How to Juggle
10/22/2020
Watching the videos in class today was very entertaining. From the video analysis, I learned that a multitude of factors all have to be taken into account if you want to create an effective video. Whether for instructional or entertainment purposes, aspects like background noise vs. music, animation or lack thereof, voiceover and action shots all contribute to the experience of watching, interpreting, and comprehending the content of the video. Most of the clips in the Lincoln trailer were action shots with voiceovers from the actors, which is an effective way to keep viewers intrigued. In the Italian police video, there is music over the video instead of the actual sounds of hundreds of motorcycles, which, in reality, would have been very loud. This contributes to a sense of comfort for the viewer and a kind of shielding from what is actually happening. A few of the videos also have the power to pull at your heart strings. Videos like the Google ad where we watched the little girl grow up can easily cause a visceral reaction in someone, and even drive them to tears. Tactics like this in advertisements may make someone more likely to use or buy the product if they associate it with a positive emotional response.
While watching the poor videos, I learned that background noise is something we definitely want to think about as we create our videos. In one of the bike truing videos, the instructor was outside and you could hear the traffic behind him. This was very distracting and made it hard to understand what he was saying. He also skipped important steps in the process, and the steps he did show ere not completely clear becauise he was too far from the camera. Providing the most efficient point of view which gives the viewer the best angle on the task is also an important consideration. In some of the bike truing videos, the cameraman was focused on the instructor’s face as opposed to the bike wheel, where all the action and necessary instruction were focused. The instructor seemed out of breath, and he was also wearing distracting sunglasses. These aspects caught the viewers attention too heavily and took away from the instructional experience. In my video, I will take care to avoid minor distracting elements like this.
10/27/2020
I took a lot of notes from the review of our storyboards in class today. In my future videos, I need to watch out for hotspots and distracting elements/shadows on my “set”. I should also take point of view into account, whether this is from the “juggler” POV or watching the juggler. Another factor is starting on an introductory shot which sets up your video, and closing on a satisfying shot that feels like it should be the end of the video.
Going into Thursday, I need to begin to think about how I’m going to show the movement of the balls when they’re on the table. Underwater juggling is always an option.
10/29/2020
For my first important clips, I decided to use wooden dowels with carboard and colored cardstock attached at the top to represent the different juggling balls. I thought this method would be the most clear and effective in showing the mechanics of juggling. I like this method and I think I will continue using it. When executing this method of communication in future videos, however, I need to make sure I’m conveying the mechanics accurately, or else there’s not point of having them. My juggling peers pointed out to me that some of my clips were incorrect in showing the juggling procedure.
The revelation that I myself to not personally have to juggle for this video was a huge relief this morning. Hand-eye coordination has never been my strong suit, and I was really struggling with learning how to juggle. For my future videos, I’m going to ask someone who knows how to juggle if they would so kindly model for me.
From the review of our clips in class, I learned that there are a lot of minor factors to keep in mind that we may not have taken into account at first, like how far away or close you are to the camera as you’re performing the task. Having appropriate lighting is anothery key element that contributes to how the viewer interprets the video.
11/03/2020
My peers gave me a lot of constructive feedback from my rough draft video. For my final video, I will try to make the shot of the two ball demonstration more clear. To make the four ball demonstration more clear, I may ask someone else to help me so that I can have all four sticks rotating at the same time, as this would be impossible to do with only two hands. I might also consider holding the sticks just above the paper so that they don’t make the scratchy noise along the paper.
There were some things that my peers did not mention in my video review, but that I notcied and want to fix. One of them would be the sound of the wind in the live-action juggling videos, as well as the effect of the wind on the paper in my juggling demonstration. This can be very distracting. Another would be how in clips of him juggling three and four balls, it doesn’t seem to end on a good note. It just cuts off in the middle of him juggling. For my final video, I think I will instruct him to just juggle the balls a few times and then stop so that it feels like a satisfying end.
From the review of our videos in class, my group pointed out that in some of the live-action juggling clips, the balls are thrown out of the shot. For my final, I will probably pan the camera up a bit more to capture the entire throw. For the purpose of juggling, it’s important to see the pattern of the throw and how the balls are supposed to fall down. Another problem my group pointed out was the change in angles between showing one ball moving and the rest. For my final, I need to keep the angles consistent so as not to confuse the viewer. I also had two different people tell me they thought my paper hands in the juggling demonstration were turtles, so I will be remaking those to make them look more like hands.
11/07/2020
In my second and final filming of Gabe, I directed him more to juggle for a couple of rotations and then stop. I think this was successful in giving the viewer a sense of an ending instead of a stop.
Throughout this project, I learned a lot about attention to detail and the effect that audio and visual elements can have on viewer experience and comprehension. Clear and concise instruction, both through sound and sight, is imperative if you want your video to inform rather than strictly display. The restriction to only one minute really forced me to consider what was essential in conveying instructions on how to juggle. I had to make decisions based on what I believed would be the most effective use of such a short, critical amount of time.
Overall, I am coming to realize the benefit of multiple iterations of one project. Each version of a project shows you what’s working well and what’s not. Discussing versions with your peers can give you new and better ideas for your next revision.
