Module Three Reflection

The process for this video seemed to be very haphazard. From the very beginning, I had no problem deciding on a topic for my video, but creating a video that was able to visually portray that argument without being too straightforward proved to be my biggest challenge. It took a great deal of time for my ideas to finally take shape. I kept notes of the various ideas that I had and for awhile they all seemed very disjointed. However, they eventually all seemed to have some coherence, and I actually ended up using almost all of the ideas together in the end.

After receiving feedback, I was extremely pleased and was appreciative for what everyone had to offer. Although I had spend a considerable amount of time making this video, there was still some uncertainty as its effectiveness. However, after receiving the feedback that was offered, I felt a great deal more confident in the choices that I had made throughout the course of this project. I didn’t receive much feedback as to ways I could’ve improved my own work, but I think that there was a great deal of helpful feedback that was given throughout the course of the screenings.

Throughout this project, I learned that hard work will eventually pay off, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the present moment. Like I mentioned previously, I felt completely lost as to what to do for awhile regarding how to visually present my argument, but by continuing to work at it I was able to somehow come up with enough ideas and actually make connections between seemingly different ideas that I had previously. Furthermore, especially considering my experience with trying to get a crew together to help with the project, both planning and perseverance are essential.

The audience of this video will mainly be my own friends, however I will leave the video public on youtube, so anyone will be able to find it. It does have a somewhat motivational message, so I hope that people in search of that kind of message can eventually come across it.

Final question: Would I ever have made a video like this on my own? No. Am I glad that this was a project for the class? Absolutely.

Module Three

Module Three Post-Production

After gathering a decent amount of footage, there are still considerable uncertainties regarding the final shape I would like my video to take. One thing I have learned is that unless you are a professional videographer with a hired cast of actors, rounding up enough able and willing people to help with a video can be a daunting task. There were several days when I tried to organize people together to complete the shots I wanted, but these plans often fell through. In my previous projects it was much easier to finish the projects since I only had to coordinate with at most one other person. Furthermore, I couldn’t even include all of the shots I wanted for this very reason. Some elements simply didn’t make it into the final product because I could not get enough people to help out. Also, I learned to always double check the microphone jack connection! I had to discard an entire interview scene due to problems with a poor connection. Lastly, I learned to double the estimated time you think it will take to complete a scene.

With respect to the footage I have, I want to make sure I use the shots I took for the introduction. Although I have yet to decide how I want to tie these in, I feel it is visually interesting and will make for a strong attention-getting opening. I also will be using all the interview footage since that has become essential to conveying my message. On the other hand, I will be discarding some of my b-roll that was meant for my personal interview because I feel that it will be distracting and does nothing to visually reinforce my message.

Up until this point I have been able to capture everything almost exactly as I have intended. The bigger question is whether I go out and film more or just to work with what I have. First, I have the option to keep the video shorter, using only the interview segments and introduction. Although brief, this may be the most powerful. Second, I could include previous footage I had from earlier in the year to suggest a slightly different message and narrative. However, upon showing this iteration to friends, I have received mixed responses, and therefore may scrap the idea. Lastly, I can include not only all the elements from my first option, but also add in my additional ideas for visually portraying my argument through exaggerated circumstances.

Depending on how I decide to organize my film, there is nothing else that I need to shoot. The only option would be to gather additional footage regarded my exaggerated circumstances.

In order to move forward, the best thing that I could do is assemble all of the footage I currently have and look for the amount of coherence it all has as a whole.