Project 6 - Visual Media
Context/Planning/Production:
Contextual Questions:
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What are you being asked to do for this project?
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I am being asked to produce an visually engaging advert for the charity Stone Pillow, who focus on helping the homeless.
Why are we doing this project now? Why not earlier in the year?
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It is one of the more technically challenging projects, so we are doing it now as we have experience of filming and using editing software, as well as researching and planning projects to a high level in order to improve the final product.
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Why are you researching music videos and effects? How will this help your film for Stone Pillow?
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Researching music videos will show us more interesting visual techniques that I can incorporate in mown work. It will allow us to create a more visually interesting advert that can target a younger audience and encourage them to donate through more engaging camera shots and editing style, whilst it remaining appropriate to advertise this kind of charity.
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Why have Stone Pillow requested that you use the influence of music videos like Lyrical Lemonade?
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They want to attract new audiences so they would like us to edit the videos in a unique style compared to most charity adverts, in the hope that they will receive more recognition leading to more donations.
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How will the project help you learn new skills for industry?
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The project will help me improve communication skills for the media industry as I have been given a task to complete using the visions of a client in, ‘Stone Pillow’. I will have to approach the task in a creative way using industry-level software and show my organisational skills by producing a high-level final product whilst meeting the deadline given.
Research:
Research existing charity promos and websites:
ActionAid: Charity Campaign Video:
After watching the ActionAid UK advert seen above, a number of techniques were used to cause the audience to feel sympathetic towards the girls seen in the videos. For example, a narrator is used for non-diegetic audio to tell the story of the girls in the Mukuru slum, Kenya. The narrator speaks in a soft and caring tone, using emotive language to show the love and care that these girls need and how your donations can help provide that, which will hopefully increase donations to ActionAid UK, as a consequence of the advert.
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Diegetic sound is also used to allow the audience to empathise with the girls in the advert more as you can hear them joking and laughing, to make them seem more relatable and to show how we are all the same no matter what environment we are placed in.
Furthermore, statistics are used such as how '1 in 3 girls experience sexual violence during their childhood,' these shocking statistics can help target an audience, as it puts the problems shown in the advert, and in slums like these, into perspective, and make people realise the shear gravity of the situation; hence encouraging people to do their part and help as a result.
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It uses a simple editing style, to allow the audience to feel connected with the advert, using slow and steady camera shots and pans to capture the lives and the environment these girls are living with and having to deal with. This also helps target a wide range of audience types to maximise donations, through the use of a simple narrative, which most people will understand. High camera angles are also used over some of the girls to convey their vulnerability and helplessness, further asking for people to help using this creative visual technique. This is an example of the hypodermic needle theory as this kind of media has an impact on the audience to make them want to help. I could use high-angles in my own charityy promotional video to signify the vulnerability of homeless people.
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Women are shown wearing ActionAid UK t-shirts in the advert as a way of conveying the charity and its branding to the viewer, as well as showing the logo and slogan at the end of the advert, meaning this is the last thing the viewer sees, causing them to remember the name of the charity meaning they are more likely to go away and donate. Consequently, this is a clear use of the uses and gratification theory, as the audience are able to use the media to help other people, showing a clear positive multiplier effect as an affect.
The Salvation Army Homelessness Advert:
This advert from The Salvation Army covers the sensitive topic of homelessness in an understanding way using saddening visuals and statistics, implementing the uses and gratification theory as the viewer feels the urge to donate to help the homeless, especially as they are alone over Christmas, a time of year famous for bringing family and friends together.
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Similarly to the first advert I analysed, a voice-over is used once again for non-deigetic audio, to tell the story of the homeless people in a sympathetic way, using emotional language to encourage the viewer to donate. Another clever technique is that the charity explain how donating £19 can provide a warm bed, a Christmas meal, and support to help them get off the streets, meaning the audience know the direct impact their donation will have on a homeless person.
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Slow panning camera shots are used to convey where the homeless people will be staying during Christmas, for example on the pavement or a bench, in complete contrast to the comfort of a warm family home. Close-ups are shown to show the sad and emotionless faces of the people before moving to wide shots to convey the difficult environment they are sleeping with and living in each day and night.
The Salvation Army phone number and instructions to donate to the charity are on screen throughout the advert and highlighted further at the end to leave people with the thought of donating, a clear example of the hypodermic needle theory being put in place in order to target the audience. Traditional Christmas music is used with slow, steady camera shots and simplistic editing cuts, in order to target an older audience to donate to the charity.
Lyrical Lemonade Music Videos Techniques:
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After watching Cole Bennet's (Lyrical Lemonade's) 2019 Music Video Reel, there were a lot of visual techniques and uses of video editing, that have inspired ideas for me to use in my own work.
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One of the common styles that Bennet uses is sketches and art as overlays of the real life scenes, allowing him to switch between drawing and reality using visually engaging cuts and masking transitions to interest the viewer. I could use this in my advert for the charity, Stone Pillow, to tell the story of homelessness and the journey it can take you on, in an artistic and uniquely visual way, compared to the stereotypical charity promos, which could allow me to broaden my target audience to younger people. I could use the tools in Adobe Photoshop and After Effects to incorporate animated drawings in the post-production edit. Consequently, my charity could appeal to a wider range of audiences and hopefully receive more donations to support their clients, as a result.
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I also noticed his use of fading the rappers into the shots by keeping the camera in a fixed position on a tripod this was made possible. I could use this in my Stone Pillow promo to show time passing for homeless people, in a visually interesting way, for my target audience of teenagers.
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Another interesting piece of visual media shown in Cole Bennett's 2019 music video reel, was the use of the overlay of dollar notes being used as an interesting transition as it cuts to build up the pile of notes until the whole screen is covered. I could replicate this idea using newspaper cut-outs as a clever way to transition into a homeless person reading a newspaper or to show a news article about homelessness, to show further use of advanced editing techniques and transitions, to keep the promo flowing at an engaging pace for the young audience.
Contextual Awareness:
How does my Stone Pillow project refer to issues in the real world?
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My Stone Pillow project refers to a multitude of issues within the real world, such as inequality, poverty, addiction and homelessness. In autumn of 2018, the total number of people counted or estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night was 4,677. Homelessness is a big issue in the UK and many other countries, my work could help give this more exposure, and cause Stone Pillow to receive more donations to help improve the currently challenging situation.
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How have you chosen to represent the issue of homelessness?
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I have chosen to represent the current issue of homelessness in a respectful light, showing the harsh outdoor environment that these people can be exposed to on a daily basis, and how this can have a detrimental effect on their personal health and well-being.
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How have homeless people been represented in the media and in films?
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Homeless people are usually represented as lonely, depressed and vulnerable in media and films, this is not always the case however a large amount of homeless people do struggle mentally, as a result of their daily struggles of living outside.
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What is society’s view of homeless people?
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Society’s view on homeless people is mixed. Some see them as a threat due to the stereotypes that unfortunately coincide with homelessness, however some feel sympathy towards them and reach out and help, this latter view is the one I will be encouraging in my own charity promotional video.
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How can homeless people be stereotyped?
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Homeless people can be stereotyped in the media and in films as drug addicts and alcoholics, however, after researching into the stories of some of Stone Pillow’s individual client’s, I understand that this is not always the case, although addiction can be an issue for those living on the streets. For some people it is simply the unfortunate case that they lose their job, and cannot afford to pay rent, leaving them with nowhere to stay, and no option other than to sleep on the streets.
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How has your own work been informed by looking at existing charity promo films?
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I have studied the stylistic approach of these adverts, the shots and compositional techniques they use to convey messages and make the audience feel sympathy towards those depicted in the advert to encourage subscriptions and donations. The use of downward camera angles on people for example, can show their vulnerability. Also, they tend to focus on one particular character and show their journey and how the public’s donations could dramatically change the outcome of their struggles.
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Who are your key Influences in Film, Media and Art?
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Some of my key influences in film and media, are Henry Schofield and Cole Bennet, who produce music videos in very visually interesting styles, and I enjoy trying to incorporate some of their video editing techniques in my own work, as well at the kind of shots and cuts they use, to allow the final products to flow very smoothly. The music videos he produces are very punchy and convey messages in an immersive way, through close up shots and fast transitions.
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What is compositing? How can it be used?
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Compositing can be used top combine a variety of layers to enhance the texture, depth and atmosphere of landscapes and scenes, to create a 3D-like parallax effect, as the camera takes you through the image.
Investigate the job of compositor:
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According to ScreenSkills, https://www.screenskills.com/careers/job-profiles/visual-effects-vfx/compositing/compositor/
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"Compositors create the final image of a frame, shot or VFX sequence. They take all the different digital materials used (assets), such as computer-generated (CG) images, live action footage and matte paintings, and combine them to appear as one cohesive image and shot.
Compositors consider visual aspects of a scene. Realistic lighting is a key one of these. Anything caused by light hitting a lens is a compositor’s responsibility. They relight in order to improve the look of the image."
• How do existing charity promo films target the audience? What is appealing about their approach? How do they choose to represent homelessness? Give an example, using an image.
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The homelessness charity, Shelter, have used a dolls house and small dolls and figures to tell the story of a family who faced homelessness. This simplistic depiction of homelessness targets a very wide audience through making it appropriate and understandable for young children through to elderly people. Consequently, allowing Shelter to maximise the impact the advert has, which should in turn increase the exposure of the good cause and the amount and size of the they receive.
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• How have you made your Stone Pillow film to target the specified audience? (either young kids or older teens)? Give examples of imagery, style, suitability of content.
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I will make my own Stone Pillow film to target the fast-growing and densely populated active target audience of older teens (16-18 year olds). I believe I will achieve this through using similar editing styles and visual effects that are seen in the media by my target audience who spend hours on social media each day, making the advert appeal to them. For example, I have analysed the use of effects in music videos by popular director/creator, Lyrical Lemonade, and will aim to use similar overlaying techniques of sketches and paint brush lines, as well as using advanced fades, dissolves and similar shot types such as close-ups to capture the emotion of the characters conveyed.
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The style of my video I am hoping to create is suitable for this audience too as it will show realistic struggles that the homeless face daily, in a transparent and suitable narrative which moves quickly with visually interesting transitions between shots and clips to keep my young target audience’s engaged as they are known for having a shorter attention span. The content that will be recorded and produced will be suitable to be shown online and I will refrain from portraying the typical stereotypes of addiction amongst the homeless, as I want the audience to empathise with the character shown in the advert through relating to them, hence encouraging more donations to Stone Pillow.
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•How does your intended audience use media? Where would be the best platform/place to put your Stone Pillow film? Why? How do you know this? Give a research source, not just your opinion.
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My target audience spend a number of hours each day/week on social media. According to livewire.com, https://www.lifewire.com/hottest-social-app-trends-for-teens-3485940 , YouTube is the most popular social media platform amongst teenagers, and I believe this would be the best place to upload my Stone Pillow advert online for it to create the most impact, due to the advert I will create begin roughly a minute long, theoretically uploading it to a Stone Pillow YouTube channel could benefit them greatly. However, I will also be creating a much shorter version which will be 10-20 seconds which could be used on Snapchat and Instagram for example, which are the 2nd and 3rd most popular socials for teenagers, to further increase the exposure of the charity to young people.
Context/Planning/Production:
Test out a range of visual processes:
I tried my own version of the sketch-effect editing style, I will improve and develop this further by using better photographs and clearer video footage to allow this to become more effective and visually pleasing. However, I used a screenshot from my test footage, and after following the guidance from a YouTube tutorial, I found out about the filter gallery in Adobe Photoshop, and after playing with the different filters in the 'sketch' section, I was able to produce a sketch-like cut-out of my partner, which had interesting rough textures that could be seen in screwed up paper, this was fairly effective, and would improve further with higher quality footage.
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The tutorial suggested the Graphic sketch tool but I used an alternative filter as it seemed to find the edges and utilise the textures of my footage better, to create a more visually appealing sketch-like image overall.
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I added it into premiere pro effectively through exporting it as a png image, to keep the transparent background. I used the scale and position key-frames to line it up with my original footage, to allow me to transition to and from the overlayed image. To improve this further when trying this technique with my final shoot, I would like to experiment with the polygonal cut-out tool on Photoshop for a more jagged cut-out effect, and I need to further experiment with the way the overlay enters and leaves the scenes in a stylish way that appears less clunky than the current technique I've used.
Initial Ideas Mindmap:
Furthermore, another technique I tested out that I was really pleased with was the use of lighting effects alongside the Lumetri Color (SL Noir Nouvelle Red (Arri Alexa)). This produced a very emotive and stylish scene and I will definitely be using these filters and visual effects in my final piece, as the spotlight highlights the actor in a way that allows the user to feel sympathy towards them. Also, the use of black and white colours, symbolises the melancholy mood that surrounds the idea of homelessness.
I experimented with the use of Adobe After Effects for the first time over an extend period, to test out the use of the frame-by-frame paint brush tool to create an interesting and visually creative animated effect. Although this worked very effectively,k and would be interesting way for my promo to appeal to my young active target audience of 16-18 year olds, as it is a similar editing style seen in popular modern music videos, however, I believe it felt morally wrong to include with the X's over the eyes.
On reflection, it would not be a respectful thing to use in a homelessness charity promotional video. However, I did learn how to use this visual process which I have always wanted to experiment with after seeing it famously used online, and I will hopefully try and incorporate it in my final promo using less offensive drawings, such as just outlining objects in the scenes to draw the user's eye towards it and keep them engaged. Consequently, they will watch the full promo and can start to understand more about what the charity is capable of, inspiring them want to donate, an example of the hypodermic needle theory.
Furthermore, during my time developing the use of effects in the more visually advanced software of Adobe After Effects, I spent time understanding the use of the video effect of 3D Camera Tracking. I quickly ran into some problems when apply the effect to the clip I was going to test it out on, when the error messaged appeared on the playback window of, "Layer size must match Composition and use default transform values." I watched a YouTube video to explain how to solve this problem, using Transform, Fit to comp.
This then allowed for the clip to be analysed to enable me to manipulate the effect to complete my vision of attaching the Stone Pillow logo to the brick wall. This was made easy and a simplistic learning process through watching a YouTube video on the specific effect where they were also using tracking to tag an object on a wall.
Continuing to follow the tutorial, I selected the area where I wanted to position the logo on the wall, before resizing the canvas and making it transparent to allow me to insert the Stone Pillow logo without altering its proportions.
This was largely successful, especially after altering the blending mode to overlay, allowing the logo the use the pattern of the bricks in the background, meaning it could be largely seamlessly integrated. However, I will not end up including this particular use of the effect in my final propositional video as it looked a bit forced and I do not believe I had used it on the most appropriate clip as it struggled to track the logo due to a lack of stability during the filming, so I will look to try and showcase these skills elsewhere.
Visual Planning:
Storyboard:
I produced a visual storyboard, to draw out my main ideas and conventions for the scenes in my Stone Pillow promo video.
Equipment plans:
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2X Canon DSLR Camera
1X Tripod
We will also uses props and costumes, such as broken bottles, cardboard boxes, newspaper and sleeping bags.
Team Roles:
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I am in a team of two and we will both edit our own final promo video for Stone Pillow, but will help each other film through different acting and camera operating roles, as seen below:
James Guy (Me): Camera operator and editor
Miles Borgars: Actor and editor
Script:
Shop scene:
Miles (main actor): "Thank you very much, have a nice day."
Customer: "Thanks, you too."
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End title scene:
"Stone Pillow, help get them back on their feet."
"Please donate."
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Script 2:
Stone Pillow worker: "Hello Miles, great to see you, welcome to the Hospice."
Risk Assessment Sheet:
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Programme title: UAL L3 Creative Media Year 1
Client: Stone Pillow Charity for the Homeless
Your name: James Guy
Other Team Members: Miles Borgars
Date: 17/01/2020
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Major issues:
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Falling over in slippy, wet weather
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An actor lying on the floor for a long time, they could get too cold and wet and become ill.
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Traffic and vehicles during filming sessions in certain locations.
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Members of our team becoming ill during filming.
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Tripping over tripods, props and small objects.
Solutions:
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Wear appropriate footwear for filming sessions.
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Make sure the actor wears warms clothing and that there is a bloanket placed on the floor for them to lie on.
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Check roads are clear before crossing and stay away from the roads during filming.
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Check health of members before starting the filming shoot and carry a first aid kit at all times.
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Actors should stand clear during the setting up and putting down process at the start and end of the shoots, to avoid trip hazards, appropriate footwear will be worn.
Contacts:
My Email: guy40222157@stu.chichester.ac.uk
Teacher’s Email: normanj@chichester.ac.uk
Chichester College Central telephone number: (+44) (0)1243 786 321
Emergency services:
Call 999 in an emergency.
Location Recce:
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Production Group: James Guy, Miles Borgars
Production Title: James Guy, Stone Pillow Promotional Video
Production Schedule:
Project Proposal:
Client: Stone Pillow Charity
Your name: James Guy
Team members: Matthew Ede, Ieuan Alli, Miles Borgars
Date: 20/01/2020
What is your final idea?
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My final idea for the production and editing of my Stone Pillow promotional video, is to use the solo actor of my team member Miles Borgars to depict the struggles of homelessness, which can lead to serious health issues and hospitalisation, before Stone Pillow intervenes and helps to slowly build the actor’s life up again, just as they do for many other client’s that have used their services.
This should leave the audience with an emotionally moving and inspirational message at the end of the promotional video as they can see the transformation of the homeless man, encouraging them to donate and help more people in the future.
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How will you depict homelessness?
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I will depict homelessness in a realistic and serious light, to show the harsh realities of what it can expose you to and how it can make you feel. I will make sure I remain respectful at all times. I will base myself in an urban environments to show an example of homelessness in towns and cities.
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How will you communicate Stone Pillow’s work?
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I will communicate Stone Pillow’s work through showing parts of the rehabilitation process in the second half of the promotional video, and show evidently the huge difference that can make to someone who has spent time living on the streets.
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How will this project extend your existing skills?
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This project will further extend my theoretical skills in the media industry, as I will build up knowledge on researching and planning techniques, such as using a location recce and a production schedule. Furthermore, I will be experimenting more than ever with the uses of camera equipment, such as the DSLR’s and the heavy-duty tripods, as well as the use of microphones to record vocals for the final message of the promo. As a result, I will be able to practice my use of photographic conventions and different camera shots that will be appropriate for specific scenes and the style of the video.
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How long will it last?
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The project will last a total of approximately 5 weeks, taking us up to the intended deadline at the end of term. I will use this time wisely to split between research, planning, filing, editing and evaluating.
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Who is the intended audience?
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The intended audience is for 16-18 year olds, this will hopefully expand the charity Stone Pillow, by exposing them to a younger audience, which should inevitably lead to more donations.
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How will your idea target the audience?
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I will use a variety of visually engaging video effects in Adobe Premiere Pro, to catch the eye of my young and ever-growing audience of 16-18 year olds, through modern editing styles and music.
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How is the idea similar to existing media that the audience already likes?
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This will be similar in some ways to the style of music videos in the modern industry, using the inspiration of well-renowned music video director, Cole Bennet, which will hopefully please the young adult audience. I will also use popular music that will turn the heads of this particular audience, to draw their attention to Stone Pillow. It will contrast in some ways to the charity adverts and promos that I have previously researched, as it will use different editing styles as I have just mentioned, however the message at the end of my promo will be largely the same as I will want to emotional move the audience to encourage them to donate using the Uses and Gratification theory.
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What is the project deadline?
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14 February 2020
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When will shooting be completed?
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Shooting will be completed by Monday, 27th February.
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When will the edit be completed?
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The edit will be a longer experimental process the produce the best visuals possible for the promotional video, and I will aim to finish it before Monday 10th February.
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Work out a budget, to cover paying team member’s £120 per day and costs for equipment.
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Canon XA10 Camcorder and tripod 5 day hire: £108.00
Team members: £120 per day, 3 days, 4 members = £1440.00
Total: £1548.00
Budget: £1600.00
Daily Planning:
27/01/2020:
• Collect footage together from home filming sessions
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• Carry on editing and implementing new advanced processes using online YouTube tutorials to help.
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• Take screenshots and document processes for reflection.
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• Experiment further with Adobe After Effects
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• Render a first version of the advert
29/01/2020:
• Complete the Context and Research Tasks for the project
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• Follow my reflective advice from last session as well as the peer critique, and make changes to my edit accordingly
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• Use a different song in the edit, which does not have copyright, allowing Stone Pillow to use the final promo for their own gain if they wish
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• Render a first version of the advert
31/01/2020:
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• Render my first version of the advert, and begin editing a second version.
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• I will reflect and check for quality by taking screenshots and reflecting my work at different points to check it is at the high quality that I want to achieve.
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• Resources/equipment needed: Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects
• Watch tutorials on using blurred edges on Premiere Pro.
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• Make sure work is uploaded and correctly positioned on my website.
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03/02/2020:
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• This morning, I aim to continue developing the cuts between the shots on my Stone Pillow promo edit, as well as adding in more of my own sound and foley into the work to provide extra depth and a sense of realism to the soundtrack.
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• I will do extra research into different sound and foley techniques that I could use in my own work, as well as into charity promotional videos to see how the end these advertisement videos, to help me improve the ending of my own.
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• I will try and solve the problem I have been having with the transitional phase of the advert where I use legacy titles to show the “Change” in his life. I need to adjust the wording of this to make it more impactful on the active young target audience of 16-18 year olds that I will be trying to engage through my work. Also, I need to change the cuts of the text and decided whether its best to use a film dissolve transition to fade the lines of text in one by one, or to leave them cutting in sharply with no fade for more impact. I will also look for a better font that suits the style of my promotional video more.
07/02/2020:
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• Today I aim to import my most recently rendered Adobe Premiere Pro edit of my promotional video for Stone Pillow, into Adobe After Effects, and add further effects. I want to further test out using the paint brush tool, as well as learning how to use particles and 3D tracking.
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• I will need the resources of a capable computer to run Adobe After Effects.
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• Use YouTube to research into the uses of 3D tracking and particles, as weell as other exciting effects that could enhance my work in After Effects.
10/02/2020
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During this final week on my Visual Media Project, I will add further effects if in After Effects if I believe it to be necessary, as this will help me build up a more advanced set of skills for my final major project, allowing me to take my work to a higher level.
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I will finish reflecting on my work and the new processes I have tested and use and start evaluating my work and complete the final evaluation with a detailed analysis on my project as a whole, using text, images and videos to back up my points
12/02/2020
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• Make a shorter 15-20 second promo to be able to be used on social media such as Instagram
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• Finalise reflection and start evaluating my work with a detailed analysis on my project as a whole, using text, images and videos to back up my points.
Reflection:
10/01/2020:
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What were your aims today?
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My aim today was to carry out research on existing charity promos and adverts to see how they handle sensitive topics, target audiences, and portray the actions of the charity in a visually engaging way. I also wanted to analyse music videos, particularly those directed by Lyrical Lemonade, as he uses many interesting visual techniques and editing styles that I could incorporate in my own way to target a younger audience through my charity promo for Stone Pillow.
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What progress have you made? How can you improve your work?
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I have progressed well today and I feel as though I have a better understanding of the features of charity promos, after analysing the adverts for ActiveAid UK and The Salvation Army, using the concepts of media theories and compositional ideas. To improve my work I need to analyse the work of the director Cole Bennet (Lyrical Lemonade), although I have picked out my favourite techniques and uses of visual media in his videos - I will be analysing these in depth and explaining how I plan to use them in my own work.
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How effectively have you planned ideas as part of a team?
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We have begun planning and brain storming our ideas into mind maps and storyboards, to come up with visually interesting camera shots and stylistic editing features we can use in our adverts. We worked well together in incorporating all four of our ideas together to help improve the ideas and options for scenes we could include.
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How effectively are you using research into existing charity films to support your own ideas development?
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I am effectively researching existing charities to see their filming and editing techniques in promos and language styles, to understand the common style, to allow me to adapt these to make them more visually interesting in the hope to target a younger audience.
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How effectively are you using new creative approaches (from Cole Bennet/Lyrical Lemonade) to develop your own ideas?
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Cole Bennet’s exciting directing visuals have inspired me to think of my own ideas that I can use in my final promo, through some of his techniques such as the use of drawing and sketches being implemented into films as overlays, as well as people fading in and out of shots, and the compositions he uses such as symmetry, leading line and framing to create visually interesting shots.
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What else can you do to develop your project? (software tutorials, location scouting, research other artists etc)
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I will scout locations and take photos of them to find the best places to record our scenes, to make them the most visually interesting and suitable for the theme of homelessness. I will also watch software tutorials in After Effects to be able to add more artistic editing effects such as sketches to my final promo, to make it engaging and hopefully encouraging more audience types to donate, as a result.
13/01/2020:
What were your aims today?
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My aim today was to begin testing out story-boarding, filming locations, camera shots, and visual editing techniques in Adobe Premiere Pro.
What progress have you made? How can you improve your work?
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I have learnt to experiment with the filter gallery in Photoshop to apply sketch effects to my shots, which has allowed me to insert visually interesting and artistic overlays into my work. To improve, I need to find a smoother way to transition these overlays on top of the original footage in Premiere Pro. I have also found appropriate filming locations to shoot the advertising promo for Stone Pillow.
How effectively have you planned ideas as part of a team? How effectively did you use visual planning/storyboards to plan camera angles, framing, composition?
I worked well in my team to combine ideas to produce effectively composed shots and scenes for our first test shoot. We used the visual planning of drawing and writing on storyboards to aid us in this task. We wrote the kind of camera angles, and compositional techniques we envisaged for the shoot before we went out to film, meaning we could manage our time more effectively.
How effectively are you using the influence of directors like Wes Anderson and Stanely Kubrick to support your own use of composition?
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I have mainly used the influence of Cole Bennet the director to inspire me with the kind of post-production editing techniques to use, such as the artistic sketching effects. However, I will definitely take the use of vivid, concentrated colours, shown by Stanley Kubrick, when I continue shooting my scenes, to make them more visually appealing and engaging. I used the compositional techniques of rule-of-thirds and symmetry which is seen in Wes Anderson's work to improve my own.
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How effectively are you using new creative approaches (from Cole Bennet/Lyrical Lemonade) to develop your own ideas?
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I have been fairly successful at using the creative approaches from Bennet in my own work, I would like to experiment more with the polygonal cut-out tool in Photoshop to create a more jagged effect for the outline of my sketched overlays, as if they had been cut-out roughly with scissors. However, I can see from testing these processes that the ideas are possible and I will continue to research and develop them to allow me to use them in my own work.
22/01/2020:
What were your aims today?
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My aims today was to finish the final steps on planning through producing a production schedule, and then to shoot the first scenes for my Stone Pillow promo.
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What progress have you made? How can you improve your work?
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I made very good progress, as I now have the footage I needed to begin editing and further testing out visual processes inspired by the likes of Cole Bennet and Wes Anderson. Furthermore, prior to filming I rounded off all of my planning which means I have a very clear vision of what I want to achieve, which saved us a lot of time when it came to our first shoot on the production schedule. I have also started editing up the footage and was pleased to see some of my ideas I had planned to use coming together in a very visually engaging and providing a unique way to convey homelessness compared to the stereotypical charity promos.
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How effectively did you use visual planning/storyboards to plan camera angles, framing, composition?
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The use of storyboards and visual planning was very effective in allowing me to know how to use the planned location after studying it in my location recce, and I also knew exactly what kind of camera shots and conventions I had intended to do. My research also came into play in this as I used a high-angle shot looking down on my actor to convey vulnerability, a technique seen in the ActionAid charity video I analysed at the beginning of this project.
When you shot your footage, how did you make changes from your storyboard planning? Why was this?
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I switched my original idea for a location, as the location I had originally had in the back of my mind as a place I could shoot had a bench, however it was surrounded by motorbikes on the day of the shoot so I had to find an alternative location. This was arguably better than my original idea, as we found an old mattress in the metal-fenced area containing lots of old worn-out items, such as chairs and tables. So the main focal object of my first scene became the old mattress in the new location, however, I kept the same idea for the scene and used the same shot types and conventions.
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I also removed the idea of using the prop of broken glass bottles, as I think it is important, after researching further into Stone Pillow and their clients, to try and reduce the stereotyping surrounding homless people, as they each have their own story and should be treated with equality and respect.
For your footage so far, how can you improve the use of composition? Will you need to re-shoot?
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My footage so far is as I had hoped, I have used examples of leading line, rule-of-thirds and framing. I would like to experiment further with framing, however I have not finished filming all of the scenes as some will need to be filmed outside of college this weekend, due to the inside locations and props I need to use, meaning I could try and implement framing in, in a more stylish way in the later scenes.
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Can you plan several variations, rather than one single outcome? Give examples:
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I will be able to produce different variations of my advert, through building a large array of clips from shooting sessions, and editing them and rendering them in different sizes and duration, to suit different platforms. For example, the full length advert would be good for the Stone Pillow website, as there is no fee for them in promoting their charity in this scenario, however if it were to be aired on TV or social media, the advert could be made shorter to quickly attract bthe young target audience of 16-18 year old’s attention, and to reduce its run time to make it cheaper to promote to the public.
What new creative approaches (from Cole Bennet/Lyrical Lemonade etc) have you used to develop your own ideas?
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The main creative approach I have shot and have begun developing for the first scenes of my promo video is inspired by the director Cole Bennet, who is famous for directing music videos at the highest level. I have used a technique I spoke about previously in my research, where the actor fades in and out of the shot/scene, this was achievable through filming the scene in a fixed position on a tripod and filming the location with no actors or movement, meaning I could then fade in the overlay of my actor in the location on the track above it, to produce a very stylish effect which would appeal to my young audience.
What ideas, techniques and approaches will you use in future to make further changes?
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I would like to experiment further with masking transitions, this is something I will need to research online to understand better, as it can allow you to very smoothly transition between scenes, as if it was all one-shot. I will also be implementing sketch effects as overlays, as well as the Stone Pillow logo, and several other exciting and visually engaging video effects and transitions.
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What technical challenges and problems have you faced? How did you try to solve these?
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We filmed some of the work outside college on an iPhone. Although the footage was high quality, it was in the alternative video format of a .MOV, this meant that Adobe Premiere Pro struggled to deal with this file type and it appeared very glitchy and stuttered occasionally even after rendering. To solve this, I have converted the file type to an .MP4 so that it is compatible with the application, allowing me to edit more easily and produce a much smoother final product.
Shot Types Used During Filming:
24/01/2020
Today I spent a lot of time developing masking-style transition, using a metal crate we found as the location which would hopefully allow me to complete this vision. I had two seperate clips and wanted to time and position them correctly using the masking tool so that they would flow into eachother seemlessly.
I tried to use the masking tool at first on the first clip to allow me to use it as an overlay over the second clip. However, this was unsuccessful as the original camera footage had not been filmed correctly to allow me to use this simpler and more stylish technique. I was going to have to have to create this effect in a much more manual way which proved to be very difficult. As a consequence, there were a number of issues. First of all, you could clearly distinguish the point at which the point where the clips were joined together due to a line down the middle of the screen as they passed eachother. This was due to the fact I was using the positioning keyframes as a way to make the this transition flow. I tried to add directional blur to hide the joining line, as you can see below, but it was still proving unsuccessful and arguabley made the situation worse.
In an effort to fix this, I went online to search for a way of blurring the edges of video in Adobe Premiere Pro. One of the most popular solutions was through using the masking tool, and creating a triangle of points. I follwed along with this demo and ensured that the triangle covered the correct points and the line between the clips whilst remaining largely central, through using the masking tool to manipulate the positioning of the directrional blur, to allow me to blur the joining between the clips effectively.
After experimenting further with the speed and duration of the two clips, adjusting the brightness and contrast to ensure they looked as similar as possible in colour balance, and adding a small rotation to counteract the mildly unstable camerawork, I was starting to be able to see that this 'masking transition' could be possible.
Lastly, I further improved this by rendering this section of the edit alone, to allow me to add directional blur over it and speed up the clip as a whole during the moving pan to the other side of the crate. This hid the split between the clips extremely effectively and improved the overall smoothness of the effect, through an enhanced sense of movement that the extra use of directional blur and speed will have on the young and active target audience. I was questioning whether I could use this in my work due to small errors you could see in the effect but after applying the finishing touches mentioned I am very pleased with the outcome considering the footage I was dealing with.
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In future, to improve this style of transition, during filming I would use a better location with a smaller object to pan past to make it easier to cut between the clips. For example, a pillar, instead of a large metal crate, this would improve the authenticity of the effect.
What were your aims for this week?
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My aims for this week was to shoot all of the shots and scenes that were going to be recorded on college campus and to begin editing them.
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How have you tried to use effects and compositing?
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I have used a multitude of different effects within my work, for example, I used a variety of techniques to create a masking-based transition between two clips. I struggled at first to make this transition work, but after changing the positioning of the clips and altering the speed of their playback, adding film dissolves, altering the brightness and contrast so both clips had the same colour balance, and implementing an advanced usage of directional blur, I was able to create the smooth gliding transition I originally envisaged. For example, I used the masking tool to alter the directional blur effect I added to the transition. This allowed me to soften the edges of the two individual video clips, so that they could seamlessly transition into each other through the masking transition. I used an online video to help me achieve this, which suggested creating a triangle out of the masking tool before increasing the blur amount, in order to soften the edges of the video clips in a stylistic way.
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I also experimented in Adobe After Effects for the first time to allow me to incorporate the frame-by-frame brush tool, another very visually engaging effect to enable me to target my active young audience of 16-18 year olds through the promo video. An issue I encountered, was when I wanted to make the video black and white by reducing the saturation, the bright colours I had used on the paint tool also became black and white, ruining the vibrancy of the effect. To solve this problem, I altered the colour of the video using the more manual approach of the channel control section of the Hue/Saturation , which allowed me to reduce the different colour values individually, meaning I could reduce the reds in the image to target the brick wall background of the video, for example. Consequently, this allowed me to create a reduced saturation effect, whilst maintaining the neon pinks, yellows and blues I have used for the paint brush animation tool.
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What went well?
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I also incorporated some cut-out overlays using the polygonal lasso tool and the filter gallery in Photoshop, exporting these images as PNGs and then dragging them into my Premiere Pro project, positioned correctly on top of the original footage, to add a visually exciting sticker effect, which I beat-matched with my chosen soundtrack.
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How has your story-boarding and shooting script helped you when shooting? Explain changes you made from your planning.
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My storyboard and shooting scripts were very useful in following during the shooting process. It gave me a very good guide of the vision I wanted to create in the post-production edit, as well as the shots I wanted to compose on the day. I largely have stuck to my storyboard so far, but have changed a few of my original locations I planned, as explained previously, and slightly altering the camera angles. For example, the close-up shot I planned was at eye-level, however, I decided to create a downwards angle on the actor, conveying the vulnerability of the homeless in a visually emotive way. The shooting script was also a great help to make sure I had covered every shot I intended to film, meaning I could then shoot any extra ideas I thought of afterwards on shoot, allowing me to feel much more organised, saving time as a result.
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What problems did you have in making your storyboards? (ie being unclear about shoot location, making the story flow from shot to shot, not planning the use of props, feeling that the idea was not working):
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When drawing the storyboards, I struggled to convey my ideas accurately through drawings, as this is not my strong point. However, I did manage to take a simplistic approach and draw very basic figures that acted as very useful prompts alongside the written notes, to guide me during the shooting sessions. Furthermore, some of the ideas I came up with on the storyboard did not appear as effective, when it came to recording them, I had to make a few adjustments, for example, I added in extra shots in the first couple of scenes,as it felt as though the narrative of the promo video was moving to quickly to allow my target audience to develop a relationship with the character I was aiming to build.
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How effectively did you use the cameras for shooting? Were there any technical problems?
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We used the cameras very effectively during shooting, I ensured that the camera was steadily fixated on the mount of the tripod, and that we were in auto mode to ensure that the footage was in focus. Also, when recording in free hand I held the camera steadily and did not follow the actor, to give a greater sense of movement to the promotional video. Additionally, I effectively adjust the height and positioning of the tripod to allow me to receive downward, upward and level angles, to provide a more dynamic range of camera shots.
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How well did you use compositional devices, such as framing, symmetry, leading line? How can you solve any compositional problems (ie wonky angle, poorly composed, symmetry askew):
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I used a wide range of compositional devices, showing leading line down the road we filmed on was a clear example, as well as rule of thirds and also subtle uses of framing as seen below.
27/01/2020:
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What were your aims for this week?
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My aims for this week was to collect all of the footage filmed at college and at the weekend, and edit the advert to a good standard and then carrying on improving it in the weeks ahead.
How have you tried to use effects and compositing?
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I have used a range of effects throughout my work, and compositions during video shoots. For example, I have imported screenshots from my video clips, edited them using: the polygonal lasso tool, filter gallery, paint brush, before exporting them as a PNG and using it as an overlay in my work. This was really effective and provided a creative and visually engaging style that would attract my young target audience of 16-18 year olds.
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I used the film dissolve transition to fade between the last shot of the actor running away from the camera into the distance, to the Stone Pillow logo and website site link, this allowed for a stylistic fade where the runner could seen as it faded through into white, providing a very smooth finish to the first version of my promotional advert.
I used close-up shots of the gardening work to show details and textures clearly in a visually stylistic way, as well as a clear divide of rule-of-thirds in the running scenes, to catch the eye of my target audience, and show a level of professionalism behind my shooting process.
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How can it be improved? Explain problems that you had; suggest how to improve and solve these problems.
To improve my work there are a number of small adjustments I need to make to timings and duration. Fro example, at the very beginning of the advert, the first shot is held for too long before the actor fades into view, the promo needs to get going more quickly to keep the attention of the young audience. Also, during the first scene, I need to double check the duration of the film dissolves as some appeared quicker than others and need to slow down to compliment the moody nature of the beginning of the advert. Additionally, I need to reduce the length of the scene between the homeless actor and the Stone Pillow worker, as this will not only help me to improve the flow of the advert, but allow me to beat match the cuts of the clips to my chosen song more easily.
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How well did you use compositional devices, such as framing, symmetry, leading line? How can you solve any compositional problems?
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I used a clear example of leading line to great effect, symbolising how the homeless person has been given hope and is starting a new journey as a result of Stone pillow’s help, as the actor runs down the road into the distance. I also incorporated a subtle use of framing using the rim of plate that the breakfast is placed on, drawing the eye to plate in this particular close-up shot.
27/01/2020 Peer Critique by Miles Borgars:
31/01/2020 Peer Critique by Lamorna Webb:
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How effectively are they using Composition? Which conventions are they using? How can this be improved?
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•Very effective use of composition
•Clean and used sensitively and professionally
•Visually interesting and engaging
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How effectively are they using different shot types? How can this be improved? How does it help tell the story?
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•Wide variety of shots used symbolically/meaningfully
•Clear narrative and interesting development
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How effectively are they using Compositing? Which effects are they using? How can this be improved?
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•Compositing used effectively
•Framing, symmetry and leading line used well.
03/02/2020:
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What skills have you been developing? What went well?
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I effectively used my time today editing and practicing basic techniques of fades, cutting clips up in a visually pleasing style, and experimenting further with colour balance. Furthermore, I added some sound and foley, such as the sound recording when shooting the gardening scenes, particularly the soil digging scene, this made the scene feel much more real to the viewer through the medium of sound. The sound also allows you to hear the hard texture of the soil very clearly through the detailed recording, conveying the hard work that the character has put in to earn some money and get back on his own two feet. I also added different footstep sounds: walking on concrete, running on concrete and walking on wet grass, to add further senses of texture and realism for the audience. Next lesson I will add in the sound of the slow running stream I recorded on the day of the Sound and Foley workshop, however I did not have time.
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What can be improved?
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The end title screen could be improved when the Stone Pillow logo is shown, I add some of the contact numbers scrolling past horizontally at the bottom of the screen to boost donations and improve the appearance of the end screen as it is a little bare at the moment. Also, I will continue finalising the cuts between clips to ensure their duration's feel appropriate and that the advert moves quickly to interest the young audience but not too quickly to the point where it feels rushed.
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What problems did you try to solve? Explain how you approached this.
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I effectively changed the wording for the legacy titles I use in my advert which are very important in the narrative. Originally, I had the words, “Change, made possible by YOU” I brainstormed some ideas with a peer and then came up with the slogan for the promo of, “Stone Pillow, can change lives, forever.” This provided a clearer transition into the next phase of the advert and the narrative is now much clearer to understand and provides a great impact on the audience. and making small adjustments to the colour balance on certain clips which I found to be slightly over-exposed. This allowed the clips in my work to flow better into each other visually, due to less dramatic changes in exposure and saturation between clips
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Practical Skills
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• What techniques are you using to make your video?
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Throughout this project I have used a variety of different techniques, ranging from camera work and manipulating recording equipment, as well as many different post-production edits, in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. For example, I have experimented with the frame-by-frame paint brush tool in After Effects as well colour balance in Premiere Pro. I have used this setting to create moody atmospheres for the first scenes showing the struggles of homelessness by reducing the saturation and increasing the contrast. I have also used colour correction to build a more positive and hopeful atmosphere, through increasing brightness, saturation and vibrancy to allow the colours to pop and eventuate the blue sky in the final scenes of the character running. Additionally, I have used other video effects such as lighting effects and directional blur, adjusting its strength and direction to improve the masking transition I have created by adding a greater sense of movement to the audience. Furthermore, I have incorporated some of my own sound and foley into the audio of the video to add a sense of realism and to allow the audience to feel connected with the character portrayed in the video more clearly.
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• Have you used online tutorials to help you learn new processes?
Yes I have watched several videos on YouTube to help me learn new processes such as blurring video edges using masking and directional blur together to make this possible. I have also watched tutorials on 3D tracking in After Effects, a technique I may incorporate in my final video.
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• How do you know when you have used techniques successfully?
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One way I can tell when these techniques have worked successfully is when the visual effects complement the style of video I am going for and do not seem forced into the final version to showcase skills, but instead to improve the final outcome and attract the target audience. In other words, when they feel seamlessly integrated into the flow of the video, and portray the correct atmosphere and mood for its specific scene.
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• Ask a peer for feedback: what can be improved?
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My peer suggested to continue trying to add more visually creative effects in After Effects as the majority of my work has been based in Premiere Pro.
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• Compare different techniques for making similar effects; which one has worked best? Why?
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I tested out using similar effects when changing the first scenes to black and white. Originally, I tried to complete this vision by reducing the saturation zero, however this did not produce the dark and moody atmosphere I was hoping for. I tried to reduce the brightness and increase the contrast which did improve it slightly, however the use of the pre-set effect of Lumetri Color (SL Noir Nouvelle Red (Arri Alexa)) alongside the use of lighting effects allowed me to create the dramatic scene I had previously envisaged.
7/2/2020
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• Think about the progress you have made this week: what has gone well? What are you most pleased with?
I have made a lot of progress this week and I was very pleased to be able to render a second version of the promotional video today. Implementing sound and foley as well as a number of extra video effects such as the paint brush tool and 3D Camera Tracking in Adobe After Effects has allowed me to take my work to the next level.
• How successfully have you learned new processes? What needs to be improved?
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At the beginning of today’s session, I had never used 3D Tracking before, however after watching two different YouTube tutorials on ways that this effect can be used and how to create it, I have a much better understandings of the huge amount of capabilities that this effect it has and the best kind of camera shots that it can be used for, and I managed to incorporate it in my own work. This will be really useful for when shooting for my FMP as this is definitely an effect I will incorporate. Furthermore, I began to experiment with blending modes in Adobe After Effects such as the overlay and the multiply settings, which worked really well in matching the textures of a brick wall with the Stone Pillow logo in post-production, to improve the overall quality of the use of the 3D Camera Tracking effect.
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• How effectively have you shown the influence of different filmmakers’ work, such as Cole Bennett? What else can you take from their influences? What can be improved?
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I have used several effects inspired by Cole Bennett, for example, the use of sketch-style overlays, the paint brush tool, and the fading technique of fading the person in and out of the scene seamlessly. I can improve my work by using more of the paint brush tool in the second phase of the promotional advert as well as other visual effects, to keep it up to the visually engaging standard set in the first half.
• Analyse your use of composition and framing: how does it help tell the story? How well have you used framing to guide the viewer in looking at the action on screen?
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I have used examples of leading line down roads and pavements and I have also positioned my actor in the centre of the rule-of-thirds in certain scenes, as well as subtle uses of framing such as the opening scene with the metal fence in the background. This guides the viewers to the focal point of my scenes to help them understand the narrative and journey the character has endured.
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• How have you used composition, lighting and texture to create mood and atmosphere? How can this be improved?
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I have used moody, high-contrast and shadowed lighting effects in the first scenes of my advert, to create a moody and depressing atmosphere and to symbolise the dark place the character begins in as a homeless man. However, in the second half of the promotional video when some hope is restored, the lighting is much brighter and more vibrant to showcase this change of mind-set, in a visually creative way to attract my young active target audience of 16-18 year olds. I also used certain compositional techniques such as a downward angle on the character to show their vulnerability and an upward angle in the second half to show that they now have more power and motivation. I also used rougher textures of the outdoors such as dirt, bricks and concrete, to show the challenging environment the character had to face as a homeless man. This could be improved by using another camera shot closer to the ground to allow the audience to see the details of the textures more clearly to further establish the sense of hardship.
• If you were to re-shoot, what would you change? Will you re-shoot?
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If I were to re-shoot my footage, I would incorporate an extreme close-up of my character, to show pure emotion by focusing very closely to their eyes and I could have experimented with a tear rolling down their cheek or their eyes looking cold and lifeless to convey the depressing mood further to the audience. I would also incorporate more shots with a moving camera, I could use a dolly to ensure that it was stable, this would allow to experiment with the 3D camera tracking in a more advanced way.
Rendered Versions:
Version 1:
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This version was the first time I was able to render the advert showing the full narrative in a reasonably visually engaging way. However, I was not happy with the flow of the advert and I faced copyright issues with the song I used. Also, I do not believe the song provided the correct mood for the second half of the narrative, where hope is restored within the character after Stone Pillow intervene. Although, I was pleased with some of the visual effects used, such as the black and white, accompanied with lighting effects and film dissolves to create an interesting opening for the young and active target audience of 16-18 year olds.
Version 2:
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I improved the flow of the cuts between the clips used, particularly in the second half of the narrative, which I made more snappy and fast-paced, to match the brighter mood depicted. Additionally, I had found a new copy-right free, royalty free soundtrack, which suited the promo better in my opinion. As well as this, I had begun to add sound and foley to certain movements, such as walking, digging and running, to add a sense of realism to the advert, giving the audience a greater sense of empathy and allowing them to connect and build a closer relationship with the character. I also improved the colour balance by adjusting the brightness, saturation, vibrancy and contrast in most of the clips to help provide the correct atmosphere. I also finalised the end slide and added the slogan of the charity below the logo using the overlay blending mode to use the pavement textures on the logo as the fill of the slogan's font.
Version 3: (SHORT VERSION)
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As planned, I decided to make a shorter version that could played before other YouTube videos, or on Instagram as a promoted post to bring more exposure and a wider, young audience to the charity. I made this edit using clips from the full advert, and decided it would be best to only showing the first half of the narrative, leaving the audience wondering what would happen to the character depicted, encouraging them to research into Stone Pillow, after seeing the logo at the end of the short advert.
Final Stone Pillow Promotional Video
Version 3 (Final Version):
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For the final version I had implemented a couple of more advanced video effects as explained in my reflection, of the frame-by-frame paint brush animation tool, as well as 3D Camera Tracking and blending modes to fixate the Stone Pillow logo on a brick wall as a way to advertise the charity in a visually engaging way for the audience. I also adjusted the timing of some of the footsteps of the sound and foley and made some final adjustments to the colour balance particularly on the running shots at the end to increase the brightness and vibrancy to showcase the new found happiness and hope amongst the character in a visual way.
Final Evaluation
• How effectively did you use planning to support the project?
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During this visual media project, I used a wide array of visual and written planning techniques to allow me to come up with and develop ideas which I could implement into my final product of a promotional video for the charity, Stone Pillow. For example, I developed a production schedule, equipment plans, storyboards, location recce, risk assessments and roles given within my small team of two. The use of the production schedule was very effective, as it allowed me to plan in detail for each individual scene and shot, I found it easier to understand my intentions when it came to filming the scenes through viewing my written work, as I was able to accurately describe the shot types, the focal points of the shots, and the camera movement.
However, the simple drawings and notes I incorporated into my storyboard did also allow me to express my ideas and scenes visually in planning which acted as useful prompts and reminders of my intentions when it came to shooting, and helping my partner to understand how I wanted the scenes in the final product to appear. It also was very beneficial in developing narrative and the journey of the character depicted in the final promo, as well as understanding how the advert could flow as a whole.
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The location recce was another great way of planning for shooting the promo, as it allowed me to scout for the intended area, and understand how we could use different objects as focal points within the scenes. In my case, I found an abandoned old mattress which became the central point of the opening scene, along with the character's movement, meaning I could work out the kind of shot I wanted to create, which was a wide shot, to clearly establish the setting and the life the homeless character lives of being constantly exposed to the outside world. This allowed for a dramatic contrast at both ends of the narrative, as the audience sees a life being changed as a result of Stone Pillow's help.
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Furthermore, throughout the majority of my time spent on this Visual media project, I produced small and precise to-do lists to act as my daily plan, to give me a clear set of goals for each day, which I would aim to complete, allowing me to stay focused and organised in order for me to complete the work before the deadline.
Lastly, other planning techniques mentioned earlier such as the equipment plans, team roles and risk assessments also greatly contributed towards the organisation of the project as whole, and made sure I knew what we would need for each filming session, and how we could carry them out safely as a team.
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• How effectively did you use ongoing reflection to identify areas that require improvement?
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At the end of most sessions, I would spend half an hour to look back on the work I had developed throughout the day, and pick out areas that would require improvement, and what I would need to do to implement this. These would then be made part of my daily plan for the next session, to remind me of the work I needed to improve to reach the high standard I was aiming for.
Additionally, I took screenshots of me developing my work in the post production editing software, of Adobe Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro. This allowed me to reflect on the individual steps I took in developing individual scenes and visual effects in the edit, meaning I could spot any areas where I made a mistake and analyse points I need to revisit and improve, to ensure I produced a highly quality final product.
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• How effectively have you researched the audience’s media usage?
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I researched the audience's media usage on https://www.lifewire.com/hottest-social-app-trends-for-teens-3485940 as a method of secondary research, to help me find out which platforms are most popular for 16-18 year olds, and how I needed to tailor the final versions of the promo to suit these. For example, I have a longer, full version which could be used for YouTube or the Stone Pillow website, along with a shorter version that could be promoted on Instagram. To improve my research on audience's media usage I could have carried out primary research through the medium of a questionnaire, however, I have researched this in previous projects such as the 'My Magazine' project which was targeted at the same age range, so I had a good idea of how my audience use media.
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• How did your research help you to target the audience?
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My research was effective in helping me target my audience, as I watched and analysed previously aired charity promotional videos. Consequently, I was able to to see the kind of camera shots, effects, character's and narratives they use to target their audiences, for example, ActionAid used downward camera angles on people to convey vulnerability, to make the audience feel sympathy towards them and hopefully donate and provide support as a result. Moreover, The Salvation Army, used old style music and cinematography, as well as slow pans and cuts, to appeal to an older target audience, helping me to understand a more fast paced and modernised advert could be more appealing to a younger target audience such as my own.
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Furthermore, I spent a lot of time researching the director, Cole Bennett, who is an american director, famous for producing music videos for extremely popular rappers and artists. His content is globally received by my target audience, so I knew if I was able to spot some interesting and appropriate visual effects and shots he uses, and if I was able to incorporate some of these in my own work whilst remaining respectful to the sensitive topic of homelessness, I would be able to target and engage my target audience. This was really successful, and I incorporated visual effects such as the character fading into and out of the shot in Premiere Pro, building exciting overlays through sketch effects in Photoshop and using the paint brush tool to create animated drawings and lines as well as 3D camera tracking in After Effects. The use of the more advanced visual effects should excite my target my target audience, based on my research, and help target them and expose the charity of Stone Pillow to a wider audience overall, as a result.
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• What audience feedback did you receive? How did this help you develop the product?
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I received peer feedback from two people in my class, who are both in my target audience age range, a 17 year old boy and an 18 year old girl, giving me two different perspectives on my promotional video, allowing me to develop it in a way that will suit their best interests and my target audience as a whole. I received the feedback at two different points during my editing process, which was helpful in giving me positive comments as well as constructive criticism.
For example, during the earlier stages of my edit, the feedback I received from my peer on how to improve the flow of my video by shortening and extending certain clips, as well as beat -matching to the soundtrack and altering the lengths of the film dissolve transitions I implemented, greatly improved the video as a whole.
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• How have you been influenced by existing media products and promos?
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During my time spent researching existing media products and promotional videos, there were several techniques used and examples of the hypodermic needle theory, to make the audience feel the need to donate to help the charity. An example of this, was to include the charity logo and slogan at the end of the advert, meaning the final message the audience receive is a positive message through the slogan and the name of the charity that they can donate to, to help others, as seen in the ActionAid advert. I used this idea in my own Stone Pillow advert, and included the Stone Pillow logo and slogan, "Helping homeless people."
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Another way I was influenced by existing charity promos, is through the way that they focus in on particular people and their stories to allow the audience to follow their journey and see how the charity helped them. This technique could be clearly seen on The Salvation Army advert, as the audience follows the narrative of different homeless people. I used this same idea in my own work where I followed my character and displayed their ups and downs, and the journey they go on and how they are positively impacted by Stone Pillow. This allows the audience to build a relationship and empathise with the character, so that they can connect with the advert more easily, hopefully leading to more donations as a result.
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Furthermore, in The Salvation Army advert, darker lighting and a lack of vibrancy is used to convey the depressing atmosphere that can be created through living on the streets. This inspired to attempt to create a dark and moody atmosphere in my own work, using filters and lighting effects, particularly during the opening scene, to reflect the lonely and isolated mood of my character.
• Which editing techniques and processes have you used? What was most successful? Which aspects can be improved? How?
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I have used a large array of editing techniques and processes, ranging from 3D camera tracking, to colour correction. I was really pleased with the use of 3D camera tracking to map the Stone Pillow on to the brick wall. Not only was this very visually interesting but also provides further advertising for the charity. I used the overlay blending mode so that the logo used the textures of the bricks behind it, to make it seem as realistic as possible. The sketch-filtered overlay were also a great success, however I would have liked to experiment further with overlays, which could use multiple camera angles layered on top of each other, or progressively build up overlays of objects such as newspaper pages, to act as a transition.
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I would like to experiment further with the tool of 3D camera tracking in the future, to develop stunning video overlays, such as below, in the BBC Match Of The Day studios, where the images of players are mapped and fixated in position even when the camera pans inwards, allowing them to visually convey the line-ups of football teams. Although the use of it in this sense is not entirely relevant, it just goes to show the huge capability of this particular video effect, and how many opportunities it can provide.
Furthermore, I experimented with a masking transition accompanied with directional blur, to allow me to smoothly transition between clips. This helped the flow and style of the advert in an exciting way to help further attract the target audience of 16-18 year olds. To improve this further, I would have shot this in a different location with a smaller and easier object to pan past, to apply the method of masking, such as a pillar, for example, meaning I would not need to edit the transition as much and would be able to use the masking tool as the main method of transition rather than positioning key-frames. However, I was pleased with the final transition I created and my vision during shooting became largely successful.
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Moreover, I used colour correction to increase the vibrancy and saturation, to bring out the warmth of the final running scenes, and extenuate the blue sky, to contrast completely to the opening moody, dark scenes, to show the new life the character is beginning due to Stone Pillow's help and rehabilitation. This was a really simple and effective editing technique and provided the correct atmosphere of the new found hope I wanted the promotional video to finish on. I could have improved this section by panning to the blue sky during filming at the end of the final clip at the actor runs away. This would have allowed me to use 3D camera tracking to map the Stone Pillow logo in the sky to provide an exciting and stylish effect to end the promotional video. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the 3D camera tracking effect at the point of filming, but I will definitely take it into consideration when filming certain shots in the future.
In contrast to the vibrant ending, for the the beginning of my promotional video, I used the pre-set filter of Lumetri Color (SL Noir Nouvelle Red (Arri Alexa)) alongside the use of lighting effects, to produce this high-contrast moody style, to show the difficult and isolating period my character went through before the intervention of Stone Pillow, in my particular narrative. This was really effective at framing the character in the centre of the lighting effect, almost like a spotlight, symbolising their isolation further. I also experimented with the film dissolve transition to allow the character to fade in and out of the scene, as you can see by the reduced opacity on them in the image below.
• How did you use compositional, structural and narrative conventions? How can this be improved?
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I used a variety of techniques to produce exciting and dynamic compositions. For example, I used the composition of leading line, to draw the viewer's eye into the distance, as the character walks away down the road. The use of the double yellow lines helped to convey this further in an a visually pleasing way.
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In addition to this, framing was also used within my work, through the metal fencing behind the bed in the opening scene. Although this was only subtle, it helped draw the audience's eye to the focal point of the scene, using the opportunities given to me by my chosen location.
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Also, I attempted the use of rule-of-thirds, this could have been broken into clearer divisions of three in a more open landscape, but it was still a useful composition to think about in order to break up the shots I filmed.
To improve and further my use of conventions, I would have liked to experiment more with the use of symmetry, as I believe this could give me a large amount of opportunities not only during filming, but in post-production through experimenting with mirroring effects, for example, as this could show two sides to a person or a narrative.
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The structure and narrative of my promotional video was clear and effective. From an audience's perspective, you could see the character go from a time of great sadness and struggle, to the point where they could know longer manage alone, to a new life with new opportunities. I used legacy titles to show the point at which Stone Pillow step in and make an impact in an inspiring way, which also helps the audience understand the narrative and its structure as a whole, and how this big change in the character was made possible, encouraging them to donate further, as they see first hand the difference that it can make to someone's life.
The second half of the narrative shows the character waking up in a bed, as Stone Pillow give him a temporary place of safety to stay and sleep, a source of income through the gardening scenes, as well as a new found motivation and happiness conveyed through the final scene of the character going on a run. I believe this narrative was clear and inspiring to watch for my target audience, to see a young person come through such a difficult time, allowing for them to sympathise with homeless people more, and encourage further donations and exposure to the charity as a whole. To improve, I could have shown more character's and actors, for example, people who would make the homeless man's life more difficult on the streets, although my idea was to portray complete isolation.
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• How has the project let you develop new professional skills for industry? (technical, aesthetic, working to a client’s brief, targeting an audience, meeting deadlines, professional communication).
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This project as a whole has greatly developed my professional skills for industry. This is due to the fact that it is the first time that I have worked to the brief of a client, and producing a final product that followed their specific instructions and intentions. As well as this, I have learnt many new editing techniques and effects, and even started using the advanced video editing software of Adobe After Effects, exposing me to a new, never-ending range of opportunities and effects I can learn and develop my skills in, for future videos and projects.
Additionally, I have spent more time improving my skills with camera equipment and using tripods effectively to produce the intended camera shots from my planning and produce aesthetically pleasing shots and visuals. I have spoken on a professional level with the charity workers in person when they came into college, to clarify the kind of vision they were hoping to receive from the students, helping me to improve my communication skills, which is a vital skill for working in a industry, as I will have to work together in teams, and understand my role within them and how I can be an important asset.
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Lastly, this project has helped me improve my organisation and the ability to work towards deadlines further, through implementing the use of daily planners before each session to ensure I know what I am trying to achieve by the end of the day. This allowed me to plan my days and weeks ahead of time so that I could finish sections of the project systematically and to a high standard. The use of other planning techniques such as the production schedule and storyboards also helped save time during filming sessions, as I had a clear vision of what I wanted to create before we went out to shoot the scenes, meaning I had longer to edit and evaluate the final product. Consequently, this allowed me to complete the project before the given deadline, to the best of my ability.
Referencing:
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Livewire, By Elise Moreau, December 17th 2019
https://www.lifewire.com/hottest-social-app-trends-for-teens-3485940
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BBC Sport Football 5th November 2012
https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=match+of+the+day+studio#id=2C4770DF9FDA3BF44122A79A8C3E3C096C37B629