wendymork

[wendymork]

Photography Editing Process - Adobe Lightroom

With my series of photographs, I mainly wanted to focus on the lighting as I felt that was one of the main focuses of my images. In Lightroom this is what I mainly played around with until I was finally happy with my final product.

In the last assessment, I discussed how I wanted to turn my photographs into editorial posters but after experimentation, I decided to stick to photographs as that is what it looked best. The photographs themselves were already quite powerful and dramatic and after adding in graphical elements, the composition just looked too busy and messy.

Below are some screenshots of the editing process in Adobe Lightroom.

[wendymork]

Video Editing Process - Adobe After Effects

The editing process has been quite extensive but I'm happy with the results that I've produced. Below are some screenshots of the editing process in AE that show some of the work that I've done (including timeline, work area, etc).

[wendymork]

Further Video Inspiration

The aesthetics and colour-grading of my video are largely inspired by Wong Kar-Wai's filmography and photography. In particular, I really love the green hues that he uses as it gives off a dramatic yet still aesthetically pleasing feel to it. This also makes it appear cinematic.

Above are examples of the green-hued colour grading that Wong Kar-Wai uses that I have taken inspiration from.

Here is some of the work and effects that I used in Adobe After Effects to try and get a similar effect. I didn't want the colouring to be as dramatic as the inspiration that I had looked at but still had similar ideas.

[wendymork]

Video Improvements - Adding Content

To further improve my video, I found a soundtrack to add into my project in order to get more emotion across, along with make the video overall feel more cohesive.

Above is the copyright-free music I decided to add to my video. It's sad music and I felt it got across the feeling of loneliness and depression which I needed to add more and improve on from the last assessment.

I also found this copyright-free overlay that could fit in my video as it mainly revolves around Instagram. I also added it to make some shots/compositions more interesting.

Above is an example of the hearts being used in my video to showcase the significance of likes on instagram/social media.

[wendymork]

Video/Short Film - Work in Progress

Above is what I currently have for my video. I've still got quite a lot of post-production work to do in Adobe After Effects such as adding music, screen overlay effects, colour grading, voiceovers, etc. Once done, the overall video will hopefully feel a lot more cohesive and professional. Though, I am quite happy with how my shots turned out like.

Currently, I am debating on whether I want to leave it as that or add in more content but I will figure that out later on down the line of my process.

[wendymork]

Photography - Work in Progress

Above are my current photography WIPs. I still have a lot of editing to do in post-prod on Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I plan to edit the lighting as the room was a bit too dark was my liking and also add in text and other elements to actually make the photographs appear more editorial or poster-like. But overall, still pleased with the results that I have so far.

[wendymork]

Photoshoot Process

Above are a few photos that were taken on set while shooting for the series of photographs. The main setting was the corner of the bed where I tried to make the bed look lived-in and messy. As you can see, I unfortunately didn't have a proper LED light so I had to make do and use my LED lightbulb. Even though I had to improvise, I think it still worked out well.

[wendymork]

Visual References - Video/Short Film

These are some great camera shots that I found as some visual references. The bathroom ones in particular are the type of styled shots that I would like to incorporate in my own video.

Because I plan for the bedroom to be one of the main settings in my video, I want to use a variety of different shots and I think an overhead shot like this one could look pretty nice and interesting.

Here are a series of camera shots from the 2001 film, AMÉLIE. Because I only intend to have one main character in my short film/video, these are some nice shots that only have one main subject that I may refer to while filming.

[wendymork]

Visual References - Photography

I really like the composition and idea of this photograph. Perhaps I could use this within my own series of photographs but instead of yarn, I could use cables so it's more related to my project topic.

The idea of this photograph is super cool as well. I think the composition is really nice as there's a main subject but the hands coming into the frame aren't too overpowering and makes it feel more cohesive.

I really like the idea of this photo. I believe I could deliver something similar but more in the context of the main subject sadly towering/looking over a screen showcasing a 'fake online' version of themselves.

The overall look and feel of this photograph is super cool! This is the type of aesthetic that I'd like to go for. The colour makes the image more dramatic and catching to the eye. The lighting and play with shadows is also super interesting and looks awesome.

[wendymork]

Photography Inspiration

For my second media output, I plan to create editorial posters through photography. I have looked at some visual styles and compositions to take inspiration from. The photographs that I included below aren't related to the topic/context of my project but I really like how they look and I do think that I could possibly apply my topic context to that type of visual style.

"Grasp" by Vito Acconci, 1969

"Trixie on the cot, NYC" by Nan Goldin, 1979

"Tattoo (for Reflection)" by Douglas Gordan, 1997

[wendymork]

Further Video Inspiration

Here is video/short film that I found that also revolves around how we present ourselves on social media as our best selves and how it affects us mentally. It shows the story of a man and how he enjoyed seeing all the likes he would get from creating a perfect social media life but then slowly starts to become depressed and deranged.

I really like the different camera angles, shots and compositions in this video. Below are some screenshots that I like and will take inspiration from in my own media outputs.

[wendymork]

Case Study #2

For my second case study, I decided to look at the 2022 documentary "Likes, selfies and self-promotion - The hidden dangers of social media" by DW Documentary. It largely discusses how seeking validation online can be extremely addicting, therefore can become mentally dangerous.

This documentary is incredibly informative to my project topic and also has certain shots and visual styles that I have taken inspiration from.

Below are some screenshots that I have included to show some visual aspects and camera angles I like about the documentary.

[wendymork]

Case Study #1

For my first case study, I've started to look at the short film "A Social Life" directed by Kerith Lemon. The short film has presented the life of Meredith and how she portrays her life to be picture-picture and slowly dives deeper into the hole of social media addiction and the need for constant validation and likes.

I decided to use this short film as a case study as it is revolved around my topic and is also presented in a video/short film media output. I have taken note of visual styles, camera angles, etc to take inspiration from.

[wendymork]

Research

I have started to start looking into further research about my topic and context. Because the topic of superficiality and social media can be quite broad, I want to cut it down and mainly target my ideas towards mental health.

Above is the link to a journal article that is about social media addiction and how its usage is a problem. The article is quite heavy and overwhelming but there is some useful information about the negative consequences of social media and how it can alter someone's life and mental well-being. It touches on topics like depression, anxiety, self-worth, etc.

This is another article that I have looked at as I wanted to research more about social media and mental health as a whole. It takes a look at the role that social media plays in society's daily lives which is something relevant towards my project.

[wendymork]

Mind Map

For my chosen topic, I have decided to go with The Superficiality of Social Media. While creating my mind map, I found that the main ideas that stemmed from my topic were mental health, social connections, social standards, and perception. Although these are all the main ideas that I want to touch on, I do believe that mental health relates most to the deeper/bigger picture of the overall issue. This may be something that I will focus on most during my further research.

[wendymork]

Brainstorming Ideas

Apologies for starting my blog quite late! Here are some potential ideas that I have come up with for my topic.

Mental Health

Racial Equity

Climate Change

Social Media Addiction

The Superficiality of Social Media

Social Acceptance

Cancel Culture