Category: Preliminary Video Tasks

After referencing from our visual shot list, for this task we had to create a small section from our music video, in order for us to practice filming, lip syncing and using a variety of shots. Below is our final test shoot piece, which we edited on premiere pro, to link all the clips together.

WHAT WENT WELL:

• We used a variety of different shots, instead of using the same ones throughout.
• The Mise En Scene was well planned out as a team, so it fitted well with the song. (location, props and costume).
• We included a transition that enhanced the camera techniques within our lip sync video.
• We shot the whole part of the song we were using from all the angles we used, so that when editing we had a lot of footage to work with.

IMPROVEMENTS:

• Some of the editing was off beat, so next time rewatch closely and make sure that it is in time.
• Include more transitions into our music video to create a more interesting video as a whole.
• When exporting the song, ensure we have the MP3 prepared, so that we are not wasting valuable editing time on this.
• Make sure that the person lip syncing knows the lyrics well, and if it is messed up in the shot, retake it un-till it is perfect.

Focusing forward, this task has helped my group and I prepare to the fullest for our music video, by allowing us to practice different shots, we now know how to take our final music video from ordinary to extraordinary. This can be seen when we use the transition which cuts to close up on the flowers, and then zooms out onto a different shot. At first we were skeptical about this, but after seeing it in our test shoot, we know that we want to use more transitions going forward into our final piece. After using premiere pro for a more advanced video, we discovered that it is quite hard to edit smaller shots to the beat, so this will be something we will be wary of while editing our final piece. After watching someone lip sync our song, it is now clear to us how we want our star image to be portrayed in a more eccentric manner for this part of the song as in our test shoot it was a bit laid back.

For this task, in our allocated groups for making our montage video, we made a story board. This shows and plans exactly what will be happening in the different shots,  including the angles, people involved and the transitions that we will carry out. By making a story board it allows us as a group to know precisely what we will be doing and when, this is to create an interesting video, using a variety of shots to convey the themes and narrative sense behind the video.

 

After ensuring that we were well prepared for our video, our next task was to film it, making sure that our shots were:

• Steady
• Framed
• Taken from a variety of distances

We are learning how to conduct and film a music video, whilst still using themes and narrative alongside with the uses of camera.

It is important with tasks like these, where you are learning how to execute something, that you analyze the work afterwards in order to improve.

STRENGTHS

• Variety of transitions throughout the clips
• Starting to understand a more illustrative approach relating the lyrics to the video
• Clear theme and narrative from start to finish

WEAKNESSES

• Not used a large range of angles or distances when filming
• Relying too much on the editing transitions instead of planning them properly while actually filming the shots
• Some shots seem staggered, not smoothly and steadily taken

I’ve found learning about montage editing will be a key factor in my preparation for making a music video. I now know how to convey a sense of narrative through the actions of your star, use a wide variety of angles and ranges of distance while filming so the viewer can get a deeper sense of the atmosphere in the clips and the basic skills for editing on premiere pro including using effects and embedding sound onto the video. All of these new techniques that I have learnt will help me later on while creating my music video, because I’m now starting to understand that having a form of narrative throughout is important as the audience can be confused if this chops and changes. This can be successfully sustained by using camera, editing and planning before the shots are taken.