Visual Literacy: Video Project 1

I found the process of shooting my 60 to 120 second video to be very simple. With a short script and plenty of time, there is little reason why anyone in class could not be satisfied with their final product. Upon shooting my short video, I found the restrictions to be very useful. With only a minute or so to present my story, as well as a few restrictions on the number of camera movements and cuts that could be used, I was forced to choose my shots very carefully. In an effort to not break the shooting guidelines, I found myself planning my short very carefully and present my story in an efficient and effective manner. How I framed my shots was completely based on location and my characters locations within the location. Prior to shooting I did have a loose idea of how I wanted to frame my shots, however, I did not have a location in mind. Upon selecting my location, I found myself having to adjust my shots to fit and fully utilize the environment. The members of my group were extremely cooperative which also made my job as director very easy. Plus I wrote the script with my group members in mind, which I feel made their jobs as actors very easy. Upon completing my video project it became clear that how I originally imagine my short to be…could never really be. This was especially true because I offered a certain amount of leniency with the dialog. I believe that in order to make the video in my mind a reality, a greater amount of control was needed. It would be necessary to draw my shots ahead of time, take better notice of my actors’ expressions and allow them to rehearse the correct dialog more than once or twice before shooting. I would also prefer to utilize editing and lighting, however, these were not allowed or where simply unrealistic for such a project.