We were given the oppertunity to show our music video so far to a professional creative from Specsavers which has proved to be extremely helpful. My team were given guidance and feeback on our draft as well as being shown special effects we could add to our video through premiere pro in post production. In order to create a meaningfull narrative we were shown how to use different effects to do so. For example the echo effect helps to portray the atmosphere of a party for that scene. Another aspect within this session we learnt was how to make one clip jump into different shots, known as keyframing, this helps to make the video more dynamic using a wider range of shots. Below is a photo of a key frame we have added to our music video:

It is extremely important to allow other people to view your work, creating a fresh eye to any mistakes and places within the video that may not quite work. From this session with Specsaver’s me and my partner have set aims wich we wish to include within our next draft.

Targets:

• To create meaning and atmosphere we will add special effects to our narrative scenes.
• Use the feature which allows one shot to move around and jump as though we have filmed multiple clips.
• Throughout the video use differnt transitions between each clip so the video isn’t tedious.

The feedback given has been especially helpful for our post prodcution stage of our music video; helping us with features in premiere pro and general guidance as to how we can improve our video. My team have taken the advice away and will reflect this within our next draft of our music video.

We have now gathered all our footage needed for our music video to come together. During our two first shoots and over the summer holidays my production group when on a total of  five shoots for our music video. Each shoot was well organised with our whole production team knowing exactly what their role was on the day in order to have a successful shoot.

Now that we have gathered all our footage my team has been split into two to ensure we are all able to reflect our editing skills into the music video with equal oppertunity. Below is our second draft, including both perfromance and narrative aspects of the music video. Although our draft two is no where near perfect it is important to get a basic idea od how the video will come together before moving on to any major editing techniques; colour effects, transitions and any extra features wanting to be included. This is important so that me and my partner can visualise the story line and think about what we want to add before jumping straight into it.

Music Video Draft 2:

After roughly editing our draft two of the music video it is extremely important to go through the assessment criteria to ensure we have included everything, and if not to then go forward and include this within our next draft. One of the key major aspects to keep an audience engaged within a video is the use of different shots and angles. When filming all of our footage we had this in mind and where able to gather a wide range so we could then tell the story ifn an exciting and visually engaing way.

Self Assessment Checklist:

What Went well:

• We were able to sync our story line well and get every video into the correct order. This is vital within a music video in order to minimise confusion towards the audience.
• Both the performance and narrative shoots work well together and succesfully blend in without any confusion within the video. This also allows a clear vision of our star image and narrative.
• The range of shots shown throughout the video helps the audience to stay engaged and keep the video exciting.
• The majority of our performance aspect of the video is succesfully synced up.
• Our mise en scene portrays the storyline well without being too overpowering.

What Needs Improving:

• Some of our lip sycing is still slightly out of time towards the end of the video so this will need to be changed.
• We have not included one of our performance shoots throughout the video so we will now take some time to look at this footage and see if we want to include it.
• Framing within some videos need to be zoomed in on so the shot becomes more effective.
• Editing to the beat is vital and we need to continue this throughout the video.
• Effects such as colour correction, filters, transitions will need to be played with to add extra effect to the music video.
• A strong openeing and ending of the video will be added to draw the audience in but also allow them to leave feeling satisfied.
• The party seen needs to be looked at carefully to ensure it works withi the video.

Feedback From Our Teacher:

After submitting our first drafts our subject teacher gave us some feedback about what she liked and what could possibly be changed within the music video. Here is what she suggested:

• To start the singing with a close up rather then a mid shot.
• As she opens the blings to make this move more pwerful switch to a white screen.
• At some point in the video to include a close up of the photo frame.
• To take a look at the party scene when she leaves to see if this element is necassary.
• Some videos at saints bay the performer has the microphone and some she doesn’t. Between different location this would be okay.

Overall we have made good progress for our music video throughout the summer holidays. We have now got a basis for our music video which we can continue to add improvements to and ensure we have ticked off all the assessment criteria. Although this draft above does not include all the assesment criteria, by having this rough video allows us to look and see what needs to be done to ensure it does. It gives us extra time to focus on the finer details of what makes a music video work which will be shown throughout our next drafts.

The day of our shoot came around really quickly however due to producing a production meeting agenda as well as a narrative story board my production team were able to have a very successful shoot. We started the day at around 9:30am with our location being one of our teams houses, from then we filmed throughout the day gathering a series of shots to tell the first segment of our narrative aspect of the music video. Throughout the shoot everyone got along really well and were able to contribute their ideas as we went along in order to allow everyone’s opinions to be included.

This time as I was the performer for our performance shoot I was able to have a go at shooting some of our footage as well as the other members of our group. Below are images from our shoot two (narrative).

Images From The Shoot:

What Went Well:

• We were all able to contribute our ideas as we went along throughout the shoot.
• We managed to gather a variety of shots, angles and camera movment as we told the story.
• Everyone contributed towards shooting apart from our model who was able to film a large amount of the performance shoot in order to share the workload.
• The lighting within the shoot was perfect due to our equipment and the natural light within the room helping to keep the shoot professional.
• We were able to use our time wisely and film all the footage in the time we had.
• Our model performed confidently and was able to portray the character very well.

Targets For Our Next Narrative Shoot:

• We would like to gather more shots with camera movement which will suit are next scenes better due to their narrative themes.
• To make sure that each section of the narrative is filmed  in different shots to help it make sense when it comes to editing.
• Ensure that when filming no objects or people that aren’t in the video are not seen in order to save time where we may have to reshoot some clips.
• When our performer is acting, within our next scenes there are more emotions shown, so we will need to make sure our actor is comfortable and knows what to do and when.
• Going forward we will keep using the proffesional equipment e.g the bright light, as it really helped our footage to come together.
• One shot we will need to do at another member of our productions teams house as due to work being done we were unable to film this shot.

Overall, from reflecting on our shoot, my production team are extremely happy with the results and we all thought the shoot ran really smoothly as we were able to use our time efectively gathering a variety of footage which we can now use for our video. Our team is extremely excited to keep filming over the holidays and continue our narrative through the other three main scenes.

 

To ensure that there are minimal risk involved within our second shoot for our narrative aspect of our music video it is important to create a risk assessment between our production group. This enables us to all know the possible risks allowing us to be aware and safe when it comes to shooting. Below is our risk assessment for our first narrative video shoot which we have all signed to show that we are all aware.

Our Risk Assessment:

This was extremely important to enable our safety when filming allowing our shoot to run smoothly on the day. Hazards we have identified are possible tripping hazards within the house such as wires and any other objects within the house however our shoot is very safe apart from this hazard. To minimise the risk of this hazard we will take extra care when walking around the shoots and remove antging not needed that culd get in the way. Included within this document are our signatures to show were are all aware includimg our teacher.

Our Production Meeting Agenda:

In order to increase organisation within our group it is important to make a production meeting agenda for each shoot we do throughout the making of our music video. By doing this allows our group to know exactly what is happening and when as well as being clear of what each inividual is responsible for. Below is our production meeting agenda for our first narrative shoot:

Included in this document is the date, times and loaction of our shoot allowing our team to all know exactly what is happening. As well as this it shows who is responsible for bringing items needed to the shoot; I am responsible for providing one of the costumes (pink dress) as well as some props which we will all contribute towards making them.

By allocating these roles towards each member allows an equal share, making sure everyone is involved within the shoot. Production meeting agendas allow us to become organised from an earlier date, before the shoot in order to stay proffessional nd use our time wisely.

With the aim of good organisation between our production group to create narrative sense it is extremely important to have a detailed plan which we can follow as we move into the narrative stage of our music video. Below we have produced a narrative photo board and shot list for every scene and location we will be filming at. As well as this we have produced a mood board to display our preconceived ideas for our narrative.

Our Narrative Photo Board/ Shot List:

What Does This Show?

The narrative element of our music video will follow the story of a young girl who wakes up on her birthday feeling isolated and sad. The girls boyfriend has recently passed which will be shown at the beginning with the use of props. As the narrative continues she goes out to celebrate her birthday where the loss of her boyfriend really affects her and she can’t handle the situation so therefore leaves the party. The video will finish within the kitchen where she is seen blowing out the candles by herself.

Our music video will be completed with a total of four main scenes/locations: the bedroom, the party, street/car, the kitchen. When filiming these scenes we have compiled together a variety of different shots and camera movment that will work well within the scene as well as allowing us to follow the common conventions seen in the pop genre. Some shots we will be using our high angle, POV, tracking, pan, ped, mid, reaction shots, which will all allow us to follow our narrative structure whilst gathering a variety of filming which we can then edit in the post production stage.

In order to diffrentiate our scenes within the narrative we will keep our narrative themes for each scene by using dfferent techniques but still inlining in the correct conventions and repetoire of elements. For example in the car and party scene the shots featured will involve much more movment with tracking shots and point of views. This allows the audience to feel a sense of involvment within the video as though they are actually in the scene commonly scene in this genre. However in the bedroom and kitchen scenes the shots will feature much more still shots and set angles in order to fit the narrative theme of that scene. This allows a variety of camera movement and shots helping to keep the audience engaged to create a selling point and portray our star image in a proffessional way towards the pop genre.

Creating this document will enable our group to refer back to it in the coming weeks when we our shooting in order to see what our next step is helping to stay organised and use our time wisely.

 

We are now onto the post production aspect using Premiere Pro, below is our first music video draft as a rough cut from our performance shoot. Once familiarising ourselves with the software we were able to get started on the editing of our music video picking out different clips throughut the song. Due to gathering enough footage on our first shoot we were able to create a full video with our performance video for all parts of the song. As well as this it was quick and easy for us to match up the lip syncing due to being organised and gathering shots for the enirity of the song.

Our First Music Video Draft:

What Went Well:

• Our lip sycing matched up well with the song meaning our video can be proffessional and not confusing for our audience however when uploaded it went out of sync so this will need to be sorted.
• Within the video we were able to edit to the beat and swap between clips where appropriate.
• Our star image has been portrayed effectively e.g emotion. passion, class, fun and positive.
• The repetoire of elements from our selected genre was well displayed through our MES, direct mode of adress, costumes, lighting, and acting.
• The variety of shots we gathered allowed a variety of movement within our music video helping to keep intrest.
• Both me and my partner were able to have a go at editing and understand the software ready for when we next edit.

What We Could Improve On:

• To help keep the audience even more intrested we need to swap between clips quicker.
• Now we have a basic rough cut we can start editing and adding effects to create a more proffesional and exciting feel.
• In some clips the lighting could have been better, therefore we can change this using the different tools on the software.
• Now we can experiment with the software and change some things into slow mo, however this may come into the narrative aspect more.
• Make sure the sharpeness on each clip is clear and the shot is easily visible.
• Although the lip syncing is pretty much perfect there are some places where it could be improved and changed slightly.
• When uploaded make sure it is still in sync.

 

After our initial filming shoot we were lucky enough to have visitors from a proffessional company who work within the industry of editing. Familiar with the software we are using to edit our videos, they were able to give us an insight of all the tools available within the software, Premiere Pro. Already knowing knowledge of the software was helpful when it came to editing our first rough cut but with the help of someone who knew the programme with confidence to answer any questions and teach us some short cuts was extremely helpful and great advice. This has enabled my group to gain huge amounts of confidence with Premiere Pro making our editingless stressfull by having a wder range of knowledge.

What We Learnt:

• How to creaate different folders in order to keep our project more organised.
• The way in which you are able to slow down a video to create a slow mo effect.
• How to colour corrcect the shots and add different effects which could then be used in different segments if wanted.
• The many different shortcuts within the programme.
• Different frame rates and how we can possible change this in order to create different speeds.

Speaking to Lenny, a proffesional from Specsavers, about our plans for our music video e.g narrative, performance, location ideas, we were able to gather an opinion from someone outside our production group. He suggested some ideas for our video with what he though would work well and what we could possible adapt. Seeking opinions from different people can be extremely useful as it is almost a way of seeing what your audience may want to see and what they would not. From this discussion we were confident with our ideas and knew that what we had decided to do was both conventional and intresting helping us to have clear and direct path of where we want our project to take us.

When the day of our first shoot came around for our production team every aspect ran really smoothly due to our organisation and communication within our group. We ensured me had all of the equipment when arriving, created our MES before filming in order to create the atmosphere we wanted. Due to this our first shoot was very successfull in which we managed to get a variety of different shots and angles that we can use within our final piece.

Our production group arrived at our first location (saints bay) at 9am where we filmed the majority of our shots, after this we moved to our second location (a field outside Fort George) where we remained for the rest of the day. All of out team was there to take it in goes of filming ensuring that everyone is involved and has a go at this aspect. However I, as the performer, was unable to do so but will therfore be taking part in filming the narrative aspect of our video.

Images From Our First Shoot:

What Went Well:

1. When the day arrived our team was organised with all of our props, cotumes, make up and other aspects ready due to the communication in our group.
2. We used our time wisely and effectively.
3. We were able to get a variety of shots and angles to use within our video.
4. The scenery and props used worked really well with our genre and location.
5. I, as the singer, was confident within the perfromance and acting in order to create a realistic video as well as knowing all the lyrics to our chosen song.
6. Each group member cooperated well and bought new ideas as we went along.
7. We have displayed our star image well and how we wanted too.

What Could Be Improved:

1. The lighting displayed from the background was too bright in some shots and could not be ajusted as we could then not see the performers face.
2. Although we got a variety of shots there could still be room for experimenting more with the camera and trying other shots.
3. The wind was very strong and therefore was sometimes hard for the performers face to be shown due to hair blowing.
4. In some shots due to our location, some of our production team are seen within the clips and therefore will need to rerecord.
5. When not using the tripod the camera tended to shake a little which we will focus on when it comes to filming more clips.
6.  When it comes to shooting again we would like to involve the props more e.g the fabric.

From reflecting on our first shoot towards our music video we have been able to gather elements we need to think about when it comes to fliming again in order for it to become even more successfull. This is extremely important to do as it allows us to know what we did wrong and ways to go about fixing different issues. Our group has collectively decided to film more footage for our performance aspect of our video to get a high quality, professional video whilst allowing us to have a wider range of choice when editing. When it comes to doing this we will make sure we focus on these improvments with the main one being the lighting within some shots.

When it comes to running our first shoot within our production group for our music video it is vital that each member knows exactly what they are responsible for on the day. This allow us to have clear idea of how to run our shoot, enabling us to use our time wisely and efficiently.

Our Groups Production Meeting Agenda For Shoot 01

 

Involved within the document above is every aspect we need to consider for our shoot. We have decided who will be responsible for each props, costumes, make up, hair and equipment. When discussing with my group I have been allocated to be the model within the performance shoot as well as being responsible for my own costume, hair and singing props. By allocating these elements to our group members allows us from an earlier date to be organised and proffessional when it comes to the day of our shoot.