Production: Communication

During the production aspect of our project, we communicated in various ways to ensure that we were all on the same page and knew what everyone was doing.

Eliana created a Whatsapp group which allowed us to enter into a group conversation with one another and know that if we send a message, the other member would receive it instantly.

We also exchanged e-mail addresses to send over files and pictures for our blogs and website.

Below are some screenshots of the Whatsapp group and e-mails:

Production: Formal First Day of Shooting

Yesterday, we had our first day of shooting after our preliminary day of shooting.

We went to the loans room to take out the Panasonic camera, tripod, headphones, microphone and used my memory SD card to store the footage in.

We interviewed 3 people today and below are behind-the-scenes pictures of our day of shooting.

All group members were present.

Lawrence is setting up the camera. Ready to record our interview with Rohin.

Eliana is taking a turn at directing whilst I ask Rohin questions from my question sheet.

We had to move the shoot to a different location as it started raining.

A student was kind enough to answer some questions for us as well. 

Production: First Day of Filming

On the 13th of February, we did a preliminary shoot to make sure we understood how to use the equipment and to overcome any problems that may have occurred.

The first time we took out the equipment, we were given a Sony camera instead of the Panasonic and like last year,  I thought the Sony camera would detect the memory card itself and we could shoot from the get-go but that wasn't the case.

We shot two interviews and some extra footage of the students and the town but when we inserted the memory card into the computer, the files didn't show up.

Naturally, me, Lawrence and Eliana panicked as our footage wasn't showing up so we ran to see the IT technician for help. He formatted the memory card to the Sony camera however in the process, we lost all the footage that was actually stored in the camera and not the memory card.

We also had an issue with the microphone we were using. The loans room gave us the microphone without any batteries in it so it was only later on that we realised that even if we did have any footage, we wouldn't be able to hear anything.

Here are the things I learnt from that disastrous day of shooting: 
1. Always format the memory card to the camera before shooting
2. Always move the video files from the camera to the computer before formatting if necessary.
3. Always, always check the microphone has batteries inside.

Pre-Production:Researching Leave Your Daily Hell

Leave Your Daily Hell- http://leaveyourdailyhell.com/

I did my own research a few days ago and I came across a website called "Leave Your Daily Hell".
The site is owned by Robert who decided to travel the world and document his journey through blog posts, pictures and videos. When I stumbled across the site, I was so inspired by his work that I decided I would want to use personal pictures and stories to help create our site. The personal pictures would come our friends and submissions to the e-mail address I will create for the site as the aim is to make it user generated content.

Colour scheme:

• The colour scheme of the website is a very simple white and blue- common colours that are associated with fresh air and travelling. I liked the colour scheme because it complimented the pictures and correlated with the theme of the website which was to inspire readers to go on mystic journeys. 
  

Logo: 

• The logo seems to be a blue bird which I feel fits with the website perfectly. It is simple, refined and elegant which matches the content and vibe of the website. 
  

Font: 

• The font is very easy to read and matches in with the vibe of the website. It's not too fancy or cartoon-like rather it is simple, straight and pleasing to the eye and doesn't overwhelm other aspects of the page. 

Social media: 

• Each page has links to Robert's different social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Considering that our site would just be starting out, I think a Facebook page would be enough for us and move on to Instagram later on.
  
   

Pre-Production: Theory

When designing the website first time round in Semester 1, I liked the idea of bringing together people from different backgrounds and experiences and asking them to share these experiences on one, single platform.

During one of our first meetings, Lawrence mentioned that the website should aim to promote a feeling of "togetherness" and his suggestion made me think of a term coined by Marshall McLuhan.
McLuhan stated that due to the rise in electronic technology, time and space was compressing and that the world has turned into a "global village". McLuhan published his work in the 1960's and predicted that the next technological revolution would be an "extension of consciousness" whereby people would be able to store their whole lives online and share with others.

McLuhan didn't know back then the Internet would gain so much momentum in the 1990's and become what it is today, something that people depend on.

I realise that I am drawing upon the most smallest aspect of the "global village" when in fact, the theory and term is more than the idea of togetherness however I feel that for our project, this theory serves us well.

So whilst designing the website, my group and I led with the idea that we want to bring people together on one platform and connect them with people who may be living on the other side of the world and that is the theme that underpins the whole project.

Pre-Production: Budget Sheet

Below is a budget sheet I made so that the group would have a clear idea of how much it would cost us to make the whole website.

I found the budget sheet very useful as it allowed me to layout the costs effectively and clearly without having to refer back to e-mails from  HostGator to see how much it was costing us to make the website.

Website budget from arfa4739

Pre-Production: Shooting schedule

Here is the preliminary shooting schedule I have created for the group. It is not the final shooting schedule because I am very aware of the fact that the weather will be a huge problem for us so I suspect the dates will be moved around quite a lot.

Shooting schedule from arfa4739

Pre-Production: Equipment & Software

Below is a list of the possible equipment we will need for filming and a list of programmes we will use to create the website:

Software:

Adobe Photoshop- We will use this programme to create the logo and header for the website. I used Photoshop last year to edit some of the photos on my website but this year it will be purely used to make the website more aesthetically pleasing.
Adobe Premier Pro- We will use this programme to edit the video content of the website. This will primarily be used by Lawrence as he is the editor.

Adobe Audition- This website will be used to mix the music for the video if necessary. It is up to Lawrence if he wishes to use it.

WordPress- I will use WordPress to create the website. The reasons why I want to use WordPress will be addressed in a seperate blog post.

HostGator- I will use HostGator to host the actual website and WordPress will be the website making platform. HostGator seems to be quite popular and there is a deal running right now where the first month of hosting is available at a discounted website.

Equipment:

Libec Tripod-  We will use this tripod to keep the camera steady and help adjust the height of tripod once the camera is on so that we can film at different heights. We will also use the camera without the tripod to record some footage at good camera angles.

Audio Technica- We will use this microphone during film to capture our target audience's views and stories.

 

Panasonic HC-X900- We will use this camera to record the interviews and other video content. I think this camera is better than the Sony one available from the loans room as it detects the memory card immediately.

 

Sennheiser HD201.PR- We will use these headphones to determine whether the feedback we are receiving from the microphone is clear. I think it will also help us determine the sound quality of the whole video.

Pre-Production: Meeting 1 Notes

Below are the notes from meeting 1. In this meeting, we discussed what programmes we were going to use and just general ideas in relation to how to build up the website.

Meeting 1 from arfa4739

Pre-Production: The mood...

For semester two, I put forward the idea to the group that we should expand on the website that I did last year because I felt there was enough material there to build up on it.

We met up on the 3rd of February 2014 and discussed properly where we could see this website going and Lawrence suggested that we should make a website that promotes a feeling of "togetherness" which I really liked.

Overall, we wanted the mood for our website to be relaxed, trendy and open. What I mean by open is that it is easy to navigate and appealing to the eye.

I decided to create a new moodboard for the website because I feel like that last year, the website was really basic whereas this year, I want the website to have a clear theme, clear colour scheme and a clear vibe but full of information, pictures and maybe some video content too.

The vibe here is pure adventure- seek for new ideas, thoughts and learn from the adventures of others.

Below is a picture of my moodboard. I found the images from Google as I don't want to use the pictures intended for my website, I would rather they find a place on the website first before being used as examples on my blog post.

Pre-Production: Team Roles

During our meeting, we discussed the team roles.

Below is a brief description of what each member will contribute to:

Arfa- Project manager, designer and programmer:

• This role will involve overseeing the broad ascepts of the project which includes communicating with the group effectively, organising the filming schedules, group meetings and editing meetings. It also involves being able to use programmes such as Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe Photoshop confidently and being able to assist when necessary. This role will also involve me setting up the hosting and wordpress accounts for the website and deciding with the group website templates and what kind of posts to uplooad.

Lawrence- Editor, producer and director:

• This role involves dealing with the video content of the website which is a very time consuming task. Lawrence will deal with deciding the camera angles, lighting and locations of the shot whilst keeping the website's vision in mind. Lawrence will also use Adobe Premier Pro and other programmes such as Adobe Audition to get the sound and look of the video just right.

Eliana- Social media marketing executive, designer:

• This role will involve Eliana designing the logo for the website, uploading some content on the website of her own and dealing with the social media aspect of the website which involves creating a Facebook account and an Instagram account if necessary. The logo work in itself is a vital task as the logo needs to fit with the mood of the website and work well with the content. The social media aspect is also important as it is important to have a way to communicate with our regular contributors and keep in touch with them . 

Even though we all have our own roles which will contribute to the creation of the website, I feel like it is vital to point out and maintain that we will all be helping with each other and that everyone's opinion matters. For example, even though Lawrence will be dealing with the video content of the website, I would love for the whole group to try and be with him when he is editing and offer him some suggestions the way I hope my group will help me in choosing the temple and colour scheme of the sight. 

Project Proposal on Prezi

Below is a copy of the project proposal we wrote as a Prezi presentation. We did this in order to make our proposal more interactive as well as more aesthetically pleasing:

http://prezi.com/r5sjbdolrfkm/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share