Surveillance- The more you know
Another video on surveillance is up! This time I look at social media and data surveillance in particular. Let’s talk about the process.
I chose the topic of ‘A balanced perspective is the key to understanding the contemporary surveillance society in which we live’. I thought this would be a perfect topic to follow on from my last video. As I mentioned above, I narrowed down my topic this time to social media and data surveillance. The argument I aimed to convey was that there are both pros and cons when it comes to surveillance, so it is best to consider both sides. I supported my argument by providing insight into the concerns people may have, along with the benefits it may have which I backed up with evidence.
I started the planning process by doing some reading into the topic I chose and writing down notes that may be useful for my video. This then allowed me to narrow down my focus. Once I had all my notes from my chosen readings, I then wrote a script that I could follow in my video. I started my filming process with footage of me speaking to the camera. I decided to use my ring light as it made for a brighter video compared to the natural lighting that I used in my previous. I then edited that video and cut out any pauses along with any other footage I didn’t want to be included, making the video as seamless as I could. I took into account all I had learned previously when it came to shot composition, framing, and positioning. I considered the rule of thirds and also positioned myself off centre to give the video a more relaxed feel making it more engaging for my audience. I then started to build onto this video. I started by coming up with different ideas to create my footage. I incorporated some of the footage I made such as my intro video, some overlay video, and also built upon this with some Creative commons photos to enhance the overall argument. I still wasn’t finished and still had to brainstorm some more ideas to incorporate as this video had to be a lot longer than what I had previously done before. I thought of some short skits to go along with my arguments. I thought this would be a good idea to break it up for my audience especially as it was a longer video, I thought it would have been a bit boring to just have me speaking to the camera for the whole duration of the video. I also thought including some bloopers at the end would make it more entertaining for my audience. Once I was happy with all the footage I had, it was time to choose some music to go along with it. For the intro, it was crucial to find audio that complemented the video. I searched through SoundCloud for music I could use and ended up finding something I was quite happy with. I also decided not to have any music throughout the video as I don’t think that would have worked for the type of video I was going for. I ended up finding another track that worked well as an outro for my references.
In my previous video on surveillance, I realised that I was looking at myself throughout the whole video. This made it look like I was reading off of a script which made it a bit disengaging for my viewers. I made sure to look into the camera this time to be more engaging. While planning for my last video I also found it difficult to narrow my focus however this time I overcame this by doing some reading on my topic, taking notes, and then narrowing down on what I had information on. A challenge I encountered while editing was my video was not meeting the time requirement. I overcame this by brainstorming some skits and including those which I think overall made for a more compelling and engaging video to what I previously had. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of making a longer video with a chosen topic and hope to make more videos in the future.
I hope you enjoyed it if you made it this far and until next time!
Music
Time Squid Main theme by Steven O’Brien (CC BY 3.0)
Chill House Vibes 128BPM Royalty Free by Hikosaemon (CC BY 3.0)
Images
Data privacy by stockcatalog (CC BY 2.0)
White House by Seansie (CC BY 2.0)
NSA Security Cameras Surveillance Cameras. Spy cams. by JeepersMedia (CC BY 2.0)
People watching people Rosmarie Voegtli (CC BY 2.0)
Security by Got Credit (CC BY 2.0)
Forensic Science by WorldSkills UK (CC BY 2.0)
All other images and footage by Farinaz Assadi
Research
White, A 2014, ‘Surveillance: The Role of Databases in Contemporary Society,’ in Digital Media and Society: Transforming Economics, Politics and Social Practices, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, pp. 145-66
Van Dijck, José 2017, ‘Datafication, dataism and dataveillance: Big Data between scientific paradigm and ideology,’ Surveillance & Society, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 197-208.
Matos, S., 2019. Privacy and data protection in the surveillance society: The case of the Prüm system. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 66, pp.155-161.
Heikkilä, H., 2018. Privacy under surveillance: Towards a conceptual analysis of the price of connection. Northern Lights: Film & Media Studies Yearbook, 16(1), pp.59-74.
Surveillance In Modern World
Let’s talk about surveillance! Overall making this video was quite an enjoyable process. Let’s get into it.
So I aimed to briefly introduce the topic of surveillance while also providing a little bit of insight. At first, I planned on keeping the topic based on CCTV and law enforcement however once I started to plan, this was what came more naturally to me. I aimed to provide the audience with the concerns most people have on this topic in this current time in society however I also briefly touched on the benefits of it too such as the use of CCTV for law enforcement. The video as a whole aims to get people thinking and spark conversation surrounding this topic.
I adopted some strategies I learned over the weeks such as editing, use of overlays and music. I wrote a rough script to give my video some direction while I also tried to keep it light and not too content heavy. I started my video with raw footage of me speaking to the camera. Then I made some cuts to make the speaking as seamless as possible, taking on board feedback I received from my last video. I also positioned myself more to the side so I wasn’t central on-screen. In my previous video, I used a ring light although in this video I wanted to try something different and sat in front of a window with natural light coming through. I then built on this footage by creating my B roll footage, taking footage I already had and some creative commons images to aid me in getting my message across to the audience. I finally found music to complement my video and utilised it in the beginning and end of my video. I made sure to use fade in’s and fade-outs to allow for a seamless transition, from the music to me talking to the camera. I pondered whether I should play music in between my video however concluded that it was not the right decision for my video as I thought it may have been distracting. I added some filters on my B roll footage and experimented with speed to further compliment my video.
In the planning stage, I struggled with narrowing down my topic as I felt like I wanted to mention some different things to give insight into the topic. When it came to filming I found it quite difficult to finish a sentence without jumbling up my words. I managed to overcome this by pausing, repeating what I needed to, and leaving the rest up to editing. When it came to downloading music I struggled to get the music onto my phone, which was the device I was using to edit. I watched a few videos and I managed to get the music on my phone. In conclusion, I really enjoyed playing around with editing and using some editing techniques I was not previously familiar with. If there is anything I learned was that editing is a tedious process and takes time, however with that said it can also be fun.
I hope you enjoyed my video on surveillance and I look forward to the next one!
Music:
Uneasy dream by Cxiph (CC by 3.0)
Images:
Privacy by Alan Cleaver (CC by 2.0)
LG Health Exchange Legislation Testimony by MDGovpics (CC BY 2.0)
Chained and Locked by Dusty J (CC by 2.0)
All other images and footage by Farinaz Assadi
Research:
White, A 2014, ‘Surveillance: The Role of Databases in Contemporary Society,’ in Digital Media and Society: Transforming Economics, Politics and Social Practices, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, pp. 145-66
Creating My First Video
I did my first YouTube video!
This was a fun process that I underestimated…, we will get into that later.
I think a video is a great way to engage with an online community of like-minded people. I wanted to convey my authentic self on camera, rather than coming across as too much and over the top. I did not give much thought as to how I should be on camera but rather pressed play and let it flow as if I was introducing myself to someone I was meeting. I would describe myself as quite calm and mellow which I think translated in the video however I am also energetic and silly with my close friends. I think I am quite girly which was shown through my interests. My target audience is likeminded people with similar interests as mine, which were expressed in the video. My approach to creating content would be making content that I have an interest in, as I feel this would be the most genuine, making it easier for viewers to relate to me.
I adopted some of the strategies I have learned over the last few weeks.
I wrote a plan of the things I wanted to communicate with my audience to give me some direction however I didn’t stick to a specific script as I aimed to make it authentic as possible.
I decided to film in my room, to keep the background a little busy by capturing the things I have displayed in my room. I set up a small adjustable tripod with a phone clasp attachment in between my ring light. I used my ring light to brighten up my room as I filmed this after sunset, with my room light also switched on to brighten up my surroundings and avoid shadows. I filmed using my iPhone which was placed on the tripod to keep the camera steady and ensure the cuts flow if any cuts were necessary. I recorded audio from my phone, making sure I wasn’t moving around as I realised the microphone picks up the slightest noises. I also made sure I had enough distance from the camera where I was close enough yet still maintaining some distance. For my final production, I used iMovie and incorporated transitions to make each cut flow better.
When it came to framing I considered the rule of thirds, making sure I had enough head space and also sitting slightly off centre to make the video more intimate, relaxed, and less intimidating for the viewer.
While filming I did face some challenges as I mentioned earlier. I hadn’t had much experience speaking to a camera previously, so once I began filming I noticed how foreign it felt to me. Upon looking back at videos I noticed how much I used the word ‘um’ however once I realised I became more confident the second time I recorded and ensured I was confident with what I was saying. I also filmed once and while I watched it back I realised it lacked energy and was quite monotonous, so I ended up recording the whole thing again. Overall I had a lot of fun making my first video and I know with time, I will get better.
If you have made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my little ‘Get to know me’ video and I look forward to making more videos in the future!
byfarinaz 