My collection of photos were taken with the theme of ‘nature’ in mind. I decided on this theme because it meant I could go to a variety of places such as reservoirs and parks to find the best-suited images, including flowers, trees, and water.

Reflection – 

Shallow depth of field –

Silhouette –

Long exposure –

Frame within a frame – 

For my stills photography task, I decided to run with the theme of ‘nature’ because I thought this would give me a variety of ways to go about the task, when it came to location and photo opportunities. This meant I got photos of various flowers, trees, animals and water. This was an individual task which meant I had to use my creativity and camera skills to get the best images I could that fit the brief: five photos consisting of a frame within a frame, a silhouette, a reflection, a shallow depth of field and a long exposure shot.

An example of the health and safety precautions I took was the fact that I was taking photos of/near water. I made sure that I didn’t go to close to the water with the equipment to avoid water damage. I also made sure I was aware of my surrounding when taking photos. “You might bump into someone while walking backwards trying to grab an interview.”(Chapman, J and Kinsey M (2009). Broadcast Journalism A critical introduction.)

I was trying to achieve a collection of photos that would come under the theme of nature. When it comes to the audience for this task, the photos could be aimed at anyone who enjoys the outdoors or simply the beautiful nature to be seen in the local area. “The audience has long been said to be active in the sense that people bring their own interpretations to the media output.” (Harcup, T (2015). Journalism Principals and Practice.)

The only problems I ran into with this task is getting the camera settings right to get the long exposure shot. To get over this problem, I went through the settings individually and had a look at PowerPoints from previous workshops as well as using my camera skills training to sort out this issue.

Bibliography:

Chapman, J and Kinsey M (2009). Broadcast Journalism A critical introduction. Oxon: Routledge. p88-89.

Harcup, T (2015). Journalism Principals and Practice. 3rd ed. London: Sage. p220.

I decided to do a mobile journalism piece on my friend Bronte’s magazine ‘Femme’. This was an artefact I produced by myself, doing the filming, sound, editing etc, which meant I got the experience of doing the whole process by myself which is essential when an opportunity for mobile journalism comes up. One health and safety problem I encountered was filming next to roads but to overcome this I ensured that when filming we were on the path and both myself and the interviewee were safe when we came into contact with roads and passing/stationary vehicles.

I wanted to achieve an easy-to-watch minute-long video which gave a bit of information about what the magazine involved and some of the background as to how it got up and running. “Mobile devices and social media allow journalists to strengthen their connections with the public and ultimately better serve them.” (Adornato, A (2018). Mobile and Social Media Journalism)

I learnt the many ways of editing with iMovie with this task, which is ideal for mobile journalism. “It’s an easy-to-use app for video stories that require a combination of visuals and audio tasks.” (Adornato, A (2018). Mobile and Social Media Journalism)

Using iMovie meant I could easily edit my artefact, making it look professional and interesting for an audience of fashion lovers and young people, due to the format of the production. “It might be a very general audience – people with all sorts of backgrounds and interests, or it might be very clearly defined.” (Bull, A (2016). Multimedia Journalism A Practical Guide.)

Bibliography

Adornato, A (2018). Mobile and Social Media Journalism. London: Sage. p4-107.

Bull, A (2016). Multimedia Journalism A Practical Guide. 2nd ed. Oxon: Routledge. p15.

 

 

Password – overloaded

The studio task consisted of creating a 5-minute video targeted at young people aged between 18 and 24. As a group, we had a few days to collect two vox pops and two presenter-led VTs, which we did about exercise (at a trampoline park), accommodation, Fossgate festival, and the minister.

We had to decide how we were going to film the VTs to ensure the best viewing experience. “A group task is usual, often about pitching different multiplatform content ideas around a single news event.” (Stewart, P and Alexander, R (2016). Broadcast Journalism Techniques of Radio and Television News.) We decided on using iPads, a form of mobile journalism to get the best content outside of the studio, and professional cameras when in the studio.

In terms of health and safety, each group had to consider any issues they would encounter outside the studio. For example, when we went to the trampoline park ‘Energi’, we had to think about slipping, tripping and falling when it came to filming whilst jumping or around uneven surfaces. We overcame this by ensuring we were careful with the placement of equipment and when filming.

A problem we faced with this project was timing in the studio. Being a presenter, I had to make sure I filled the gaps between the VTs with relevant information to make the video flow. This took a couple of rehearsals to get right, as well as the people running the VTs at the right time.

Bibliography

Stewart, P and Alexander, R (2016). Broadcast Journalism Techniques of Radio and Television News. 7th ed. Oxon: Routledge. p14.

For the SU Elections, we had to work in groups to interview a student running for a role in the SU such as SU president. I had the role of monitoring the sound levels, so this meant operating the boom pole, attaching the microphone packs to the interviewees and making sure the sound coming into the camera was clear.

We had to make sure the interviewee was aware of wires, even though we stuck them to the floor, to make sure he didn’t trip over anything unexpected. We also asked for consent from the interviewee to show the completed video as an artefact. “It is normal to seek consent before the research starts.” (NSPCC. (2018). Research with children: ethics, safety and avoiding harm. Last accessed 21^st May 2019)

I was trying to achieve a suitable video to show in the SU for the promotion of Tim Holmes, who was running to be the SU president. A potential problem that could’ve been found when interviewing is not making the interviewee feel comfortable. We made our interviewee feel at ease by introducing our team and getting to know him, as well as giving an insight into what we would be asking before the interview commenced.

We wanted to make sure the interviewee said everything he wanted to, as the interview was not only for our benefit but for his campaign. “It is always good to ask towards the end: “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” It is polite and stops the interviewee feeling annoyed that they didn’t get chance to talk about their pet subject.” (Harcup, T (2015). Journalism Principals and Practice.)

Bibliography

Harcup, T (2015). Journalism Principals and Practice. 3rd ed. London: Sage. p135.

NSPCC. (2018). Research with children: ethics, safety and avoiding harm. Available: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/briefings/research-with-children-ethics-safety-avoiding-harm/. Last accessed 21st May 2019.