My assignment: Teach someone (via max. 1-minute instructional video) how to create a balloon dog.
To begin constructing my instructional video, I used this video to learn how to make a balloon dog. I noticed that the creator of the video made sure to keep his hands from covering the balloon as he shaped it, so that the viewers could see what was happening. His explanations were clear, and he kept his video simple, without any distracting elements in the background.
I wasn’t quite sure how to begin constructing my storyboard, but I knew I needed to make the construction of the balloon animal the focus. I positioned my camera so that the background would be a white wall, and started taking photos.
I used one frame to establish how much the balloon should be filled, then about two frames demonstrating the set-up and follow through of each twist, and ended with a still of the finished balloon dog.
Afterwards, I noticed that some of the steps weren’t as clear because they didn’t imply the direction and motion of the steps, they simply showed a before and after. Also, the shadow in certain angles was streaky and distracting. When filming the video, I intend to take note of these and set up a different lighting situation.
10/23/19 Storyboard second iteration
With this iteration, I focused more on making the steps clear. I made sure to move my hands out of the way so that viewers could see the sections I was emphasizing, as well as relevant context such as proportions. I also chose to add some beginning frames for the set-up so that people could see the required materials for making a balloon dog and how much of the balloon should be filled.
While I was more successful with the neatness of my presentation, one thing I could have pushed more was the sense of motion captured in each frame. While a few of the twists, such as in the second row first image, were clear, others, such as the second to last image, were not as clear. Setting my hands up to show the beginning of the motion might help with giving viewers closure, so that they can follow the motion through to the next frame.
Also, some of the lighting was inconsistent due to my camera’s color and contrast balancing, which required me to edit the photos.
10/28/19 Video: First Take
After receiving crit and advice on my storyboard, I realized the importance of showing zoomed-out views, and came up with the idea of using a finished balloon dog on screen as reference for the process of creating the proportions. One thing I had difficulty understanding in the instructional video that I watched was what each piece would end up being. Though the demonstrator in that video was able to explain verbally, representing it visually would also convey the same information.
I also reflected on other instructional videos I had watched recently: one on refilling fountain pens, and a friend’s art project on making a sandwich. Whereas the fountain pen refilling video was clear and short without much extra embellishment, my friend’s art project used a verbal script, acting/body language, and framing changes to convey deeper criticisms about marriage and traditional domestic expectations, which went beyond the simple instructions of making a sandwich. Her video caused me to consider how people use motion and sound to engage an audience, as well as to punctuate important points.
When shooting my video, I picked out a quiet room in Porter Hall, where there were whiteboards with ledges that I could prop a finished balloon dog against and present in front of.
For the introductory part, I tried different ways of presenting the materials. First, I used a video still of the unfilled balloons and air pump propped up against the whiteboard, but I felt that that sort of presentation lacked focus, and wasn’t very interesting. I also tried holding the materials, but doing so didn’t address the main problems of propping them up on the board.
Next, I tried pulling up a desk and dropping the bag of balloons, single balloon, and air pump on it one at a time as a way of creating “statements”, where the viewer could focus on one idea at a time.
As part of the introduction, I also considered doing a short clip of filling the balloon with the pump, but I was not sure if it was necessary.
The main body of the video was the making of the balloon dog, shot in a single take. I felt that it wasn’t necessary to cut the video, since the process was fairly streamlined and manageable within the time limit (1 minute). I struggled with filming a smooth take, however, since I wasn’t familiar with the position that I was sitting in while making the balloon dog, and I made a few fumbles. Some steps also involved flipping the balloon, which was awkward, and could have been minimized. Primarily, I focused on not blocking the balloon with my hands, and emphasized the twisting gestures by repeating the twists. I also paused after important sections to compare the in-progress balloon dog to the final balloon dog and enforce the paralleled proportions.
Reviewing the video, the composition may be a bit odd looking, with just two arms sticking up from the bottom of the screen. One benefit I had in my second storyboard, which I prototyped on the seamless, was that the positioning would be similar to how a viewer would be making the balloon, and thus it looked more natural.
I think that overall, the balloon twisting of my filming was clear, but could be neatened up in future iterations. For the next iteration, I also plan to hammer down the introductory sequence (materials, balloon filling) after receiving feedback on the gap left between presenting the balloons and proceeding to manipulate the filled balloon.
Second Take
Crit feedback:
- Pink balloon not placed intentionally
- White board is a bit distracting — not sure why it is set in a classroom
- Lighting too dark
- Positioning of arms/hands looks odd
- Presentation of balloon package and single balloon separately is confusing
- Justification of single take
This time, I pushed a table against the wall that would still allow me to prop up a balloon dog, but which would seem like a more common backdrop. This table also enabled me to brace my arms against the table as I made the balloon to prevent excessive shaking/movement.
I also tried a different way of presenting the balloon package — by introducing the package and single balloon together. At first, I tried recording myself pulling a balloon out of the bag, but it came out looking unprofessional because I had to dig around in the bag and I would grab the wrong balloon color. Instead, I took out the balloon and held it in my hand behind the bag so I could show it more easily.
In this take, I also started cutting unnecessary portions of the video. Before, I thought cuts would be unnecessary since it didn’t take very long to make a balloon, and the steps seemed to flow pretty well. I used cuts to remove mistakes and shorten steps that were clear and didn’t need to be shown fully. Cuts ended up helping me not only save time, but communicate ideas that wouldn’t have been clear through a single take.
To make the finished balloon dog more of an intentional decision, I gave it short clips of its own where I gestured to the portion that I would be making next. I decided to keep the reference dog because I liked the idea of letting people dictate their own proportions for their balloon dogs, rather than enforcing a strict unit of measurement which wouldn’t be reliable with different length balloons.
I felt that I needed a more conclusive scene at the end to tie together how orange balloon related to the green one, but I didn’t want the scene to be devoid of motion, so I tried zooming out with my lens while recording. This zoom-out seemed a bit out of place, though, since I didn’t change the camera angle at any other point during the video. I would like to experiment with different types of introduction and closing sequences (and determine whether these should be integrated into other parts or not) in future iterations.
11/4/19 Video: Final Take
Crit feedback:
- Lighting and table too dull, creates a depressing mood
- Color contrast between green and orange balloon is distracting bc it’s too strong
- Hand gesture suggests measuring, when the intent was to point out sections
- Presentation not very engaging
In class, we talked about the qualities of a good intro and ending. They have to give the viewer some breathing room, acting as a lead-in or conclusion, respectively. I felt that my introduction in the previous video was a bit abrupt, and I wanted to pay particular attention to how I set that up. I was only able to come up with two ideas for an introduction/conclusion. One of the ideas I tested was creating a narrative that personified the balloon dogs. I had the finished blue balloon dog chase after a rolling air pump at the beginning and then face the newly-created balloon dog at the end to suggest a more friendly relationship between the two. After re-watching the clip a few times, I decided that this added story was a bit cheesy, enough so that it had a distracting effect. I wasn’t sure how to bring the idea to a level of resolution that would justify its inclusion.
Since I was dissatisfied with the tone of this introduction, I went back to shoot them in a style more suiting the rest of the video. I ran out of yellow balloons, and the balloon dogs from the previous video had lost its luster, so I opted to delete the conclusion and leave just the yellow dog at the end. As for the intro, I shot a simple zoom out of a freshly-made balloon dog with similar proportions.
Though the resolution for this sort of intro and ending isn’t optimal, due to my project limitations and lack of foresight, I feel that it fits better tonally. This video seems more consistent than the one that personified the balloon dogs.
With the other issues regarding lighting, color contrast, and communicative gesture, I took a fairly straightforward approach. I shot in a room with brighter lights, and adjusted my ISO + White balance. I used less saturated colors of balloons. I changed my gesture to a circling finger motion that would emphasize the part I was trying to direct attention to, rather than suggest measurement.
After receiving feedback on both of my earlier clips, I decided to change the introduction to a still shot of the blue balloon dog, since it wouldn’t be as distracting as the previous two, but it would still integrate the blue dog with the rest of the video’s narrative. I kept the ending with the balloon dogs facing each other, since I wasn’t able to reshoot the scene with a different composition.
