In order to experiment with some shots and angles that we could potentially use in our music video, we did a test shoot to get a vague idea of what will work and what won’t. This was helpful as it helped us to put together a stronger idea and a more helpful plan for what we would actually do when we got to filming the actual video. This task also helped Sylvie to become more comfortable with being on camera, and allowed her to practise her lip synching a bit more than before. Since we are planning on filming a lot of our video outside, we shot outside of our school in location that looked similar to the places we were planning to shoot. This task also helped us understand the editing software Premiere Pro a bit better, and helped to familiarise us with some of its basic video editing features.

Performance Test Footage

What went well

• We added in a title card for the song using Premiere, which both familiarised us with this feature of the software and solidified our like of the idea
• The footage was well cut together
• We managed to test out a few of the shots on our shot list, which showed us what we liked and could work well, like the arial shot of Sylvie in the grass, and what might be more difficult to achieve
• The lip synching has improved

Targets

• Further improve the lip synching
• Try out a wider array of shots to add more variation to the video
• Experiment more with effects and editing techniques
• Practise the use of the sock puppets and make sure they’re positioned correctly in the frame, as we struggled to keep them in shot a lot of the time

For this task, we worked in pairs to create a lip sync to the song ‘New Rules’ by Dua Lipa, in order to familiarise ourselves with he equipment and software we needed to create our music video.

Lip syncing in very important in a music video in order to convey the desired message, so practising this was helpful. We needed to convey the feeling of the song though our actions, which was the idea of happiness and new found confidence after getting out of a relationship, and we tried to portray this through our acting.

What Went Well

• We generally managed to keep in time with the song, which is important because otherwise the editing process would have been made more complicated and the lip sync would have been obvious
• The camera work was steady and had some variety, which created a more interesting video overall

Targets

• When we shoot our actual music video, we will expand on our range of shots, to ensure that the video is as visually interesting as it can be
• Our lip-synching movements could be much more clear in order to fully portray the words that are being said, increasing clarity for the audience
• In this video we often looked off to the side to read the lyrics instead of looking directly at the camera, and we will remedy this in our actual video by learning the lyrics beforehand

For this task, in order to familiarize ourselves with the camera work, mise-en-scene, and editing software involved in video editing, we were challenged to create a montage. We based our montage on the idiom ‘fall down 7 times, get up 8.’

Storyboard

Video Montage

Reflection

Do you think your montage has an impact?

I think that my montage has quite an inspirational impact, as it shows the value of  support and friendship, as well as being resilient.

Do you get a sense of feeling or story/relationship?

The sense of the relationship between the person learning guitar and the person they idolize is clear, and appears to get stronger as the montage progresses and the learner improves.

How does one specified cut create meaning? Please use time codes to identify the cut in question.

One cut that creates meaning is the cut between the section of the learner’s aggression and irritation (0:16) followed by a black screen and a slow fade in to the learner putting the instrument down. (0:21). This creates the meaning that the learner is lashing out in frustration at their failures, followed by their regret and disappointment as conveyed by the change in tone.

Is there a sense of progression or are you trying just to reflect an experience?

There’s a sense of progression as the learner improves through the montage, which is emphasized by the assistance of their mentor and the audience’s change in reaction to their playing.

Do you use repetition of some shots? If so, how do they help communicate your idea?

A repeated shot that I used was of the audience heckling the musician earlier in the piece in comparison to them cheering her on later on. This suggests the improvement of the musician, communicating her progression.

What additional shot would you have liked to get to further communicate the idea?

I would have liked to include the shot of the tear in close up to further emphasize that failing is an important part of succeeding in the end. I also would have improved the edit for the heckling, as it doesn’t feel as intense and emotional as it could. I would improve this by making the edit slow down in that moment, almost as if the emotion has stopped her in her tracks.