Visual Language and Representation of Reality

1. Visual Language and Representation of Reality A Romanian Case Study Nicosia, 6th of May 2011

2. About Our Local Action in Romania • Aimed at children and young people in socially disadvantaged areas Main Objectives: • Develop students’ media literacy skills in a media/image-dominated social environment; • Help students be able to express and share their own social and cultural experiences with the help of video making and the online medium; • Contribute to their understanding about their own territory and identity, their rights and possibilities to civic participation. It’s about: critical analysis of image, territorial identities, empowerment for social inclusion in a media-dominated social environment

3. STEPS in ACTION: • Needs Analysis with the beneficiaries of the local training (December 2010) • Development of Training Curriculum (January 2011) • Introduction meeting (February 2011) • Training Course (March-April 2011) • Production of video and Sharing on the online platform (May-December 2011) • Update of the Training Curriculum (2011) Local Partners: ELMI Foundation, Secondary School No.1 Slatina

4. STRUCTURE of the WORKSHOP • 4 days workshop with Follow-up • In the school premises and filming locations chosen with the students • Theoretic Module: • Participants filmed presentation; • Introduction in Video Production with elements of critical analysis of still and moving images and interviewing notions: Presentation and discussion on different types of media products with identification of constructing elements of image – filming angles, soundtrack, relation in between image, discourse and sound, the message behind the image, producer’s intention and interests, power relations, verification of information, 5W etc.

5. Close-Up

6. Close-Up

7. Close-Up

8. Medium Shot

9. Medium Shot

10. Medium Shot

11. Full Shot

12. Full Shot

13. General Shot

14. General Shot

15. Plan detail

16. Plan detail

17. Plan detail

18. STRUCTURE of the WORKSHOP • Basic notions of video story-board: framing, angles etc. • Basic notions of video-editing (video available) • Putting into the Sharp context: a session on territorial and cultural identity • Preparatory session for the practical module Methods used: presentation, discussion in small and large groups, working groups, application, interview, integration of participants’ cultural preferences.

19. The Video Material resulted within the editing session

20. II. Practical Module: • 2 days filming process in groups; students applied the knowledge and skills developed in the first two days of workshop; their own decisions and cultural preferences prevailed in the filming process. • Filming schedule; • 2 cameras; microphone • Constant interaction in between student(s) and coach/visual expert; • While filming, recapitulation of the knowledge learnt during the first two days; • Soundtrack etc. • Film editing according to students’ directions. • Results: 9 short films and a “Making Of” film.

21. Film 1

22. Film 2

23. Final Sessions • Viewing and Conclusions (in a following trip, TBC) • Online uploading and interaction on the SHARP platform.

24. Evaluation Two-step evaluation process: • Discussion with participants (video-recorded): Interviewing Guide: from simple questions to more complex ones: How did you find the experience? // How would you describe your workshop experience to other people? // Would you change anything? What? // Do you find this experience and the knowledge you learnt useful? How? // What were your expectations about this workshop and what actually happened? Etc. • How did we contribute to the participants’ empowerment for social inclusion? (discussion, questionnaire) Digital and media competences in an image/media-dominated social environment // How it affected their personal and social relationships? // Awareness of their own identity in the local social context etc.

25. Making Of Film of the Workshop

26. Thank you! Ev Haristo! Nicoleta.Fotiade@activewatch.ro