Future Advice

One piece of advice to future students of this course is to START YOUR PROJECTS EARLY. Sometimes my videos did not turn out how I had originally planned once I began making them, and this usually required additional filming after the focus for the project shifted. You want to allow enough time to get all the shots you want as well as to edit your video well. 

Film twice the amount of b-roll footage you think you actually need. It will ensure a more interesting piece as well as allow for more flexibility when putting the video together. 

Get a good idea of the shots you need before you go out and start shooting.

Module Three Critique

For my critique, I chose to watch Sarah Lim’s Module 3 piece. I thought that the video started strongly. I liked the introductory narration and thought it was timed well with the music. It provided many shots that helped support the argument she was trying to make. However, one thing that I thought was distracting was including clips with some form of music in them while layering the additional music track over it. Furthermore, although there was a great variety of clips, I felt things seemed to drag on during the middle of the video, and some things were repeated more than necessary, such as multiple shots of food. Lastly, I did like how she brought her narration back in at the end of the video to parallel the beginning and reinforce her argument.

Module Three Production Journal

As the author/creator, I plan to use a combination of approaches regarding my role within the video. I will be narrating, asking questions from behind the camera, as well as appear as a character within the video.

I don’t think the audience will necessarily need any background information in order to understand the topic. I will try to incorporate other people’s own views on my topic within the video, as well as work in my own overall views. Specific questions I may ask people will be along the lines of what they do in their spare time, what kinds of goals they set for themselves, what they do to improve the quality of their own lives, etc.

I need shots that visually portray the points that I am trying to get across. These would be shots that show people living purposefully and making use of their time. However, since each person will have their own unique take on this, I can’t say specifically what each shot will look like yet.

Anxieties and obstacles I think are certainly present already. One of my main concerns is that I want to visually portray my point without being too direct. Also, I may incorporate some acting as opposed to candid documentary-style footage, and I certainly run the risk of it being ineffective or coming across as forced. An alternative solution would be to rely more on interviews.

Group Questions

Questions I have so far regarding my video project:

Should I incorporate personal narration, including my This I Believe statement?

How effective would relying on interviews for much of the video be?

Should I include myself in the video?

Would “acting” detract from the effectiveness of the video, or should there be more candid documentation?

Would a strong piece need to include some kind of narrative, or could I just include general ideas and point of view?

What would it be like without any actual characters?

 

Fear

A negative thing can produce positive results. Example: fear. Fear is a motivator. Whenever I have to give a presentation, I put a great deal of effort into it not only because I want to do well, but also out of fear of not making a good showing, of losing credibility, or just plain making a fool of myself. In general, the media often just oozes with negativity. The media often either highlights the occurrence of negative events, or in the case of advertising, for example, plays off of the idea of being in a state of want, in a place of needed something and not already being complete and fulfilled. In addition, in any cases requiring persuasion, often fear is involved in order to stir an audience towards action

This I Believe [recording]

Project Outline

The goal of my next video project is to express my beliefs regarding the possibilities regarding making the decision to live one’s life purposefully. I hope to show not only how I acquired the belief that living purposefully is important, but also how I think I am able to do that in my own life. In addition, I will most likely compare and contrast between what I view to be living purposefully and proactively with living passively and reactively.

module three pre-production

The topic of my next video will be my own version of This I Believe. I am very interested in this topic since I have a few firmly-held beliefs that I always am happy to share with others. I will be focusing on the idea of living purposefully and making every moment count.

At this point, I am not certain of all the characters I wish to include. I imagine I will be including myself, and also perhaps either some of my childhood friends or friends in general. I may specifically include people who play video games.

Based on my subject, I am predicting that many of my shots will be outside and involve showing both the beauty of the world as well as activities I enjoy doing. This will also tie in to much of the b-roll.

I hope my main take away will be that people can see how they could benefit from reviewing how they spend their time and hopefully choose to spend time in more ways that are productive and in ways that truly make them happy and fulfilled.

Everything is an Argument

I don’t feel that an argument can be any “text” that expresses a point of view in the explicit sense, but I do believe that a text could have implied arguments. For example, the embossed leather cover of a prayer book could suggest the importance of the book and of prayer to the owner. A health warning on a package of cigarettes is an explicit argument against using the cigarettes. A Rolex watch is an argument for the wealth and sophistication of the person wearing it. 

I have recently informed my girlfriend of my current job situation. This is an argument, since it led to revealing the truth.

I have convinced my parents why I should pursue entrepreneurship. This was persuasion, since I had to change their beliefs.

I have explored the idea of working abroad. This was an argument, since I was exploring the costs and benefits of pursuing this option.

I have made the decision to get formal training in photography. This was both an argument and persuasion, since I had perviously been against taking classes, but realized it may be helpful to do so.

I have sporadically practiced meditation. This is both an argument and persuasion with myself, since it is both a practice of discovering and convincing.

 

 

Advertising

One purchase I made recently was Heineken beer. Although I’ve purchased it previously, I did especially like their advertising. The advertisements did resonate with me to a good degree, since the characteristics of the main character are something that I can identify with and aspire to. This also ties into my beliefs of being that kind of person and enjoying life.

Another recent purchase I made was my first pair of Sperry Top-Siders. I wanted to buy a pair since I am very big on personal style, and although these shoes are very common, I liked the look and the versatility I would have in pairing it with other clothes. Their advertising resonates with me since Sperrys are essentially the boat shoe brand, and as an avid sailor, I like to signify that with some of my personal belongings. Its marketing appeals to my beliefs in the sense of its casual yet sophisticated lifestyle and image.

A third purchase I made recently is the Canon 7D. As an aspiring professional photographer, I was impressed by the 7D’s capabilities and wanted to upgrade to a good camera as to not be limited in what kind of shots I could capture. The advertising didn’t necessarily resonate with me since I was mainly concerned with the technical aspects of the camera; I was already aware of what the results could be of taking good pictures. Similarly, the marketing didn’t really appeal to my beliefs, since I was more concerned with what specifically it could do for me.