Here it is, my ‘Media Self-Portrait’ video. I’ll leave my reflection below.
I found it fairly difficult to produce this video. I had made various edits, but I didn’t think any portrayed my personality accurately. I’m happy with how the final edit turned out though, and I think it succeeds in illustrating ‘who I am’.
I tried to represent myself throughout the edit, beginning with the opening title. The Celtic meaning of my name is ‘fire’, an element which I think does a reasonable job of reflecting aspects of my personality – warm, bright, creative, etc. The ‘egg-shaker’ audio establishes a beat, reflecting my tendency to find a rhythm to stick to while working and creating (this idea is strengthened by the edit, as cuts are made in time to the beat).
The 3 sections of the piece (the home, camera lens & shoes) were intended to show various aspects of my personality and life:
– My connection to home and the environment I’ve been shaped by – also my appreciation of nature and wildlife.
– The things I enjoy and which sum-up my life at the moment: photography, film, technology, music, movement & travel.
– The unknown, my uncertainties and questions about myself – as well as my desire to explore in order to discover ‘who I am’.
I decided to create composite images using my photos and video clips in order to show how all these different aspects of ‘me’ interact and combine with each other. In the 1st section, I tried to illustrate my ‘home’, placing the video clips ‘within’ the house. In the 2nd section I placed clips of my interests within the camera lens, showing what I’m ‘focused’ on.
Apart from the opening title (which I really like), I was happy with how my idea to ‘composite’ my photos and videos worked out. I think it was the most ‘successful’ element of my edit, creating a holistic image of my personality.
I should have found a way to continue the ‘composite effect’ in the last section instead of just having a black background. In my opinion, it would have been more appropriate to the piece, as well as more visually dynamic.
[348 words]