Video Project Evaluation

The video project was a challenging yet fun assignment. As an inherently outgoing person I enjoyed gaining insight into opinions people and discussing topics I find interesting.

My first video test was successful and I wanted to continue interviewing people on the street with regards to important news. It allowed me to gain confidence speaking in front of a camera and experiment with Final Cut Pro. It was a successful test. To improve on this idea I aimed to create a similar piece on a larger scale, with more interviewees and questions, whilst keeping to a Vox Pop format.

I chose to create a Vox Pop as I enjoyed the examples seen on The Guardian and other sources online. I found The instant feedback gained from a public perspective intriguing. I was also inspired by the short film ‘Lift’ for its ‘genuine’ tone and fast cuts. I wanted a similar approach to my content, in the context of an informative piece seen on a website like BBC News.

I had been writing about the situation with GAME for some time on various outlets. The recent agreement of OptCapita brings the situation to a close, and I wanted to gain some insight into what the general public feels about the situation. I wanted a range of different opinions on the situation and I believe I achieved that.

I discovered that many of the people interviewed were not aware of GAME’s situation. It took me by surprise but meant I got honest reactions to the news. Many of the people we approached weren’t willing to be filmed, using the excuse they “didn’t have time”. Some of the subjects we did interview were fairly short in their answers, and came across shy. If I had to produce a longer documentary piece, with more content, I believe it would’ve been difficult to create content in this news topic.

Finding the right people to interview was the hardest challenge. I spoke to the manager of GAME Oxford Street and she wouldn’t allow me in the shop or to interview any of her employees. Many people leaving the store weren’t willing to be interviewed as they had the incentive to move onwards from the store. Getting interviews just required patience.

The ongoing story in the piece is the continuation of GAME’s financial insecurity. Gaining a few public perspectives gave me insight into what the consumers of GAME feel about its situation, allbeit a more brighter looking one at this time. It adds to the content of the piece by giving a public perspective on the proceedings.

After using Final Cut Pro 7 in class for many weeks, using the latest version of the program was an easy, fun task. Editing was a pleasant experience. The hands-on experience I gained in-class help me to quickly edit my clips in under two hours and export directly from in the program.

If I could’ve improved my piece somehow, I would attempt to get more hard-hitting answers. I believe the interviewees I got reflected the more general perspective on the story. For a more intruiging piece I want more obscure opinions on the matter. I may of achieved this with more harsh questions.

I would’ve like to have produced a more artistic piece like the piece The Lift, but due to time constraints I wasn’t able to create a more “artistic” piece. However, I believe I created a piece that fully complements the feature’s imagery and body of text.

The purpose of the video dairy was to give insight into how we approached the interviewees. I wanted to show the relaxed approach we had to interviewing and document some of the process. The restriction of only a one minute video meant I couldn’t include all the footage I want to but I feel it adds to the understanding of how we created the piece. It also includes some small evaluation of the shoot we done that day.

I’m pleased with the final outcome of the video assignment. It informs of the ongoing story adjoining GAME and gives an unheard perspective on the situation – the consumers. I’m most pleased with the array of opinions on the questions we asked, and enjoyed the assignment as a whole.

Video Assignment: The rise and fall (and rise again) of GAME

GAME has had a troubled few weeks. For many employees of GAME, it had been a uncertain period, with their jobs far from secure. Customers were equally concerned for the future of the company with their accumulated loyalty card points in jeopardy.

Financial problems began in February, with Game Group’s inability to stock Mass Effect 3, a hugely popular video game series. This was due to Electronic Arts limiting Game’s credit terms. Pre-orders were cancelled for the game and customer’s faith in the company was falling along with shares. Game developer Capcom then announced its games wouldn’t be stocked at the high street chain. This was then followed by heavy discounts of stock in-store, the company attempting to avoid going bust. It couldn’t. GAME officially went into administration March 26, 2012.

There were 227 Store Closures across the UK

Many companies were interested in the high-street chain, but thankfully, OpCapita’s Baker Aquisitions Unlimited rescued the high street retailer, bringing the company out of administration. Details of the deal were not disclosed, only that OpCapita would inherit GAME’s debt of £85 million.

The new ownership will keep 333 remaining GAME stores open, along with its 3,200 employees. This will unfortunately not affect the recent 2,104 job losses and 227 store closures.

Outside the GAME flagship store on Oxford Street, We interviewed shoppers, asking for their opinion on the recent, painful saga of the UK GAME retailer. We asked three questions to each interviewee:

• Why do you feel GAME went into administration?
• What is the appeal of shopping at GAME?
• Is there still a place in the industry for a company like GAME?

Surprisingly, many of the people we interviewed weren’t aware that GAME had been in administration. The majority of people we interviewed were pleased that GAME’s short-term future had been guaranteed in this agreement with OpCapita.

The behind-the-scenes, video dairy of my Vox Pop is included below:

Further evaluation of this feature will be included in a blog post soon.

Audio Project Evaluation

The audio project was an enjoyable assignment for me. I felt confident that I could create an interesting piece, as I had previously used Audacity and interviewed key industry figures of video games.

I wanted to continue the ongoing theme of a video game blog. I took inspiration from the Trocadero audio piece I initially produced. I felt that piece was informative and structured well. If I had to improve that piece I would’ve had multiple, more qualified opinions, which I feel I achieved with the final podcast.

I chose to interview people on motion controls for the podcast,. I found it easy to talk about the subject with my knowledge of the medium, and I believe I got some interesting answers from my interviewees. Almost every person I approached to interview was willing to be on the podcast as I approached them in a casual but professional way.

The first interviewee was slightly reserved in his views, though thankfully, my two other interviewees were talkative, professional and entertaining to listen to.

The views I gathered on the podcast were more mixed than I predicted. Motion Controls were more praised than I envisioned beforehand. I feel this contrast in opinions made for a more interesting podcast.

My interview piece was the hardest to arrange. Some employees from GAME weren’t willing to discuss the future of the retailer. I eventually managed to organise a short interview with Sales Assistant Bradley O’Neil. It was difficult at first arranging an interview time suitable for when he wasn’t working, but with permission of his supervisors, I managed to interview him after GAME had been closed. His answers were well informed and I couldn’t have spoken to a more suitable employee for the interview.

The hardest part of this assignment for me was editing out the filler and dead air between answers. This was partly my fault, due to many of the questions I was asked had filler throughout. I believe I can speak confidently in an interview, but to save myself problems editing, I should avoid these minor issues again.

I also felt some of the levels in the interview were slightly unbalanced. If I had more time to edit these audio files, I would have like to have spent more time on this area of the audio project.

I am pleased with the outcome of this project.

Media Filtering: GAME

GAME Group going into administration marked the collapse of the video game high-street specialist. As it was announced the company was looking for a new owner, store closures were also announced, employees of GAME found out if their store was closing on the day they were working.

Coverage of the closures was everywhere. Here’s the breakdown of the most important news features surrounding GAME’s demise:

MCV was the first site to offer a complete list of the store closures of both GAME and GameStation. It was updated throughout the day as stores were cut. GAME’s losses were totalled at 277 store closures and 2,104 job losses.

Mark Warman of The Telegraph blames the popularity of the internet shopping for GAME’s closure on his comment piece, “As the web becomes the main source of research for more purchases, so too it is becoming the place to buy everything we need. The high street simply doesn’t figure.

The Guardian’s Keith Stuart questions if the future of video games on the high street. He quotes Patrick O’Brien, retail analyst as to why game retail is fading, “Games retailers can’t rely on the console cycle in the way they could 10 years ago, and looking into the future, we’re talking about hardware coming out that doesn’t require physical media at all.”

The Daily Express says ex-CEO Ian Shepard should not take the blame for GAME’s collapse as he “could have not foreseen just how tough it was going to be” Peter Cunliffe explains, “From the start he found himself under siege, saddled with heavy debts and too many shops and a growing bombardment from the internet. He simply ran out of time.”

Video test

13/03/12 Video Feature

Here’s a test-video piece I produced recently at Westminster University. Please keep in mind It was produced in less than 45 minutes!

Opinion: Next Generation consoles critically needed

The ongoing rumours of ‘next generation’ consoles is intensifying prove the need for new hardware. With video game series’ reaching unnecessary trilogies, it’s time for game makers to refresh the console side of gaming.

Although, Ninja Gaiden designer Tomonobu Itagaki has said he believes releasing a next generation of consoles doesn’t make sense in our current economy.

From a business perspective, yes, it’s a risk. But it’s proven that new hardware can succeed in this tough economic period. Sony’s PlayStation Vita, which launched in February, has sold an impressive 1.2 million, less than a month after its launch, with software sales reaching 2 million units. Techradar has reported the handheld could sell 12.4 million in 2012.

Although there might not be a huge amount of excitement surrounding another generation of consoles, technically we’ve reached the peak. Just recently developer Mike Simpson of Creative Assembly claimed current consoles “couldn’t cope” running their Total War series, due to a lack of hardware memory.

It’s time for Sony and Microsoft to refresh the console market. New hardware is needed alongside new intellectual properties and ideas.

It was change the face of the used game market, as reports cite sources that claim the next PlayStation and Xbox will use anti-preowned hardware. This will greatly impact high street retailers like GAME, who rely financially heavily on second-hand game sales. Michael Pachter has said he believes the next generation consoles would suffer if they blocked used games “if one does [a console maker] it and the others don’t, the one who does it will see a loss of market share.”

As developers make no money from pre-owned sales, I am in favor of the game creators getting the transaction money rather than the retailer.

It will be interesting to see Nintendo’s explanation for the Wii U, their next generation system that promises HD gaming.

The recent announcement of the iPad 3, and suggests tastes in gaming have changed, and that portable and accessible gaming is becoming more popular. Whilst I seriously doubt we’ll see console “dying” anytime soon, companies like Sony and Microsoft will surely be taking note of Apple’s continual success.

Video Assignment: Inspirational video features

The following are some video features I find inspiring

Lift

Marc Isaacs’ Lift is a beautiful documentary. It’s set in a London towerblock in a small elevator, as people go about their daily responsibilities. As the documentary progresses, the residents eventually open up to him. It’s a humourous, moving documentary that does a fantastic job of building these characters. By the end you want to know what happens to each of the major participants.

Louis Theroux

I’ve always been a big fan of Louis Theroux. His investigatory work is very entertaining, and his subtle cynical approach to interviewing subjects is hilarious.

Vox Pop

Other pieces I enjoy are Vox Pops such as the one below:

I enjoy the wide array of opinions they gain in a short video. To gain just normal people’s perspective on a subject is insightful, and helps to start to gain an understanding for what the general public believes on a subject.

While these examples may not have a significant control over the outcome of the piece, I will act as a guidance for my video feature.

Review: MTA.ME

MTA.ME is a beautiful infographic multimedia site that tracks the route of each New York Subway train in real time.

When I first discovered the website MTA, it was unlike any other reaction I had previously to a website. Using the actual New York subway schedule, The infographic’s lines indicate the plotted route of each train, flowing across the page. As the subway routes overlap, musical notes play.

Google Engineer Alexander Chen that designed the website. The style of the piece was inspired by Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 New York subway map.

The serene ambience is mesmerising. The interactive ability to pluck each train route is a nice additional feature. The length of each train determines the pitch of it when in contact with other train routes.

The website receives up-to-date train departures, showing the trains currently in operation. The map then accelerates to a 24-hour cycle, eventually adjusting to a black background. I prefer the black background as the coloured lines of the trains really stand out in contrast.

Visually the website is simple yet captivating. Constant streams of new train routes make just viewing this infogram a pleasure. Its a testament, really, to the advanced subway New York currently has, each line representing a train.

Whilst its simplicity is what makes the site, more variation to the site could be an interesting addition. How about the London Underground version or more information on the New York subway trains? How about some interesting factual information on the subway to complement the feature? Features like such would’ve extended the website’s longevity, albeit a currently pleasant one.

ROBBCAST INTERVIEW

Today, on the ROBBCAST!

I speak to Game employee Bradley O’Neil. I asked for his opinions on the future of video game retail.

Game has recently seen its shares fall 40% after poor Christmas sales.

Our interviewee, Brad, works at the ‘concept store’ of Game. It is located at the new Westfield Stratford Centre. It is being labelled by Game as the future look of all of its high street stores. I first asked Bradley where does he usually purchase his video games:

ROBBCAST

Today, on the ROBBCAST!

We’re going motion-controller crazy! I talked to three interview participants all with contrasting opinions on devices such as the Nintendo Wii, Sony’s PlayStation Move and Microsoft’s Kinect. Ultimately, I wanted to know if they felt motion-controls were a gimmick.

My first interview was with Leon Brown, professional video game player that competes in e-sports. I first asked Leon how he felt about the current motion-controlled devices available at the moment:

Thanks for listening. What are your thoughts on motion-controls? Leave your views in the comments below.