FMP - Production Reflection

FMP – Production Reflection
Daniel Morland

Production reflection - Video
Following the plan
My production reflection will attempt to maintain the same route I
planned in the previous "planning and pre-production document."
Subject generation
Point is a brand which represents the emotions of racing. Therefor I
decided to devote this video to a race I had previously saved months
ago. This race had relentless combat between myself and a Lexus by
the name of S. Qu from who is from Vietnam.
The video subject will follow the fight I had for first position. The
recording in total is 20 minuets, 18 of which includes the storyline
between myself and Qu. The reason I choose this recording was
because The fight went down to the wire, with plenty of
shifting emotions as the race develops. I know that my primary
audience (English speaking racing fans) will get behind this subject
the most down to the fact that this race has the most tension out of
all the replays I have access to.
This isn't to say that the other replays how no use. They all develop
in their own regard. In the future, I could use a different replay and
replicate the process I have taken with production, just using a
different storyline which would be included in the replay.
Other potential
videos I can make

decided what subject to use
After deciding that this replay was the one to follow, I have to find what parts I want to
emphasize. This being the duel for first.
Theorize the resources necessary for production
For my video I will need to use this list of equipment:
Unproblematic equipment
• My PC
• DSLR camera
• Microphone
• Hard drive
All of this equipment I have immediate access to, which involves no-one other than
myself. Knowing this allows me to have no issues with the following stages:
Content gathering
• Replay generation and saving
• Video and audio recordings
• Saving and backing up of work
Editing
• Video editing
• Graphical editing
• Uploading of content to my YouTube and other social medias
• Administration of the brand
What equipment have I already used on my production prior to the project?
Before even starting the production, the race I saved was created used my PC and my
Logitech racing wheel. I could record another race and use that for my production, but I
remember exact how I felt during this race so I believe it is adequate to use in my video.

Problematic equipment
Essentially, the problematic equipment is equipment
which I don’t have direct access to. That being:
• My brother's PC.
I will have to organize a date with him which I can
dedicate to using his PC for the recording of the race I
want to use for my video.
If I am unable to record using his computer, I will have
to sue my own, however I would be unable to record in
60 frames per second, and will have to resort to making
my video in 30fps instead.

Software necessary for production
For my video, I will need to use:
• Adobe premiere – for video editing
• Adobe photoshop – for graphical editing
• OBS recording software – For recording the
replay. I will need to install OBS on my brothers PC
to record the race.
• Audacity – so I can record audio from my
microphone which can be exported as an mp3 file.
• Canon EOS remote software – so I can remotely
setup the camera from my pc, instead of having to
move once I have the camera angle placed. Allowing
for faster workflow.
The only problematic area I will have is again with my
brothers setup, but I have already installed OBS on his
system without an issue.

Initial production and planed structure of the video
Recently I have been in contact with a peer who has taken a course in music
production. I asked if he would like to co-ordinate the production of a song which I
can use in my video. He agreed. This allows me to have direct influence on the music
which I put into my video, instead of ripping a song off of YouTube.
• I gave him the following guidelines so that he could use in his development:
• To contain the same emotions as music found in the genre I am taking from.
Artists with a core underlying
beat like: https://www.youtube.com/user/Followthefishtales
• And music which generates the chaotic focus
like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAcTvFiQtJs
• Areas which can be used to transition on easily. What I'm looking for in the
music are areas which I visually represent with fast and chaotic transitions. Also
builds in the music will allow for emotion generation which can also be reflected
visually.
After our first production session, this is where we got to: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=al7GLGI0PYg
The production of this music will continue to completion, just know that I cannot
start any sort of video production behind the music till it is complete. This is down to
the fact that I want to the fact that I want to structure the music video to the beat of
the music my friend (Elliot) is making for me. Otherwise, I won't have any sections
in the music to edit around, because I wouldn’t even have the song. So, I will delay
any video production till it is finished.

I do know how the music will now impact the video structure:
My Intention for the music video segments it to maintain viewership retention. I
initially planned to just include the content segments with an introduction and
outro. However, I believe that the content would not maintain the viewership just by
itself. So, by including these other parts, I will retain through diversity in content.
The segments with music should be visually interesting, or at least that is my
intention.
In my mind, this is how the video will be structured. I'm not limiting myself to this
structure completely, and I will make changes if I want more or less music parts, but
currently I would like this to be how the video ends up. It has the right amount of
normal content to music part ratios.
Outro edit.
Includes
music
Includes
music
second half of the main content,
up to the end of the race
Break music
video edit
Includes
music
First half of the main content
Introduction
video edit
Transition Transition Transition Transition
Time

Production reflection – social medias

Social media account production
I will have 4 social media accounts for my brand. Being:
• YouTube - for video hosting
The rest are for advertisement
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
I created a new Gmail account named
X.point.was.here@gmail.com which I then used for all of the accounts.
I tried to get names similar to "X Point" but in the end each account
was named:
YouTube – Point https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChyv0RUPjCV-
D2ZoDNa8vvw
Facebook – "Danny X
Point" https://m.facebook.com/X.Point.Was.Here
Instagram –
"offical_xpoint" https://www.instagram.com/official_xpoint/
Twitter – "@Offical_Point" https://twitter.com/Offical_Point

I want to use the same logo design for each social media, but
each with their own design and style. this style is an easily
recognizable yet flexible design. This representation of
diversity hopefully can be interpreted through the different
colour choices. I only want my core audience who are fully
interested in my brand to pick up on that decision. An easter
egg if you will.
To start the social media account production, I made a base
document which I could use as a template for each separate
design.
I first made a 2000pixel by 2000pixel square and used free
transform to rotate the object by 45 degrees. Then I copied the
layer 4 times. I created a secondary measurement square
which was 70 pixels wide. This I will use to correctly space
the squares. This was the result.
I created a separate square which was 140pixels.
Copying another 4 squares and using the measuring layer
this was the second result.

Knowing the pixel and file size of each media will allow me to create my
branding to the allowed limits:
YouTube:
Pfp – 98x98 pixels, 4MB
Banner – 2048 x 1152 pixels, 6MB
Video Watermark – 150 x 150 pixels, 1MB
Twitter:
Pfp – 400x400 pixels, 2MB
Banner – 1500x500 pixels, no listed size potentially 2MB but not
confirmed
Facebook:
Pfp – 180x180 pixels, no confirmed file size
Banner – 820 x 312 pixels, no confirmed file size
Instagram:
Pfp – 180x180 pixels, no confirmed file size
Gmail
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Production reflection – Video
Youtube Profile picture and banner
The youtube profile picture has to be larger than 98p by 98p while
being under 4MB in file size. The size I went with was 600p by
600p and I would export the file to be under the 4MB limit.
For the texture layer, I started off by finding a screenshot
which included a strong colour. I then placed it on the profile
document and focused on the yellow.
I converted the layer to a smart object and added the following
effects:
I intended to replicate the same effect I found in my
experimentation phase. However I didn’t enjoy the yellow style that
came forward from the image, so I converted it to a more 'YouTube'
red using the hue and saturation setting. This really brings
forward an aggressive and dynamic style and feeling.
Amount: -224 // Set to "darken" blend mode
Amount: 102 // Set to "hard light" blend mode
Amount: 100 with Zoom blur // Set to "normal" blend mode
Set to "Medium stroke"

I belive that the white and black areas are missing some texturing.
So I copied the texturing layer and fully reduced the sauration.
Then by using the layer clipping mask on the 140 mesured squares,
I set the opacity to 7%. I added another layer, and set it to appear
below all other layers other then the white background. It is also
set to 7% opacity. Being in the same position, the patturn seemed to
cross from one section to the next. Looking more continuous and
liquid.
Because the layers I am working with are larger then 600 pixels, I
can make a secondary document for the banner. From what I found
the banner should be at least 2048 x 1152 pixels but below the file
size of 6MB.
The document I made has the dimentions of 2560 x 1400p with the
intention of cutting it down to size when I export it to YouTube. I
copied the layers I just made for the profile picture. This will
provide the same style on a larger and more defined scale.

On the banner, I started by positioning the brand "X" off centre.
Leaving myself room for the name point which I plan to place next to
the X later. it should read as "X point" like the YouTube brand name.
to make the text, I imported the experimental font I created in the
experimentation phase. This text took on the same 45 degree look my
entire brand used. Copying the texture layer, I placed it in the same
position and used clipping mask to again make it look as if the style is
continuious across the page.
I found it hard to read the N within the title, so I added a soft white
banner which I then clipping masked ontop of the 140pixel X areas.
Sepperating the background from the title, making it clearer to read for
the audience. I then re-did the banner so that it would only appear on
the left and right squares. Defining the branding more, as the X
becomes more dominant on the page.
Placing the text back onto the banner, I noticed that it kind of sunk into
the page. So, I copied the text layer twice and coloured 1 white and 1
black, placing it in this formation: Colour above the white above the
black, placing the white layer off by 3 pixels to the left and the black
layer 6 pixels. Giving it the more 3D look you see at the bottom.

The observant audience will notice the style of continuation
I maintained on the banner and profile picture, but I
intentionally made the banner and profile picture interesting to
look at.
I exported the results and added it to my youtube channel. This
being the final result:
You can see that the banner was significantly cut to size. But this
would change when viewing on other devices like a phone or TV
which have different aspect ratios.

Facebook banner and profile picture
The facebook profile picture and banner are interesting to me. I
notice that the profile picture and banner overlap. So there might
be a way where I can intersect the 2, making them look as if they
are one document.
Again, using the template document I placed the X in the area of
the profile picture, which is at the bottom of the document.
Taking a screenshot within ACC I placed the car in the area which
will have as much contact with the X texture layer as possible. I
want to go for the neon style I found during my experimentation
phase to see how that looks with my X branding.
So to start, I removed the background, only leaving the car and
track, to symplify the style. This would draw attention to what is
observable on the texture layer, I know that areas like the trees at
the top will come out very bright if I didn’t remove them.

Like in the process for my experimentation: I
desaturated the layer and then used: Filter > Styleise
> find edges and inverted the result.
This result is now ready for the colouring layer.
To make the neon, I need to create a folder which
coontains paint layers. Each separate colour has a
different layer, so I can individually change one if
needed.
The paint layers follow the contors of the track, with
the primary red being ontop of the car. I did try to
make it look as if air was being disturbed by the car
as it 'moves.'

I decided to use the second colour layer, as it has more
colour detail and I think will connect more with the
image it is going ontop of. With different shades of reds
on the car. To detail the colouring layer, I converted it to a
smart object and applied the following editing
techniques:
I used the liquify tool to amplify the areas around the car
which would have 'low pressure' as it cuts throug the air.
On the page, that would be the bottom left, behind the
car on the page. I also touched up some of the areas to
the right of the car to add some texturing to the track.
Amount: 36 // set to Zoom and Good quality
set to "Coarse Dots"

This was then ready to put back onto the neon layer, setting the
colour layer's blend mode to "color". This being the result:
I do specifically like the detailed negative pressure areas, as if the
colour is being distorted by the air coming off of the car.
This I then appled to the texturing layer of the X. and the result is:
The aero style I had going on is lost to the shape. But the neon does
a fantastic job of styling the X branding. With added foxus in the
centre of the shape as the colours are brighter in that area.
Specifically, I really enjoy the tarmak areas, as the find edges
which is inverted allowed for the colour to show through.
With this document compleate, I then created 2 new documents.
One for the profile picture and the other for the banner.
Starting with the profile picture, I used the same 600 x 600 pixel
document I used for YouTube and cut it to size.

The banner was a bit more complex. My idea to position the banner to
mimic the profile picture means I have to correctly line it up so that the
lines from the profile picture corrispond with the lines on the banner.
But before I do that, I want to add my brand title "Point" to be as
obvious as possible for people viewing my page.
I created a font layer and set it to clipping mask onto the 140 mesured
X layer. To add the texture layer ontop of the text, I had to copy a
texture layer and then clipping mask it onto the font, and then repeat
the process from before. The result looks like:
Something here was missing for me. And I think what this needs is a
small outline around the text and the X to draw it all together. to do
this, I made a separate fill layer which was coloured black, which
essentally was a cut out of the areas which I thought would suit the
outline. I then gave this layer an outer glow with this strength:

Placing this layer ontop of the rest of them give the whole banner
this single look which was what I was going for when I wanted that
connection between the text and the logo. The texture and text
layers look as if they are one object, and not too dissconnected
These documents are now ready to upload to facebook. It was a bit
of trial and error to line it up correctly, but eventually, I got it to a
point where the profile picture lined up with the banner.
I'm super happy how this one came out, my intention worked
perfectly as I imagined it.

Instagram Profile picture
Next is Instagram. This only included a profile picture, so I wont
spend much time on this one.
I took separate screenshot which has high amounts of different
colours in frame.
To styleise the profile picture, I used block white, red and blue over
the image. The same colours from the coumntry im from, the
United Kingdom.
Converting this layer to a smart object and using the liquify tool I
can styleise the layer. This is then placed on the textur layer on the
X.
This is the result I used on my Instagram account:
This style is extreamally defined and detailed, I love the colours
and how they interact with the logo. Its extremally clear what this
logo represents.

Twitter profile picture and banner
I want to achieve the same bridged gap as my Facebook account.
Beginning the process, I again went for my template document.
The dimensions I am working with for twitter is:
• 400 x 400 pixels minimum size for the profile picture while being
under 2MB
• And the banner has to be bigger then 1500 x 500 pixels. I
couldn’t find a file size limit.
To start. I made a document for my banner, being 3441 x 1500
pixels. Again placing the X off to the right of the screen. My
intention for this branding, is to have the X again representing the
profile picture with it continuing out into the banner.

With the X placed, I grab a screenshot from within ACC and paste
it into the document. This image has areas with large amounts of
the same colour. The kurbing, sky and car have large amounts of
the frame with their respective shades. And I think this will be
useful for the edit I have planned.
To begin, I separated a layer which I wanted to use for colouring.
My intention was to create a spectrum layer for the image.
However the feature I was looking for (spectrum gradient) was not
within photoshop 2020, so I resorted to making my own spectrum.
Using image > adjustments > graidient map I could apply a
gradient to the different areas of the image.
To stylize the edit, I create 2 new layers. Thresholding both.

To stylize the edit, I created 2 new layers. Thresholding both.
The first is going to be the top layer on the edit. So I applied less
thresholding to it (on 22). This layer's blend mode is set to darken, to
let the white let through colours. And the black will act as a shader.
The next layer is will slightly alture the colours of the spectrum
gradient layer I made earlyer. This was thresholded to 60, and the
blend mode is set to soft light. The before and after of the shading is
seen to the left:
The soft light uses the white and black in different ways. The black
obiously darkens the areas it interacts with, where the white turns the
lighter areas a more egg shell colour. The image on the right is a lot
easier on the eyes with 'duller' colours.
The last threshold layer appears ontop of these 2, creating this final
style result:
My intention with that last layer is to play around with the black in the
logo and then the black on this style layer. But overall the shadows are
really compounded by that last threshold layer.

Applying the edit layer to the X branding I find that the last threshold
layer does its job perfectly. The areas which on other documents look
definded and shape, are somewhat hidden. Lines merge and it looks
way more dynamic then the otehrs I have created. It plays around with
the black a lot like the Facebook pfp and banner did.
The white X is extreamally visable and stands out firm. But the
black surrounding it has a more dynamic and liquid area
surrounding it. But the areas with colour look extremally sharp.
So that was the banner completed, all I have to do for the pfp is to
resize it to the correct dimentions. This isnt a problem at all. I now
am exporting the results and uploading it to my twitter account.
Unfortuantly I am having extream issues with lining up the
placement of the background with the profile picture. After
exporting 10 different shapes and sizes, I accspeted that it wasn’t
possible. This was because the placing tool that twitter provides,
actually places your image in a different area. This is the end
result. I might come back and change this is fi have the time. But
the style looks clean and precise.

Now that these are set up, they are ready for the eventual
uploading of my other work.

Production reflection –
returning to Video production

After some time, myself and Elliot had a version of his music which
wanted to use in my video. In total the song went through 14
itterations, mainly changes he was making. But the song will work
fantastically for my video.
Here is the full version 14: https://youtu.be/K3ryVlS1e78
Returning to how I wanted to structure the video, I need to select 3
areas of his song which I deem the best for my video.
I choose to use:
• 0-45 seconds – for the introduction
• 57-1:41 (43 seconds) – for the music break
• 2:37-3:20 (43 seconds) – for the outro music
Each segement was roughtly the same time. Allowing for structured
segements. The race itself was around 20 minuets, so the break will
be within the 10-11 minuet mark.
Now knowing that the music is completed, I can now orgonise a time
when I can use my brothers computer to record for my music video
parts.

The plan for my video production schedule will be as follows:
1. Record all necessary resources to display the perspectives of myself and
the Lexus. With added camera angles. Edit together to be main bulk
video.
2. Create transitions to use within the video.
3. Record and edit music video part 1.
4. Record and edit music break part 2.
5. Record and edit camera video and microphone audio to go on top of the
bulk content.
6. Use already recorded parts to use as background footage in combination
with outro card.
7. Export
8. Create thumbnail and social media posts
9. Upload to the respective social media accounts
Finish
I just want to remind you of the fact that I'm also organizing my article
content at the same time.
So, the first session my brother allowed me to record on the 17th of march.
This was a good date for myself because it was a day which I didn’t have
college, and it turned out he did. So he didn’t need his PC at all.

Over the entirety of the 17th, I recorded a total of 8.25 gigabytes of
footage. A total of 55 clips of footage. I made sure to record angles
multiple times so as to have the ability to choose the one which
worked best for the video.
I broke the recording session into 2 parts:
• Perspectives – my own and the Lexus' perspective. (1 hour)
• Cinematic shots – shots from a different angle other then one of
the 2 first person perspectives (The rest of the available time)
To make my editing live easier, I seperated the cinimatic angles into
lap-by-lap folders. I could then corrisond the perspectives to the laps
which the respective shot was recorded on.
Putting the clips together wasn’t as much of a challenge as I thought
it would be. I have good track knowledge so im easily able to
regognise the layout of the track, so I know when clips should
appear.
The diffaculty came with syncing the perspectives to each other and
the clips to the perspectives. So, I can switch to a clip and know that
it is already intime with the main bulk perspective footage.

After a day of timing gearshifts and car movements frame by frame,
this is the timeline after the first recording session.
Tracks 1 and 2 are the perspectives of myself and the lexus Qu.
Tracks 3 and 4 host the secondary cinimatic clips.
The cinematic clips were hugely successful as it allowed me to gather
angles which otherwise would not be possible in reality. Each angle I
recorded was intended to be different, no 1 angle being the same.
Next on the list is to create transition templates which I can
essentally re-use depending on how many transitions or video I want.
One of my aims coming into this project was to cut time spent on
production. A long term gain. I will shave off production time by
having re-useable transition templates.

The transitions I want to create will be themed
around the logo design I have already established for
the point brand.
Using the social media tempate I imported the file to
premire. However, during my experiemention I found
that the photoshop document would be cut in size, to
fit the sequence size in premiere.
I knew that I needed to make specific shapes which
would have their positions changed to animate the
transitions.
Again, each transition I make I want to include the
consistent theme of using shapes which are found in
my branding.

Transition 1 (introduction) production:
This transition I plan to use at the beginning of my video. It should
boldly establish the brand to the audience viewing.
I first placed the edit layer. I used this shade of gray to easily
distinguish the edit layer from the other black layer on my branding.
This layer wont remain gray as I will apply different edits to it,
depending on the video theme. Again its only a template which I want
to have the ability to re-use.
Placing the black X next I off set it by 35 pixels each way.
To introduce the logo, I want the X to close into the screen. In
combination with the edit layer, this should look smooth and precise
to the viewer.

I now had to input the position changes for one of the
squares.
Here is the movement of this respective layer:
It moves in fast and slows down as it approaches the center
of the screen. Using the Bezier position changes, the motion
looks smooth as the shape slides into position. I then copy
this movement to each individual gray side, so they move at
the same speed.
I copied the same movement to the black X layers, however I
offset the animation of these shapes by 10 frames, so the edit
layer opens first and the black squares follow closely. This
provides a 3D look as the logo closes inwards.
To finish the transition, I want both layers to close inwards.
This would create a fully black frame, allowing me to easily
cross to a different scene.
The frame before the black
squares are introduced.

To do this, I created a 2 second pause where the logo
remains onscreen predominantly.
After the pause, I use the position changes with the gray
edit layer first, so it closes the non-edit layer fully. After
this, there is a short pause then the black layer closes to
end the transition.
To finish this transition I exported each layer separately.
In the example screenshots you might have noticed the
white, this was only for display purposes. When I exported
the layers I didn’t include the white background layer.
The Gray and Black layers had to be exported as
Separate documents. My original plan
Was to use it as one file and use
"Track matte key" on the gray to target
That areas of the transition. But I
Found that premiere treated the transition
As one layer. So I had to export both
Parts separately, so I could specifically
Target the gray. Essentially, it grouped
The gray and black together.
Moving
here
Gray
closing
Gray shape
movement
black shape
movement

Transition 2; Bullet and breaker
I wanted this transition to use only one of the squares
of my logo to transition in a direction. I plan to make
one for each direction: Up, Down, Left and Right.
Starting, I imported the shapes file and added the
appropriate bullet shape.
Again, using position changes, the frame starts empty,
the shape enters initially moving quickly, slowing down
as It completes its movement across the frame.

To make the transition more interesting, I added 2 more bullets. One a
darker grey (to illustrate a different edit layer) and the last being the
brand black square bullet. These shapes used the same movement as the
first grey layer, but again offset by 10 frames. Because each layer is offset
by 10 frames, they reach their peak speeds at different intervals.
To finish the transition, I have to add another black bullet facing in the
opposite direction. So instead of having a flat back to the last shape, it now
has the branded 45-degree backend. It was difficult to properly line up the
back shape, but it did get it to a point where it looks as I've they were both
1 object.
I repeated the process 1 more time for the top and bottom, as it takes a
different width to fill the frame from side to side. With the idea that I don’t
need to do the other direction, because I can just rotate the respective
animation by 180degrees, to go in the opposite direction. So instead of the
animation going left to right, I would flip it to go from right to left.
I want to include a 3rd transition combination with this one. I'm calling
this one "breaker" as I intend for it to 'break' the frame with a large X
across the screen, for the bullet to come in contact with. Like shown on the
left.

Transition 3 Breaker
The shapes I want to use in this breaker transition doesn’t currently
exist. So I made a new photoshop file and layed out a few different
shapes with I could use:
The lines have an arrow tip, so it appears as if they cut through the
frame.
Anyway, I simply have to make 2 layers and shift their positions, so
they create an X on frame.
I animated the position so that like the bullet, the breaker
approaches fast, and slows as it finishes the position change.
Obviously, one arrow is moving in an upwards direction and the other
down.

To see how the animation turned out, I put them into the same
document. And it did as I suspected.
The transition will work like this:
1. Breaker enter the screen.
2. The bullet crosses to start the transition
3. When fully covered the breaker is removed, (this happens out
of the view of the audience, behind the bullets)
4. Bullets exit screen to finish the transition.
I exported each layer independently:
• Light grey edit layer 1
• Dark gray edit layer 2
• Black diamond
• X breaker

Transition 4 Bullet contact
Using the same shapes as the bullet transition, I want to make a
more complex version which has bullets approaching from each side.
Using the overlapping layer to transition on.
Starting with the gray edit layer, the position changes of the left and
right shapes close inwards, which intern provides an area for a
second square. At this point the grey doesn’t full consume the frame,
which allows this transition to consist of 3 stages:
• Introduction
• Pause
• End transition
So currently, the animation is in the introduction stage as it enters
the screen.
Here you can see how the middle Square is formed from the
connection between the 2 grey sides. To animate the square in this
way, I had to time the change in scale of this shape with the edges of
the contact between the grey bullets. This was extremally time
consuming to get right. Preferably, I would just use the area which
overlapped, but couldn't find a way to do that.

I added the branding black shapes to the left and right, which enter
the screen the same time as the grey bullets. Again, these just consist
of position changes. They also finish their movement as the greys
finish their travel across the frame.
This is the position that the animation finishes its introduction
phase.
To animate the second part of the animation, I want the square to
increase in size to reach the top and bottom of the frame, before fully
filling the frame. So, I animated the position of the grey areas to fully
close, with the black square following the points of contact.
The black shapes left, and right are animated to be 'pushed' out of
frame.
After a short pause, the square is animated to fully consume the
frame and end the transition. The whole time, I only changed the
scale of the square.
This time I had to export this transition in 3 separate part: the
middle square, the grey edit layer and the black triangles to the left
and right.

Transition 5 Outro
This last animated is aimed to finish on the branding X.
Like the introduction, I started off by animating the gray sections
first.
Each respective square approaches from a different direction, exactly
90 degrees off its 'intended' path. So the top enters from the left, the
right enters from the bottom etc.
Eventually the shapes all converge into the X formation.
Again, like before the grey is an animation layer, which will have the
edit applied to it.
Amazingly, the very final stage of this layer's movement, creates an
optical illusion of circular movement. It looks as if the grey layers
twist into position. I have created a circle out of straight lines.

The black squares enter from a different direction. So this time the
top square enters from the top left, the right square enters from the
top right etc. This times it closes inwards from a different direction.
Looking at the layers in combination with each other, I notice that
the grey enters a little bit too early for my liking. I would prefer to
hide the mistake of the connecting areas at the top left and the
bottom right. Example bottom left.
To combat this, I offset the introduction of the grey triangles by 20
frames. Creating this much cleaner outro you see to the right.
As per-usual, I exported the layers independently.

Overall I'm incredibly happy with my transition
progress. I rendered all the transitions with a white
background to show you what each one looks like by
themselves without any video contact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qJQTMmM3nU
Now that I have finished this part of the production, I
can move onto the music video areas. The introduction
edit, music break part 2 and the outro.

I again organized a day with my brother to record on using his pc. It did
take a few days to have an available time to record these clips.
This time is being used to record the introduction music edit. I know that
it will be using the first 45 seconds of the song.
I broke the 45 seconds into 3 parts:
1. Track introduction shots (0-12 seconds)
2. 10 second countdown, displaying cars (13-24 seconds)
3. Cinematic music shots to intro-transition (25-40 seconds)
Again, this recording session to the entirety of the day.
The recording went smoothly as my brother allowed me the entire day to
use his PC. I had no interruptions.
Each angle was saved into its individual time folder, so I had full
knowledge over when the next shot should play in regard to the song.
Like my first recording session, I recorded angles multiple times so I could
pick and choose the one which has the best quality. This was because I
found that the recordings occasionally had frame drops, so by recording
angles multiple times, I'm increasing the chance of saving a recording
which includes no frame issues.

Putting it together was a case of following my file system. Because I
organized each shot effectively, it was no challenge at all to just pick
each shot I wanted to use.
The very beginning of Elliot's music I found that there is a sensation
of acceleration and a buildup of speed, which releases with a large
'woosh.' when recording, I imagined the perspective of accelerating
around a tire. for this I recorded an angle of a tire on the car I was
driving. My plan being to accelerate the perspective around the center
of the tire.
With the clip ready, I first upped the scale of the clip to 200. This was
to mitigate the fact that when I rotate the clip, areas wont be able to
fill the gaps created. Examples of the clip being at 100 scale and 200
scale can be seen to the left: it is obvious that I was forced to do this.
If I were to re record this angle, I would get a perspective which is
slightly further away, so I have more area to work with. Currently the
tire does take up a lot of the canvas.
There were still some edges at the side which the clip couldn’t cover,
so I copied the tire shot and lied it behind this rotating angle. It
creates the same colours, and instead of leaving black, it effectively
hides the sides which the rotating clip cannot cover. You would have to
look for it to notice, whereas before it was just black (transparent).
100 200

The accelerating sound lasts for 2.5 seconds, but the acceleration
starts slowly and (obviously) accelerates to the point of the 'woosh'
sound. To visually replicate that, I used Bezier's with the clip rotating
a full 7 times. The Bezier allowed me to customize the rotation speed,
allowing for that visual acceleration.
While recording the clips for this part, I imagined the woosh sound to
be a useful asset to transition on. My idea being that it sounds like
something moving quickly. To use that sound, I deliberately recorded
the next shot to include a pan upwards. Combination with the tire
spinning making the same motion, I believe the transition can be
made cleanly, but I will need to add some position changes to assist
the motion.
Timing the transition with the beginning of the woosh sound, I start
by adding a position change to the tire shot. To motion was missing
some sort of depth, so I added motion blur to the shot, which made
the transition a lot less static and more natural to look at.
the frame the
woosh sound first
starts to play

Using the upward motion of the next shot, I can use cross dissolve
to hide the transition, which then flicks up to look at the track.
I used the first 0-13 seconds to establish the track to the viewer;
showing various iconic corners and areas of interest such as the main
straight. People who play ACC (the game I used for the footage) will
recognize that I am recording this from the track: Nürburgring.
Others who are not as educated about tracks within the game might
need some sort of hint to where this is taking place (virtually).
The way I transition from each shots is with a casual cross dissolve
between each different angle. Commonly I found that a duration
between 00:00.08 and 00:00.05 seconds was the right length of cross
dissolve for the transition to be made. Any longer and I found the
transition to be sluggish and shorter it would look as if there was no
cross dissolve anyway.
The next shots from 2-13 seconds consisted of cross dissolves from one
shot to the next. Up to the point of the next phase of the music.

During the next phase in the countdown, Elliot made my life super easy
with the music we created together; allowing me to display 10 different
shots of cars as the countdown reaches the end. The first 6 shots during
the count down rotated around each car. Reading the 4th countdown, I
changed the style as the counting got fast, and tension rises. My
intention for these next 10 shots was to pan around to the protagonist
(my own driver) while also establishing the rivels. Each shot
progressively twists around each car.
The last 4 countdowns are a lot faster and tense, I used these angles to
promote the sensation of rivalry and focus between myself and the
Lexus.
The voice during the countdown is distorted and vibrant. To visually
reflect that in the video I added to edits: horizontal motion-blur and a
quickly decreasing scale, as if the shot is popping into the frame. This is
also during a cross dissolve between the shots. What these edits provide
is that visual feeling of distortion and aggression I hear in the voice.
Each shot change during the countdown has the same effects.

After the countdown, the next angle has the cars rushing by as the
race begins. Originally, I kept this shot static as the cars went by,
however this is unrealistic as the air rushing off these cars would
push the camera around.
To create the effect of air rushing off the cars and hitting the camera,
I had to create a new effect layer. This layer distored the shot in
several ways. Changes in:
• Position – to replicate the sensation of higher air pressure
• Scale – to remove the lost edges as I move around the shot.
• Rotation – as if the camera was rolling as a result of the air
pushing it around.
Because this is a separate layer to the layer being distorted, I copied
it for every time a car passed by. I also slightly changed the
saturation of each effect depending of the distance of the car
compared to the camera. It really re-enforced the idea that the
camera was really there in-person, instead of looking static and out of
place. The changes are subtle, but effective.
The effects that one of the effect
layers provides to the shot.

The after these design choices, I got my first taste of using the
template transitions. After importing the transitions to the premiere
file, I applied the introduction edit over the final angle:
To apply an edit which appears on the gray layer, I first have to copy
the current clip which is playing. By using track matte key, I set this
clip to appear on the gray areas. I know that I have the right layer
when the gray disappears, like so:
Creating a new colour matte and setting its blend mode to multiply, I
also applied a track matte key to this matte layer, the track matte
key was set to apply to the layer above, so the red wouldn’t appear in
the areas (center) which I didn’t want it to appear on. The result
being:
A success. Now that this music video part one was complete, I can
nest this entire section, so it doesn’t take up the entire timeline. The
whole of this edit section took 27 tracks. So nesting it makes it a lot
more organized and manageable.

Next on the list for the video production was the second music video
edit.
I was able to organize another separate recording session again when
my brother was at college, and I was at home. However, I did again
have to post pone the recording session, to wait for this available day.
The filing system I used in the first music video edit was incredibly
effective, so I re-used the same method for this section.
I don’t plan on using every angle from all the folders. But again, its
about providing myself as much flexibility as possible, to create a
timeline which I believe best suits the music. This time, I tried
different types of camera movement within the time allowed. The
first music video part was rather ridged in regard to the shots I had
access to, limiting myself to certain movements. This time, I had
multiple transition angles to play around with the shot transition
changes.

Beginning this music video section, I started with editing the video
section before adding the transitions to the beginning and end. The
transitions I plan to use here is the bullet contant at the beginning
and the bullet left to right with the X breaker at the end.
The music at the very beginning of this section is calm and relax
compared to the rest of the tune. So I reflected this by first setting
the recording to play at 0.125 times the speed. And also slowing down
the recording to 60%. This slowed down the car fully. Allowing it to
remain in frame for a full 2 seconds. The length I want the shot to
last.
Throughout both music video parts I have aimed to transition on
changes in the music. Not to just transition at random points, but
when the music switches from one part to the next, the video follows
suit.
The beginning 4 shots reflect what I hear in the music, being the
slowed down angles from Infront and behind. However, the music
really picks up pace with 4 dumb beats. To reflect that in the music, I
gather ever closer shots of the Lexus. Timing this with each beat,
allows for a vision which is thrown towards and transitions to the
Lexus' perspective. For added tension during the increase in hype of
the music, I sped up the clip of the Lexus' perspective to 140% using
time remapping keyframes. The reason for this you will see.

The next transition I have, is a rotation in the camera from the
Lexus' perspective to and outside shot. Both include a turn to the
right. So with the time remapping key-frames on the previous clip, I
slowed it to 90% to prolong this movement. This defined the
movement more clearly then if I just left it at 140%.
Because the shot transition was planned in advance, it was super
simple to just hide this movement with some cross dissolving on clip
taking over. I didn’t even need to use horizonal motion blur.
The next angles had similar transitions, each with their own angle. If
you didn’t catch the timeline. The shots transitioned from:
1. The Lexus' perspective
2. Outside of the Lexus
3. Outside of the Ferrari
4. Ferrari perspective
Again, the specific reason I choose this timeline was to symbolize that
rivalry me and this Lexus had. Showing the small margins we leave
each other as we battle it out for 1st.

Maintaining the style of the music, I repeated the same
transition style for the next few angles. Reaching the 29 second mark
in the music, where I again used the beat to my advantage. I noticed
that Elliot had used 16 individual beats, 8 slow and 8 fast. To
emphasize the rivalry seen on-track, I used this time to decrease the
field of view while switching perspective from myself to the Lexus
behind. The camera progressively got 'closer' to the rear of my car
and to the helmet of the driver behind. This really re-enforced my
idea of tension and the lack of space between us two, as you could
literally see the helmet of the driver behind.
Again, because of pre-planning of the shot, I didn’t have to tamper
with the footage at all. It was just a case of correctly timing the
shots.
I used that tension and buildup in combination with a short pause to
allow for a short break in the music after the 16 beats. Allowing the
viewer to quickly reflect on what they are seeing. Intend for these
music parts to be the most entertaining section, which could be
rewatched multiple times.
Slow 8
Fast 8

After the short pause; the next idea I had was to return to
the Lexus' perspective from a top down view, again being
thrown into his point of view.
Before this music video part, the video had followed my
perspective throughout the race. All this symbology and
references to the Lexus' perspective was intentional, as I
already intended to follow his view to the end of the race.
Returning to the edit, I want to have the perspective fall
towards the Lexus. The recording I had for this scene
already was recorded falling towards the Lexus. Again,
because of the pre planning of the shot; I didn’t need to
artificially zoom into the clip. Allowing the footage to
remain at 1080p.

I just needed some effect to bring the shot intro frame from a black
canvas which proceeds it. For this I began by adding a short cross
dissolve and rotating the canvas. This provided the angle as if the
camera was falling from outer-space, landing perfectly into the Lexus'
cockpit.
Again, I try to make good use of the Bezier keyframes with
the rotation, having the canvas spin just over 3 times. The
spin however slows down more towards the final part of the
shot, as the camera shoots towards the Lexus.
I do unfortunately again have to increase the scale of the clip
to 200, to offset the edges being lost at the side of the canvas.
Short returns from black canvas to
the fast rotation into the camera
falling towards the Lexus
Notice how I use the Bezier keyframes to start the
rotation off to enter at a quick speed, before tapering off
and eventually finishing before the clip hits the Lexus.
100 200

However, something was still missing in the transition. So I
experimented with a few different effects. I settled on a combination
of noise and colour keying.
I began with noise effect on the clip. Using the cross dissolve and the
noise the clip fades into. I used keyframes with the noise effect, so it
began with 100% noise, transitioning to 0% as the clip was still mid
rotation.
Using colour keying, I set the colour to be keyed was the black that
the noise created. Now, by stacking the clips, I emphasized the
sensation of chaos and disillusion, before regaining consciousness and
returning to the Lexus. The keying is reduced to 0% at around this
point in the transition:

The next planned shot was of the Lexus. However it didn’t look
natural, as one minuet the camera looks down towards the top of the
Lexus, and then is immediately inside the Lexus' cockpit. So, I went
and re-recorded a short transition shot of a pan up to the camera
angle and added again some cross dissolves to clean up the shot
changes.
The transition shot (image 2 and 3 below) really aided the camera
movement allowing for a lot more concise and clean camera work.
Finishing the music video edit, I added the last few clips on the
timeline, with the aims to complete the transitions at the beginning
and end.
This was just too un-natural
camera movement

Starting with the beginning of the music video break: I used the
bullet contact transition to transition from the bulk content to the
music break.
When making the transition my plan is as follows below:
Un-effected
black areas to
the left and
right, as a
reminder of
the branding
Grey areas are the
effect layers which
provide an effect
on clip 1 which
shows as the
transition begins
The white areas are areas which don’t
provide any effect. Clip 1 will reside here,
like the grey, just without any effect.
The black square in
the centre of the frame
which is the object
which hosts the
transitioning clip 2. it
grows in size before
fully consuming the
frame completing the
transition.

Starting the process, I placed out each segment of the transition.
Being:
• Centre square
• Grey effect layer
• Black outside branding
I then copied the transitioning clip and used the effect track matte
key on it and set it to the grey layer for this result:
Using a colour matte, I can stylize the effect layer to the theme of the
video.
Last, I have to transition to the music video clip. I have an issue
where the center square returns to black instead of transitioning to
the next clip in the music video section. However, this is because I
accidentally set the track matte key of the next scene in the music
video clip to the wrong track. Resulting in the black square.
By coincidence, I have timed the expansion of the transition with the
change in scene in the music video section. This was my intention
going in, however I needed to make no changes again.

Moving to the end of the music video section. I imported the 2 transitions I
would use. The X breaker and Bullet.
Using the X breaker first, I decided to improve the transition be
playing the breaker twice, one enters frame before the other creating
this: the first breaker is white, the second is red and is slightly larger.
With the breaker completed I am ready to implement the bullet
transition. This won't be as complex as there will only be one clip
onscreen, unlike the initial bullet contact transition which involved 2
clips simultaneously.
Again, I imported each layer independently. I plan to again theme
this transition to the video: first having a blended matte layer on the
first light grey bullet. A solid matte layer for the next bullet which is
followed by the black branding bullet.

To create this, I copied the clip the transition presided on and created 2 new re
matte layers.
Beginning with the light grey bullet, I used track matte key on the copied clip to
play on the light grey area. Then, on one of the 2 matte layers, I set it's track
matte key to the layer which presided on the light grey bullet.
Last on the list is the matte layer, which I set to appear on the darker grey
layer.
I did want to add extra complexity to this transition by using a threshold layer
to the second darker grey bullet. However, when I added a blended matte layer
over the threshold layer, it removed the threshold effect. Making it unable to
proved the effect I intended. And I resulted to just using the solid matte, as I
deemed it appropriate for the transition. This would be one aspect I change
about this transition and edit in general. Finding a technique which allows for
thresholding which includes a red background instead of white.
I theories that if I exported the clip with the thresholding effect and then
applied the matte layer to the exported clip that this would have the desired
effect that I am going for. However I don’t have the time because I had to re-edit
both music video section and the initial bulk video as my entire work became
corrupted as I was backing it up on my secondary hard drive. Incredibly
unfortunate timing which really pushed my production in the wrong direction.
This is now completed,
I nested this section
and moved on.

The last part of the video before I record and add the camera footage is the
outro.
I wanted it to animate right as the last footage of the race ends. It would then
have clips behind it as the logo remains on the screen.
Importing the respective layers:
• Top Black X
• Behind effect grey layer.
The effect I want at the end is a threshold, preferably with a red matte layer,
but I will be happy with just a threshold effect layer if I cannot apply the
blended layer as I want to (like described just before on the last slide).
First of all, I lined up some previously recorded clips which will play behind the
outro:
These clips were then copied, ready to apply to the effects layer on the outro.
While selecting all these copied clips, I put a track matte key onto all of them
and set them to appear on the grey effects layer.
Last, the thresholding was then applied and set to 0 on all layers, creating this
final outro effect:

For the final part of the outro, I wanted my own and Elliot's
branding to slide out cleanly from behind the X logo.
I had to create a new sequence for each logo, setting the
opacity mask on the boundary which the layer would appear
from. If I applied the mask to the layer separately, the mask
would move with the branding. Effectively, what the extra
sequence allows for, is that static mask with a moving logo. I
repeated it for Elliot's side. Both had Bezier movement.
I experoted the current video, in preperation for the camera
and microphoen recordings. Which will be a separate
document which I just input the audio and video onto.

With the video produced and the music video areas completed; I
recorded the audio and video which would be featured on top of the
bulk video.
I used the camera settings I found during my experimentation phase,
and recorded my audio using audacity. Converting the audio to an
MP3 file which was then used in the main video.
To synchronize the audio to the camera, I used a loud clap at the
beginning of each recording, and then to synchronize these recordings
to the footage, I stated what part I was watching. For example, when
a beat was playing in the middle music part, I symbolized this in the
video footage: showing each beat being played, which allowed me to
synchronize the footage.
Because of my experimentation, this part was extremally smooth. I
did a great job of helping myself in the future by normalizing myself
to what settings I will use. It was just a case of turning on the
equipment and recording, no other setting up
experimentation necessary because I knew that the settings I found
were already the ones I needed.
The music video section did a fantastic job of allowing me to film in 2
separate parts instead of one section.
This is my cringe syncing face.
But I made it very clear when i
was clapping. at no other time
did i make this movement.
Using this section of the audio
and video to sync to the music
video sections. I did the same for
the second music video part.
These clips you wont see.

The bulk video featured extremally loud engine audio from
the perspectives of myself and the Lexus, I reduced this audio
using keyframes. a reduction by –5 DB each time my
microphone was present, returning the audio levels whenever
a music video section was reached.
Exporting the video, I moved onto the final part of the video's
production: the thumbnail production and advertisement posts.
Starting, I took some screenshots featuring myself and the Lexus, the
main subjects within the video. Removing the background, I focused
on this subjects:
Adding multiple threshold layers, I targeted on emphasizing the cars
in frame: it might be hard to tell, but there are 3 separate threshold
layers in combination to create a focus on the 2 cars in the center.
Top layer
middle
Bottom layer
All 3 together

Sticking with the red colour matte theme, I made a solid red layer and set its
blend mode to "darken."
Adding the branding X for the thumbnail, I wanted the effect layer to have
white instead of the red matte layer. This would create an emboldended X on
the thumbnail.
To do this I copied the thresholded layers and set them to clipping mask ontop
of the effects layer:
Adding text, I'm calling this video: "Fight for the FRONT"
The font needs to be bold and obvious so that someone looking at the
thumbnail can still read the text. Too small and the YouTube
thumbnail compression will ruin the text.

Starting with the "FRONT" I wrote it in capitals and laid it across the right
side. Taking the same rotation as the skyline as the threshold layer. Coloring
the text the same as the background it presides on, I separated it used a black
outer glow.
To make the text pop out of the frame. I copied it 4 times, spacing each copy to
the left by 15 pixels. And then adding horizontal motion blur. This made the
text appear as if it was 3 dimensional.
One last touch I added, was an extra black shape behind to add a sort
of shadow behind this large font.
A fight involves violence and aggression, the red already does a good
job of symbolizing that, but as I was writing "Fight For The" I
believed that I could add a line through the text to symbolize a cut
through the text. So first I laid out this text in a smaller size
compared to the main focused FRONT text.
Copying the layer, I then made a new shape layer which I will
clipping mask this copied text to, I also shifted this top layer slightly
to the left. Creating a line, I added an outer glow to it. Placing it in
front of the clipping mask layer.

Making the bottom text visible again, I created the effect of the text being cut
by the combat myself and Qu were involved in. Exactly the emotion I want to
provide to the audience viewing the thumbnail, so they can be aware of the
content within the video.
Overall, the thumbnail does the job of illustrating the key factors that I want to
show the audience looking for a video to view:
1. The bold red colours to display the anger, aggression, passion and
tensions which is in the video.
2. The 2 main subjects clearly within the frame.
3. The title of the video being boldly displayed, easily viewable to anyone
looking
4. Clear display of the X branding, so anyone who follows my channel will
immediately know exactly who made this video, without even having to
read the title or channel name.

For the social media posts, I need to re-size them to correspond with
the respective limit each one has:
• Facebook: 1080 x 1080 pixel limit
• Instagram: 1080 x 1080 pixel limit
• Twitter: 1600 x 900 pixel limit
Instagram and Facebook being the same canvas limit allowed me to
kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Whereas twitter had the same aspect ratio
as the thumbnail, so all I needed to do was render the past thumbnail
at the 1600 x 900 pixel limit.
Twitter image
Facebook and
Instagram image

With everything ready I prepared all of the post and released them at
the same time:
I had one difficulty with the post: I had to use my phone to make the
post on Instagram. So, I had to email the image to myself, save it to
my phone and then make the post.
It was around this time that I was kind of understanding that I was
doing the jobs of 3 people at the same time.
I'm just so unhappy with the fact that I have to rush this section of
the project, there are so many god damn parts I'm skipping over.
Sorry about the rant, I just needed to include this for myself.

Production reflection – Article
production

Production reflection - article
Anyway. I organized the photoshoot during my planning,
along with the location scouting and checking of the weather.
Here is the document I produced to take signatures of the
drivers on the track.
The images I take on Hereford raceway, on the listed date I
will use in my article.

going ahead with the photoshoot, I made sure to gather the
signatures of the drivers who participated in the race.
I received signatures from 7 out of the 8 drivers, the last one
giving me verbal confirmation that I can use the images of
them for my own use, which is the only confirmation I need
for a project like this one.
If I were to be doing this as a job, I would be more aggressive
with my asking of signatures, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to
use this images for commercial use. I'm happy that people
took my photography as seriously as they did because they
were really reconceive to my consent form.

during the photography, I made a new folder for each session I went
out. 3 in total.
The first was a practice/qualifying event for the go-karting. So I
named it as such when Imported the images back to my hard drive
which I put the images on.
The SD card I was using could only hold 200 images at a time. So I
created an alarm which went off every 30 minuets to make sure I
didn’t collect too many images in that time.
I took the images in RAW format instead of the large file format. This
does 2 positive things for me:
• A smaller file size
• More editability when importing the images to photoshop, this I
will use later when I start production on the editing of my images.
Over the entire photography session: I gathered a total of 350 images
within the 3 folders. I now need to sort through them to find the ones
which I think work best with my project.
This is just the
practice folder

Discussing how the photoshoot went, I emailed the track after
and they were so pleased with the results that they requested
to post them on their own social media account. This I would
say is a pretty positive and illustrative example of how much
the raceway enjoyed the images. I also throughtly enjoyed the
experience and I learned a lot for the next time I have an on
location photoshoot.

My planning of the photoshoot was in my opinion the highlight of this
experience. Everything I planned in advance unfolded in front of my eyes.
• The travel down had no issues.
• The place I was staying at was free to accommodate me at the time I
requested
• My dad could transport me when I requested. There and back.
• The travel back was also smooth.
• I never felt my equipment was at risk at any point, as I always knew what
was with me. During the photoshoot and the travel.
In regards to the health and safety, I made sure to stick to the guild
lines they gave me:
• Stay within the covid guidelines (6 feet away from other people not in my
bubble.
• I could only go to the areas I coloured in red on the track, this is so that I do
not get hit by the go-karts which are driven by the general public. Chris (the
owner) did tell me; that if he got one of his staff members to drive on track
that I could also venture out and get even closer to the go-karts.
• On the left is the track layout with the red highlighted areas which I
could go to:
• They told me to make sure to stay off the racing line (red dotted line)
at all times
• Remain vigilant and always be aware of the go-karts around you, DO
NOT cross the track if a kart is approaching. Essentially use common
sense to not be hit.

Out of the images I took at Hereford raceway, I narrowed it down to 11 which
I believed had the most emotion and behavior. Here are the images I choose to
use, pre-edit of any kind:
The red areas indicate that colours are too bright to be displayed. Images with
incorrect lighting (ISO, Aperture and shutter-speed length) will have more of
the red areas.
Each image has vastly different features and drivers in frame. But most
importantly, I really enjoyed how I captured the emotions of the drivers within the
frames. I didn’t just want to take flat images, but images which reflected the
movement and intentions of the drivers as they cascade around the corners.

Because the images were taken in RAW (.CR2) file format, I
am able to adjust much of the image to correct the colouring
and lighting of any selected images.
Here is one example of the process I took in regards to how I
corrected the colours in the images:
• Import the image to photoshop, by dragging it from the
folder I had it stored in to the photoshop application.
• This would then open the image correction window which
CR2 files provide when importing the images to
photoshop. If I had just taken the images in normal file
formats, (Large file on the camera) I wouldn’t have access
to this window as easily.
• To the right of the window, you will see the correction
tools I have access to:
• You can even see the settings I was using on the
camera when the image was taken.

• To correct the images I found a simple process which improves the images
vastly:
• Begin by dragging the left and right side of the colour graph. What this
does is reduce the amount of colours located at the extremities of the
colour spectrums. Fixing the red areas which indicate that the pixels
are too bright or dark to display.
• This image was too bright more then too dark, so I mainly focused on
moving the colours to the left.
• After correcting the lighting, I then focus on the temperature of the
image. Using the temperature and tint sliders, I aim to line up the
areas of red, green an blue as much as possible:
• The image at this point looks a lot more natural and warmer.
before after

• After correcting the lighting and temperature, I focus on the details of the
images. I commonly used the texture and clarity sliders to define areas like
the tarmac and grass.
• To finish off the corrections, I either used Vignetting or Dehazing to fully
bring out the detail of the image. More often then not, I used the vignetting
to focus the viewers attention towards the center of the image.

• Dehaze does the same job just across the entire image instead:
• For this image I didn’t use dehaze, this is just illustrative. Just to be
clear, there is also no vignetting on the image at this point. but do pay
attention to the tarmac and darker colours in general, where I found
the dehazing to be effective. I especially noticed the colours on the
helmets and other stong colours to be more saturated.
• But I reverted the Dehaze and kept the medium vignetting to finish
the correction of this image.

Here are the 11 images that I corrected:

To edit the images, I wanted to expand the emotions I recorded from the drivers
themeselves. Correcting the images allowed me to really look at their
expressions closely and in-depth.
The 2 sensations/emotions I got from the images while correcting them was:
• Motion
• Focus
I then had to decide what direction I wanted to take the article. Before deciding
I tried both emotions in editing forms: the first being motion and speed:

To create the effect with the focus on the subject with block background I used
the following method:
• Cut the image down to a more manageable working size
• Cut out the background to leave just the center focus on the subject.
• Copy this layer
• Use the effect: Filter > Blur > Motion Blur
• Copy this layer multiple times and offset each one equally.
• Turn the original layer back on, but place it behind one of the motion blur
layers

• Erasing sections of the top motion blur layer, I created the effect that he was
moving across the canvas quickly.
• To finish the edit I pipet one of the softer colours on his helmet and made a
new layer, which I then used the fill bucket on to cover the layer.
• Using Control+I, I inverted the colour. This being the final result.
Overall, I don’t mind this technequie, however I don’t belive it suits the
branding I went with. Precision and sharpness are emotions which I want to
bring forward with point. And the moption captured here doesn’t reflect that for
me, which is why I tried a second attempt at this motion idea, to see if it was
the right direction or not.

Production reflection - artcile
Starting the second motion
• I used the same initial re-sized image from the last example
• Next, I coped this layer and selected around the subject. Make sure to also
save a layer of just the subject. Then, I feathered the selection by 10 pixels.
This is for the future step of content aware fill. if I didn’t do this then a line
of pixels will appear which will be very difficult to remove.
• Delete the selected area.
• Use: Edit > content aware fill. This is the result I gathered after using this
technique

• Turn the subject layer back on, I then select the
background layer and apply the effect: Filter > Blur
galley > Path blur.
• This is the direction of the blur:
• Turning the subject layer back on, the result looks as
I thought:
Both results look visually pleasing, however I still belive
that these styles don’t reflect the branding of Point of
sharpness and precision which im trying to bring
forward to the audience. I also don’t belive that this
style won't be possible with all the images I have
selected. For example, the one to the right: that’s if I
wanted to include all the drivers, which isn't necessary.
I think moving towards the sensation focus and
precision is more of a direction I want to take these
images.

this final editing technequie I want to try I imagine will really focus and draw
the attention to the expressions of the drivers, which is where I belive the
emotions comes from within these images.
• I start by removing all the areas which include the track and the driver.
Making sure to put back the areas which were initally lost from the first cut
(highlighted in red) its important to include any area which isnt between
the white lines of the track.
• Next, merge all these layers. Setting this new layer as a smart object.
• To distort and create a noisy background I first apply filter > filter gallery >
poster edges. Which have been set as you can see below:
• Next, to the same smart layer I add: Image > adjustments > threshold.

• Setting this threshold layer to "Darken" blend mode allows
this effect to act as a shader instead of its own effect layer.
• Adding back the track and driver the style is complete.
Personally, this reflects a lot more of what I see in these
images. It brings out the clarity in the track and the driver
which is exactly what the people in frame will be thinking as
well. Unlike the motion effects from before, the noisy
background style brings to light more effectively the thought
process which I also have during my time racing. When in the
driving seat, you're looking around and about the frame. But
forward, with your eyes fixated either on the track, or on the
guy ahread of you.
The branding of point also is more reflected with this style of
precision and sharpness of the driver and track. Instead of
blurring it out for the sensation of motion. This is the
technique I will go forward with.
I turned the thresholding down a
bit, as it was too agrssive on the
hedges and trees.

i did try one other style with the poster edges threshlding techneqie.
This style essentally repeated the roces, howevr it only went around
the driver and kart. I also used the erasor tool to mimic the go-karts
movement across the track. Again, I still belive that this isnt
representative of the thought process drivers have while ontrack,
pushing me futhur towards the style I decided to use before.
After decidign that this was the design, I wanted to use for my
images in the article, I allpled the effect to most of the other images.

The only exception I made to the editing rule was image 294. This
image included a large shadow case on most of the gokart and track.
Therefor I decided to ventrue within the track lines and allow the
style to locate itself within the shadow behind the driver. The effect
seemed to consume the areas around his black helmat and suit, as if
he was escaping the void chasing him.
The rest of the images followed the same effects as the one I planned.
The style remained consistent throughout the production process
which I belive is important for branding and style of an article. It
doesn’t look over the top and nor does the effect take away from the
overall image.
Image
294

Starting on the layout of the article, I want to use shapes and features which
include angles I find within my logo. Again, to remind the reader of the
article producer and writer.
I also want to create a secondary colour scheme for this article apecifically.
The process I took to create this secondary colourscheme is as follows:
• Create new layers for each colour. I wanted to keep the colours similar,
spreading around the canvas in a clockwise direction. Orgonising the
colours into a desired
• Copying the colour layers and merging them, I convert this layer to a
smart object before applying the effect:
Filter > Blur > Gaussion Blur. The strength set to 1000 pixels
• For added depth in the colour, I added the effect:
Filter > Noise > Add Noise.
This effect will be diffacult to see on the powerpoint presentation,
however the noise provides texture to the colours, so instead of being
able to see the gradients , it hides the colour changes
The colour is now ready to be used on the article as the secondary colour to
the images.

Going back to my pre-production document, I have a few
ideas for how I want to illustraight my article.
What I realise while looking at these shapes is that they are
all formed from triangles. So if I just make that respective
shape and use it as a building block for the layout I will see
if I need to make the whole complex layout. Again this
would support my idea of re-useability and time cutting
production.
To make the base triangle shape for the article:
• Re-saved the base logo design which I used for the social
media accound and deleated 3 of the 4 triangles.
• Copying the triangle, I coloured the behind one gray and
moved the top black triangle down by 15 pixels:

• I want the outer line to expand around the whole shape: so I calculated
the distence in pixels between a 15x15 pixel square using pythagoras
theorem. Equaling 21.2132 which I will round down to 21 pixels.
• Using rectangular marquee tool from the bottom right courner: I create
a box with a hight of 21 pixels which spans the document. I delete the
selected area of the top black triangle which then creates an even edge
around the shape.
With the shape completed I made the article layout and clipping masked
the colour layer to the grey areas. The design I went with for the article
only uses the triangle shapes to make up each area. The areas with white
will be where I place text around the images, and the black is where I will
place the images.
The two aspects I want to mention about this design is the brand
references immideatly upon viewing the article at the top with the X. I
belive that it is important always to remind the viewer of the branding
and producer of htew article. The prodominent X is pretty clearly seen.
The second aspect is the long shape half way down. I formed this out of 4
inner trianhgles and 4 outer triangles with the same distencing of the
colour layer. It maintains the 45 degree style that im going for, but allows
me to place an image with more flexability and size. I plan to use the
image with 5 drivers here because the detail would be hard to make out if
I had to cut it down to size to fit within the smaller triangles.

If I were to select more images to use within an article, I would just continue
the triangle placements to go furthur and furtur down the page. Creating more
and more uniquie designs. Howver I only have a few images to choose from. So I
am limieted by qualtity here unfortuately. One way I would have combated this
would be to go one a longer photoshoot aquire more useable images. With what
I have though, I made myself space for 6 images to use within the article.
Placing the images within the black areas I belived that there was a
dissconnect between the secondary colours and the images located inside them.
To provide connection between the images and the colours, I copied each image,
and using the threshold effect I altured the new layers blendmode to darken.
This textured the colour layer by using parts of the images. Areas like tree
brackes nad grass break up the colours nicely while also lineing up with the
images perfectly. Pay close attentuion to the detail of the images which shows
up very nicely in this part of the process.

With the article layout compleate, I wrote out what I had
expierenced at the go kart track back when I took the images.
I however don’t really belive that this was a high point for me.
This is down to the fact that I didn’t leave myself much room
to write these articles but the space sacrifice for the writing
was used to vastly display the images with as prodminetly as
possible, with the writing as a secondary element to the
article.
I exported the article and uploaded it to my website finishing
its production.

FMP - Production Reflection

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