As we are now onto the post production element of our performance shoot, we have created a rough cut of our music video using Premiere Pro. By using our previous understanding of the software, we were able to choose different clips to be used throughout our song. As we gathered enough footage during out first shoot, we were able to complete a full rough cut of our performance video, this was down to our organisation as we gathered a variety of shots for the entirety of the song.

Our First Draft:

What We Did Well:

• We were able to edit to the beat and the lip syncing mostly matches the audio.
• Editing to the beat helped us to move between clips easily.
• We have used a variety of shots and angles that help to effectively portray our star image.
• Our variety of shots allows for movement within the video that helps to keep the audience interested.
• Both my partner and I were able to have a go at editing in Premiere Pro, which helped our understanding of the software preparing us for our next edit.
• We have displayed the correct repetoire of elements for our chosen genre through the use of Mise en Scene, Lighting, Costumes, Mode of Address and Acting.

Targets to Improve:

• We could have chosen clips that have better lighting or adjusted the lighting in some clips to improve their quality.
• To help keep the audience engaged we need to move between clips quicker.
• We need to use the tools available to us on Premiere Pro to help sharpen our clips.
• One of the clips used is blurry and should be replaced during our next edit.
• With our understanding of the software, we can now begin to add effects and filters to help create a professional look.
• Next time, after exporting our video from Premiere Pro we need to make sure that our audio and video are synced.

On the day of our first shoot, everything was able to run smoothly and effectively due to our organisation and communication as a group. Before we began recording, we ensured that we had all the relevant equipment that would be needed, and that our performer was ready and our MES was properly represented. As a group we found our first shoot was successful, as we managed to get a variety shots and angles of our performer that we will be able to use in our final video.

Our first shoot started at about 9am when our group arrived at our first location of the day (Saints Bay). It was at this location that we filmed the majority of our footage. After we wrapped up shooting at this location, we went back to school and uploaded our footage so that we were able to film more in the afternoon. After doing this we went to our second location ( a field close to the Val De Terres) and remained there for the rest of the day. We ensured that between the people in our group that everyone had a chance to film. However as our performer was a member of our group, she was unable to film during this shoot but we have ensured that when it comes to filming our narrative she will have a chance to film.

Images from our first shoot – 

What Went Well –

• We used out time efficiently which helped us to gather a variety of shots and angles.
• Our use of communication and organisation allowed us to have all our props and equipment ready to go on the day.
• Our locations and our props worked well together and fit our genre.
• Our performer was confident and knew the lyrics of our song which will helps when it comes to editing.
• Every member of our group was able to express their opinions during the shoot which helped us to create new ideas.
• Our star image was portrayed effectively.

What We Could Improve –

• The lighting of our first location was too bright, which made it hard to see the performers face in some shots.
• The fabrics and props that we had on the day were not incorporated into the music video enough.
• Even though we have a wide variety of shots and angles, there is still room to improve.
• Unfortunately in some shots the wind was quite strong which meant the performers hair was in her face.
• In some shots the lighting or other factors meant the footage is not able to be used, so we will need to record more.
• In some shots where the tripod is not used, the camera was very shaky which means unfortunately some of the footage isn’t well shot.

Now that I have reflected on our first shoot, I have been able to gather elements that need to be improved and that can be thought about the next time we film. Reflection is crucial as it allows us as a group to understand how we can fix what went wrong. After reviewing our footage as a group, we have decided to go out in out own time and record more for a higher quality and to give us more options when editing. When we do this we will focus on our points of improvement such as Lighting and props, so that our we are happier with our outcomes.

To prevent confusion and have a successful performance shoot, as a group we created a production meeting agenda (PMA) as a guide of what we would need for the first shoot of our music video.

Within the PMA we outlined costume and makeup ideas, as well as what props and equipment will needed to be brought with us on the day and who is responsible for it. We have also planned the three locations we will be shooting at and have considered all risks and possible outcomes of our locations. I have been allocated the responsibility of  bringing the appropriate camera equipment and the day. By allocating different responsibilities to each-other we have been able to equally share the workload and have ensured that everyone has something to bring on the day.

To minimize the level of risk during our performance shoot, we have to carry out a risk assessment as a group and evaluate all possible risks of the locations we will be using.

Please click on the image to view the PDF

Above we have identified the possible risks we will have to watch out for which include the cliffs around saints bay, any rocks on the beach as well as being careful of moving vehicle’s and strangers. By collectively evaluating all possible hazards, we are able to create a safer environment for our performance shoot.

To ensure we portray a meaningful and positive star image within our music video, as a group, we collectively created a canva poster based around our performer. As a group we had to research a star within our genre and gather an idea of how they are portrayed. In doing this research we are able to analyse different media texts and collate ideas for how we would like to portray our star.

How Emeli Sandé is presented within different media texts

As a group we gathered a wide variety of different media texts in which Emeli Sandé appears, doing this allowed us to gather a detailed idea of her star image. In our canva above we included news articles, social media posts, magazines and TV interviews. During this research we learnt that Emeli Sandé has recently opened up about being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, announcing that she is Bisexual to the world. By being open about her sexuality and proud of who she is, Sandé is able to set a precedent to her younger audience that its okay to express yourself. Since revealing her true sexuality to the world, Sandé has said that she’s “happier than ever” and even revealed that she has found love, this conveys the stars image to be strong, powerful and brave as well as inspirational.

Due to digitalisation within the music industry, Emeli Sandé is able to promote herself through multiple platforms such as digitally through social media apps like Instagram and Twitter and through hard copy forms of media print such as magazines and news articles. By using social media, Sandé is able to distribute content and interact with her audience quickly and efficiently. With a large following of 408 thousand on instagram alone, because of digitalisation, Emeli Sandé is able to promote herself as energetic and friendly and she regularly updates her audience on her day to day life. To reach different audiences, Sandé has collaborated with artists such as Labrinth, producing the song ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’, promoting a positive message to their audiences and gaining good publicity for both artists which benefits them both as they reach new audiences and more people are introduced to their music.

Emeli Sandé is often portrayed to be classy and elegant through many public appearances and magazine articles. This helps her to portray a star image of wealth, importance and confidence through the use of bright, unique and statement items of clothing and jewellery. Her unique style allows her to express herself and portray the idea of self truth and reality to her fans. In doing this she creates a good look for herself, gaining good publicity carrying herself in positive, professional light within the media and the music industry.

How we want our star image to be portrayed

When we come to produce our music video as a group, we want to portray our star image to be similar to Emeli Sandé with our own ideas. We want our star image to be presented positively so that we are able to promote our music video similar to those of the pop genre. Those conventions often include – bright colours, a sense of emotion, love or a sense of mystery. To portray our star image throughout our music video, we will use a repetoire of elements such as high and low key lighting, Mise En Scene, camera angles and cinematography. For our star image to be portrayed effectively and so that we are able to gain our audiences attention, we will create a social media page and a digipak to go with our music video, which will help us to promote a positive image of our star across multiple media platforms. When doing this, we will follow the basic conventions of the pop genre as well as adding our own aspects, this will help us to portray our star image correctly and effectively.

In order to understand the common conventional shots and performance styles used within our genre of music, we had to gather evidence from previous media texts. As a group we created the padlet below in which gathered a variety of conventional shots from a pop music video and explain how they have helped to add the narrative. In doing this it has helped us gain insight into what conventions we need to include in our music video.

Common Elements – 

From previous experience of viewing and analysing different media texts from the genre of pop, we were able to gather common conventions of narratives and performances, which benefitted us to create ideas to include within our own music video. As a group we found that within the pop genre, the repetoire of elements often included are:

Narrative Conventions – 

This genre tends to focus around love and heartbreak, emotion, power and positive, happy narratives. These common themes and narratives, allow the artist to convey their star image through performance to create a strong feeling towards their audience and to ensure their narrative is portrayed correctly.

Narrative Structure – 

Pop commonly features linear, anachronic and episodic narrative structures as well as switching between performance aspects.

Performance Styles –

Styles within this genre tend to feature the artist as the performer and the actor for the narrative. The performance within this video produces a wide variety of locations, shots, costumes and lighting. In using bright, vibrant colours the audience is attracted to the video as it is interesting and pleasing to look at. As part of the performance in this video there is a lip syncing aspect. During this aspect the artist is using direct address towards the audience as a way of involving them.

Although we have focused on these aspects of one music video, there is a wider variety differences within the pop genre which change from artist to artist as different songs contain different meanings and narratives. Cinematography and editing are crucial when developing a music video and portraying a star image. It is important that the correct repetoire of elements is used when creating a pop video, as well as a variety of camera angles which can convey different meanings and emotions. This could include: High angle, Low angle, tracking shots, close ups, mid shots, long shots and many more.

When we come to planning and producing our music video, we will remember that it is important to use the pop repetoire of elements correctly and effectively that will produce the best outcome for us as a group. We will be able to apply and reflect upon our knowledge that help us take into consideration the common conventions that our audience will want to see.

After being put into our group, we had to decide upon our final plan for our music video so that our final product is effective and all the aspects will fit well together. It was important for us as a group to discuss our ideas and opinions without our teacher, so that we were able to make our final decisions. It was important to discuss things such as the performance and narrative skills and structure, Mise En Scene, typical and common conventions, costumes, lighting, and locations. By meeting and presenting our final pitch to our teacher as a group, we were able to find and pick out key positive and negatives aspects about our idea. In doing this we will be able to create targets to focus on that will help us in planning and organising our shoots so that they are a high standard.

Final Group Pitch:

After working on our final pitch as a group, we went to our teacher and presented to her our ideas. This helped us t0 understand our narrative more in depth and it made us reflect upon what works well and what needs to be improved.

A Video Discussion To Our Teacher Of Our Pitch –

Positives Of Our Pitch – 

• Our chosen locations for our shoot are unique and fit well with the conventions of our genre.
• Due to our detailed planning, we are able to display our narrative effectively.
• We were able to expand upon some of our ideas during the pitch as our teacher challenged them. This helped make them easier to portray more effectively.
• Our song choice fits well with our narrative, helping us to go through production with a clear plan laid out.
• The plan for our video matches well with the common conventions of pop and allows us to expand and improve our ideas.
• The aspects of Mise en scene considered will help us to portray our narrative effectively.

Targets To Be Considered – 

• We could consider have a separate singer and performer. This will help us to prevent confusion.
• Before we begin filming, we need to ensure we have a clear plan for our costumes and props to help the shoot run smoothly.
• To ensure we have three clear scenes throughout the video where are singer and performer are separated.
• Make sure that all participants included in our party scene are fully prepared and have costumes and props prepared.
• To try not overcomplicate our narrative so that our audience can follow it easily and that there is no confusion.

As a way to prevent copyright during the production of our music video, we had to message our artist, Emeli Sande, and ask fro her permission to use her song. This is a great way of showing professionalism and maturity that is needed within the industry and allows our artist to understand that we are using her song for educational purposes.

To ensure a perfect production group during this project, we had to agree and allocate different aspects of the project that would benefit and suit each person and their skills.

Please click on the image to view the PDF

Through creating this document, we as a group are able to know what each others strengths and weaknesses are, and are able to know what each of us need to do in order for our production to run smoothly. For myself, we decided that I would be in charge of props and location as well as filming and editing which we are all responsible for. By giving everyone equal responsibility within this task means that it won’t be down to just one person and we all have to produce a sufficient amount of work each. Although we have decided to shoot our music video as a group of four, when it comes to editing the video we will split into pairs to ensure that everyone contributes equally to the final pieces.

To be able to communicate quickly and effectively during this project, we will use social media platforms so that everyone knows the plan that is in place. Communication is crucial within this project, without it we would be unable to coordinate on costumes and props and wouldn’t be able to manage out time effectively.

Now that we have been allocated into the groups that we will work in, it is important to discuss and decide upon our final ideas as a group.

Our Mini Pitch and Song Choice:

Within our mini pitch as a group, we have decided to use Freya’s original song choice and the narrative idea that she came up with, however we have also taken each others ideas on board and added to the mini pitch, allowing each person to express their opinions.  Our final song choice of  ‘There isn’t much’ by Emeli Sande allows us to really explore our narrative of a girl being lonely on her birthday. The lyrics used within the song line up well with our narrative content and means that our video will be able to have both a narrative and performance aspect. As we look forward as a group, we will begin to coordinate a plan of action as well as preparing what we will need for our video such as props, costumes and makeup.