Video Shmideo.

"Self"

"Group"

Creating a video meant to communicate a specific topic (in this case “time”) is a challenge considering the limits of the project, namely no speech, or text; just images and movement to call an understanding to the topic. Initially, the group for this video project consisted of a group of three, then a group of two, back to a group of three. The initial idea, which was underdeveloped due to a lack of understanding and ultimately a group member’s dropping of the class forced the twosome to scrap what was planned and come up with something new. Then, another member was taken from another group, and the twosome then had a third. The dynamic of the group was great, and the members were open to ideas and creativity and worked well together. The initial idea of the flagship three was to wear articles of clothing, use music, or basically any item from each group member’s adolescence, and compare these items to what they are today. This idea was a little problematic, considering that at the time of publishing, the writer had gained some weight and has basically the same taste in music. With the new three, the idea was to show how procrastination and choosing hobbies and enjoyable activities over studying and homework would result in failing an assignment. Although this approach to the topic may seem cliche or overdone, the group felt that a humorous route would be the best one to take. The group had only two weeks to put it all together, and are proud of the work they did.

The group shot is what culminated first in discussion: each individual group member appearing in a classroom, getting handed a piece of (poorly graded) paper, and reacting to it in a way that reflects acknowledgement as well as denial to said received grade. In group discussions, humor was important, and it was a desirable avenue to explore. Each group member used hobbies or pastimes to communicate distraction and procrastination. One individual went to the gym rather than even try to open their school bag; at the end of the day they ended up watching super-satisfying videos of soap being cut. Another individual tried as they may to really get some work done, but after some maybe not so careful consideration, decided to play video games as their work piled up. Another individual was trying to do the right thing, but read comics instead. After deciding it was time to go back to work, it was still difficult, and the work done was little to nothing, in a callback to an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. And so, these three “self” videos were inspired and realized after first filming the final shot. Oh, but, the final shot was filmed over again. The group, after finishing their individual shots, decided that the final group shot needed a little more finesse. A nervous group headed the shot, while close-ups followed; in this way the group was able to capture each individual’s personality in a more successful way in these reshoots.

Struggle is a word that accurately describes this project. Working in new software is always daunting. Working in software without being properly taught to use in the expected class setting is a living nightmare, complete with cold sweat and an errant screech or two. A few YouTube tutorials later, and the nightmare is lessened to an entertaining daymare. Premiere Pro is difficult for a beginner with no prior video editing experience, especially with a project due in an ominous timeframe, and considering this particular group’s circumstance. After using YouTube to learn how to use the software, the difficulty diminished, and the fun began. Assembling and editing videos became easier to understand, and the process of cutting clips, using transitions, filters, and text effects were tools to craft a creative message. In time, the editing process became the best part for this writer. However, the pressure to know what is completely unknown is not fun; no one wants to be responsible for a group suffering from ignorance.

In terms of difficulty posting the final group and self videos on social media, this was never addressed in class, and therefore an opinion cannot be cast in this situation. At the time of writing, the “Self” video file was too large for Blogger to upload, and beyond a personal YouTube account, there is no other place, without instruction or suggestion, for the video to be uploaded to.

Crafting shots and shooting them was difficult in the sense that in order to make the message make any sense at all, the shots had to be clear, clean, with little distraction to get in the way of the topic. In film, every shot, every prop, every cut, every image, are deliberately placed, suggested, and positioned to give specific elemental pieces to the story telling. In the case of a short film, time is of the utmost importance; any second sacrificed to a non-essential thing has the ability to compromise the message. Pets, offscreen bystanders, maybe even a dirty dish could compromise a shot. It became important that in structuring the message, so structuring the shots was equally vital to the video as a whole. In general, crafting movement, such as from one room or area to the next was the biggest struggle, even though such footage may make the cut for merely a second or two. Making a smooth physical transition from one place to the next can look sloppy, especially with poor camera operation or just plain poor character acting.

Every communication medium has its strengths and weaknesses. Photographs capture a split second, but may not always get the right ones. In turn, photography has the opportunity to engage viewers, and stop them in their tracks.  Audio, like Podcasts, tend to work for solid expression. Many, though, need a visual aspect to consumption. Video satisfies that need for so many, and as a communication major, the ability to appeal to audiences in any communicative format, being written, visual, or auditory, is one that should be exercised regularly, and practiced as often as possible, but maybe guided better.