Over the course of the post-production process for our music video, I have picked up and incorporated numerous editing and animation techniques in the Adobe After Effects software. They have had impacts that are easily visible, or in other cases extremely subtle. They have really allowed for a spontaneous, exciting music video; elements of which that will really add to the ska flavour. It is hoped that the audience will recognise the satirical elements, and jeers that have been made to oppose the socio-political climate of modern times in an accessible way that will entice people of all ages, and manifest a band that is outlandish, wacky and bold.

Change Colour:

One of the images we made for the cartoon sections of the video was the completely wrong colour and ruined the colour palette we were aiming for on screen. Unfortunately, at the time in which we were doing this section, our schedule was tight so we had to find a quick method that was easy to replicate in case of future instances of a similar nature. The solution to this was change colour. Change colour is not dissimilar to the three way colour corrector found in Premiere Pro. Quite simply, it allows the user to pick a colour found on the screen, or on a layer, and change it to the desired colour. We changed blue to yellow in one of the cartoon ‘cut-out’ boxes, and it really pushed the bold nature seen in the rest of the palette. To make the shape vivid, we heightened the ‘hue transform’ as seen near the top of the image. It made the colour stand out against the rest of the scene, and put emphasis on the youthful, cartoony elements in the shot.

Feathering:

Feathering is a tool that will soften edges, and drop their opacity automatically so they fade into the background at a gradient that is acceptable to the situation. For example, feathering was used during the Trump/Clinton scene to highlight them as a manifestation of the bassist’s mind, and in turn, testament to his confusion, disdain and skepticism. Another usage included that of the vignette. It produced a uniform border around the oval mask that we had created, and allowed for a neat, clean fade into the shot. It worked, and served as an organised border.

Key Frames:

Key frames are essential to the majority of effects that we have used in our video. They act as timings, or points at which an animation will change, or finish entirely. Examples of when they were used include during the hairdryer scenes when the ‘radial blurs’ would distort and ‘blow away’ the band members, or on things that needed motion across the screen such as kisses, and musical notes.

Lens Flare:

The lens flare is a very simple lighting technique that is most prominently found in video games of the ‘3D era’. However, we found a slap-stick usage for it during one of our comic book segments in the video. It really added to the humourous, easy going nature that allows the band to ridicule themselves. It was used when the bassist winks at the camera to add an air of light-heartedness, and the band member broke the fourth wall; almost as if the bassist was flirting with audience and using the lyrics of “just you and me” as a crass chat up line, or innuendo to communicate with the audience.

Mask:

The mask is essential a tool that will cut out sections of a video clip or image which can then be placed over the top of more video clips. We cut an oval shape out of a pink square that filled the screen, and by using the feathering tool that is mentioned above, we made a ‘romantic’ vignette that to sit on top of the bassist’s kiss to the camera; we hoped this would serve as homage to cheesy pre-war love films. By clicking invert on a mask, it will remove areas around a selected portion of a clip/image. We used an inverted mask to cut out the faces of Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton when the bassist is on the toilet confused about American politics. Again, the aforementioned feathering was used but this time to create a thought bubble-esque effect to convey him thinking upon his confusion and skepticism of them both. These inclusions of the mask tool allowed us to both show the activism seen in the ska genre, and enfuse inter-textual referencing to a bygone era in the film industry.

Opacity:

Opacity is a tool that will allow you to choose how transparent or opaque something on screen is. We used it numerous times, such on the vignette border during a kiss scene, and on the politicians representing Democrats and Republicans in the 2016 US Elections. It not only created an environment on screen that was clear and easy to read and decode, but one that conveyed the meta-narratives within the big picture of the video’s main message (such as being skeptical of politics, and being yourself). Furthermore, it allowed us to replicate the famous BBC News on screen imagery because we could successfully drop the opacity on a logo in the top corner of the screen that would make for an almost identical and true to life version of a mainstream media outlet.

Pathing:

Pathing was an essential method to use in our video. Pathing is a tool that allows objects to move around on screen in any which way and direction one wishes them to. There was numerous instances of this pathing, such as the kisses flying off screen (pictured) when the bassist blew a kiss at the camera, or when musical notes were seen floating out of the saxophonists instrument. It added texture to these shots because it meant we could replicate things ‘flying’ out of the screen. It was a dynamic attempt to break the fourth wall, and as mentioned in our feedback for draft 1, dynamism was something we desperately had to improve on.

Radial Blur:

There is a moment in the video when the band are singing into a hairdryer and due to this, they are being ‘blown away’. To visually aid this part of the narrative, it was imperative we used an effect to clarify what was happening. This involved us centering the Radial Blurs and the Radial Fast Blur on the hairdryer, and in conjuction with key frames, we had an effect that stretch the screen and blow it out of proportion at random times and in a chaotic manner. The outcome was very much what we had desired, and clearly illustrated 4 band members so attached to the hairdryer, that it was actually doing them harm to cater to their look so often.

Venetian Blinds/Sharpen:

Part of the humour behind the BBC News scene was that the footage sent in had been amateur, and as such we wanted to make something that looked like it had been filmed on a poor quality phone. Capturing the awful resolution of the scene was really important to us aesthetically because the visuals of this scene had to convey an essence of panic of the public in the middle of this celebrity riot, a riot of which had found its causation in ‘a lack of screen time’ for these vain and ostentatious celebs. To do this, we used the Venetian blind tool to create low quality, nasty looking bars that would flicker across the screen, and we used a sharpen tool to make the shot grainy, and distort colouring.

Our penultimate draft is arguably the most important draft of them all as it is the final time that we will be able to gain feedback before the final product, and due to how imperative this draft is, our group wanted to really put audience members on the spot by showing them our unseen draft for their first impressions. We created what almost became a pitch, where we could gather targets and final tweaks before we finish our product altoghther. It was a great way of gathering feedback as we could really dig deep into what they felt about our music video, and pick their brains as first time viewers (the best people to ask considering EVERYONE who watches it will be in this position).

What Went Well?:

• The Newspaper animation was popular with the viewers, and will be kept.
• The intro ‘skit’ was well paced, and had a variety of shots.
• The foley sound of the cubicle door slamming was a great addition to the scene.
• Kris liked the close ups on the bass guitar.
• Sally agreed with our thoughts on the pace of the edit, it fit the swaying, jazzy calpyso aspects of the ska genre.
• Again, the viewers liked the close ups on Pete’s guitar – we will add more if possible.
• Louis blowing kisses at the camera had a visible shock value, and got the group talking. Animations are a great hit.
• They are also aesthetically pleasing, a great factor to encapsulate and intrigue our audiences.
• We got laughs out of the group, a key reaction. Blueprints are being fulfilled.
• Actors “really suit the star image that we are trying to create” – futher reiterated by the Mise En Scene as stated at the beginning by Sally.
• Kit asked if the black and white check seen in the iconography consistently through the video helped the ska genre, and the group replied positively. This is a fundamental part of the genre, and preferred reading is seen.
• As the video concludes, the narrative is tied together nicely and reaches a good climax.
• The action slows with the music, the matching to the beat created what seemed to be a very satisfactory reply.
• The parodies work as intertextual reference, and despite our worries of them reaching very niche audiences, the whole group said they got them, and they are great because they’re “trendy” and current.
• The video really emphasises its message. The group stated that they were made to think about what they had just seen, and Kris was in concurrance with us that it would make people laugh.

Targets:

• The Star Wars parody at the start needs to be more interesting. This could involve working with a third party sight to produce an authentic Star Wars intro. It also needs to be longer so it can read properly; another issue solved by the above solution.
• More transitions are to be added, as Leonie requested, and they need to be more interesting.
• Sally and Kris agreed that we should have more animations in places; the performance sections can be quite “bare”, and we definitely don’t want that to be an oppositional reading of the genre altogether.

We know exactly where to begin with the final stretch of post-production, and we are glad that have begun to iron out more negative parts of the video.

Below is our feedback for Draft Three. Feedback is found with the original forms from the questionnaire, and any targets set by us or the individuals has been highlighted in bold.

This is draft 3 of our music video for Mirror in the Bathroom by “The Beat”.

DRAFT 2:

This is draft two of our music video for “Mirror in the Bathroom” by the English Beat.

DRAFT 2 FEEDBACK:

Feedback was collected from six people in the form of video feedback, of which was done post-viewing. Our feedback can be found in the video below. Summarised targets are within the video at the end.

As the ska genre generally uses the conventional method of filming the narrative in the same location as the performance, we filmed most of our narrative shots on the same day as the performance shoot. However, on the 20th October 2016, we decided to use a second location that would better suit the literal meaning of the song. We asked for permission to use a set of toilets at school. The location was chosen as it had a row of mirrors with the sinks infront of them, urinals and cubicles. It had very grim lighting that would suit the seedy, urban locations we were after, so it linked to the location of our performance too. We had an hour in which to film the narrative, and as we had only a few shots to do, it gave us plenty of time to go back and redo and adapt shots we were slightly unhappy with. Overall, the shoot was a huge success. We had very little issue, other than the space of the location was compact so framing and room to move was limited.

What Went Well?

• We had plenty of time to film. There was only a few shots to do so once they had been done once, we had almost half an hour to go back and adjust or refilm certain shots.
• Our group was all present and showed up around 20 minutes prior – this allowed a swift start.
• All props had been bought to the location. This suggests just how much our communication skills and teamwork have improved over the duration of the project.
• Due to the close proximity of the camera to the band, due to the limited space in the toilets, we were forced to come up with funky and abstract angles, such as panning up Cameron as he sorted his beard out, and whip pans in front of cubicles to catch the band off guard.
• We reviewed footage as we went to ensure there was continuity in the costumes, and the behaviour of the band.

Targets:

• Try to find locations that are larger. In this case, that was quite hard as the small space, despite its size, was perfect Mise-En-Scene. Maybe this suggests that our research and planning could be improved.

Our Production Meeting Agenda details the essential aspects of our narrative shoot on the 5th November. We have detailed narrative ideas that we must capture to evidence the necessity the breaking free from the ‘mirror in the bathroom’. Additionally, we need the cast to apply make up and adjust their look to convey that the social norm of having to change and be the same is idiocy and laughable. We have cast our band members in it too, and assigned responsibilities for props, and costumes. Simon, Kit and myself have assigned who will film each section on our shoots. A copy of our official planning document can be found below.

Side One:

Side Two:

Our narrative storyboard, found below, contains the shots we wish to film. Each box is detailed and concise, thus adding clarity for us as cinematographers. When it comes to the shoot, we are able to give our shots the adequate screen time, and the correct framing and angle. If a whip pan, or a pan, or a zoom is necessary, an arrow has been added with a direction and a name. Any post-filming edits and effects have been placed under the shot. Most of our editing will be effects such as colour correction, or cuts such as jump cuts and fade ins.

This document will be taken with us on the shooting day, and guide us through the process over the course of the shoot. Our storyboard can be found below.

Production Meeting Agenda:

What Went Well:

• Shots that needed filming were successfully filmed. We are now able to make shots flow nicely, and we have an even larger assortment of angles and distances.
• Our actors improved drastically. By removing the microphone stands, we removed the actors’ feelings of obligations to remain near still so as not to wander away from the stands. This has increased our energy, and our feel good vibes, and as such we have bettered our contract with the audience and built up predictable pleasure once again.
• Furthermore, both our guitarist and drummer have improved tenfold. They look less robotic, and very much more relaxed; an attribute of which makes the audience enjoy the video more. Plus, they have learnt to play their respective instruments properly, with correct timings, so it’s only going to improve our second draft massively.
• We had our performance shots filmed so quickly, that we were able to begin some narrative aspects. This is great for effective time usage.
• Our communication, as with the last shoot, is of a high degree.

Improvements: 

• Working off our own steam is going to be of the utmost importance. We lost microphone stands due to the reliance on others, and their actions led to us being restricted access to such equipment. Fortunately for us, this was actually a blessing in disguise as stated above. On a different occasion, this could have been project breaking.
• Again, we lost a camera due to depletion of its battery.
• We got very excited during the shoot. This is not a bad thing, passion is great for ska genre and it makes both cast and crew happy, but myself and my team forgot two shots. It is important for us to maintain a cool head, and balance between work and play.