The Covid Education: Learning How to Wash Our Hands

My video project was about how we learned the proper way to wash our hands during the pandemic. I saw the video as being funny and  lighthearted, as well as being informative.

As consumers of videos, we forget how carefully thought out and contrived every moment is. Being a producer made me realize all the decision making that goes into the aspects of videos that just seem natural. 

One thing that requires more thought than I knew is choosing the types of shots. In the past, I have never really considered what the different shots in videos portrayed. I simply took them at face value.

However, in making the video, I had to make decisions about how close up the shots were, what they focused on, etc. From those decisions, I realized that I was trying to convey messages with the different shots.

For instance, in the opening scene, I have two people touching a refrigerator. I start with a wide shot to set the scene of what is happening.

I then switch to a more close up shot of a hand on the refrigerator handle. From just the initial scene of people using the refrigerator, the purpose of the scene might not be clear.

However, focusing on the hand makes it clear that the purpose of the scene has something to do with the act of touching the refrigerator handle. In this case, the small act of adding a shot narrowing in on the hand introduces the topic of handwashing in a way that would not be possible with just the initial shot.

Looking back on the video, the best part was the content, especially the writing, itself. The topic I chose had the potential to be very serious and even boring. Therefore, I made a concerted effort to make the video more light and comedic.

I came up with responses for the interview questions that were a little exaggerated and joking. I also had Cayden, the second person I interviewed, sing aloud while washing his hands. Not only did it convey how people should wash their hands, but it also made watching someone wash their hands more entertaining.

The majority of what I believe I could have done differently is on the editing side of the production process. I would have liked to do more editing, but computer work is not my strong suit.

For instance, I would have liked to have some transitions, but I did not end up adding any transitions because I was worried about time and messing up what I already had.

Additionally, I had some technical issues with my text slides. I would have like my slides to be full screen, but the best I could do was make the text legible. 

There might have also been an opportunity for some background music. However, I had a lot of speaking throughout, and I did not want the music and speaking to compete throughout the whole video. I think background music, while can be played throughout, is most effective when used for B roll, and I did not have any B roll without associated audio.

Not having background music affected the tone of the video. The background music is just one example of how I learned that every decision made in the video, even ones I might have changed, affects the storyline and tone of the video, whether the audience realizes it is happening or not.