Introduction
This is my first ever reflection on authoring and publishing videos on Instagram. I admit I was very much confused as to what I had to do since the conceptual brief was very open! After repeatedly reading the brief, I slowly started to get a couple of ideas for what I could do.
I wanted my first video to be relatively personal to me; thus, I decided to film myself when working out. Working out to me is a must in my schedule everyday. If I am unable to get a workout in due to a busy schedule or too much uni work, my mood will drastically be affected negatively. Other than keeping fit, I look forward to my workouts as it provides me with time and space to contemplate what goals, in terms of fitness and life that I want to achieve during and after COVID.
How did you author the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I recorded this video on my iPhone XS Max (HD 60fps setting) on the back camera. I did not use the camera on the Instagram app because I had to edit the clips on Final Cut Pro on my computer, and I personally felt that the camera on Instagram affects the quality of the video, as well as the fluidity of recording.
I got my girlfriend to help record some clips for me while I directed her how I wanted the shots to look like. For example, the opening clip saw me getting my protein shaker from the shelf whilst having the wall take half of the screen; this was to portray the narrative that I am restricted in this house during Covid-19. I also wanted the clip of me opening the sliding door to the balcony to be shot from a wide-shot to showcase that I don’t feel constrained anymore because I am able to have time and space to myself to contemplate.
For the duration of the shoot, we shot each clip only once or twice as we did not have much time to have sunlight left. However, the videos were still quite grainy and blurry due to not having ENOUGH sunlight; I started playing around with the colours on Final Cut Pro and I adopted a blue setting onto the video as a means of showing tranquility and calmness when I am working out.
For the editing, I airdropped my clips onto my MacBook and opened it up on Final Cut Pro. I also organised them in folders to avoid confusion. I muted the clips and added copyright free music that met with the mood and story of the short video. I absolutely loved the sound of the clock in the opening of the song, as it perfectly narrates how time is going by, but it doesn’t concern me at that moment since I am in my space of focus. I used different shots i.e. wide shots, medium shots, close-up shots, and B-rolls. I also tried out something new which had me having 3 clips in one scene. I changed the orientation of the videos on my iPhone to a 9:16 portrait, instead of landscape. Furthermore, I went onto photoshop and created a green screen, where I could put the edited clips on.
Since Instagram allows landscape now, I did not make my video into the square format; I would like to try making a video in the square format in the future. Moreover, I used the “Cover” feature in the Instagram app to choose a thumbnail for my video.
Finally, compared to the usual work that I do, I had to think real hard about the briefs and what kind of story I wanted to produce in this video. I manage 2 business accounts on Instagram (@mypwrestling) and (@emman_thekid), therefore making 30 seconds to 1-minute videos is normal to me. However, these accounts are both pro-wrestling related therefore it usually consists of action shots and details about upcoming events, etc. I also believe that making short videos are the best way to catch the audience’s attention (in this day and age) because people have short attention spans.
How did you publish the video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I recorded a total of 23 clips but used maybe half. I made 2 different edits: one with a top and bottom letterbox border, and one without it; I chose to upload the video without the letterbox. I also wanted to keep the landscape format of the video when uploading onto Instagram thus I exported the video from Final Cut Pro (1920 x 1080) 1080p, H.264, and airdropped it back onto my iPhone.
My curation for this video was not as critical as I normally am. I had a clear intention of what I wanted out of the video, and making a storyboard helped me plan the video easier and faster. I recorded each clip for 8-15 seconds but I did not use the entirety of the clips.
I added my suburb location before I uploaded the video, as well as a short inspirational-esque caption + the credits to the music I used for the video. I did not add any hashtags because I did not know what to add; I will research more about the common hashtags users on Instagram use for Melbourne. The video should play automatically as a default.