Exploring Time, and ourselves

Making a self-reflective video, that also is interpreting a subject can be difficult. Doing this with a group can make it even harder. There is a lot to say about one’s self in only 45 seconds. Having to break up a bunch of ideas and thoughts makes this video more difficult than it may seem.

Shooting the video often comes with twists and turns. Making sure the camera is in landscape, there is a steady shot that’s not blurry, the lighting looks good are all ways that shooting the video can be difficult. Luckily, having high tech cell phones that have very good cameras makes this easier for a beginner. When shooting the video sometimes it may be difficult being alone. Having a friend that can assist with the shots can make it easier. One thing that is recommended is to overshoot. Having a lot of choices from overshooting shots makes editing come a little bit easier. Working on the group video, the most difficult part of shooting was coordinating group members to shoot the same ideas that were discussed in class. Some group members ideas of shooting are different than others. The one good thing about working in a group, is there is someone always there to assist with shooting, and also can give opinions on lighting and other things related to the shot. Conveying the message of time over the shots was sometimes difficult. The group though of creative ideas to still include that aspect, even if it wasn’t being viewed. For example, the song utilized in the editing was a paced clock, that was fast at some points and slow at others.

Editing the video was probably the most difficult part about both the group, and self-video. The program utilized for the video was Adobe Premier, which is a relatively use friendly program for beginners. Once the videos that were shot were imported, it was a matter of choosing the right clips, and putting them in the correct order to make the video flow. That may sound easy, but it is difficult when there is a lot of content to choose from because of overshooting. Premier is a pretty good program for editing and cutting video. Once the video was imported, it was a matter of cutting and adding some video transitions to make it look good. This part is enjoyable, as editing the video is giving it life. Watching the project start out from an idea, to then shooting that idea, and putting it together by editing is a really cool experience. Uploading the video was easy once a YouTube account was created. This is basically just a simple upload to the website and a matter of time before it is posted.

Using video as a communication tool opposed to writing or seeing photographs conveys different messages. Reading at time can get stagnant where video is visual. People watching can feel it, see it, and use their imagination to let it run wild. Also, video can paint the picture, opposed to telling the story. For example, conveying the message of Time in this project would be different showing it by video that photograph. Photographs may show pictures of clocks, or changes of seasons, but the video can make you feel the pace of time. Whether that is by hearing the sound of the clocks in the background, to having edits that speed the frame or slow it down. All of these edits that were made make the viewer feel a sense of time, or pace.

The public nature of the video did not affect any of the things that were shot in either the self video or the group video. After viewing other students videos in class, the group felt there was a lot of leniency with regard to the public nature being put into the video. The good thing is, the group was on the same page and had great communication skills about the content that was shown in the video. A plan was derived from the beginning and there was never a doubt anything that was being shown would be sensitive to any viewer. 

The self portrait video was a unique experience. This requires thinking outside of the box when thinking about how to show ones self to other viewers. Everyone knows themselves inside and out, but showing someone who doesn’t know you makes it difficult. The hardest part about the self video was getting everything out in minimal time. It really requires one to prioritize the shots and ideas to make the video most effective.

Overall this project was a great experience and a pleasant one. It is a nice change of pace to work with a group and get to know fellow classmates. Also it was great that there was a class where everyone that participated was able to watch and critique each other’s videos. It allowed the class to come together and for everyone to get to know each other a little more.