Archipelagos website media page re-design

Our current website is slightly confusing when it comes to media, with pieces spread around in various locations. Therefore a colleague and I have re-designed the media pages with new imagery, and a condensed, more simplistic layout, drawing out page examples on In Design with a written description to go with each. This re-design was a great opportunity to familiarise myself with a software I haven't used before.

We are now just awaiting our web designers to do the job!

General work: Attending strandings and illegal fishing activities

Other things which have been going on are the coverage of general environmental issues and conservation in the area, including the stranding of one Mediterranean Monk Seal, a Bottlenose Dolphin, and a Common Dolphin, on which Archipelagos volunteers performed necropsies.



I have also filmed illegal tuna trafficking activities from Turkish boats in Greek waters. The first boats, just off the coast of Samos, were transporting tuna out of season and gave conflicting information when asked about the initial whereabouts of the catch. A few days later, boats of a similar nature were caught fishing in the Samos-Fourni channel, and we had to make our own conservation and awareness efforts as port police appeared indifferent to the situation.



All these videos were made to compliment newsletters written for our website and rushes of the footage were given to regional and national news channels as part of environmental and headline reports.

Updating 'Pesticides in Agriculture'

I have been touching up a documentary I made last year on the harms of pesticides, which is of particular relevance to the island of Samos, and throughout areas of Greece, as many farmers are either ill informed or choose to be ignorant to the risks of over-using pesticides.

It aims to highlight not only the risks to human health but also the implications it has within the environment, especially once in contact with water.

The changes needed were simply replacing some images, as last year I didn't have much access to transport and therefore couldn't get all the shots I needed, having to take some from the internet. I have replaced some of these still images with my own moving image and photography, and for images I simply couldn't get myself, such as that of dead birds, I used Creative Commons websites to avoid copyright issues.

After I left last year a volunteer made an English version of the documentary, which also required some touch-ups, including the re-arranging of footage to fit with the different order of words in English from Greek.

Unfortunately I encountered problems with this as the laptop originally worked on doesn't accept VLC format when importing video, and this is the format with which everything was filmed on our new HDV camera. I therefore tried to edit it on our new PC computer which accepts VLC, but when I transferred the project over, due to the way it had been saved it lost its sound.

Therefore I ended up editing it on the old laptop, using more photography within the English version than moving image, which wasn't the look I was originally going for.

I could have spent more time on this, converting the footage to a format which would work on the old laptop, or reimporting and editing the sound on to the new computer, but considering the message of the piece was accurately shown with the images used, I didn't want to spend any more time on this when there was other work to be done.

Archipelagos Institute DVD

This 10 minute piece is designed to incorporate most elements of Archipelagos’ work. Throughout I have tried to show biodiversity in the region of the Eastern Aegean, threats to this, and the research and methods we use to try and combat these threats.

Shown within the DVD is scientific research, laboratory analysis, field work surveys, office work, practical conservation work, educational sessions and promotional material. This includes both the marine and terrestrial sides of Archipelagos and will hopefully give anyone interested a well rounded overview of the company.

MAIN PROJECTS: Childrens DVD on biodiversity & threats to biodiversity in the Aegean sea

We were asked to make an educational DVD about biodiversity and threats for local schools and eventually schools throughout the Aegean.

The DVD was originally going to be released for two age group ranges – 5-8 years old and 8-12 years old, but after discussion with coordinators and local teachers we decided to make a combined piece. As the DVD is targeted at such a wide age bracket, we have included animated features and reinforcements to help the younger children understand complex terms and concepts.

The project began with a research phase during which we worked closely with Archipelagos scientists, local education workers and volunteers. We did not only research data, but also contemporary methods of presenting scientific information to children. Children’s videos from National Geographic, Discovery Channel and other documentary producers were watched to gain both inspiration and insight into the production of large scale children’s educational films.

After writing the first draft of the script we liaised with a local primary school teacher who provided valuable feedback and advice. She helped us to think more carefully about communicating with such a specific audience. For example, we were advised not to use harsh words like ‘death’ but rather, to use euphemisms and metaphors to help young children understand serious issues without upsetting or scaring them.

We are now in the production phase of the DVD and various members of the team are working on bringing the script to life. The piece is being created with a collage style, incorporating live footage, still photography, graphic and animations. The animations and graphics are being created in a style not seen by Archipelagos before, using hand drawn images, watercolour paintings and other materials to create a fun and different look. One example is seen in the ‘Threats’ section where the concept of pollution is explored with an animation.

Lucy worked in Adobe After Effects and began by drawing images of cars, houses and trees on cardboard and then scanning these into the computer. She also took photos of real textures such as the grass and the sky to work into backgrounds. A watercolour sun was painted to be included in the background of the animation. All of these images were edited and worked with in Adobe Photoshop before being introduced to After Effects. Lucy then laid out a background with sky, grass, trees and a sun all in bright colours. The animation follows with buildings, a road, cars and smoke all appearing and travelling across the screen whilst the trees die and rubbish piles up behind the houses.

The main characters of the DVD are all watercolour animations combined with photo cut-outs and this style makes it easier to combine the animation with live footage – creating a kind of scrap book look which is colourful and engaging for children.

Team members

The media department at Archipelagos has this year comprised of international team members, from England, Ireland, Switzerland and even Hong Kong and Australia! We have been very busy with more alternative projects than last year, and the volunteers bring a range of dynamic skills to the projects.

From England, I graduated from the University of Glamorgan, South Wales, UK, with a 2:1 in Media Production, and applied to Archipelagos about 6 months later. My first placement of 5 and a half months ended up lasting 9, and this year I have come back for 6 months acting as media coordinator.

Lucy from Australia is a recent graduate from the University of New South Wales and has work experience with a large media company in Sydney. Her main interests are in stop animation, graphic design and documentary production.

Read on to learn about the various projects undertaken, and how our studies relate to the work experience...