With the halfway point quickly approaching since my pitch of my artefact rapidly approaching it’s probably high time that I analyse the strengths, flaws and overall pieces of info I’ve learnt since I started the journey of my first DA.

My digital artefact is a YouTube channel based around providing comedic commentary on a matter of topics ranging from memes to my irrational fear of birds. After making a list of a couple ideas that I thought would best suit my content and investing in a Blue Yeti Microphone I began noticing how much more time this digital artefact would take to produce in comparison to the other ideas I had in my initial brainstorming post. This led me to the largest issue I had regarding my Digital Artefact up to this point.  

This issue I’ve come across at this point is finding time to create and prepare scripts for content that fit the 2-5 minute time length that I originally set out for, it is due to this that I have decided to reach the decision that weekly videos is too out of reach at the moment so I have therefore settled for fortnightly videos of the same length. This is with the complete intention of quality content over a large quantity of content in both amounts and lengths. 

Another minor issue I’ve come across is the fact that presenting videos is significantly more time consuming than just reading off a script as a voiceover with pictures & videos to supplement the visual aspect. This was because whilst shooting a few practice videos and the pitch itself I experienced a lot of difficulty recording myself talking to the camera and remembering my script efficiently, there were just too many outtakes making the process too time consuming. Due to this I feel as if faceless videos will supplement this and make the production of content significantly more efficient, hence fulfilling FIST.

With this decision to shift videos from weekly to fortnightly this is a perfect example of FEFO as I failed to follow the structure I set out within my pitch and have therefore had to adapt to change in order to prevent future inconsistencies later down the line.

As of now however I have produced and uploaded one full video and have another script for the following video in the works. If I am constantly editing one video and having one script ready to present on a weekly basis that would be ideal as it ensures that there is always some progression made to the contact weekly and there is no stagnation in the creation process, ultimately a cycle.

As I mentioned in my pitch, using my pre-existing  audiences on social media platforms to pitch ideas, crowd source and just receive feedback in general will be crucial and an important utilisation of the feedback loop.  This is due to the fact that lectures for this subject are constantly stressing the importance of observing for emotional meaning and associative chains from viewers. This is why I have already begun putting out polls on instagram to see what type of content my audience wants to see and better connect with them. However with such a low number of viewers currently it is hard to establish a flourishing feedback loop and establish consistent chains and meaning from my viewers however as my channel progresses so will the responses from my audience.

Following the production of my first video I learnt a few vital lessons that will further assist me down the line in terms of production. The first is the way I present, despite the fact that I’ll definitely improve at this as time progresses and the more content I produce, it is still important to note that the way my voice overs sound aren’t up to the standard I want them to be at. The second is the editing process, I found myself struggling to use some aspects of iMovie and Garageband where I record my audio and therefore using apps on phone such as PicsArt as an alternative, resulting in a slower creation process but again this will be something that improves the more experience I have and the more tutorials I watch. The final flaw is extremely minor and not only another example of FEFO but an extremely easy fix for the next video, that being that I recorded my audio with the window open resulting in audible talking from the neighbours this taught me to ultimately film with the windows shut next time I do a voiceover. 

All in all, that’s where I’m at with it so far. I feel confident going forward as I know where I am going wrong but what I’m confident in doing. Despite the fact there have been temptations to change my digital artefact I’m gonna stick it out with this one and see where it goes by the end of semester, feel free to watch the most recent video linked below!