As a group we went out around school to film in different areas to create a lip sync video of a verse from our chosen song On My Mind by Jorja Smith. After filming the various clips we took the video and all participated in syncing the song to the performer as well as we could. Once we had chosen our clips and synced the video to the lyrics we then chose to experiment with different filters and transitions to discover possible techniques we can use in our final video.

What went well…

• I think we managed to sync the video to the song almost perfectly which gave the effect that our performer was singing the song.
• We successfully managed to take many different types of shots from various different angles and they were all in focus and clear.
• From experimenting we worked out how to zoom into the image slowly from a still shot which made it a more interesting and professional shot.

Even better if…

• We used some transitions and effects between the clips to make the clips more interesting and different.
• We could of used various different colours between the clips to portray the bright and bold star image.
• There was some clips with bad lighting because they were being filmed outside.

When we film for shoot 1, we will ensure that we are in a position where lighting will not be an issue as well as choosing a costume that works well with the setting to give the performer her bold and bright star image. During editing we will continue to experiment with different transitions and effects to make our video more interesting and effective. We will also continue to ensure that we are taking many different types of shots from various angles as well as making sure they are clear and focusing on the performer.

Following on from our trip, I took the footage that we made at the College of FE, and tried my best to lip sync the clips to the original track. We chose the song “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga and a few students took turns in attempting to lip sync the song as well as they could. From this shoot we got many shots that were filmed successfully, however many of the shots were filmed from long distances which made it hard to see the performer lip syncing, so I’ve learnt to film many close ups as well as long distances to show the lip sync.

Lip syncing is essential when portraying the model’s star image. This is because the aim of lip syncing is to show the audience that the model is singing the song even if it’s not their voice. This means that the model has to use different facial expressions that link to the theme and narrative of the song. For example, our song “Poker Face” is upbeat so there are many clips of us dancing and having fun to portray this narrative. But if there was no dancing and use of happy facial expressions then it would be easy to tell that the model isn’t singing because there is no link between the performer and the narrative.

It is essential that the performer sings along to the track while lip syncing as it will link to the track when editing easier, because the model won’t look as if they are mumbling the words.

It is important to get an actor who ‘looks like the voice’ because it will make the lip syncing more realistic as if they are singing the track. For example, if the performer was a male lip syncing a women’s voice then it wouldn’t match and the audience would know they aren’t performing it immediately and wouldn’t carry on watching the video.

From using both Premier pro and wevideo, I have found that I used markers to help me edit my video effectively. Markers indicate important points in time and helped me to position and arrange clips. I used the marker to identify which part of the clip I needed so I could cut from one clip to another.

Here is my video that I created from the clips we recorded:

What went well…

From the different types of footage we got from this shoot, I believe I displayed the narrative effectively as well as linking the lip syncing clips to the song well. I contrasted between a range of shots so that the video was kept interesting and easy to follow for the audience. The lip syncing is well synced throughout the song, as I believe I timed the lyrics with the song effectively to portray the allusion of the performers singing. The performers were clear when singing which made it easier in the editing process as I could use a range of performers for different parts of the song.

Even better if…

The clips would of been more effective if some of the performers looked more involved with the song and showed themselves enjoying it. This would of helped portray the narrative as some clips were quite dull with no facial expression conveyed. This meant that not all the footage could of been used when editing as it didn’t portray the narrative effectively. I would also of preferred using Adobe Premier Pro when editing this video because I felt I could be more precise when cutting the clips, but on Wevideo it was more difficult to get the perfect time of the clip that I wanted and found it was quite slow which effected the edit.

From this task, I have learned how to create a successful lip syncing video as well as how to use a green screen in filming. It has taught me the importance of the performer conveying the narrative through their facial expression as well as the range of shots and angles that need to be taken so there is a lot of footage to edit with. I’m pleased with my progress and has helped me for what to do and what not do when making my own music video.

For this task, I worked in a group of 3 to create a montage to improve my filming and evaluating skills in media. We chose a brief that was our source of inspiration to create the 40 second montage, and convey the ideas, issues, themes, moods, emotions that are suggested within our brief.

My first step to create this montage was to design a storyboard that included images of the shots we wished to complete, the type of shot such as long shot, pan, tilt, and a description of the models facial expression, action or object. In order to fill the 40 seconds, we needed to plan 15-20 shots that we could create using different angles of these shots. We used post-it-notes so we could move around the different shots easily to produce the perfect story.

Here is my storyboard that I created with my group:

When filming the shots for a montage there was a lot of components that my group had to keep in mind. To make our shoot as successful as possible we used a tripod to keep the shots still and steady and filmed everything at least twice so that there were no issues of loosing footage. We started the camera before the actors perform and don’t stop before they finish  by saying “3,2,1 Action” and making sure the actors wouldn’t continually stop in shots.  I experimented with moving the camera and re-framed as we took the shot from various different angles, distances to create visual interest and variety. I also kept in mind about depth of field, rule of thirds and lead space (in front of where the actor is looking / walking) and recorded close-ups of each shot to show reactions, important objects and significant events.

In my opinion I believe my group portrayed the narrative of our chosen brief. This is because we chose different stories that convey that “the best things in life are free” by showing that small things people do and experience everyday are better than people think. This has an impact as it allows individuals to reflect and consider that the small, free things in life can uplift their day and change their mood entirely. Between the clips you can sense some feeling and have a brief understanding of the relationship between the characters, however I feel that there should of been more facial expression in order to portray their feelings and relationship clearly. This is because their facial expressions were exaggerated and emphasized then it would be more clear to the audience and would highlight the brief vividly. The shot which portrayed the most meaning was the shots showing the handshake between two friends. I believe that this showed the cheerful friendship between the actors and how the handshake is a clear representation of this friendship. We used long shots and close ups to represent the reactions of the actors and the action of the handshake. This portrayed that the action of the handshake is a symbol of their friendship and they use this action to remind each other of this, which can uplift their day. There is no progression shown through the montage, however it shows many experiences that can happen throughout a person’s day which is free that can result in them feeling happy and fortunate. We used a repetition of close ups to convey how the person is feeling and how the actions can result in changing their mood which communicates the idea from the brief. I would of liked to personally experience trying out panning shots and tilt to portray the scene, because it would help develop my filming skills.

Strengths of my montage:

• Successful use of repetition of close ups to show the feelings and reactions of the actors.
• We kept in mind the narrative throughout the shoot and considered ways we could of portrayed it effectively.
• We took many shots to ensure each one was in focus and the lighting complemented the vibe of the scene.

Weaknesses of my montage:

• The actors didn’t portray the reaction and facial expression effectively as it should of been a lot more exaggerated.
• We couldn’t film a lot of the shots we had planned because it was bad weather so we had to compromise with the shots to fit around this problem.
• We didn’t experiment with different types of shots such as panning and tilt.

From creating this montage, I have learnt many new skills that will benefit when I am in the production of my own music video. For example, this task taught me the importance of narrative through film and how essential it is to convey this through the characters facial expression to create a successful story to a video. I have also developed my filming skills from this task, as I’ve had to achieve many different shots which will means I will be more confident when recording for my music video. It has also allowed me to begin experimenting with my editing skills as I hadn’t had a lot of experience before this task and I now have learnt the basics. This included adding transitions between my shots, adding music to the background to help achieve my narrative, and learning to cut clips to focus on the part of the video I needed. This has helped me discover the basic skills of Premiere Pro as I will need lots of skills on this software when creating my own music video.