Thoughts and Reactions To Group Project

As a part of team separation, I was very happy with the way things turned out. The group worked well together and we all seemed to understand the task in front of us, and what needed to be done together to accomplish that task. We had the luxury of being three creative individuals. Ideas were not rare or small in number. In fact, we were creative almost to a fault.
As a group one of the first difficulties we had was deciding on what approach to take. We mulled over many ideas of how to convey separation, while maintaining a group portion. We tossed around different shots we wanted to try and incorporate, we tried to find some common ground to make a focal point in our video. We all filmed on our own at first, and quickly realized that did not provide much continuity as a group even though we found some common ground. One thing we focused on quite a bit was having solid creative transitions. Each person has their own portion in the video, but as one part ends and another begins we creatively link the two.
We were fortunate enough to have relatively open schedules on Wednesdays so the bulk or our work was done between that day as a group and our individual self portrait shots on our own time throughout the project time. Everyone was actively involved in all parts of the video and there was no dominant personality. This is interesting to me because sometimes I have the tendency to try and dominate certain things. Whether a conversation or a group project, I do have this capacity. For this group video, I did not find myself doing that. The group was easy going and functioned very well.
After thinking about where to post our group video (YouTube or Vimeo), I would prefer YouTube. I am confident in our final product. I like the idea of presenting the video to the largest possible online community, which YouTube provides. I try not to focus on how clean the window is in which the video is viewed, and I wouldn't be worried about the distraction. My philosophy is if you want to be noticed, increase your odds. Vimeo just doesn't provide big enough audience potential. Having to pay for the full service of Vimeo also doesn't help their cause in my eyes.

Overall, I enjoyed this experience. I think making a video is a very effective way to communicate. Videos also leave room for interpretation by the viewer. I compare this to listening to lyrics in a song. The creator has their own point of view and their own lens through which they create their work. Outsiders may see a completely different side of a given medium, that may be better or worse than the intention of the creator. Regardless of whether the audience is receiving the intended message, active media such as songs or videos cause people to think. People will think about where the creator is coming from and apply the medium to their own life experiences and knowledge. Videos much like songs cause what I call active viewing. Being able to comment on the video increases participation tenfold.

Below is my Self Portrait Video: