To further develop our music videos, we created a draft including the narrative. In this draft, we managed to create a complete music video. However, there are a few things to change and tweak to make it better.
To think critically about the work we have produced, we assessed it against some key conventions of a music video.
What went well?
- Our video’s editing reflects the rhythm of the music. We put an emphasis on our group editing to the beat. This was crucial as it allowed the video and music to work together simultaneously, creating a better atmosphere. It allowed our video to be professional and encouraged a steady pace of progression within the narrative.
- Our mise-en-scene, particularly in the narrative, was enhanced using colour correction techniques. This allowed us to accentuate our key messages, ideas, and themes, inspiring people to be their true selves. It is bold and brave and works cohesively with the performers. It helped convey the star image and represent some of our target audience members.
- We found we had a wide variety of different shots and angles to choose from; This allowed us to put together quality footage that had lots of variation and was engaging. This was useful as it allowed us to make a cohesive video that was interesting and appealing to the eye.
- In the end, we introduced the pin board again, which had become such a key feature within the video – this created a cyclic structure and acted as a reminder to the audience of the story’s humble beginnings. The use of transitions at the end was a nice touch as the video was not cut abruptly.
Targets for Improvement
- We struggled again with our projector effect and getting it right – currently – it is far too light but does, however, show our intricate and detailed makeup looks. To rectify this, we are looking into using a new software called After Effects to layer the two video clips and ensure that no quality is lost.
- We could add some more transitions into our music video to create a more seamless edit that is not so abrupt. In particular, during the narrative, we can include them in some montages. We must ensure we do not overdo this – otherwise, it’ll look tacky and unprofessional.
- The majority of our shots are still, and the tripod was set up correctly. However, particularly during a montage, there are a few clips that require stabilising. This is to ensure that our edit is of the highest quality and is easy to watch.
- Our editing for the narrative is well established but needs some work. In our next draft, I think we should include more clips before the final transition to accentuate how difficult it is to live when you are unable to be yourself.
- During a clip where the ‘How to Fit In’ book is shown, some black can be seen at the bottom of the clip due to a zoom we added. We will rectify this in the next draft.
Focus Forward
Overall we have made good progress without a music video. By ensuring we completed the song, we can now look at the video as a whole and ensure that everything works together. We have identified some key issues we are facing and how we will address them. The most important thing we learned during this task – was how to ensure that the narrative and performance interacted well and proficiently. We worked well as a team and generated some fun and new ideas, which is crucial when working on a project like this. We will continue to work in this manner and focus on key issues within our music video in draft 3.