Digital video production for interactive media is the process of creating a video that can enhance the users experience of an interactive media platform. A digital media platform is something that displays digital media to an audience. In the example of our brief the platform that we will be creating a digital video for is the River Tees Rediscovered website, this video should aim to give the user a more interactive experience on the website as they will be able to view and share the video. As well as this the user will be more engaged as audiences prefer to watch videos in order to absorb information rather than read long text-based articles, videos help keep the attention of the user and they are therefore more likely to listen to the message that is being foretold.
There are many platforms in which digital media is portrayed on. The applications of digital video can enhance the experience of a website, for example; YouTube is a video sharing website in which users can interact with each other's videos by watching them, sharing them, commenting on them and even leaving a like or dislike rating on them. As well as this users can upload their own user-generated content to the site which can be then interacted with by other users. It allows content creators to make and share their own videos, adverts and even short films. This level of interactivity keeps audiences engaged with the website as there is so much to do. An application is a use of digital video for example digital video can be used to create; short Films, adverts, user generated content, trailers, promotional material and games just to name a few.
User Generated Content: User generated content is huge on websites such as YouTube, pretty much all the content on YouTube is user generated. A huge selection of this content is available without even searching for it as when you go on YouTube popular and recent videos appear on the home screen so that you can easily find and view them. This means that users can upload their own content to the site thus interacting with it, people can also give the videos feedback via comments adding a new level of user interaction. Users can run their own channels on the site where they can upload all of their own user-generated content and even get paid for it. All the content is very different as you can upload whatever you want as long as it does not break any community guidelines. There are many websites that allow the contribution of user generated content including social media like Facebook and twitter though it is not their primary purpose as it is YouTube's. Site' such as blogger allow users to make their own blogs which can be interactive and is also user generated content. This enhances the users experience of the website as it allows them to get involved and create their own products.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ https://www.blogger.com/home
File Formats & Media Players: Digital video is captured and saved into different file formats depending on what it is shot with. There are many different types of file formats, for example: the Sony cameras that we use in college save the raw video files as AVCHD files, this file format is for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video. Developed by Sony and Panasonic, the format was introduced in 2006 primarily for use in high definition consumer camcorders. This file format is good to use as it allows the storage of high-quality video images which can then be imported directly into editing software that supports the file format such as Premier Pro. The disadvantage of having a video file stored in an AVCHD format is that most media players cannot play the format, for a video to be played back your computers media player, which is the system that plays the video, must support the file format of the video that you are trying to play. If it doesn't then the video won't play. This means AVCHD file may have to be converted into another file format in order to be able to watch it, this can be done by putting the AVCHD file into an editing software and exporting as a different file type. The best file types to export HD videos as are MP4 and QuickTime files as popular media players such as Windows Media Player and Quick Time Player can play these files. Another popular file type for HD video is WMV (windows media video) which is a good file time put only for a windows computer as Mac computers cannot play WMV files. This links to user-generated content as it is important for content creators to make sure their video is saved in a format that is compatible with the website that it is being displayed on.
Example
YouTube recommends users uploading their own content to use these file types as these are the ones supported by the website:
- MOV
- MPEG4
- AVI
- WMV
- MPEGPS
- FLV
- 3GPP
- WebM
- 2160p: 3840x2160
- 1440p: 2560x1440
- 1080p: 1920x1080
- 720p: 1280x720
- 480p: 854x480
- 360p: 640x360
- 240p: 426x240
So why does YouTube do this? Well YouTube recommends these file formats as they are common and supported by their website. If they aloud you to upload a file type that was not supported by there site then their would be issues, the site wouldn't know how to play the video and therefore people would not be able to see it. It also recommends these file types as they are known to be off a suitable quality and can easily be streamed which is important as YouTube is a video streaming website after all. YouTube recommends specific resolutions to ensure that the videos uploaded to the site are the right size to fit onto computer screens. Obviously other resolutions can be uploaded but the ones YouTube suggest are standard and guaranteed to be the right size. Also the higher the resolution the better quality the video is, YouTube give guidelines on the sizes of these HD resolutions so that everyone can upload quality content.
Compression: Compression is the act of making a file smaller in order to make it take up less space digitally , the smaller the file the faster it can be copied, moved and even uploaded. The tow types of compression are lossy and lossless, lossy compression is where the original image is turned into a smaller version of itself and there for takes up less space, the issue with lossy compression is that during the process the unnecessary parts of the image are removed in order to compress it down meaning that if the image is enlarged you may notice a reduction in quality. On the other hand lossless compression is the same thing however none of the quality is lost in the process meaning the image will always look smooth and will not be pixilated. When you zoom in on a photo and it becomes pixilated this may be due to lossy compression, generally videos are compressed losslessly and photos are compressed via lossy compression.
The impact this has on filmmakers means that they are limited to what type of files they can upload to YouTube but this also helps content creators as it means that they have to use file types and resolutions that will benefit their content by making it a better quality.
Film Trailers: Found film trailers on websites such as IMDB, when you open the site the first thing that appears on the home screen is a selection of new film trailers. The fact that they re right in front of the viewer and easier to find means they are more likely to be seen. They enhance the experience of the website as it gives the website users a better look at the films that the website meaning they can learn more about them. Its purpose is to get people interested in the films and attract people to the site to watch the latest trailers. The trailers on IMDB also fall under the interactive media category of Promotional Material as they are in turn advertisements for products, the product being the film itself.
Examples: http://www.imdb.com/ http://www.showcasecinemas.co.uk/
Virtual Reality Tours/Games: GeoGuessr.com is a great example of two kinds of interactive media, the premise of the site is that Google street view is turned into a game. Using Google street view you are dropped into a random street which could be anywhere in the world, you have to navigate through the street and surrounding areas and try and find clues based on real world locations to find out where you are. Then when you think you know where you are you have to place a guess on a map and the closer you get to guessing you start location the more points you get. Its really fun and addictive and turns something that wouldn't normally be exciting into a Virtual Reality Tour based game.
Example: https://www.geoguessr.com/world/play
Short Films: The applications of short films is that they can be uploaded to websites such as YouTube and Vimeo to help get them watched by people all around the world. This helps filmmakers get their products seen as allows audiences to interact with the products themselves. This is good for young and up & coming or indie filmmakers who may want to distribute their short films in a manor that allows people to see them for free. It may even help get their work noticed. https://www.youtube.com/
Advertising/Promotional Material: Advertising can also be used on digital media platforms. Some websites are funded solely by other companies placing adverts on their website when someone clicks on the advert on the website it earns that website money via ad revenue advertisers will also pay the website to host their adverts, by doing this on popular sites such as facebook, YouTube and twitter advertisers guarantee that people see their adverts. As a content creator on YouTube you can actually earn money by having certain companies adverts play before someone watches your video, this is known as ad revenue and allows content creators to get paid for providing people with free content. As well as this, advertisers may use video hosting sites and social media platforms such as YoutTube and Facebook to launch marketing stunts. Promotional material are advertisements created with the intention of drawing the attention of the customer for example; promotional material for films may include, brand tie-ins, movie posters, merchandise and TV adverts. Usually, films have huge expensive promotional campaigns for example; the movie Skyfall is estimated to have a £93 million promotional campaign which include things like brand tie-ins with huge companies such as Heineken, Omega Seamaster and Sony laptops.
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