ejclifton Eleanor Clifton

Creative Content Critiques

Through the course of this class, I had a pleasure to work on and complete two very different projects. One project is a personal project that reflected my bond with my grandmother and the other being a group project that worked with the Furman Reflection committee. Through both projects, I was faced with barriers. Whether that be not being able to express emotion in my writing or working with others. Overall, I am happy where both projects are and how they turned out.

Like all content creators, you can never be fully happy with the end results. I can sit there and nitpick over the smallest details, that to others they cannot notice. In the following sentences are things that I believe could be improved upon to create a better coherent and comprehensive project.

Group Project Improvements

Looking through the videos we created for this, I wish I had more time to refilm some videos. There are some shots that the lighting is overexposed causing a harsh light across the interviewee.

Rish’s Reflection Video

I also wish I could have better B-roll for Rish’s reflection video that reflected his words better.

In Gabe’s reflection video I noticed a section where the music rises over his audio, causing a moment that is hard to hear. We did well with his selection of b-roll! I learned a lot more about video editing through this process because I wasn’t making a video for myself but for a client.

Individual Project Improvements
El James

Through my individual project, I have learned so much about myself. Being pushed to open and expand my writing was something I have never experienced. My writing typically is very clinical and blunt, but for this piece, it needed to be expressive and be able to paint a picture.

Through many trials, I finally was able to produce a piece that I am very proud of! The improvements that I would like to make are having more videos of my grandmother. Whether that be in her garden or in her house cooking, I think it could another level of emotional connection to my reader. All in all, I am very proud of this project, I don’t see myself making drastic changes anytime soon. But if I do, they will be subtle and yet very effective.

Premiere, for most, was a challenge to work with. I like to pride myself that I know the basics of the software. But for these projects, I wanted to elevate them and use more advanced skills. After several trials and fails, I figured out how to create several moving graphics that complimented the videos and brought another level of complexity to the editing.

Overall, I was able to learn a tremendous amount of knowledge that I will use through my next two years at Furman. Through the skills I learned, I am eager to showcase them in other classes and even in the work environment. Growing my portfolio to show that not only can I write press releases, but I can also write heartfelt ones too, makes me a diverse job candidate.

 

 

 

 

 

ejclifton Eleanor Clifton

Final Production : From Good to Great

Final Production

As I enter the final phase of my personal multimedia project, I am starting to fine tune my production. I am still running into some problems and still having to critically evaluate how I can tackle that barrier. I am still needing to re-record my audio and shift the storyline ever so slightly to compensate for lacking some images. Curiosity motivates me to undertake these huge projects, like this one. I have 367 raw videos that I am trying to condense and tell a story of travel and admiration. I am currently still grabbing videos from my archive to add to the storyline. It’s a tedious task but I believe it will add another level to my storyline. With music, voice-overs, videos, stills, and moving transitions I am starting to see my final goal.

From “Good to Great”

Applying the thought processes of W. Ian O’Byrne on Digital Portfolios, I can better look at my project with an unbiased eye. O’Byrne suggests to:

  • Evidence — Show me what you’ve learned. Individually or collaboratively collect, archive, and present evidence of learning over time.

  • Reflection — Show me what you think about your learning. Students consider and discuss their perspectives on their work process and product. This documentation of thinking helps develop metacognitive skills and comprehension of content.

  • Assessment — Let’s talk about your evidence and reflection. This ongoing discussion focuses on feedback about the assembled materials in the portfolio. This feedback loop may be provided by others (instructor, peers) or in some cases may be a self-assessment.

O’Byrne, Medium

Three main ideas of thought when assessing your portfolio are also applicable to multimedia projects. Look at your evidence (your digital media) how can you edit so that you tell the story you want. Reflect on the edits you make and discuss with others. Create a better story and build off what you have. Assess the final production and receive feedback from peers and self evaluate your work. Through this process, you can create something good to something great. Being able to continually criticize and fine-tune a piece allows for growth. You not only will create a great piece that tells a fluid story but you will also be able to learn new skills that will let your piece to reflect the time and thought you put in.

I look forward to hearing feedback from Dr. Kwami (my instructor) on my long narrative so I can re-evaluate and adjust accordingly. Editing is a constant cycle and I believe it is a crucial part of creating a project that is great.

 

ejclifton Eleanor Clifton

The Struggles of Editing: Pre-Production to Production

From pre-production to production I have still struggled with creating a story that is relevant to my viewer and to the story I want to portray. I have been watching several YouTube videos that range from vlogs to travel diaries and to personal videos to gain inspiration. I am watching how they open and how they tell the story throughout the production. Seeking this creative inspiration is allowing me to grasp a better concept as I edit my production.

I plan on creating my concepts into a finished product by reviewing the raw videos I have and conceptualizing it into a compelling finished product. I started with the initial video I created and went through and decided what clips best showcased my idea. I then imported them in Premiere and I am now currently editing them to fit the aesthetic of the video.

Some new considerations that have arisen in this process are the way I portray the travel element because while I am talking about my admiration for my grandmother I am also showcasing our love of travel. Also, the consideration of nixing the interviews with siblings and focusing the story on my grandmother and me is something that has come up. Through this process, I have been successfully learning what is needed to complete the production as a whole. I have been experimenting with new transitions, filters to the images, and new audio techniques.

I have encountered several problems that have arisen during the production phase so far. The problems are focused on my grandmother and are not having enough footage of her or not having clear audio for her interview. I have been working through such obstacles and finding ways around them. I have decided to use stills of old pictures of her and I to fill the gap of footage of her.

As for the audio I have decided to take the approach of a recorded phone interview. While this technique does not have the clearest of sound, it does give an emotional tone to the video. Which is an element that creates a solid emotional connection to my viewer. It has been a challenge to schedule a call with her because she is constantly traveling around. I have, however, recorded a rough draft of some of my audio parts. I am using an old phone recorded conversation of my mother that ties the impact of my grandmother on my life.

Audio
Personal Branding

As I create this production I am constantly thinking about my personal brand and how it should be reflected in the overall look and feel. I am very excited and nervous on how people will react to the video once it is entirely done. I also look forward to feedback on the rough draft, because the story itself is very personal and I would like to know what others think.

ejclifton Eleanor Clifton

Projects, Pre-Production, Proposals… OH MY!

Projects.

Projects are what you make of them, you can put maximum effort in and see tremendous results or put average effort in and see average data. The more time an individual works with an idea the better it can be produced and executed. Running simulations and making sure the user experience is something that is both visually appealing and easy to function is a time-consuming task. And this brings me to my current ever-growing and changing project proposal. From a simple travel video to now an idea that encompasses family values and compassion, I have come a long way.

Design Thinking

Initially, I created a travel video of my time in London and Paris with my Grandmother, Bebe, the summer before my freshmen year. Now two years later, I am now revisiting the footage to create something else entirely. The question that is mulling around my head is: How do I create something that already is made? I struggle with reviewing the content I already have because it looks good and it served a purpose… why should I rip it apart? However, I know that the current video doesn’t entirely capture the message I want the viewer to take with them.

So, despite my own creative differences with myself, I am growing and changing my project as I work through it. My current project proposal isn’t something that will be fully finished. I have a very good layout, structure, and an idea of what I want to accomplish. By allowing myself to have a slightly looser proposal, I can creatively design think through the content I have. I am a firm believer that the design thinking process is a crucial part of creating a finished product that aesthetically appealing and functional.

Design Thinking

Inspiration

Creating a long narrative formatted story is something new to me. As I work through the pre-production phase I am encountering ideas that I would like to pursue. But, some of these ideas I find myself lacking the knowledge to produce such a layout. Which isn’t something I couldn’t teach myself or find resources.

An example of such use of advanced multimedia ideas that I would like to incorporate is the NYC Times “Snow Fall” article. The use of multimedia in the article created an in-depth story. It showed the appeal of the powder skiing as well as the danger, reflecting man vs. nature. The author’s use of moving graphics created a very interesting user experience. This is something that I would like to capture in my finished project.

Another consideration with creating a long narrative story and the complimenting video is: what is the overall aesthetics am I trying to target? Throughout the pre-production and proposal phase, I have been color swatching and researching how to convey certain elements visually.

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As a marketer, I like to visualize how others would perceive a finished product. Color, textures, movements, and fonts all go into a finished product (video, website, object, clothing, etc). I look forward to the coming weeks to see where my project will go and what I decide to do on visual aspects.