LO4: Activity Sheet 15

Summative review

The strengths of the working processes include working with others in The Tree of Light project. I enjoyed working with the project leaders to help them come up with constructive feedback to send back to The Henley Festival at the end of each session. The other strengths of my working on the project have been editing many different videos at the same time; this has helped me gain more skills, combining my organisation skill with working Premiere Pro as quickly as possible to get more work done to meet the tight deadlines. On the other hand the weaknesses of this completed project would include the equipment I was using, this slowed me down quite a bit as the tripod stopped me from achieving the best shot I could get while the computer stop me from editing to my best ability’s due to trying to conserve time to render the work for export.

The responses to my work from my client and my teacher have conclusively been very helpful with the development of my video, it has helped me gain experience on how to improve the quality of my work and make it more informational to the audience. The end product of my video was visibly better because of the constructive feedback I had received from both people. The improvements I needed to make made me look at the video from another angle which made it clear that the video did not explain what the project was about.

Some goals for future improvement include getting the correct equipment sorted before filming, this would mean advanced preparation for organising buy the equipment or borrowing the equipment to make sure I had it ready working for the days of shooting. Looking at the feedback I gathered from my tutor and class I would also set another goal of after finishing an edit looking back at the film as I had never seen it before. This will help me think of new ways to inform the audience about the topic DVD using some credits and pops outs.

Future commissions

To make sure potential clients see my work I will add the work to a portfolio, this folder will include many pieces of work which I have completed over the past few years from videos I have filmed to photos I have taken and essays I have written, making sure I show a range of work to show my full potential in the working world. Additionally I will include the details of the many commissions to my CV; this will help broadcast my range of experience in creating pieces of work for business. This information will also include a few statements from the companies I have works with stating how well I have completed the work at a professional standard and how they would recommend me to other companies wanting similar work completed. I will not create a website to broadcast my work as most of the work I have created does not have permission to allow their work on social media websites and websites which are not related to the topic of the project.

LO4: Activity Sheet 14

Self-evaluation

I started this project by meeting with The Henley Festival to gather information about the project and receive a brief from them. After this is started to break down the requirements they set to come up with some other ideas using a mind map, I did this to combine my ideas with the brief to make sure the product at the end will be to a high standard. I could not extend my ideas too much in this project as the brief I got set did not give me much room to be creative as they had set strict requirements for want they wanted to see from the filming workshop.

The research I undertook was very important to help me come up with some ideas about how I could edit my footage; these ideas included whether I should use music to over right the footage or to use the audio from the ordinal footage. I found from the research I completed that it was best if you used a bit of both, combining the best audio received from the footage with some music to mix up the sound of the video. This really helped the quality of the edited video as it help build up a story for the audience, listening to the over view of the project from the workshop leaders and then switching to the music focusing on the joyful expressions from the children.

While I was in the production stage of my project, filming the workshop, many factors went well. This included the type of footage I gathered such as reaction shot from the children, watching them be inspired by what they saw in the session. Other factors included the feedback from the children during the workshop, many of the responses I herd were how much they enjoyed the session and how it has helped them open up their eye to the way they see the trees in their garden. On the other hand the parts of production that went badly included the footage I gathered when I using the tripod for some shots; I had this problem due to the tripod being sticky which would not allow me to twist the camera around smoothly to capture a panning shot of the children. I overcame this problem by capturing the panning shots by hand, this turn out really well as they were much smother compared to the shots captured with the tripod. But as this was the only problem with the production of this project I believe this stage went really smoothly and I feel there was not much room for improvement.

The final project was very successful but very busy, I completed three different films two of which included the final result of a dance routine and the third included the Trinity video documenting the three filming workshops. The final cuts of all the three films turned out really well, they included all the requirements which were included in the brief which meant when I handed the DVDs into the festival they were very happy with the final results.

I learnt many technical skills during this project; these include working the camera and Premiere Pro quickly. The camera skills I gained include working the camera quickly to capture the different reactions from the children while still looking for opportunities to film the project leaders teaching the children about the trees and the project. The other skill I gained was editing projects quickly at a high standard in Premiere Pro, during the editing process I found many different ways to cut the editing time by using different tools to cut up the footage into different sections and selecting the footage to add effects to the whole project at once.

If I was going to do a similar project in the future I would make sure I had a better tripod and a faster computer to complete the editing for the project. I found when I was completing this project a lot of time was wasted trying to get the best shot from a tripod which was not working to its best and a computer which was not built for as much editing as I was doing on it. I feel if I applied these improvements to a project similar in the future I will be able to complete the project to a higher standard that I did this time round.

Feedback from other sources

            I gathered feedback from my client at Henley Festival, after she had watched the video once she gave me some feedback. The feedback included adding some more headings and tags to show what is happening in the video. After initial feedback she watched the video again she gave extra information i could included in the credits to make it clearer that the organiser was The Henley Festival and the activity was about Film Production. After I received my feedback I re-edited my documentary to include the feedback, after this I handed back into the Festival office as a final product.

I gathered extra feedback from my tutor and the class, this feedback made me go away and re-think editing changing the video slightly before handing the DVD into Mandy Beard at The Henley Festival. These changes included making the voice audio louder, cutting some fades out, adding some informational text and deleting some shot to extend others. I made these changes as the feedback I received was focused on the class not understanding the reason for the video; this is why they suggested adding some informational text to explain the project at the beginning of the video. Other feedback I received was targeted at different cuts needing to be changed and audio needing to be at a higher volume.  I really value this feedback as it has helped improve my work to a higher slandered so when I handed the video into Mandy Beard she was very impressed with the quality of the work.

            After receiving feedback from my client and teacher I can start to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the work I completed. The strengths of the work would included the content I put in my video, it included a wide range of activities from the three workshops as well as the reaction shots from the children as the activities progressed. The weaknesses of my video included the lack extra content in the documentary, this involved not introducing the project and the project leaders in the video which made it hard for the audience to understand the reason for making the video. After receiving the feedback from the client and my teacher I feel that my video has improved dramatically and I am pleased with the professional standard it is up to.

LO3: Final Product

Videos Completed For Tree Of Light Project

Trinity Primary School – Documentary Video, Tree of Light Filming Workshop  

Robert Piggott Jr. – Dance Video, Tree of Light Dance Workshop

St Johns Primary School – Dance Video, Tree of Light Dance Workshop

These video cannot be uploaded onto this blog or any other social networking website due to legal reasons, all these videos have been put on a disk for examination.

LO2: Consent Forms - For Filming and Photographing Children

Letter Sent Home to Parent/Guardian

CIAO!/Henley Festival/Reading Borough Council/Windsor Festival requests permission to record images of children/young people participating in the Tree of Light Project Sept 2010 – August 2012

To be completed by person legally responsible for the child (ie parent/legal guardian).  

If this form is not completed – either permitting or withholding consent – it may mean that your child cannot participate fully in the workshop.

Thames Arts (comprising the CIAO! Festival, Henley Festival, Oxford Inspires and Windsor Festival) is pleased to be presenting the Tree of Light project as part of the London 2012’s Community Celebrations programme supported by the Legacy Trust, Arts Council England and others. We would like your permission to take photographs during the workshop.  These will be used for the purposes of documenting and promoting the project by the organisations in the Thames Arts Consortium and its Communications consultancy, RM Communications and key stakeholders (Legacy Trust UK and Arts Council England). They will not be used for commercial purposes or by and other parties beyond those working in partnership on the project and by the media for publicity purposes.

Surname/Family Name of Child ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Forenames/Given Names of Child …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Home Address ..................................................................................…………….....……

......................................................................................................

Date of Birth ………………….………..….. 

I give permission for my child to be photographed as part of the above project.

 Yes/No

Signed (Person legally responsible for the child (i.e parent/legal

guardian).........………………………………………………….

Full name (BLOCK CAPITALS)............................…........................ 

Date ………………………………………………….

Children's International Arts Organisation is a company registered in England and Wales. 

Company number: 4823610   Charity number: 1111140   VAT registration number: 864785569 – Change this to contact details for your organisation.

Consent Confromation Letter Sent to the Schools

CIAO!/Henley Festival/Reading Borough Council/Windsor Festival requires confirmation that all children involved in the Tree of Light project have returned appropriate consent forms regarding filming, photography and recording. These forms relate to permission for partners in the Thames Arts Consortium and key stakeholders (CIAO!, Henley Festival, Oxford Inspires. Windsor Festival, RM Communications, Legacy Trust UK and Arts Council England) to photograph, film and record children’s voices as part of the this project. These recordings may be used for the following purposes: on the Tree of Light and Thames Arts partners’ websites and in its electronic media, in local newspapers; for a film documenting the project; and in Thames Arts partners’ publicity materials. These images and voice recordings may be made available to local and national media including TV and radio.

At events and activities associated with this project, teachers are responsible for ensuring that any children who have had permission withheld remain within an area that is designated for non recording purposes.

Please sign below:

I confirm that consent forms have been returned for all children participating in this project and that teachers responsible for children who have had permission withheld or who have not returned appropriate consent forms will ensure that these children remain areas designated for non filming purposes.

Signed: ____________________________  Head Teacher

            ____________________________ (Please print name)

Date:    ____________________________

(Both letters were signed by the appropriate people and sent back to the Henley Festival, all the children film and photographed had permitition by their Parents/Guardians)

LO2: Activity 12

Contingency Plan

Name: Sarah Innes
Title of project: The Tree of Light
Potential problem	Trouble shooting methods
Having footage which could not be in the final cut due to parental permission of child being in the video.	On the days, filming lots of other footage for other options.
My final cut of the film not being to the high standard of The Henley Festival.	Making sure I have a good few days to improve it before final deadline.
The film not including the shots that the festival wanted to show in the documentary film.	Making sure I have taken all the different shots I can on the day of filming so I have other footage options to fall back on.
Computer problems not being able to edit the footage and copy the final cut.	Making sure I have another computer I can work on in case I have difficulty with my laptop editing the footage.
The camera breaking in the gaps of filming the three activities.	Making sure that the College is aware of the possibility that I may need to borrow a camera, so I have a backup if my camera breaks or gets damage.

Production Diary

Filming date	What happened
31/10/2011	Today I filmed the children at Trinity school taking part in the Tree of Light activity’s, the highlights for the children included being outside and learning many facts about the  trees, these facts included how long the tree roots were, the fact that trees sweat and how much carbon monoxide the tree take in. One girl talked about the morning as 'being very relaxed and happy.... it is like being in your dream garden'.  The children found it very interesting seeing the film footage of the tree canopies, showing the different wild life which use the tree in everyday life, squirrels use the bark to wear down their teeth while the bats uses them to sleep in if they have not made it back home in time. Their favoured part of Rob filming in the tree was when he swung down in one go, it was exciting to see the view of dropping down from a high height. The children were very excited about the next week activities, after learning so much about the trees they were very keen to get on and start filming their tree film.
07/11/2011	Today I filmed the children at Trinity school taking part in the Tree of Light activity’s, the highlights for the children included expressing their feeling with acting, they loved getting up in front of the camera and showing their idea though acting out the key features of the tree such as providing us with a good source of oxygen. One story a girl came up with to respect oxygen was ‘at sports day a boy is struggling for breath after a run, so the children take him over to the tree so he can breathe again’. I ask a few children at the end of the activity about the 2012 Olympics, the children shared their though very enthusiastically saying strait away that they are very excited, some of the children had ticket for some of the events such as the diving. Many of them like being a part of the Tree of Light as it makes them feel a part of the games, it also lets them understand more about nature and how to protect it by recycling.
21/11/2011	Today was the final filming session at Trinity School, the workshop was focused on getting the footage for the final film, at the beginning of the morning Brek and Luke were mapping out the course for filming, after this the children came up to the field to watch the footage of them rehearsing the previous week. Getting into their groups Brek did a practise of the shots with the children before heading down to the school to get change and continuing their rehearsals. one by one the group went up to the field to film their scenes taking a few attempts to get the correct shot, while each group was being filmed the others either were in the hall practising or getting their voice recorded to get the clear audio. Overall the day was very positive, the children were very excited about being filmed, jumping up and down when seeing themselves on camera, they were very happy about finally getting the project filmed after some hard practicing.

LO2: Activity 11

Health and Safety Record

Student name: Sarah Innes
Client name: Mandy Beard
Title of project: The Tree of Light
Potential health and safety issue	Risk controls put in place
Children running and tripping on the camera equipment.	Making sure the children no and understand to keep clear of the camera equipment and keeping the equipment out of the way when I am not using it.
Dropping the camera while filming, it creating a hazard for the children.	Keeping hold of the camera at all times, if I am not using it, packing it up out of the way of the activity.
Slipping on the floor or the grass surface.	Being aware of how careful I need to be while walking, what surface could be a slipping risk.
Food and drink damaging the technology I am using.	Keeping the equipment away from any food and drink, as this will damage the camera and may harm the children around it.
Being hit by falling sticks and leafs from the tree while I am filming the activity.	Keep out from under the tree, making sure you are aware of what the instructor is doing in the tree before getting closer, in case he is just about to move.
Cars driving along the road outside the school.	If you are going to be shooting long shots of the school, make sure the road is clear before doing so.

LO2: Activity 10

Production Schedule

Student name: Sarah Innes
Client name: Mandy Beard
Title of project:  The Tree of Light
Final deadline: 05/12/2011
Interim deadlines: After each workshop email Mandy Beard with an update on the event and a brief outline on how you documented the workshops.
Task/activity	Resources/Equipment to be used	Start date	Completion date
Filming the first activity of The Tree of Light project at Trinity School, documenting the success and joy of the day.	Video Camera Tripod Pen and Paper	31/10/2011	31/10/2011
Filming the second activity of The Tree of Light project at Trinity School, documenting the success and joy of the day.	Video Camera Tripod Pen and Paper	07/11/2011	07/11/2011
Filming the third and final activity of The Tree of Light project at Trinity School, documenting the success and joy of the day.	Video Camera Tripod Pen and Paper	14/11/2011	14/11/2011
Have a meeting with Mandy Beard on how well the activities went, showing the footage I have captured.	Footage on camera or memory stick Pen and Paper	14/11/2011	16/11/2011
Make a first draft of the documentary video, and send it to Mandy Beard to receive feedback.	Documentary on a CD	16/11/2011	25/11/2011
After receiving feedback from Mandy Beard improve work and send it in for final deadline.	Documentary on a CD	23/11/2011	05/12/2011

LO2: Activity 9

Project Proposal

Proposal

For my commission I intend to film 3 activities at Trinity School in Henley, I will set out to document the different activities using film to capture the children’s expressions and the content of the tasks they are being set in the duration of the 3 activities. My final task is to produce a DVD short documentary showing the 3 activities which The Trinity School has taken part in, I will aim to show how the children have benefited from them and how it has opened their eyes to different subjects such as film. My idea is very appropriate for the brief I have been set as it covers the task of documenting the activities and additional I will make sure I interview a few adult and children off camera to find out what their thoughts are of the activity’s to send back in a feedback email to Mandy Beard. The proposed work meets the target audience as it shows the Henley community and the UK what the Tree of Light project is and how it will help the children in the area. They will be intrigued by the video as it shows how the London 2012 Olympics is not only helping the country with sport but also helping the young children discover new hobbies and interest.

The stages of the project

The stages will include making a brain storm of ideas, what type of shots I want to include in the video, what message I want to get across to the audience and the types of voice footage I want to capture. After this I will make sure I have the correct equipment I need for filming before I go to my first activity, this equipment will include a video camera, tripod, pen and paper to wright down the responses to the activities. After I gather this equipment I will film the three activities at Trinity School, capturing as many different shots as possible so when I start editing I have lots of footage to work will. The next stage after filming would be to have a meeting with Many Beard to show her the different footage I captured so we can come up with an idea together on how I can edit it. After coming up with an idea from the meeting I will edit the footage and copy it on to a disk to gather my first piece of feedback. The feedback I will receive form Mandy Beard will help me to improve my work to a higher slandered till she is happy with what I have come up with for the project.

Pitching to the client

An important aspect for when you are presenting a proposal to a client is that you are prepared, that you know and understand the proposal inside out. This is very important to make sure you do as if the commissioner want to ask a question you can give them a detailed in depth answer, making sure your commissioner understands the angle you are taking in the project and how you have incorporated their ideas with yours. This will impress the commissioner if you present an excellent proposal, this will help with working together as they will be able to trust you will completing the task they have set. 

Coming up with a good proposal consist of completely understanding the brief before coming up with an ideas on what you could do; you have to understand the limits of the project, what you can and can’t do concerning the project. With this information in hand you can start coming up with a good proposal, the proposal in meant to inform your commissioner what your intentions are, so you need to have in depth information on what you are planning to do and what you plan it to end up like. The main importance of the proposal is that you include information on the stages of the project and how you will manage the commission you have been set.

Budget

Student name: Sarah Innes
Client name: Many Beard
Project title: Tree of Light
Project Budget	N/A
Required materials	- Video Camera - Tripod - Sound equipment (Microphone) - Editing booth - DVD
Equipment (To buy or hire)	Per Day Camera – £140 + VAT Tripod - £25 + VAT Microphone - £25 +VAT Editing Suite + Editor – £320 For 50 Units DVD (Blank) - £8
Personnel Costs	Per Day Camera Man – £700
Post production costs	£320
Contingency (10%) of budget	£122
Total project budget	£1,218