Final Video

Above is the final edit of my video for this assignment. I am quite pleased with the outcome of it considering i was a little worried about the direction of it, i think it is successful in exploring the environment through moving image, showing a few different areas and how they look. The talking piece that is over the moving image helps to inform the viewer a little more as to what the video is abut which is something i felt works well.

putting my video together

So when i initially started to piece my video together i was a little worried about what the outcome would be, i was still a bit unsure of Premiere as i still didn't know how to use it properly.

I started off importing all of the images that I had chosen to go into the video, as well as a couple of video files - at this point i wanted my video to be mainly image based rather than have actual video within it.

The image files that i imported and put into the file are shown above, you can see that there is only one video file within there, the more i went over and over the video all together the more i started o dislike the idea of using images, they didn't seem to be working correctly in getting my point across, they looked a little odd and didn't seem to flow properly.

I then started to mess around  bit more with video files after I went out and recorded some footage and took a few more images to get a bigger variety of things to work with.

You can see in the screen shot about that the video switched around quite quickly, I have added in more video files over images, I still have quite a few images files which are like sequence shots - kind of like motion video.

As i was watching the video over to see what was and wasn't working i again started to feel like the images were taking away from the impact of the video, it didn't seem to be working as well as it could do and i felt that the video files were working a lot better in getting the point across and they were a lot more effective that the images.

I the took out some of the images files to see if it would work any better taking it down the the minimum but it still wasn't looking right and something seemed to be missing. Having played he video over a few times i was definitely liking the video files more that images, they had a much better flow and meaning to them as you could get a better feel for the environment which is one of the most important things that need to be shown in this video.

I started to remove all of the image files so that it was literally made up from video files, one flowing into the next showing different areas and things.

Now i had a good flow for my video i started to mess around a bit more with different settings and trying to find a way to make the video flow better. The different video files were cutting in and out very bluntly so I faded them in and out by adjusting the opacity at the start and end of each of the clips.

I changed the opacity at the start of each clip to 0% and then brought it up to 100% and then did the same thing at the end of the clip only the other way around so it would then fade in and fade out. This made all of the files flow a lot better together as there wasn't such a sharp and abrupt switch from clip to clip, it looked a bit more natural and worked a lot better.

I then started to think about recording the different sounds that i wanted to have flowing alongside the video.  I like the thought of having two different things going on at once, because my video is to do with the environment i wanted something to do with nature and the natural things that go on so I got the sound of birds chirping and singing and that is something that is peaceful and relaxing but is also very natural. As well as the sounds of birds singing i wanted someone talking over that explaining a little about the environment and informing the audience a little about the point i am trying to make within the video.

There are still some final tweaks that i need to make to my video so it will be finished but at this point i am hapy with the outcome as at the beginning i was very wary of what i was going to be able to produce but i feel like i have managed to produce a video with a good concept and meaning.

my video...

Over the past few days I have been starting to put my video together, messing around with different things to see what would work best and flow best together to make a good video. At this moment in time I am very skeptical as to what the finished outcome will be like, I am not too sure if it will be successful or not and i think that is due to the fact that I have not been very inspired so far.

Having said that I have decided to have a combination of both video and images together to make up my piece. I feel that maybe video would work better for the whole thing but i like the effect that the jumping images have. They can sometimes be a little bit more enticing.

So far my video is looking quite good, I also feel that I would be able to produce something to a much higher standard if i was more familiar with the software I am using, however over the past few weeks I have managed to navigate my way around Adobe Premiere and learn how to use it.

The theme of my video is all about how the environment is so miss treated and uncared for, showing people the not so pretty things. I want to make people see how the area is being mistreated and how run down and unattractive it looks.

Something that I have noticed about the council is that they tend to look after the central areas more than anywhere else, like with the area in which I have focused my video on, that area is a public place and is council owned - but you wouldn't think so! It is no longer cared for in the way that it was a few years ago, it annoy me that the time is not taken to tidy it up and make it look nicer and more inviting. Instead of the council doing pointless things like creating flower displays down the main roads they could take a small amount of the money that they would be spending doing that and put it into something a bit more long term - like this.

I feel like all priorities and back to front and upside down!

My point.

The point that I intend on getting across within this video is that the environment plays a big role in out health and wellbeing yet we don't care for it.  I have read numerous articles on the Internet that state how important the land is to our health, and that the environment good or bad can alter our way of living.

I want to make this video show people that we shouldn't accept a poor quality of the land and environment around us. We should look for the good. With as little as three minutes a day dramatically altering our mood and making people happier, why would you not want to see the good.

However, this video will show the not so good of my surrounding area, but the point will be that it shouldn't be accepted and we should try change it.

The area in which I have focused on is a council owned area and should therefore be taken care of regularly. In actual fact, no care has been taken of it in a long time, it's over grown and full of rubbish that people have chucked on the floor - pollution. The environment is being polluted every single day.

footage

When i initially started to put my video together i was messing around with both still images and video clips. At first i wanted it to consist of both video and images alternating between the two, but as i have started to piece the video together, swapping and changing sections of the video I have found that the till images don't work as well as video.  I have shot numerous clips with small durations exploring the mistreated things within the environment. I have gone back to looking at the rubbish and things that are left lying around and not disposed of in the correct way, thus polluting the environment a little more each day!

Research...

Over the past few weeks i have been researching into how the environment and how the places that we live in can cause us to be or act in certain ways or live a certain lifestyle.

Like i have mentioned previously one of the most interacting things that i have found is that as little as 3 minutes a day can alter someones mood and way of thinking. It is natural for us, as humans to seek areas that have certain qualities to them - areas that are better taken care of and look nicer and cleaner.

"Just like a mirror, what you do in the outside will affect what happens to you in the inside."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/473256

"What about stress?

Perhaps most importantly for health, the environment can create or reduce stress, which in turn impacts our bodies in multiple ways. This is because our brain and our nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are constantly interacting. As neuroscientist Candice Pert puts it, "What you are thinking at any moment is changing your biochemistry."
Thus, the stress of a noisy, confusing hospital room might result in a patient not only feeling worried, sad, or helpless, but experiencing higher blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension. In addition, hormones released in response to the emotional stress could suppress the patient's immune system, causing his wounds to heal more slowly.
Stress is an important medical consideration, and creating an environment that reduces stress is a key piece of improving health outcomes."

 (http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/healing-environment/what-impact-does-environment-have-us)


Similarly, in an article that I came across this morning it stated that being amongst nature is something that is very good for us as humans, we need that time spend with nature to help us feel more at home with ourselves.

Another thing that is important to know about the environment and the areas in which we live in is they can drastically affect out health and lifestyle. If you live somewhere that is well build up and industrialized you are at risk from the pollution that is in the air, your life span can be dramatically altered by the type of lifestyle that you have.

"Outdoor Air Quality -
Poor air quality is linked to premature death, cancer, and long-term damage to respiratory and cardiovascular systems. "

"Why Is Environmental Health Important?

Maintaining a healthy environment is central to increasing quality of life and years of healthy life. Globally, nearly 25 percent of all deaths and the total disease burden can be attributed to environmental factors.1 Environmental factors are diverse and far reaching. They include:

• Exposure to hazardous substances in the air, water, soil, and food
• Natural and technological disasters
• Physical hazards
• Nutritional deficiencies
• The built environment

Poor environmental quality has its greatest impact on people whose health status is already at risk. Therefore, environmental health must address the societal and environmental factors that increase the likelihood of exposure and disease."

(http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=12)


We are a lot more at risk today than people were a few hundred years ago, mainly due to the amount of chemicals and things that are now being used on a daily basis that are causing pollution.

People don't seem to realise the effect that the environment has on our health, i don't think that many people look at it in that way, they just pass it by everyday and don't really give it a thought. In some respects i do the same thing, i look around me and think that it is all normal, this is where i live and it is what it is. But that is not really the case - which it the whole intention of this video. 

Having just read something on my local councils website I am a little bit mislead as to what their intention is with the natural environment, they have written about them taking full care of the local areas and making sure that people get fined and such for littering and vandalizing but this is not something that i have ever seen taken place around my area, in fact it really seems like they just don't care about this areas purely because it is not central. But that shouldn't be the case they should be caring for all of the borough and not just the area that they feel need or should get the most attention or all of the attention.  People still have to live in these areas and they are becoming polluted due to what is going on and the fact that the area is not taken care of it is starting to become really run down and very unattractive to look at, i dislike seeing what i see everyday and this is the area in which i have to live, it should be taken care of rather that mistreated.

Direction!?

Over the past few days, after a discussion with my tutor I have though a lot about what the best direction would be for this project.

I have the two different options that I have mentioned within this blog, one where I focus in on the not so good things within the environment that annoy me and arent so nice, or focusing in on the good and better things that are surrounding us.

After much though I have decided to go back to the first option of the things that annoy me, rather than focus this video around litter and things like that I have based it around one area that is massively over grown and a mess, a public place that is council owned and should be looked after yet it is no longer treated with any respect, it is a part of this local area and the environment, the environment is fundamental to living so why cant they just care for it.

A big influence!?

Ansel Adams is a photographer that I have taken a lot of inspiration from, I always find myself linking back to his work and my main interest lies with nature and landscape photography, and I have a keen interest in showing people the beauty of the landscape and the things that are out there to be seen if you take the time to explore- similar to that of Adams.

I feel that this is my main intention with the project. I want to produce something that shows people what there is out there to be seen - nature and landscape based. To show them the natural beauty that is there right in front of them and if they took the time to they could experience it for themselves.

I have said previously that it is proven that spending time amongst nature is better for you health, this is something that got backed up whilst i was reading and article online (http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/healing-environment/what-impact-does-environment-have-us). This article stated thats spending as little at three minutes with contact to nature and have an impact on your emotions, reduce stress, anger and fear and boost the pleasant and good feelings that we have.

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams is most commonly known for his photographs of landscapes, especially of landscapes within national parks. His photographs are all about getting people to see the natural beauty within the landscape, and to show people what there is out there to be explored.

Edward Burtynsky

 

Burtynsky is most commonly known for his photographs focusing on large industrial sites around the world. He manages to capture really interesting images that create such an impact on people. The photographs of industrial sites show how the different areas are being used for different things, these areas can be quite run down and a bit of a mess which in turn shows a little bit of the effects they are having on the environment and the surrounding areas.

John Davis

John Davis is known for his photographs that explore industrialisation of places. He takes on long term projects where he goes and photographs different locations to show how specific areas have become industrialised and built up.

This is kind of a link to what I am saying about the health and lifestyle of people, if you live in a well built up and industrialised area, you are more prone to illnesses and things like that, this is another reason why the natural beauty of the world and landscape is important. If areas weren't being built up and over populised than people would be automatically living better.

Fay Godwin

Fay Godwin was most known for her photographs of landscapes, the main point that she was trying to get across to people with these photographs is the beauty of the landscape and the natural yet also man made creations. She wanted people to conserve and look after what they had, appreciating it more for what it is.

There is a direct link with her work to my project as that is kind of what my work is all about, i want people to appreciate what they have more, rather than just dismissing it and not seeing it for what it is.

Stephen Gill

Stephen Gill created very interesting photographic pieces. He goes to different locations and he simply uses his camera and the materials around his to create some very interesting and different photographs that have never been created before.

He will look around the area where he is and pick up different waste things from the area, maybe things like pieces of plastic, dead flowers or bits of plants - anything that he has access to. He then opens up his camera and places it inside so that he creates like a photo-montage over time image he is taking, the images appear like a double exposure piece but everything is taken in one shot. Because he has placed these objects within his camera the layering effect has been created.

This is a really interesting and different way of creating photographic pieces. it's also interesting how he is photographing the environment but not simply just photographing it. Not only can you see what is obvious in front of the camera but you have that direct link to things that may be surrounding him but what has created that first layer of the image. The objects that he has placed there make that connection and give a better feel for the items that are around that area.

The environment - the good.

It is a proven fact that the environment, the areas in which we live in and the air we breathe do affect or health and our way of living. The better the environment and the cleaner it is, the better quality of life you will have.

Nature is a connection to a healthy lifestyle, if people got our more and appreciated what was surrounding them, rather than sitting at home doing nothing they would be more active by getting out and appreciating the environment and what they have surrounding them.

I think this is again something that annoys me about people, we have all these problems with health arising everyday, and there is a simple way to solve certain problems, being more active. There is a perfectly beautiful world out there that is waiting for people to go and explore it.

The thing that attracts me most to nature and landscape is the beauty and the peace that is within them, i think it also links back the the colours and boldness - this may have something to do with how I've always been quite abstract and been intrigued by colours and change - something that is continuous within the environment.

Images

A change?

The other day I went out and started taking photographs of the streets and areas surrounding my house, I went out with the intention of photographing the things that annoy me about the environment, such as the rubbish and over grown areas, to me I can't see when the areas in which we live and spend a lot of our time can't be properly looked after, especially places like parks which children spend a lot of their time in. So I started taking some photographs where I was focusing on the annoying side of the environment, and I constantly found myself getting distracted from what I was doing and started to take photos of the better things within the area, focusing of the beauty of nature and the landscape. Like I have said previously, my passion within the photographic field lies with landscape and nature photography and I guess this is its way of showing through, the fact that I am always drawn to the natural beauty of areas is quite interesting. Even though certain things annoy me like the littering and vandalism, I see past all of that and look for what is good and nice, this is something that I wish happened with all people, why find the need to vandalize, why not appreciate.

I am going to go through all of the images that I took the other day and I will post them above, there is a combination of both looking at the bad and the good within the environment.

ideas...

At the moment the idea that I have for this video is to base it around the environment - focusing on the negative side of things and the way the people are mistreating and not caring for the things that are surrounding them on an everyday basis.

As far as a debate is concerned is see this involves one because some people just don't care about the environment - i.e the people who are mistreating and vandalizing and littering everywhere. But the natural environment is fundamental to us, it is the base to everything and keeps us going. It is the reason for out food chain and helps us to live.  A lot of people don't see what is surrounding them in the way, but in actual fact that is reality and we should be taking care and appreciating the environment around us rather than treating it like a bin dustbin.


"Why Is the Environment Important to US?

Answer:

The environment is important to us as they support the ecosystem which is where we live, get our food from and get the air we breathe. It is the natural source of beauty which is an important factor to the well being of human beings"

"Why is Our Environment is Important?

The simplest explanation about why the environment matters is that, as humans, the environment-the Earth-is our home. It is where we live, breathe, eat, raise our children, etc. Our entire life support system is dependent on the well-being of all of the species living on earth. This is commonly referred to as the biosphere, a term created by Vladimir Vernadsky, a Russian scientist in the 1920s.The biosphere refers to one global ecological system in which all living things are interdependent."

"Another reason why the environment is so important is because it is a source of natural beauty. According to Healthy nature healthy people: contact with nature as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations,"

- http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Why_is_Our_Environment_Important

This is just a little bit of research surrounding the idea that is in my head at the moment, I am going to look into it more and get a better understanding for the different debates  surrounding it and also go out and take some photographs of the area surrounding me and try to show the way it is being mistreated and how it is affecting people.

Brain storming ideas

I know the area that I specialize in withing photography, that being nature and landscape based work. This is the main thing that I want to take into this time based piece. Using the theme of nature and landscape (probably more landscape and environment based more than anything) I need to come up with an idea that is influenced by a debate - it needs to be something that is meaningful to me.

At the moment I am a little bit stuck for ideas on what my video can consist of, I have started brain storming by creating a very basic mind map with a few different ideas on it;

There are two different directions withing this mind map, it could either be taken in the direction of showing the good side of the environment like the natural beauty of the landscapes with trees, field and flowers or showing the negative side, being the vandalism and the littering and the general pollution of the environment.

Even though I have this mind map I am still a little bit stuck on which direction to go in, so I need to do a bit of research to help inform me.

I think I am going to base this piece around the local area where I live, purely because it is something that I am very familiar with and I see what changes on a daily basis, there are both positive and negative things that happen so I can take it in either direction.