Feedback - Was it a success?

In terms of how many found it engaging and informative (therefore meeting the criteria for my project's goal) then it was a great success. The majority of the 30 people I asked said they did find it useful. While this certainly shows that there is some quantitative success, I would like to acknowledge the oral criticism I received.

Many think it could have been done better, there are some parts where I stutter a bit which should have been recorded again and the overall production that went into the visuals is in need of improvement; it would seem that my  demographic would enjoy the video more if it had clearer illustrations with colour, the type I intended to do if I had time.

I do not have any time left for improving this project but if I were to do it again, then I would consider starting production earlier as to ensure some clear and really aesthetic digital drawings. The use of colour (or lack of) seemed to be the area I received the most criticism, a digital illustration would otherwise allow for quick colouring - if the audience were to believe a different palette were necessary then this could be redone easily too.

Following my presentation with my supervisor, it was suggested that I consider providing some evidence of feedback in order to further prove my claim that the video was helpful or successful in achieving the aims I had established at the beginning of the project - i.e. to create an engaging and informative educational video on the Third Crusade. In the video below, I was able to organise a small focus group to give some feedback after viewing my final video. Their feedback more or less confirmed the feedback given to me from the original 30 people however, I have nonetheless compiled a short video to showcase their thoughts and reactions; one thing I would say is that it was great being able to watch them react to my video and learn more about a subject I am interested in.

Audience Feedback - EPQ from Eughan Wooding on Vimeo.

Presentation

Below I have included a presentation summarising my experience throughout the project, as well as some detail into the various processes I underwent during my research and production. Overall, I think it was a successful presentation.

Epq presentation – educational crusades video from Eughan Wooding

Video!

Below is my full project video:

Online Version from Eughan Wooding on Vimeo.

Production - Audio and Frames

I have recorded the audio for the video, recording each paragraph separately as to ensure that there wasn't a like 20 minute audio clip to edit all of the failed readings from. All I will have to do now is actually edit the recordings together in the video, which should be quite easy given that I've named each recording in order by number.

Currently I am drawing out all of the necessary frames and will likely be using portraits of the main figures as reference points, to ensure the illustrations represent them clearly. This will help distinguish between them in the video too as they all seem to have distinct facial hair - apart from Philip who seemingly has none. Below are a couple of pictures to help showcase some images I will be using:


Richard

Most distinct aspects are his cross, short beard and moustache and his helm - he likely wore something more substantial but this is an iconic means of differentiating his character.

Barbarossa

The red beard is a must, granted I will not be able to colour unless digitally drawn out but the length can be included to differentiate him from Richard - who seems to have a shorter beard.

Philip

 Curled ends to his hair and a clearly defined cut to his hair, quite level on all sides. Noticeably he does not have a beard, unlike the rest of the kings which sets him apart immediately.

Saladin

Saladin seems to be portrayed with a two-pronged beard in both the more and less detailed pictures, his use of a turban sets him apart from the more Western costume designs of those above.

Colours

I am unable to colour these character illustrations with the initial pencil drawings that I will be doing - and likely committing to now that it appears I'm running out of time - but if I was to digitally draw these frames I would ensure a further distinction between the characters through four colours. These colours being red, green, blue and yellow which are essentially primary colours in their own respect.

Richard would likely be shown in red as it is a rather ferocious colour typically associated with the Red Lion of England and even the Red Cross of St George. Additionally he is shown to wear red in the image above. Arguably, this colour should be given to Barbarossa for his red beard however it would not stand out as much with red robes - therefore green should be used. Green contrasts more with red to better accentuate the colour of his beard, which he was well-known for. Philip is clearly shown wearing blue and so the choice for his colour is rather apparent in that regard. Saladin is also rather easy as his outfit is clearly shown as red or yellow and, since red is already assigned to Richard, Saladin would be wearing yellow by default in my video. Furthermore, his black beard would show up nicely against the bright colour of yellow.

Since I will likely not be able to colour in these drawings, I would like to note that I will likely fill in some colours with pencil - namely black. This applies due to Saladin's beard being rather clearly black and so it would be clearer if coloured in.

Script - Drafting

Here is a link to my script:

Crusades Video Script

Script - Planning

Was the Third Crusade a Failure?

Success (8)

• Secured land for crusaders and other Christians of the West (Acre, Arsuf, Jaffa).
• Richard I was never defeated in battle, plus they had forced the Muslims to retreat to Jerusalem.
• Capture of Cyprus was an added bonus.
• Certainly it was comparatively more successful than the Second Crusade.
• Demonstrated Christian support within the Levant as to maintain Crusading ideal.
• Christian pilgrims were granted safe passage to visit Jerusalem again.
• Richard’s behaviour maintained and raised moral of his forces, his leadership pointing to success in their military victories despite the other two Kings being gone.
• Castles and strongholds were rebuilt, establishing safe zones for future forces and even current citizens.

Failure (7)

• Failed to retake Jerusalem which was seemingly the main objective.
• Lack of total defeat of Saladin in the field, just victory in skirmishes and battles where Saladin was able to escape. Insult to injury how he died soon after the Crusade.
• Reduction of Christian power at Ascalon.
• Capture of Cyprus had annoyed the Byzantines, which would lead to tension on future campaigns.
• Waste of potential resources and forces.
• Failed to re-establish Christian power or a Christian ‘King of Jerusalem’, an issue for Crusader States and future campaigns.
• Conflict between Guy and Conrad persisted as to indicate disunity amongst Crusaders.

Issue is that it was only a success in some regards, of which there are clear cons. However, it is perhaps more successful that the Second and all the Crusades following, somewhat indicating it as a success on a wider scale.

Provisional Video - Plan

In realising the time I have left for this project, I am unsure as to if I will be able to finish my product in time and screen it. One issue I would like to address is the drawing of the frames, I have decided to hand draw the frames using pen and paper; it is far easier for me to draw free hand like this than to draw digitally. I believe digital drawings would look better but drawing directly into Photoshop, Flash or Illustrator is far too time consuming. I think that I should draw the frames roughly and that way I can ensure that some content is at least there for the final product, drawing over the pencil would be great and I would even be able to colour the frames but these touches aren't essential. I think that getting a provisional video is more important as I can improve it later if I have the time.

This same issue goes for audio. I believe Mo would be the most ideal narrator but organising for him or any of the other volunteers to record the audio may be difficult. As a result, I think that recording the audio myself (likely in my closet) will help with producing some final product. Again, this is something I could revisit if need be, simply recording it myself just allows for a provisional video to be made so that my project isn't a failure.

When I did my project for GCSE, I had only animated half of my final product due to time constraints and that was a minute long animation. The product I have chosen to create is far more time consuming despite not requiring full animation. I've learned from my experience at GCSE and therefore believe it is best to at least have something to hand in, which I can later improve if I have the time.