Evaluation
At the beginning of the assignment, we undertook research which was primary and secondary research. We did this research as a group and individually. I found it easier to do the research as a group, because I think the members of the group each have their own skills and strengths. Also, working as a group is key as the majority of the project is working as a team, therefore the research should be similar. Individually, I researched different styles of promotional videos and I deconstructed 3 videos: “Brumtours”, “Open Eye Media” and “Bit Replay”. I also created a survey about how people play games, to find out if the target audience would visit the gaming arena that I am promoting. I found researching individually quite challenging as it was hard to find a suitable promotional video, and I found it difficult to come up with the right questions to ask, and my target group was limited because this is a niche market. Also, we had a telephone conversation with our client, explaining what our ideas, and what they wanted to see in the promotional video. Talking to the client was useful as they had relatively similar ideas to my group.
Overall, I found the research useful as it helped us to gather new ideas, from what we had researched. This has influenced my decision to be more creative. From looking at styles of other promotional videos, this has influenced me to go beyond what I was capable of doing. However, I struggled with researching suitable videos that were similar to the style of video our group wanted to aim for. But, working as a group made it easier, because we could rely on each other to gather the information.
The pre-production consisted of creating the following: Mind maps, mood board, story outline, script, script breakdown, cast list, crew list, risk assessment, location recce, permission, shot list, equipment list, shooting schedule, call list and production report. Between us we decided who would do each stage of the pre-production. I undertook the roles of creating the mood board, the script, the risk assessment, equipment list, shooting schedule and the call sheet. Out of these roles, I thoroughly enjoyed doing the mid map, mood board and the equipment list, because they allowed me to be more creative. In pre-production it is more difficult to work as a group, therefore it is very important to trust the other members of the group, and their abilities. I found the pre-production frustrating and worrying, because I had to chase up people for the pre-production.
In conclusion, the pre-production went well, but I found it a little daunting towards the end, when it came to receiving other people's pre-production and uploading it to make certain that everything was correct. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed working with my group.
The production was filmed across 3 days at Belong Gaming Arena in Sutton. From the college we gathered all the equipment we needed. This consisted of: Tripod, IPhone 8+, IPhone XR, Zoom Recorder, Blimp, Boom pole, SD cards, Canon 7500, 3 lights, and USB stick. My role throughout production was to capture footage, and as assistant cinematographer. The other members' roles were: Sound Operator (Remmy), Cinematographer (Jamie), and Director (Patrick). This worked exceptionally well as there were no conflicts within the group. Before we could film, we had to arrange a date and time with our client, and get permission from the parents of the gamers in order to film them and use them in my edit. The types of shots we mainly used were close up's of the PCs and gaming equipment, high angle shots and pans. Finally, we filmed interviews with two staff members using questions that we had put together beforehand. Although the interviews went well, we had a slight problem with the way that we shot, because we forgot to change the frame rate on the camera. We decide the best thing to do was not use that footage, because we were pushed for time and it was not possible to film it again.
Overall, I found the production was the most enjoyable and fun part of the project. One of my weaknesses was asking the families of the gamers for permission to film them. I discovered, during filming, that I was creatively thinking of different shots that we could include, and I was good at directing the cinematographer as to which shots he should film. Apart from a few minor problems, the production was terrific.
The final part of my promotional video was the post-production. This involved me transferring the footage from the iPhones and camera by using airdrop, and an SD card ready for editing in Premiere Pro. Then I looked through the footage, diligently, to decide which would be the best possible shots to use. I have used Premiere Pro for a year, and I feel very comfortable with the software, as I know where most of the functions and tools are. During the edit, I found it difficult to start my edit, because I had over 72 pieces of footage and I needed to condense my edit to 2 minutes as that is a normal length for a promotional video. When I made my edit I used a lot of immersive transitions, fades and rotations, as I wanted to make the video eye-catching to attract possible customers. After I made my draft edit, I focused on the background music. I wanted to create my own music to use in my edit, but I found that a little hard as it didn't go with the style of my edit. So I ended up using a different backing track that worked exceptionally well with my editing style. I used copyright free "beat music", as I wanted to implement flickering parts of my edit in time with the music. Then I went back through my edit and re-edited parts of the video. This I found frustrating, but I managed to figure out how to do it. Throughout my edit, I asked my tutors to watch my video, and to provide constructive feedback. This helped me to decide on my final edit. When the edit was finished I emailed my client asking for feedback
In conclusion, the post-production stage went well, but a couple of times I had to ask a tutor to help me with the audio and a couple of clips. In the future, if I was to do this again, I would spend more time on the audio/music stage of my edit. Despite this, I felt comfortable editing without any major problems, as this is one of my strengths in media. However, I need to improve on my time management skills, creating my own music and learning new editing techniques.
To conclude I will evaluate this project overall, as the most fun and
creative project I've ever done within a group. This allowed us to experiment
with new ideas such as new camera shots, making the project for a real client,
and I also learned how to communicate with members of the public in a formal manner
and how to be more professional. I enjoyed the production of this assignment
because it made me feel like I was actually filming professionally. During
pre-production, I found that working as a team helped. It was helpful gathering
the possible ideas and routes we could have taken, because it helped to build
an understanding of my group. But, I was also feeling a little uptight about
receiving the pre-production and receiving it back from my group members.
Throughout this project I have discovered new strengths such as creating new
shots, being able to organise the shoot, and that I was improving my
pre-production. However, I need to get better at the research, and the
post-production because I need to learn more editing techniques. I have also
noticed that I need to improve on my writing skills especially when it comes to
the research and evaluations. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed making this
project, and learning about my strengths and weaknesses.
This is a link to my video on youtube. https://youtu.be/Ohv6g9AZOTI
this is a link to my video to my audio commentary. https://youtu.be/duXZqKxApXE
Youtube.com. (2020). YouTube. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXarOYeRvYY [Accessed 7 Jan. 2020].
YouTube. (2020). OPENEYE MEDIA PROMO. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_O-Is3otc0 [Accessed 7 Jan. 2020].
YouTube. (2020). My Retro Game Pick Ups - BitReplay.com. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJdrlB_NYg [Accessed 7 Jan. 2020].
A well structured evaluation that reflects each stage of the production process. You have made several interesting comments and ultimately enjoyed making the product whilst describing your strengths and weaknesses sufficiently.
ReplyDeleteIn future audio commentaries, plan specifically what you intend to discuss and this will improve this section. Overall, a good effort.