by emily.peers -

Music Video

Follow the link below to find our music video for the song ‘Half the World Away’ by Oasis.

https://vimeo.com/310161430

Director – Harry Postlethwaite

Producer – Chloe Cartmell

DP – Harrison Cox

Camera – Emily Peers and Sarah Burden

Lighting  – Jasmine Stainton

Location Manager – Ellie Sheldon 

Reflective Evaluation of the Music Video:

Although music videos don’t always necessarily follow a linear narrative, the lyrics of the song that we chose to make a video for seemed to be suited to one. Therefore, our main objective for this task was to create a linear visual story that matched the tone of the song. We aimed to do this by applying good teamwork, research and time management to the task, assigning each member of the team a role for which they would be responsible. One of the big planning points for this task was scouting locations for the shoot, which was managed by the location manager, as we needed to be aware of where we could shoot and when. As such, we checked potential locations beforehand for pros and cons as there is ‘no substitute for a recce’ (Bamford, 2012).

My role as a camera operator taught me a lot about camera movement and how it can enhance a shot or sequence. This is due to the way in which we experimented with different movements on several shots, although the shots themselves were planned in advance, to see what would work best on screen and so that we had options to choose from in the edit. This is one way in which one person’s role can have an effect on another’s, and one example of how we utilised teamwork throughout this task.

The most significant problem we faced was that we underestimated how much time we needed to shoot over four minutes worth of footage, especially without dialogue which is often used to fill time. As Nick Bamford (2012) stated, ‘real time and screen time are not the same’ which is a concept that we did not consider enough during our planning stage. Therefore, more shooting time needed to be scheduled for us to gather enough footage to complete the video. From this, we learned as a team how long a shoot actually takes accounting for aspects such as travel and breaks. This is a very important lesson as, in the future, it will allow us to better plan projects and stick to any deadlines or schedules.

References:

Bamford, N. (2012) Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pp. 24 – 178

by emily.peers -

Review

Follow the link below for a review of the Canon 77D DSLR and the Canon C100 and find out how they are different, plus the benefits of progressing from the 77D to the C100: 

Reflective Evaluation of the Review:

As the target audience for this review was students, our main aim was to create a video that is both informative and fun to watch so that the audience would engage with the content and learn from it. As such, we aimed for the tone of the video to be fun and humorous in such a way that students would be interested so Ellie (the presenter) delivered information in a quirky way in an attempt to appeal to meme culture that most students of today find funny. However, this actuallt became a problem as the decision to take this approach was not agreed upon until after shooting had started. Having only two hours to gather footage, we didn’t have time to re- shoot what we had filmed before we decided this. As a result of this, some of the footage felt a little disjointed and the tone didn’t really match up. In order to rectify this, we decided to edit the video in the style of a vlog so that the final outcome flowed better and was more cohesive. ‘Before you begin filming you need to get everything together’ (Orlebar, 2002) so that you don’t waste valuable time, which is a lesson that we learned when we ran out of time for re- shoots, and one which will serve us well on future projects. Working to tight time constraints is a big part of professional media production, so the ability to prepare well and ensure that you have time to film what you need is essential, so this was a valuable lesson for all of us.

A major part of this production was researching the Canon 77D DSLR and the Canon C100, so that the information in the video was accurate. This is essential for all informational videos, as otherwise the video would be pointless, and it certainly wouldn’t be useful to our target audience of students wanting to know what makes the two camera models different. This is something that went very well for us, as we were able to find lots of information about the cameras, allowing us to make a video that can be of help to students.

References:

Orlebar, J. (2002) Digital Television Production: A Handbook. London, Arnold. p. 12

(No date) Canon EOS 77D [Internet] Available from https://www.canon.co.uk/cameras/eos-77d/ [Accessed 13th December 2018]

(No date) Canon EOS C100 [Internet] Available from https://www.canon.co.uk/for_home/product_finder/digital_cinema/cinema_eos_cameras/eos_c100/ [Accessed 13th December 2018]

by emily.peers -

Advertorial: The James Martin Multi-functional Blender

The James Martin multi-functional blender is a must have product for those wanting to live a healthy lifestyle, even if they have busy schedules. Follow the link below to find a video explaining how to use the product and why you should purchase it. 

https://vimeo.com/306562364 

The storyboard for this video can be found below: 

Reflective Evaluation of the Advertorial:

As a group, when given the task of creating an advertorial, we aimed to produce a video that both explained and promoted the lifestyle product that we chose. After much deliberation around what a lifestyle product could be, we decided to produce an advertorial for a James Martin multi- functional blender with the intention to aim the video at a target audience of people wanting to live a healthy lifestyle without necessarily having lots of time to dedicate to making full healthy meals from scratch.

Lots of research was useful in the pre- production stage of this particular task as we wanted a clear picture of what an advertorial should consist of. Essentially, we found that advertising is the ‘distribution of persuasive messages by or on behalf of brand marketers’ (Schultz, 2016) so the video needed to really persuade the audience that the product is useful as part of a healthy lifestyle and that it is worth purchasing, while also explaining how the product actually works. Although the tutorial elements of the video are clear, and I feel that the video does include some persuasive elements such as describing the various useful functions of the blender, I do feel that the message that the audience should purchase the product was not pushed hard enough. For example, graphics such as ‘buy now’ could have been included to really push the advertisement side, something that I will consider on future projects like this.

Another problem that I faced myself was during the individual edit when there were various technological issues occurring, such as the music cutting out halfway through the exported video and visual glitches that only occurred once the video was exported. I also struggled to put the soundscape together due to my lack of experience with sound editing but I did try my best to enhance the product with sound, a skill that I will definitely practice. This was a major issue for me because it cost a lot of time as I tried to figure out various problems. However, being fully aware that edits can change ‘up until the last minute’ we ensured as a crew that there was plenty of time left after the shoot to resolve issues such as these (Kindem and Musburger, 2005).

References:

Kindem, G. and Musburger, R.B. (2005) Introduction to Media Production: The Path to Digital Media Production. 3rd ed. Burlington, Elsevier. p. 203

Schultz, D. (2016) The Future of Advertising or Whatever We’re Going to Call It. Journal of Advertising, 45(3), pp. 276 – 285

by emily.peers -

Music Video Pitch

Follow the link below and you will find a pitch for a music video for the song ‘Perfect Isn’t Enough’ by The And Ensemble, a York based band. As a group, we looked at the band’s past work and considered the brief that they provided for us to develop our own idea for a new video.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1UYR6du2RfqkQ3aOmHZJjes87LnR7EVrWwHvRWOktNe0/edit#slide=id.p 

As part of the process, we also made a creative brief that outlined all of the key points of our idea, which you’ll find below. 

Creative Brief

Reflective Evaluation of the Music Video Pitch:

The main goal in mind when producing a pitch for a music video for the song ‘Perfect isn’t Enough’ by The And Ensemble, was to pitch an idea that was on brand for the group and showcased their popular appeal but to create something unique and interesting. This required a lot of research, both into the group and into what young audiences (the target for our pitched video) want from music videos, to ensure that the final idea was appropriate.

Working well with a client is a very important skill for any media producer and one that should ideally be developed while in education (Fitch, 2011). This particular task required us to interpret a client brief outlining what the group wanted us to include in the video, significantly developing this skill. For example, one important note in the client brief was that the entire production had to be shot indoors. As a result, we developed an idea that centred around one take, with Abby walking through different scenarios involving romantic partners. This is just one example of how we were able to consider the client throughout the production of our pitch, which is a very important skill that will serve us well in future projects.

A significant problem that we faced during this task was ensuring that we hit the right target audience of young people, as ‘pop music is a cultural space which belongs predominantly to young people’ (Hogg and Banister, 2000) and captured the popular appeal of the band while creating something that was unique, and not just a copy of what has been done before. This proved difficult at first because, through research, we found that a lot of videos for pop music share similar characteristics. However, we decided to incorporate various elements from a wide range of different videos together alongside our ‘one take’ idea. For example, the colour scheme would be reminiscent of videos by the likes of Meghan Trainor and Katy Perry, popular artists in the world of pop music. We believed that this was the best way to appeal to our target audience and convey the client’s brand while producing a pitch for a video that was new and fresh.

References:

Fitch, K. (2011) Developing Professionals: Student Experiences of a Real-Life Client Project. Higher Education Research and Development, 30(4), pp. 491 – 503

Hogg, M. K. and Banister, E. N. (2000) The Structure and Transfer of Cultural Meaning: A Study of Young Consumers and Pop Music. Advances in Consumer Research, 27, pp. 19 – 23

by emily.peers -

A Travel Vlog around York!

York is a beautiful city full of fun things to do. Check out this travel vlog and find out all about what the city has to offer!

https://vimeo.com/304644349 

And here’s a shorter version created just for Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrQx3WKDcl7/

Reflective Evaluation of the Travel Vlog:

The aim of this task was to work as a team in order to make a travel vlog that presented York as a desirable place for young people to visit. This meant making it engaging through fun visuals and sound and finding interesting locations to include in order to appeal to a younger target audience.

Working as a team was a very important aspect of this task as, after assigning individual roles to each person, everybody had to focus on their own roles while ensuring that the whole piece came together well. This provided some difficult challenges to overcome as there were some disagreements over aspects such as the script and how it was to be delivered. However, we managed to overcome this challenge by doing several takes of lines that we disagreed on and deciding which one turned out better afterwards. This approach not only gave us better footage, but we managed to gather more footage to choose from, making the edit much easier in the end.

My role in this particular production was the sound technician, which also resulted in some major difficulties. For example, as much of the shooting took place outside, wind interference really affected the sound. Although I did my best to combat this, through using a windshield and a boom pole to get the microphone as close to the presenter as possible, it was still very much an issue. While trying to eradicate this sound with effects in post- production was a possibility, ‘the effect this has on the foreground sound has to be considered’ (Holman, 2010) and it would have affected the sound of the presenter too much in this case. As such, this is definitely an aspect of the video that can be improved upon and something I will consider in all future projects.

Another important process in the development of this video was drawing up detailed risk assessments for each location. ‘Thinking through what you are going to do and how you are going to do it will focus your mind on accidents which could happen’ (Bamford, 2012) so it was important that we got them right. It did take time to make them as detailed as possible, but this process only taught me what I need to include in the future.

References:

Bamford, N. (2012) Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. 60

Holman, T. (2010) Sound for Film and Television. 3rd ed. Burlington, Elsevier Inc. p. 34

by emily.peers -

Zigzag Pitch for ASDA: Ideas for Content to Bring More Customers to the Store

Below you will find three creative briefs for different advertisements designed to bring new business to ASDA through a brand new ASDA-specific shopping app. There is a brief for a television advertisement, a Facebook advertisement and an Instagram carousel advertisement all aimed at students as they were identified as a potential gap in ASDA’s market.

Television Advertisement:

ASDA TV ad brief

Facebook Advertisement:

ASDA Facebook ad brief 

Instagram Advertisement:

ASDA Instagram Brief

Reflective Evaluation of the Zigzag Pitch:

In creating the pitch that my group was to deliver to Zigzag, there were some very clear goals that we were trying to achieve. One of these was to plan three potential pieces of content for one of Zigzag’s clients with creative briefs for each, but more importantly we were aiming to truly understand the company that we chose (ASDA) as well as their customer base and why certain advertisements would be suitable for certain platforms.

Nick Bamford (2012) suggests that ‘the trick is to have a clear plan’ for any kind of production, so research into ASDA was integral to this task. It allowed us to get an insight into their brand image and target audience, which helped us to create ideas for content in line with those things. The concept of a clear target audience was important as it meant that whatever content we planned would be engaged with and actually help the company. On this front, the pitch went well because we identified students as a viable target audience for ASDA due to their brand image of having low prices, and we used this knowledge to very clearly drive our content towards students. However, although the content was relevant in this way, we did have problems with some ideas that we included in the pitch not necessarily being good for bringing in new customers. Therefore, although the creative ideas turned out well and related to ASDA’s brand, more research into how business works would’ve benefitted us.

Another aspect of this task involved deciding what our pieces of content would appear on, be it the internet or television etc. Again, this required research, this time into the effectiveness of different platforms when it comes to advertising. ‘Despite fierce competition from digital advertising, TV advertising is still huge and growing’ (Mela and Yiting, 2018). Therefore, we decided that one of our pieces of content would be a TV advertisement and, as we found that internet adverts are good for reaching our target audience of students, we decided on a Facebook and Instagram advert. As it helped us target our content effectively, the research we carried out was the most important part of the pitch’s process, a concept that will be carried forward onto other projects.

References:
Bamford, N. (2012) Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. London, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. 13

Mela, C,F. and Yiting, D. (2018) TV Viewing and Advertising Targeting. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 55(1), p. 1

by emily.peers -

Live Studio News Show – The Big Brunch

https://vimeo.com/267861503

Contextualising Statement

In collaboration with a whole production team, I have created a live ten-minute news show. One of the most important aspects of this task was working well with a large team of people to think of a concept for a show and develop it to the point where it could be filmed live. It was essential that I was able to put across my own ideas while listening to the ideas of others so that, as a group, we could find one strong concept to build from. Collaboration was also important in working out aspects of the show such as timings and set design, as everybody’s input was considered so that we could make an interesting and well organised artefact at the end.

Another way in which I worked collaboratively in the production of this artefact was during the planning and filming of one of the VTs, during which I worked closely with a much smaller group. It was our responsibility to plan, film and edit this VT while consulting with both the director and producer to ensure that what we produced was in line with their vision for the final show. Despite there being some issues with sound in the first few attempts at filming, communicating our issues and ideas to each other meant that we were able to produce a high-quality VT suitable for the overall show that we were creating. All of this really developed my communication skills in a professional environment.

These skills became even more important during the live recording session when I took on the role of PA. As PA I personally had to communicate effectively with both the gallery and the studio, ensuring that everybody knew what was coming next and when so that the show ran smoothly. Although this was difficult at first in rehearsal due mainly to confidence, in the final live recording I was able to communicate effectively with my team, meaning we could keep timings right and even get the show back on track when the credits began rolling too early at the end. (Bermingham, Talbot – Smith, Symons and Angold – Stephens, 1975)

Health and safety had go be considered throughout the entire production of this artefact and going out into the public to film the VTs posed the most risks. As we were filming the public, it was important to remain polite and respectful at all times to avoid any anger towards us which was a potential hazard. It was also essential that consent was obtained from every contributor and that they were told exactly what we were filming for during this process. Filming on location also increased the risks posed by road traffic. However, these were easy hazards to avoid by simply filming on the pavement away from the roads, while still being considerate of pedestrians at the same time. Due to filming in January, it was also important to consider the potential hazard of weather. This meant making alternative plans if the weather prevented filming members of the public in the street. Although this was taken into consideration, the weather didn’t pose any risk in the end, so we could film as originally planned.

Reference List

Bermingham, A., Talbot – Smith, M., Symons, J. and Angold – Stephens, K. (1975) The Small Television Studio. London, Focal Press.

by emily.peers -

Photography – Displaying Six Techniques

Silhouette
Shallow Depth of Field
Reflection
Long Exposure – Opening a Book
Frame Within a Frame
Forced Perspective

Contextualising Statement

This task required me to take six different photos all connected by a common theme and displaying different photography techniques. These techniques were frame within a frame, silhouette, reflection, long exposure, forced perspective and shallow depth of field. This was a difficult task to complete as I found it difficult to understand how to properly use the camera to achieve the required techniques. However, I was able to display the six techniques in my photographs in the end.

The majority of this task involved individual work, from planning to editing the photos. Before I could even begin production however, I had to decide on a theme to link my artefacts. This involved thinking of a range ideas that could potentially work and deciding whether I could actually achieve all of the required techniques with each theme. After much individual thought, I decided upon the theme of books. This is because, while I did have solid ideas on how to achieve the techniques with this theme, I thought that it would be a challenge for myself that I wanted to attempt.

One major way in which I had to work collaboratively during this task was with my shooting partner, who was also the subject of my photos. I had to ensure that I gave clear instructions so as to achieve the final effect that I envisioned in my planning. Although a lot of this fell to me getting the framing and the placement of the camera (Musburger and Kindem, 2009) correct, I also had to make sure that my subject knew how I wanted them positioned in the shot, which is where communication was crucial. Despite the fact that I was able to collaborate well with my subject, the difficulty that I faced in actually being able to achieve the six key techniques through framing and camera placement with my theme of books made this task much harder. Although my initial photographs didn’t turn out exactly as I had planned, the editing process (which I had to undertake individually) did help me to elevate them.

The most evident health and safety issue with this task was the fact that a lot of the shooting took place around York, a busy city. As a result, there were many potential hazards, such as roads, the public and even water as shooting did take place around the river. The hazard of water was even more evident due to flooding on the days of shooting. All of these were fairly easy to overcome. I stayed away from roads while actually taking my shots, avoided areas that were too busy as this was the best way to avoid bumping into members of the public or getting in the way and I remained behind a fence when near the flooded river. While it was unlikely that any of these hazards would actually cause harm, it was still very important that they were accounted for in the risk assessment.

Reference List

Musburger, R.B. and Kindem, G. (2009) Introduction to Media Production: The Path to Digital Media Production. Burlington, Focal Press.

by emily.peers -

Merry Christmas 2017! Instagram Video and Behind the Scenes Shots

https://www.instagram.com/emily.peersmedia/

Contextualising Statement

I have created a ‘season’s greeting’ video for Instagram along with several behind the scenes shots of the creation of the video. Before beginning production, I had to carry out some individual research into what is popular on Instagram, especially around Christmas time. Hinton and Hjorth describe social media as ‘fundamentally a participative medium’. Therefore, I thought that if I researched what was popular on this site, my artefact would be viewed and shared more by its users. After researching previous Christmas videos, I began planning several different ideas in mind maps and storyboards (photos of which would be used as my behind the scenes stills) until I decided what would be most appropriate to the brief. The process of individual research and planning enabled me to create an artefact that would be better received by those who use Instagram.

When it came to shoot the video portion of this task, it was important that I worked collaboratively with the subject of the video so that the end product was true to my vision for it. Therefore, it was ‘crucial to communicate’ (Bamford, 2012) during this task, just like in every production. While filming the video was a collaborative process, ensuring that I took good quality behind the scenes stills and that the completed video was up to a good standard fell to me as an individual. This means that it was my own responsibility to set up visually pleasing shots of the planning and production process and edit my footage together, resulting in a video that was up to good enough standards to be uploaded to Instagram. This was something that I found quite difficult as editing all of the shots together took a long time to get right.

As with every production, it was important to take health and safety into account despite there not being many hazards related to this task. The main challenge when it came to considering health and safety was the filming location. I chose to film in my own room on campus which was suitable for the video, however, it is quite small. This means that there was a higher risk of trips and falls as there was not much extra room to move around the furniture and equipment. To reduce the risk of such trips and falls, all furniture was pushed to the edges of the room, excluding the desk on which the wrapping was taking place which was in the centre. Another way in which risks were reduced was by ensuring that everyone in the room (i.e. myself and the subject of the video) knew where any cables were at all times and that they were kept organised, as they significantly increase the risk of trips. These actions meant that a safer workspace was created, making production much easier.

Overall, this task really helped to develop my ability to work both individually and collaboratively while considering health and safety. It also developed my ability to research a specific platform and create something suitable for that platform, which was Instagram in this case.

Reference List

Bamford, N. (2012) Directing Television: A Professional Survival Guide. London, Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 121 – 122.

Hinton, S. and Hjorth, I. (2013) Understanding Social Media. London, SAGE Publications Ltd. p. 54.

by emily.peers -

Interview and Lighting – SU Election Interview for Anna Gunby

Contextualising Statement

For this task I, along with a small team of collaborators, created an interview in line with a brief given to us by a specific client. We had to conduct research on a subject, create questions based on the information that we needed to include, and film then edit a one-minute long interview for a candidate in the York St John Student Union elections. Another key aspect of this task was the use of the three-point lighting system, used to ensure that the subject of the interview was lit correctly in the on camera.

Before the production of this particular artefact could begin, research had to be carried out on the subject that we were to interview, Anna Gunby. ‘Production research is the process of finding elements from which a production is made up – primarily information’ (Chater, 2002). As there was only a short time to prepare for this task, my team had to work collaboratively to ensure that we carried out the relevant research in time, gathering enough information to formulate good questions for Anna. To do this, we all focused on information regarding certain questions that we had to include. For example, one person researched the roles that Anna had had before so that potential questions could be formulated around this topic. As a result of pooling this research together, the whole production team was fully aware of the subject and the questions that would be asked.

Another way in which the production team had to work collaboratively was in setting up the three-point lighting system (Willett, 2013). This involves the key light (the main source which creates shadows), the filler light (used to light the part of the subject that the key light can’t reach) and the backlight (which helps the subject stand out from the background). It was very difficult at first to correctly set up these three lights so that they complimented each other, creating the right balance of light for the interview. However, working together as a team allowed us to tweak the lighting and test new ways of setting this system up before Anna actually arrived. It was also important that we all collaborated with Anna to ensure that the lights were not too bright for her and that she felt comfortable throughout the interview.

Health and safety must be accounted for in every production. For this particular task there were not many hazards to identify but one major concern was the lighting kits used. The bulbs could get extremely hot and they had the potential to be too bright for people’s eyes. Therefore, it was important that everyone used the thick gloves when handling them and ‘striking’ was announced whenever they were turned on. This was important so as to avoid any burns or harm to the eyes on set. Another possible hazard was the use of cables which could result in trips and falls. In order to minimise the risk of this, the cables were kept tidy at all times and everyone was aware of where they were set up.

Reference List

Chater, K. (2002) Research for Media Production. Oxford, Focal Press. p. 14.

Willett, A. (2013) Media Production: A Practical Guide to Radio and TV. Oxon, Routledge. p. 117