My group have created a well-structured music video of a professional standard. As a product, it is unique from other music videos whilst remaining conventional to our chosen genre.

A feature which remains dominant in the final product is the high-energy performance of the band, using several camera angles to put together with a fast pace of edit. Excitement is encouraged through camera shots such as handheld shots, which are juxtaposed with static shots of antique furniture and interior design elements, adding a sense of mystery and showing the band’s artistic integrity with these cinematic elements. As a common convention of the pop-punk/alternative rock genre, there is little narrative and most meaning is portrayed through the mise-en-scene, lip syncing and lyricism of the band itself.  The extraordinary sense of mystery mixed with the ordinary, relatable lyrics supports Richard Dyer’s paradox of the star theory.

Although we could not add any more narrative shots, as recommended in previous feedback, it was compensated for through the addition of effects and filters, showing off my group’s post-production skills. Adding effects to the narrative helped create more denotations to be decoded by the audience and gave the overall product a more aesthetically pleasing result given the genre.

The repertoire of elements (Lacey) contained in this music video represents the genre accurately and tells a story to the audience through semiotics. A star image is presented and encourages a formation of a self identity through emotional and relatable content.

We have utilised this draft to include more frequent, but brief and conventional narrative shots. As a draft, the addition of special effects had been postponed as our attention was focused on finalising a raw and soundly edited sequence at the same time as perfecting our editing skills.

Peer Feedback

• ‘To begin with I think the MES fits the genre well. The dark colours of clothing helps establish this gloomy and alternative form of music that gives this grungy/punk vibe to the performers. I like how in the narrative the actor is wearing just a basic outfit being plain white tee-shirt and denim trousers as it reflects that this boy has insecurities and a lack of identity so these clothes help him almost blend in so he does not feel judged by bringing notice to himself’
• ‘I also like the low key lighting in the performance yet again illustrating a dreary atmosphere. I like the bright overexposed sort of lighting when the actor is walking around in the yard reflecting when he is outside he is feeling exposed and everything for him has become almost dizzy, flustering and dreamy for him as he is lost and feeling overwhelmed’
• ‘I think the acting is really good and the performer shows a lot of passion making it super convincing that he is the real singer’
• ‘The use of the broken mirror was an excellent choice to convey this boy is feeling insecure. I think using the yard was confusing at first but then I noticed it made a lot of sense with the lyrics and was very clever’
• For the performing shoot I think the room has a dark feel to it with the blue stained glass and the broken light above. The shots were steady and the variety of distances, angles and movement was very good and flowed well with the music’
• ‘I would say the start image was okay but the singer is the main indicator you listen out for when listening to alternative indie therefore the singer needed their costume to stand out slightly more as the base guitarist and lead singer both were wearing similar black clothing whereas the drummer had a white tee-shirt on which makes him stand out which may have been a good thing for like a heavy metal song where the drummer has a lot more significance and isn’t such a simple sequence for them’
• ‘I would also say that it would be nicer to see some other transitions’
• ‘Lastly my biggest thing is I think you need to include more narrative shots in your music video as of now it is a little to much of performance and not a clear enough storyline, there feels to be a big chunk during the middle that needs to be broken up by some narrative shots just in order to make the video a little less repetitive and I also believe although you can gather the main message of the storyline from the few clips I think it needs to be developed a little further at least’
• ‘Some of the lip sync was visibly out of sync and some of the lighting during the shots of the  whole band would of been a little bit better but overall it was really great’
• ‘None of your clips drag on, they are all nice quick shots. The shots also have a good range of angles and distances. It isn’t boring and the movement in the clips fit together very well. Near the end, you have some shaky transitional effects that look really cool and effective. You have some shots with good angles and lighting’
• ‘I don’t understand the narrative. What’s the story behind the main character? Has he been through a breakup? If so, I like the cracked mirror, it gives the impression the cover star feels broken too… Why is there a guy walking around miserable outside- is he part of the story?’
• ‘There’s a few shots that are blurry, I think some of these are on purpose, but it looks like some should be a better quality to me. Specifically one near the start, or the shots of the second guitar playing out of focus’

For us to understand the audiences’ perspective of an analysis of the music video, we had received feedback from peers. Frequently mentioned within the feedback, the draft lacked meaning in the narrative and a lack of narrative shots restricted the meaning being portrayed. As we have a lack of overall narrative shots, we are not able to create more meaning. The lack of narrative shots can possibly be used as a denotation itself and add a layer of mystery to the story, as some feedback displays a level of interest in to the narrative such as; ‘What’s the story behind the main character’ which is questioned due to the ‘cracked mirror’. This feedback has given my group and me great insights in to what we can include in our final product and do to resolve any criticisms.

For the feedback for the third draft of my group’s music video, we were granted the opportunity to receive valuable feedback and editing tips in a 1-to-1 conversation with a creative artist from Specsavers. This is the feedback we were given:

• We need to implement a larger variety of narrative shots for us to be able to keep the audience attracted and to add to the thematic aspect of the music video
• We were demonstrated how to create certain overlays which would be conventional to our genre
• We were shown how to colour-correct the clips which allow the music video to look more smooth and consistent
• We had also been shown how to create an effect of model duplication showing an emphasis on passing time which we were planning to use previously as it can be convenient for themes and issues

This feedback given by the creative artist was greatly helpful and we will make sure to use their tips to better the standard in preparation for our final draft.

In addition to the short-lasting conversation, we were also given feedback from a screencastify made by our teacher to reflect on.

This is my group’s second music video draft with the addition of a small selection of shots from our narrative shoot. Because the narrative shoot not going exactly to plan, there are deficiencies in sufficient material to use at this stage of editing. Due to the problematic situation, we agreed that it would be more conventionally accurate if we were to make the music video more performance-driven, this would also allow us to avoid spending time inefficiently editing the narrative section and focus on increasing the quality of the performance. In this draft, there are still areas which need to be worked on in order to achieve a more conventional outcome with a more visually pleasing experience.

4 things that went well

• Performers in the video are acting in an authentic and professional manner giving a convincing result
• The lipsyncing from the singer is edited correctly and is timed perfectly
• A large variety of shots and distances
• All clips are edited well to the rhythm and pace of the song

4 things that could be improved

• Narrative is incoherent and lacks depth
• Shot quality varies throughout the music video resulting in some inconistencies
• No use of effects or filters – no colour correction
• Still room for more shots to be included and added into the video

By making myself a self-assessment document with the key areas to making a music video, both I and my group will be able to see what areas we are excelling in, what stage we are realistically at and what we can do to improve. For this draft’s self-assessment, I have filled in the table with a modest approach as in this stage of the creation of our music video, we do not yet know if what is presented at this stage is the best it can be and therefore, in future drafts, we can come back to this and see whether we have made great improvements or not.

Teacher feedback

Performance

• Great, consistent overall footage
• To create a better connection to the song, cut to the lead singer more often during the chorus to add better focus on the lyrics
• Try to cut out shots which contain the microphone wires and stand getting in the way of the lead singer
• Amplify the energy of the upbeat areas to increase the focus

Narrative

• The narrative section is deprived and more footage needs to be included
• Spread out the narrative shots as they are clustered
• Jump cut into the outside location
• Shots are good but they need to pull back in to focus
• The whole narrative needs to focus thematically to convey the genre, there is a lack in the sense of a theme in our narrative and we need to improve on certain areas to become more conventional

Because my group did not have a well-structured plan for our narrative storyline which was far-fetched from the inability to gather the right proxemics, this shoot did not go exactly to plan which halted some of the shots we had intended to use to bring meaning to the narrative. Despite our mistakes, we did manage to bring the most necessary props and we collected a variety of sufficient shots. Due to the fact that we weren’t able to capture all of the planned shots, we decided it would be better for us to implement more performance shots than narrative shots, and have the music video be primarily focused on the performance of the band, which is also conventionally accurate to the genre.

What went well:

• The use of the adjustment of lighting brought us great outcomes, having the light either create lens flare or highlight certain objects
• Themes and issues were conveyed well through acting, props and framing
• Everyone was punctual which led to efficiency throughout the shoot
• Seems transport was provided allowing us to access shoot locations efficiently

What could’ve gone better:

• We should’ve planned the shoot earlier which would have granted us access to the props which were missing
• The clothing used was too bland to portray much meaning
• We could’ve chosen a more authentic location, rather than a house, to portray more meaning
• More shots could’ve been taken to give us a greater choice to use whilst editing

Even though the narrative shoots did not go exactly to plan, we still ended up having a good selection of conventional shots and any dull or unconventional shots can be abated with effects during the stage of editing.

For everyone in my group to be able to discuss in terms of MES and strategies, we formed this shot list and mood board showing all shots we plan to use with our narrative. Because we, as a group are making a music video for the pop punk genre, we need to take conventional shots which portray emotion especially as the narrative section of the music video will be fairly brief. Our plan is to use multiple types of shots to capture different parts of the narrative giving the audience a large number of denotations to decipher in a small number of comprehensive shots. In addition to the shorter section of the narrative, the performance and filler shots will ensure a successful end product and enhance the audience’s viewing experience and enjoyment.

This risk assessment is to ensure each participating member’s safety during the shoot which also makes sure the shoot is done swiftly. They also make everyone aware of what could possibly endanger their safety, but in this case our shoot will be located in a bedroom so there will be a minimal amount of hazards which have already been noticed by each member previously.

In order to start with our shoot swiftly and without forgetting anything, my group made this document displaying times, dates, proxemics and costume. This document can be seen by all group members which will make sure everyone knows what to bring and when creating fewer problems and allowing us to use our time well.

For us to be able to create a successful music video to a professional standard, my group and I would have to make sure we include most of the conventions of a music video. This would include:

• Good timing on cuts and cut to the beat
• Lip syncing on time
• A large variety of shots from different distances and angles
• Unique use of post production
• MES

Using these different conventions correctly will lead to the audience being able to find connotations from the denotations allowing them to also decipher the themes and issues in the video. This is crucial as we do not want to bore the audience and instead provide them with an eye-catching music video which they interact with and relate to.

A Rough Cut Of Our Performance Shoot

My Self Assessment

• Good variety of angles and distances
• Good change between handheld and tripod shots
• Lip syncing and instruments are in time
• The performance looks real as each musicians are playing confidently
• Cuts are edited to the beat of the song
• The lighting is good as it is not too dark or bright (fits ideal genre convention)

Targets To Improve On

• Make sure all people everyone is easily seen
• Add effects to improve the quality of the video and to create denotations for the genre
• Make sure lyrics are revised well
• Place lights differently to light up darker areas
• Shake the camera rather than swerve for handheld shots
• Get more angles of the drums
• Colour grade for aesthetic continuity

Our first shoot focused on the performance aspect of the music video. Due to insufficient space in our originally chosen location, we moved it to a dining room in one of my group member’s houses. This shoot did not go exactly as planned however the aesthetic that the room brought us in general still matched the slightly grungy theme to match our genre and changed the tone of the shoot to be less monotonous.

What went well:

• All needed equipment was brought to the shoot
• All needed camera shots were still filmed despite the location problem
• The shoot was completed in the set time
• The shoot was swift with a low amount of retakes and pauses
• Everyone fulfilled their role in the shoot successfully

What went wrong:

• The camera battery needed to be replaced due to a charging issue
• The location of the shoot had to be changed without much time before the shoot day
• Time was wasted on difficulty delivering equipment
• There were some disagreements on MES choices
• Lighting was difficult to arrange