Conceptual brief: ‘Finding space and time for contemplation during Covid-19’.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CDX9henDQs-/

This week for my second video post, my aim is to experiment with the IGTV format on Instagram. I chose to shoot a time-lapse video in the 9:16 format to demonstrate how my hobby of painting is a form of self-expression that allows me to contemplate during COVID-19. I like this form of video as it has been popularised by artists such as @ivanalifan, @kelopsloops and @livingpattern to display the process behind their artwork.

I hadn’t used this feature on the platform before and was interested to discover the affordances of this layout. One thing I immediately noticed- it is quite straightforward to upload videos to IGTV! Unknowingly I had assumed the process might be difficult, possibly due to the length and often effort that goes into the videos.

All images and/or screenshots used below are my own and were taken during the production of my work.

How did you author the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?

To author the timelapse video, I used my iPhone 6s Plus front camera to record from a tripod I had positioned next to my desk. Using the tripod has its advantages as it allowed me to set up the shot from a high angle, creating a steady vantage point with the entire desk and painting in view. I liked using the front camera as it allowed me to see everything within the frame, its disadvantage is that the back camera records in higher resolution than the front. if I were to attempt this again, I would switch to the back camera. Viewing several other art time-lapses, I could have also positioned the camera differently so that the art is more clearly visible within the frame. Overall I didn’t mind the framing of the final video.

I set my Camera to ‘time-lapse’ and let it record for the duration of my painting process. I ended up with 3 videos of sped-up footage in total (15s, 27s, 24s) as I took breaks, which is just over a minute. One of IGTV’s constraints is a minimum video duration time of 1 minute,  so I made sure to record long enough so that I would be able to upload my video.

During post-production, I imported the clips into Premiere Rush to compile them, muted the audio and added a copyright-free track from Audio Library on YouTube (Bet on It by Silent Partner). Bet on It is available under a creative commons Attribution license (which I later credited in my caption). After shooting I noticed I forgot to switch to the highest resolution for my camera which is 4K. As a result, the video resolution suffered a bit which is something I could improve upon next if I were to complete this again. I then exported my video using the 720p Match Framerate preset, the highest resolution available in the drop-down menu. Lastly, I cut some of the beginning and end of the clip using the in-app camera editor on the iPhone to make the video run smoothly.

During the authoring process, I liked the freedom of using my own camera outside of the Instagram app’s 1:1 square video constraint, which is not dissimilar to other photography  and videography I have done. To challenge myself, next week I would like to produce some work within this square format.

How did you publish the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I published the video to IGTV and decided to create a preview post that would be displayed on my main feed. I used the ‘cover’ feature and chose a frame with the painting mostly completed to be the front picture, which aims to grab the viewer’s attention. Similar to last week, I added hashtags in the description that were relevant to my post- this time a little more specific (for example, #arttimelapse, #paintingtutorial). Finally, I typed out a caption that referred back to the conceptual brief (exploring passions as a means of contemplation). I was satisfied with the way the video turned out. One thing I would change is the ending of the video is a bit abrupt. I could maybe show some slowed down parts or a closer view of the finished painting.

To create more engagement on my profile, I have been making use of Instagram’s Story functions. By sharing content from similar accounts, adding to my story highlights, and promoting my IGTV post I am hoping to distribute my content more widely. I have also been posting a photo for every second post of quotes from similar creators. By tagging, following, liking, and engaging with these accounts I intend to increase my account’s reach over time and have gained a few followers as a result.

Next week, I would like to attempt to author a video using one of Instagram’s third-party apps, to further explore the relationship the platform has with its partner apps to co-create for Instagram. I am interested in the relationship Boomerang, Layout and Hyperlapse have with the app so will most likely be using one of these.

Conceptual brief: ‘Finding space and time for contemplation during Covid-19’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHTO6sjHTl/

For my first post on Instagram for the Platform Video studio, I decided to create a small looping animation of a coffee mug. I chose this idea in response to the conceptual brief as sitting down with a drink or a book is usually my time to unwind and take a break from the pandemic in the outside world. I liked the form of blending photo with animation, as for this first video I wanted to create/edit outside of the constraints of the Instagram app (square format, not as much liberty with editing) to then post on the platform. I decided to name my Instagram @make.roomco, as I want to use my page to focus on wellbeing during COVID-19, to reflect the way we make room for reflection in our homes (physical and time-wise).

All images and/or screenshots used below are my own and were taken during the production of my work.

How did you author the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?

To author the video, I used my iPhone 6s Plus back camera to take a picture of my desk setup. I often find myself contemplating in this space and I chose to use my phone camera to capture it as it is a little less constraining than the app’s square format. This gave me more breathing room in terms of how I framed the image. I moved a little closer to capture both the mug in the foreground and the books in the background, taking a few pictures before I settled on one I liked. The final image was the most well-lit and included the entire mug in the shot.
I imported the photo into the mobile app FlipAClip to animate white steam lines above the mug at 7FPS, largely inspired by @keek_s animations on Instagram. I have used the app before creating short-form animations in the past and found it fairly easy to use it to export for social media. The only issue with the FlipAClip app is that it has dimension constraints for importing background images. To troubleshoot this, I resized the image using the app White Border which adds a white background to the image.

After exporting the animation to my camera roll, I imported it into the Premiere Rush app on my iPhone in order to increase the video length to fit within the time constraints of Instagram. To do this I duplicated the 1-second video to extend its length to 10 seconds. I then exported the final edit using the 1080p Match Framerate preset to preserve the video’s high resolution. Lastly, I removed the excess border from the video by cropping it using the in-app editor in Photos and resized the video to the 4:5 format for Instagram.

I went without audio for this animation as it is fairly short, and prior to uploading, I chose one particular frame of the steam to be the front picture in my video using the ‘cover’ feature. Compared to other photography/videography I have done, authoring this video for Instagram felt very natural, as the process was pretty much point-and-shoot and did not involve a tripod or staged lighting to capture the image for the video. I relied mostly on natural daylight which felt relatable to the audience and the simple animation conveyed this message nicely. Something I feel I could improve on for my next post is maintaining the video quality so that information is not lost as it is passed through different apps.

How did you publish the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?

To publish my video, I opened the 10-second animation within Instagram and prepared to post it. I skipped over adding any additional filters as I was satisfied with the way it looked with the natural colours. In the caption, I wanted to emphasise the importance of making time to look after yourself during quarantine and posed a question to the audience asking their thoughts on ways they are doing this for themselves. I left autoplay for the video on as the default as the looping function on Instagram helped to make the animation flow well. I did not include a location but I included hashtags in the comments of my post as I have seen similar wellbeing accounts on Instagram do, using tags such as #selfcare, #study, and #selfreminder as these had several million posts in each of them to distribute to these specific groups.

For my next post, I would like to try utilising another version of short-form video on the app, such as Instagram stories or IGTV. I have not had much experience using IGTV and would like to both learn how to use this feature and explore this affordance of the app further.