Evaluation on Vid Prod 2...

So finally, we have come out the final product for the 2nd video production.

It was a journey for me, lots of obstacles, hurdles, frustration, and most of all, first-hand experiences.

Preproduction:

Wish we had a fix storyboard for everyone to refer and follow

Production:

Actors and Actress weren't as good as we expected, and pretty hard to get them to act just like what we wanna them to be. 

Coordinating is the worst: actors not appearing for the actual shooting day, getting everyone to be together, props and location are usually last-minute and messy, lightings are inadequate and hard to set, audio is not monitored properly, resulting in bad shooting experience

Post-production:

Video was longer than expected, although many footages were not being used.

Time is not on our side this time, we were struggling to get it right till the last seconds..

I think we will do a much better job if we weren't filled ourselves up with other works that needed lots of attention. But from the final result, i can say that i'm pretty happy with it (what's not to like it?)

Getting harder and harder..

Video Production 2 has become a mess, at least for me... 

1. No solid planning
2. Didn't expect to have many other assignments & presentations that took up a lot of time and energy as well
3. Difficult to get everyone together. Seems like everyone suddenly have their own timings and their own commitments to handle first.
4. Dampening mood and gloomy weather just making it even worse.

Rollin' on to the 2nd Production...

This week we are getting ourselves prepared - or maybe just warm-up - for the second production. After a moment of confusion in the new groupings, i'm glad it was finally settled in a jiffy. 

For the next production, i have decided to take on a lesser role in the production, by giving Evi and Elinor more rooms for their talents to shine. They will be doing more on the pre-production stage, getting the ideas, story, synopsis together. As for me, i will be taking the role of a cinematographer and cameraman, and of course, the editing. Since we have little time to give our 100% commitment to this production, we need to be 2x more productive than ever.

Honestly, we have learnt some shots from the other groups, and we plan to use some of them. However, i would like to even expand my limit and will try to do something new and different. One of them would probably be time-lapse, with tracking or dolly or both. This is will be something new for me as i have never done it before. Furthermore, the locations will be in IBS and it's surroundings. 

Gonna need your expertise/experience/advise in this matter, Doc.

Video Production 1 Evaluation

Video production 1 has been quite an experience one. Firstly, this is the first time i'm doing a video production following closely to the storyboard. Having a storyboard benefits us a lot. It keeps us focus to the storyline and the different types of shot that was planned and to be executed. Thus making the production phase more effective as we saved lots of time during production stage. Secondly, this is the first time that i'm working with a baby as one of the leading cast of the movie. This is very challenging for us as we have to get the perfect shot of her actions at the correct timing. During our shooting, we had to disrupt our lunch break as she just sprung into action, and grabbed the cam, and shot as  much as i can, without leaving any time to set up those individual shots. I have to be mentally prepared and foresee the obstacle that i may face. In the end, we manage to get as close as what the intended shot should be. The biggest obstacle is to endure the loud and heartbreaking crying that got worse gradually for half an hour. The baby must be very exhausted from those crying. 

Post-editing was better than i expected. We decided to use iMovie instead of Nero software provided. Workflow is quite smooth. Although iMovie was a very simplified video editing software, we managed  to get most of the things working. I just wished that a much better quality camera is provided as the image quality was very mediocre. 

Other than that, we learnt how to work with each other throughout the production, as i never worked with Evi before. And, as far as it goes, we make a really good team because we are really comfortable with each other and we understand each other very well.

Looking forward to the next production.

Week 5

This week we were taught about the basics of editing a film. The common flaws of editing and the various techniques as well. After which, we were left alone to continue on our respective video assignment.

Evi & I finally discussed and agreed on the outline and treatment of our short video. Not wasting any time, we decided to go to the shooting location and tried everything from all the possible camera positioning, to getting the sequence proper. We also discussed about how we can tell the story better in a very creative way, without making it complicated. Evi, who will be the lead actress for the short video, realised that acting is not as easy as it looks, even just for a 4-min film. Furthermore, needing to act as natural as possible takes a lot of expert and talent as well. 

Getting back towards completing the storyboard, we decided to take still shot of all the positions that we will use (CU, ECU, POV etc). Drawing the storyboard will probably be the last resort for us at this moment. With the rest of the datelines on our pile, getting to fully concentrate on the storyboard is pretty challenging right now. 

How i wish i'm only taking video production.

Week 4

I was absent.

Week 3

This week is basically getting down to start the "engine" for the pre-production phase, vis-a-vis the script and the storyboard.

Doc gave lots of useful inputs on the steps and basic theories in writing the scripts and later the storyboard as well. As more and more curious i am on the scripting and storyboard phase - how are they linked to each other, the character building, conflicts, etc - the more i felt its more important to get it as right as possible, before getting into production stage. From my experiences in video production, i NEVER did a storyboard. So let's see how this differ from my past experiences.

And i finally got a partner, and i'm glad it's Evi. Personally i never get the chance to work with her before, so i'm sure it's gonna be fun fun fun!

Week 2

Today we had our first little video-making together as a group. It was an enriching experience for me as i have always worked in a solo production. 

In this little videomaking, i have learnt a few things, and one of it is getting the coordination and planning right, from the beginning. 

One of the few problems we faces were to find a unified understanding of what to do and what not. We were so anxious about our idea, but at the same time struggling to get one idea that everyone agrees, as each has their own opinions of the best way to do things.  For example, some of us tried to follow strictly to the storyboard given, the rest tried to be more creative and have their mind of their own.  I hate to admit, but a few times we just don't listen to each other but ourselves. But soon we were more calm and able to work better. For me, it took me quite a while to realize this, so i stepped back and beginning to blend with the rest, and listen more to them. My opinion goes second. And i find that much more pleasing and easier to work, as a team.

On the whole, we were on the positive side throughout. Although it was raining, it didn't dampened our spirits at all, in fact, better! I felt that the rainfalls were a perfect timing to the story where it created a special atmosphere.  Yes, we felt cold and such, but the immense pressure and excitement to finish the task was all we could think of, and having fun!

I have also observed and found my team mate's strengths and weaknesses. Some of them are better in acting and directing/acting, while others are better in framing and getting the group ahead and moving. This is useful for further production so that we may delegate the various roles/jobs according to their strengths. 

Week 1

First week was basically a "refresher" for me on Video Production theories. But comparing to my previous video lesson, this is somewhat different. Or maybe just different style. Anyhow, i need to get the theory stick into my head, which i am weak in (What can i say, I'm more of a practical guy).

First impression of the camera: Frighteningly LIGHT! Light as a feather. Yes, this is good news for those who are not into "heavyweights champion", but for an avid videographer, this is absolutely weird. Nevertheless, let's try to put the camera to it's fullest function and capability and i'm confident that this consumer camcorder can do wonder as well. 

Remember, it's not about how great your camera is, it's the storyline and final product that is more important, i think.