In COMM 269, Multi-Media Production, I created many pieces of media related work. Through creating these pieces I have gained knowledge on production. Though I feel several of my pieces were strong, I feel as though my video PSA, "Drink Responsibly," was by far my strongest.
In this piece I wanted to let college students realize the risks of drinking. While many college students drink, very few think of the reprecussions of drinking too much. In order to get my message across I used various techniques.
One technique that makes this PSA strong is the point of view. I made the audience feel as though they were in the shoes of the drinker. This made it seem as though they were walking around, drinking heavily, having fun, and getting hit by a car. If I had it in another perspective, the audience could say "this could never happen to me." By putting them in this perspective, it really made it seem as though it could happen to them.
I also used methodic camera movements. Instead of keeping the camera steady, I made movement to insinuate the drunk person swerving. This helped get the message across that even though drinkers may think they have total control of their actions, they don't. If they cannot even walk in a straight line, it's a clear sign they've had too much to drink. Had I used steady camera movements, this message would not have been conveyed.
Through the techniques I used, it is clear that I have gained knowledge in video production. I knew that I needed to carefully choose which clips to use in this PSA. My knowledge in filming helped with this. In order to tell the full story I needed to get a variety of shots, which I did. My knowledge with Adobe Premiere also helped in this. Because I knew how to put clips together, how to transition, and how to edit the music to match the shots, this PSA was effective.
I skillfully worked to make this PSA look professional. In order to do this, I directed this PSA at a specific audience. I made this piece seems fun at the beginning and dramatic at the end to show the audience the entire story. I could have made this completely funny, but that would take away from the professionalism of this piece; it would not tell the entire story. I also show my professional skill through my work with Premiere. I chose the transitions I used very carefully. The one part that truly shows my skills in Premiere is when I have the video fade to white when the car hits the person. It works very well in this piece and looks as though the car's lights are directly coming at the audience. My skill is also shown through the music transitions. I added a cross-fade where the two pieces meet. This allowed the two pieces to meld together without being distracting.
I believe this PSA is my strongest piece, and I really enjoyed creating it. Making this allowed me to get an important message across to college age students. I would truly love to do more projects like this later on.
View Video PSA
