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X-NIGHT RIVAL 1 DISC ORANGE £2499.99

Frame: X-Night Disc, 24t HM/HR Unidirectional carbon

Fork: Oryx Disc 12TA, Carbon steerer

Rear Derailleur: SRAM Rival1, Medium cage

Front Derailleur: /

Crankset: SRAM Rival1 PF30, 42t

Shifters: SRAM Rival1

Cassette: SRAM PG1130, 11-32

Chain: KMC X11

Brakes: SRAM Rival1 Hydraulic Disc, F160/R140

Wheelset: DT Swiss R24 Spline DB

Tires: Clement MXP 700x33c, Folding

Stem: 4ZA Stratos

Handlebar: 4ZA Stratos

Seatpost: 4ZA Stratos, 27,2x350mm

Saddle: 4ZA Stratos Dynamic Comfort

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This is the Website where I will be posting on the online forum.

Pinkbike. (n.d.). Retrieved 2012, from Pinkbike: www.pinkbike.com

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Media College. (2012). Interview Technique. Retrieved 2012, from Media Collgege.com: http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/interviews/

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A very quick and useful guide to filming for Documentaries.

How To: Make a Short Documentary, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwpjSvxPu4w&feature=youtube_gdata_player.

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Welcome to my Prototype Portfolio Page

Please use the links on the right hand side to navigate through my Portfolio work. Or alternatively scroll down the homepage to see my work un-grouped.

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Mini Project 1 - Video

This video was created in response to the week one brief. The form we were given was Video and my Idea was how as a cyclist I interpret streets different to how walkers do.

I feel this piece is very weak technically, with one piece of footage being very difficult to interpret. This is due to the difficulty I had In mounting a camera to a bike and then trying to match the timings of both pieces of footage. This could have been improved by doing more planning and storyboarding as well as choosing a better route for the filming which would have allowed me to highlight more obvious differences in the two journeys.

I thoroughly enjoyed the filming and editing during the creation of this video. Film and Video is definitely an area in which I enjoy working and would therefore encapsulate me into completing a project within this form.

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Please click the above title to view my second Mini Project.

The idea behind my second Mini Project was a representation of Analogue Adverts in a Digital Form.

The chosen form was as an Interactive Webpage. This is something I wasn’t looking forward to doing, as Interactivity and WebPages are not my main area of interest.

To complete this project I scanned in Advertisements from a Newspaper and then created similar digital versions. To add interactivity when rolling over the analogue version of the add, the digital version is displayed on top.

Although researching the history of Advertising and looking at new digital methods is something that I would have a keen interest in. I don’t feel that it is something I would enjoy doing on a large scale and therefore not something I would look to do for my final project.

Reflecting on this piece I feel it’s production is extremely poor. This is because Web, Coding and interactivity are areas that although I have interest in, I do not have to drive to create content for. I therefore dedicated minimal time and effort to this mini-project.

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Mini Project 3 - Animation

The chosen form for the third Mini-Project was Animation. My association with Animation is much more within the Motion-graphic area and thus I created a short Motion Graphic piece for my third Project.

The idea behind the piece was with regards to Branding. Branding is something that effects us all everyday and is something of great interest too me. Soo much in fact I will be writing my Final Year Research Paper on the topic.

With this project I took a much more direct approach after learning the basics of branding and how it is not only companies but also people and religions that consider themselves as brands. I therefore made my work more informative and used it as a technical exercise to practice my use of Adobe After Effects (having not used the software for a considerable amount of time).

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Mini Project Four - Video

For our fourth Mini Project, I chose to create a short Biking Video allowing me to gets on Hands on with a camera again. Through doing this it allowed me to practice filming with different angles as well as editing and post production activities such as compression for web.

I feel my fourth Mini Project is successful in comparison to my aims before I started the project.

Difficulties I had with the creation of this piece were primarily the weather, but also  problems with how to set the camera up to film in this environment. Due to Rain during the production time for my work, it meant I was unable to do any filming outdoors. This then meant I had to arrange an almost last minute trip to a relatively nearby indoor skate park for filming.

I also was unsure of whether to film in Interlaced format or not. I decided to film in a 50i format which then created problems for me during editing as the footage required de-interlacing which is something i was unsure of how to combat. I was able to overcome this however through use of a range of online tutorials and guides. Through this experience and after speaking to a fellow Biking Film maker I have decided to film in 25fps from now on as this will save much time during the editing process.

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My Project

For my Final Major Project I will be creating a Web Documentary on a topic very close to my heart. This topic is Cycling but not as most people know it.

The type of cycling I am interested in is of a much more extreme nature then of just using bikes as a method of Transport. It takes many different forms under many different titles, for example Mountain Biking, BMX and Trials to name but a few.

I want to expose these disciplines to a worldwide audience through the use of the Internet.  Creating a short Documentary I will provide an insight into not only why people cycle in such a manor, but how, when and where and then publicise this through Video Sharing sites online, making it accessible all over the world.

Many videos that are posted online become what is known as Viral and are shared all over the world through use of Online Social Media. I hope that this happens to my documentary, allowing a much larger audience then I could achieve through just posting on my Facebook for example to view the my Documentary.

After creating a short Video about cycling and presenting it to my University peers, I learned that only a few knew about this almost “underground” cycling clique. However they all seemed very interested to see the different ways of using bikes. This is why I will create this documentary.

There are two main Audiences my Video will be aimed at, Firstly at the Cycling community. I need to make my Documentary appealing to them, as it is them I will be representing. If can make it appeal to them, and for them to accept it as a valid Documentary on the sport they love. They I can view my production of the Video to have been a success.

I then need to consider the Audience that will be viewing it online. YouTube is accessible almost all over the world, with over 4 Million videos being viewed every day. (Bullas, 2012) Unfortunately I can’t put translations in to make my video entirely accessible to every Nationality that can access YouTube. It will only be in English. Although the possibility of creating a Documentary using no speech had crossed my mind, I feel to explain what I wish to publicise the voice of the riders is required.

In order to make my Documentary successful on the Web I feel it should be around 5 minutes in length, not exceeding 6. By aiming for this length it also makes it much more achievable in terms of Filming and Post-Production.

Having only 5 minutes means I will not be able to cover every aspect of cycling in great enough detail to fulfil my above criteria. I will therefore only focus on the three disciplines I know most about, Mountain Biking, BMX and Trials. Having personally done all 3 of these disciplines it gives me an advantage with this Film, as I already know potential interviewees, and have Networks within the communities.

In order to add more than just filmed footage to my Documentary. I will be posting on a well know website within the Biking community called PinkBike. (Pinkbike) I will be asking on their forums for riders to respond to How, Why, When and Where they ride. Taking these responses I may use them as quotes throughout the documentary or as an interesting way of creating title scenes, Intros and Credits. I feel by doing this it will also start to create a small buzz around my project, and once it has been released should already have part of the cycling community wanting to view it.

Bibliography

Bullas, J. (2012 йил 23-5). 35 Mind Numbing YouTube Facts, Figures and Statistics . Retrieved 2012 йил 12 from Jeff Bullas Blog: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/05/23/35-mind-numbing-youtube-facts-figures-and-statistics-infographic/

Pinkbike. (n.d.). Retrieved 2012 from Pinkbike: www.pinkbike.com

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The Filming - How?

In order to create my documentary one vital piece of equipment I will require is a Video Camera. Unfortunately I do not own one of good enough quality that would allow me to complete the project to a satisfactory standard.

I will therefore be utilising the Kit available from LSBU’s Kit room.  I will need to find out what Camera’s they have that I can access for filming and will then have to get to grips with filming with them. To do this I will do a lot of test filming, to ensure that both the setting and handling of the camera are correct when it comes time to film for my Documentary.

One problem with this however is that I will not be able to access Kit over the Christmas holidays until January 28th as this is the Universities policy. I will therefore have to utilise this time Planning, Storyboarding and Learning both Documentary and Interview Techniques.

It is going to be virtually impossible for me to complete this project without receiving help with the filming. At the minimum I feel I require at least one other person to assist either with camera operation, sound, or to conduct the interview as I cannot see me being able to do all 3 to a professional standard. Gauging how large a team to use is quite a difficult task as I feel too large a team and it will become difficult to find riders willing to be interviewed and filmed but too small a crew and it will just turn into an amateur production.

Ideally I would like to use two cameras for every interview. Allowing both a close up shot and a much wider-angled shot. However I have yet to research into the camera angles used to create Professional Documentaries and so may be able to get away with using only one camera.

Through prototyping and from asking advice from another Filmmaker I know whom also films cycling. I have decided to film my documentary in 25fps. Having tried using 50i I have had a lot of problems with the Interlacing of the two separate frames captured per second. This I feel has taken away quality from my footage and thus I will be using a non-interlaced format.

Another piece of equipment I will require is a microphone with Windshield. As the majority of cycling takes place outdoors then wind is definitely the main factor I will have to consider whilst filming interviews.  To combat this I will do sound tests before conducting each interview to ensure the quality of sound recorded will be acceptable.

Lighting if a factor I must consider as it could seriously affect the overall quality of my video.  Weather again is a major factor in this, as I have no control over it and thus little control over the lighting conditions we will be filming in. I can obtain Artificial lights which if required could combat the lighting situation at the various locations I will be filming at. Setting up lighting and completing Lighting tests however is something I have no experience in and thus will have to research and practice before the final shoots.

I need to think of logistics as well, as I may end up having to use quite a bit of equipment and will need to transport it to the riding locations in order to document them.

I live approximately 50 miles outside of London and have my own car, which I can use to transport all the required filming equipment from location to location outside of London. However it would be extremely inconvient to use my car whilst filming around London. This would be not only due to the distance I would have to drive from home to set, but also the costs and hassles such as the Congestion charge and Parking. Transport around London would therefore be only possible by train and tube as this is the only cost-effective method. However this could potentially mean that a fair amount of equipment will have to be carried by hand from location to location.

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The Filming - What?

I don’t want this Project to turn into just a creation of a Biking Video. There are Millions of these floating around on the Internet, some having had Huge budgets to create and some made by complete amateur film makers. However my project is to Document the riders and not just create a Video.

In order to do this I will ensure that with each rider I am interviewing I will film two parts. Firstly I will film the interview, asking them a series of open-ended questions in order to gain responses to my How, Why, What and Where questions. To do this I will need to study the art of both interviewing and documenting.

Secondly I would like to film them riding, how they ride. If this involves pulling tricks, hitting obstacles or just riding along a street then it is that which I also wish to document. In order to do this effectively I will need to be knowledgeable with the different ways of filming the different disciplines of cycling, as they all have different filming techniques which may work for that discipline but not others.

Whilst filming the interview I only wish for the rider to be in shot. I feel the interviewer should remain off-screen and not heard during the interview.

The locations for the filming will be varied, as it is 3 very different types of cycling I will be documenting in the video. These locations are yet to be finalised.

Using the responses I get through posting on the PinkBike forum and with my experience of motion graphics. I feel I will be able to combine the two to allow me to create a really professional looking Documentary, with unique title scenes utilising quotes from the forum.

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The Mini-Projects

Looking at the Mini-Projects I have completed this semester, I feel that Video is definitely my strongest form out of the three (Video, Animation, Interactivity for web).

Video is definitely the form with which I enjoy working with most, as well as having the most knowledge and technical skills for it. The video mini-project has given me the confidence to tackle Video as my major project medium.

My idea has developed from feedback from my peers after screening my Video Mini Project. By seeing their interest in the sport, it gave me my idea, which is to educate and inform them about Cycling.

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Next Steps

The next steps for me are to get to grips with the technical side to filming. This is to include learning about lighting and sound and how to make the most of it in the environments in which I will be filming. To do this I will get hands on with cameras, microphones and artificial lights in order to perfect my skills. I will use online guides and forums in order to troubleshoot during the Christmas period while I will not be able to gain assistance from tutors.

Along with this I need to create storyboards and title scenes. Although my storyboarding cannot be created entirely accurately until I have filmed footage. I can create a primary version, which will allow me to understand how much footage I will require to complete the 5-minute documentary. As well as how to transition in-between interviews, footage of riding and the title scenes.

 The title scenes are also something I can start work on, as I can get the online forum going immediately and start receiving responses.