Induction Evaluation

Induction Evaluation

The factual programme I deconstructed in preparation for the task was Channel 4's The Billion Pound Hotel. From just the first minute 20 individual shots were used, the majority of which were establishing shots of the surrounding area, the exterior and then interior of the hotel. From this, I was inspired to use multiple establishing shots (which were done with a myriad of angles) as well as the interview based mid shots that the Programme also used. The only effects the programme seemed to use as well were cuts between shots and over-dubs on the footage with a narration and background music, both of which I mirrored in my short video.

My video was made as if it were a section of a college prospectus, specifically the sport department of BHASVIC. I began the edit with an establishing panorama shot of the playing fields, and within the shot the music entered as did some audio from an interview.

Other establishing shots I used include the following:

The narrative of the video is heavily based on the interviews conducted with students at BHASVIC, asking their thoughts on the sports department. All interviews were filmed using a mid close-up shot.

Also, as the interviewees mentioned certain things a shot of something would overlap with a contextually appropriate shot (a technique used in The Billion Pound Hotel). In this instance, footage of basketball:

In the edit, only one visual dissolve was used and I utilised a fade to black effect at the end (aside from these, solely cuts were used). I also jumped between segments of the interviews, keeping what's actually said and shown concise, contextually appropriate and interesting. This also meant that I split up parts of the interviews intermittently, going back to different individuals in order to make the narrative flow better, an example being putting together the footage of whether the interviewees would recommend the department to others. 

The sound between shots were transitioned as well, so that the video didn't seem so uncomfortable or jolty in watching. This technique was used because prospectus style documentaries are designed to make the subject appeal to the viewer, so smoother transitions can make the subject matter seem calmer, friendlier and, in turn, more desirable to watch.

I believe that what went well within the video were the cuts and arrangements between shots. Furthermore, I think the way in which the interviews were used throughout the prospectus was very successful.

However, I believe the camerawork would need to be improved to be better, more specifically the focus on certain shots, the actual type of shots used, and the positioning of the camera. Moreover, the sound quality was not terrific, with various bumps and scratches on the mic. These things would need to be checked in advance to actually shooting the footage for a more successful video.