Final Draft Music Video

Final Music Video Draft

After months of hard work we have finally completed the production of our music video ‘Last Friday Night’ part of our promotional package for the upcoming realse of a new album. A music video is a promtoional tool to our brand (Goodwin) which allows us to establish our brand identity as well as construct and represent a star image as ordinary and extrordinary (Dyer). Within the competitive music industry it’s important to stand out and have a USP amongst other artists which can be done by following and challenge certain music video conventions. We followed an illustrative narrative recreating and mirroring the lyrics of the song being about a party where we used a non linear structure flashing back and forward not following a chronological order which is conventional to a post mordern text. We overall created a fun, exciting music video to capataivate the audience promoting our star and her upcoming album realse in order to boost sales making a profit.

Throughout this task I have developed many different skills in production like cinemotgraphy, production design, directing as well as skills in post production like editing using industry proffessional softwares like premire pro. All these skills have been very useful and has allowed me to gain valuable experience for potencially working in the media industry or even valuable core skills such as leardership and team collbaration.

Screen Castify

Here is a screen castify of my teachers feedback to my video

Whats Good (Based on Feedback)

  • The mise-en-scene is really effective and well thought out as all the extras still have interesting and fun, wacky costumes and props
  • The pool table shots are edited on the beat to the song so it flows nicely
  • The text effect in the establishing shot at the start is very good and adds something exciting to our video
  • She likes the barbie scene as it represents the fun nature of the video which is conventional to the pop genre

Aims of Improvment (Based on Feedback)

  • Some parts of the performance need to be covered when I’m not singing and waiting for a line so we need to try adding some more clips to fill those sections to keep up with the fast pace edit
  • In some sections we cut on a weird line or halfway through a line to the performance which needs changing
  • We need to make sure everything is edited to the beat or to the syllables of the lyrics as sometimes it isn’t which results in a messy look
  • The split screen effect in the dance circle sequence looks out of place as we have only used one quite far into the video
  • There is confusion with the video camera effect as in what can be differentiated between using it on some clips but not others
  • Wants us to add in some more camera movements like we did in the air hockey clips like whip pans for example as it helps encode and decode (Hall) this energetic, exciting party so we can aim to try find some transitions in the effects panel
  • At the end she suggests we transition back to the beginning on the flamingo to really ensure the audience grasps that the enigma code (Barthes) of how she ended up on that flamingo has been solved
  • Finds the performance part got lost near the end by the tgif and dance circle section

Getting teacher feedback is very useful and gives us a new perspective to our video of how it may come across to an audience. From the feedback we know our areas of improvement and helps us set aims to achieve a successful engaging video.

Draft 4 Reflection

Here is our Draft 4 edit

After our feedback we have adjusted and improved lots of different aspects of our music video.

Whats Changed

  • Edited a video camera layer onto the hand held shots of the main stars pov to immerse the audience within the party and create an authentic feel to the party. According to Dyer, this would also helps construct this ordinary star image creating a connection between the audience and star.
  • Added some more key frame cut ins for the lip sync performance just to add some more energy and dynamic to the video to create a more engaging video for an audience.
  • Added some more shots of the beer pong and air hockey to represent all the different aspects of the party creating a fun, energetic narrative
  • Edited in some more transitions between shots like film dissolve and cross dissolve which changed location to make the video flow better instead of just harsh cuts
  • Added a split screen edit in the dance circle to emphasise the size of the party and helps signify (de Saussaure) all the energy and excitement of the party
  • Included some canted angle shots to to create more of a variety in the video which helps connotes a wild, messy party
  • Added some more clips to the bedroom scene just to break up the lip sync as our peers suggested in our last feedback

Whats Next

  • We need to add some colour correction and adjustments to some of the clips as the mis-en-scene of the lighting is sometimes too dark which isn’t good as this decodes (Hall) to an audience a dull sad party.
  • Some shot sequences are not exactly to the beat some we should use the marker tool to help get it exact
  • Try and add some more camera movements as a lot of clips are still shots with little movement which according to Blumer and Katz would not be good for audience engagement as the video must be entertaining.
  • Some clips don’t fully connect of flow smoothly together which can create confusion to an audience so it’s important we fix that issue
  • There are some continuity issues with lip syncing like the eye line doesn’t match and the arms move which again disrupts the flow of the video and can result in the video looking messy and confusing

It’s vital to remember that a music video is to not only promote the music but also promote the artist so in order to achieve the best audience engagement for our target audience demographic of female teenage/young adult individuals, we need to ensure our video best represents the pop genre as well as our gender and age demographic so they we can achieve a preferred viewing which ultimately results in making more money and profit which is what the music industry main aim is. Therefore we need to be certain our video has the correct encoding and decodings (Hall) and has represented a positive star image.

Draft 3 Peer Assessment

Here is my draft 3

Whats New

  • Added in some more pool scenes to represent an exciting party narrative
  • Added in some different camera movement and angles like a pan for TGIF chant to make it more engaging for an audience 
  • Switched the pool table shots to the beginning chorus and the air hockey scenes to the second chorus as it made more sense with the narrative.
  • Added a new lip sync location in the pool which help made sense of the narrative and solved the enigma code (Barthes) of how the star ended up on the flamingo which will be very satisfactory for an audience

To receive some outside feedback we swapped videos with some of our peers and asked them to watch and give their own opinions and feedback on our draft 3. This is a good idea as it will help us know things to improve on from a fresh set of eyes so our draft 4 will be more improved.

Here is their feedback on our draft 3:

What Went Well (based from feedback)

  • The blurry transition was successful in representing the narrative of the star reminiscing the party and helped the audience see between the past and present due to our narrative being an anachronic structure.
  • The mis-en-scene of the props, lighting and setting was successful in signifying (de Saussaure this fun, vibrant party as both peers understood the narrative we aimed to represent.
  • The mis-en-scene of the hair and makeup was also encoded and decoded (Hall) successfully with the other production group commenting how they could tell she was hungover from the wild party due to the messy hair and makeup which also help conveys the binary opposites of regret vs enjoyment (Levi Strauss)
  • The camera movements like the track shots and handheld shots were successful in connoting the fun aspect of the party
  • The star image has been correctly represented as this fun, popular girl creating this extraordinary image yet the morning after sense creates this ordinary relatable star image which is very appealing for an audience (Dyer- Paradox of the Star) 
  • The fast paced editing signified (de Saussaure) to the audience how messy and fun the party was

Any Improvements 

  • The lip sync in the bedroom scene drags on a bit I did point this out in the last draft however we didn’t have time to fix it, we just need to add in some different footage of perhaps reaction shots or flicking through the pictures just to break up that section. Like Blumler and Katz state entertainment is key for audience engagement so we must fix any dull moments in our music video
  • Add some transitions for the dance circle, again I did mention this last draft but we didn’t get time, I was thinking of adding split screens effect just to emphasise the scale of the party and it will allow us to fit more dancing clips
  • Add some more transitions between clips and editing them to the beat to help the audience keep up with the song
  • Use the colour tool to make some items and scenes pop a bit more so the lighting and props can represent a happy, bright party

Overall, this feedback has been extremely useful for the post production of our music video. It has allowed has to identify if our star image and narrative was represented to an audience successfully- which it has. Moreover, it has also given us a good idea of what to improve on and what perhaps didn’t work which will overall boost the quality of our video. Now, we will continue editing for draft 4 taking in their feedback and keep in mind how the media language choices will represent our narrative and star.

Technical Skills

After the feedback and help from Specsavers creative department these are some of the technical skills we implaced onto our edit.

Here is the colour grading editing technique were it allowed us to change the the camera features like the brightness, contrast, hue, colour saturation ect. This was due to some clips being badly lit and too dark which didn’t match the conventions of our pop genre. We have been playing round with the colours using an adjustment layer to see what looks good and fits the genre and what can represent a fun, exciting party.

Here is the key frames tool which allows us to add some motion to certain clips like a zoom in, pans or a cut to close up. This is very useful as it adds some more movement and dynamic to some of our still clips that we forgot to shoot in different angles. This is key as we must engage the audience to our video and keep them interested as a music video not only promotes the song but the musicians star image.

Specsavers also gave us the feedback of adding some more transition between shots to let the video flow better instead of harsh cuts between clips all the time. They showed us the effects tool and how to add these transitions and adjust the settings of them to ensure they look aesthetically pleasing and represent the song and genre successfully in order to signify (de Sausaure) this fun, wild party narrative which mirrors the lyrics of the song due to our video being an illustrative narrative.

Specsavers Feedback

We were lucky enough to get feedback and help from industry professionals from Specsavers who are the ones behind the post production of some of the famous advertisements. The professionals have a great knowledge of the editing software of premiere pro so they were extremely useful in giving their feedback and help as the media language of editing plays a huge role in the representation of the music video as well as the star image.

Summary of their feedback/help

  • Showed us how to efficiently organise our clips using bins making it easier to find certain clips due to ours being all mixed up
  • Showed us the colour grading editing tool to change to colour, lighting and overall aesthetic appearance of certain clips like the roulette scenes which were too dark and badly lit
  • Introduced us to key frames were it allows us to  zoom in and out as well as cut between a variety of different shots due to us forgetting to film certain scenes in different shots and angles
  • Helped us fix how the clips wouldn’t fit in the frame by adjusting the video settings 
  • Taught me about adjustment layers and the uses and functions

Here are some youtube tutorials I found in relation to their feedback:

Overall, reflecting from their feedback we will now make use of all their tips and tricks to finish editing the video more efficiently with organised files. We will also make use of key frames as this is useful in fixing the boring still shot of the TGIF chant scene to create a more interesting dynamic edit as suggested by them. Furthermore, the colour grading will be useful for the badly lit dark clips to add more colour in order to represent and signify (de Saussare) the fun bright pop music genre. Another thing, the lesson on adjustment layers will be useful for adding effects to certain clips like the handheld shots and the TGIF chanting scene. I’m looking forward to use the help and feedback from Specsavers to improve my music video and add in some new edits.

Draft 2 Reflection

Here is our draft 2 video

What went well

  • The pool table scenes and edited sequence looked good and was edited on the beat with a variety of shots like close ups and the pool shots also going in on the beat
  • The transition of the whip pan in the beginning looked good and was edited together successfully just adding a bit more excitement to the video representing the fun, energetic pop genre and song
  • The jump cut in the bedroom scene 2 was edited well and looked effective and added to the narrative of the binary opposites (Levi Strauss) of regret vs enjoyment
  • The jump cut of the dance circle also looked effective and created this fun fast paced edit with lots going on making it an engaging watch for an audience and conveyed a fun energetic party which we aimed to achieve
  • The fade in and fade out transitions worked well and also could encode (Hall) a blurred memory decoding (Hall) this morning after the party narrative 
  • The performance part was acted well representing a star image of a fun, lively party girl creating an extraordinary yet ordinary (Dyer) star image which will be appealing for our audience demographic 

Whats next/What to change

  • We need to complete and finish the air hockey editing sequences, editing it so the match is on action and it the media language signifies (de Saussare) this fun, lively party- so we must ensure the edit is fast paced withs lots of cuts to close ups and different angles 
  • We need to fix the colours in some clips like the roulette scenes are dark and badly lit as this doesn’t represent our genre of pop and looks out of place in comparison to our bright neon coloured lighting
  • We planned to add a recording layer to some of our hand held shots to make the audience more immersed within the video and convey that this party was real
  • Due to only filming the TGIF chant in one still shot it looks very boring and doesn’t match the pace of edit throughout the rest of our video therefore we need to try and add some effects to make it more exciting for the audience
  • For the dance circle we could try do a split screen edit which would further emphasises a lively party
  • Some of the cut to close ups in the lip sync look odd due to the eye-line match being off and there being continuity issues with hand positing changing
  • The text in the establishing shot in the beginning is still not perfect as some blue is still seen
  • We need to film some more pool footage so we will be doing a reshoot very soon, and I had an idea for the final line of the song the star passes out on the flamingo which will solve the enigma code (Bathes) from the beginning of the video leaving the audience satisfied

So far I’m really enjoying the editing process however we still have lots to do to make sure everything is completed and is perfect as a music video is a vital part in not only promoting the music but also the star image of the artists therefore its essential we edit this to represent our artists successfully.

Shoot 2 Narrative Reflection

Photos from our 2nd shoot

We successfully filmed and carried out shoot 2 were we filmed the narrative party scenes for our video. Overall the shoot went well and we managed to film most of the shots and scenes we originally planned.

What Went Well

  • The mis-en-scene of the props and costumes successfully represented this fun, vibrant party vibe with the extras thankfully fulfilling the brief we gave them as well as represent this extrodianry yet ordianry (Dyer) star image
  • We filmed in different shot angles, distances also including lots of still shots as well as some hand held shots to create a more dynamic video
  • We filmed in the correct camera settings as in the last shoot a couple clips were done incorrectly

What Went Wrong

  • The lighting was hard to get right, as in some clips the lighting changes colour and some footage is grainy and badly lit due to filming in the dark- we may have to try fix some clips when it comes to the editing process
  • Some of the extras were difficult to direct with some messing around, looking at the camera and some looking stiff and awkward
  • We forgot to film certain scenes like the TGIF chant in different angles and camera movements so when it comes to editing we won’t have a lot of choice to cut between with

Since I was still the performer it was important I still contributed in capturing footage so my main role was filming the close up shots of the pool table, air hockey and beer pong scenes. Furthermore, I also took the director role along with my team mates in telling the extras on what to do, where to stand when to cheer ect. Moreover, I played a big part in setting up the setting to match the genre by decorating the location with lots of props like balloons, cups, neon lights, random costume props just to ensure we signified (de Saussare) a fun party via our mis-en-scene and production design choices.

Thinking forward, we may have to reshoot some scenes just to get more close up shots and different angels to fulfil the brief of the mark scheme and to create a more dynamic and engaging video for our audience. Now we have filmed more footage we can continue editing so we can achieve a full draft 2 with both the narrative and performance.

PMA for Shoot 2

Below is the PMA for our shoot 2 of the narrative-

A PMA is key in ensuring the shoot runs smoothly, allowing us to remember any props, costumes ect we need to bring to the shoot. Within the industry a PMA is useful as if the director was absent someone could take over the shoot with ease as everything they need is in one place.

Now that we have completed the production meeting agenda this will help us for our shoot ensuring we are efficient with our time and manage to successfully complete shoot 2.