

What ingredients/things do I need?

  • 1 cups flour (unbleached)
  • 3 teaspoon(tsp) of baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon(tbs) white sugar
  • 1 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Measuring spoons (cups/tbs/tsp)
  • Fork (to mix)
  • whisk
  • Two bowls
  • Plate
  • Maple Syrup

This recipe was from my family’s daily life. Except the fact that I decreased the amount of sugar being added. Instead of 3 tablespoon of sugar, I decided to only add 1 tablespoon of sugar considering that it would be too sweet for other’s.

What I learned when I was making a pancake

The problem that I faced at the first trial of making pancakes were measurements of the ingredients. For the first trial, I did not have a measuring spoons for flour, sugar, milk, and baking powder. I had to assume the amount of the ingredients being mixed. Another problem that I realized after the trial was that I did not included every materials that I needed for the cook. For example, on the picture, all the kitchen utensils were missing, plates and bowls were missing too. A lot of details were missing that I realized it can give a confusion to the audience.

What was wrong with this procedure?

For the convenience of the cook and a minimum of mess and hassle, I mixed everything into a single bowl. However, due to quick cuts, it was not entertaining enough through out the steps and mixing everything into a same bowl was confusing.

Because I added 3 teaspoon of baking powder, the pancake was uneatable. It was so bitter that I had couldn’t take a second bite. Therefore, I decided to change to 1 teaspoon instead of 3.


Storyboard layouts

short summary of what my video “How to make Pancakes” will look like

Storyboard is an organizer in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The process starts from every ingredients being introduced, mixed, to being cooked and displayed on the plate.

Why did I decided to make a cut on these specific parts? (mistakes/what I learned through out the trial)

Scene 1

For the scene 1, I wanted to show all of my materials that are going to be used. This picture will be the very first introduction part to start off the video. By showing this scene, I thought by showing this scene, the audience would be able to get a general idea what they would need, to make a pancake.

Unfortunately, I was not thinking big enough to consider the background. I was focusing too much on the materials that I did not realize bunch of unnecessary items were behind. When items, that are not related, are on the background, it disturbs and distracts the audience’s attention. A laptop, part of the plastic box, and a paper cup on the back part of a shelf could have been removed. I also realized that I had to think about the time management throughout the video. I had to move faster than I thought and had to stop at specific moment: when showing the the ingredients, measurements(for the next trial).

Scene 8

Even though my original recipe was 3 teaspoon of baking soda, I did not had a measuring spoons. Therefore, just like on scene 8, I used a plastic spoon to add a baking soda. However, I forgot that the measurement should also change. I added 3 tablespoon instead of 3 teaspoon. Due to the mistake, when I tasted a pancake after I was done cooking, it was so bitter that I couldn’t take an another bite.

Scene 13 -14 -15
Scene 19–20–21

For scene 13,14,15, I made a cut on those specific parts because I wanted to show the process of how melted butter and egg was added to the mix of dry ingredients. I first showed mixed dry ingredients in the red bowl and then showed a melted butter with the red bowl. Then I moved on to cracking an egg right away because people can naturally assume that I have poured a butter into the red bowl.

For scene 19,20,21, I tried to make a connection between each scenes. Starting from an empty pan, wiping a pan with butter, to pouring a mix. It was my second time changing a place(first time was to film a microwave).

Critiques from class

The idea that I missed while I was doing these procedure was ‘consistency’. Even though these scene 13,14,15 has the same material and does not require a huge motion, the position of red bowl keep changed. The movement of red bowl was unnecessary but disturbed audience’s attention. Same with scene 19,20,21, angle of the pan continuously changes throughout the film with no reason. The pan scene started with the left side and moved on to front side and slightly moved back to the left side.

Through out the video, unnecessary items were kept shown on the background. Not only those aspects made the audience uncomfortable but also made them to question the ‘credibility’ of the film. Due to an unorganized process, it decreased the professionalism of itself.

What did I decided to change/consider?

  • Detail measurements of ingredients
  • Consistency (angle of where I film the object/point of view)
  • Clear the background to increase the reliability
  • Different color of bowls so that the audience’s attention is not focused on the bowl
  • Using two separate bowls for dry ingredients and liquid ingredients

2nd Trial / October 28, 2019

What is different from procedure 1?

  • 1 teaspoon(tsp) of baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon(tbs) of sugar
  • 1 bowl for dry ingredients
  • 1 bowl for liquid ingredients

Clip 1 from the video

This clip was filmed in a second person point of view. I was showing the flour paper bag to the camera(showing to the audience). Then I took it out to move on to the next step, using a measuring spoon.

Critiques from Zoe and Asher

What was the purpose of showing the shelf on the right top side of the film?

  • Since I was filming from the right side of the demonstration, the shelf of the kitchen was shown on the screen. I was not good looking and only distracted the audience’s attention. This can be the same background issue from trial 1.

Need clear instructions after you show the ingredient. If you take away the box after showing for a few seconds and directly move on to the measuring spoon, audiences have to think and relate the previous cut and after cut. “How to” video should not require the audience to think more than just watching and learning it. When you have the ingredient box when you are pouring it to the bowl, people can naturally relate and interpret that certain ingredient is being added. (requires less task for the audience)

Clip 2 from the video

What I realized when I was filming

This scene was the part where I had to pour a melted butter into a liquid bowl(with an egg). The problem that I realized was that butter was not melted enough. The chunk of the butter was still there when I was pouring into the bowl. Therefore, when I was mixing an egg, butter, and milk, I had to mash the left out pieces of the butter with the whisk. Because the butter was not melt thoroughly, dough was not smooth enough. This was not efficient for both visually and taste.

Clip 3 from the video

Filming from the side, I decide to flip a pancake after 30 seconds. However, it the result of timing was always random. Some pancakes turned out really well while some pancakes were burn and had to be thrown out.

Critiques from Zoe and Asher / Peers

How do we know the level of the stove strength? At what level do we have to cook?

  • The level of the stove strength can vary. How do I figure out when to flip(good timing)? Any aspect shown on the pancake?

Clip 4 from the video

What did I realize when I was filming?

This was filmed as a first person point of view. I think ending the film with pouring a syrup was a great idea. However, because of the angle, I couldn’t really tell the amount of a pancake and it wasn’t visually attractive.

Critiques

  • Try to film the ending scene from the side (syrup drop/look tasty)
  • Should be smooth when pouring the syrup
  • Take out hairband from your wrist

Discussion during class (what to consider)

  • Point of view
  • Clarity of Instructions
  • Distracting Factors (shadows/Lighting/Jewelry)
  • Pacing/Duration of clips
  • Context
  • Flow/Transitions
  • Sound as meaning
  • Color-contrast
  • Beginning and End to story
  • Confidence in task/Believable

What did I decided to change/consider?

  • Small diagonal shelf on the right top part of the scene
  • Leave the box of the ingredient on the background when I am adding it to the bowl (will give clear direction)
  • Consistent point of view
  • Flow and transition (should make sense)

Final Trial / 3 November, 2019

Summary (thumbnails)

Pancakes with syrup

What did I learn during the film

  • Should think as the audience’s point of view
  • Consider about the logistic
  • Good amount of consistency and difference in angle can be determined by actually ‘trying’ it
  • If I want to know which bowl, angle, amount of ingredient is better, experimenting was the best answer
  • Every cuts and actions need to related and reasonable
  • Should be professional and confident what I am doing
  • The more I get specific, the easier it is for the audience to understand
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