Projects Outside My Education

Unfortunately I cannot upload the projects I'm about to talk about because they're not mine. However the people I was working with did allow me to take clips and put them in a showreel video. I have three showreels, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

2008
I was given the opportunity to create tutorial videos and a promotional video for the CFS (Critical Flow Systems) trip to the WWEM (Water & Waste Environmental Management) exhibition in Shropshire. This was a big deal to me because it was my first project working for a company in which I was also being paid for my services. CFS wanted a documentary style video that presented what the company do while they are outside working in the field. This video would then be presented in the background of their stall at the exhibition.
The tutorial videos are a series of small clips that are shown to trainees joining CFS. It was a great experience because of the challenges presented to me. The main one being shooting enough coverage and being able to stay one step ahead of CFS doing their work.
This opportunity gave me an insight into what it's like working for a company when I finish my education, and also the chance to develop my camera and editing skills.

My college lecturer needed help with creating a Human Resources video advertising City Of Bath College. I was the camera operator when interviewing the principal. Again more experience with developing my camera skills whilst at college.

The performing arts students at City Of Bath College were presenting the stage production of Alice: The Musical. I was given two projects, one was to create a video projection sequence of Alice falling down the rabbit hole, the other was to direct the camera crew covering the performance in which I was also a camera operator. More camera skill development for me.
The rabbit hole sequence was developed in talks with the director of the stage performance. I was told to present my ideas for the aesthetic look of the video piece. I got my idea from looking at the poster of the stage performance which was a rainbow coloured whirlpool. It was my intention to use the rainbow coloured whirlpool as the rabbit hole and Alice would spin and fall from the outside to the centre. The director liked my idea and said that it also had to be thirty seconds long.
The challenge of this production was that it was going to be done in green screen. I had already been given a lecture in blue screen production so I felt confident I could produce this piece of work. The rainbow coloured whirlpool was easy enough to produce with Photoshop. However the green screen work was a bit tricky. It was my intention to have the actress lying down when acting the falling, because when standing it always looks false. We lay the green screen on the floor with the actress on top and lit the scene so that I was able to remove the blue in post. The actress would then kick and scream, and we filmed using a crane rig from above. It was my first time using a crane rig and I was surprised by how easy it was to operate. The green was removed in post, but there were some problems with the actress' costume. I managed to overcome the problems by adjusting a glow effect which was unnoticeable because of the bright colours of the whirlpool.

I was given the project of directing the camera crew coverage of the stage production, because my lecturer knew I had been working closely with the performing arts students. I knew what was going to happen in the stage production, so it was easy for me as a camera operator. I placed one camera at the top of the second floor seats and told the operator to cover everything with one static shot. I placed two cameras at opposite sides of the front row seats. The left camera would cover the actions of the right of the stage, and the right camera would cover the left. No problems arose and enough coverage was filmed for the editor to create a final video of the stage production. I felt confident that this was something I could do outside of my education.



2009
My lecturer gave me another opportunity to help film a music promo of a college band, Circa 89. This shoot involved a dolly rig. I got the opportunity to push the dolly rig and also sit on it and film some footage. Again more camera skill development and experience with a dolly rig. Here is a link to the behind the scenes photos.

Another music student at City Of Bath College needed a music video for a song he produced. The challenge was that it had to be produced in two days (one day filming, one day editing). He had the idea of what he wanted to do, he just needed someone help produce. Seeing as I had two days, I decided to help. Because of my experience with past projects, I felt I was able to handle everything at this point. All actions were arranged by the artist, I directed the photography and edited the video in how I saw fit. The artist was happy with what I produced. I felt that I had progressed to a level where I was skillfully using what I had learned in terms of camera and editing skills, and that my skills were still progressing and I could take on more projects and challenges.

A performing arts student who I had worked with on the Alice musical production wanted me to help produce another video projection piece for a stage production he was directing. Because of the schedule, we could only film during the day, but needed the shots to look like it was night. I showed the director that I could create an effect that makes the actress look like she's under a street lamp at night. The director liked what he saw and I continued to work with him in the editing process to create a video that was timed so that it was in correct synchronicity with the stage actions.
Below are some photos of the final stage production with the video projection which I was also in charge of during the stage production.

2010
A university friend of mine was producing a fashion show walk "La Mode A Mess" for a university project. She wanted me to film and edit a film documentation of this event for her support work. I presented to her the idea of filming it with a slow shutter speed and slowing the video in post, as a way of exaggerating the movements of the models and creating a sensual aesthetic. She liked the idea. I always enjoy taking on outside projects, especially if people are open to my ideas. But I also enjoy it when someone asks me for a certain aesthetic style in the filming process, especially if it's a style I haven't used or know of.

Another friend of mine also wanted me to film the close-up shots in a film documentation project she was producing in which Fine Art students from NUCA (Norwich University & College of the Arts) collaborated in a free painting session. This time it was her direction but she gave me freedom over the shots I chose to create, as long as they were close-ups.



Just to finish off by saying that at this point I have been filming using a Sony Z1E for nearly four years, and I have been editing with Final Cut Studio Pro for nearly five years. I feel proud of the work I have helped people with and hope to continue to produce other projects outside my education. I'm always progressing with my camera and editing skills, and feel that I can still use my current skills with more outside projects and work.