Ghost Hunters- Induction task

Evaluation of self portrait

For my self portrait I decided to create a video about myself because it was the option that best allowed me to showcase as many of my skills as possible such as filming, editing and acting. I also decided to incorporate an original song into it so I could use my singing and songwriting skills, which I'm still developing. In general I am rather pleased with how my video turned out, especially considering the fairly short timeframe we had and the large amount I wanted to incorporate into my self portrait. I spent the majority of the time I had trying to write my song. I started off trying to write it completely by myself, creating my own track with the keyboard. However, I had never written music before and ended up only creating short tunes. Instead I decided to find a copyright free backing track online and used that. I then wrote the lyrics and recorded myself singing the song. I'm not entirely happy with the audio I ended up using because my voice doesn't sound as good as I know it could, due to my lack of practice and any warm ups before recording. They certainly aren't the worst I've ever heard but I know that if I'd had more time to rehearse the song and work on how I wanted each part to sound, then I would be able to produce a better vocal performance. Reflecting on it now, I also think it would've been a smarter choice to write a parody of a song I like, instead of trying to write an original. I then wouldn't have had to spend so much time trying to find a backing track and trying to think of tune for the lyrics. This also would've then shown what my musical taste is like and I could've picked a song that better suits my singing style (e.g. a musical theatre song). I then spent the rest of the time trying to film as much as I could. I also had to incorporate some videos I already had, such as recordings of my old circus performances, because I wasn't able to film this before the deadline. Therefore, some of the shots in it aren't of the best quality but suitably reflect my skill sets and the progress I've made compared to then and now. Also, I wish I'd had more time to develop my editing skills and learn more effects and techniques as this would further improve the quality of my video. With more time I could've used tutorials to add to my editing experience and my video wouldn't be so simply edited, using the same cuts, zooms and transitions throughout. 

My self portrait

Planning my self portrait

Headshots

All headshots:

Final edited headshot:

Work experience research

Norwich Theatre Royal

Website: https://norwichtheatre.org/ 

Address: Theatre St, Norwich NR2 1RL

Email: info@norwichtheatre.org 

Phone number: 01603 630000 (Box office)

Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

About

Norwich Theatre is a leading arts organisation in the UK and the largest in the East of England, presenting a vibrant programme of live performance and creative engagement activities to entertain, enrich and inspire audiences of all ages and backgrounds. They offer work experience in the following departments: backstage technical, front of house and hospitality. 

St George’s Theatre

Website: https://www.stgeorgestheatre.com/ 

Address: St Georges Theatre, King St, Great Yarmouth NR30 2PG

Email:  admin@stgeorgestheatre.com 

Phone number: 01493 331484

Social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

About

St George’s Theatre is Great Yarmouth's only all year round theatre, housing a variety of different productions, as well as conferences. 

Hippodrome circus

Website: https://hippodromecircus.co.uk/ 

Address: St George's Rd, Great Yarmouth NR30 2EU

Email:  hippodromecircus@gmail.com  

Phone number: 01493 738877

Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

• Have connections there with people there already

About

The Hippodrome circus is a permanent circus building based in Great Yarmouth. 4 circus spectaculars are performed every year: Christmas, Pirates, Summer and Halloween. They feature a variety of circus acts, a group of dancers and synchronised swimming. 

Marina theatre

Website: https://www.marinatheatre.co.uk/ 

Address: Marina, Lowestoft NR32 1HH

Email: info@marinatheatre.co.uk 

Phone number: 01502 533200 

Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram 

About

The Marina is a theatre and cinema in Lowestoft, Suffolk. It plays host to major West End productions, top comedy, orchestral concerts, touring drama and musical productions, opera, ballet, music, dance and celebrity concerts as well as operating a successful cinema operation

Britannia Pier Theatre

Website: http://www.britannia-pier.co.uk/theatre.php 

Address: Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth NR30 2EH

Email: info@britannia-pier.co.uk 

Phone number: 01493 842914

Social media: Facebook

About

Live shows are frequently held at Britannia Pier Theatre, with the majority of them being either tribute acts or comedy shows. 

Out There Arts

Website: https://outtherearts.org.uk/ 

Address: The Drill Hall, York Rd, Great Yarmouth NR30 2LZ

Email: hello@outtherearts.org.uk 

Phone number: 01493 745458

Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

• Have connections with people there already

About

Out There Arts is an arts development charity based in The Drill House in Great Yarmouth who work with many kinds of artists, both local and global. They support, host, and deliver circus and street arts projects and events, such as the annual Out There festival and this year, the Fire on the Water experience. 

CV

How to capture a good headshot

 How to capture a good headshot

• Only from the shoulders and upwards is typically photographed

• It should be a professional standard with minimal pixilation and blurriness

• The focus should be on showing the subject’s personality, not on making them look as glamorous as possible

• The eyes are the most important aspect to capture

• No dramatic shadows with lighting focused on the face

• The subject should look directly into the camera so every aspect of their face is visible and their appearance is clear

• It is better to blur the background so the focus is on the person

• Don’t stand too close to the background so there is some separation and reduces the intensity of shadows

• The subject’s body should be turned at a 45 degree angle, typically toward the main light source, with their face straight towards the camera

• Good posture is an important so the subject doesn’t look unprofessional or tense

• Adding a black and white filter can help make an image seem more professional 

• Using a longer focal length helps to avoid any distortion of the face and creates a more flattering image. A focal length between 40mm and 85mm is considered the most flattering

• The background should be neutral so it doesn’t draw attention away from the subject’s face

• Don’t airbrush the photo too heavily afterwards- the headshot should look as natural as possible

• The person shouldn’t be overly posed, they should look and feel relaxed

• The aim of a headshot is to give whoever is viewing it a clear depiction of who you are and what you look like

• It is ideal for the camera lens to have a wide aperture within the f/1.8 and f/2.8 range because this creates a shallow depth of field, which helps to separate subjects from the background

• Shooting at a faster shutter speed ensures that there’s minimal shakiness with the camera and subject

Researching creative portfolios

 Researching creative portfolios

StarKid Productions

Website link: https://www.teamstarkid.com/

• Logo at the top

• Video with clips of their past productions

• Consistent purple and yellow colour scheme

• Information about their latest projects towards the top with image links

• Short description about the company's history

• Small comments/reviews (outside opinions)

• Contact/social media information

• Page with a list of all their productions (information on each with images and videos)

• Many supporting images/videos (not just text)

Tin Can Brothers

Website link: https://www.tincanbros.com/

• Logo at the top

• Large images (eye catching, draw attention)- set comedic tone 

• Consistent grey, white and yellow colour scheme

• About information on home page (company then creators)

• Contact information and social media links

• List of FAQs

• Reviews (outside opinions)

• Pages for their previous works (contains images, reviews, videos and information)

Deaf West Theatre

Website link: https://www.deafwest.org/

• Logo at the top

• Video with clips of their previous projects is the first thing you see

• Multiple images from their productions

• Short description of who they are and what they do

• List of ‘project highlights’

• Links to their social media and contact information

• Can subscribe to an email listing

• Page linking to their upcoming projects

• About page with more in-depth information (general info, directors, awards, benefits of working with them)

• Support page where people can donate