Portfolio And Presentation

Name: Annika Diane Wium

Student number: g17W6920

Year of study: 2021

Course: JMS4 Video and Documentary

Lecturer: Nina Oosthuizen

Assignment: Portfolio And Presentation

Word count: 1073 words

Due date: 02 July 2021

Declaration of Plagiarism Conduct:

“I hereby declare that this essay is my own work. I have acknowledged all other authors’ ideas and referenced direct quotations from their work. I have not allowed anyone else to borrow or copy my work.”

My overall experience in filming my video pieces was a really strong, enriching experience. I loved being able to produce the work that I wanted and felt led to produce. I have seen a slight change in my style in that I have developed more and taken more risks. My knowledge has definitely improved. I feel that my camera work compared to the beginning of the year has improved exponentially. I learnt when it comes to filming for editing that one must rather have too much footage than too little, and that your audio channels must be easy to put in sync. I think I had fairly good expectations before shooting and the reality of my footage after shooting came out really well, most of the time. Other than the P2 camera, I used an external mic as well as a Smart Lav mic and a cell phone to record another set of audios. I did not really work much in teams; I filmed and directed my peer interview, magazine insert, and issue driven non-narrative myself.

PEER INTERVIEW: MUSICAL RAES

My theme is about the different masks individuals may wear in society. Each mask represents different issues such as eating disorders, depression and suicide and substance abuse.

My experience working with the camera after a year of no camerawork was incredibly difficult and taxing, however my interviewee, Rae Du Plooy was a great help in encouraging me and reminding me of BEEFCOW when I forgot some of the acronym.

Working in a team was difficult but it was also really enjoyable, and I was able to learn a lot from it. I learnt that you need to listen to your partner, and you need to be on time and be organised.

I learnt a lot in terms of production, for example, camera, editing and setting up. I learnt how to operate the camera and make sure that everything was set up properly and that everything worked. I learnt how to operate and manoeuvre Premiere Pro in a much more efficient way and to sync the audio.

The challenges I faced were an unsteady tripod that kept falling down. The shots were quite overexposed as we were shooting in the middle of the day. I struggled to get enough B roll. I overcame it when I edited the video. Even though it wasn’t perfect, it was a start.

I could definitely use BEEFCOW a lot more efficiently and a lot better. I could have used a lot more B-roll and made sure not to stand in the way of the shot.

LIFESTYLE INSERT: 14K MAGIC

I chose my specific subject because Luvuyo Katshaza is a really inspiring musician. He turns his pain into music. Luvuyo struggled with depression, anxiety and has bipolar disorder.

I had many challenges in working alone, especially not having someone to remind me of certain things when I forgot.

I learnt what I’ve always known: networking is imperative.

I immersed myself into the character’s’ lifestyle by asking him questions pertaining to his mental health and the artists he gets his inspiration from. We listen to a few of the same artists and I as a musician, also gather inspiration from these artists.

I learnt a lot more about how to use the camera and set it up on my own. I developed my editing skills the most during this interview.

The main challenges I faced were that the battery died multiple times, the camera would not switch on, we arrived at golden hour and then a whole bunch of people came to Monument to party and were very noisy. By the time I had everything set up, it was too dark. When we next filmed, a drunkard came and sat in the middle of the shot. It was very difficult because it was also very windy, and this affected the audio. I could have taken more different shots.

NON-NARRATIVE: BEHIND HER MASK

I learnt that it is very difficult telling a story without a voiceover and that you really have to be very organised and have all your thoughts, ideas and directing sorted upfront. It was difficult bringing my story to life without a voiceover but it wasn’t impossible. I think the video came out very well, better than I had expected.

I learnt that I knew BEEFCOW back to front by now, I knew how to set everything up and I had editing fairly well covered, except this time I learnt how to use Lumetri colour effects. The main challenges I faced were that all 5 of the subjects I had planned to film, dropped out at the last minute. I also struggled to find the white masks I was looking for (full face masks that I could draw a smiley face on). The protests started at the beginning of the week I had planned to film so that threw a spanner in the works as well and there was load shedding in Makhanda. In retrospect, I should have asked my friend sooner and made alternative arrangements for the masks.

EXTRA WORK

I created extra videos that I feel would touch peoples’ lives, and that would improve my video and editing skills.

WEBSITE

I chose to place my work the way that I did so that my best work comes first and so that the site would be easy for others to navigate by creating a logical order.

NEXT SEMESTER

I am fairly confident about the next semester when I will be producing my Capstone documentary (Co-vid 21, a South Arican mockumentary) as the topic is something I am very passionate about and I am very driven.

I would like to obtain as much filming and editing experience as I can. I need guidance in these areas.

The production work I feel that I may be lacking in is editing. I still have a lot to learn, and I can be quicker at setting up the camera.

I most look forward to filming and editing my documentary, interviewing different people and seeing the finished products.

My future filmmaking aspirations are to either to go the USA (LA), the UK, Australia or South Korea to work in the film industry as an actress, presenter and a director. My goal is to go to South Korea next year and when I have saved up a little more money, to film the landscapes in Bali and vlog for my YouTube channel whilst I travel. I would love to be a strong YouTube influencer by the time I am 27.