For our project this week we were tasked with creating the draft of our video project. I’d already begun planning out what I wanted when I worked with my audio project because I tend to think very visually and our semester topic has kept me keenly focused on my subject matter of our community and the transition our schools are experiencing. Since I like watching PBS and the History Channel as well as the news, I tried to use a kind of combination approach, giving a snapshot of the community and the issue and then looking at a real family in our community that represents the issue to put a face to the story – a feature news bit, if you will. I thought this would be the most engaging way to share the information and kept the B Roll moving as much as possible with the narrative to keep the pace quick and entertaining.
To begin, I transferred my mental images into a paper storyboard so I could make a list for myself of the shots I would need to take. I didn’t spend a great time on it as I just needed a representation of what the shots would be and knew that once I began editing I’d likely find other shots I’d want as well. I did it by hand rather than in a word processing document because of the visual aspect of it that I couldn’t create in Microsoft Word. I also used information and research gathered the South Kitsap School District website and from interviews with various community members to pull together the information needed for the narrative portion of my video.
All the video was shot using my iPhone 6. The audio of both the voice over and the waves used at the beginning were taken using my Voice Record Pro app (purchased for $2.99) and imported into first my master file for my Adobe Premiere project folder on my computer and then into Adobe Premiere itself. As we learned in tutorials, you are going to shoot more video than you ever use. In fact several shots that were on my original storyboard eventually got cut or replaced because some video looked better in reality than on paper and some did not.
I started the editing process by putting my files into various bins including one for B Roll, one for interviews and another for audio, then I began to pull clips and place them into the order I’d planned on my storyboard. If I found the audio had a gap that needed a corresponding video (such as the one mentioning housing so I went and found a house with a for sale sign out front) I wrote it down on a list of additional shots I needed. I tried making sure that the shots corresponded to what was on the audio. There were only a few places where I had to use the Razor Tool to slice out bits of the interview, otherwise most of the editing was done to each clip using in and out markers to make the clips the correct length I needed before moving the clip into the sequence.
Originally I tried to put transitions in between each clip, but found it very distracting. It took away from the more feature news style I was working toward. Ultimately I ended up using only transitions at the beginning after the animated title page, between the rolling clip over the school district logo, and between the voice over and the interview where I used a cross dissolve. I tried one at the end, but found no matter how I manipulated it, the fade away from Tyler before he was done speaking didn’t work properly. I wanted to see that goofy, confident grin only a fifth grader can manage.
For my title pages I used the Title Tool. For the entry title page there were three stacked pages in different video channels to recreate the animated appearance we learned in our tutorials. For the information layered over the school logo and the end credits I used a rolling transition to maximize the smoothness of the transition along with maximizing the information included.
So here’s my draft video. Let me know what you think!
storytellerbytrade.wordpress.com 
Hello Meyers
That is quite good and I like the part where the boy is answering the questions with confidence. The narration is quite clear and ok.
However, to my view and at the interview level.
1. We would like to see the interviewer too.
2. Who are the interviewees; parent vs pupil; teacher vs pupil?
3. The clip leaves us in suspense and cuts abruptly just like mine.
4. Try some transition and layering.
5. The cover photos are not a representation of the elementary school and one might denote that the further you go then the much you fear.
6. An over the shoulder transition would have done some magic.
Meyers, you almost made me burst in laughter, this premier thing is quite a challenge though fun to work with. The comparison you gave could not explain it more. It took me two days to come up with something.
Joyce
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Hi Theresa
Your blog page is awesome. Great work!
The storyboard to the video is great. I never thought of doing it in the visual way you did it, good stuff. (I did mine in excel so your concept is really an eye opener for me for me to use next time…thanks!). I also like the shot of the sound and the waves!
The script is fantastic, and the words you selected really help paint a picture (ie, the schools are “bursting”) the voiceover work is very strong as well, with a voice inflection that moves the listener easily through the video, just as you see on TV with a well-done feature piece. Here are some further suggestions:
The person being interviewed at about the 2 minute mark gives a feel of exhaustion in the first part of her clip (its much better in the second part)….I’d maybe pan away from her earlier and drop in the photos of her kid, after giving her a few seconds of airtime and putting her name/title on the screen. The shot of the hands is great as is the interview of the student.
I’d suggest adding a closing piece of you summarizing the issue/topic. This would really help wrap it up. Great job!
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Hi Theresa,
Your video is impressive! You provided an excellent framework for the story with the images and words that you used to describe the town and present a sense of the community and the culture there. Your articulation of the story was brilliantly done. I was not only interested but also shared in the experience. The close-up shots of each school worked very well to hold my interest as the story progressed. Your interview was also a great choice to share the perspective of the student and parent. Your angles were well thought out and executed, especially the shot of the hands that revealed the emotions/anxieties of the parent.
I found myself a little distracted during the interview while I was looking at the images of the family. I think you could use fewer of these images and focus on the ones that are related to the topic, such as those showing the student in athletic gear. I also think your ending might need a summary and perhaps some indication of what’s next in the story. Overall, this was brilliant!
Best of luck,
Nola
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Hey Theresa,
Looks like we got grouped together, again!
Much like your previous projects, I believe your draft project was very solid. I liked the intro with the water; it drew me into the video right away, and I was interested to see where you were going with the rest of the video.
I enjoyed the different shots from the town, as you described it with the audio. It gave me a good feel of what the town was like as you were speaking. The audio was very clear, and was easy to understand throughout the video.
I think the places were you can improve are the interviews. I may have missed it when watching, but introducing both interviewees, or using text over the video, to tell the viewer who they are would have been helpful. I think using a more centered shot of the interviewee would be better. Her head appears to be cut off while you are filming her.
I like that you used raw video, as opposed to editing the interviews, because it made them feel real — I enjoyed the interview with Tyler.
The text that was scrolling seemed to disappear a little too fast, but that could be because I read it a little slower. I would check on that to make sure it’s easy for the reader to make it all the way through before it transitions.
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