We first came up with an idea for the video; We decided to do one related to
our research question; we wanted to demonstrate how easy it is for people to
alter their identity on Instagram, promoting our survey results in the process.
After drafting a script and agreeing on an idea for a storyline, we went to our
chosen location (at Green Beach by Lake Waban). We decided on using an iPhone
to film because we wanted it to be a more casual style of video. I filmed Joy
and Sarah acting out a photoshoot using Sarah’s iPhone.
We were able to get clips we were satisfied with on first take. We filmed
primarily from one angle because we wanted the viewer to feel like they were a
third-person observer in the scene, and this once again added to the
intentional casualness of the video. We also included parts that were
screen-recorded; for this, Joy used Screen Record option on iPhone to record the
screen as she photoshopped the images. She used a photo editing app to add in
the comparison photos which appear towards the end of the video. Sarah also
took screenshots on our laptop for the still shots of our survey.
Editing Process
During the editing process, I compiled the clips we filmed by the lake
with the screen recording where we photoshopped the original photos.
Our video aims to exaggerate the real-life posting process used by
many Instagram users curate their photos and instagram "feed". To highlight
the artificiality of many seemingly "real" photos on Instagram, we
wanted to first show the original photo shoot, directly followed by
the complex photo-editing process. Next, I panned to the edited version of
the video. Then I displayed a side by side comparism of the original and
edited photo. The transitions I chose between clips were meant to resemble
someone switching through many tabs on a computer screen. At the end of the
video we have the phrase "Everything is not what it seems" followed by our
survey link. I put some light-hearted theme music in the background.
We wanted our audience to know that the video was meant to be a humourous
take on the problem posed by photo-shopped images on social media.