Sketchy Students would be nothing without Production, so get to know who was behind the project!
Who are the Production Team?
Nethaniel Rochester – Team Leader/Director/Primary Editor
Aref Ramazani – Cinematographer/Assistant Editor
Gihan Aravindha Seneviratne – Director Of Photography/Assistant Editor
Ali Bucha – Lighting Designer/Assistant Editor
Yuxin Li – Sound Recordist/Assistant Editor
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What did your group aim to do during the Digital Director?
As the production team, we were allocated the responsibility to produce all of the video content for the main body of the ‘Sketchy Students’ mockumentary miniseries campaign. As a result, this eventuated to include one video trailer of one minute in length, as well as four individual video episodes, each consisting of between two and three minutes in length.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwJrm4DlGlA&feature=youtu.be
Episode 1: https://www.facebook.com/sketchystudents/videos/1000936816628506/
Episode 2: https://www.facebook.com/sketchystudents/videos/1004910709564450/
Episode 3: https://www.facebook.com/sketchystudents/videos/1008838065838381/
Episode 4: https://www.facebook.com/sketchystudents/videos/1012675542121300/
To accommodate for the timeline of the campaign, we aimed to release a final version of each video on a weekly basis. This required not only an extensive pre-production process, as well as tight filming parameters, but also a meticulous editing process. The editing process gave the class an opportunity to provide feedback, which would be implemented into each final edit. In relation to production itself, we aimed to produce consistently high-quality content that incorporated camera consistency, independent sound recording and independent lighting systems.
In addition, as a group, we aimed to collaborate efficiently and effectively with the writing team, social media team and the management team. Upon reflection, this is something we identify as having been achieved to great success. Another aspect that we aimed to contribute was an element of our own creative flare. One example of this was the animation of the campaign logo, which was used as an introduction and closing sequence within each piece of video, creating a visual hook between aspects of the campaign.
- Intro Animation Example: https://drive.google.com/a/rmit.edu.au/file/d/0BzPaRQ6TjDnOZV9UQUlQQlozNE0/view?usp=sharing
- Outro Animation Example: https://drive.google.com/a/rmit.edu.au/file/d/0BzPaRQ6TjDnOTXBZU1pGXzFzWUE/view?usp=sharing
Another example of our group adding our own creative flare was the ‘Running Sequence’ at the beginning of Episode 3. This sequence was not previously scripted, but instead crafted by the production team. This allowed us to insert our own desires for fast paced, active content into the campaign.
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What did your group learn during the Digital Director?
- How to produce episodic video content that could attract the interest of a potential target audience.
- How to customise a script to accommodate for available production time frame and the professional shot list, storyboard and call sheet structure.
- We gained an understanding about how different departments within the media industry would collaborate and about how to collaborate with a diverse range of both cultural and media backgrounds, both within the group and with the other campaign departments.
To elaborate, the most notable learning outcome of the entire campaign process was definitely our methods of organisation. As a group, we felt that the production of the trailer was carried out in a disorganised manner. To respond to this, we created shifts to production roles, most specifically by assigning a group member as Director of Photography. Learning about how to not only collaborate as a team most efficiently, but also successfully was a key highlight of the campaign.
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What was the best thing about the Digital Director?
“My favourite aspect of the Digital Director studio was the opportunity to gain valuable experiences as a director, editor and leader. Most notably, I learned how to manage people both within our group, as well as within the cast and crew of the campaign. This was an important goal for me as it is something that can be applied to almost any employment position in the future.” – Nethaniel
“My favourite aspect of the Digital Director studio was the way it helped me improve my production skills. Although I had small difficulties at the start in relation to directing my motivation, I have learned valuable skills that I know I can take with me to my future courses.” – Aref
“My favourite aspect of the Digital Director studio was the fact that it provided me with the valuable experience of working on a campaign project. Moreover, the ability to apply practical skills, collaborate with the entire class and experiment with new ideas were the key benefits in my opinion. Regardless of healthy tension between the different groups, the structure of the campaign helped me understand the production process at an industry level.” – Arvindha
“My favourite aspect of the Digital Director studio was the fact that it provided equal opportunities to get a taste of industry practices. Although the production phase eventuated to be short in nature, it was really rewarding.” – Ali
“My favourite aspect of the Digital Director studio was that I learned how to work as a group and improved my ability to communicate within a group. In addition, I enjoyed improving my editing ability as well.” – Yuxin