PV Reflection 3
Conceptual brief: ‘Finding space and time for contemplation during Covid-19’.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjaZoDDl3Z/?hl=en
To respond to the conceptual brief, my focus for this post is how stopping for 1 minute allows us to be present in time to contemplate the current pandemic. Last week, I said that 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. For my third video post I have chosen to use Boomerang as the app I will explore. I also said I would challenge myself by producing some work within Instagram’s square format. I would like to combine the two to create something unique for my account this week.
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 first recorded this clip of the rain outside our window (41s) using my iPhone 6s back camera. While recording I sat quite close to the window to minimise reflections from the light in the room. I also moved closer to capture the rain droplets splashing on the ground. Although I authored the video outside of the Instagram app, I had the square format in mind which influenced the way I recorded- I made sure the most action was happening in the centre of the frame. I filmed one continuous shot and stayed quite still so the focus was on the movement of the water. I only needed a single shot as I was quite happy with how it turned out. I then brought it into the Boomerang app to create a 12-second loop, which muted the audio of the video.
With my finished boomerang, I decided I wanted to create more visual interest with the square format before uploading it to Instagram. I imported the video into Premiere Rush and selected the 1:1 scale. I imported a white square frame graphic to overlay which would complement the video’s framing. Finally, I exported using the 4k match frame rate preset for the highest resolution to upload to Instagram.
I chose to leave the default ‘cover’ frame to be the front picture of the video, as most of the video looks similar. During the authoring process, something that was unique was having to keep the finished edit in mind while framing my initial shot. If I were to do this again, I could have used the Instagram camera to shoot my video, however, shooting outside of the app gave me the freedom to change my mind and be creative with editing.
How did you publish the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
While publishing, I kept auto-play for my video on as the default which allowed the boomerang to loop continuously. My intention was for the movement of the rain to imitate drawing and exhaling a breath of air. As I was writing my caption I had the conceptual brief in mind and aimed to instruct on how to use the video to be still. As with previous posts I included hashtags to distribute the content further (#selfreminder, #deepbreathing) which each had quite a large number of posts in them.
Concerning the course prompt, “How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way video content is authored?”, over the past three weeks I have been using the affordances of Instagram to create consistent branding and account aesthetic. I have been experimenting more with the story features, including stickers for questions, polls, music, and graphics. Posting while having a colour scheme in mind, and adding story highlight cover photos and a profile image has also helped to create a consistent image and voice through captions. By continuing to tag and follow accounts I have gained quite a few followers- at the time of writing this post I have 38 followers. I am excited to see how this account grows as well as how I can continue to use the platform to connect with similar accounts.