Student Union Election Video
Instagram Story Task
Audio Task- Whale Rider
Studio Task- 72 Hour Short Film
Individual Production Blog
My portfolio consists of four artefacts: students’ union election video, Instagram story task, audio task and studio task.
Some of the artefacts were developed by group production management and some by individual production management. In the group different tasks were assumed by the members in the production team. In the individual tasks I assumed all of the roles and took all decisions. The group had a lot to consider in the planning, Stradling (2010) lists a useful check list of things that need to be considered.
Students’ Union Election Video
The thing that I wanted to achieve was a one minute video showing the candidate expressing her views, thoughts and reasons why people should vote for her in the student election. I feel that the three point lighting made the candidate stand out as the focal point, which is something that I wanted to achieve.
One problem experienced was with the editing. I had difficulty transcribing on Adobe Premier Pro, which delayed my editing. Another problem was the inclusion of the graphic of the candidate’s name and role in the video. As I hadn’t used Adobe After Effects before this held up my post production editing. Stradling (2010) highlights that technology can be technical so people shouldn’t panic if they don’t understand something at first.
For a concept I wanted to open the video with a light-hearted out take. I used footage during the recording where the candidate had forgotten what she was going to say so started laughing, which I used to set the tone.
I learnt about three point lighting, why it is beneficial, and how necessary it was to make the candidate stand out in the video. Schenk (2015) states that the primary light source, called the key light, is used to illuminate the subject and is usually positioned at an angle.
Health and safety concerns related to the tripod, camera and lights that were scattered around the studio and cables on the floors. We ensured we took care moving around the studio avoiding knocking equipment over, and being careful not to trip.
Instagram Story Task
The group wanted to achieve a 60 second demonstrational video on how exercising can be done outside without using equipment. I wanted the video to portray the exercises with narration for the viewer to understand what was happening.
A problem encountered was that it had been raining at the location, Museum Gardens, when filming. This was a concern because the ground where I was to perform the exercises was slippery. Also as the public were walking through the gardens there was a lot of interruptions so the group had to do a lot of takes, this delayed the time for the group to film.
A concept that we decided on was that a voice over would be the most effective way to communicate to the viewer. We used a radio studios to record the dialogue, this ensured that recording had a clear sound quality.
I learnt the location and weather should always be considered firstly with regards to health and safety. Stradling (2010) points out two key factors in health and safety management: identify all possible hazards on the shoot, and take all reasonable steps to minimise risks.
Audio Task- Whale Rider
My objective was to make my own audio which would be appropriate to the video. The audio I recorded was slamming a car door, car wheels spinning and coming to a halt on gravel, and ruffling of hair.
The problem I encountered was that some of the audio wasn’t a good standard and didn’t sound like what I wanted to achieve. I had to do some retakes to achieve an authentic, recognisable sound.
The concept I wanted to apply was sourcing authentic sounds that matched what was happening in the silent clip. So I considered how I could create the noise to support the silent clip, ruling in and out some ideas to make sure I produced the best sounds.
I learnt that experimenting was a big part of succeeding. There is a broad range of material that can be used in making original sounds, it’s not clear what sounds work best until a recording is done. I learned to be more observant when watching the silent clip, which sparked ideas of what I could use to make my own sounds.
Health and safety considerations included: trapping my hand in the car door and being close to the moving vehicle whilst recording the audio. I kept a safe distance and was very aware of my surrounding. For every location a risk assessment is required, and it is a legal requirement to have a qualified first aider (Stradling, 2010).
Studio Task- 72 Hour Short Film
The group’s main goal was to create a life-like short film. This would portray the main character, who suffered from mental health problems, how this affected his everyday life and the sort of behaviours and traits he displayed.
A problem I encountered was to make sure the lighting fitted the mood and the scenes we filmed in the studio, to make it more eerie and darker to fit the storyline.
One concept I applied was to use low levels of lighting when the main character was in the living room, I turned the lighting down in the studio to give the scenes a feeling of suspense. Another concept I applied related to the main character who heard voices in his head when sitting on the sofa. I recorded my lines which would then play aloud and give the impression that the main character was hearing these voices, which were then edited into the appropriate part of the video.
I learnt that the camera angles were vital in portraying story telling. Schenk (2015) explains how it takes a lot of different angles and set up to make sure there is enough footage to make the scenes that are wanted.
As we filmed outside on a rainy day, by the river health and safety considerations included the potential of water getting into the electricity from the camera and sound kit. Also the steps leading to the river were wet, which could cause falls. In the studio the group moved carefully around the set ensuring that we did not trip over cables from the sound kit or any of the props.
References
Schenk, S. & Long, B. (2015) The digital filmmaking handbook 5th edition Boston, Cengage Learning PTR.
Stradling, L. (2010) Production Management for TV and Film: The Professional’s Guide, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London.
Bibliography
Bradshaw, P. (2016) The Online Journalism Handbook: Skills to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age. New York and London: Routledge.
Brown, B. (2012) Motion Picture and Video Lighting, 2nd. edition. New York and London, Focal Press.
Burum, I. & S. Quinn (2017) MOJO: The Mobile Journalism Handbook: How to Make Broadcast Videos with an iPhone or iPad. New York and London, Focal Press.