Our first theme that was given to us was Transport. Going into this project I struggled to come up with an idea on what content to include in my video, as this was the first project I decided to keep it quite simple of showcasing the main forms of transport that are used by Londoners on an everyday basis, whilst still showcasing the traditional vehicles that London is known for, such as the Black Taxi and Red Bus. The day that we went filming was quite windy which at times made it slightly difficult to hold the camera straight when trying to film free hand without the use of the tripod, this also made it quite hard to use the monopod that we brought with us as it did have a tendency to blow in the wind which defeated the object of brining it with us to location. Whilst on location I tried to get some interviews with certain drivers such as Taxi and Bus to try and get a sense of what it was like to not only drive around London, but to deal with the public and drive such iconic vehicles. Unfortunately, we couldn't get an interview with any Bus Drivers as non agreed to be on camera, but after a while I was able to get an interview with a London Taxi driver. For this interview, I used a new sound recorder which I had not previously used and this did take me a while to learn how to use this, however once I did I found that the sound recorded was of much higher quality than what could have been recorded through the camera microphone. Whilst filming the battery from the camera that was being used ran out of charge, this did slow down the filming process as it was still quite early in the filming day and mid way through a shot, this did slow down the process as filming had to stop and we were forced to leave location and return to college in order to try and get a new battery so that filming could be continued. When editing this video we also used a new editing software, Adobe Premiere which I had never used before, and it did actually take me a while to get comfortable with this editing software. Overall I am happy with the final video, especially considering that it was the first time that I had used many of the pieces of equipment used. In hindsight I think that the lighting on some of the shots could have been improved and this did make some of the scenes seem quite dull. I believe that the music chosen did go well with the final piece as it kept it upbeat an dadd a light hearted feel to the finished product. Overall I am quite happy with the transport video, however doing this video did give me a greater sense of what was expected of these tasks and allowed me to be more prepared with a greater idea of what was needed for the next project, giving me certain areas of improvement.
The next subject that we were given was Fashion. For this I decided to do a 'Street Style' focused video which highlights what Londoners wear and to compare different styles. I also wanted to show more high-end shops in a central area of London, and for this reason I decided to go King's Road and Duke of York Square. On going to film I had quite a strong idea of what I wanted to create and my main aim was to really focus on shops and the fashion worn by the people around us, and how different people dress so differently. As my theme was 'Street Style' I decided to try and shots of pedestrians whose style that I felt stood out, and I was fortunate enough that they all agreed to allow me to get a shot of them; however I did face a set back where after filming some pedestrians, I was approached by the head of security for Duke of York Square who told me that I was unable to film within the square and at this point I had to move on to the street at Kings Road. I also wanted to focus on bright patterns and different types of styles to showcase how diverse fashion could be. As this was my second time using the new editing software I felt more comfortable using it and was able to use more features that I was unable to use the first time around. As this was a task on fashion, I believed that it would be most suiting if I chose a piece of music that was quite up beat with a beat that followed at footstep pace, so that when hearing the music the audience would automatically associate it with a fashion based piece. Overall, I am happy with this video and felt that it had good pace whilst keeping within the criteria. I also feel that their were still areas to be improved, on hindsight I see that using some of the shots which were filmed through the shop windows were quite reflective which did show quite a bit of the surrounding area and at times did take away from the shots, which maybe should not have been included in the end video. Here I also feel that some of the shots were slightly shaky especially in the zoom ins and still think that the major area of improvement here would be to improve the lighting in the shots.
The third project focused on architecture, and for this I had quite a strong of what I wanted to do for this project. I aimed to create something different, and not merely create a video with a series of shots of iconic buildings in London. Before filming this piece I did lots of research into what architecture is and the different definitions of this word, as it is not only the traditional thought of the buildings that surround us, but it is also defined as the carefully designed structure of everything around us. I also wanted to highlight the architectural style of London, which showcases the old red brick buildings next to the new glass buildings that are being designed every day. As I decided to do something slightly different I felt that I needed to explain my thought process with the audience and so therefore thought it was best to record a voice over. this was the first time that I have recorded a voice over and I was initially a bit skeptical on how it would work on the finished product. When filming in Putney it was in the evening and therefore the filming was done in the dark; this has two effects, in the first sense some shots have turned out slightly grey due to the fading light, and in the second sense showing such a busy area in the dark creates a nice vibe and showcases how the architecture looks different at night. This video has a nice pace and features quite a lot of slow pans which is complimented by the soft, slow music which goes with the piece and helps to finish it off. overall, I am very happy with this piece and feel that both my filming and editing has improved greatly from my original piece that I created under this project.
The fourth and final theme was Entertainment, here I had a very strong idea of what I wanted to film and how I wanted my video to be filmed in which I would go down to Covent Garden and Leicester Square and film street performers and the many areas of entertainment in that area of London. However, on the day of day of filming it was raining quite heavily and so this original plan could not be completed. This forced me to create a whole new idea last minute, and so decided to do a completely different form of entertainment in the form of what can entertain a child, and the innocence that a child finds in entertainment and how that differs with age, such as a muddy puddle providing a child with hours of entertainment, whereas an adult would shy away from doing such things. As the scene was entertainment I thought that it was important to use some up beat, fast paced music which would instantly install a feeling of fun among the audience and fit the piece perfectly. For this piece I decided to do another voice over to try and portray what my piece was about as it wasn't clear what line of entertainment I was taking, however I believe that on this video the voice over was quite weak as it was quite quiet and at times it was slightly difficult to hear. Overall I believe that the quality of shots was quite strong and helped to portray my message well and I believe that what I aimed to create was completed to a high standard.
Through doing these four tasks I believe that my skills have improved both in terms of camera movement and throughout the editing process. As it was a new editing programme used it did take me a while to get used to the new features, but by the fourth project I believe that it was a lot easier for me and that I was a lot more comfortable with the different features. I feel that the quality of my shots greatly improved by the fourth task and I think that by each video you can visibly see an improvement in both the quality of shots and the final videos that I created. I feel that the first video that I created taught me a great deal about the process behind the video and showed me what areas I needed to improve in in all the future tasks. From the first project I learned many things which I carried through to the future projects and ensured that it didn't happen again, such as the battery running out and from this point I made sure that I also had a fully charged spare battery with me when out filming on location. I also learned the importance of a steady head and aimed to improve this in my ongoing videos as I chose not to use any form of Tripod or Monopod, as I believe that given the weather and the current rules on not being able to place Tripods on the floor, I think that this did improve and that this is clearly seen in my videos. I am happy with my music choses and in hindsight I am happy with the videos that I produced and feel that I met the briefs successfully, and certainly by the end video, to a high standard.
