Production Gear

How to use Production Gear

{This is a link to our instructional video titled 'How To Use Production Gear': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wsm2q5vvmg}

Our task was to create an instructional video that clearly demonstrated to the audience how to use the different pieces of equipment associated with audio and video production (microphone, camera etc.). We explained and demonstrated how each piece of production gear was set up safely and properly, how each was used effectively, and why they specifically were used. We also made sure to emphasise the importance of each piece of equipment by showing the problems we would encounter if just one was taken away. For example, at 1:27 we shut off the lights, and the actor in the video couldn't be seen in the dark, showing how difficult it would be to film without the proper lighting.

What We Did Well

We accomplished our task by clearly demonstrating for the audience how each piece of production gear is used and what their purpose is. For some of the more complicated pieces of equipment like the camera, we used close ups when setting it up as there are many small buttons and switches that cannot be seen from a normal distance.

One of the greatest strengths of our instructional video was the format. The actor (Sam) would introduce a piece of equipment and, step-by-step, would guide the audience through how each one was used and what its main purposes were. The transitions between each demonstration were also smooth and kept the video well-paced. I passed equipment to the actor from out of the shot so that there were no silent pauses and the video's rhythm was never broken. Anytime that there were pauses, we were able to fix this in post-production by adding transitions such as fade in, swipe and dissolve.

What Could Have Been Improved

There were a few problems with the instructional video that we didn't notice until we had uploaded it to YouTube, and that we would improve upon if we were to repeat the task. For example, in the final video, because of the music we used to accompany the video, the actor can sometimes be difficult to hear, as the music is slightly too loud. If we were to repeat the task, we would make sure the actor's voice could still be heard over the music, as the instructions given throughout the video are more important than the video's soundtrack and therefore it is more important that they are heard.

The video also ends quite abruptly which could throw off some audiences as the rest of the video is fairly well-paced. Instead of going straight from the final demonstration to fading out, we could have come up with a better conclusion to our video in which the actor would have thanked the viewer for watching the video and said goodbye, as this would have appeared as a lot less rushed and abrupt than our ending to the final video.

How We Worked As A Group

I believe we worked consistently well as a group throughout the project. Our Director had a clear idea of what he wanted to film, but as a group we all had our own input and helped to shape the video into a final version that we were very happy with. Our cameramen also worked efficiently and one member of the group also helped write a script for our actor. Our actor was enthusiastic throughout the project and was always open to new ideas that he would act out. As a group, we worked together to edit the video.

I operated the microphone as well as assisting the actor by passing him the pieces of equipment that he would then demonstrate how to use to the camera. I also helped with the editing process as I was familiar with the software and had some input with the soundtrack we chose to accompany the video.