Authenticity in Front of a Camera

When thinking of what to do for this assignment, I wanted to showcase my personality through what I loved - capturing moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tlSa04iCD8

Through the process of finding which videos to include, I found that almost all the videos I selected were videos of beautiful sceneries that I had collected over the past few years. I wanted the video to be simple yet attractive to the eye. I chose to include a compilation of videos because I didn’t want my video to be boring but rather eye-catching. I felt that through showcasing videos I had personally captured would enable the audience to get to know me at a deeper level. The reason I love watching vlogs on Youtube is that I get to see a glimpse into their life simply through their camera lens.

Introducing myself in such a short amount of time wasn’t easy as I could include an endless list of what I thought represented and defined me. However, I realized that you can learn a lot about someone just through the way they talk, edit, and even record footage. I tried my best to show myself through my editing as well.

Recently, I’ve been really into short film-like editing as they’re usually dramatic and portray a deeper meaning. I also added a ‘cinematic’ effect through the cropping and color grading of the videos I included. Throughout the video, I talked about my age, where I come from, and my love for the sky and food. I adjusted the lighting of the footage of me talking by using a lamp and facing it against my curtain so that it wouldn’t look so harsh and would dim the light.

I also thought of including my family members and friends throughout the video since they were one of the most important factors that represented me but didn’t end up including them due to privacy reasons and the hassle of getting their permission. One of the challenges I faced during the process of making this video was making the flow of the video just right. When creating my storyboard, I was confused about how to smoothly incorporate voiceovers and a video of me talking. Through all the trial and error, I decided that I’d record a non-stop video of myself talking and overlay the video footage I wanted to include.

The part that took the longest was the editing since I had to make multiple different decisions on what I should and shouldn't include in my video. In the beginning, I only had 6 shots in mind but as I was editing I added more shots as it wasn’t enough to cover my voiceover. I also decided to add music behind the voiceover because it was too boring without it. I chose a sentimental song that I liked to really emphasize the feelings of nostalgia and just the feeling of comfort. The song I chose was downloaded from Youtube and I made sure that it wasn't copyrighted so that I wouldn't get my video taken down. Overall, I’m happy with my end results and successfully adapted to talking confidently in front of a camera.