Found Footage and Metaphor of Self
Creating the found footage video was an intriguing challenge.
The task of creating the found footage video was so fun to do. I found several video clips and arranged them to create a single story which was exciting and difficult while doing so. I also loved being able to choose my favorite thing, surfing, to tell a story about. Through careful selection and editing, I had to ensure that nothing was getting lost while telling a certain story with a variety of found footage. Surprisingly, despite many restrictions on quality and story coming from long episodes in a YouTube series, a variety of videos came together to form a unified story.
On the other hand, crafting a video metaphor of self through videos of nature was a deeply personal and artistic endeavor that I found myself thinking deeply about. I filmed nature's surreal beauty and used it to symbolize aspects of my identity as an emotive journey. Pairing it with a song to evoke emotions, as I usually do, added layers of depth. However, when I captured the essence of abstract concepts through the natural imagery of Boulder and the areas around Boulder, presented me with a creative challenge. I had to keep in mind that the visuals needed to align with the metaphor without being too overt was tricky which I struggled with.
The most surprising aspect was how each video demanded distinct creative approaches. The found footage video required meticulous curation and editing skills, I often found myself thinking more about how I could tell the story from all documentary footage called “The Twelve”. The metaphor of self-video demanded a deeper connection. The subject matter and an understanding of visual symbolism were much more intensive on my creative abilities. Both experiences offered unique challenges and rewards, revealing the vast possibilities and creativity within video production.
What Differed Between the Two?
Because the two videos aimed at two different topics and told two different stories, the found footage trailer and the metaphor of self-video underwent quite different production processes. One involved me finding, selecting, and editing a variety of clips to create a quick-witted, story-driven piece from a series of seven YouTube films. My aim was to resemble a movie trailer because I found that so unique and I would love to do something similar in the future. The metaphor of self-video, on the other hand, called for a more introspective and natural approach, which I was somewhat more familiar with. I still tried my best to emphasize nature's beauty to represent personal concepts without following a predetermined plot, which I still think turned out slightly confusing.
For them to successfully communicate the messages I wanted them to, the difference in production was crucial. I spent extra time carefully dealing with pacing, storyline, and quick visual changes to the beat of the song and sound design in the found material. It was meant to draw viewers in and spark curiosity, which was widely different from the emphasis on the natural beauty in a metaphor of self video. The metaphor of self-video's natural and reflective tone was carefully added in by me to maintain a metaphorical storyline. I used subtle symbolism and immersive images to provoke feelings and encourage contemplation and understanding of a deeper narrative. Each project's distinct storytelling requirements were also accommodated by a variety of video production techniques that I used to enable a strategy to meet each of my artistic goals.