For this video I wanted to experiment with using still photographs for the entirety of the video. I was aiming to discover whether these stills would be effective enough to communicate the baking process or whether they would become lost in translation without the movement and physical display. Does this technique allow the audiences creativity and imagination to come into play whilst consuming the artefact making it a more personal and involved experience? Is it just difficult for them to process and create links between photographs in order to visualise and understand how these sequentially ordered photographs would combine to make this dish? I tried to make aesthetically pleasing photographs using a variety of angles and platforms. I composed the images using different accessories and props as well as interesting, patterned bowls and plates. I tried to create different shapes and play with contrast of colour and texture of the different ingredients. I could also have varied the environment and background. I decided I would do 2 edits of this video, one with the instructions being in the form of written text and the other in the form of voice over narration.
Edit 1: No Narration
– For this edit I used text to guide viewers. I decided it would be best to place the text on the screen over the images. This way the image and instruction are being processed by the audience simultaneously making the tie between the two stronger. I thought this would be more clear to the audience and create a less jarring piece then if I wrote the instructions first on a screen of their own before following with a shot of the associated image. (text, animation to provide movement, visual motion for the eye to look at seen as though the images are entirely static.)
Edit 2: Narration
This cut provided the extra assistance of a voice over narration. It is more personal then purely written information. It provides a voice which people can find easier to associate with then a having a computer screen barking instructions at them. This method still has flaws, there is a voice but it is omnipotent. There is no identifiable face or figure. This has 2 main negative effects. One being that many people prefer to see someone’s face, that way they feel like they are having a more direct interaction with them and being able to see the person assists in building trust and reliability as the chef is willing to put their face to their work, making them more credible. The second main reason is that without having this iconic figure it can be difficult to brand and market a collection of cooking videos. How will people draw the links and associations between each video and realise them as collective pieces that all fall under the same bracket and have the same creator? There is no consistent factor to tie all the videos together.