ALM102: Assessment 1. Self-Introduction Video

#ALM102DC: VLOG

1-2 Minute Self-Introduction Video

BLOG

Creating a self-introductory video was quite fun and at times challenging, but worth the experience. The assessment had given me the opportunity to learn how to edit videos, take shots from many different angles, and capture moments that I was now able to share through my video.

To commence the pre-production stage in this task, I first looked through a website called ‘BenSound’ that provided free music. I felt that in order to figure out the mood and rhythm I wanted for my video, I needed to choose a suitable background score. I then found one named ‘All That’, which featured jazz music, one of my most favourite genres. Going with this, I was able to put together my final shots.

For my video, I included a lot ‘B-Roll’ footage that would show my interests, admirations, or even shots of me walking around. I was aiming at conveying the idea that I liked to observe and admire the world around me. Since the time the assessment was announced in class, I began shooting as many moments as I could to accumulate and chose from a range of footage when it came to the post-production stage. 

It was through this experience that I had learned a lot more about how to use Adobe Premiere Pro (like how to crop shots and how to adjust the audio levels).

Probably the biggest challenge I faced during the assessment, was recording my ‘A-Roll’ shots. I had been recording outdoors, as the lighting was most preferred compared to the lighting inside my house. This meant that my phone camera would pick up the sounds of cars driving past and the birds chirping nearby. I had to learn to be patient, but this gave me a chance to further rehearse my lines.

By the time I got to editing the A-Roll, I realised that I wasn’t too impressed with it, because of the way I had projected myself. I appeared a little too serious for my liking and felt that I could have smiled more or used another method of engaging myself better with the audience while I was on screen. I had to cut out a lot of things in my script that held a bit of comedic value. However due to timing, I felt that it was right to cut those out.

Next time, I may want to find a better location to do my A-Roll, and I may need to work on balancing my audio levels between the music and my A-Roll’s audio. I was also advised to next time used reflectors to fill in the shadows that were cast on my face, like under my eyes. 

My favourite parts about this task would have to be when I captured the shots of the flowers and the bees. As well as the editing part, where I was able to make cuts according to the beat of the music. 

Other than these few challenges, I overall learnt a lot from this task and enjoyed putting everything together in the final edit. I think that I am overall happy with what I have come up with and am excited to further enhance my abilities in video making.