Barbering Instructional Video: AC1: Informing Ideas

AC1: Informing ideas​

Use skills for informing ideas, interpreting the brief and developing ideas and outcomes as they progress.​

Summary of brief:

Requirements: ​

"To film a tutorial guide for a variety of barbering techniques to support learners on this course. This will be used in course and will be accessible online. Therefore you must demonstrate high standards. You are required to plan, film and edit one barbering tutorial guide, there are eight barbering styles in total and you will work in small groups. ​The client has requested that the shoot is filmed in silence with copyright free music to be added in post-production, along with a voiceover that Mark will provide. ​This is a tutorial guide so typical shots are medium close-ups, close ups, with some panning and simple cut transitions will be needed. The shots must be static, so you will need a working tripod, the shots must be in focus with close attention to the mise-en-scene. Due to COVID restrictions and timetabling filming will happen on Bede Campus in the TV Studio.​ You will hold a meeting with the client and you must have prepared questions about the requirements for this project. Consider the pace, shots, voiceover and technique requirements the client may or may not want. You must understand the clients ideas prior to commencing​."

Client:

Sunderland College, Salon Professionals dept.​

Deadline:

18th June 2021

Assessor(s):

Drew Naylor, Neil Wilson, Emma Leslie Boddy.

Client background:

The Lecturer Mark Sowerby teaches on the Barbering course at Sunderland College, City Campus. The learners on this course are studying Level 2 and Level 3, aged 16-18.​ The tutorial guides will be shown in class, used as independent study material and available on Sunderland College’s platforms.​ There are high expectations that you will be producing a high quality production that will be used as a teaching tool, and promotion of the course and college.​

Client research:

Unlike our previous assignment - in which our clients were hypothetical companies - our clients are existing establishments. Our clients are 'Sunderland College' and 'Salon Professional Dept.' - both of these groups are based in 'Sunderland City Campus'. 'Sunderland College' is an educational facility composed of many separate institutions: 'Sunderland City Campus', 'Bede Campus', and 'Washington Campus' - that combined make the larger entity of 'Sunderland College'. 'Sunderland College' is a part of 'Education Partnership North East' - a combination of 'Sunderland College', 'Hartlepool Sixth Form', and 'Northumberland College'. 

As our client is an educational facility - there are certain standards that must be upheld to maintain a sense of professionalism. An example of maintaining professionalism would be mode of address when presenting the content of the instructional video. As the client is an educational facility - I would assume they expect a formal mode of address for classroom content. Formal address is advantageous as it produces an air of professionalism - ergo the students are more receptive to the information at hand as the speaker will come across as professional, an authority of the given subject. Juxtaposed to this - using informal address could have the opposite effect. 

Audience Profiling:

Audience profiling involves four main principles: segmentation, messaging, engagement and measurement. Each of these steps aids in the production of a media product - further helping narrow down whom my audience is as so that the product can be tailored to be more accessible to the target audience. Segmentation is the process of breaking down who your audience is from the general population. This can be in many factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and geographic location. In terms of the project I am working on - I can determine many key factors that will help me segment my audience profile to better orient my project towards the said audience. I can gather that the general age of 

Identifying the audience:

As stated by the brief - our target audience are students that are studying Level 2 and Level 3 barbering. These people typically are between the ages of 15 years old to 18 years old, though some students may be older - I will use this as my base demographic as to appeal to the vast majority of students. As stated in the Pearson BTEC website, under the subsection -'Learner Profile' from the article 'About BTEC Firsts', "The majority of BTEC First students are likely to be in the 14-19 age group, although BTEC Firsts are suitable for learners of any age needing an engaging introduction to life and work in a vocational sector." This statement reiterates my point that the majority of BTEC students are teenagers - despite some students being much older. 

young people aged 10-19 represent 12% of the total population

Identifying codes and conventions of instructional videos:

Prior to identifying the codes of conventions of instructional videos - one must understand the definition of both terms as to properly understand how to apply these techniques to one's own product. By definition - the conventions of a product are elements that commonly occur within said product: they may include things like characters; situations; settings; props; themes; and events. Analysing existing instructional videos to inform ideas, looking at codes/conventions/effective use of technique. In terms of an example of a convention within an instructional video - a typical convention of an instructional video would be they use of close-up shots - to emphasise the functionality of what is within the shot. Another example of a convention within an instructional video, in terms of editing techniques, is the use of text of screen. Using text on the screen helps the viewer understand any spoken points to a greater extent, as by having text on screen the viewer can visually see the point. Having text on screen also allows the viewer to pause the video at any point - further allowing them to understand the information at hand.

Codes, by definition, are written and symbolic tools used to construct or suggest meaning in media forms and products. There are three types of codes used in media production: symbolic codes, technical codes and written codes. 

Symbolic codes involve the use of symbolism within frame - these are things that a viewer can infer ideas from without having to be told directly. An example of this within the context of a barbering video could be a close-up shot of barbering scissors - as this tool is iconographic of barbering, meaning it is typically associated in the public consciousness with barbering. Seeing a preliminary shot of scissors - the viewer can infer that they are watching a video about barbering. 

Technical codes are ways in which equipment are used in the production of a media product. This can include camera angles, framing, use of equipment such as a dolly or tripod. Typical framing of shots within a tutorial include close-up shots. Atypical shot types would include an extreme-long-shot, as in a tutorial technique is highlighted. Using a long shot - the viewer cannot clearly see what us happening. As opposed to using a close-up, the viewer can clearly see what is happening in frame allowing them to better understand the content of the tutorial. 

Written codes are formal written language that is used in a media product; in essence anything the audience can infer from written text. This can include applying text on screen during the editing process - this is an effective way of conveying information and helps reinforce points that are put across verbally. As an example specific to our client: say the narrator has just specified the name of a certain hairstyle. To help put emphasis on the type of haircut, as this is key information putting text on screen could help reinforce this in the viewers mind. 

 

Existing Product Analysis: 

Existing Product 1: 101: Learning the Basics of Haircutting | Kenra Professional

This is a very effective video. The video is in sections - which illustrates a sense of continuity. Having clear, discernible, steps helps the viewer understand the foundations of cutting hair. Having these sections also allows viewers to return to sections they may not understand without having to watch the entire video in its entirety, ergo making the viewer more accessible and viewer friendly. 

In terms of usage of shot types - this video makes great use of close-ups and medium close-ups. Usage of 

Existing Product 2: QUICK & EASY HOME HAIRCUT TUTORIAL | How To Cut Men's Hair Cut With Clippers

Something I find particularly effective in this video is the visual indicators shown within the frame to indicate where the viewer is meant to cut the hair to round out the shape of the back and sides. Using visual indicators helps focus the viewers attention and is a use of symbolic codes within a media product. Using this pairs with the narration to make an audio-visual experience which helps the viewer understand the content of the video more efficiently as opposed to simply having narration with no visual aid as to what is happening within the frame.

Similarly to the last existing product, which I analysed to further develop my understanding of the codes and conventions of instructional videos, this video uses numerical steps. I find this technique particularly effective as it aids in the viewer's understanding of the videos content - by breaking down the content in to clear, discernible, steps the content becomes more digestible which is the key purpose of an instructional video. 

Research in to shot types:

Birds Eye View shot – a shot taken directly from above something, looking down on it (as though the camera was a bird flying over the scene). 

 

Canted Angle – A shot which is tilted to one side.  This is often used to create a feeling of disorientation, anxiety or chaos. 

 

Close up (and variations): close ups, including extreme, big and medium close ups, are used to draw the viewer closer and to involve them in what is happening; they also used to observe reactions and emotions, such is happiness, elation or tension. These shots are often used to help the audience feel sympathy for that character or side with them. Alternatively, a series of close ups / extreme close-ups often make the audience feel quite claustrophobic and uncomfortable. 

 

Crane Shot (or Aerial): a type of shot in which a camera is positioned on a specially designed crane, which can be raised and lowered and will.  A crane shot is a very high-angle shot but the versatility of the equipment allows a director to start a shot from a high-angle and then swoop down toward the subject at ground level.   

 

Deep Focus: a camera technique that allows objects both near and far from the camera to be in focus at the same time.  

Establishing shot: the shot (usually wide or long), often used at the start of a programme or film, a new section of a programme or at the start of a new scene to establish the relationship between the set/location and the characters and to show the whole view 

 

Hand-Held shot:  A shot filmed with the camera not on a tripod but instead held by the camera man, often whilst walking.  This makes the shots seem quite shaky.  This can make the audience feel the scene is more realistic, or can make us feel like we are part of the action. 

 

Head-On Shot: for a type of shot in which the action comes directly toward the camera.  Head-On shots are often used in war or action movies to enhance the sense of involvement and excitement of the audience, for example, charging cavalry may be directed at the camera. 

 

High angle: A shot where the camera is positioned higher than the person’s eyeline, looking down at them.  This is often used to make a character in the shot seem weaker, younger or more vulnerable. 

  

Loose Frame – Describes a shot where there is a lot of room around an object or person.  Usually used to show them as being alone or isolated or unimportant.

Low-Angle Shot: A shot where the camera is placed lower than the eyeline of the person in the shot, looking up at them.  It can make the character shown seem big and powerful and it can make us or the character we are seeing through, seem small and weak. 

 

Medium Shot: A shot showing around half of a person to their waist.  Normally used to show their emotions and some of their body language and setting in order to aid our understanding 

 

Over The Shoulder Shot:  A shot which is filmed just over the shoulder of one character, normally looking at another character.  This is used to make us feel like we are part of the scene and show us some of the character’s perspective.   

 

Pan: camera action involving gently moving the camera left or right across the subject matter horizontally 

 

Point-of-View Shot (POV or Subjective Filming): a camera shot taken from the position of the subject, used to enhance a sense of realism and audience involvement in the action. 

 

Pull Focus – Describes a shot where one thing was in focus, and then the lens is changed so that something else stops being blurry and becomes in focus.  Often used to draw the audience’s attention to something. 

 

Shallow Focus – Describes a shot where an object near the front is in focus, and everything else behind is out of focus (blurry).  Often used to make one thing seem more important.