Throughout the semester I’ve been blogging about solo travel amongst females. This last project I’ve decided to do a short video on my adventure in the Neptune Islands. What made this adventure unique to me, was not only the expedition I was on but the people I met along the way.
To begin the draft, I began by creating a folder on my desktop with import and export files. I then started going through images and video I had collected on my trip. This gave me an idea of what I had in media and narrowed in on the narrative I could give. I copied the first of the image media into the input folder.
Knowing that I would be needing a musical element, I found a creative commons site and searched for a free download. Bensound.com allows you to download free music if you attribute the website. I listened to a variety of musical elements until I could narrow it down to two sounds. I decided that I would like to have one above water sound, and one underwater. This was in an effort to provide the audience a separation between the two water sequences.
I then went to creating a story board in publisher. Storyboards are great in providing a focus to the storytelling. I added text boxes to each square and added a title, basically it is like creating a chapter in a book. I then added the images I had copied from the input folder into the storyboard giving a visual outline. Next, I decided which music would go in each sequence. And whether there would be a narrative added to the sequence.
After I created the storyboard, I began the Premiere project. I created a new project linking the folder I had placed on the desktop. I then added bins to the where the media would be placed. I decided it would be best to organize everything from the very start. I added bins according to the storyboard and moved the media that would be used into each bin.
I wrote out my narrative and I was planning on recording it, however my microphone decided to stop functioning. So, scheduling got changed. I began the sequencing of events in Premier. Trimming video, enlarging images, positioning graphics and adding text. I basically, just started piecing together the puzzle. What fit where and replaying to try and keep things visibly moving while I read the narrative.
I noticed when I uploaded the video to YouTube, some of the video lost quality. And, a bit was shortened. I will have to go back and work on that along with adding the narrative. But this at least can give the members of our group an idea of how the audio video will flow. I look forward to hearing your feedback!
Music: https://www.bensound.com
Female Flying Solo 
What a cool adventure to have gone on! What I enjoyed most was the quantity of photos and videos you include. While I was not on this adventure with you, I was able to feel a part of it through your timeline of days. I was excited to see when you saw sharks! I also liked the song choice. The song had a well-paced tempo wasn’t overpowering. I do have a few suggestions to offer. The first suggestion is that I would have liked a short narrative either at the beginning or end to introduce/conclude your topic. While I enjoyed the song, reading the video at the length you have, was tiring on the eyes. I think the narrative will help the audience if they should feel the same. Lastly, and this is just a creative critique, but I would reduce the video length because the longer video was harder to keep focus on. Over all, this video was awesome!
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Thank you for all the encouraging feedback. It helps put a perspective on the project and what needs to be accomplished for the audience.
From what I’ve read the main issue is the length. And I agree. The problem I had was in the elimination of which segments in order to make the video shorter. I will start with several of the images and then reduce the length of video. I also took note in the video movement. The difficulty for the viewer to watch the motion. This may be a little more difficult to fix. Much of the movement has to do with recording on a boat in the Indian Ocean, and the equipment used to capture it.
The other feedback was in the lack of narration. I apologize for my sound system having been corrupted. I have purchased a USB microphone and have recorded a voice element to incorporate into the piece. Although, it turned into a poem on the subject. I wrote a short poem on what the ocean and its creatures mean to me. I hope this video inspires other female adventures to travel the world in search of once in a lifetime moments.
I truly appreciate all the kind remarks and the interest in the subject. Sharks have a special place in my heart. This important element in our ecosystem is something that I like to share with others.
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Emily, what a fun trip and topic! I’m so glad you chose to share this with us, and I appreciate that you chose such a different trip to focus on from your audio story. I love that you were able to use footage you shot on the trip because it gives the video a first-person feel since we’re seeing it from your perspective. I think the music choices were good ones, and the underwater one really does remind me of being underwater. I think some of the images could perhaps be removed (leaving ones that really help tell the story of your trip), and it would help with the flow of the video if they were mostly all shown for an equal length of time. I felt like some of the images went by so fast I couldn’t really get a feel for what I was looking at.
Also, this is sort of a minor thing, but if you could line up the underwater music so that the notes start earlier, right when the first shark comes into frame for the first time, I think that would be more impactful. I felt like the first shark on screen should have been an “ah-ha” moment, and music starting right at that point would help accentuate that. Overall, I loved being able to experience this journey you went on, and your visuals and music combined are a great start to the story you’re telling.
Bre
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