In the last few days, Instagram brought out a new feature, or app, or both, depending how you look at it, and these are my thoughts after spending some time with it. I’m referring to IGTV, also known as Instagram TV.
My first impression of IGTV
Tag: Video
Instagram’s next feature should be VR focussed
Instagram; the social networking site built upon photographs of pets and food. Every now and then, a new feature will pop up. Whether it be Stories, Carousel, or even moving away from 1:1 pictures and video. But there's one feature not yet taken up, that I am keen to see adopted; the ability to share 360° content.
MA project: The finished piece
The aim of the project was to explore interactive video, and to find a way of providing additional context to the viewer. To do so, I created four videos. The first was my default, a non-interactive version to act as a point of comparison. Two videos provided interactivity by allowing the user to control the content on screen, and these were achieved using my own web-code and an online tool (Thinglink). The final video, exploring the ability for the user to control the direction-of-view within the video, used 360º cameras to create a virtual reality video.
MA project: The alternate introduction
Something I discussed in a previous blog post was a need for varying introductions to each of the videos I'm producing. I filmed these today, in the television studio at university. Rather than returning to the park, the same place as I filmed pieces to camera, I chose the studio because the environment is separate to that in the video itself. The separation is important to distinguish between the content, and what is essentially a quick tutorial on 'how to watch this video'.
MA project: Video editing part 2
This is an important milestone to celebrate - not only can I continue with progressing the coded format, but I have discovered, acted on, and learned from some difficulties I wasn't expecting to encounter.
MA project: Planning the second production stage
In my previous blog post, I mentioned the disappointing results with the 360º camera during the two interviews I have so far conducted, with my hesitation around quality and positioning. To exemplify what I mean by this, I've attached a still image taken from my second filmed interview, with Francis Clarke.
MA project: Video editing part 1
I've now reached a point where all interview footage, flat and 360º, have been imported in Final Cut Pro X ready for editing. With other commitments, I haven't spent as much time editing these as I'd originally hoped, however I have reviewed all the footage collected and started to note time-codes of interest.
MA project: First recorded video
This week I recorded the first footage for the content of my project. I did two interviews this week in London and Birmingham, speaking to Sir David Omand and Francis Clarke about the Investigatory Powers Act for my project. Both interviews were filmed with the usual camera setup, but also with a Theta S camera.
MA project: Video content and production
As the sixth week of production comes to an end, it’s time I stepped back from coding to concentrate on the video’s content. Throughout the research stages of the project, I have wanted to test the proportionality of the Investigatory Powers Act - does its benefits justify an increased state of surveillance on members of the public?
MA project: Show/hide function
The previous code successfully placed the videos on top of each other, and had made a connection to the viewers webcam - but what about a show/hide function? This is something I'm keen to explore as part of the video, where the videos begin hidden from view and are made available throughout the primary video.
MA project: The first steps of coding interactivity
One of the elements of the artefact I am producing within my MA by Practice project is a layer of interactivity. It is my intention to allow the viewer an opportunity to view additional content from within the video player - whether it be a photograph, or the extended clip from an interview
MA project: Arranging interviews
It has been a week since my blog post introducing my MA by practice project, titled: In the wake of a growing threat from international and home-grown terrorism, should the public accept less privacy in exchange for greater security?
Introducing my MA project
This is the first blog post in a series that will map out the progress of my MA by Practice module at Birmingham City University. It is the final piece of work on my postgraduate degree in Online Journalism. It hasn't been too long since I submitted the proposal for this assignment, which I opted for instead of writing a dissertation.
My first time presenting an election
Last week, Britain turned out to polling stations to decide the next government to lead negotiations as we leave the EU. Theresa May's gamble to increase her stake of power backfired, and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn's popularity has grown.
What I’ve learned about publishing news to Instagram
A struggling engagement with young people has resulted in news organisations experimenting with their use of social media as a way of addressing a widening gap in their audience. In a series of blog posts, I have examined the use of Instagram as a platform for distributing news content. I found some common trends and good practices.
How to create news video for Instagram
I've put together a quick guide for creating a video, specifically for Instagram using Final Cut Pro X. Despite Instagram now allowing portrait and landscape videos on their timeline, this example will be creating a square video - which is quite common across social media sites.
Ten ways to use video for news on social media
This is a list of what I consider are ten of some of the best examples of news video on social media, including content from: BBC, Bloomberg, Press Association, NASA, Vice, and others.
