Where do I even begin. I am hoping you would have watched and enjoyed my short vlog already. This post is more a quick fire round up of the more technical aspects of the trip, what went well, what went not so well! So here we go:
1. The sound quality - over all this could have been a lot worse, for the most part the quality is perfectly fine to use on my documentary. There was one interview that I couldn't use because the background noise was so distracting however, I am sure now that I have had a look that I have more than enough content to afford to lose these clips.
What did I learn? Always make sure that you record your interviews in a quite place, even if you think the background noise won't be too bad double check by playing the clip back with headphones!
2. Know what you want! - I was so fortunate to be invited on this trip by the Friends of Baale Mane - an offshoot of the Baale Mane that provides support to the home. Although because they were going to Bangalore with their own busy schedule it meant that my requirements were slotted in when there was time. This was totally fine as I was so thankful that they even let me go along and they were so accommodating constantly asking me what I needed but inevitably I was working around their plans on what was already a very busy weekend!
What did I learn? From this experience I mainly took away the sheer amount of effort that goes into a professional documentary. It's so important to make sure you plan ahead and are totally clear on what shots you want to get, how long you will need and who you want to speak to. Obviously in my case I had limited control over the conditions and so this wasn't always easy but I have learnt for the future to review everything and if you're not happy with how something turns out, don't be scared to re-shoot!
3. Language Barrier - I was fortunate enough that the girls I interviewed did speak English although had I had more time I think that if they had been able to speak in their own language they would have been able to express themselves better. The reason I decided to conduct the interviews in English was because I didn't have access to a translator who would be able to conduct the interviews with me and then go through my footage. It would also not have been practical given my time scale.
What did I learn? It's always better to give someone the option of responding in their own language if they feel that they can express themselves better that way. If you have the resources and time then I think it is definitely worth while.
Overall I am happy with the outcome of my footage and looking forward to the editing process.