Bad Journey Remake

This was meant to be a remake of my journey through college had quite a few problems. However, for a few reasons this turned out really bad, worse than the first one.
The problems with the first one were that it was primarily too long, making it boring and long winded for the viewer. Then I zoomed quite a bit and moved the camera in general which isn't what was meant and disoriented the video.
The aim for this video was to correct these problems and show improvements and a new storyline where Yasmin was going to meet Lois at a table. However, a few problems made the whole video basically a mess. Firstly, I did not have a list of shots or a storyboard to work from so no plan and no previous checking of the shots. That was the first obstacle, then the camera died and I swapped to a different one disorientating me and I lost track of the shots. These all led to the overall bad result.

The Argument (Conversation 2)

I am so much happier with this conversation than my first one as  I have worked on the areas that needed improvement and I got an overall better outcome this time around.

The main area that needed improving was the framing and composition, and in contrast to my previous video this one is a lot better. For example the composition this time is much better with the focus character of that shot takes up two thirds - roughly - of the composition and the framing is tighter, removing more of the unnecessary background.  Something else I done different is adding some more master shots in the video other than the first establishing one. This gives the viewer a better understanding of what is going on as it shows the body language and relationship between the characters more as well as reiterating the setting. I also kept the camera still in terms of zooming, keeping the lens on 100mm when doing the over the shoulder shots. In my first video I zoomed in the shots, and with not doing that now I got a smoother running video with better transitions.
There is more of a story line this time with the Chelsey and Yasmin having an argument rather than a conversation. This makes it more interesting for the viewer.

The main area for improvement with this would be keeping the camera from shaking which will be improved with practice when filming. I could however eliminate this from happening with the use of a tripod.

Conversation 2 Storyboard

I have made this storyboard in order to plan out this second conversation video so the overall outcome is better that the previous one that I made. This illustrates the shots I am going to use in the video and allowed me to plan out the framing and composition, which compared to my previous conversation video is a lot better, showing more of the subject and less of the surroundings.

Chelsey and Ollie Journey Through College

Overall, I think this video achieves its purpose, which is to show a journey through college. What I like most is that there is a range of different shots showing Chelsey walking though college. These clearly illustrate her journey through college and show her surroundings. For the most part the different shots flow into each other quite well, but there is a few that are a bit harsher and cut quite abruptly and could disorient the viewer. I did try to remove these, but they were necessary in the overall video outcome.

The main problem with this video is that it is too long. This is a problem for a few reasons. Firstly, it drags a bit and the viewer could easily get bored. The second key problem is that when looking for music too add to it, there was none long enough for the whole video. This prevented me from therefore adding music and making the video more interested and appealing. Something else which I thought was a good idea at the time is the zooming in and out during the filming, This ended up giving a blurred look in a few places and wobbling the camera.

In terms of this video relating to my previous storyboard it links strongly and I constantly referred to it. The only major difference is that there is a bit missing from the video that is in the storyboard. I did not include this as it was not a key section and I wanted to shorten the video a bit.

If I was to redo this I would not change the idea but I would shorten it so that Chelsey would start walking from a classroom instead of going straight across college.

Conversation Video

For this video I decided to use the cafe as my location as it makes the video relaxed and informal which goes well with the casual conversation that Ollie and Sam are having. Overall, I like this video and think it is a good first attempt, although there are some areas to improve and I will do this idea again.

What I like about this video is the fact that the shots are clear and go well together, and the subject is clear and I have not broke the 180 degree rule by keeping the camera on the same side. I also like how the camera is in the same place and does not change dramatically which would effect the overall video outcome.

The main problem with this is the composition of the over the shoulder shots which does not show enough of the focus character and there is too much space in between the two. For instance, when the camera is looking over Ollie's shoulder at Sam, there is the bin in between where there should not be any space. This is a problem as it separates the characters and the bin dominates the shot. I would also like to prevent the camera from shaking as much as well to help get more of a professional video.

To improve upon this video next time I am going to test out the shots before I shoot the video first to make sure I have it all planned out therefore making the shoot run more smoothly. I am not going to zoom either, which is a mistake I made with this and therefore had to cut quite a big section. I am also going to shoot the over the shoulder shots better so that the gap in between the two characters is closed.

How to Make Sure my Conversion Video is Correct

As I did not previously do a conversation video, this will be my first try. To make sure it goes right I need to make sure a few things are correct. First, I need to start and end with a master shot to give the audience a feel of the characters relationships and setting. I also need to make sure that during the over the shoulder shot the focus character takes up two thirds of the composition. As it is a conversation, I do not need to zoom in on there faces, or pan, instead just do over the shoulder shots.
When editing to make the conversation easier to follow I am not going to add and transitions or sound just cut to the next shot to keep the emphasis on the speaker and conversation.

Story Board

I think that this storyboard clearly illustrates my plans for my video of Chelsey walking through college to meet up with Ollie in the canteen. This contains a range of different shot types, and I have noted where the panning and tilts will be, often these will link the different shot types together.
Although I have showed the different shot types, there are gaps in the story which I did not include as it would be repeating the same shot types and similar images. These gaps are just the image continued.
This video has helped me establish what shots I am going to use and what for in my video and have more of a solid idea for my story.

Simple Shot Types

This video is to show a few of the basic shot types for filming. Overall, I think this is a good video and achieves its goal of showing the shot types. although I think it is good, there are clear areas for it too be improved.

The clips are clear, but some parts the filming is wobbly, especially when following the model or panning. This could have been avoided or improved by holding the camera better, or in future a tripod could be used to keep the camera even more steady. Other than that, I think the clips are clear, for example they are not blurred.
One area that could have been improved with the individual shots is that I done the close up and extreme close up shots in the same take. If I had done them separately it would have extended the video a little bit and made the different shots clearer.
When putting the video together I did not have to cut the individual clips too much as they merged consistently into each other. The transitions I added work well with the video as they help make the transition between slides smoother. They also go well with the flow of the video, for example the transitions follow the same direction that Sam is walking. The sound i added also works well with the video as it is happy and upbeat making the video more fun and interesting. I chose to use a sound for the entire video instead of different ones for different shots as it makes the video more consistent and links the different clips together better. I chose to use a blue screen to start the video and to end it as it goes well with the bright, outside park theme of the video.

If I was to re do this task, I would think of a better story line and make the video longer, rather than having Sam just walking into the park. I would also spend more time making sure the shots were steady and for some of them, making them longer.