Becoming Healthier during a Pandemic

Working behind the camera and actually putting together shots for my news story opened my eyes to how much goes into producing a video project. While clearly the story is the most important thing, there are so many other things that need to be considered which I hadn't thought of prior to doing this project.

Lighting, camera angles, camera distance, how close the interviewee is holding the microphone to their mouth, how loud they are talking, and so much more were just a few of the things I had to monitor in creating this video. All of these considerations were new as I hadn't thought about any of this previously by just watching TV.

In coming up with an idea for a news segment I simply considered what news was being thrown at me the most during the pandemic: good hygiene. 

Hand sanitizer stations, wash hands signs, and other health and safety measures were posted everywhere I looked during the pandemic. To make this segment my own, I incorporated my own experiences relating to exercise during the pandemic that, like hygiene, fell under the broad bucket of health wellness. 

During quarantine, like many others, I picked up unhealthy habits from just sitting at home. After the first few weeks, I realized this needed to change and therefore improved my wellness by becoming more active. I quickly learned many others experienced this same thing which is why this section was included in my news segment.

Looking back on my project, I was very satisfied with the final product and how it came out. I particularly enjoyed the flow of the segments and the 'action shots' that played over both of my interviews. Ensuring these clips were of the person I was interviewing added credibility and made the watching experience more enjoyable.

I also was pleased with the interviewees I selected. Both Jalen and Mason were able to talk about the subject extensively, were clear in their delivery, and effective in presenting the message they were speaking on.

In picking these two people I had to consider which of my friends were good public speakers, social, and talkative. Working on this project thus revealed how careful producers must be in selecting who they interview. After all, a poor interview could ruin the entire segment no matter how good the subject or camera work is.

Despite this, there were some things I would have liked to do differently. 

First, adding background music to the intro and outro would have improved the product. On top of this, I could have compiled possibly two other interviews (one about hygiene and another about wellness) to shorten the length of each interview, while also giving a different perspective on the subject.

Overall, I was pleased with the product and greatly enjoyed putting the video together. Getting all the clips together, adding text and transitions, and cropping videos in Adobe Premiere Pro was fun and felt like I was piecing together a puzzle. Because of this, it made watching the end result very fulfilling and something I'd be happy to do again.