Digital News: Project Evaluation

DIGITAL NEWS PROJECT EVALUATION

PRE-PRODUCTION

I started this unit knowing who I wanted to work with. I wanted to work with people I hadn't really worked with before, and so I our group consisted of me, Ida, Nisserin, and Becca. We knew from day 1 that time was tight, so we sat down straight away to discuss ideas. We all wanted to do something for students, and so after much discussion, we came up with Student Yak.

And so work on the news stories began. We decided we wanted to do something about viral videos. Whilst the others began to work on the script, I began to work on the graphic, to help us visualise Student Yak. We also started working on the website and social media pretty early, so we could use it for promotion.

As part of our idea, we had to create a viral video, so we also worked on planning, filming, and sharing this. Whilst all of this was happening, Ida was talking to YouTuber Katie Joslin about being our contributor, and I was talking to George Wing about being our co-presenter. Luckily, both of them agreed to take part. I took on the role as the main presenter.

Over the next few weeks, we continued to work on the pre-production, which included finalising the script for the package, live, and studio segments, making call sheets/schedules, buying props, and finalising all the graphics for the final video. We also began to work on our promo.

I think my strength during the pre-production stage was my graphic design skills, which helped the group visualise Student Yak, and therefore aided the pre-production for everything we needed to film, and produce for the unit. I also think my odd sense of humour helped when making edits to the script. And finally, I think my organisation skills helped me say organised, even when the deadlines were tight.

PRODUCTION

See more about the filming days: Day 1 & Day 2.

When it came to filming and producing the required content for Student Yak, we knew there was going to be a lot, and we didn't want to spend too many days filming so we chose to bundle shoots together. On the first shooting day we filmed the interview, and the news package, and on the second day of filming, we filmed the studio segments, and the live.

The first day of filming went very well. We set up our location a day in advance so we had as much time as possible to film the interview and the package. Katie was a great interviewee, and interviewing her was a fun, and educational experience. When filming the package, we thought carefully about how each location, aided the script, and I think in the end, we picked the perfect locations.

The second day of filming went even better. Again we set up in advance to save time. The location for the live had to be changed due to bad weather, but we didn't let this hinder us, as we had already prepared a backup location. Filming the live ended up going great, and we managed to hit exactly two minutes with no issues. Filming the studio segments and the promo went well, and it became clear in the edit, that we had lit the green screen just right. At the start of the day we had some sound issues, but these were fixed very quickly with some help from Ferg.

Overall, the production process went very well. I'd say my strength during this part of the unit was my presenting skills. The way I come across on camera, and the speed at which I work, I think aided us in ensuring we could fit a lot of filming into such a small amount of time. I think the entire group worked together brilliantly during the filming process, and each person played their part well.

POST-PRODUCTION

To see more about the editing process: Editing Package, Editing Live, & Editing Full Video & Promo

During the post-production process I was the main editor, and the group acted as secondary editors, watching back each rough cut and making the relevant changes. Nisserin also acted a the main colourist, doing all the colour correction.

To begin this process I first put the rough cut together. We then sat down as a group and made some changes, as well as sitting down with Helen for some feedback. Next we made changes to form the fine cut. After a feedback session with Helen, we made a few more changes and the final production was finished.

There isn't much to say about the post production process that I haven't already said in other posts. I think my main strength during this stage was my editing skills, in particular my After Effects skills, which I think were really tested. I've never created so many graphics for one project. I had to use processes I'm not used to, so I did learn a few new things. I really enjoyed working in After Effects, and creating original graphics, we didn't use any templates.

OVERALL EVALUATION: CRITICAL REFLECTIONS

Strengths-

• My organisation skills made every stage of this process very easy and quick, which was important considering we had such a small amount of time to complete this unit. We were able to work as a group to sort everything out on time, and we were prepared for every situation. This also aided me during the editing process, and made editing a lot easier because I was able to stay organised.
• I think my editing skills were also another strength. I no point was I every worried, or stressed out about the edit, because we had planned it all out in advance, and I knew what I was doing. I have now really honed in my editing skills, especially on After Effects.
• Communication was key on this unit as it was a group project. I think unlike previous projects, I was able to work really well in a group. I think this shows I have developed since the last project. Our group was constantly in communication with one another, and this meant we always all knew what was going on.
• Overall I think my production skills were a strength. I carried out every task in a professional manner. I was able to keep organised and on top of everything. I did not get stressed, or worried at all throughout this project, and that made it a more enjoyable experience.

Weaknesses-

• As a presenter, I need to work on not being so reliant on an autocue. I didn't really have time to remember any of the studio script, and so whilst we were filming, I completely relied on the autocue.
• During the interview, I only stuck to the questions, and we realised in the edit that this slowed the pace down a bit. In future, if I interview anyone again, I should try and be a bit more relaxed and conversational in my interview style.

Possible Development- What did I learn?

• If I were to do this again, I would:
• Make time to remember the script.
• Think more about, and do more research into my interviewee to aid the conversational interview style.
• I would look at working with professionals, instead of just students as presenters. However saying that, we had reasons behind using students as our presenters.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I am extremely happy, and proud of the final product. As a group, we have decided that if we have time, we will continue Student Yak, as we believe we have come up with a brand that has real potential, which can be seen by the interest we have already received from others. We're very happy with the news package, interview, live, and studio segments. I can't say I was ever stressed or worried about anything, which actually made the project easier and more enjoyable. To summarise, I think we should all be very proud of what we have achieved, and we should look forward to the future of Student Yak!