From Nothing to Something
How the idea turned into the Final Result
Empathize
When I submitted my first idea of a Capstone Project it was for a short film. However, as I started planning out the filming process I realized a few things. My heart was not fully invested in the project. I soon realized that my final project should be created for more than just my own enjoyment. I wanted to give back to UTD in any way I could for not only teaching me so much during the time I attended classes, but for also all of the memories and friends I made along the way. Video games have been a part of my daily routine since I was very young, and Esports has been a passion of mine in recent years. It was not until after attending two semesters at UTD did I realize that they had a successful Esports program.
After some deliberation with my professor, I decided that it would be better to focus on something I was passionate about for my final Capstone project and switched to creating a promotional video that the UTD Esports program could use to inform the students of their program: “This is UTD Esports”
The main focus after discussion with the coordinator of the organization was informing students of all the possibilities within the program. There are 5 teams within UTD Esports organization with each requiring leadership and management giving opportunities for students of all backgrounds to participate. Including all of these positions in interview style format could give good information to students while also showing off the perks of being in the program. Although the teams are successful, there is not much campus chatter about them and the goal is to have this video playing on the TVs around campus to stir up some conversation and bring UTD Esports to the forefront of students minds.
Ideate
Before going in to film with the students I had a list written on my phone of some shots I wanted to get in order to have backup footage just in-case anything went wrong. In the final edit you will see a few included to replace footage that was interrupted due to background noise or bad lighting. Thinking ahead definitely saved time later on in post production.
Originally, I had planned for having the video be a series of footage from events and showcasing the enjoyment all members had interacting together. However, COVID-19 makes it difficult to use that footage because everyone is wearing a mask so you could never see their smiles. The next idea was to follow a single member through a day in the life but we soon realized that it did not capture the entire essence of UTD Esports. Finally, it was the lead coordinator who you will see in the final project who had the idea of doing short interviews to be able to provide information to students, while also showcasing old footage from events.
Prototype
After finally being able to shoot footage on campus, we spent about a full day getting various shots and completing the interviews. Most of the leg work took place after shooting in the editing process. I soon realized that the audio in the room was being interrupted by the air conditioning so I had to have the members send me audio clips of them talking in quiet rooms in order to fill the sections where they could not be understood. I was able to add filters to their voices to give the final result a sound that was consistent and the differences could not be heard.
Color correction was also something that took time to figure out the mood of the entire video. Every shot was at a different location throughout the interviews in hopes of adding variation into the final product. However, working within the Esports room provided a challenge because the lighting changes color constantly. After some time I was able to come up with my own color palette that I used to balance the colors to give the professional look you see in the final project.
Test/Feedback
After finishing the first draft it was clear that there needed to be more information rather than “cool shots” in order to get the message across. Because of this I added more interviews and made sure to focus on the various ways students could participate and join the organization. Overall, the project improved greatly and the original mission was successfully achieved. Throughout the entire process I learned that collaboration is key to creating something successful. Also, focusing on the small details really does make a huge difference. For example, the audio in the Esports room was not the best due to the background noise. If I would have been able to control that while filming, it would have saved me time during editing. The original idea I had for making a cool video instead of an informational one was definitely not the best option. I am thankful that I had the help of the UTD Esports program and my peers to adjust the final product into something that is effective and I am proud to have created it.