Looking back at my posts and brainstorming in earlier weeks, I had some clear likes and dislikes. I liked the idea of my video being conversational, essayistic or participatory and character-driven, like the media I like to watch. This didn’t happen, and I think I might have overcalculated my abilities there, but I certainly managed to learn a hell of a lot while making my video.
One of the main things I’m quite proud of has been the logistical side of things. My plans fell through again and again but I managed to troubleshoot and find something else to fill the space. The people I’ve worked with have been lovely and I’ve come to find field work really enjoyable. I generally have a hard time keeping on top of everything but I think I did a decent job.
The other thing I noticed is that my skills with technical equipment aren’t as well rehearsed as they could be. At the moment I’m most comfortable with my DSLR, tripod, a Zoom H4N and lapel mic (2 things I hadn’t properly use before but I now really like) – which worked alright as a crew of one person, and mobile enough. Moving forward though I’d like to work with a larger crew and have designated roles for camera operator, sound manager, interviewer/director and general mise en scene so I don’t have to worry about everything! This wasn’t something I expected to find because I’m usually quite independent but it would be good in the future.
Another thing I didn’t expect was that I would get stuck when it came to planning the structure of my film. It was hard to visualise how it would turn out or what would be the best option. Talking to Kim about this (& troubleshooting) really helped. I think it was good to note at some point that there could be infinite ways of editing it all together, or an infinite number of footage that you can source for the film, but you can’t do everything. I’m pretty happy with the option I ended up with and I think it encompasses what I pitched: it is quite informational, follows ingredient to dish, features a sunny character that has knowledge on the subject, and is vibrant enough to appeal to my age group. All of these characteristics are big bonus points that I’m proud of because I believe they were the key to exploring the topic in a different and exciting way. I definitely stuck to my style (I like to focus on close ups, colour, composition and text), but I know that I need to improve on the variety of footage I have and think about how they’ll all link up to tell a story. – It’s really that storytelling role that I lacked in this process and that I’ll have to get better at if I want to be a content creator/producer/writer.
Other things I found were that sound sourcing is stressful – I’d much rather have a friend just play a few random chords next time, commissioning an artist wasn’t a wise idea at the last minute, and how neat a harddrive can be.