Running head: VIDEO 1

Making the Video “The Long Trek”

Helen S. Lambert

EDID6508 - Developing Instructional Materials

University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOC)

STUDENT NAME and I.D.: Helen S. Lambert 320028011

COURSE: EDID6508 – Assignment 2

INSTRUCTOR: Dr LeRoy Hill

DUE DATE: 16 October 2022

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Making the Video “The Long Trek”

1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………… 3

2. Shooting ………………………………………………………………………. 3

3. Editing ………………………………………………………………………… 5

4. Distributing …………………………………………………………………… 6

5. Reflection ……………………………………………..……………………… 6

6. Conclusions …………………………………………………………………. 8

7. References …………………………………………………………………… 9
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Making the Video “The Long Trek”

Introduction
This self-critique and Reflection is available on my website

https://edid6508lambert22.weebly.com/; webpage: https://edid6508lambert22.weebly.com/video.html

It is an account of my experience creating the video The Long Trek – from shooting

the clips, to combining them as a RAW video using video editing software, editing for

comprehension and enhancement, exporting and distribution. The report culminates with my

reflections. It should help the reader understand the backstory of the video. The footage was

shot using a Sony Digital HD video camera recorder, Handycam CX675 which I learnt to

operate while shooting the images!

Video Shooting

I was pleased with the final product. The RAW is significantly longer than the final

video, but this facilitated appropriate editing without sacrificing continuity i.e. pre-roll and

post-roll. The shooting was planned to the extent that I knew it would have occurred in the

vicinity of my backyard mango tree, featuring the creatures that live there, plus the family

dog, Sticky. I did not know when or if Tee the tortoise would have made an appearance, nor

how successful I would have been at capturing images of the elusive, yet ubiquitous iguanas,

so I started shooting over a period of time. I developed a simple story based on my shots,

selected appropriate clips and constructed the storyboard.

Video shooting principles and techniques

I made a conscious attempt to frame the shots, for example the first shot was intended as a

long shot to introduce the storyteller Sticky the dog, whose kennel is to the right of the frame.
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The story is told from his vantage point. The mango tree around which the story takes place

is opposite the dog’s kennel. Sticky’s shrill insistent barking drew me to the backyard; I went

to investigate, saw Iggy the iguana on the back wall, grabbed my camera, released Sticky into

the yard and our adventure began.

Most of the shots were visible and in focus. On one occasion, the tortoise passed

behind the ginger-lily leaf as he walked towards the back of his enclosure, but this created

an opportunity to take a close-up shot of the leaf.

Some of the footage was shaky, especially when I tried to capture the iguana. He was

high up on the building, I was standing on a stool (that still did not give me all the height

required), with my right arm extended as high as I could, trying to control the camera whilst

taking close-up shots of his magnificent features. The scenes were well-lit with natural light.

The dog was over-exposed in the first scene because of the morning sunlight; I did not use

artificial lighting.

I was satisfied with the variety of shots used to maintain interest; they focused on a

dog, an iguana, a tortoise, and a fruit-bearing tree with textured bark surrounded by ginger

lilies. The shots were taken at different levels – from the height of the tree-top, to the ground

in the tortoise’s enclosure. I tried to use different shots such as close-ups; extreme close-ups

especially of the animals to display their unique physical characteristics; long shots and

zooms-in and -out. In hindsight, I wished I had zoomed in to show the lower part of the

tortoise’s shell, highly polished by the movement of her front limbs. I only noticed this when

reviewing the footage.

Interesting angles shot were attempted such as the iguana on the wall which appeared

to be peeping into the neighbour’s yard; I also used the same technique to trace his body’s
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contour from the crown of his head to the tip of his tail as it disappeared into a crevice in the

brickwork. I used suitable camera movements, such as the upward tilt to portray the slender

ginger-lily from the tortoise’s point of view, and a similar shot that captured the swaying

branches of the mango tree on a windy day with the young fruit swinging in the breeze.

I’m not sure how well I complied with the rule of thirds because many of my shots

were spontaneous - not contrived. The only extraneous object was the mat on the fence, that

I should have removed prior to shooting! The shooting was confined to the mango tree and

close surroundings. Leading lines were used as I followed the tree trunk and branch upwards,

the length of the iguana downwards, and the ambling tortoise as he approached his breakfast.

I am pleased with the outcome of the video. It captured the sights and sounds of a

back garden community the way I had envisaged. I purposely chose to capture all the sounds

– the birds, the barking dog, and the intrusion of a noisy water pump in what was an idyllic

environment. Acquiring a tripod will help with controlling the camera and minimising the

shaking (evident in the shooting of the iguana).

Video Editing

The first version of the RAW was created with PlayMemories, but I was unable to

enhance it with the same app, as I inadvertently changed the language setting from English to

Danish and could not revert to English before I submitted the video! I re-created the RAW

and edited it using the Windows Video Editor, reducing its length from six minutes and 44

seconds to approximately three. I also added captions (in a style consistent with the

Adventure theme I had chosen), open-source music - Explorer, 3D effects and title cards.

Setting a theme with video editor allowed me to unify the video with filters, music and text
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styles, which was helpful. I used the timeline metaphor to organize the individual video

clips in the required order and exported it for web format when finalized.

Video Distribution

Owing to the mishap mentioned above, I was unable to obtain compression tests for

the videos submitted on the webpage, since the Windows Video Editor didn’t provide that

information. It did, however, offer video-quality choices:

• High (1080p) recommended

• Medium (720p) and

• Low (540p) – the smallest file size

and the option to select hardware-accelerated encoding which made exporting faster. I used

YouTube Editor to add titles to the videos and upload them to the site.

The following data was available for the original RAW produced in Sony PlayMemories (not

submitted):

Duration Video Frame Video Audio No. of File File Image

Codec Rate Aspect Codec Audio Type Size Size
Ratio Channels
Test 1 6:44 AVC 60i 16:9 Dolby 5.1 TS 790 MB 1920 x
Digital (AVC) 1080
Format

Reflection

My experience in this video-creating activity is summarized in the tabular format below.

ITEM REFLECTION ITEM RESULTS

1 How did you plan for My ideal story was about the denizens of the backyard,
shooting? but since I was unable to predict how the animals
would behave, or if they would offer story-worthy
shots, my alternative story was the contrast of creating
a green oasis in a built environment. Shooting lasted
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2 Are shots well framed?
3 Are the shots visible and in Yes. All the shots were visible and usable.
focus?
4 Is the camera shaky?
5 Are your scenes well-lit?
6 Is there a logical variety of Yes. The first shot was a very wide shot which
shots to maintain interest? showed the video’s environment - the back wall with
7 Did you zoom, pan, tilt?
8 Are your shots composed
well?
9 How did you order your
shots?
10 Are shots sequenced in a
logical manner?
11 What technique was used
to control pacing?
12 Did you use transitions?
13 Is your audio clear and
understandable?
14 Did you include music?
Did you edit on the beat or the environment. The inclusion of music made the
use it as background
sound?
15 Did you include narration
for clarity?
16 Did you include titles or
graphics
7
about two months. Once I had the good fortune of the
iguana’s visit, I knew I had my story and took as many
different shots as I could.
Yes. Each shot had the desired composition.
Yes. (See shots of the iguana). PlayMemories has a
feature to remedy shaky footage. A tripod will also
definitely help.
I consider my scenes well-lit. I didn’t make any
adjustments - the ambient lighting was sufficient.
the iguana, the dog and his kennel (to the right) and the
tree and surroundings to the left. The shots taken in
the tortoise enclosure exemplified variety.
Yes. All three.
Yes. As a beginner, I aimed for simple composition,
focusing each shot on one specific thing, as far as
possible.
I selected and re-assembled shots post-recording, using
a timeline.
Yes. In keeping with the storyline – beginning, middle
and end.
• I increased the speed of some shots such as the
tortoise’s movement (for obvious reasons!), or
getting to the top of the tree (simulating the pace at
which an iguana might climb).
• I used a cut-away shot when the tortoise passed
behind a leaf, making the leaf in the foreground the
subject instead. When the tortoise re-emerged, he
assumed the position of subject.
• The storytelling in words (captions) moved the
pace and maintained interest.
Yes . . . the simple cut.
I inadvertently spoke while recording, but it was not
clear, and was not included in the final version.
I intentionally set out to capture the natural sounds of
story more captivating, because it was complementary
and did not drown the beautiful sounds of a garden
oasis.
No. There was no narration. The storyteller’s voice
was ‘heard’ through captioning. However, narration
would improve the product.
Yes. Title cards at the beginning and end.
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17 Is programme edited well Yes it was. If I had to redo, I would extend the
from a technical duration of the captioning on the shots (they were
standpoint? fleeting).

Three of my favourite shots were:

1. The close-up of the ginger lilies

2. The close-up of the iguana and

3. The juxtaposition of the leafy mango tree with the blue sky.

Conclusions

Now that I have worked through the process of creating a video, what would I do

differently? Shoot shorter shots, extend the duration of the captions, apply transitions,

include narration, explore the features of the PlayMemories software and the YouTube

Editor. One thing I learnt? After all the effort invested to create the video, I appreciate the

importance of protecting my personal work by copyright and respecting the contribution of

others by attributing to them.

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References

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mediacollege.com/video/camera/tutorial/

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvyPTV5yZNY

Darlene M. Van Tiem, J. L. (n.d.). Fundamentals of Performance Improvement. 3rd Edition.

Windows Video Editor (n.d.). Explorer.

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