To begin with our video production work we have been tasked with creating a short 30-40 second montage in groups, based around a proverb. My group has chosen to base our montage on the idea of “practice makes perfect”, showing the progression and improvement somebody makes in three different skills with practice. In preparation for creating our montage we planned out our shoot by creating a storyboard, highlighting each key shot and to get a better idea of the chronology of the product. With the three different narratives/skills we used three different colours to distinguish these, with each individual narrative following the simple structure of;
- Attempt one
- Failure
- Attempt two
- Failure again
- (Extra training)
- Attempt three
- Success
On this storyboard we have also made note of our planned shot types, specifying detail such as being a mid-shot, close-up or long shot, whether we include a pan etc.
Resulting Video:
After shooting, editing and completing the video I can now address some set reflection questions;
- Do you think your montage has an impact?Yes, I feel that the clear stories effectively relay the message of Practice makes Perfect and creates the desired motivational impact for the viewer
- Do you get a sense of feeling or story / relationship?With the simple and clear narratives and progression the viewer can easily track and follow the stories shown
- How does one specified cut create meaning?
One cut in particular which works well to create meaning is around the 0:48 timestamp when we get a reaction shot after Casey successfully shoots a basketball shoot, clearly showing his contentedness and joy at achieving what he’d been working so hard to do - Is there a sense of progression or are you trying just to reflect an experience?There is a clear sense of progression throughout the video, as each narrative follows a structure of
- Established tasks
- Failed attempt at task
- Continuing to practice task
- Success in improving at task
- Do you use repetition of some shots? If so, how do they help communicate your idea?We do repeat some visually similar shots, shown at 0:31, emphasizing the repetition of a task that is essential to practice, then further showing the resulting improvement as we see another similar shot later on which shows success
- What additional shot would you have liked to get to further communicate the idea?Some additional reaction shots during the process of practicing and failure could be included to further emphasize the change that comes later on
Overall, reflectively this task has helped familiarize me with the whole process of creating a video, including planning, shooting and editing as well as developing skills in working with a team. These are all skills that will be essential to creating a successful music video.