In this blog I wanted to look at some inspiration for the videos I will be creating, this will help me build some ideas and help me set some targets of what I want to aim for with my videos.

The video below is by a YouTube Channel called Solkadi Films, by looking at the first minute of the video I can already see the nice slow motion cinematic side also including the nice trendy style of video to. They also use some B-roll to help flow from one shot to another which makes it smoother than just a cut. When looking further into the video I can see they use some nice flicker effects to match the beat of the background song which also matches it to the trendy style of video. They cut from a long shot to a close up a lot to show the whole picture and to set the scene and then cut into the person they are focusing on. They use the focus points really well for example they will have the weights and the persons hand in focus and the person out of focus and then they may change it using follow focus. They sometimes move from one shot to another by sweeping the camera behind equipment and then for the next shot starting it behind the equipment and going into the actual shot, this makes seamless transitions instead of just having a big cut.

From this I want to learn some techniques to use in my videos such as the sweeping behind equipment shot this is because I just love how it makes it seem like there is no cut and it flows from one shot to another. I also love the flicker effects so this is something I am going to learn in the production side of things as I think it adds something appealing and trendy into the videos.

For this personal training promotional video below they use similar techniques as the one above were they keep it trendy, keep some of the cuts seamless and also have different shot variations. The video switches from shot to shot with the beat at the start of the video which is a really catchy way to draw the audience in and keep them watching. From one shot of the woman doing a squat they go behind a piece of equipment and mask in the next shot which is another great way to move from one shot to another. In this video they have a lot of shots of the trainers close to the clients pushing them to keep working and also showing them different techniques I personally think this looks really good as most people want to a personal trainer to push them to train harder and seeing that in this video will make people want to train with them. They use revealing shots well were they go from a close up and then in the same shot move it to a long ranged shot of the person working out.

I am also going to be practicing some revealing shots in my production as these are something I want to add into the videos because I love how they go from a close up of the person to showing his surroundings its great Mise-en-scene.

The F45 Promotional Video below is a lot faster pace than the two above it is a lot quicker with the cuts, it shows people working out at full intensity, it shows a full class being trained at once were you can see lots of action. It also is very good with going from close ups to long shots and getting a different variety of shots, looking past one person to another and using the depth to create a nice looking shot. They also show peoples faces a lot and show how hard they are working which is good to see as it shows how much they are being pushed to work hard. They also have shots of the trainer showing them techniques and watching them train etc and it looks more appealing. When the music drops in beat and goes more slow it shows people tired, sweaty and trying to get there breathe which fits really well as it goes from the intense shots with the upbeat music to it dying down and showing how hard they have worked.

In this video I love how they use the depth of field in certain shots so this is something else I want to add into my videos as again it adds variety into my videos, so this is something I am going to be practicing production wise before the actual shoot.

From these videos they have lots of similarities such as the nice cinematic style but also using lots of B-roll to smoothen the cuts, some of the shots are more fast paced than others depending on the background music. All of the videos are montage style and just show the action which is really good as it shows the intensity of the training. I have learnt a lot from these videos and it has given me some good ideas and something to aim for when I do my videos. I am also going to practice a few of the different shots I have mentioned before I film the real thing as I can practice a lot of this from home which means I can try and get my shots perfect for when I go to shoot the real thing.

YouTube. (2019). Healthedge Gym Promo Video | Fitness video | Gym Cinematic video | Gym Motivational Video. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/g3ZNprweps0 [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020].

YouTube. (2019). Xanadu Fitness Personal Training Promo Video. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/DDBfywfCUH4 [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020].

YouTube. (2019). F45 Training Promo Video. [online] Available at: https://youtu.be/Z3crwEaMHc4 [Accessed 26 Feb. 2020].

As I have now chosen the client I will be doing promotional videos for I wanted to start off by getting to know what social media he has and what he posts and check out his interactions just to see were he is at in terms of content wise so I can see were he may need to improve.

Josh is on both Facebook and Instagram and he posts consitantly across social media which is really good to keep your business out there. He posts lots of gym content constantly across both social media they vary from photos of him in the gym to videos of the sessions he runs. They are all just shot with his mobile so the quality isn’t the best however this is good enough for just a quick post. It is clear to me what his intentions are with the video as we both met up and had a quick discussion about what he is wanting and he has also sent me a message over just to confirm it. When we met up it was also clear he really wants to show what he does to gain more clients so I am going to have to make sure I do the necessary research to make a persuasive workout video to get people to come and train and use Josh as there Personal Trainer.

As he wants two promotional videos, one being on one on one sessions and the other being group sessions I am going to be doing some necessary research to see what other Personal Trainers do in video or even Gym videos in general as its still on the same workout topic.

After meeting up with Josh and speaking over text Josh has said he would like 2 promotional videos one for his one on one personal training sessions and one of his grouped training sessions. To get some ideas flowing I am going to look at some inspiration and see what filmmakers do to film workout videos and I will also be getting some audience research to get some initial ideas.

I have now chosen my project idea after doing some speaking with the potential clients and doing some general thinking on the ideas. First of all the restaurant would like the promotional video a lot sooner than I first thought as they would like it done by the middle of march so for this project that isn’t a suitable timeframe as I won’t be able to do all the research, planning and pre production before hand. After now thinking about my other idea of getting photographs of my local are Leyland I have realised I wouldn’t be able to get a lot of variety in my photos so this wouldn’t help me get the grade I want as it wouldn’t be enough work.

This leaves my third idea which is doing 2 promotional videos for the Personal Trainer, the reason I have picked this is because it interests me the most and I also think I can get the best grade possible by working with Josh as he is really willing to work with me closely and patiently whilst I get the research, planning and pre-production done. I have also done similar style videos for previous projects and clients which means I have the experience to match the gym/ workout style of promotional videos.

Mind Map Of Ideas

Above I have linked a URL for a mind map of my initial ideas for my FMP I do have one very strong idea as before I started this project I met with a Personal Trainer called Josh which is one of my ideas in the project, my other two ideas are photography of my local area showing what makes it so unique as a town, I would put these photos in the Leyland Group Chats on social media to get some engagement. My next idea is to do a promotional video for a restaurant that is near to were I live as currently out of College I am in talks with doing a promotional video for them to put on social media. The idea’s I have so far with the Personal Trainer Josh are to do two promotional videos for social media to put a montage together of his sessions one of the videos would be showing the one on one sessions and the other one would be showing his group sessions, these then would be put on his social media to help promote himself.