University research

Final documentary evaluation

As part of developing a final documentary applying all knowledge built up from the moving image and sound unit, I have filmed & edited a documentary based around city life vs country life.
My documentary is about the differences between country life and city life,this including things from  employment rates to social attractions based around locations of Essex and London. I came up with my idea through thinking about passions and interests I already hold, this being the idea of travel and different locations. I chose this idea (with the help of teachers and peers) as I felt I held a genuine interest in the theme, a main element behind participatory / expository documentaries that the filmmaker is knowledgeable and passionate about their chosen topic. My choice also gave me the ability to inform myself about areas around me in the planning and pre production stage of my work when finding out facts about Essex and London. Facts included populations of areas to accompany graphics and a voice over whilst informing my audience in an expository manner. The target audience for my expository / participatory documentary ranges, from older audiences e.g 40-50+ enjoying the countryside aspect compared to other audiences from young teens and adults feeling as though they can relate more to the London life element of the documentary.

As part of finalising the unit, I have applied techniques learnt throughout the year. Being able to independently apply what I have learnt has been insightful, and has allowed clarity in the story of my documentary. For example, the voice over including voiced facts about populations of both areas and places of attractions such as Piccadilly circus in London and Sugar Hut in Brentwood, Essex, overlapping with some visuals. The cinematography of the documentary is another reason I chose this idea, as I had the opportunity to practice and present cinematic still shots, in parallel to what's being said. I had decided to film a variety amount of still shots to focus the audience's attention on the shot whilst hearing the voice over, as constant moving shots may have distracted the audience from the voice over.
One aspect in which I attempted to present in a more complex manner was the order of shots in post production editing. At the beginning and some times throughout, the idea of whether to sequence the same location shots together e.g put cinematic shots of London's Oxford Circus together then the other location of Hainault Forest Country park, or to mix the sequence with both location shots together. This was challenging however I had decided to mix the shots, to fully represent the contrast between the city and country. Shots contrasted with each other here and overall made my message of a busy life and more relaxed surrounding visually clearer, e.g a shot of the train then contrasting with a car, shots of wide amounts of people contrasting with wide fields.
Further techniques I used included interviews in both locations of London and Essex. I attempted to use the rule of thirds in all interviews for cinematically pleasing shots, and the people interviewed were not planned out beforehand. Some ethical issues I faced during the interviews was the fact that I had a few people who were not originally from the U.K therefore not as familiar about the area as hoped. However to overcome this when filming I had asked more generic questions about the city and country overall. I had faced further issues when interviewing (included in overview of filming & editing) and have learnt from these through given feedback for future projects.

Practical tasks - documentaries 
Throughout the year I have been undertaking and learning elements of film and documentary. Tasks within the film and sound category such as learning focus pull & visual effects with Adobe Audition practice, and practically three different styles of documentaries. These being Observational, Participatory and Expository. Each in which were insightful but challenging in various ways, for example, observational documentary film making in which I found the most intriguing due to the fact that the filmmaker has the desire to tell a story but has no input in the actual footage. When filming, there were advantages such as the shots, as there was a variety of camera techniques in terms of composition and shallow depth of field. Learning and practising this, I had applied the same skills within my final documentary, with the still shots focusing in and out and developed knowledge on composition, through using the rule of thirds for some focused subjects in cinematic shots and the rule of thirds in interviews. I had also learnt to do this from the expository documentary, where our participant interviews were shot using the thirds rule. However, aspects that were challenging included editing in post for observational, there were issues with time management within the group and the order of the sequence. Reflecting back, I had learnt and concluded technically to cut and edit the sequence in the way the story makes most sense, and soft skills wise to ensure there's clarity in communication when team working. Unlike the cinematography in both expository and observational, My participatory documentary had issues with the rule of thirds as my participant was placed too far off the grid. Further problems included ethical issues - as the style of documentary was an interview, when filming the answers to my questions there were a few retakes to allow the participant to search up a fact about an artist, along with the participant being a friend of mine as the filmmaker, meaning the answers were not entirely from my participants memory or entirely serious. To solve / avoid this in my final documentary, I did not know the participants used allowing more professional results and asked easier, more understandable questions. My expository documentary, filmed and edited in a group, included advantages such as voiced over facts in parallel to the footage and an interview with a few participants within our college. Cinematography wise, the framing of the shots and use of the rule of thirds made the final footage visually pleasing and successful. However, aspects that could be improved include the sound at times. As the music in the background may be distracting at times for audiences. Linking to sound and moving image, where I had practised sound editing in Adobe Audition.(overview of editing)

Practical tasks -Filming 
Learning about the 180 degree rule as part of another practical filming task was insightful and made me more aware when watching films and spotting the rule, along with spotting filmmakers who perhaps break the rule, a famous film example being Tokyo Story by Yasujiro Ozu. -http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/ogaycken/clips/tokyostoryexample.mp4/view
Our practical task was successful in fulfilling the rule however the pre production stage of planning could have been improved, through researching filmmakers that practice or break the rule or watching short films with dialogue and characters, viewing if they've used the rule and how, along with what effect it may have had on the scene.This would allow us to fully understand the rule, contributing to our overall film knowledge in a wider context.
Focus pull, my example (documentary)
















Focus pull, my example (practical task)

Furthermore, we had also learnt the role of focus pulling. This typically used in film making to add dramaticness or effect within a scene, practising depth/shallow depth of field. There were challenges within our group in terms of filming the footage, as we struggled with time management. To overcome this challenge independently, I filmed and practised how to focus pull using a Canon camera. Though the shots I used were not in story context, they are an example of a way in which I practised and allowed me to apply my understanding of the technique. Throughout the year as there was a time management issue, I focused more on reaching deadlines and had managed to do so for my final documentary, along with using the technique in a few shots in Oxford Circus.(example) along with in other practical tasks, such as focus pulling shots in the observational documentary. A similar style I have explored for these shots, focusing on a plain subject, focusing out to a more interesting background. Further improvements include further research for focus pull, examples of films that have used the effect for dramaticness when focusing from one subject to the other, an example being Call Me By Your Name directed by Luca Guadagnino  with cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom where the focus goes from one actor to the other, expressing what they're saying to each other with their facial expressions. This being the most important element as both characters are not facing each other, whilst metaphorically speaking about each other. All these subtle elements making the scene important in the story line.
Call me by your name example - 

Another filming technique we had learnt and practised being a tracking /panning shot.
Panning shots, possibly linking to editing to make a shot look as though its been filmed throughout, is a cinematography technique that particularly intrigues me, however still requires time for me to perfect and practice more. Examples I visually enjoy and would like to take inspiration from include music videos such as The 1975's ' Sincerity Is Scary ' and Bird-man with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. We chose the idea of a group of people running with a scary figure following them, as the camera had the ability to follow them whilst they partook the running action and looked constant overall. An important issue/ challenge I had learnt from included looking ahead when filming a tracking shot, as there may be people or other elements to consider in a 360 degree manner as the camera pans. Planning this for locations, accounting people around at the time of day, possible background noise affecting editing in post, etc. Cinematography skills have developed through the practical tasks, with challenges including time management and planning beforehand, an overall conclusion personally being to apply and experiment more with panning shots, and research further films that use or break 180 and 360 degree rules.

Overview of filming -
The filming aspect within my documentary allowed me to apply techniques I had built up within the year from the practical tasks and personal work, such as filming for cinematic videos in practise for bigger projects.Within my documentary, there are elements that professionally represent a documentary, however some issues. Challenges include the interviews filmed in Soho, London. The people interviewed are not visually clear along with background noise from the busy city life, due to no microphone used. In comparison to the interviews filmed in Hainualt, Essex, where the people are visible with good lighting, though also distracting sound, including seagull noises. One interview is successful, filmed in Hainault, making the comparison between this and the other interviews odd in the final edit. To improve and develop this for future projects, I will plan more carefully beforehand in terms of time of day filming and what day, as locations such as the city may be even busier, along with bringing sound equipment for better end product quality. The time of day also accounting for viewing participants in a clearer way due to the lighting. Though I did not face issues with the battery or technical aspects of the camera, I will also ensure that the camera works before going on location and be sure to have extra equipment when going on location. Further challenges I faced included the footage of myself. Though the rule of thirds was used and now improved for my final documentary as learnt to use from practising in my participatory documentary (example,) some parts of the footage is out of focus. To improve this for future projects, I could be extra careful in terms of focusing, being sure that myself as the main subject is in focus continuously as I am speaking. Though not major, this is a cinematography element I will consider for more future projects.
Advantages and aspects that I have learnt whilst filming includes visually aesthetic shots, from both locations with ranging of lighting, symbolising my message and intentions further. Filming London's lights in the evening symbolises the night life the city has, especially catering for younger generations, in comparison to the sunrise and sunset of wider fields and houses, with cinematic shots of a cafe in comparison to shots of a concert and  the cinematic lighting of a sunset. The message of city vs country is expressed and visually understandable at these points of the documentary. These shots are consistent throughout, accompanying music and the documentary voice over technique. Keeping a clear message and consistency is an aspect I would like to carry out for future projects, whilst being more aware of using equipment to improve sound quality.
Footage of myself (flipped in edit)


Participatory documentary - improved rule of thirds in final documentary 

Practical tasks - editing
As part of the sound element of the units, I had initially learnt to use Adobe Audition and Foley sounds. After learning and practising more with Foley sounds for practical film and documentary tasks as the year progressed, I had started noticing scenes in which may have Foley sound rather than dietetic sounds, further expanding contextual knowledge around film-making.

Overview of editing - 
For my final documentary, this had been the first time (within the course) editing in Adobe Premiere Pro independently. This had been intriguing to start after filming, initially with the rough cut as learnt from an editing mentor, Kate Burke, learnt that getting all footage onto the timeline initially is important. Crucial aspects included in my edit includes the layering of graphics at the beginning, edited through layering in effects controls and changing the opacity blend mode to screen to make the graphics visible, along with adding text graphics throughout to accompany the voice-over. I also flipped the footage of myself using an effect called horizontal flip to make the footage look more natural and make it seem as though I am not reading. The pace of the sequence is cut on beat to the music used, however for future projects as an improvement I should use royalty free music and further improve on the sound aspect, making my work overall more professional. Cinematography wise, a visual effect called Warp stabiliser was used, to reduce shakiness of shots such as driving through fields and scenes from a concert to accompany the London element. Feedback I received from the edit included improving sound levels for the interviews, from the participants voice clashing with background noise. Another aspect learnt about sound in post from an editing mentor Ben Mallaby, always attempt to reach -12 on sound for all audios as the guideline for what doesn't sound too loud or quiet. Personally, an issue I faced towards the end was the clash between the train voice and slight noise the video naturally had, compared to no audio besides the clean audio of music therefore sounding odd. To fix this, I added the sound effect of smoothed background noise and audio transitions titled Constant gain / Constant power, to make the transition smooth. These same audio transitions applied at the beginning and end of clips when transitioning between songs.

Overall skill development -
As part of exploring the art form of film, working together in a team is an important aspect and prepares us for future crew situations, along with further soft skills such as time management. These skills have been challenged over the course of the year, with challenges in ideas clashing together in planning stages and going out to film/ gather footage. However, they have been insightful in preparation for future projects, along with working independently especially in times of editing.

Final documentary

As part of developing a final documentary applying all knowledge built up from the moving image and sound unit, I have filmed & edited a documentary based around city life vs country life. The documentary includes techniques from the expository and participatory, e.g the voiceover recorded by the filmmaker, myself , along with interviews of people in one of my locations, with visuals accompanying. 

Video - 

Photography evaluation

My photography example

To finalise Unit 5 and apply all knowledge built up from the photography unit, I have taken a collection of 4 images under my theme of human vs nature. The genre of photography I have followed is landscape, with a human aspect interrupting in the frame. The idea initiated from my interest and passion in landscape photography. The concept of having something in the frame in all photos is an interesting aspect I include within my photography, with various messages that can be interpreted behind it. For example, in the collection of my photos, both from my planning photography and final collection there's usually a hand in the frame or a lens ball, in which the landscape is flipped upside down. This makes the photograph more interesting, and strikes messages making the photo deeper than what's seen, intertwining all aspects that make it meaningful, from the time of day taken, composition, lighting etc. All in which I have practised in a photography studio and when on location with Canon & Nikon cameras throughout the course of a year. The following categories describe further what I have learnt from the beginning of the year, developing throughout to my final end project.

Genres - 

Brandon Woelfel example

To begin within photography, a research task was conducted as to what themes and genres interested us. Though my interest was / is in landscape, portrait and travel photography, I initially was unaware of the rules typically used within that medium, for example rule of thirds and the horizon line, and other further composition rules such as framing, symmetry & patterns and depth/shallow depth of field. Learning about those rules and practising them on location had been insightful and affected aesthetically the way in which I saw my personal photography, when on location I had considered what my main subject would be and what angle I would stand at to capture it within the interlocking grid as part of rule of thirds, or the composition and difference between where the top sky was and bottom subject, this being a field or overview of a city from above as part of the horizon line. Being aware of these rules improved visuals I have, along with recognising the aesthetics of some photographers works and reasoning behind the composition. An example being Brandon Woelfels use of shallow depth of field in the example shown. 
The photographer may have wanted to blur the background to create the aesthetically Bokeh effect, possibly to represent the busy city life. The busy life concept interrupted by the main subject of the model, this being the main subject due to the foreground in focus. The photograph is composed in a visually pleasing way with the rule of symmetry. Learning about the various genres within photography such as editorial, portrait, landscape, fashion etc. has provided me with extensive ideas for future projects.

Research & photographers - 

Karl Shakur photography -  Opposite to Jim Zuckerman's size rule

I have conducted research behind my work, including photographers to support and develop ideas I have. Beginning photographers I had researched such as Mads Perch, Marthe Sobczak, and Brandon Woelfel under themes of Portrait and techniques including projection have expanded to Connor Franta, Karl Shakur, Chris Burkard, Jim Zuckerman etc. The change in photographers I have researched also have a change in theme. As I was more experimental and open with the photography I was researching, then becoming more direct for my final project to inspire and develop final ideas. Research behind photographers such as Connor Franta, using sources such as his book 'A Work In Progress' and the web itself. Ideas within his book that had inspired the main part of my final photography includes the information about his arm and how he likes to include this in the frame to label a section of himself into his photography, to symbolise a part of him in the frame. The composition of the hand in my final project whilst using the rule of thirds in my final collection of photos is inspired by this idea, though a different creative intention (explored under creative intention) along with Jim Zuckerman's composition and theory of size. His photography practises the idea of the human size and bigger landscapes (example) in the way that having a smaller human aspect does not make the landscape any bigger, rather both human and physical subjects are as important. When planning, my ideas were the same as Zuckerman's in the sense that I was not going to apply that similar 'rule' of size, rather that the physical and human aspect contradicted each other. (example shown as part of my final collection, in which the human side covers as much as the frame as the lights) However, research had been challenging in the planning stage of some practical tasks, e.g the practical task when using the photography studio for examples of Low-key photography. Researching photographers that specialised in the genre was difficult, however to help resolve this I could have used various other sources, e.g finding editorial photography magazines or photography books. 

My photography example

Concluding the research, the photographers that I have researched have impacted my ideas by allowing me to interpret reasoning behind their photographs by analysing elements such as their use of light, composition, time of day the photograph has been captured etc.therefore attempting to replicate the work to get a feel of the type of camera settings needed including F stops, ISO's and lens types, possibly used to capture a similar desired product. For future projects, I would like to expand in terms of contradicting different artists and comparing their views and my opinions and replications of this. Within my final project research, I found viewing how different photographers capture landscapes from deciding their main subjects and viewpoints / perspectives when capturing a shot, along with  thinking about the wider message behind the photo quite intriguing.   

Locations & lighting setups -
Practising the process of photography, under the genre chosen such as fashion or portrait, or street and landscape with the inspired research over the year has included various locations, this being out in central London or the photography studio. Within the studio, we have learnt various setups - 

Three point lighting, high-key photography, low-key photography- 
The traditional photography studio setup including the key / main light, giving the subject the most strength in light and can be used for contrasting photos, in the example that the other light, the fill light, is off or low. This can gives results of a rendered shadow across a models face, for example, a practical in which we learnt this technique alongside low-key photography (example) 

Photograph taken when learning
about Low-key photography

Though understood, I feel I still need to practise this technique in the studio with a black backdrop. Throughout photography, I feel that this technique would be suitable when expressing a models emotions through their facial expressions intertwined with contrasting highlights and shadows. Purposes of this to add depth behind the photograph. 
The fill light, placed opposite to the key light, is used to 'fill' shadows created by the contrasting key light. The key light may be brightest with this slightly dimmer, however throughout the year experimenting with practical tasks, I had experimented with adjusting the 1-6 dial settings. Lastly, the back light positioned down to view the main subject. The back light does not provide direct lighting, rather subtle highlights for the outline of a subject e.g the models hair. The back light separates the model from the backdrop. Other aspects that separate the model from the backdrop in techniques such as high-key photography is the poly boards and un-diffused lights, lights with no soft boxes around them, that reflect to the backdrop. In terms of high-key lighting, the backdrop turns completely white, infinity lighting therefore making the main focus the model. Practising this technique in the studio included advantages such as understanding the setup and ability to set the lights in the same composition, however challenges included the camera settings, adjusting and being knowledgeable when adjusting the ISO, along with how much light to let into the lens as part of aperture. To improve and expand my knowledge within photography, I would like to experiment more with technically adjusting the camera under high and low-key photography settings, though I feel confident in understanding the actual setup. 

Silhouette lighting- 

Learning about a further lighting technique under photography allowed an extensive understanding of using the studio and various techniques one can experiment with, using the equipment the studio has, such as the gel lights, soft boxes, vivders, poly boards silver photography umbrellas etc. Examples of using the soft boxes, vivider's and poly boards is silhouette lighting, where a white background is created using the light box with the outline and features of an individual in black. Intentions behind the photography being mystery into the individual, the idea that the shot may be close up with the human emotion through a facial expression not fully shown. I would create this aesthetic when my creative intention explores a sense of ambiguity. This lighting technique is one I have not practised with, an issue that I will improve for future projects being time management, to practise techniques I have not yet embarked on. Other time management issues including the process of booking the photography studio, this being a challenge at times along with ethical issues when on location - accidentally getting someone who does not want to be photographed in the frame or shooting in an off limits location for the aesthetic surrounding. 

Projection photography -

Projection photography

Within projection photography, I have a good view of the creative intention, reasoning as to why you may use projection photography and when, along with previous planning and research, for example for artists like Marthe Sobczak (example) Interesting how he projects onto human skin and the composition of these, the creative intention possibly reflecting what others see of the person, in comparison to who they are or further identity connotations. Within the practical tasks, I had practised how to setup using the projector,  however struggled in terms of getting the whole projected image to cover the backdrop. I understood camera techniques from using a lower ISO, this also provoking ideas of my own personal style in terms of using a lower ISO, linking to my personal photography of darker shadowed images to brighter lights in terms of night and street light photography, this further expanding contextual photography, contributing to ambitions of photography both in and outside the unit. 

Technical camera operation -
Initially beginning the year, I was unaware of the main elements in regards to photographing, this including the technical settings cameras have giving the end product of the photograph and affecting the aesthetically qualities of it. These including:

Aperture and F stops. Gathering the information of F stops - the higher the F stop the less light therefore smaller aperture and a higher f stop also meaning light only travelling in one direction, therefore creating depth of field and opposite to this, a wider lens allowing light to travel in every direction therefore meaning a blurred background, creating shallow depth of field was challenging to understand initially, however became more clear when practising with Nikon cameras. The concept of shallow depth of field created through the camera settings has helped me tell meanings behind photos, such as - (example) The F stop being between around 1.8 to 8 allows a large amount of light into the lens allowing the background to be adjusted and blurred, creating a purple bokeh effect. The concept including the idea of colour and size,though there are many blue/purple lights in the background, they're smaller and are under the bigger yellow/ orange bulb. The yellow possibly being brighter than the other lights period, or just the composition and idea of size making it look visually more important. The depth of field created through the cameras settings can therefore overall impact a photos intention. Learning about this from the beginning intrigued me, and further does as I would want to know what camera settings are used in order to create some style or sense of emotion, depending on the way in which the brightness may be or movement in the image. 

My photography

ISO 
Learning about the cameras sensitivity to light was less challenging  than aperture and F stops, and further striked ambitions of personal style. A lower ISO is what I typically would use as developed throughout the year, e.g in the example. Practical tasks focused on using 
ISO had been undertaken more on location than when using the photography studio, personally needing practise with adjusting the ISO in high-key and low-key photography studio lighting setups, this being a goal I have set for future photography studio practise sessions. Research I had conducted midway through the year in terms of ISO included the underexposed and overexposed noise/grain element. The idea that a higher ISO meaning a more noisy, brighter photo, possibly labelled as overexposed and a lower ISO, a darker photograph being underexposed. Overexposed and underexposed hold intriguing creative messages, viewing and connotating settings certain photographers may have used and reasons behind this- e.g for the aesthetical quality. 

My photography grain example

Shutter speed 
Alongside learning about aperture, I also learnt about shutter speed initially. The process in which controls how fast or slow light travels through the lens. Techniques experimented with shutter speeds that I have attempted on location include the blurriness of photos, however have not experimented with capturing fast movement. I also have aims of exploring more themes such as long exposure photography as further development from the year with a fast shutter speed, an example of a photographer specialising in this being Andrew Stawarz.
Adjusting the fractional shutter speeds can be important in situations such as capturing a single frame when a lot of movement, actions taken to capture the photograph making the image more powerful. I personally find shutter speeds challenging to understand out of the three main elements however researching and practising further will improve skills I hold. 


Using a Nikon:

Vertical composition 

Applying the elements of photography to using a Nikon camera included learning the settings of the camera and way around it. There were advantages and easier parts picked up on, 
through practising in the studio and playing around with settings 
including zooming and focusing when appropriate along with adapting to the difference between using manual and auto mode, however more challenging elements where improvement is needed in terms of locating shutter speeds and white balance. Smaller features I learnt included shooting in portrait, vertically. 

Creative intentions - Final project
Concluding my final project, the process of planning went well as I was able to identify photographers I enjoy viewing and able to apply their work to my creative intention, including messages of human elements vs nature and how this can be subtly done through capturing contrasting subjects. This being both metaphorically through my reasoning behind things like a human eye compared to brighter lights and the darkness of the human aspect compared to the more vibrant side. This carried out in other brighter light settings of my collection, the two images taken at golden hour sunset time. As planned, I wanted to use this time of day to make the photographs cinematically
 pleasing and give a golden, sunset glow. The arm behind one of the photographs links to Connor Frantas photography, this being an inspiration and including 
 an element of a human that isn't fully in frame. I have chosen the collection of 4 images, 2 taken horizontally and 2 taken vertically as I feel the layout will fit together. The 4 images are split into coupled pairs, the photos that have the similar lighting together. Learning the functions of a Nikon camera have improved, however I personally feel more practice is needed for Nikon cameras and I am confident with Canons. Using more techniques confidently such as rule of thirds and framing will occur in future projects as reflected off this project. The overall end product and lead up to do so has made me enjoy photography more, and given more contextual knowledge in terms of research and wider photographers / photography genres.

Post Photoshop editing -
Learning in Adobe Photoshop initially had been challenging and I feel as though I still need practise within the software. Minor edits have been made in my final collection, for example the sharpen tool for extra details of the lensball and photography adjustments, such as higher vibrance and lower brightness.

Final photography

Intertwining skills I have learnt from the past few months learning photography within the unit have now been applied to this project and are presented through a collection of 4 photographs, exploring my theme - human vs nature, along with carrying interesting lighting, in which was previously not in my creative intention but is something I can embark on.

Photography project practice

My photography practice 

As part of developing my photography final idea, I have taken photographs to support my creative intention and took the photograph in the style of a photographer I take inspiration from - Connor Franta. The hand represents the human aspect that I am using in my work with the contrast of human and nature. The use of shallow depth of field has created the bokeh effect, however my hand had not been fully in focus, it is not as sharp as it could be. From doing this, one issue I noticed technically was trying to focus / hold the camera with one hand with my hand in the frame. Getting the right shot therefore may take time.
I feel that the lighting aspect of the photograph came out successfully, from the golden highlights reflected onto the top of the building. This also plays with the human and nature concept, the idea of natural light- sunlight, breaking through compared to the the artificial fairy lights. This idea will be considered for final projects as part of creative intentions in a subtle manner.
Photograph taken also exploring the idea of natural light vs artificial light - the world through an object.

In this photograph, the same idea of natural vs human intentions are explored, but in a more indirect manner.

The common idea of small human subjects making the physical landscape look even bigger (example labelled size) is not applied here. Though the size can be interpreted, my photograph explores more the actual object, a light bulb, being a human light source as a subject contrasting the idea of the actual natural light source -the sun. This again explores my whole theme of human vs nature but in a more subtle and thought provoking way.

SIZE - Karl Shakur photography.

Further practice, human element:
As part of further developing my idea in the human vs physical aspect, I have taken photos using natural light with the object being the lensball and my hand interrupting. Viewing these over, I want to ensure that I have other human elements such as an eye, half a face, etc. The composition of the blue sky photo contrasting with the golden hour reflected photo is different and experimental to what I have been researching and thinking of so far, and reminds me to think of the rule of thirds along with breaking this rule to possibly create a sort of uncertainty or uncomfortableness. The editorial image of my hand was taken at the same time being sunrise, again giving a golden glow. The picture can be categorised under editorial due to the RGB glitch effect. This can be something I experiment with, however the creative intention behind it may not link to my theme of human vs nature. The shadow of the hand is something I like visually about the photo, and will experiment with in my final photos - possibly allowing the shadow to reflect onto a leaf or natural aspect.


List of techniques I would like to use within my final photos:

• Allowing the shadow of a hand to reflect onto a leaf or natural aspect
• Composition - hand near a building or near a tree etc.
• Golden hour, sunset time. Golden highlights reflected onto buildings 
• Artificial light vs sunlight 
• Rule of thirds 

Update - progression of my final documentary #2

As part of further progressing to the final product of my final documentary, I have filmed and completed the following -

Essex Hainault: Filmed initially, may need more footage

Home: Complete

London, kings cross extra shots: Complete

London stratford: Complete

London central: Complete
- all shots labeled complete will only need work if in the edit, there is not enough. 
Essex driving: Complete
Interviews: Complete 

Updates according to location:
Hainault country park - filming was successful however if I need to go back and film more, the shots may look different due to the time I went, being at sunset. The noise levels were limited making the interviews sound good, compared to the interviews filmed in oxford circus where there was loud background noise. The most cinematic field shots come from this location.

Home -  Sound level is good, however there are times where the shot is out of focus. Facts cover all information I wanted to add into the documentary.

Extra shots - cinematic time lapses of sunrising and sunset however unsure as to where / if to place these in the edit

Stratford - Successful needed shots, added in place of voiceover

Central - interviews have sound issues, however shots are cinematic. Good footage for cutaways

Driving - Planned to have many signposting shots however did not gather, good moving shots and some perfect to portray Essex life. May need more footage.

Professional practice evaluation

As part of developing my knowledge in the media sector as a whole and applying the knowledge I have learnt over the last few months to the real working world, researching professional jobs has been crucial along with viewing opportunities out there. Getting into the industry can be done in many different ways, reflecting on these through statistics has been insightful, along with viewing annual incomes to places of work in the industry that interest me. To build up and showcase our work, a collection of pieces were created, including a CV, cover letter and website.

CV -
Creating a CV in the media, art or creative industry can be different to creating another CV in a different industry, for example applying to a retail shop. This is because the CV can reflect on the role, for example a graphic designer or illustrator would have a professional CV applied with edited designs making them stand out from others and instantly showing of their skills. To make my CV, I had used a sight called Canva. The site has visually aesthetic templates to strike creative hiring managers. I made a CV because it introduces me as a person to the employer and initially allows me to express the experiences and explain why I may be good for the job. The document I had initially created however included a distracting background as my CV is based around photography. After given feedback, I had changed the background from my photography to a simple colour, this being creative yet still professional. The feedback I received included the idea that if the CV were to be printed out, the text would not be successfully seen and would not look appealing in other things e.g black and white. When editing the CV in the future if required, I will take into consideration the idea of being professional and not distracting, along with being able to showcase my work on my website, created after.
Strengths I had when making my CV included knowing what to write in a formal manner along with adding the correct subtitles navigating the hiring person around who I am and my experiences in a clear written way, along with technically saving the CV as a PDF file, as a Word document may interfere if an employer was to open up the document on their phone. However, my weakness when creating the CV was the visuals, which I have now learnt from - do not make the piece too distracting and consider all aspects. 

Cover letter -
Once applying for a job, the cover letter may come next from the employer and requires the individual to express why they are good for that particular job. In my cover letter, I have used language that fits the jobs requirement and explained why the skills I have fits the creative job. The job I had chosen, say I had gotten accepted, is based around being a filmmaker / videographer and acquired skills such as being knowledgeable in Adobe Premiere Pro, use of Canon cameras, etc. I had written the cover letter using formal language embedding experiences I have had, such as mentioning sound equipment practice when at BBC Radio 1, along with being in an editing masterclass with an editor, Ben Mallaby, improving my skills in Premiere Pro. 
I wrote the cover letter because / in regards to learning more about getting into the industry and how to respond when actually getting a job. Writing a cover letter in regards to a creative job is good practice for the future as I feel I now know what a cover letter is and have a template to write one, with any given feedback I can then embark on. I am therefore informed on cover letters and can apply this further knowledge to my understanding on the industry as a whole. 
The length of the letter could be expanded as part of improving. 

Website - 
Finalising the professional practice unit, my website, made on Wix.com portrays all work I have completed under the film and photography form with links of contact and testimonials. Aspects in which I class as strengths on my website include the layout of the work, including my photography and cinematic videos. Both are easy to view and initially show the audience the style of work I practice, mostly consisting of landscape and travel. The website is full of colour also portraying this with my photography set as most backgrounds and bold fonts. I had decided to use Wix over the other sites I conducted research on including Tumblr and Wordpress due to its creative templates and ability to be as visually expressive as desired. The templates vary for different career paths. This compares to sites such as Tumblr, where the website aspect isn't as popular or facilitated due to the fact that the website is more a social, networking platform. 
It is an important aspect that the work shown on the website is at its best, as the website may be the main point of interest and place to formally access most of an individual's work. Other parts on my website in which I feel are successful include the testimonial page, where I have placed good comments made about me as a individual filmmaker. However, as testimonials may be for businesses I could get customer reviews or people who have initially viewed my work to look. 

My website

To create my website, I have decided to use Wix because I feel that the creative designs and layouts on the site are useful and look visually pleasing, along with the overall site being easy to use and access. I have added own photography work and cinematic videos / videography in which I have edited in Premiere Pro.
https://annishahrazaq.wixsite.com/mysite

Wix, Wordpress and Tumblr

To express the professional practice work and to apply my understanding of working in the media industry, using a website to portray my work is an important step to take and to do so I have researched sites to use.
Wix is a website used most commonly to create business websites and build a form of a portfolio. There are both advantages and disadvantages of using the website - 

Advs:

• Clear and easy to edit using templates - gives you all support for attaching your own work, name titles etc.
• Range of free templates
• Blog posts included with scheduling of this.

Disadvs:

• Technical issues, difficult to add a SEO (search engine optimization)
• Separate editor if you choose to create a website under mobile conditions, not ideal for a developing world using phones 

Tumblr is another website used mostly for people to expressive their creative photos to others and blog posts about this 


Advs:

• A Lot of creative freedom and space to show photos and blog posts 
• Not only a platform for websites but also for social networking allowing successful advertisement
• Unlike using Wix, Tumblr allows you to access the search engine optimization.

Disadvs:

• Difficult to advertise to the whole of your audience, the demographic for tumblr includes mostly a young audience. 
• Used commonly more for social media rather than professional 

Wordpress
Wordpress is another website that can be used for blogging and creating a site. It was originally known for one of the best blogging sites, soon after owning a personal website accompanying. 

Advs:

• Professional blog layout 
• Range of resources available for free
• HTML reading view options 
• CMS - content managing system, you can control your data without complicated technical training.

Disadvs:

• Known for data security issues, hackers can easily access the site due to no authority monitoring the people or companies that develop the plug-ins and themes.

Creating a website - website examples

As part of creating our own websites, finding inspirations and creative samples to do so is important  and will help create my own. An example of a website I enjoyed viewing was from a photographer called Colin Prior, a photographer. As my main job interest is in still image I have researched photographers.

Colin Prior 
Colin Prior showcases his landscape photography initially  through using a landscape with smaller text writing indicating things such as his bibliography, portfolio and blog.  The signposting for these links are clearly shown at the top of the page, the website is successful and the layout is clear - straightforward navigation. The pictures are dramatic and take up the whole frame of the page in a panoramic layout, further striking the audience aesthetically. As the photography is travel and landscape themed, the shop for his work is appropriate and may strike audiences wanting a form of art in their house on walls. This adds to the functional purposes of purchasing Colin's photography.

James Davies 
James Davies is a wedding photographer exhibiting his work on his website in a horizontal composition with his most emotionally capturing photos headlining first. The website daviesphotography.co.uk, immediately has the intention to make someone happy, showing the happy event. The navigation around the website is easy to access with buttons like “brochure request,” On initial view at the top of the page, there is a simple and unobtrusive navigation bar which again makes it easy to find important pages and social media profiles without detracting from the main, headlining photograph.
The scroll down is simple showing more beautiful images, each  accompanied by a different snippet of text and call-to-action button. These appear in different parts of the screen to avoid being repetitive and ensure that they’re noticed each time, whilst also viewing all parts of the photograph. 
Functionally, the website is successful and layered out in a smart way. It continuously intrigue the audience whilst still making it clear where the appropriate information is. One thing I have taken inspiration wise from the website is the use of adding text at different parts of images, as it works aesthetically. 

Bibliography:
James Davies: https://www.theukdomain.uk/6-examples-great-photography-websites/

Update - progression on filming my final documentary

Initially starting my final documentary, I have been out on location filming for my documentary using the shot list.

william ray ban filmmaker - inspriration

I have managed to get footage from my hainault location though I must gather more as I have put the clips in a rough cut sequence. Out of the locations, using the shotlist, I have filmed:

Essex Hainault: Filmed initially, need more footage

Home: Complete

London, kings cross extra shots: Complete

London stratford: No footage

London central: Some footage 

Essex driving: Progression

The interview and facts of the documentary are complete, and at this stage I have noticed some change must be done to the questions I have asked people at Hainault due to some closed answers.
The information and filming of myself is complete and requires trimming in Premiere Pro and must be put in order to figure out where footage fits perfectly.


Prepared speech on facts:

Cover letter - media job

An employer may require additional information in an attached document when applying to a job, which is what a cover letter is. The letter explains how the skills you have are useful for the specific job you have applied for.
To practice writing a letter, I have chosen a photographer / videography job from previous research as to what jobs interest to me.

Job

Cover letter -

Live media jobs

There are current jobs in the media in which certain skills and levels of qualifications are required. Certain areas where places for work experience and becoming a runner are also stated and are some in which I personally have researched and looked into to gather skills on set for higher jobs in the media in the future.

Jobs I have researched that interest me:

Key things in the job which have caught my attention- 

• videographer
• digital video workshops
• Passion for working in a social workplace

For this job, the skills I have include knowledge on camera use and editing experience in Premiere Pro, however I do not have the completed qualification and time for the permanent contract due to education. 

• Can take photos under own knowledge of what angles to use (etc.) and how 
• Small job but good for experience 

The skills I have for this job include again knowledge on photography and how to capture what the company mat desire, however, the age of 18 and over is a restricting factor. 

Runner opportunity:

Media CV

As the media industry is facing an increase in employers, the idea of making a resume in which stands out ot the rest is important, especially in jobs that include various art forms such as being a graphic designer, fashion designer or illustrator etc.

Media skills analysis

To assess my skills so far in media, I have reflected and completed a sheet split into separate categories including technical with camera movements and editing softwares, organisational skills including internet researching, creative things such as drawing and soft skills such as public speaking and working in a group.
The areas in which I must improve on include organisational and creative activities, for example graphic design and using Microsoft Excel. To improve for the organisational aspect, I could start including further research from places outside of the internet e.g people and the library and further organising when this would be appropriate. This would make my research more broad and could possibly allow me to add more depth, overall gathering more informative information.
Areas in which I am skilled in but could improve on include the technical side, in situations such as camera operating both still and moving & skills in Premiere Pro in which I have had the opportunity to develop on over the recent months. In comparison to this, my skills on other softwares such as indesign and illustrator is limited, therefore a challenge I would set myself to expand my media skills would be to experiment with these softwares and possibly research what some of my favorite films or music videos have been edited with and who the editor was, an example an editor I had researched being Terel Gibson. (The kings of summer, We are your friends) This would contribute to more the theories of editing but would make me more aware about editing.

Jobs in the media

Media industry roles under the head of department - 
There are roles in the media in which are higher and more paid than others however getting to that stage requires initial experience on set and skills. A runner is an example of how to require such experience and later on leads to becoming head of departments in film, such as becoming an executive producer, cinematographer or director. The jobs are seen as more prestigious therefore may require more skills that are rare, as the industry is quite competitive due to the increase in technology, increasing intriguement over a wide population.
The platform and direction I would like to explore is camera operation and director of photography, smaller roles therefore which may come before the HOD role is a focus puller, clapper board loader,   etc.

Skills in which I have now that I would have to develop for doing this would be operation with cameras and lens types by fully understanding how to use the equipment, then applying this under more pressured conditions, with things such as time to consider. The words of cinematographer Tania Hoser come into contact with an idea that I will undertake in the journey of getting into the industry, that being the idea of being slick with your equipment, little changes such as moving the camera and lens' which can be done in a slick and perfected way when on set and something to learn or practice with when filming individual things. Her words also included insights for young filmmakers when researching, rather than asking questions as to who someone's favourite director is etc, if your doing a more technical job  ask more questions about physical things such as how to operate the camera smoother (e.g when panning) or changing lens' more smoothly. This ultimately means your physically working to help the crew and working with them, meaning your working to make everything better and quicker. Hoser also stated traits of an upcoming camera operator, including being resourceful, knowing the bigger picture and making everything better and quicker. The slickness applied to the equipment will also be applied to the visuals of the story and your understanding of the story. The understanding of the story therefore means as a camera operator you think about the type of lens' that will go with what your trying to show on screen the more you understand the story. - get to know equipment, get to know story. 
Becoming a runner on set would build up the experience and opportunity for practice, in which is a situation where I will consider Tania Hosers words. 
Initial skills to become a runner may include -

• Good listening and communication skills.
• Confidence for networking situations
• Flexible travel options, e.g owning a driving license.
• Helpful and able to help on set, able to take stress off and complete tasks for the person the runner may be with
• An understanding of the industry
• Research skills

Another role which intrigues me is production design under the costume and makeup aspect. The skills required for costume design may include having some experience in styling before and experience on set. The makeup aspect requires experience in the actual medium and knowledge on how to practise it. This interests me as I hold some liking to the medium and