Audio
Written
Visual
http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/charlize-theron-beauty-interview
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Charlize Theron is being interviewed by the fashion and beauty magazine VOGUE. we know this as the title of the interview includes her name e.g. 'on beauty: Charlize Theron' which is the title of this interview. the interview also has a small introduction below the title to give readers some more information about Charlize Theron as well as summing up what she has been doing recently which also gives us hints as the reader of what the interview will be about also due to the magazine interviewing being vogue it obviously is going to have subjects on beauty and fashion for Charlize Theron to talk about. the questions being asked aren't direct questions and therefore more open questions due to the fact that they are just setting the subject for her to then talk about further so her answers are will be open answers and due to the fact that she uses open answers Charlize Theron the interviewee is talking the most which you can see by the amount of written text in the interview. Charlize Theron is being interviewed to talk about her new campaign for the fragrance j'adore as part of being the face of Dior. i think the interview hasn't been scripted due to the relaxed language being used as well as talking about more personal things such as her family etc. but could have been edited further down the line ready to be published online as theres use of brackets, speech marks etc. i think the interview was prepared due to the subjects they wanted her to talk about so they did there research such as the fragrance, the newest campaign and her opinion on all things beauty. i think the interview itself was quite normal and relaxed as the subjects would have been of an interest of her as well which is shown through the language being used in her answers. there is a slight structure to the interview as all the subjects/questions follow along from each other e.g 'on beauty sins', 'on beauty essentials' and 'on beauty advice'. i think the target audience is females and possibly from late teenager to 20s or 30s.
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Interviews
Good points
There are many ways to make a interview look good. The interview would start off with an introductory by the interviewer introducing who they are about to interview and a little bit of information about them, they may also end the interview in a similar way. the interviewer should be well prepared in what they are going to ask the interviewee as well as doing some research on that person. the interviewer should use open questions or subject prompts for the interviewee to answer. the interview itself should be calm and flow together with both people engaged in the conversation occurring therefore having a comfortable atmosphere. if there is an audience there could be some audience engagement such as laughter if theres any humour.
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Bad points
There are also many ways a interview can go wrong and not look that good. The interview would just consist of only the interviewer talking which could be done to unprepared questions which is something you don't want to happen in a interview. the interviewer shouldn't use closed questions, judge the interviewee, use a patronizing manor or interrogate the person they are interviewing as it'll likely make the interviewee feel uncomfortable and awkward. the interviewer shouldn't use silent gaps or breaks between questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blpq-Iwu25s
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Meg Ryan is being interviewed by the BBC. we know its Meg Ryan as its a visual interview therefore we see the interview take place so we can see that its her also the clip title includes her name. at the start of the interview there is no introduction from the interviewer so we aren't given a context of why the interviewee is there in the first place instead he just jumps straight in with hard questions leaving her speechless this then sets the tone for the rest of the interview which is awkward and uncomfortable which you can see through her body language the interviewer sits leaning forward and her reaction to this is being furthest away as possible as she can get without leaving, habits such as playing with her hair, nervous laughter and using facial expressions when the camera is zoomed in focused on her. the moment it gets most awkward is when he asks the question and her reply is to ask the question back to him. the interview questions are open questions and open answers but the topic of the questions are quite hard and not the typical interview questions and possibly controversial i also think he overloads her with questions following on from the one before linking them possibly trying to keep the interview going or to get her to answer how he wants therefore i think its quite even with the length of time each person speaks. they both speak normally in their usual tone of voice but the interviewer could be seen as pushy and the language is quite formal due to the words the interviewer uses which in turn makes her look like she doesn't know how to answer the question. the target audience is fans of the show or fans of meg Ryan.
Test Interview and Questions
Portrait Photography - Lighting
The first photo looks as though it was taken in the studio due to the black background. the model is also posing and looking into the distance behind the camera. you can see on the models face that there is a light coming from the left side casting a shadow on the right side of her face. the light would be sat of a similar height or slightly lower than the model. the photo itself is in colour but very dark tones.
The second photo was taken outside on location with a shallow depth of field as you can see the grass out of focus behind the person. this photo is an example of candid photography as nothing is staged or posed its very natural. there are shadows cast on the persons face and i think the light source would have been natural (ambient) lighting so the shadow could be cast from wherever the sun is in the sky depending on the time of day and year this was taken. the photo itself is in black and white giving the photo a good contrast. i think there was a high shutter speed used as well as in the photo you can see the hair out of place and grass moving about which could be from the wind.
Light
Contact Sheets
http://www.bramham-horse.co.uk/media/audio-interviews/
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Zara Tindall is being interviewed by Bramham Horse Trials. we know its zara Tindall due to the name in the title of the interview as well as the interview saying her name to start the interview off. the questions being asked are specific into what she has just done and reflect on her performance as an event rider. the interviewer uses open questions and zara answers with open answers and therefore she is the person speaking most as she's passionate and thorough with her answers. she is being interviewed because she is a famous event rider at one of the biggest eventing competitions in the country. i think the interview has been prepared on the spot as zara sounds out of breath whilst answering questions meaning the interview took place quickly after she dismounted her horse, the questions also would have been based on her performance minutes beforehand. the interview is calm, normal and relaxed and you can tell the interviewer is listening to her answers and not interrupting her, she sounds out of breath and thinking on the spot and about her answers because of the sudden change in setting from being on a horse to being interviewed but you can tell she enjoys what she does from the language she uses and that the interviewer is familiar with the equestrian wordl and zara tindall. the target audience is fellow equestrians, her competitors and the press.
Planning
My three initial ideas of who i could photograph are my Nan as she could tell me about growing up and her baking, my riding instructor at my stables who could tell me about her career in the equestrian world and my sister as she could tell me about her hobbies and interests such as youth theatre and horse riding. i have chosen theses three people as they are interesting and could tell me about lots of different things.
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The threats that could prevent me from photographing these people is that theres limited time availability due to different schedules and work or school commitments i would also have to ask each one of them and see if they would agree to the interview and photographs .
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Technical and Aesthetic elements.
I would take each photograph differently depending on the person as for example i would take the photos of my nan at her house as its the environment she lives in and would help give a context when listening to the interview and the place she would be most comfortable and this will the reflect in the interview and in the photos. if i were to take photographs of my riding instructor i would take the photos outside on location at my stables where she works as well as including photos of some of the horses and ponies that are there as these would link to the interview and give an insight. with my sister i could take photos of her at home in her room or her doing her hobbies so her horse riding or whilst she's in theatre. i think i would take a mixture of photographs either in colour or black and white and a range of compositions. each idea would require use of different lighting with my nan i would use continuous lighting, with my riding instructor i would use ambient/natural lighting and lastly with my sister i would use continuous lighting.
Here i did the practise interview and here are the test questions and interview i recorded with a theme of holidays. i found that the interview went really well due to the fact that we did it with one take and afterwards it didnt need much editing only cutting at the end as there was no laughter or long pauses so it was very consistent. the thing i think i could improve on for next time would be to check the volume levels so its not to quiet and not to loud, and also prepare more questions just in case that happens in the future.
Portrait photographers
Moodboards
Here is a snippet of audio practising using the zoom microphone the equipment we'll be using to record our interview.
when using the zoom microphone you have the option to use it as it is or use a microphone and other features. i found it fine and relatively simple to use. the play button you press once to start and twice to record, stop/pause button and you press the top button to use the microphone attached to the device and bottom two for external recording devices.
Ambient
Conitnuous
Reflector
Studio Flash
Off Camera Flash
The lighting techniques i used are ambient which is natural light, continuous is lightbulbs etc, reflector is anywhere using a reflector to catch the light from a light source and then bouncing it onto the person being photographed, studio flash is photographing in the studio with the lights and flash and lastly off camera flash is a flash device thats not attached to the camera but you connect it through the bottom and a cable at the top and once set up you have to set the settings to match the camera.
Off camera flash technique worked okay it came out quite dark which could have been down to the dark setting the photo was taken in. i also found it hard to hold as its attached to the camera therefore making it quite heavy to hold so next time i have to remember this and also possibly try using it in a different setting or change the white balance.
Plan
This week 16th-19th
come up with my final idea and person to photograph and interview. research portrait photographers that link to my final idea.
Next week 22nd-26th
do a test shoot out on location and analysis of the shoot. improve on test shoot on the actual shoot. come up with questions and record interview.
The week 29th-2nd
edit photographer and pick final product. edit the interview. evaluation.
The studio flash technique didn't work as well i wanted it to as you can see the shadows on her face and on the white backdrop and i think this was due to the settings on the camera trying to get them right and therefore ran out of time in trying to do so. this photo has a high ISO explaining its brightness and cause of shadows.
Using the reflector light technique went well a when using it you could see the light reflecting back on to the face so you can see and move the light about to where it looks best through the camera lens. i think using the reflector made a difference and you could use it in any setting which is good.
The continuous lighting technique worked better than i thought it would as its pretty clear as you can see reflections and shadows from the lights. i think it gives off normal colouring as well. this photo has elements of leading lines which i didn't notice until i looked back at the photos and i thin this makes the model stand out.
Ambient or natural lighting shows everything natural with colours and tones. however this image is a little dull which i think is down to the cloudy day the photo was taken on, other than that i think this image turned out good with the interesting composition and framing. remember to change the white balance to see if that makes a change.
My Final Idea
My final idea is to photograph and interview my sister as its easier as i live in the same house as her so i see her everyday so i can interview her anytime. with the photography aspect she does her hobbies weekly meaning i can photograph on those specific days or somewhere at home. i have decided to photograph only one of her hobbies though which is horse riding so i will go with her to the stables where her loan horse is kept on a weekend. the location will be outside by the stables and in the field where she will be riding. the style of photography would be a mixture of portrait and equine photography combined together as well as maybe sport photography.
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Steve McCurry is an American photographer whose best known for working in photojournalism and editorial. he's won numerous awards as well as having his work printed in the national geographic magazine i.e afghan girl as shown below. his work has sparked a lot of controversy about photomanipulation in photoshop to make them what they are today however McCurry himself has denied the claims.
i think his photographs all show a lot of bold and bright colours either with the clothes they are wearing or the setting they are photographed and this then becomes part of his trademark or aesthetic. the colours themselves compliment each other well giving the photo a good contrast . all the photographs have a very similar composition and framing i.e. the headshot i think this is done so nothing else captures your eye or takes your attention away from the main subject and also to make more people aware. the photos use natural ambient lighting as they are all taken outside and i think he's taken advantage of the sunlight by shooting at specific times of the day. the afghan girl photo draws your attention through the eyes as they stare back to the viewer. there is also evidence of shadows on her face with the light coming in from the right casting the shadow on the left. i think there is also a slight use of a shallow depth of field as the background is blurred and out of focus meaning to achieve this you would need a low aperture setting on your camera.
i want to use some of the feature Steve McCurry uses by using ambient lighting to give my images a more natural feel to them and in turn it links the model with the background/setting they are in which will help give some context to viewers when they listen to the interview and look at the photographs together. i also like the framing idea of only doing headshots to bring emphasis to the face and the person which his work does showing that, thats the thing most important.
Steve McCurry
Andrew collier photography started out working as a junior in a Manchester design and advertising agency and has since stayed in the industry for over 24 years.
i think his photographs are good as they show a mixture of candid and posed photographs and i like this style as I've never seen a photographer do that before. i think you can tell that these photographs were taken outside on location due to the setting and therefore ambient lighting was used as you can see the sun rays in the background hence changing the colour of the leaves to more bright and casting shadows in creating these images to do so i the camera would have to have a low ISO and a medium to high shutter speed. the photographs also show a range of tones and contrasts within them through both the colour and black and white to make them look natural but also bold as its not subtle. in half of the photos there is use of depth of field and in the other half there is not so he would have changed the settings on the camera to create these two effects. the compositions for three of the photos are nice as the whole subject is in focus and in centre of the photo whilst the last one is using the rule of thirds as the subject is off centre towards the left.
what this photographer inspires me about is the use of both of colour and black and white and not just one or the other so i think i'll take this idea myself when it comes to shooting. i think i will also try and include his style when i shoot a its really interesting as well as getting a range of shots in candid or posed.
Andrew Collier
Test shoot
Contact sheets
Shoot
Contact Sheets
For my test shoot i decided to go with photographing my sister as this was my final idea. i think my test shoot went quite well as i was able to get lots of different shots using many angles and framing creating original compositions and the inspiration came from the photographers which were to use the framing ideas as well as a mixture of candid and posed shots. for the shoot i used ambient lighting like the photographers i looked at. however in looking back at my images i realise that next time i need to adjust the settings on my camera as they are quite bright but i also quite like the effect it brings but i doubt i'll use this effect during my real shoot but instead go more natural.
Photography Ideas
I think my shoot went really good as i was able to get everything i wanted to including a range of compositions some close up, further away etc. i used ambient lighting as its the most natural and could show the horses coat in its natural colouring but also everything else and because horse riding isn't a subject i could use lighting techniques with due to them maybe scaring or spooking the horses and no one else available to assist i.e. holding a reflector and with the location itself not being very practical. i also took a lot of photos meaning i had a lot to choose from and giving me a wide range of different outcomes. the only downside of the shoot was that the weather conditions were not the best due to the rain so therefore i had to check my lense every now and agin to wipe away any rain drops but this was something out of my control and it didn't effect the outcome of my images i don't think as well as due to the time it was the only day i could go and shoot. from my test shoot i took onboard the things i needed to fix such as the lighting which made my photos look much better and more realistic. i also kept in mind the photographers i looked at and therefore took aspects on the shoot like taking a mixture of posed and candid photos as well as colour and i'm gong to edit some into black and white and see how they look. overall i'm pleased with my photographs from the shoot and i think i got several good photos which could become my final images.
Interview Questions
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What did you do today?
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What do you do in your spare time? /favourite show? /makeup?
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Have you done any of your hobbies this week?
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How’s theatre going?
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What productions have you done?
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How many?
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Why do you like it?
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How’s horse riding going?
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Do you prefer loaning or horseshoes? Why?
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Who’s your favourite horse/pony you’ve ridden? Least?
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Why do you like riding?
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which discipline do you prefer the most? why?
My Final Images
My Interview
Evaluation
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In Conclusion i think the whole project went well and that the photographs i took helped to give a context for the interview and so the photos reflected my sister the interviewee and one of her hobbies, horse riding. my initial ideas were to use either my nan, my riding instructor or my sister but ultimately decided against the other two just because i wasn't sure what topic to interview my nan on and the other was finding the time and then organising it with my riding instructor, as with my sister it was easier due to living in the same house so there would be more time for the interview to take place. however when it came to photographing my sister i had time restrictions as it couldn't be done in the evenings due to it being dark and so could only do it on the weekend. for the photography aspect i decided on doing a location shoot as i found it easier to show and represent my sister doing the hobby she is actually talking about and i think its good as it gives an insight and a context to the viewer. for the shoot itself i went to the stables where her loan horse is kept and shot there as she rode in the field as well as some by the stables. during the shoot it was raining so i had to keep wiping my lens clean otherwise a spot glare would show up in the photos as well as this the ground was muddy which didn't affect my shooting just to be careful when walking with my camera. for this project the portrait photographers i looked at were Steve McCurry and Andrew collier. each photographer inspired in different ways, Steve McCurry's work with the framing and Andrew colliers work with the colouring and compositions and both of them with the use of natural lighting. i think i would like to develop more work with the shutter speed as the moving images arent as good so if i photograph horse riding again i can use the knowledge to gain a clearer image of the movement and how changing this will affect the other settings and so id like it to look sharp and professional. the final product i ended up with was good and im pleased with my final images and the final interview and that the editing made both of them better. the final images are varied but also similar with the colouring and setting and show a good composition and give a context that links with the interview which i wanted. the final interview is good as i was able to get the right length interview however i think it could have been better with more practise in interviewing as well in using the software to make it flow more, at one point there is a noise for a few seconds which couldn't be helped unfortunately as i don't know where it came from as well as my voice sounding sniffly due to me having a cold at the time of recording. i think my final product fits the brief as i have five final images that go with an audio interview and overall im really happy with the outcome.
Interview
I think the interview itself went quite well i was able to get two long clips one around 5 minutes and the other around 7 minutes meaning i will have to put them together and edit them down. at first i didn't know how to start the interview off but i eventually came up with something. i got to ask all the questions i had prepared and some others which were thought on the spot which was good however i asked the questions out of order and at random so therefore i will have to edit it so it flows more together. the interview was relaxed due to us being sisters which i think came through, as at times there was laughter which will have to be cut out and i think it had the vibe and atmosphere i'm hoping for and it was quite easy getting my sister to talk a bit as well which then answered some questions i was going to answer. i also made sure to turn the volume up more than before which was something i learned when doing my test interview and so i found the equipment easy to use and nothing went wrong when recording. i think the only issue was that my house is quite loud with interruptions and therefore some background noise may have been caught whilst recording but hopefully it wont effect the final outcome. i think overall the recording the interview side went well and i just have to edit the final outcome together.
The editing process for both the photographs and interview were done on the software Photoshop and audition. i found that the photoshop is easier to use as ive used it before when editing photos but with the audition i found it hard as i didn't know how to use it and so it took slightly longer. next time i think i should show the editing process more so i can reference to it in the future for inspiration and so i can see the difference between the edited and unedited version.