First draft- Social action and community media production.

First Draft- Social action and Community media Anti-bullying advertising campaign

Below is my completed first draft of my social action and community media advertising campaign. This advertising campaign is based around the issue of bullying, and the different forms of bullying which take place. This includes Cyberbullying, Physical bullying, and finally Subtle bullying which is bullying which may not always be obvious to everyone, and may be seen as joking around with friends. Each form of bullying has a lasting effect on a young person, and in this campaign you are able to see how hurt and upset it makes some people feel, and the extent that some people may go to because they are being bullied.
In my advertising campaign I have also included statistics based around the issue of bullying which I had taken from Beatbullying.org. Beatbullying.org is an anti-bullying organisation/charity which was set up to try and stop bullying amongst young people. They also have an online website which allows you to talk to mentors who are able to give you help and advice if you are being bullied, or if you just need somebody to talk to. This website is a very effective way of getting young people to open up about the problems that they are going through, and to see that they are not alone. This is the reason why I have included the Beatbullying.org website in my advertising campaign because if any young person is able to relate to the video they may feel as though they want some help and advice on the issue, or if anybody does not fully understand what bullying actually is the website is also able to inform people on the issue of bullying.
To ensure that my production is as effective as possible I have included a range of shots, including close-up so that the audience is able to see how the victim is feeling throughout. I have also included a range of transitions such as ‘fade to black’ so that each scene flows into each other, and that my production looks continuous throughout.
When importing music into my production I decided to use a slow, sad song as I wanted the audio to reflect the mood of the production. I believe that this song reflects the mood of the production well, and it helps the audience to capture the mood, and adds emotion.
I believe that the first draft of my advertising campaign shows the audience varies forms of bullying which take place, and shows them the impact that bullying has on a person. I believe that it will allow the audience to see what bullying actually is, and that it can sometimes have a bigger impact than most people think. Also, I believe that whilst watching my anti-bullying campaign young people may be able to relate to the storyline, as we have used teenage actors, and then go on to visit the Beatbullying.org website for help and advice on the issue of bullying. There are a few changes which I will be making when it comes to creating the second draft of my anti-bullying advertising campaign. The first change that I will be making is to re-film sections of scene one. I will be re-filming the shot where the camera is pointing at the alcohol and pills as I wanted to focus on both of these things and then blur out everything else in the background. As I am not able to do this during the editing stage I will have to go back and do it using a button on the camera that I will be using to film. I may also re-film sections where Mitchell is on the laptop and then his phone begins to ring. This is because in one shot the laptop is on the bed and in the next shot it isn’t there. This means that the shots do not look continuous, and therefore my production is not up to a professional standard. Finally I may decide to take out shots which are not needed, and will change anything once I have received some feedback.

Editing- First draft of my social action media production.

Setting up my project
Before I could begin editing my first draft I had to set up a project in premiere, which is an editing software provided by the school. To do this I followed a step-by-step guide which allowed me to ensure that I had set up the project in the correct way. It is important to do this as you have to ensure that you click on the camera that you have used to record the footage, otherwise the project will not look right.
When setting up my project I ensured that I clicked on the 'AVCHD 1090p25 Anamorphic' section as this was the camera that we had used to film our project. Before doing this I had to find where I was going tobe saving my media project, which was in the Media drive, in our folder which was called 'Tayla, Laura, Conall and Keeley new'.

Importing footage
After doing this I then began to import the footage that we had filmed onto premiere project which I had just set up. I started by importing the first scene, which shows a teenage boy being bullied over the internet. I then imported scene two, which shows a boy being physically bullied because of his sexual orientation, and then finally imported scene three which shows a teenage girl being ‘subtly’ bullied by her friends. I imported all of this footage by using my shot logs and edit decision lists which I had completed during the pre-production stage. Both of these documents told me what shots I was going to be using, the section of the shot that i will be using and also what edit I was going to use to go from one shot to the next.

Placing footage on the timeline
After importing the footage I then went on to place the footage onto the timeline. To do this I looked at my edit decision list which told me the order in which I was going to be putting the shots into on the timeline, and also what shot goes with which scene. I began by putting all of the footage from the first scene onto the timeline, and ensured that it was in order so that my production would look continuous throughout. I then went on to place the other two scenes onto the timeline in the order that I had written in my edit decision list. To place the footage on the timeline you only have to drag and drop the footage, but you must ensure that it goes into the video section on the timeline, and also that when placing footage onto the timeline that you don't drop the footage over other pieces of footage. As I had used my edit decision list I didn't include in and out points, and therefore when placing the footage onto the timeline I used the cutting tool to cut the scene to then go into the next shot.

Editing First draft- 28/03/2014

In today’s lesson I had completed editing the first draft of my anti-bullying social action media advertising campaign.
Adjusting the sound levels:
I began the lesson by adjusting the sound levels on some of the shots, as during some parts some shots sounded a lot louder than others, and also the background noise was quite loud in a few shots. I began by adjusting the sound levels on the first scene. This was because there was no audio going on throughout the scene, apart from certain shots where Mitchel’s phone was ringing or you could hear a message pop up on his laptop screen. For these shots I kept the sound levels up, and during the other shots I lowered the sound levels so that you could hardly hear anything going on in the shot. I then adjusted the sound levels on the second scene. Throughout this scene you are able to hear the wind in the background, and this was especially loud during the first shot. Therefore I lowered the sound levels so that you could only slightly heard the background noise, but then kept the sound levels the same throughout the shots were the bullies were speaking. I then went on to do this on the third scene, this is because during the first establishing shot at the beginning of the scene the background noise was very loud and therefore didn’t match up with the other scenes. During the shots where the characters were speaking I adjusted these sound levels so that they were all the same, but a bit quieter then before.
Adding titles:
After adjusting all of these sound levels I then went on to add titles to the end of scene three. These titles include how in some cases bullying isn’t very obvious, and some people may not see that it is happening. I found the information for the 'subtle' bullying title also on the Beatbullying.org website, and therefore credited the website after using the statistic.  After this I then added a title at the end of the production which includes the Beatbullying.org website, and also that anybody can visit the website for help and advice on the issue of bullying. Finally after doing this I then downloaded the Beatbullying.org logo off of the internet, and then went on to import and include it on all my titles which I had got the statistics off of the Beatbullying.org website. This is so that the audience can clearly see where I had got the statistics from and this may then prompt them to visit the website. 
Placing audio:
The last thing that I had to do after finishing editing all of the shots together and making sure that each shot flows into the next was importing the soundtrack. I played around with the soundtrack a few times, and only put it in the sections where the titles were. After looking over it I decided that the music wasn’t as effective as I would have liked it to be, and therefore I went on to drag the music over the whole production. This then set the mood for the whole production, and added effective in the areas where there was no dialogue being spoken by the actors. After doing this I made sure that you could still heard the sound effects in areas where the phone was ringing, and the messages were popping up on Facebook. I also made sure that you could hear the bullies in scene two, and also the conversation between the two girls and Jemma in scene three.







Exporting:
 After doing this I then exported my first draft of my anti-bullying advertising campaign to be marked, and then given back for any improvements that I may need to make. When exporting the footage I had to ensure that I saved it in the right area, and under the right settings because if this is not done correctly it may not play back once it is exported. Although, before doing this I rendered the entire works area to ensure that the production didn't freeze at any point whilst being played. 

 


Although, during the editing of the first draft I had realised that you are not able to focus on one thing in the shot and blur out everything else, and that this needs to be done on the camera during filming. Therefore when the actor is available I will go back and re-film this section for scene one which I will then include in my second draft of my advertising campaign. 

Editing first draft-27/03/2014

In today’s lesson I continued to edit the first draft of my anti-bullying advertising campaign.
I began by checking over all of the footage that I had recently edited together to make sure all the shots were in order, and also that all the action happening in the shots matched up.
Adding transitions: Whilst looking over the footage I added in some cross dissolve transitions as this allowed the action to look continuous, and was more effective than using a simple cut. I used the cross dissolve editing technique quite a lot during the first scene whilst Mitchell receives a call from an unknown number, and also whilst he is scrolling 
through Facebook on his laptop. This allowed the shot to
look continuous, and would fade into the next shot rather
than just cutting straight from one piece of action to another.  

I then looked at the end of scene two which shows Lewis being kicked whilst lying on the floor.  At the end of the scene I have included a shot where Lewis looks towards the camera. This shot is used to show a close-up shot of Lewis’s facial expressions whilst being kicked by the bullies. This shot was quite short and therefore the audience were not able to see Lewis’s facial expressions for a long period of time. Therefore I slowed down the speed of the shot, and this allowed the action to look as though it was going in slow motion. This will then allow the audience to see clearly how upset Lewis is actually feeling. 
When moving on to the third scene I added a fade in and fade out transition at both the beginning and end of the scene. 

Adding titles:
After doing this I then went back to the second scene and added titles to the end of the scene stating how many young 
people are physically abused, and also on how many cases weapons are used when a bullying occurs.  To do this I firstly added a blank title. I then went onto the 'Beatbullying.org' website to find some statistics on physical bullying, and if there was any information on the topic which I could include in my
final production. After doing this I then added the
'Beatbullying.org' logo onto the title so that the audience
 will be able to see that I got the statistic from Beatbullying.


Importing audio:
After doing this I then imported music onto my premiere project. This music included a piano cover of ‘Strong’ by London Gramma which is quite a slow, sad song. I had chosen this cover to include in my final production because I believe that it fits in well with the theme of the storyline which is being shown, and also portrays the mood of the production. 



  


During the next editing stage I will be placing the soundtrack on the timeline, and including the music where it will best portray the mood of the advertising campaign. I will also be adding titles to the end of scene three, and may also include video transitions to help each shot go continuously into the next. 

Editing- First draft 26/03/14

Adding transitions:
I began by editing together the first scene, which begins with Mitchell walking into the house. To put each shot together I used a straight cut, but used a fade in and fade out shot at both the beginning and the end of the scene. During the scene there were some shots which were lighter than others, therefore I used a ‘brightness and contrast’ editing technique on these shots, and then made the shots darker, and some shots lighter so that the lighting looked continuous throughout. Also during this scene some shots sounded a lot louder than others, especially when Mitchell was walking into his house and going up the stairs. To change this I adjusted the sound levels on the audio of each shot so that each shot sounded a lot quieter, and the sound levels matched with the other shots.
Adding titles:
After doing this I then added a title at the beginning of the whole production which quoted the definition of bullying, and also on average how many children are bullied, and how many people witness bullying happening. To gather all of the information for the opening titles I used the statistics and information that I had already gathered during the research stage. The statistics that I had used on these titles were from Beatbullying.org. As well as this I also included titles at the end of scene one. These titles were based on the amount of people who had been cyber-bullied, and also the amount of suicides in young people which were caused by bullying, and again I had found these statistics from Beatbullying.org.



After editing together scene one I then moved on to scene two. I began by putting all of the shots that I was going to be using onto the timeline.
Adding transitions:After doing this I then used a simple cut to go from each shot, and made shot that the shots looked continuous throughout, and that the action matched up. We had filmed from many different angles for this scene, including the point of view of the three bullies, and also the point of view from Lewis. Therefore I combined these shots together, so that the audience are able to see the point of view from both the victim and the bullies. When editing together these shots I used an ‘echo’ editing technique. This technique allowed the shot to look slightly blurry, and the audio sounded quite distant, as though it was what the victim was hearing whilst the bullies were kicking him. I then included a fade in and fade out transition at the end of the scene, which will allow the audience to see that the scene had finished. I had also used a 'brightness and contrast' editing technique to adjust the brightness of the first shot. This is because the first shot is quite a lot brighter than the second shot, and therefore the shots do not flow continuously into each other. I therefore turned down the brightness on the first shot, and made the second shot brighter.  


I then went on to edit together scene three. I began again by putting all of the footage in order onto the timeline in premiere.
Adding transitions:
For this scene I used a straight cut to go from shot to shot, although I think I may add transitions further on during the editing stage.
For this scene we had filmed from many different shots, such as close up shots of the victim (Jemma’s) face, and also from the two ‘bullies’ faces. This would allow the audience to see the facial expressions of both the victim and the bullies throughout the scene. As I was using a simple cut to go from shot to shot I had to ensure that the action matched up at each stage. Whilst the conversation was happening I had used the close up shots of Jemma when she was speaking, and then the close up shots of the two girls when they were speaking. This meant that I had to ensure that I cut at the correct place so that the conversation would continue in the next shot.
Match-on-action:
 I also included a match on action shot which shows a close-up shot of one of the ‘bullies’ opening the door by the handle, and then the next shot shows them walking through the door. When putting together this shot I had to ensure that both shots matched up, and that the action continued at the right stage. I haven’t yet used any transitions to link two shots together, although further along the editing stage I think I may do this. I then used a fade in and fade out shot at both the beginning and end of the scene to show the audience that the scene had finished.
When moving on to the next stage of editing I will be including more transitions to go from each shot, and also using more editing techniques to make the shots look up to a more professional standard. In some of the shots that I had used the sound levels were different, and therefore I will be adjusting these levels during the next editing stage. Finally I will be including titles at the end of every shot which will include statistics about the type of bullying which has been show in the scene. After I have completed editing everything together I will then be importing the music which will be played at the end of every scene.

Shot log-'Subtle bullying'

Today I had completed a shot log from the footage that we had recently filmed for scene 3. Scene three is set in the sixth form common room where it shows Jemma meeting up with her friends. Her friends then begin to make nasty comments about her, and then they run off leaving Jemma on her own.

A shot log is essential when creating a media production because it allows both the production crew and the editing team to see what shots they are going to be using, and also what shots you would not be including in your final production. The shot log then allows the production crew to write up the edit decision list which shows which shows we will be using in our final production, and also which section of the shot we will be using. The edit decision list also states what is going on in the shot and also what transitions we want to use to go from one shot to the next. All of this information is included so that the editors know what shots to use, and what order to put the shots in.
After reviewing all of the footage that we had filmed for scene three we have decided as a group that we are not going to film anything. This is because you are able to hear the actors clearly, and also there isn't much background noise throughout. Also we were able to film everything, and we had filmed each section from a range of angles and shots, including close-up shots, long shots and also establishing shots. 

Edit decision list

 I have produced an edit decision list which includes all of the shots which I will be including in my final production. The edit decision list states what is going on in the shot, when the shot will begin and end and also what type of edit will be used. The edit decision list is essential because it shows the editor what shots to include when it comes to editing, when to begin and end the shot, and also what edit to use to move from one shot to the next. As I will be editing the production myself it will help me when I reach the editing stage as I will be able to see what shots I am going to be including, when I should cut the shot and also what edit I am going to be using to move from one shot to the next. In my edit decision list I have ensured that I am not using too much of each shot, and that I will be cutting out any background noise in the shot and also any place where you are able to see the camera jolt. When going from shot to shot I have also used a straight cut, but at the end of each scene they will fade out to show that the scene is over. As well as including the tranistions that i am going to be using I have also included an entry for where the titles are going to be, and also the length of time that these titles are going to go on for. As I have now decided what shots and edits I am going to be using for my final production I can now move onto the editing stage and put together the footage for my anti-bullying advertising campaign.