Applied Production Skills – Contextualising Statement
My portfolio consists of stories in the format of video, audio, photography, and mobile video. For each of these artefacts, I produced a detailed plan outlining the topic, location, time, and who would be involved in the product. I also created a strict risk assessment for each production to ensure safety.
The first artefact in my portfolio is a video interview with candidates of the university’s Student Union elections. As this video was being made for a client, we had to ensure that we produced a professional product. This applied to both the product and the crew (Garwood. M, 2018).
We also had to follow the clients wishes as they wanted the video to look a certain way and be a stated length. To do this we made sure we were clear on what the client brief consisted of and ensured consistency throughout.
When interviewing the candidates, we only had 30 minutes set up equipment and then actually interview them. To guarantee the candidate felt comfortable going into the filmed interview, some members of the crew talked and explained everything to them while others set up (Frost. C, 2016).
An important thing that we focused on when setting up the equipment was the lighting. We had a three-point lighting set up to separate the subject from the background and to outline them, giving them more depth (Brown. B, 2019).
A problem we did encounter was that midway through filming the shot had gone out of focus leading us to have to stop recording and start again. This added to the pressure of the restrictive time limit. We re-adjusted the focus so that the interviewee was crisp in the frame (Aldred. J, 2017) and it taught us to be more aware of it for the next interview.
The second artefact is the mobile journalism task, which does not require the formality of the previous task (TheVJ.com. 2019). The brief demanded that this product be a 60-second video filmed and edited on mobile that is fit for social media.
The topic had to fit under the category of hobbies and interests. Therefore, I choose the light topic of Marvel Studios. I intended the video to be fast pace as everything had to be included in a short time frame. Another reason for this is that the video will be viewed on social media and therefore has to be eye-catching for the audience to stop scrolling (Strong. A, 2018). The topic is popular among the general public, which will help to grab attention (Vox, 2019).
A problem I encountered when filming, was that the quality of the iPad being used wasn’t great, so I had to adapt to my situation. The first thing I ensured was that, when filming audio, I recorded in a quiet location (Bradshaw. P, 2017). This prevents external audio from being picked up and distracting from the presenter (.Burum. I & Quinn. S, 2015)
Creating this artefact really reinforced the importance of planning and time management (Mindtools.com, 2019). This is because I had a set amount of time to film and edit the video as well as having to work with limited light. To combat this, I made a plan of everything I wanted to film and prioritised the external shots first while the sun was still up and filmed the internal shots after.
My next artefact is an audio interview. What I wanted to achieve with this piece was a three-minute informal interview with crisp and clear audio. To do so I recorded with shotgun and lavalier microphones as both are precise and pick up very good quality audio (Sweetwater, 2016). I used two microphones as I would get the different voices in different audio files, making editing easier.
The topic for my interview was social media’s effect. I chose this topic as not only is it interesting, but it is something that my target audience can relate to, making them want to listen. My target audience is 16-25-year olds, therefore, I interviewed someone within that age range to add to the relatable aspect.
A problem I encountered when producing this piece was that I had recorded too much footage as I only had a three-minute slot. To combat this, I first wrote out a transcript of the audio and then edited that to see what I wanted to include in my final product. I also had to keep in mind of the music that would be included that would take up run time.
The main thing I learnt during this process was how to professionally edit audio using Adobe Audition. Each piece of audio gets its own space making it easy to edit everything in conjunction.
My final artefact is the photography task. This piece required 5 photos on a factual story that included certain types of shots. What I wanted to achieve with this piece was demonstrating my ability with a camera and understanding techniques while linking the photos with an overall theme.
I problem I faced when planning for this task was finding a factual topic that I was able to actually plan and stage the photos to achieve the necessary shots. This is as typically when doing a photography piece on a factual topic I would take the photos in the moment, but this task required a lot of planning and adjustments.
Another problem I faced during the photo shoot was that I had no one on hand to assist me. This restricted what I was able to do especially when it came to lighting, which was partially a problem when I came to capturing a silhouette (Rowse. D, 2011). In future, I’d make sure I planned my photoshoot for a time and location where I can get the help of other people to ensure there is no corner cutting.
Bibliography
Garwood, M. (2018). Staying above the law: A professional guide to filming in public spaces. [online] Installation & AV Technology Europe. Available at: https://www.installation-international.com/business/staying-above-the-law-a-professional-guide-to-filming-in-public-spaces [Accessed 12 Jun. 2019].
Frost, C (2016) Journalism, Ethics and regulation. 4th ed. Routledge, London. P. 47.
Brown, B (2019) Motion picture and video lighting for cinematographers, gaffers, and lighting technicians. 3rd ed. Routledge, London.
Aldred, J. (2017). 4 ways to keep your subject sharp and in focus when shooting video. [online] DIY Photography. Available at: https://www.diyphotography.net/4-ways-keep-subject-sharp-focus-shooting-video/ [Accessed 12 Jun. 2019].
TheVJ.com. (2019). The Most Amazing Thing About Mobile Journalism. [online] Available at: https://www.thevj.com/vjworld/the-most-amazing-thing-about-mobile-journalism/ [Accessed 12 Jun. 2019].
Strong. A (2018). 10 Tips for Creating Eye-Catching Social Media Videos. [online] Available at: https://www.behindtheshutter.com/10-tips-for-creating-eye-catching-social-media-videos/ [Accessed 12 Jun. 2019].
Vox. (2019). Avengers: Endgame’s $1.2 billion opening weekend is the biggest in movie history. [online] Available at: https://www.vox.com/2019/4/29/18521581/avengers-endgame-box-office-1-2-billion [Accessed 12 Jun. 2019].
Bradshaw, Paul (2017) The Online Journalism Handbook Skills to survive and thrive in the digital age, 2nd Edition. Routledge, Oxon
Burum, Ivo and Quinn, Stephen (2015) MOJO: the mobile journalism handbook: how to make broadcast videos with an iPhone or iPad, Taylor & Francis, London
Mindtools.com. (2019). What Is Time Management?: Working Smarter to Enhance Productivity. [online] Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].
Sweetwater. (2016). Shotgun Mics vs. Lavaliers – Which is Better? – inSync. [online] Available at: https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/shotgun-mics-vs-lavaliers-which-is-better/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].
Digital Photography School. (2011). How to Photograph Silhouettes in 8 Easy Steps – dPS. [online] Available at: https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-silhouettes/ [Accessed 14 Jun. 2019].
RISK ASSESSMENT EXAMPLE:
https://yorksj-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/jonna_rogers_yorksj_ac_uk/Documents/Podcast%20Risk%20Assessment.docx?d=w5e374e13c8704638a634289fd06e4f72&csf=1&e=D1Ysi7