A few weeks later Equus were due a visit by Mike Delaney a well known Equine Therapist, not only was he very impressed by Equus Solutions centre, he & and the whole team rang me up to congratulate on the video. I had previously been sent Delaneys own promotional video for research, and he revealed that it cost over £5000! So I was pretty pleased with my effort, of course it was a team success between myself the head equus therapist and the whole centre.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Final Revisions & Presentation
Finally the video was complete and the H.T. was happy, however at the last minute we realised it required some screen titles. I quickly research this in google and found Premier had an excellent built in plugin for creating titles. After the titles were added, the movie was complete.
Now I had the finished premier timeline setup, it was just a matter of rendering the movie in appropriate size and video quality. Perhaps just as convoluted as getting the correct camera conversion codec, I finally settled on a .mov with good quality. The file came in at 32meg, to large for website upload.
Equus wanted me to liaise with Crowdcube so the video could be uploaded and featured correctly. I had no worries with ringing up and chatting to the CrowdCube webmaster. It was there plan to upload the videos to youtube, then embed the youtube video into the website. My belief was that youtube would correctly convert uploaded movie files into the .flv youtube format, so I uploaded the 32meg .mov to my own webspace and passed the link onto Crowdcube.
After a day or so, they contacted me saying they couldn't get things working correctly. So i jumped back into gear and decided to convert the movie into .flv myself. Thankfully I had a handy program for converting videos to ipods, which also had a .flv option. After conversion I uploaded it to my own youtube channel to check everything worked 100%.
The actual movie files had been thro so many codecs now the quality was starting to suffer, I was a bit disapointed by this.
I contacted Crowdcube providing them with my .flv and talking them thro any possible problems.
Everything was wrapped up.
Now I had the finished premier timeline setup, it was just a matter of rendering the movie in appropriate size and video quality. Perhaps just as convoluted as getting the correct camera conversion codec, I finally settled on a .mov with good quality. The file came in at 32meg, to large for website upload.
Equus wanted me to liaise with Crowdcube so the video could be uploaded and featured correctly. I had no worries with ringing up and chatting to the CrowdCube webmaster. It was there plan to upload the videos to youtube, then embed the youtube video into the website. My belief was that youtube would correctly convert uploaded movie files into the .flv youtube format, so I uploaded the 32meg .mov to my own webspace and passed the link onto Crowdcube.
After a day or so, they contacted me saying they couldn't get things working correctly. So i jumped back into gear and decided to convert the movie into .flv myself. Thankfully I had a handy program for converting videos to ipods, which also had a .flv option. After conversion I uploaded it to my own youtube channel to check everything worked 100%.
The actual movie files had been thro so many codecs now the quality was starting to suffer, I was a bit disapointed by this.
I contacted Crowdcube providing them with my .flv and talking them thro any possible problems.
Everything was wrapped up.
2nd Movie
The head therapist came back with a page of blurb which we separated up in different paragraphs. I wanted to make sure that everything could be recorded easily instead of having perhaps an error or two while the whole voice over was recorded.
Given that the opportunity to sit down and work with the head therapist we decided to edit the 2nd revised movie right then and there, they could provide direct input. I was very happy to do this, infact it was a good partnership. Rather amazingly when the recorded paragraphs were combined they nearly equalled the first videos run time. However it became clear that the video would need to be more clearly divided into specific sections being described in the voice over.
Since I had taken many photos during my visit, now seemed the perfect oppertunity to use them.
The H.T. (head therapist) went thro many photos and picked the ones they thought would fit the voice over, they had to be resized them in photoshop to fit the video format, but that was no problem. Now the movie had still images and video, thankfully ealier in my 1st draft i had become more open to the idea of video cut transition effects, as they were now needed 100%.
Using Adobe Premiers multiple video and audio layers I could play each recorded paragraph on its own layer, this made getting the correct timing a lot easier, I didnt want to start cutting or editing each paragraphs audio file inside Premier. Instead I prefered to space them out according on their own layer. It was much easier to edit the transition effects to give us the desired cut and fade into the paragraphs. Of course we realised with spaced between the voice over parts, some music would be needed, light, and of course copyright free. The only option I could think of was a quick google search for some free samples, after finding one, I opened it in Sound Booth and created a simple loop. It was only a quick fix but worked surprisingly well, with Premiers sound fade effects etc, i could mask any slight errors in the loop. Transition effects were certainly addictive, I can see why they are considered a bit over the top in feature films.
There were some problems still persisting though, many, in not all, of the imported photographs into the video, did not fit the screen resolution of the movie. So of course black borders were prevelent, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. However the launch date of the Crowdcube website was approaching fast, and Equus wanted the video finished so they would make the date.
Also working 1 to 1 with the H.T. was a rare chance, we both decided to finalise the movie then and there.
Given that the opportunity to sit down and work with the head therapist we decided to edit the 2nd revised movie right then and there, they could provide direct input. I was very happy to do this, infact it was a good partnership. Rather amazingly when the recorded paragraphs were combined they nearly equalled the first videos run time. However it became clear that the video would need to be more clearly divided into specific sections being described in the voice over.
Since I had taken many photos during my visit, now seemed the perfect oppertunity to use them.
The H.T. (head therapist) went thro many photos and picked the ones they thought would fit the voice over, they had to be resized them in photoshop to fit the video format, but that was no problem. Now the movie had still images and video, thankfully ealier in my 1st draft i had become more open to the idea of video cut transition effects, as they were now needed 100%.
Using Adobe Premiers multiple video and audio layers I could play each recorded paragraph on its own layer, this made getting the correct timing a lot easier, I didnt want to start cutting or editing each paragraphs audio file inside Premier. Instead I prefered to space them out according on their own layer. It was much easier to edit the transition effects to give us the desired cut and fade into the paragraphs. Of course we realised with spaced between the voice over parts, some music would be needed, light, and of course copyright free. The only option I could think of was a quick google search for some free samples, after finding one, I opened it in Sound Booth and created a simple loop. It was only a quick fix but worked surprisingly well, with Premiers sound fade effects etc, i could mask any slight errors in the loop. Transition effects were certainly addictive, I can see why they are considered a bit over the top in feature films.
There were some problems still persisting though, many, in not all, of the imported photographs into the video, did not fit the screen resolution of the movie. So of course black borders were prevelent, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. However the launch date of the Crowdcube website was approaching fast, and Equus wanted the video finished so they would make the date.
Also working 1 to 1 with the H.T. was a rare chance, we both decided to finalise the movie then and there.
Revisions
The head therapist and I sat down for a meeting about the video.
Although the first draft had captured a visual narrative of the Equus therapy, it was hard for people outside of the know-how to understand. Plus researching the Crowdcube website had shown a clear focus on a professional video pitch. We both decided a voice over would need to be recorded.
I did a quick bit of research into Adobe Sound Booth, it seemed like a good choice for recording software. The program allows for easy cutting and editing, as well as volume control, at the time my microphone wasn't the best, but thankfully the program could normalise any recording errors.
Of course I was far from qualified or comfortable with writting the voice over script, so I let the head thearpist come up with a good blurb.
Although the first draft had captured a visual narrative of the Equus therapy, it was hard for people outside of the know-how to understand. Plus researching the Crowdcube website had shown a clear focus on a professional video pitch. We both decided a voice over would need to be recorded.
I did a quick bit of research into Adobe Sound Booth, it seemed like a good choice for recording software. The program allows for easy cutting and editing, as well as volume control, at the time my microphone wasn't the best, but thankfully the program could normalise any recording errors.
Of course I was far from qualified or comfortable with writting the voice over script, so I let the head thearpist come up with a good blurb.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Further Research
During the off time the movie was being check, I decided to research more into the website it was planning to be featured on.
Equus Solutions wanted to look for future business investment, they were contacted by a new website set to launch in a few weeks - Crowdcube.com
The site advertises businesses looking for investment, and takes a small percentage of invested money for its revenue. However they offered Equus a commission free slot to be featured on site launch.
This also provided an interesting deadline for myself.
After looking at the sites information and page allocated to Equus, it became more apparent to me that they were after a 'video pitch' style movie. I thought this could prove to be difficult, perhaps the Equus directors could be filmed giving a 'Dragons Den' style interview, but I honestly didn't think this was the way forward.
I contacted the head therapist at Equus and spoke about the first movie draft, and my information on the crowdcube website.
Equus Solutions wanted to look for future business investment, they were contacted by a new website set to launch in a few weeks - Crowdcube.com
The site advertises businesses looking for investment, and takes a small percentage of invested money for its revenue. However they offered Equus a commission free slot to be featured on site launch.
This also provided an interesting deadline for myself.
After looking at the sites information and page allocated to Equus, it became more apparent to me that they were after a 'video pitch' style movie. I thought this could prove to be difficult, perhaps the Equus directors could be filmed giving a 'Dragons Den' style interview, but I honestly didn't think this was the way forward.
I contacted the head therapist at Equus and spoke about the first movie draft, and my information on the crowdcube website.
First Draft
During my time at the Equus Centre, I had filmed events in a specific way,
- The client and horse handler leading the horses into the stables
- " " " grooming and cleaning the horses
- The client, horse handler and therapist leading the horses to the outside arena
- The sessions different activities and goals, as well as their set up,
- Horses standing in a designated square on the ground (Marked by jumping poles)
- Horses being led across poles spaced on the ground
- The clients difficulties and success
- Horses being led back to the stables by all involved
One of the clinches that stuck in the back of my mind was "do not over use transition effects", I'm not sure where I heard this, but regardless I thought I would try straight cuts.
However after a while it was clear this just didn't look right, so i dived into Adobes (thankfully easy) transition and effects library, and actually found the results great.
All the effects etc. I used came from a handy drag and drop library, once applied to a movie in your timeline, the effect can be edited, shortening its appearance and other useful settings etc. This way I was able to get the desired fades but without the effect being to prevalent and obvious.
At this point the film contained only the footage I had shot, and the only vocal audio was the short interview with the client, placed at the end of the film, where they explain how equine therapy had benefited them so far.
I sent the film off to the Equus head therapist for them to check.
Project Workflow
One of the aspects I learned while researching filming for this project, is the importance of workflow. Now that refers to the process of how video files are converted, edited and finally rendered. Converting (encoding) and rendering can both take time, so its important to have the correct set up before starting to gain the right 'workflow'.
My camera's movie files are AVCHD native, this codec is specially designed to give large hi-def size movies in a relatively low file size, around 2gig for 12minutes. However because of this, they are notoriously bad to edit and modify in editing software. I wanted to make sure that I converted the files once Id copied them from the camera, into something much more manageable for editing.
The list of possible codecs to choose from is pretty daunting, what's more, the movies had to be shrinked in resolution as the final project was planned for a website upload.
I eventually decided to convert into raw AVI (as we'd practised and used in college) once the settings were finalized and I had the result I wanted, I could quickly batch process the rest of the files using this conversion workflow.
My camera's movie files are AVCHD native, this codec is specially designed to give large hi-def size movies in a relatively low file size, around 2gig for 12minutes. However because of this, they are notoriously bad to edit and modify in editing software. I wanted to make sure that I converted the files once Id copied them from the camera, into something much more manageable for editing.
The list of possible codecs to choose from is pretty daunting, what's more, the movies had to be shrinked in resolution as the final project was planned for a website upload.
I eventually decided to convert into raw AVI (as we'd practised and used in college) once the settings were finalized and I had the result I wanted, I could quickly batch process the rest of the files using this conversion workflow.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Photos & Filming
I set out to spend a day at Equus to take photos and film. Now I'm no means a professional but I tried to give everything 110%.
Equus houses a large outdoor arena and a long corridor of indoor stables, both presented great opportunities to take photos. I wanted to get great shots but also created a large library I could play with once back home editing, as with all animals, you never quite know what you're going to get when you point the camera at them.
Filming was specially of a client (who had to be kept anonymous by use of camera angle etc) having a session in the arena, two horses were used. I managed to film them both rolling around as soon as they entered the arena, which was pretty funny to everybody. At the time my camera lens was quite wide so this meant I could capture most of what was going on in the arena.
The young client was fine with the filming however I didn't want to be to close as I felt a responsibility of privacy etc.
The Equus director John helped pick and choose shots to be filmed, however I would say 99% were what was going on anyway, such as the horses being led to the arena, the session in progress, etc.
At the end of the day I ended up with around 30minutes of film footage and however many I could count collection of photographs.
Although I did not have all the specific tools (as i was supplying all my own equipment) I still felt Id done a good job, and everyone was happy.
John wanted the client to give a quick interview on how Equine therapy had helped them, this I filmed from an angle behind and between the horse, so the client was stood and obscured by the horses neck. The sound was faint at best and I didn't feel to good about using it. Ill cover this more in the post production blog.
Equus houses a large outdoor arena and a long corridor of indoor stables, both presented great opportunities to take photos. I wanted to get great shots but also created a large library I could play with once back home editing, as with all animals, you never quite know what you're going to get when you point the camera at them.
Filming was specially of a client (who had to be kept anonymous by use of camera angle etc) having a session in the arena, two horses were used. I managed to film them both rolling around as soon as they entered the arena, which was pretty funny to everybody. At the time my camera lens was quite wide so this meant I could capture most of what was going on in the arena.
The young client was fine with the filming however I didn't want to be to close as I felt a responsibility of privacy etc.
The Equus director John helped pick and choose shots to be filmed, however I would say 99% were what was going on anyway, such as the horses being led to the arena, the session in progress, etc.
At the end of the day I ended up with around 30minutes of film footage and however many I could count collection of photographs.
Although I did not have all the specific tools (as i was supplying all my own equipment) I still felt Id done a good job, and everyone was happy.
John wanted the client to give a quick interview on how Equine therapy had helped them, this I filmed from an angle behind and between the horse, so the client was stood and obscured by the horses neck. The sound was faint at best and I didn't feel to good about using it. Ill cover this more in the post production blog.
Equus Solutions Introduction
My work based learning project is based around Equus Solutions.
Equus Solutions is an alternative therapy centre where Equine (horse) therapy is used.
This is form of therapy uses horses as an medium between client and counsellor, horses are naturally emotive animals and are tuned highly to pick up the emotions of others. If a client is nervous or anxious, then the horse will respond in a same manner. Clients are given tasks to complete with the horse(s) and through finding the right balance and approach the horse will comply. These success can help the client see how a behaviour change, confidence boost etc. can lead to positive results, with the horses and crucially their day to day lives.
As a new local business Equus have been supported by National Lottery grants, however as time goes on they wanted to hopefully bring in outside investors. I was set the task of making a promotional/informative video about the centre.
Equus Solutions is an alternative therapy centre where Equine (horse) therapy is used.
This is form of therapy uses horses as an medium between client and counsellor, horses are naturally emotive animals and are tuned highly to pick up the emotions of others. If a client is nervous or anxious, then the horse will respond in a same manner. Clients are given tasks to complete with the horse(s) and through finding the right balance and approach the horse will comply. These success can help the client see how a behaviour change, confidence boost etc. can lead to positive results, with the horses and crucially their day to day lives.
As a new local business Equus have been supported by National Lottery grants, however as time goes on they wanted to hopefully bring in outside investors. I was set the task of making a promotional/informative video about the centre.
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