AC1: Informing Ideas Barbering Tutorial Brief
Client Brief
For this brief, the client will be Sunderland college, in particular the Salon Professional Department. I am to produce a tutorial for a barbering video on a haircut, planning, filming, and editing. The tutorial will be placed on the Sunderland college website. which although I will always keep a professional standard, this highlights the importance of such and provides me with the way such a video must be produced, in order to fit the style of both the website and the barbering department in particular for them to be properly represented within the tutorial. They have requested that the shooting process must be silent, likely to ensure proper concentration which is understandable. Along with copyright free music, and the possibility of a voice over is there too.
The audience is people who are interested in barbering, in particular barbering students, this is due to the nature of the website as it is a college website, it could also relate to past students looking for some reminders of their previous works and need some information to benefit them quickly. The demographic specified for the video is only the age, that being 16-18, a young audience, in which I must cater to, in order to produce a product they will find informative and enjoyable. Ways I can do this are by creating a tutorial which contains modern approaches in terms of editing, keeping the length of the video to roughly only a couple minutes, in order to maintain attention span being kept on the video. Simple cuts for different shots have been mentioned, therefore there is no need to do any unnecessarily complicated cutaway or too intense cuts.
The shots MUST be static, therefore the usage of tripods is imperative to avoid shaky camera, disorienting the audience and losing their attention due to any movements in the camera, possibly obstructing the tutorial.
The typical shots for a tutorial are mostly medium-close ups and close ups, so I will try to keep a focus on those two shot types in particular although some experimentation may be possible, espescially once the haircut is coming to an end. For this tutorial, it seems that for each individual haircut tutorials, there will be groups, therefore I must ensure proper workflow is maintained by proper discussion of ideas, along with considering different approaches and not being stubborn when it comes to taking others ideas into consideration.
The clients are Mark Sowerby, along with the level 2 and 3 barbering students. Due to Covid the location has been specified as being within Bede campus, exclusively within the TV studio.
Analysing Existing Products
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEDndTCyGgU
Here's an existing product, in which it is a tutorial video, I will be analysing tutorial videos in order to help with planning and producing my own tutorial video on barbering.
The simple video entices people to look at the video for more information, being overall decent in that aspect of providing attention to the website. It is fairly decent in its step by step process, although rather simplistic that is by its choice, as not only does it give an entertaining showing of products and entice people to want to make said products due to such a simplistic outlook, it also gets people to look at the website for any further information they make require, the only thing that could make it better is a voice over, however it is able to make up for it due to its quickness in providing such information, not losing attention due to it. It also provided amazing shots of the finished products, allowing for it to see the product with amazing lighting, providing an amazing presentation and an idealistic view of such a product, getting people to make it.
Technical codes, such as cuts in order to maintain the fast pace of the products being presented, in a timelapse, the font was very informative yet didn't disrupt from the actual footage that was going on which was good, the mise-en-scene of the kitchen equipment and scenery alongside it was all very beneficial as a whole.
It's outro featured various food equipment and food which fits the scenery of cooking. It's overall very amazing and enjoyable, I found it to be very effective in terms of its format. I find the pace is very quick yet informative despite its time, it takes advantage of the amount recipes being shown in order to give a quick display of such food, its very effective as its make use of the short time span of the audience and ensures that the viewer provides its full attention during this time to the recipe, although it doesn’t give too much information, it provides the essential information in order to produce such products, using a simplified version, which provides a good method of getting traction to the actual recipe on their websites, along with more people selecting it due to its short time as its video.
The main camera angles are MCU and close up, along with extreme close up, keeping the footage centred around the food, signifying their importance and allowing for the viewer to present their full attention within the video to the video rather than distractions popping up through any backgrounds, the use of MCU also helps fit the viewer into the role of making the food, therefore making them feel more comfortable with making the food as a whole.
Establishing shot with the food sets the tone for the tutorial, very up close, both metaphorically and literally as the viewer becomes invested in the product with no outer interference due to the closeness of the shot. The use of a high angle shot helps provide the viewer with a clearer look and visual of the food but helps the viewer gain confidence in making the product due to it feeling above it, due to the connotations of a high angle typically being used to represent weakness within a character, doing the same with the food, mostly only using mid angles when the food is finished to get a better look and when the task is finished, therefore the audience requiring the confidence is less as they are now only presented with beautiful food.
It features quite heavily on subjective filming and tight frame, to signify that connection between the making of the food along with the importance of the food and how significant it is to the tutorial, due to it being about recipes for food.
Overall this shows how important cinematography within this tutorial is, and the effectiveness it has in making this tutorial stand out from others due to feeling the confidence and connection to make the food.
I find that the outro presented is very good as it fits the context of their handle and the tutorial very well, making its basis around food, obviously representing its relation to be a food channel and tutorial. Not only that but the presentation of the items of food being scattered around a simple white circle which has the text "Click To SUBSCRIBE" not only does it place emphasis on the word subscribe, clearly drawing the viewer's eyes by such an effect, the colour of white is able to compliment the baby blue background very well and overall provides a great mixture. This also fits into the media theory of semiotics, as the word subscribe due to the nature of the video could be definitely considered a symbol, as we all know the meaning of the word subscribe in this context, despite its various meanings all in all, and all know it means to support the channel who makes the content. The mise-en-scene of this outro is very suitable and adds that little extra touch of personalisation which helps it stand out and seem much more unique by doing so. The most common use of the semiotics theory is through the icon, through the use of food, obviously being the final product and a literal sign of the food, along with a physical representation of the finished product. The index also makes an appearance within this video, adding to the media theory as we know which ingredients are typically used to make certain dishes, such as tomato puree and cheese being used to make pizza, therefore such signs can heavily imply the making of pizza. As we can see, all features of semiotics are within this video, signifying the importance of signs in this tutorial.
Overall, I find its usage as a tutorial to be very effective, although its short and mostly to provide more information within the website, it helps provide clear and concise points to make said products without looking at the actual recipe, therefore it doesn’t fail as a tutorial. One thing that could possibly be added would be a voice over however due to the shortness I don’t see the necessity to have one as it would likely lead to people feeling to distracted to expecting it to be a short video and I feel that the voice over would drag it out and disrupt the quick pace used for it.
https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/77ed41d0-7aaa-4723-b815-816d9c38f9f5?list=user&userId=caf89963-33f2-48d7-ab6b-4d088758f3ad
Here's a video tutorial for barbering, this tutorial was specifically chosen by the client, Mark Sowerby and his inspiration for such a request for this project. I will be analysing this product as we will be able to see the differences between a food based tutorial and a barbering tutorial and see the key aspects along with the codes and conventions which are unique to barbering tutorials.
First thing to point out regarding this tutorial is the use of an intro, this is important as it is able to summarise the basis of the video and what it is about. Not only that but it features all the individuals and groups that were involved in the production of this tutorial. Here we can see the Francesco group, featuring its logo and some folio through the use of a link to their website. This seems very important for mine as I will likely have to implement the Sunderland college log to clarify that it is being involved with their name, since its being used on their website, the usage of the link is debatable to its necessity within my tutorial video and depends on whether it will strictly be uploaded to the Sunderland College website or rather it will be uploaded to the youtube channel as well, which therefore the involvement of the link seems more valid in its placement, since it will be outside the website and such information to get there would seem more appropriate.
One thing to note is that through the use of the semiotics theory, it could categorise "Scissors over comb" can be used to represent a symbol as we all know that through the context, this is in relation to a barbering technique and how to produce a certain haircut through such a tutorial, therefore it works well as creating a relation to the topic.
One thing to note is that through the use of the semiotics theory, it could categorise "Scissors over comb" can be used to represent a symbol as we all know that through the context, this is in relation to a barbering technique and how to produce a certain haircut through such a tutorial, therefore it works well as creating a relation to the topic.
As the video begins, we are presented with a nice fade in to the model and the barber's hands, the nice use of the cutaway seems to give a solid transition and feels very in place and doesn't disrupt the viewer's vision with any possible to fast paced transitions which could make the viewer's feel uncomfortable with. First thing of note is the shot size, that being a Medium Close Up shot (MCU), this helps features the model's hair very well, along with the barber's arms, working well as an establishing shot, rather than starting on something such as a extreme close up which would feel very sudden. Specifically when it comes to the mise-en-scene, there's not too much to talk about, which I partially think is for the better, especially due to it being a tutorial about barbering, as although visually it does add more to the atmosphere, it does disrupt the focus of the viewer onto such things, rather than maintaining the focus on how to perform these cuts and tips given. Although things such as a cutting collar around the model's neck, which is quite smart as it does subtlety add to the detail however not only that but it helps advertise the business further, proving to be a rather smart move overall, since it doesn't disrupt too much from the focus, however it's prescience can still be easily noted without distracting too much, as the colour matches the t-shirt.
We then are given a nice cutaway, which I personally am quite the fan of, specially due to the timing of the transition being during the words "starting at the front hairline" before going to a close up of the front hair line, a nice eye level shot, allowing us to see the movements of the comb and scissors used by the barber, alongside with the model's hair. I found that this worked very nice both visually and vocally as it makes sure both of these blend well very nicely together. It makes sure to provide very informative tips along with instructions, helping add more to the overall quality of the video as it helps the viewer feels less lost through the use of these extra tips sprinkled across the tutorial.
One thing to note on specifically is the variation of camera angles throughout the tutorial, which helps add life to the empty moments where no voice is heard. The use of certain shots, such as the over the shoulder shot really help bring to life the tutorial, however as previously mentioned there are a lot of areas where no voice can heard whatsoever, which doesn't really help maintain interest, however one can perceive that due to the lack of a voice over during these parts, the viewer is able to focus on the movements of the hands and that by placing a voice over such movements, it would disrupt their focus, this helps separate hair cutting tutorials a part from other tutorials, as these aspects being used throughout another type of tutorial would make it not be as successful as having a voice throughout it would be helpful but within this type of tutorial, such silence is needed in order to maintain focus. Also although there is silence in the voice, it still maintains audio through the use of a musical score, not making the the video feel completely devoid of audio.
One thing that could be said in regards to the typical codes and conventions of a barbering tutorial is the use of camera angles throughout the video, highlighting the importance for myself of maintaining a variety of different cutaways throughout the tutorial. As we can see here, this one creates a POV shot, putting the viewer in the place of the barber, not only that but the angle of such is a high angle, making the haircut process seem easier, making us feel empowered to be able to produce such a haircut. Not only that but the fact of it only being slightly a high angle, helps build the idea that the camera is always focused on producing the best view for the audience at all times, as although a high angle is used, it is one that isn't too intense enough to disrupt the viewer's vision whilst they're making the haircut.
Another thing to comment on is how wonderful the lightning is for this tutorial, which makes sense, since if said lightning was not fully achieved, only certain areas of the head would be lit and therefore less visibility of the haircut being made. Which is an overall significant factor related to the tutorial.
We are able to see different tools being used throughout the tutorial, which helps add to the information of what they're being used for and when they're needed, the voice over makes note of such an addition within the tools, to help move onto the next step, gently nudging the viewer through the tutorial and to take note of such a development throughout the haircut. Which feels imperative for this tutorial as you wouldn't want something being too quiet and leaving you behind within the tutorial if producing a style alongside said tutorial, not to mention the tone of voice is quite fitting for the tutorial as it is very calming and informative rather than too harsh and loud, disrupting any potential cutting or processing information.
As previously mentioned the camera angles play a very vital role within the tutorial, as seen here, we can clearly view a rather big close up, focusing mostly on the eyes along with the sides of the hair. It feels very important, as with normal tutorial, you're able to stick to one main shot however with barbering tutorials a variety of angles and shots are needed to fully capture the entirety of the head and the haircut, along with the movements of the hands and the cuts of the hair it makes.
Once the tutorial has come to a near end, and the finished hairstyle and display of technique is achieved, we are then presented with an eye level close up, getting a nice look of the front before the model is span around in the chair, getting a look of the presentation of the haircut from all angles as it passes by. One thing to note is before we are presented with this shot, they use an editing technique of of fading out an into this new shot, one thing in particular to mention is the use of the colour white, rather than the generic black used in fading techniques for editing, its a rather smart usage due to the white background, as by using a black fade in and out, the transition would become much more noticeable, not only that but far less visually appealing so the choice of this for the video was a rather smart move, one to possibly consider using, since the TV studio is likely the location to be used when it comes to this tutorial I will be filming, and therefore the same technique could be applied if used on the same background, the same technique could be achieved via the black background and a black fade, something else to consider too.
One final thing to note on, is in regards to the rather swift transition it makes during the spinning of the model on the chair, becoming an almost extreme close up as it transitions into a zoom in during it, really capturing those sides and corners, which require that extra attention to notice, covering the back of the head too before transitioning into a close up, once again. The tutorial ends with it fading to black, in contrast to the previous white transitions that were often used, clarifying through its difference that the video has ended.
Overall, I find the video to be effective, really detailing the movements and techniques into cutting the hair, it not only does that but provide tips alongside it, maintaining the informative aspect and keeping it close to a tutorial. One thing I'd say for the tutorial in terms of weakness is perhaps not showing the styling process, however I do understand this to a certain extent as it doesn't relate to the core of the video, which was to focus on the technique of scissors over comb.
Evaluation
I have found both tutorial videos very beneficial, as both have helped me identify codes and conventions and techniques used within tutorial videos, not only that but certain things that separate standard tutorial videos or barbering and haircutting tutorial. In particular, one thing I'll make sure to keep in mind is colour theory and the reaction of them, shown within the barbering video, which kept very close to the black and white aesthetic kept a very appealing look, making sure such components where used within even transitions, as when fading in and out, the usage of white was more prominently used due to the colour of the background, with the contrast of the end using a fade to black to clarify the difference and ending of the tutorial. So in regards to colours and the importance, along with possible transitions matching the background I will most certainly keep that in mind and try to apply that within my tutorial if I can, I feel this relates quite heavily into the mise-en-scene as it deals with the aspect of colour, setting and such, specially clothing being a big deal since they prominently match the background as to avoid appearing too noticeable and stand out too much, along with the clever usage of the cape collar being white to match the background whilst keeping the logo on it, a subtle advertisement, enough to be noticed but not too distracting.
As for the cooking tutorial, it helped me understand the importance of text on the screen and the application of such being provide in an appealing manner. Both showed me the importance of camera angles and shots, specifically close ups, extreme close ups and medium close ups for this sort of tutorial, along with the key difference of barbering tutorial using a variety of cutaways to help maintain not only the appeal, rather than sticking to one shot which would possibly create a rather dull tutorial, but it also helps in the matter of showing all of the movements of the tutorial and the aspects we should be focusing on the most, this is something almost imperative to my tutorial in particular, as it helps make it more related to the typical codes and conventions of a barbering tutorial, and helps it seem more effective in terms of display.
One other thing to note on, is that in regards to the barbering video tutorial, it felt like there were a lot of moments were no voice over could be heard, and although the reason is likely due to not wanting to disrupt the concentration of the viewers, it does feel rather dead in terms of footage, however the music supporting it does help with this. I think that something that would help be cutting down these parts, at least to a certain extent due to not wanting to lose the interest of the viewers, along with this being on a college website. But one way to prevent this is likely from filling that silence with more of a voice over. Either way, such a problem seems fairly avoidable for the most part.
Overall, I find that both tutorials have served as invaluable in terms of providing me with research into such areas of how to make a tutorial, and specifically a barbering orientated one, I believe that both will help add to the tutorial I shall make for my client, and ensuring that they get what they've asked for, providing a good product they'll be satisfied with, sorting out the necessary components, along with the codes and conventions of a tutorial, to make sure there is nothing that feels out of place and fills all the requirements necessary for the product, along with serving well for the demographic and audience.
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