Barbering Video - Evaluation

 

Barbing Tutorial - Evaluation

Production Stage

The production stage was the most enjoyable stage, this is because it was the time where my group could really get out heads together and come up with specific ideas to achieve an effective, clear video. We did this by appointing specific people to specific roles 

Lucas - chief editor

Kyle - lights / Camera 2

Robert Andrews - director

Leon - camera operator

Alex - lights

Jordi - behind the scenes photographer. 

As you can see we all had specific jobs to do to make a good video. We appointed Rob as the director as he had a clear vision of how he wanted the video to turn out. I was on camera 1 which would capture close up shots and moving shots with Mark. Kyle was placed on lights and also on camera 2. This was because we wanted to have clear lighting set up so we could show as much detail in the haircut as well this is also why we had Alex on the lights as well. Kyle was also in charge of overlooking camera 2 which would capture stationary shots from a fixed angle in front of the model head. This was so we had continuity in the shots from camera two and also to have backup footage in case the moving footage didn't turn out well.

The behind the scenes photographer was Jordi, we decided to include this so we had supporting evidence that we could show to prove it was our own work. 

Once we had the roles we then got some ideas together working with notes that were taken during the call with Mark where he told us specific details he wanted to add into the video and things he didn't want to add. At this process, we came up with certain ideas such as a variety of shot types eg close-ups, mid shots, establishing shots etc. This helped us during the filming process as it gave us many options on how to vary our video to fit the set criteria. As we had two cameras set up it allowed me to experiment with different shot types while keeping camera two stationary and in a fixed position to help not only vary shot types but also to have as a backup if we needed it. 

Recording with Mark

During the recording stage, we used quite a lot of equipment so we could achieve good video quality. As you can see from the pictures above we used the house lighting to light up all of the scenes to have a nice crisp background but also used some solo lights to help get rid of any shadows on the white background. This helps keep the audience focused on the subject in the frame and not become distracted by any shadows in the background. 

Camera 1 was going to be the more active camera that would collect moving shots and get in real close to the subject because of this we decided to utilise a gimbal as this would help us get a steady extreme close up and close up shots. This is a device that is used when you want to eliminate camera shake that could have a negative effect on your product. We used the gimbal so we could capture steady, clear footage without the unwanted camera shake, this turned out to be the best option as we managed to eliminate most of the camera shake in the collected footage. The camera settings I used on camera 1 was a shutter speed of 1/80 combined with an aperture number of F5.6 to help blur the background in places but also to help compose a nice frame to look at. I paired these settings with an ISO of 400 so I could achieve a nice, clean white background that helped to contrast with the dark hair on the model to expose more detail in the cut.

For camera 2 we had that placed on a tripod just in front of the model head. We did this because this would be our main camera that would capture the haircut as a whole so we needed it to be nice and stable to get the best result. If we tried holding it for the entire haircut the footage would be shakey and wouldn't effectively grab the attention of the audience. 

Overall we captured a lot of footage from both cameras, this was perfect as I would rather have more than enough footage than not enough as it then allows us to experiment with different editing styles and helps us to come up with a better end product. 

Editing Process

The editing process for this particular video was fairly straight forwards as there was no need for any special effects or any special editing techniques as its primary use is to be a tutorial video. However, if this video was more of a cinematic B roll type video to be used for promotional use only then I would have adopted a more cinematic and more unique editing style by using tools such as masking and speed ramping. 

For this video in particular I primarily used the cut and split tool in order to chop up and move certain clips around to help fit with the selected soundtrack I had chosen. I tried to make the transitions on the beat so it felt natural and satisfied the viewer making them watch on and learn more about the hair cut its self. I also used transitions during the video to help spice it up more after watching a solid few minutes of a haircut, just to keep the viewer entertained and satisfied with the product. I didn't want to over-complicate the edit with special effects etc because I believe it didn't need it as it isn't going to be a solo promotional video just a learning tools. I also used the list of notes I collected when I met with Mark to discuss what he wanted so I could tailor it towards what he wanted from me. I used these notes during my editing stage to help me create a near-perfect product for Mark with as much of his ideas included as possible. 

When editing transition I mainly used dissolve type transitions as these are the most effective in my opinion due to their fast-paced movement and don't last too long to the point where they look tacky. I tried to include a seamless transition when mark walked in front of the lens to create a nice smooth effect progress into the next shot. This worked very well as it is very satisfying to watch and fits the video rather well. I also used keyframes in my video a noticeable usage of these is at the start where the college logo grows in size and gives the illusion that it is coming towards the viewer. Apart from that i didn't use any other tools in order to create my end product and kept it rather simple to have the desired effect of teaching people how to do the particular haircut. 

Feedback 

Once I had finished my edit I created a google form for some of my peers to fill out with appropriate feedback for me to possibly improve on. On the form, I had a few simple questions for my peers to complete to help me identify what they liked or didn't like and what they would change if it was their own work. This helped me to see how others
would approach such a product and how they would act when creating it. 

Once I created the form I sent it out to a few of my peers for them to complete here is the feedback. 

As you can see from the results my peers did in fact enjoy the video about the haircut and gave me some constructive criticism. They gave me points about removing certain parts and also possibly changing the music, however would be rather difficult as it would have to still be royalty-free music which is easy to find but difficult to find one that would fit with the video. Overall I took this feedback on board so I could change things later on if I was to do a similar project to this and also in my general work. I liked that people enjoyed my camera angles and shot type variation as this is something that I wanted to include from the start to help interest the viewer in my video. This is because in a few of the existing video I studied the shot type variation was very basic and didn't change at all in certain circumstances. 

Behind the Scenes Photos

getting the angle

Director talking to Mark asking about shot types

Director Rob talking to Kyle camera 2 operator 

Director checking the shots

Discussing techniques

Rob showing me his ideas.

Conclusion

Overall, I am rather happy with how my end product turned out as I believe it to be rather effective in getting its main point across to the viewer and can effectively teach them how to carry out a skin fade on a person. I kept the video edit rather simple as I believe this to be the most effective way of getting the point across to the viewer. The use of the music helps the viewer to focus on the video as both the video and soundtrack fit together rather well and combined with the on beat editing has helped me blend the song in with the video to make it a satisfying experience for the viewer. 

The initial research also went quite well as there was plenty of information about Sunderland college as a whole but looking for information specifically about the barber course was hard to find. In order to overcome this I decided to use the college information for facts about who attends college (age groups) what level courses the college offers to students and other people who attend. From this information, I collected I managed to decide and plan accordingly about how I would create a video that would entice them and keep them focuses. 

I also looked at some already pre-existing products that are readily available on the internet for anyone to look at and follow. This was a helpful step as I could get an idea of what other people were doing and see how their videos were created and come up with a special, unique idea that would differ from the pre-existing products making mine unique. 

I looked at the pacing of already existing video and found that they were relatively fast-paced as they were conventional step 1, step 2 type videos, but some of the video about full haircuts were a lot slower paced so that the viewer could pick up on details and perform the cut on their own at their own pace. From this, I decided I would make my video a slow-paced video as in the brief we were told it might be used as a learning tool and therefore needs to be clear and precise in order to show/teach people how to perform the cuts. I looked at how long haircuts usually took which would gauge how long my video should be, I came to the conclusion that I should be around 10 to 20 minutes to capture the full cut in detail which would be key for my video. This was also later confirmed by Mark who said it should be in that time frame.