Lastly, after our three filming sessions were complete, our group edited and combined all of the footage. Through this process, we had to choose which aspects of people’s answers we would use, how we would edit them together, and in what sequence we could include them in our film. Through this process, our group worked cooperatively to create our final product, thus completing our project.
Through the creation of our film, we intended to prove that a question as seemingly simple as “What makes you happy?” causes a multitude of thought-provoking soul searching. For, although such a question may seem as if it requires a straightforward answer, those we interviewed soon realized the true intimacy and complex nature of the question. This being why we chose this question, as we intended for the people we filmed to truly search deep within themselves, their lives and what makes them happy. As a result of such contemplation, we aimed to receive in-depth responses and produce a video that could broadcast the diversity of what makes Humber College students happy. In addition, we intended to make viewers of our video turn to self-reflection after watching our film. For, as viewers watched our video, we hoped they would also contemplate what makes them happy. Therefore, our group intended to provoke self-reflection and self-realizations through our film.
In addition, we hoped to prove that film is an extremely efficient form of media to broadcast through. Films have both a visual and audio aid that allows the intended message of the film to be broadcasted. In addition, films require the active participation of the audience in order to understand the message. Henceforth, the messages of such films have the capability of being retained by the audience more efficiently. Furthermore, films can be broadcasted to a single individual or an entire stadium of people simultaneously. Therefore, film is an extremely useful form of media to broadcast a message through.
Our group worked extremely interdependently during this video project and relied heavily on each other to do their part in the collaborative process. Together, our group chose the style of video, the question we wanted to ask people, where and when we would film, and how we would edit the final product together. Through such collaboration, our video resulted in being a joint effort on every group member’s part. As well, because we worked together, we were able to persuade more people into being filmed, which was something many individuals were tentative to do. However, by reassuring these individuals together that they would be assisting us in fulfilling our academic obligations, we were able to work as a group toward a united goal.
Together our group learned how difficult a question such as “What makes you happy?” is. For, although this question appears to be easily answered, it truly requires extensive contemplation. As well, such a question is able to reveal considerable information about an individual to both themselves and other people. Therefore, we learned the implications of a question such as “What makes you happy?” on individuals within society.
In addition, our group learned a lot about the filming and broadcasting process in the media. For instance, we not only learned how to film and use the required equipment in the filming process, but we also learned about the editing software required to achieve the final product. The editing software we used to edit and complete our video included iMovie, iTunes, and uploading software using YouTube. Therefore, through this project we learned how to use the equipment and software necessary to produce a finished and edited film that is capable of broadcasting a message to its intended audience.
The influences which inspired us to create our film includes the ‘Fifty People, One Question’ videos location on YouTube (www.youtube.com). These videos inspired our group to create our own version of these videos with a different question. We were inspired by these videos because they proved the variety of answers a single question can create when asked to numerous people. In addition, these videos proved the diversity of humans in their thought processes likes and dislikes. Therefore, our group wished to elaborate on and investigate whether such diversity is present at Humber College Residence, and if people would be willing to open themselves up when answering such an intimate question on film.
The production values of our film included both the equipment used to film our video and the software used to edit the footage we obtained. Such equipment included the tripod and video camera we used to film the individuals we interviewed, and the laptop we used to upload and eventually edit our footage. The software we used to edit our footage included iMovie, iTunes and YouTube where we experimented and developed an understanding of programs we were unfamiliar with. Although our production value and quality of the video camera was not high, we believe that our end product proved to be a very highly produced video that is successful in broadcasting its intended messages to its audience.
The overall meaning of our video was the realization that a seemingly simple question such as “What Makes You Happy” can in fact be extremely difficult to answer. For, such a question requires considerable self-reflection to answer honestly. Henceforth, we hoped to make the audience realize the diversity of the answers we received while they reflected on their own lives and what makes them happy.
It was also our intention to prove to the audience the meaning and importance of using the media of film to broadcast a message through technology and society. Media, as defined by Marshall McLuhan, is, “…the telegraph, radio, films, telephone, computer and television, all of which have not only extended a single sense or function… but have enhanced and externalized our entire central nervous systems.” Furthermore, McLuhan states that such media are, “…extensions of man that cause deep and lasting changes in him and transform his environment. Such an extension is an intensification, an amplification of an organ, sense or function.” Specifically, McLuhan states that film is the extension of, “…the sense of touch rather than of sight, and it is the tactile sense that demands the greatest interplay of all the senses.” Therefore, as McLuhan has illustrated, film is a form of media that is able to affectively broadcast an intended message because it, ‘demands the greatest interplay of all the senses’. Furthermore, film is a media form that requires the active participation of the audience members. For, the audience is required to actively participate in both the encoding (the creation of a message) and decoding (interpretation of a message) of the intended message. Typically, media only requires the audience to decode the message it encodes. However, through film, the audiences are required to participate in both the encoding and decoding of the message because the full message is not provided for the audience. Instead, as McLuhan states, “…the video image is one of low intensity or definition and thus… offers no detailed information about specific objects but instead involves the active participation of the viewer.” Therefore, audience participation is required in the encoding and decoding of the intended message, thus enhancing their syntactic (recognition) and pragmatic (realization) responses to the message. Overall, it was our intention to prove to our audience the importance and implications of film to society, media and audiences.
