Personal progress so far

As I spend more time at the Hull Daily Mail, I am becoming more and more confident. When I get into the office I am able to answer any emails that I need to, and get on with the work I have to complete. I have a range of work to complete whilst here, and sometimes some added extras such as news stories and features.

Although I don’t like being on the phone, I don’t hesitate to ring someone if I need to, the same with meeting people for interviews. I have found that I am also becoming less nervous and just get on with what I need to do.

There are a few things I would like to do whilst there, such as perhaps setting up some fashion shoots like was mentioned in my interview, so I will need to mention this whilst in the office to see if it is a possibility. Whilst in the office I would like to gain as much skill in my chosen areas as possible so hopefully this will be something I can do.

Net-A-Porter: The Edit

The Edit is an online magazine produced by online shopping website Net-A-Porter. As a ‘luxury fashion destination’ the magazine focuses mainly on fashion and beauty, featuring clothes that you can buy on the website This includes fashion pictorials and interviews with designers.

Something that stood out in The Edit is their use of multimedia. When first looking through the pages it is laid out as a typical magazine, where you click an arrow to turn the page. This made me think it was just a stereotypical magazine, with no changes from the print publications. However, they include multimedia such as videos, making the experience interactive. This is definitely something I am looking to do on my own online magazine.

I am overall really impressed by The Edit. It features a lot of what I would like include in my own product, so will be good inspiration. The layout is simple and professional, working with the website’s brand, and was an interesting read.

Creating a gantt chart

The first thing I have done for this assignment is to create a gantt chart. This is a basic guide to when I should be completing work and in what order, with details of each task I need to complete.

I have created my gantt chart on Tom’s Planner, and it will be useful to map my progress and keep myself organised. From previous assignments I have learnt to create a gantt chart straight away, to keep everything sorted and make sure I am completing tasks at time.

This is my initial gantt chart, on which I have planned each task that I will need to complete for my assignment, and the time in which I need to complete them. Although I’ve tried to organise my plans to allow for other plans such as my work experience, I am sure this will change as time goes on. This is because we also have other assignments that are due in before this one, meaning time may have to be spent on those.

Other tasks will have to be added throughout the year as I create the website and decide on what content will be produced. For example, organising and carrying out photo shoots or setting up interviews. As I add to and modify gantt chart I will post updates.

Improving sound quality

One of the suggestions Jackie made was to improve the sound quality during the interviews. This is because it can be hard to hear over the backing music, which means the video loses some content.

I have managed to change this by editing the sound settings on the audio mixer. Although I did not know how to do this previously, after researching the subject I found the best way to fix the problem. I increased each audio setting, meaning the sound has increased enough to hear well.

Progress on editing

I have pretty much finished editing my promotional video. Although I still have a few shots/ interviews to add, I am currently happy with how it looks. I have started to add titles and captions, and have added some music which I need to edit the volume of.

I will need to find out how to make sure all of my shots are shown in the same size on my video, which I will ask about at university on Tuesday.

After working hard on editing my video, I am happy with my progress and how it has turned out. Video editing is not something I was previously comfortable with, as I struggled on how to do it. However, after spending several days editing my video, I feel like my skills have improved a lot, and I am especially happy that I have something I like the look of, instead of something I am just okay with.

Revised gantt chart

I have revised my gantt chart to reflect my progress with my self-initiated project. I have included when I have shot interviews, and my time frame for editing the footage.

This shows how my plans have changed throughout my assignment, including anything that I might have had to delay or bring forward, as well as any last minute ideas.

Filming last pieces of footage

Over the past few days I have filmed my last pieces for my promotional video.

This has involved filming students holding up pieces of card, each writing what they love about the course. I think it make it more interesting than just panning shots of different views. It gives the student’s a voice, involving them in the promotional video.

I also filmed a student interviewing in the college, showing different aspects of the course. It shows the use of technology on the course, and how much practical we do, instead of just theory.

I may need to film a few more shots to finish off my video, which I will do on the Sunday if need be.

This is my updated version of my Gantt chart. I’ve added periods when I will be filming, as well as organising interviews and editing footage.

I feel that I am progressing well with my self-initiated project. I’ve filmed a good deal of footage, and when I couldn’t go ahead with my original plans I rearranged to get things done.

Rescheduled interviews

After missing my initial interview time due to being ill, I managed to rearrange some interviews for this morning after my first session.

I got short vox pops/ interviews from Lauren, Brad and Nicky, which I can now include in my promotional video.

I may also record some more interviews at a later date in case I need any more footage.

Documentary and Narrative Video 17/03/15

During this session we had a go with the cameras in an attempt to shoot an observational cinema style video. This is when you record footage, but it doesn’t include a narrative, interviews, or much interaction with the camera at all.

Working in groups, we went round the college shooting footage.

This was a great experience, as I hadn’t used the cameras before, so gave me a better idea of how to work them. This means I will be more prepared for when I shoot footage for my documentary for this assignment.