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 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.

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.

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.

Module Two Reflection

Key moments in my production process especially came about during post-production when I realized what the limitations of my video would be as a result of my overall methods for creating the piece. First of all, I think that from now on I will forever shoot what seems to be an absurd amount of b-roll. If it seems like way too much while filming, it will probably be just right when it comes to actually putting the video together. Also, I know now that it will be beneficial to have more of a focus or purpose for the video, since that will give me direction when it comes to the filming.

Regarding feedback, I feel that much of the feedback, especially the criticisms, were well justified. I had received a comment regarding the pacing of my video, but that is something that had I filmed more b-roll footage, I would have had greater flexibility and control with. Also, I received a comment regarding the background music not quite fitting the video, which again I agreed with. One of my top reasons for including the music was again a result of having a shortage of b-roll and was an attempt to keep things interesting during the somewhat drawn-out interview segments. Lastly, I realized the risk I incurred by including my opening scene, although I was unsure after discussing it with the class what a better alternative would have been.  On the other hand, I appreciated the positive remarks I had received regarding such things as the specific shots I included as well as the topics covered during the interview. It is interesting to me to receive a compliment about very specific aspects of a shot when that is something that I didn’t even originally articulate myself as to why it was a good shot, but rather something that I sought out and included instinctively. Regarding other students’ work, one thing that I noticed was a mixed review of the interview format, which ranged from the use of subtitles to display the questions, including the interviewer in the video, and excluding the interviewer altogether. It is clear that there is a multitude of factors at play that help dictate which method would be most effective, and it seems it is something that can really only be approached on a case-by-case basis. Since every video utilized a somewhat different style, some of the best overall advice that could be applied to anyone’s work is to make sure that the technical side of the video is well done, such as smooth transitions and good camera work. Without even considering the creative side of the video, this will ensure that distracting elements are kept to a minimum and the audience can focus on the intended message and purpose of the video.

One thing I learned about myself during this project is that I am often comfortable with ambiguity. Although I had a fairly detailed list of the shots I wanted to capture, there was still quite a bit of uncertainty and flexibility going into the filming. However, I do feel that it can be more effective if I spend additional time planning out the details and narrowing down the focus of a project. I also realized that I take an exceptionally long time while working on such a project since I have high expectations. In cases where the post-production dragged on for hours each day, I think taking breaks and revisiting notes for the purpose of the video would be in order.

I can see another audience for my video being anyone within the art community with an interest in Nick and his artwork. Nick may use my video in order to promote himself as an artist, even if it is only until he can afford to have a more professional one produced! I think that this will show others how dedicated Nick is to his craft and reflect positively on him with potential clients.

Somehow, this video took me five nights to film and produce. It was actually somewhat frustrating, but now that I have already tackled this project, I feel more prepared with insight and experience to tackle another project in the future.

Module Two Post-Production

One thing I learned firsthand is that filming a documentary requires an extreme amount of excess footage. Much of the footage is not suitable to include, and so it takes a large amount of sifting through mediocre footage in order to find a few clips of good material. One issue I had was regarding the lighting. I had a large light to use during the interview, but it had a noisy fan on it, so I ended up not using it since I didn’t want the sound to be in the video. This drastically changed the look of the interview segments, which I’m not very happy about.

Most of my material at Nick’s house is useable. However, I won’t be able to use a good clip that involves Nick preparing to draw since there were no interview segments that would relate to such a scene. Also, most of the footage from the frame shop turned out well, although I did have a few shots showing various tools and equipment by themselves which I won’t be using since it may be unclear as to what they are and it doesn’t contribute much to a narrative.

I feel the most interesting edit will start at Nick’s frame shop and transition into him working on his artwork.

Since both Nick and I were working under time constraints, I will only have the footage I gathered over the original two day filming period and will not get a chance to reshoot.

My project evolved very little from the original idea through production.

Module Two Production Stage

As the author/creator of the video, I have chosen to remain completely absent within the video. There will be a standard interview, although I will encourage Nick to answer the questions in a way that sounds natural and not as a direct answer to a question.

I would like to include Nick’s background, especially the fact that he is a graduate of the American Academy of Art. I will ask him open-ended questions regarding why he is currently working at a frame shop, what his process consists of when producing artwork, and how he first got started with art.

Overall, I will have shots at the frame shop and shots at Nick’s house. At the frame shop I want a close up shot of a phone, followed by a zoomed-out shot of Nick answering the phone. I definitely would need to get various shots showing his daily work of assembling picture frames. At his house, most, if not all of the shots will be in his room since that is where he works and where most of his artwork is. I need close-up shots of him working, as well as various shots of his artwork. I also would like a medium/farther away shot including his dog lying next to him while he works, preferably with dramatic lighting.

One concern I have is regarding the lighting. Although I have a decent camera and technically could still get the shot, I know that Nick doesn’t have the greatest of lighting arrangements in his room and I am concerned that the lack of strong lighting will reduce the video quality.

Module Two Project Pre-Production

The topic of my video will be the artwork and art career thus far of my friend Nick Pershey. As an artist myself, in addition to being a student enrolled in an art class currently, I am always interested in hearing the story of other artists regarding their beginnings in the art world and what their own goals, inspirations, struggles, and working processes are like. Although I already know much of Nick’s story, I thought it would be interesting to share with the class.

Most likely, the only character in the video will be Nick. The only other characters might be customers at his frame shop. Also, I will purposely not include myself as an interviewer.

I will be filming the video in two locations: the frame shop where he works and at his house. Essential gear includes a tripod and an external microphone. Also, I most likely will be using some lighting while filming at his house.

For b-roll, I plan to include footage of Nick working at the frame shop, most likely assembling picture frames, in addition to footage at his home, where I intend to do the majority of the actual interviewing, as well as showcasing much of his artwork.

I think one of the main takeaways I would want as a result of my video is to properly show the time, dedication, and talent involved in being a professional artist.