Grants:Project/Rapid/Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton/Photo Course/Report

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1. Executive Summary:

This report details the successful completion of the "foto.wiki.br Photography Course" project, funded by the Wikimedia Foundation. The project adapted its initial scope, prioritizing a modern, dynamic learning experience tailored to community needs, and delivered approximately 35 minutes of high-impact video instruction on Wikiversity. This report outlines the project's adapted outcomes, encountered challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for future Wikimedia initiatives.

2. Project Goal and Scope Adaptation:

The project's original goal was to create a 5-part online photography course in Portuguese for Wikiversity, focusing on basic composition principles, with the secondary aim of attracting new Wikimedia volunteers. The initial scope projected five ~10-minute videos, totalling 50 minutes of instruction. However, following community consultation through a dedicated streaming session with 13 foto.wiki.br members and a social media survey with 47 respondents, the project team adapted the scope to prioritize conciseness and impactful learning. This resulted in approximately 37 minutes of finalized video content, focusing on core concepts and practical exercises, reflecting current trends in online education.

3. Project Outcomes and Metrics:

• Streamlined Content Delivery: The project delivered approximately 37 minutes of engaging video instruction across eleven lessons, now available on Wikimedia Commons and Wikiversity. This concise format promotes focused learning and higher completion rates. The ten completed lessons are:
  • Subject in Photography - Telling Stories with Images. This lesson delves into the importance of subject matter in storytelling, examining how different subjects can evoke emotions and convey narratives.
  • Framing and Composition - Mastering Cropping. This lesson focuses on framing and composition techniques, emphasizing the use of cropping to enhance visual impact and storytelling.
  • Orientation and Proportions in Photography: Mastering Framing. This lesson explores the impact of orientation and proportions on the overall composition and message of a photograph.
  • Filling the Frame and Using Natural Frames: More on Framing. This lesson explores the impact of filling the frame and using frames available in the field to create new layers in photos.
  • Balance in Photography - The Dynamic Harmony of Vision. This lesson examines the principles of balance in photographic composition, exploring both static and dynamic balance and their effects on the viewer.
  • The Power of Contrast in Photography - A Visual Symphony. This lesson delves into the use of contrast, including tonal, colour, and textural contrast, to create visually striking and engaging photographs.
  • Rhythm in Photography - The Visual Melody. This lesson explores the concept of visual rhythm, demonstrating how repetition and variation can create a sense of movement and harmony in a photograph.
  • Visual Repetition: Pattern, Texture and Crowd. This lesson expands on the concept of rhythm, focusing on the use of repetition to create textures, patterns, and impactful images of crowds.
  • Perspective in Photography - Depth and Illusion. This lesson examines the use of perspective to create depth, dimension, and visual interest in photographs.
  • Dynamic Tension in Photography uses compositional elements, light, color, and motion to create a sense of movement, instability, and visual excitement in a photograph, capturing the viewer's attention and evoking emotion.
  • Single-Point Photography - The Strength of the Decisive Moment. This lesson focuses on capturing decisive moments, emphasizing the importance of timing and anticipation in photography.
• Community-Driven Content: The course content was directly shaped by feedback from 13 foto.wiki.br members during a live-streaming session and 47 community respondents via a social media survey. This participatory approach ensured the course addressed relevant needs and interests, fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration within the community.
• Accessibility and Targeted Promotion: The course is freely accessible on Wikiversity, aligning with the project's goal of providing open educational resources. Promotion will be strategically aligned with the Wiki Loves Earth competition to reach a targeted audience of photographers and potential Wikimedia contributors.

4. Challenges and Mitigation:

• Technical Difficulties: A memory card failure during the initial recording phase resulted in the loss of some planned footage and necessitated a revised shooting schedule. This highlighted the critical need for robust data backup procedures throughout the project lifecycle. The team mitigated this risk by switching to a camera with dual card slots and implementing a redundant backup strategy using two hard drives and cloud storage.
• External Vendor Issues: Outsourcing the initial video editing to a Canadian vendor resulted in cost overruns of approximately 2000 CAD and a delay of years. The quality of the delivered edits was deemed unsatisfactory, requiring the project team to re-edit the videos in-house. This significantly impacted the project timeline and budget. The team mitigated this risk by bringing the editing process in-house, leveraging the skills of foto.wiki.br volunteers.
• Commons Upload and Transcoding: Uploading the finalized videos to Commons presented a significant challenge due to slow upload speeds and the need for transcoding to WEBM format. Local transcoding from MP4 to WEBM proved extremely time-consuming, requiring several hours per video. While video2commons offered a server-side solution, it did not support the AV1 codec at the time and resulted in a lower quality, compared to the source material. The team mitigated this by dedicating additional team hours to managing the upload and transcoding workflow, utilizing video2commons to expedite the process where possible.

5. Lessons Learned:

• Agile Content Development: Adapting the scope based on community feedback and focusing on a concise, dynamic format proved highly effective for online engagement. The shorter, more focused lessons are better suited to modern online learning habits.
• Value of Direct Community Engagement: Directly involving the community in content planning through surveys and feedback sessions was essential for creating a relevant and engaging learning experience. The streaming session with foto.wiki.br members served as an invaluable pilot test, allowing the team to identify and address areas for improvement before final production.
• Importance of Data Redundancy and Backup: The memory card failure underscored the critical importance of robust data management and backup procedures throughout the project lifecycle. The dual card slot camera and redundant backup system implemented after the initial incident proved essential for protecting against further data loss.
• Internal Resources vs. Outsourcing: The challenges encountered with the external video editing vendor highlighted the risks associated with outsourcing critical project components. While cost considerations are important, maintaining quality control and communication often justifies prioritizing the use of internal resources or skilled community volunteers.

6. Recommendations:

• Platform Optimization: Continued advocacy for improvements to the Commons upload and transcoding infrastructure is crucial for streamlining the publishing workflow for video content. Specifically, implementing support for the AV1 codec and optimizing transcoding processes for better quality retention would significantly benefit future video projects.
• Contingency Planning and Resource Allocation: When planning future projects, allocate sufficient budget and time for contingency to accommodate unforeseen technical challenges and potential vendor issues. This includes factoring in potential delays related to Commons uploads and transcoding.
• Formalized Feedback Loops: Establish formalized feedback loops throughout the project lifecycle, including regular check-ins with the community and structured feedback sessions. This will ensure ongoing alignment with community needs and facilitate iterative improvements to the project.

7. Conclusion:

The "foto.wiki.br Photography Course" project successfully achieved its adapted objectives, delivering a concise, engaging, and community-focused online learning experience. The project's flexible approach to scope management and direct community involvement resulted in a valuable resource tailored to the specific needs and interests of Wikimedia volunteers and aspiring photographers. While technical challenges and vendor issues presented obstacles, the team's adaptability and commitment to data integrity ensured the project's successful completion. The lessons learned and recommendations provided will inform and improve future Wikimedia initiatives, maximizing their impact and contributing to the continued growth and enrichment of the Wikimedia community. The completed course, freely accessible on Wikiversity, promises to be a valuable tool for skill development and community engagement, with English and Spanish subtitles forthcoming to expand its reach and impact further.

Finances

Grant funds spent

Please describe how much grant money you spent for approved expenses, and tell us what you spent it on. 2800 CAD in bad video editing

Remaining funds

Do you have any remaining grant funds?

-300 CAD?

Anything else

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