Week 6 Production Process Description (72-Hour Challenge)
Production Day 1 After receiving the guidelines from Steve for the media production piece for this week, we quickly decided among the options and picked a video. We set out to grab some coffee and breakfast and discuss the ideas we could develop and work on. After discussing a few options, we agreed on one topic – anti-discrimination, which was based on our various races, sexual orientations or cultural backgrounds. There were a few variations of this idea itself – whether it should be just negative, whether it should be just positive (showing social integration) and we finally agreed to have a negative first part and a positive second part.
Then we moved on to discuss the way of making the video. At first, we wanted to make the first part black-and-white (which Steve suggested should be just less saturated, rather than completely colourless) and the second in colour. We thought about the types of scenes we would have and decided upon six separate scenes: one, involving a male homosexual couple and people’s reaction to seeing them in public (negative), followed by a friend approaching them and seeming completely fine with it (positive); one, involving an Afro-American being beaten up in a dark alley (negative), followed by a stranger helping him up (positive); and the last one, involving an international student being ignored by others (negative), followed by someone approaching them and striking up a conversation (positive). We weren’t quite sure about the order we would want to put them in, but we decided to shoot some different scenes and see how the best way of putting them together would be.
Then, we set out on our quest to shoot. Ryan and Jordan went back to Jordan’s place to pick up his camera, while the rest of us stayed back at the library to write up some notes and sketch our ideas of the sequence of the scenes, as well as print out the risk evaluation forms for our shooting places. When the boys came back with the camera, we decided to go to the University square in front of the Alan Berry building and shoot the gay scene there. We asked some strangers to play the “disgusted” people in our clips and we also did some acting ourselves. When we had enough pieces to put the scene together, we went to the Student’s Union’s café to look for an international student (since we weren’t sure whether or not we were going to use sound on the video, we needed someone obviously foreign, like a Chinese or a Japanese student, because otherwise the people needed to talk for them to be obviously international). We couldn’t find anyone who was free or willing to do it, so we decided to call it a day and leave all the shooting for day two (mainly because Bash was already in class and we couldn’t do the race scene, Katherine and Sarah had to go to class and Jordan had to go to work).
But before we headed our different ways, we popped to Ellen Terry to have a chat with Steve about the idea, the production and some problems with a person from the group. We pitched the idea, which he liked, although he warned us not to be too obvious with the execution. He gave us some advice on the sequence of the scenes and the way we could do them (he really liked Bash’s idea of having flashing pictures of the fight itself, instead of footage and breathing or heartbeat sound, instead of music as a background). He asked us some questions to test if we had a strong enough standing behind our idea or it was just the first thing that popped into our heads. We also discussed possible audience, message, ways to portray the message, etc. Then, feeling proud of the development of our group (and maybe a little embarrassed for not taking into account the possibility the tutors might have been peeping on our Facebook group conversations), we went home to get some rest and perhaps come up with some supplement ideas for the piece.
While sitting on my couch and knitting my scarf at home, I did a little research of pieces that were already out there in search of additional ideas or ways not to be too cliché. I found some very good campaigns, such as:
Bad Mouth Ad, UN
Nike Stand Up Speak Up (also done in various other languages)
It was obvious from those two that they relied on the original and yet quite simple. The UN campaign was so simple (I couldn’t believe we hadn’t thought of that), but so impressive and influential, with a clear message sent across. The Nike campaign was also original, with people and text, instead of choosing only one of the ways. Inspired by those two, I came up with a supplement idea to the project, striving to end up with a serious, yet not well-worn media object in our hands.
Production Day 2 Day two started in good spirit and excitement from everyone involved. There were some additional ideas, such as putting people on camera, saying different things, or using facts about the percentage of people being harassed or discriminated or assaulted. We didn’t really set firmly on any of them because it was more of an editorial decision, and we still didn’t have all the footage done (the editing was to take place on the third day). After picking up the liability form from the Alma building, we headed to the subway close to Ellen Terry to shoot the race scene. Thankfully, Bash had picked up a tripod from the media loan shop the previous day, so we could get some more steady footage, which was important for the establishing shots.
The scene was coming out pretty nicely and we were almost done when we lost all of this day’s footage (whether it was the camera or one of us not knowing how to use it, we had to re-shoot) and we started over. By the end of it, it looked pretty well and we left for the Student’s Union café again in search of an international student for our third scene. But again, with no luck. So, we sat down and had a little chat about the next step we were going to take and the production so far. We discussed the options of having facts with text on screen or with people saying them, as well as what other kind of scenes we could do, if we don’t find an international students (we only came up with a disability idea, but we didn’t know any disabled students and didn’t really think that going around town looking for any would prove too helpful).
After a while, we decided we had enough footage to start editing (since we were going to put either people or text and fill the space) and we didn’t really have the chance to find anyone else to shoot, so as Jordan left for home to download the videos from his camera and bring them back to us, we went to the common room in Ellen Terry to do some facts research. Carley and I found some good information from government websites and UN research, with some good quotes as well, and we put them together and picked the best 9-10 that we could use for the video. Jordan brought us the clips and we were ready to start business!
And then, we faced another problem. Because of the artificial lighting in the subway, most of the second scene was damaged and we couldn’t use it and we had to re-shoot it again. But since Jordan had gone to work and we didn’t have that chance (cause he was in the scene), we left that for the other day and edited the first part of our video, using some of the facts that we’d found. By the end of the day, we had a pretty good part of the object, although I did express some dissatisfaction with the usage of black screen and white text, although it was perfectly understandable and acceptable that by the principle of majority, not all decisions will be unanimous. Still, given how it was late and we were all tired, we left that unresolved and prepared for our next (and last) production day.
Production Day 3 We met at Ellen Terry, waiting for the media loan shop to open so that we could pick up another camera and a tripod. While we were waiting, some major disagreements occurred in the common room. Bash and I had some different views on the second scene, if not the whole project, and we were worried that our final piece would differ too much from the idea that we pitched to Steve (and maybe not for the better). Whether it was because of our closeness as friends (probably unable to approach everything professionally) or our different specialties, a creative conflict was inevitable to occur, as we’d seen we had different views and opinions throughout the days before. No one was hit during the argument and there was even no swearing involved, which in my view proved it was simply a professional argument, rather than a personal one, and it stuck to the process of production itself and our dissatisfaction with it and not with the people we considered our friends.
In retrospect, the argument did prove helpful, because by the end of the day we were working more closely as a group, with every member having a say as to the decisions being taken. For me personally it showed us a better way to work together as a group and how we can approach things professionally and argue, but still like each other after and have fun with it.
When we got our equipment, we set on to shoot the last scene. Since we had seen the previous footage and liked everything, we didn’t change any camera angles or shots and were pretty quickly done with the scene. Then, feeling happy with our work and getting back together into the friendly atmosphere, we went to get some food and waste some time chatting before editing our final piece. Afterwards, back at Ellen Terry, we waited for ages for the clips to download from the camera, but when we finally had them, the editing began. Everyone had a clear idea of how the scene was to be put together, so that didn’t take a long time to do, adding the flashing pictures and heartbeat sound as well. Then, we “glued” the two scenes together with some facts, put our names in the end and saved.
Bash and I were the only ones left to wait for the exporting and burning of the video on dvd and uploading it on youtube, since none of us seemed to be eager to get home. Thankfully, we had some help from Bex before that, so we had an idea of what to do, though we did have a problem with some program options, but quickly figured them out (“just try pressing here and there and it might actually work”, my father always says). Exporting, uploading, burning – everything was done and Ellen Terry was still open! Bash and I were happy to head home for a well-deserved good night's sleep before meeting with the group the next day to show our 72-hour production piece to the world. :)
