MY VIDEOS
Event Video
Day Break Gardening (Unedited)
This video shows the unedited shots of an event.
Day Break Gardening (Edited)
This video shows the edited shots of an event.
Reflection
Reflection (Shooting)
For this video shoot, I prepared a general plan consisting of a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning shots were to demonstrate the time of the morning; just before sunrise as the event taking place was better conducted without much sun or heat. The other beginning shots were to show the various plants being planted as well as the tools and the area to be used. The middle was to be concerned with the actual preparation and planting in the area. The end shots were to show the immediate section of where the planting was completed.
I believe that some of the shots are framed well and the subject is in focus of the frame. At times the camera was shaky, but I realized that moving my actual body closer to the subject was better than moving the camera. In my opinion, moving my body allowed for less shaking.
The scenes were well lit as the source of light was coming from the east and we were for the most part facing west. Therefore the light was to the back of the shots. Generally I believe that the shots would only attract persons interested in plants or garden maintenance. A variety of shots were used. Medium shots were used for the general shooting and close-ups were used to capture the actual process of gardening. This highlights what Fenton (2012) advances, where close ups are geared at capturing the action.
The angles used in shooting was mostly that of angle level. This allowed for normal shooting as there was no need to make the subject appear weak or dominant through the use of high or low angles (Fenton, 2012).
Panning was used to capture the beginning shots as well as the ending shots to show other areas of the garden. I tried to be as smooth and fluid as suggested by EHow (2012). However, I thought the panning shots used at the beginning were not as smooth and fluid as the panning shot I used at the end of the video. EHow (2012) suggests that the panning technique should not be too quick and very smooth and fluid.
I tried as much as possible to keep a mental picture of how the rule of thirds was to be completed. When I realized I did not meet that rule I would slowly shift my body so that the shot could follow the rule of thirds. For the most part the shots are well balanced, I found at times the actor’s head was not in the frame but these were shots that focused on the plant itself and were close-up shots, so it targeted the action as maintained by Fenton (2012).
The majority of the shots were completed in a logical manner to provide for continuity where they followed a sequence. Fenton (2012) articulates that props, actions and wardrobes must be consistent from shot to shot. I believe I was able to display this in the video as there were no inconsistences in the props, actions and wardrobes.
As the person taking the video, I did not plan to speak but let the shots capture the action. Most of the audio heard was from the actor and was unscripted as I wanted to capture her in her natural element. In hindsight, this was probably not a good idea as I had only told the actor that I would be shooting her while gardening and asking questions. This concept did not go as plan or was not well executed.
In general I thought the segment was fairly completed with many areas for improvements. I am not quite sure that the video is interested enough to maintain interest to persons that have no interest in gardening and therefore I feel I lack the creativity to shoot videos. I was not thoroughly prepared as my phone had memory issues and so there were many times I had to stop to clear my phone first. In the future I would be definitely making sure I have proper memory capacity.
I liked that at times I was able to use some of the theory and apply to the shooting of the video. For example using the panning method,the medium shots and the close-ups. I would also use a different phone or device for recording as my camera quality does not appear to be the best.
I found because of the time of the morning that there were not many shadows as I recorded and this allowed for a better visual. I would try to make more smooth and fluid shots to ensure the viewer’s interest is maintained. Fenton (2012) notes that when shots are not smooth and fluid the viewer could be distracted by the camera movements. I also realized that in some shots with the planting that the actor’s had was blocking the shot from being shown well and so in the future I would use a different angle to shoot.
Additionally because it was an active event being recorded, I would have probably needed a different device like a camera with a tripod or a gimble to conduct the shooting. I believe that these devices would have controlled any shaking. However in looking back at some of the shots, I realized that the shots where I had to walk and shoot were definitely shaky. This Fenton (2012) argues can be avoided by increasing the weight of the camera by attaching the folded tripod to the camera.
Compression Test
Frame Size | Frame Rate | Codec | File Format | Audio Sample Size | Final File Size | Comments | |
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Test 1 | 16x9 | 25 fps |
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MP4 | 44,100 Hz 16 Bits | 167.1 MB | Best format to view on the Web. The quality was the best. | Test 2 | 16x9 | 25 fps |
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WMV | 44,100 Hz 16 Bits | 165.8 MB | Although smaller in size, when compressed the quality of the video was not maintained | Test 3 | 16x9 | 25 fps |
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HVEC | 44,100 Hz 16 Bits | 126.3 MB | When exported on two occasions, it did not save on my computer | Test 4 | 16x9 | 25 fps |
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AVI | 44,100 Hz 16 Bits | 209.02 MB | Quality was below the MP4 |
Reflection (Editing and Distributing)
I chose the distribution format of MP4 because when played on YouTube, I found it gave the best quality. Prestianni (2020) acknowledged that YouTube recommends the MP4 file type to display videos at the highest quality. He also highlighted that YouTube recommends using a Video Codec of H264 and a standard aspect ratio of 16:9 (Prestianni, 2020).
These elements were only available on the MP4 and HVEC file formats. Unfortunately, the last file format I exported the video under was HVEC, but it did not save to the folder and so could not be considered. I then decided to complete another test using the AVI file format.
I prepared a general format of how the shots would be captured. The shots were framed well, in focus and visible. At times the camera was shaky at times especially as it was also a windy morning. The scenes are adequately lit although it was just before sunrise.
There was a logical variety of shots, however I am uncertain if they would capture the interest of persons not interested in gardening. A variety of shots were used. Medium shots were used throughout and close-ups were used for the actual process and the completion of the planting. As noted earlier in the reflection on shooting, panning was utilized at the beginning of the video to capture the scene of daybreak and at the end to show a segment of the garden.
The shots for the most part were well composed. I did not follow the two-third rule as how I had it planned. I slowly shifted my body to accommodate this rule at times. The beginning shot showing the plants before planting followed that rule.
The shots of the video followed a narrative progression, where there was an opening scene showing the time of the day and the items to be used, the middle scenes showing the actual process of planting in the garden and then a closure of watering the new plant as well as among its neighbouring plants.
The shots are sequenced in a logical manner and can maintain interest from that standpoint as purported by Fenton (2012). However, I felt as though there was too quick a jump from the second shot of showing the plants to be used and the third shot of preparing the plant to be planted.
Initially I choose the fade transition but after watching the video with this type of transition, I switched to the dissolve transition. The dissolve transition allowed for a better flow of the video and adequately facilitated the passage of time.
I edited the video on some action and audio. I realized the beginning scene showing the daybreak was a bit too long and unnecessary. I also cut the showing of the plants to be used as it went into some that were not used on that morning. I cut on audio because it was not in the original plan and it was not clearly heard. Although natural sounds provide realism, I found that I did not hear many crowing fowls or chirping birds to add to the natural setting. Additionally I thought the music made the video a better watch for viewers and so this was added as a background sound.
Despite editing parts of the video, visual continuity is maintained and there is a clear beginning, middle and end of the video. There is also consistency in actions and props as proposed by Fenton (2012). I did use the dissolve transition to cover an abrupt change in showing the subject.
A title was used at the beginning of the video along with text at the end of the video. The title was used to alert viewers to event about to take place and also distract from the house in the scene. The text at the end of the video, thanked individuals for watching the video. Both text displayed were in an appropriate font and colour and easy to see and read.
The program used was Wondershare Filmora X and the video was edited well from a technical standpoint. It does not include extraneous frames or blank spots. I liked that the program came with its own music and so saved the time of finding music that could be uploaded without permission for use. I also liked the ease of adding audio, transitions and text, as this was completed by simply dragging to the desired location.
On reflection, I would take more time in mentally preparing for the video shoot and possibly completing a practice session before hand. In going through the unedited and edited video, I saw areas where I stayed to long recording and other times where the shot was too short.
Overall the experience has been an eye opener. I never thought that so much work and detail could go into a video shoot. I believe that having a keen eye for detail and a certain level of creativity are some of the characteristics a person should possess if they want to produce great videos for instruction. It is not just about the content or theory but how well the shots can capture and maintain interest. I know that I still have some work to get to this level of videography.
References
EHow. (2012). Five Basic Camera Movements: Videography. Retrieved 03 October 2021 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRnC2Dzv-mY&t=176s
Fenton, H. (2012). Cinematography Learn from a Master. Retrieved 03 October 2021 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwtpJ3T8eK4
Prestianni, T. (2020). What’s the best video format for Youtube (2021 Update). Retrieved 07 October 2021 from https://www.unleashed-technologies.com/blog/best-video-format-youtube
Shernell Gill 2021