Final Reflective Essay

Now that I have completed my media arts project, it is time to reflect. If I could do it over again, I definitely would have planned better - had a more detailed schedule and stuck closer to it. While my personal and professional life were rearranging, with better time management I would have been able to do more and probably complete the larger project I had initially set out to do.

I’ve learned that when the creative process includes a deadline for a final project, it can be a lot less fun than working on a hobby or personal project. I’m not very good with setting deadlines for myself, but I want to work in a field that does, I will have to improve on that. Creative writing is my goal, and while I can write novels on my own time, if I wanted to expand into the video game industry - which I do - I will need to set deadlines and meet them. Being creative on a time crunch is very difficult, but not impossible.

The biggest technical challenge I had was how to create an interactive video in the first place, which I overcame by using a tool that has a GUI for adding links, hotspots, etc. By using the HiHaHo service, I was able to create videos which linked together and contained outside links for further study by the viewer.

For now, I won’t be taking any steps to further my learning in media arts. It’s an amazing field and I greatly enjoy it, but I plan to study creative writing in my post-graduate studies and will be busy working until then.

Looking back on the expected learning outcomes for this course, I believe I have met most of the expectations. I have created an interactive video, which demonstrates advanced level mastery of the media arts project by including sound, imagery, and story in an integrated web-based form. I completed this project in a series of progressive steps, with milestones and deliverables which were shown through graded assignments throughout the course.

Through module discussions, I engaged in analysis of media arts elements such as audience, contexts, tools, and environments. In these discussions, I also demonstrated an understanding of historical, current, and future trends in media arts. By critiquing my peers’ projects, I critically analyzed media arts in various contexts, such as aesthetic, ethical, social, and professional considerations.
Unfortunately, I was unable to successfully collaborate on an interdisciplinary media arts project with peers. While my group and I did our best, we were unable to settle on and create a project in the timeline we were given.

I think my most significant learning experience in this course was how difficult it is to complete a group project, as it happens - it requires a large amount of clear, timely communication. While I initially suggested switching from the school forum to a chat engine, my group chose not to do so. I think I should have pushed a little harder for this, as it would have made communication clearer. Not getting notifications without logging into the website - which isn’t available everywhere - makes it harder to know when my teammates had replied to a post of mine or made an original post of their own.

Overall, I do believe I have learned a lot in this course. Much of it was things I need to work on in regards to organization and time management, but those are important lessons in any field of study. While I do not plan to continue using media arts in my professional and personal life (beyond writing, which is only one aspect), I do have a good basis in the case that changes.

Production Handbook

A little late, all things considered, but here is my Production Handbook:

As I had no cast/crew and performed all the work in my apartment, I have no contact sheets for any persons or locations.

My anticipated production schedule, which I posted previously:

• Opening Narration Shooting: 16 November
• Recording Narration and video for Opening/Celts: 17-23 November
• Recording Narration and video for The Morrighan, Rhiannon, Lugh, and Taliesan: 24-30 November
• Editing/Polish: 1-6 December

Budget: $0 by using free stock images and clips from Pexels and Pixabay and not going outside of the free trial period of hihaho

My final script can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ChZQ0-9TuKUq5uoIbtMSvCLFcxxkGt3i

And I had no contracts, licenses, or permissions needed.

Final Project

And here it is, my interactive video about a few of the Celtic gods. I hope you enjoy watching! All the video clips came from the free stock websites Pexels and Pixabay.

Shooting Script

As a refresher, here is the link to the script I will be using; I myself will be the only actor and performing the narration:

https://aurorathorntonmediaarts.blogspot.com/2019/11/draft-script.html

And here is my slated production schedule:

Opening Narration Shooting: 16 November

Recording Narration and video for Opening/Celts: 17-23 November

Recording Narration and video for The Morrighan, Rhiannon, Lugh, and Taliesan: 24-30 November

Editing/Polish: 1-6 December

Draft Script

I was initially going to have much more, but I have decided to cut my script down significantly. I think I was too ambitious with the number of videos I wanted to create in the timeframe I have for this project, so instead of all the planned sections, I am just going to aim for 4 Celtic deities and if I have more time add more. Here is the script for the opening narration and seven deities I intend to cover in the video I am creating:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fVe4WbmOHDsNuFDOP_1nAyFzZg4IOnc2/view?usp=sharing


Here are the references for the information contained within:

Wigington, Patti. (2019, April 17). The Morrighan. Learn Religions. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/the-morrighan-of-ireland-2561971

Jones, Mary. (2003) Jone’s Celtic Encyclopedia. http://www.maryjones.us/jce/jce_index.html

Castleden, R. (2012) The Element Encylopedia of the Celts. Harper Element: China.

Johnson, H. (n.d.) Morrigan. The Order of Bards, Ovates, & Druids. Retrieved from https://www.druidry.org/library/gods-goddesses/morrigan

Contracts

As I am working on this project solo at this time, I do not have any cast, crew, or collaborators that need to fill out any photography.

Additionally, as this will not be a commercial product, I do not need to gain permission to film in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, as specified by this page on their website.

Media Arts Process

A basic version of the process for creating Media Arts from the Roberts-Breslin text is:

1. Preproduction
1. Research
2. Budgeting
3. Scripting
2. Production
1. Filming
2. Acquisition of sound/images
3. Hiring of personnel
3. Postproduction
1. Editing
2. Distribution/Exhibition

I do not think there is much to improve on when the process is simple enough, as it covers most of the bases for a wide variety of projects. A more specific process might be better for a more specific project, such as a video game or film.

I believe the most important step is Preproduction; if one can create a proper budget and finish all research before beginning acquisitions, one can save a great deal of time and money by ensuring they are using the best tools possible within their means for the project they are creating. One can even research distribution methods early so when it comes time for postproduction, they are not struggling to find the best platform for their work.

For my project, I am still in the Preproduction phase; I am gathering resources of information, researching the best tools available, and scripting my scenes. Soon I will be entering the Production phase, where I will begin acquiring sounds and images as well as filming those sections which will feature me as the narrator.

For Postproduction, I intend to create a specific YouTube channel just to host the videos for the project.

Roberts-Breslin, J. (2011) Making Media (3rd ed.). Focal Press: Burlington, MA.

Opening Scene Script

Here is my one-scene script for what will be the opening narration of my interactive learning video about Celtic peoples and traditions, done in a humorous style.

References:

Editors. (2018 August 21) Celts. History.com. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/celts

Car Ride

Here is my sound composition - I drove 7 1/2 hours today to visit my home town, so I decided to create a 5 minute clip that included the sounds of car riding. In the foreground I have the wind and tires on pavement, while in the background I have the bumps in tarmac, dings of rocks, and cars passing on either side. All sound effects came from SoundBible.com.

https://www.bandlab.com/posts/be6921ba-0eee-e911-b5e9-2818789a0161

Storyboard

This is a basic storyboard for how my project will be organized by topic:

I may add more sections/sub-topics as I dive further into the mythos of Celtic Druidism, but the best part of having a segmented project like this is that even after the "deadline" for the initial project, I could continue to add sections as long as I continue learning.

I intend to shoot most segments as short videos with myself as the narrator, with appropriate visual aides as availability allows. Most shots will be medium shots, to keep the focus on the spoken words while still allowing some background - possibly at the nearby botanical gardens for a bit of atmosphere.

The Assignment

A short soundless (likely bold choice) video told in a series of still photographs.

Media Arts Skill Sets

Video tools I am proficient in:

• Windows Movie Maker
• I am a creature of habit, and so have not really changed my video editing software since middle school. Though to be honest, I haven’t done any projects that needed more advanced editing, so I suppose it’s fair to say I have only very basic video editing skills. 

Image Manipulation Tools:

• GIMP
• I have used GNU Image Manipulation Program (or GIMP) for several years for personal projects,  though mostly geared towards drawing. It is no longer my go-to, but I’m still pretty handy with it. 
• Procreate
• An image manipulation program available only for iPad that I have been using for about a year to create images, such as the one below I finished recently, shown here as a time-lapse video. (It's tilted sideways due to the way the program exports time-lapse videos.)

Word Processors:

• Open Office
• While I am also proficient in Word, I use Open Office at home. I know how to set up templates, page and paragraph formatting, etc; I have done so in the past to format my self-published books (shown below). 
• YouMeScript
• An online script formatted word processor I have used for a few personal projects and allows exports to PDF. 
• Google Docs
• I use mainly Google Documents for writing, since it allows me to write from anywhere I have access to the internet. It also makes for easier collaboration in real-time.

Acting:

• ASAP Acting
• I went through a two-month course by a nonprofit organization known as the Armed Services Arts Program (ASAP), which offers free classes to veterans and their dependents. I was also in a few musicals in high school, though only as ensemble.   

Since I would like to make an interactive video, I would love to collaborate with anyone more experienced with video editing or anyone with skills in music creation. My strongest skill is definitely my writing, and I plan to act as the “narrator”, so I suppose I will be relying on my acting skills.

I am creating an informational video about Celtic Druidism, but to make the project a little more fun, I plan to write the script in the style of Corey O’Brien’s Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes, which retells ancient mythology (of many cultures) using modern-day slang in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Project Pitch and Proposal

Project Pitch

For my final media arts project, I intend to create a short interactive film. I plan to exhibition it on my blog and YouTube, for an audience of the internet. I plan to distribute it using social media. This will be a nonfiction documentary type film exploring how hearth cultures - specifically Celtic Druidism - function.

Project Proposal

Materials I will need for this project are:

• A camera
• Video editing software
• Scriptwriting software 
• Research materials (books, articles, etc)
• Miscellaneous paraphernalia
• A computer
• Internet access

As I continue to research into more media arts, I may discover more needed materials and software, but these are the most basic materials I will need.

I intend to create a series of short videos explaining various aspects of Celtic paganism, from the gods, religious practices, and holidays associated with it. I do not think I will need any collaborators, as I intend to narrate and speak in the videos myself. I would like to format these videos so that a viewer can easily choose which aspects they would like to learn about in no particular order. I intend to accomplish this by having them click on an image or inside of a video to trigger the selected informative video.

As a rough budget, I already own most of the required materials and many research articles can be found for free online, but I will set aside $100 for any incidentals I discover I need over the course of the project.

For a timeline, my process will be:

1. Gather and organize research materials
2. Create a rough outline/storyboard for each segment
3. Write a script for each segment
4. Gather any props needed for illustrative purposes
5. Film each segment
6. Edit segments individually and then assimilate them into one project

My target audience will be people who are new to Celtic druidism and looking for a basic introduction to the aspects of it.


References:

Roberts-Breslin, J. (2017). Making Media: Foundations of Sound and Image Production. Oxfordshire, England: Taylor & Francis.

Media Arts and Interactive Film

Media Arts is the collective term for using various media to create a “story” in a very broad sense. It can be linear or nonlinear, narrative or nonnarrative, but it usually has a message to tell - such as an advertisement for chewing gum or a video memoir of a relative.

The particular theory of media arts I am going to explore in this post is interactive film. A recent example of this would be the Netflix Black Mirror: Bandersnatch from 2018, in which the viewer controlled some of the actions of the main character.

The Pros of this form of media arts are:

• Can create a more immersive experience for the viewer
• Versatility - could be used to tell a variety of stories
• Engagement - the viewer is more engaged with the story than a traditional film
• Options for medium - it could be done live-action or animated for a different experience

The Cons of this form of media arts are:

• Takes longer to create - with multiple choices, more scenes need to be created to account for each choice/ending
• More expensive (due to the increase in scenes)
• Limited choices - if the choices are too few, viewers may feel less engaged by picking a choice they wouldn’t make 
• Requires more creative energy - essentially, one is creating multiple stories combined into one

Media Arts can also be used on a blog such as this one - as I progress more into this blog, I intend to include more forms of media. Videos, audio files, interactive pictures - various forms of combined media to make a more engaging experience for any of my readers.