farai ruzvidzo- digital workbook

The unit outcome is an online layout created on an online account inspired by a current publication within the fashion industry, consisting of eight photographs and a 60sec promotional MP4 video.I will need to regularly update my digital workbook with the progress – more than anything this is used as a method of developing my initial ideas and research, measuring and reflecting on my practice and progress when we come to shoot and finally thinking about how the design and layout of the gallery can help assist the overall ambitions and message.

For the past 3 years now, I have been creating and recording my own music which would not have been possible if it were not for the friends I had in my environment. I have a small circle of 5 friends which 3 years ago only 2 of them were making music. Watching their creative process and how much fun they had creating it, inspired me into giving it a try myself. What started as a hobby, creating music allowed me to improve on my communication and creative skills which in effect has led me to stepping outside my comfort zone and performing at events like Doncaster fashion week! So, my friends are biggest inspiration as seeing them elevate and reach new heights with music inspires me to create more work. 

Another hobby I do in my spare time is going to the gym. With going to the gym, I have found that having a strong mindset is important to effectively see progress. Since starting the gym I gained an interest in mixed martial arts which increased my interest in watching UFC. Watching UFC before I go to the gym inspires me to create a personalised weekly schedule which includes a diet plan and workout routines. I enjoy watching UFC before creating my weekly plan as it puts me in an athletic mindset which makes the process of planning my healthy week ahead easier. 

As mentioned, I enjoy planning my weekly meals, so I have found that using social media apps like TIKTOK inspire me create several types of meals. TikTok inspires me a lot because it shows how to cook recipes in short video form. Compared to reading a recipe, I get the benefit of watching how it's done and having the text on screen allows me to follow both the visual and text. I have found a lot of new recipes through TikTok which have inspired me to create it my own for my weekly meal prep.

Smartphone photography focuses on using your mobile device to take pictures. The technology behind smartphones made it possible to do everything all on one device. On traditional cameras, filters had to be physically attached to the camera. Now you could digitally add them with a few simple taps on the screen.

Below i have made a table which outline the main advantages and disadvantages of smartphone photography: 

 

In this task, i partnered with AJ so we could create conceptional image using a glass bottle from the brand supermalt. In the images we tried to capture a concept where it looks like AJ is standing on top of the glass bottle. Using an iphone 13 pro max we were able to make that idea come to life. This concept was created by placing the glass bottle on the floor and the model being AJ stood a distance away, directly infront of the bottle to create the illusion that he is standing on top of the bottle.

We also created a short video which consisted of many transitions which after each one it is captured in either a different location or in at a different angle. I used an app called capcut in order to edit the footage we had taken. Adding the background music on the footage made the project more complete as i tried to match the music to the aesthetic of the video.

In this next section i will be uploading images of the formative presentation which covered a lot of the criteria needed for the project. it will include the references and influences that we needed in order to make the project work. it will also display the progress that was made whilst adhering to the main brief. 

Since the 1980s, Jamel Shabazz has photographed vibrant New York City street scenes that capture Black joy and self-determination. The Brooklyn-born photographer began his creative work after returning from military service—he wanted to offer visual alternatives to the era’s prevailing media narratives about Black neighborhoods. Shabazz has exhibited at galleries in New York, London, Paris, and Milan, and his work belongs to multiple collections, including the Brooklyn Public Library, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Rubell Collection, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Jamel Shabazz was an influence for photography for me in this project. Shabazz’s photographs are powerful for their intimacy. Unlike many street photographers, Shabazz tends to photograph his subjects looking directly into the camera’s lens, their eyes beckoning, their postures and facial expressions forming an instant connection with viewers. This aspect of how he captures the intimacy was interesting to me and i wanted to adapt this style in our shoot with the group. 

As a group we decided to use the university as our main location for the shoot. this would minimise costs and travel for everyone in the group. The shoot was planned to take up the whole day in order to capture as many ideas as possible. We agreed to all bring in jeans that matched the moodboard. 

We managed to contact the university and book the studio for our shoot. We also booked a camera and gimble to take out so we could also get footage for our 60 second video. 

As a group, at the end of the shoot day we managed to get over 120 images and 30 mins worth of footage to work with. 

we used lightroom in order to filter down the images to the ones we wanted to use for the final social media page. Due to the proper setting of lighting in the studio, there was not alot of editing that was needed for the images as we wanted to make them as authentic and raw as possible whilst still portraying a professional look.

This project did prove to be challenging for myself as i had to move groups during the project. This was challenging however i was able to work well with the new group i had migrated to. We all had roles that we were aware off which made it easier for us to collaborate and share ideas together. The first split groupwork was the formative presentation which i was tasked to write up about the influences and references. I believe everyone did operate well together and we managed to finish the project. My responsibilities also carried on to the creation of the 60 second promotional video for the brand. in order to create this video i initially intended to use premier however i was unable to download the software onto my macbook. this was a challenge i faced and had to overcome in order to finish the project. i overcame this challenge by using various video editing tools and apps like capcut, imovie and inshot. So in the end, i had to transfer the images and footage from my laptop to my ipad in order to create the final 60 second video. i used different filters and transitions to make it look like a modern day advert whilst trying to retain a users attentions with using energetic music in the background. 

i enjoyed taking on the responsibility and working in a group and it was good to be able to have communication with other members whilst sticking to the project brief. the communication was essential so we created a group chat in order for us to communicate effectively and also had video calls in times where we needed to further assist each other. In conclusion, i think that the biggest catalyst to the success of our project was effective communication. Without this we would not have been able to delegate roles and communicate ideas as efficiently as possible. if repeated again i would spend more time on learning how to use softwares required in order to create a better quality final project.