My project was to create a recruitment style video for Leaf
Care Services, Norwich. I emailed Leaf Care Services regarding working with
them for this assignment and they were interested straight away. I went into
their offices for a meeting to pitch my idea of a recruitment video. We worked
together to source people to be in my video, and from there it was very much my
own project. I had full directional input apart from “make sure they’re wearing
their uniform!” from Katie. This meant I could decide who to interview, what
questions to ask, what and where to film, while still being influenced by
traditional care recruitment video guidelines.
The technical quality of my video is quite high, I used a
range of equipment I haven’t used before, such as the camera in the studio
& an external microphone which plugs into the camera. I had guidance from
Derek on how to use the camera & lighting to set up my interview in the
most professional way. On the first day I had the studio booked to interview,
my contributor cancelled on me so I had to wait till the afternoon for my
sister to come in to interview her instead. I had always planned to interview
Rosie, but not in such a desperate I-need-a-contributor-now sort of way. The
next day Tia came in as planned for interview and this went as smoothly as it
could have done.
Looking back, I wish I’d have asked a variety of questions,
but I did settle my contributors into their interview by asking them a few
irrelevant questions such as to describe what they had eaten last night, and
what they plan to do with the rest of their day. This meant that both Tia and
Rosie were comfortable in front of the camera and didn’t panic or stress too
much when it came to the actual questions, as they were already describing
something mundane and potentially uninteresting.
The look of the video fit with the style I was going for,
such as a well-lit, clean interview with a comfortable, almost family-like
setting while we follow a carer round on their day-to-day. I also got some
shots of flowers and leaves on some plants to give it a homely, soft feeling
but while also being relevant to the video. I’ve learnt during this to get more shots of the same action from
different angles and different variables of closeness, to make more artistic
and good sequences in the edit.
Feedback I received from peers allowed me to see the point
of view from the audience. For example, they all said that it was engaging for
the target audience, which is great because that’s what I need. My interviews
were informative of the role, but I had mixed feedback on the soundtrack. For
example, someone said the music was fitting but another person said it could be
changed. I feel like the track I used was suitable for the video, as it’s
similar to other tracks used in care recruitment video but I understand why
some people may not like it as it can seem sad, and slightly make the video
seem depressing, which is not what some people like.
Overall, the client and I agree that it achieved what it
sets out to do. I’ve asked relevant questions in the interview to get an in-depth
insight into the role of a home care worker, and included relevant shots of
someone in someone’s house doing their job. It’s bright, airy, and eye catching.
The audio could do with a slight adjustment in being louder, and I could have
filmed a wider range of GVs to give an even deeper insight into the role, but
the finished product is effective for its aim.
