I have learnt many things through this project, from how to conduct an interview too video editing, this module has been packed full of useful information and new experiences. Looking back on the last few weeks I think there are a few things I could have done differently and a few things I think I did quite well.

Firstly, I found the process of writing up questions and interviewing a participant very rewarding, especially when looking back on my edited video. One thing I have learnt through the interview process is that although natural lighting makes the footage look much nicer, it is very difficult to control. This is evident in my video as the lighting is constantly moving in most of the footage I got, despite slightly changing position half way through the interview the light was constantly on my participants face. If I was to redo the interview, I would close the blinds and try and use some artificial light to prevent bright light patches on the participants face. Another thing I learnt during interview process was that you can’t completely plan for an interview, no matter how much you structure you’re questions there will always be additional questions and some that you don’t use because either they have been answered in another question or it is just not the way the interview has turned out to go.

Secondly, the process of video editing was far less stressful than I expected it to be. After the workshop on Premier Pro I found the process very self-explanatory. One issue I did encounter however, was the audio on my footage. I wanted to use a side angle of my participant because the lighting in the front angle wasn’t very flattering, however, the audio on the side footage was very crackly and sore to listen too. I decided that I wanted to use the audio from the other footage. This made the editing process a bit more complicated as I was having to manually sync up the audio and footage. Despite this minor inconvenience I think I did a good job editing it all together. The video flows well and the transitions between clips are smooth which makes it easy to watch. If I was to do it again, I think I would add some faint background music as I feel it would make the video a little more interesting and it would cover up any pauses in the participants answers. The only reason I didn’t do this is because I wasn’t 100% sure on the copyright laws regarding music and didn’t want to risk getting it wrong.

Finally, the hardest thing I found about this whole module was gathering the insights from my interview. Even after transcribing the interview and editing the video I was still unsure as to the insights I could pick from it, however the workshop with Katie really helped with this, and although I didn’t get any insights during the workshop, when I came back to it the next day I was able to read between the lines of my participants answers and gather a few insights.

These are the insights I gathered:

1. Social Media has become the main way for her to meet and introduce herself to new people. It is a safety net in social situations that can be used whenever she needs something to fall back on.
2. She feels she needs to create this online persona that best portrays her life and shows it to be a perfect, happy bubble.
3. She feels the need to document every little thing in life as not to forget it, however in the process of that she forgets to live in the moment and finds herself relying on those photographic memories to tell stories and share experiences.

This module has helped me look at how I use photography in my own life and understand why I use it in the ways I do. For me photography is very much led by social media, my main motivation behind taking photos is how it would look on Instagram and wither it is the kind of thing that people would like to look at. Saying that I do enjoy taking pictures for my own use, especially photos of my family and favourite places. I take these and print them off to have them with me at university and when I’m not around them. I defiantly think my relationship with photography has changed since moving away from home, I am a lot more sentimental about my printed photos than I was when I was still living at home, I enjoy looking at them and remembering the day and where they were taken, the feelings I felt when they were taken and the stories behind them.

 

“Why we use contextual interview?”

A contextual interview is a semi-structured interview method to obtain information and context about a participant.

Contextual interviews take on a qualitative method which analyses the data and information that can be observed but not measured, unlike the quantitative method this a lot more personal and humanising to the participant.

Contextual interviews help to better understand a person’s thoughts, emotions and motivations as well as identify their needs and wants, this helps the interviewer build a more detailed image of the participant. There is also the opportunity to delve deeper into the participants answers and probe around for more in-depth answers and better understand their formal and informal thought processes.

Unlike a scientific interview, contextual interviews are typically conducted in the participants own environment, this could be their home or work-space, this makes the participant more at ease which allows them to answer the questions more honestly. A contextual interview unlike a scientific interview is more of a conversation between interviewer and participant, this again allows for more honest and in-depth answers.