The practical skills I have managed to develop throughout the year I believe allows a professional insight into the production industry and how to create a successful production with thorough planning - allowing consideration for any factors that can affect any of the process such as filming and editing. This was thoroughly used with all of the productions that I partaked in, from the 4 Hour Film Challenges made at the beginning of the year to the final productions I have produced - using contingencies as a way to consider undesirable factors, such as bad weather on a shoot that was supposed to be forecast sunny etc. Combining all factors in my contingency has allowed me to produce content, without the need to compromise dramatically and overall, disturbing the workflow.
Example of Unit 36 Music Video Gannt Chart
Along the lines of planning, my process has changed practically throughout the course length, within the beginning of the year I would plan my projects within the one filming date, not taking consideration of the length of time the process of work that needed to be uploaded to the blog in the time constraint - this ultimately led me to be stressed with filming as I knew I had incomplete blog posts that needed to be completed and posted in time; causing my evaluations to be rushed. I did change my approach towards complete work within a time period by introduce the system of Gannt Charts, which were constantly open on my computer screen throughout the duration of a particular unit. The Gannt chart included the number of weeks from the day the unit started to the deadline, alongside a list of tasks that needed to be completed in an x and y format. I also started the gannt chart by colour coding the tasks I wanted to get done each week, allowing a sense of structure and stability to work comfortably before the deadline. I found this system work successfully - despite the odd blips here and there, where I took a break from doing work for personal reasons. To expand further, the gannt chart allowed me to keep track of all the work that needed to be completed, therefore I found myself not forgetting anything on the list - allowing me to achieve higher marks towards the end of the course.
The inclusion of equipment and health and safety was vital to my productions, as otherwise would have not been a professional and thought out plan. Within every production, I have created a blog post to explore the Equipment I will need for each shoot, alongside a contingency plan incase something out of the ordinary occurs - this will include: spare batteries if a camera dies, a back up tripod incase the one I have is faulty, or even a second shoot date in mind - to allow myself to finish anything that is incomplete. Within the Health and Safety requirements, I have developed my understanding by doing a location recce before shooting to consider all of the factors that could affect the health and safety of myself and anyone else that I am working with - this included factors of the weather and cables from electrical equipment such as lights etc. All this is included in the blog posts 'Planning' or 'Equipment List' so it combines with the recee/ anything that has to with H+S.
The research within coming up with ideas, played a role for each unit I completed. This variated within each blog post through the use of examples or stimuli to base my research - an example of this would be when I looked at music video theories alongside producing detailed examples of the theories being applied. Furthermore, I will expand upon my research by allowing qualitative and quantative results through the structure of a questionnaire or survey - this allows me to further expand upon ideas and evidence towards a final production. I have found doing this work successful for myself as it backs up my ideas sufficiently - however, I will admit, I do still struggle with constructing an accurate questionnaire without questions being too broad.
Allowing consideration to combine camera and lighting techniques with other elements such as the exposure triangle has proven successful, I have managed to expand upon my knowledge from A-Level Photography to use the exposure triangle successfully but also developing this to use in the video format, I always ensure that the shutter speed is at least double the frame rate of the video to allow a smoother looking footage unlike a choppier looking one that would be achieved by not caring about such things. Aperture and ISO is considered in order to balance the light allowed in the lens, without the ISO being too bright - causing grain on the footage, whilst Aperture is only used when I want something to have a shallow focus, otherwise i'm not too bothered with results. The experimentation of other lenses in film has allowed me to achieve desirable results when focusing upon aperture, for example, I used the 50mil lens in my Promotional video to shoot a clip of the pool balls being broken out of formation - this turned out successful when using a low aperture and lower ISO (due to the vast increase of light due to the wider lens opening).
Overall I believe this year in regards to practical skills has been more than successful, due to my professional outlook upon the planning and development of productions throughout this year, if i were to change anything, I would most likely wish that I could have used gannt charts in my earlier productions, however it is all about the development and it clearly shows throughout the year of my work.
The Development of my editing skills is apparent throughout the course of the year, especially comparing projects such as the 4 hour film challenges to my more recent final productions. I have allowed myself to explore various styles which account and accompany other genres in cinema, considering camera and lighting techniques and how this would combine in real cinematic productions.
From the beginning of the year, I established my editing capabilities through the combination of Unit 1: Contextual Studies, alongside the four hour film challenges. If we look back at the final production's of my Contextual Studies unit, we can see a distinctive difference in editing accuracy and style - part of this is due to the genre I was focusing upon, which was Wong Kar Wai's visual influence in Hong Kong cinema. However, I noticed that my editing did not match up perfectly with the voiceover that I did for my video essay, alongside the occasional stuttering of words which caused the clips to not align perfectly. If we look at more recent productions that involved a voiceover such as 'Mind.' (my Unit 11 - Film Studies, final production), we can see that the footage shot, alongside the audio matches perfectly, this is due to the thorough planning of the editing process, such as the script I wrote and prepped for, alongside filming based upon areas of what I have written in each paragraph - the process has allowed me to successfully produce a short film that considers audio, camera and lighting techniques; alongside a thorough editing process.
I have managed to learn and expand upon my knowledge during the year with various editing techniques/styles - to extensively improve my editing language between non-linear editing softwares. An example of this would definitely be the use of the Colour Key tool in Premiere Pro, that I used for my Unit 36 - Music Video. I wanted to imitate the use of a green screen, but instead on a white background to imitate the post modern/early technology of the green screen, commonly used in the 80's. I did complete a blog post on the full instructions to how I managed to achieve this (under the Editing label, alongside Music Video), however, this is the before and after:
before . vs . after
color key
I did also experiment with the colour balance of clips, allowing them to appear either lighter/darker or desaturated. I did this with my Hong Kong new wave production, where I imitated a short film of the isolation of the Hong Kong residents during the handover of the nation from the US to Mainland China. I used the Color HLS tool to do this, decreasing the saturation and adjusting the hue to a colour to emote the mood of the film, just like Wong Kar Wai does in his projects.
Editing on the beat to a song was vital for my music video production, however, despite doing this successfully in that unit, it was not the only time I have practiced such methods. Within one of the 4 Hour challenges, we had to edit a production using stock footage. I did this with the song 'Dreams' by the Cranberries, allowing me to portray the messages of Love, Freedom and Youth which connotes throughout the song.
Applying theories to editing was limited, although there is a few examples that can be taken from my blog. The Kuleshov, reaction theory was used in one of my 4 Hour Film Challenges - 'Behind the Door V2', conveying the character of Charlotte to be frightened when a cupboard door opens by itself, despite having a blank expression initially - creating an allusion to what she feels in that sudden moment.
To conclude, I believe the editing skills that I have acquired throughout the year have allowed me to produce projects reasonable to a cliental standard. It has allowed me to create and experiment with new styles of editing, allowing me to widen my horizon but to also engage with various demographics. I believe that the projects I have produced throughout this year, can be successfully decoded with the intention of the directors subliminal/connotation messages that they wanted to portray, thus being myself.
The bar when filming on second day, closed off
with no key accessible.
After completing production on my promotional video, I finished off the editing by adding a royalty-free soundtrack, to avoid any copyright strikes or lawsuits that the company could go under, as a business would not have permission to use this. I then lined up and followed the editing tutorial(linked to my blog); matching the transitions with the beat of the song. I chose an upbeat song for the promotional video as Mr Barlow discussed in our initial meeting how he wanted to appeal to a younger audience at the club, as the demographic currently withheld is 40 years+. I believe the editing process worked out successfully, as my time management was consistent - as shown by my gannt chart, leaving me less stressed and allowing me to make mock-ups of what i want the final production to look like. I also found the custom transitions a vital part of the video as it portrays a more professional & modern feel towards the audience, it also approaches the product launch sub-genre that I planned to conform too.
Within Editing, I also had to consider such things, like typography and legality information + any requirements/information that needed to be added. My client did not have any specifics when it came to such things, besides asking, all that was required was the highlight the new pool room and preview the new diner complex which is still under construction. I chose the typography that consists within the majority of the final product to have a Bold font; named: 'The Bold Font', which was 100% Free, meaning that I could use this commercially, without any legal issues. This font was coloured white with a black outline, alongside a gold outer glow - as this allowed the font to stand out without contrasting with any main colours displayed in the footage, such as green from the pool tables. I took the opportunity to also include a chalk board like font, to coincide with the chalkboard footage I shot whilst I was at the Sports and Social Club, this was to promote any offers - and to also enforce a visual aesthetic to the audience, allowing them to feel intrigued and relaxed when watching. Within legalities, I knew from previous projects that I would have to include the 'drinkaware' logo for responsible drinking as I was advertising for a business which sells alcohol. Furthermore, this will also reinforce the place/product that I am advertising for the consumer.
Shooting itself, was okay, I managed to organise the filming of each clips by doing focusing on different angles of an area in each time slot. I did also film quickly the rest of the club quickly per shoot, so I had a back up if anything did go wrong. I would, however, change some of the footage, as I found some of the preparation from the club itself unsatisfactory. I am thankful I had two days as my contingency to film, however, I found certain facilities that I wanted to re-film(i.e: the bar) not available, and not being able to film - such as the Bar area, as the shutters were down and the person running the club for me to film during did not have the keys. It made things difficult, but to get over this I should have spent more timing on this during the previous session.
In conclusion. i’m very happy with my final outcome, I believe that I have conformed to the Product Launch sub-genre successfully, allowing successful promotion towards the newly refurbished Pool Room and new launch of the pool room, with the facilities and accessibility I had when filming. I would definitely refilm for a third day if I were to improve this process in the future, shooting in specific areas to allow a wider range of film. I would also improve my time management also to be consistent as I found during the middle of the timeline, I was lacking in productivity, this is a personal issue that I will work on in preparation for future clients, to prove my reliability.
After successfully planning and completing new shoots, I knew that as part of my project, I wanted to experiment with different types of custom transitions due to the club wanting to appeal to a younger audience; but also to defer away from the stock transitions on Premiere Pro, as this could make the final production look amateur (unprofessional). Therefore, I decided to look at a Youtube Tutorial to guide me into a new practical skill, that allows me further experience in editing.
The tutorial I looked at is linked below:
The video contains a step by step instructional tool in order to achieve a custom transition pack, I will list these steps below.
1. Download the link full of presets in the description box.
2. Install Presets into Premiere by clicking on the Presets box then right clicking and clicking the 'Import Presets...' option.
3. Click between the clips u want to use for your transition. Use the arrow key on your keyboard and go back the amount of frames the transition requires on the first clip (in the name) and use the razor blade tool to cut that point - do the same for the second clip
4. Create an adjustment layer and drag this onto your timeline, and cut down/stretch to the size of both of the newly cut clips.
5. Add the '0. Base Preset' to both of the newly cut clips.
6. Then add the transition you chose to the adjustment layer.
After practicing this in post production, I found little to no issues in using this for my production, this has allowed my video to look more professional and overall my video editing looks sophisticated.
This week, I have managed to start planning my production, including my contingency plans (on my blog under the label 'promotional video'). I believe I have successfully made it back on track to completing my deadline on time. There isn't much to update on the communication side of things, other than I have been in touch with my client to see if I was still okay to shoot at the arranged time set in the meeting.
Instantly, to allow myself to gain as much oppurtunity as possible, I have arranged to shoot the promotional video over two separate days, to allow me to review and also pick up any missing shots that are required for the final product, I will also be reviewing any footage I have with the client, alongside the editing process to see if they are wanting anything to be added to the final product.
In regards to equipment, I will need for both shoots:
- Canon 200D DSLR (with fully charged battery, alongside an additional battery incase the battery does run out on shoot)
- A tripod (fully functional and tested incase it is faulty)
- 18-55mm lens, alongside a 50 mil micro lens, to achieve that shallow depth of field with a wider aperture.
- MacBook Pro 15", to review an edit footage whilst in the club (a charger for the battery also)
- Money, to buy a drink and some snacks for the footage.
- Any additional documents including location release forms, health and safety certificates(provided by the client).
This storyboard is accountable for both a contingency planning in regards to the newly refurbished diner area, as in the meeting, it was discussed that the Diner area wouldn't be functional until mid-end of may, I had to make some compromises, therefore in my planning I have made the decision to introduce the new diner area in a short but straight to the point 'Coming Soon' approach, as this will build up further anticipation for the clubs business. The overall advertisement will be approx 1 minute long, this is due to advertisements used in television/social media platforms being within that format - Especially comparable to sites such as Alton Towers, where they advertise for approx 45 secs.
My first shoot will be on Wednesday 8th May 2019, therefore I will be ensuring that all legalities of this shoot are accountable for, due to me shooting at a period of time where the club is closed, I will not have to worry about Release Forms, however I will still need to gain a Location Release form from the client in order to allow myself permission to shoot there over the next two weeks.
As shown above, I have created a Gannt Chart to help maintain my schedule for the promotional video, including all progress made to todays date. As you can see, I have scheduled a somewhat consecutive pattern of blog post plans, allowing me to maintain a consistent workflow, without becoming overworked. Over the two weeks holidays, I have fell short on posting on my blog, which is a weakness to the project as now I have to plan and post double the usual amount in one week, which could have been rushed, affecting the quality of my work & leaving me with less time and more stress to plan for the shoot.
To go into detail of what 'PLANNING' is classed as, this will include storyboards, legal and ethical forms and equipment lists (with contingency plan).
Thankfully, despite my disruption of workflow, I am still able to plan and prepare a production which will be edited to the client by Week 5 and 6, due to editing whilst between shoot 1 and 2, this is going to benefit myself as I can prepare a draft to show on how the project is looking so far. Week 7 will be dedicated to any last amendments to the production, this can include any last filming, editing changes or any information the client would like adding.
To conclude my gannt chart post, I will be updating this weekly alongside any further contact with my client - in order to show my consistency and focus towards my final product.
After the meeting, Melvin Barlow showed me around the club, alongside introducing me to the new Diner area, which he believes will be ready to be filmed in Mid May, I have stated to him that although It is possible to get this done by the time of the deadline of my production, I may have to resolve into not filming the diner area, as this could interfere with the feedback part of my grade/editing process, leaving me with little time to make any amendments they want me to make.
However, below is the photos of the diner (As of 10th April 2019):
In regards to filming, I would most likely feature a pan shot of the fully completed diner, to convey the high cleanliness, with the odd shot of food being cooked/presented in a takeaway tray/plate, I will make a penultimate decision on whether we use this room to film, due to the fact it is incomplete as of today - when I go to shoot, if not, I will incorporate the promotion towards the end of the video with a 'sneak preview' - fitting in with the Product Launch genre of Promotional videos. I will create a storyboard to reflect this idea.
I will have to be careful in this room when filming as tools and other equipment are laying around. To prevent this, I will ensure and ask the client to not leave any cables lying around, plug switches turned off and any tools to be put elsewhere than the floor, leaving no obstacles for myself and others to potential trip over from.
The pool room:
The pool room features 6 pool tables, each with standalone light fixtures, this is the main attraction to the club with the facility to hire a pool table for £5 for an hour - alongside public matches through the Bentley Road club pool team. I will ensure to make this the main 'feature' of the final production, through different creative shot types, although the pool tables have been available to public use for over a year now - I will be portraying this as a product launch; I asked Mr Barlow in the meeting if he was okay with this and he said he was, as notably regular customers are only aware of the change - therefore he would like to highlight this to increase footfall for the business.
In regards to Health and Safety, there is minimal worry in this room as it is a big open space, however, in regards to lighting and equipment, I have asked the client to go all normal duties and clean the space before I arrive, so I don't knock over half empty cans from the previous night at the club, as this could land on an electrical appliance or the little bit of concreted floor, which could cause a slipping hazard.
The Bar Lounge/Main Room:
The bar lounge is present as soon you walk into the clubs main entrance, The spacious room features two sitting areas that can accommodate approximately 100 people in total. There is also a singular pool table in this room, which was present before the pool room refurb. Alongside this there is a television and a music system, allowing customers to play their favourite songs whilst enjoying a drink. I will be promoting the family friendly aspect of this room as families can enjoy this space as there is plenty to do to accommodate all. The Bar itself offers various types of alcoholic and soft beverages, alongside snacks such as Pork Scratchings, Crisps and chocolate bars. There is also wifi on the premises, but you will have to ask bar staff for the password - I will be highlighting this in the production but I won't be mentioning that it is 'Free' in case business propositions change in the future.
Health and Safety is a similar case from the bar lounge to the pool room, I have asked the client to go all normal duties and clean the space before I arrive, so I don't knock over half empty cans/glasses from the previous night at the club, as this could land on an electrical appliance or the concreted floor, which could cause a slipping hazard.
To conclude, I believe my meeting with Bentley Road Sports and Social Club looks promising for myself, I have made them aware that although I am producing this for them, I will have to follow guidelines for my own personal grade for HNC - whilst maintaining professionalism and following all aspects of the production seriously, with legalities and accurate information. I have sent the client a following email to ensure we are still okay for the first shoot which is Wednesday 8th May at 2PM, alongside any additional information which could guide me with my post production/editing.
Bentley Road Sports and Social Club - Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 5LR.
Bentley Road Sports and Social Club
- Facebook Page.
Bentley Road Sports & Social Club is a family friendly committee run club which offers two rooms, the bar area and the newly furnished 'Pool Area'. However, due to my father and brother working at the club, I am aware that they are currently in the process of building a kitchen/diner area. I have grew up ideally in the clubs environment for around 10 years now, even celebrating Christmas Day yearly at the club. Alongside this, in my spare time, my Dad has often asked me to make posters and notices for the club in the past, which will be attached alongside this blog post. I feel this would be a great place in order to produce a promotional advertisement as I am familiar with working with the cliental, alongside also being a member. Another reason why I would also like to work with Bentley Road Sports & Social Club is because they lack a promotional video clip to introduce new areas of the club that have recently been renovated. After looking in depth on their facebook page, I have only found one short video which reveals the newly renovated 'Pool Room', from which before was a concert room - the clips just shows a sneak preview with no editing of what the new pool room looks like, I believe this is a disadvantage towards the business as it lacks any drive/reasoning for consumers to use the club - it simply lacks any information on what the club has to offer, which other clubs in the area do have, i.e: 'The Crew', around 0.2 miles away from Bentley Road; which releases posters weekly upon their new acts visiting the club.
If I were to create a promotional video for the club, I would like to focus around the Announcement sub-genre, focusing on the newly renovated pool room, and If renovated in time, the new Diner. I have recently contacted my dad via his work email (to keep the communication Professional rather than personal) to see if he is interested in me producing a promotional clip for the club and to arrange a meeting if so.
Posters/Notices I have made in the
past for the club.
CONTINGENCY: King Edward VI College - Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 4BE
KECNUNEATON.AC.UK
If the plans fall through, I would like to consider working for King Edward VI College, in order to produce an instructional video on how to use the Photography studio - in the film & media department. As a HNC student who has attended the Film and Media Department now for three years, I believe that the college could benefit from myself producing an instructional video to help promote the colleges facilities. The only obstacles that would hold me back from this is release forms for students that may be featured; furthermore, these would have to be signed by their parents if they are below the age of 18 years. However, to make this as legitimate as possible, I will ask the technicians: Benedict Wilkins and Amelia Horton, for any input they would like as they are currently in control of the studio facilities. I will send my initial email to Christopher Timothy, who is the head of Arts & Humanities, including John Wright, to convey my interest and a proposal for a meeting with ideas.
Within a promotional video itself, there is many variations a company/establishment can take to advertise their products. The main of which is the sub-genre which allows the company to choice a direction in which to advertise their product, dependant on the type of product and what demographic it is aiming for.
PRODUCTION LAUNCH/MARKETING
1min 19 secs, Person holding iPad Air in the forest.
In 2013, Apple announced the iPad Air with the motto "The power of lightness", comparative to its predecessor 'iPad 4' (or 'iPad with Retina Display), which used the same physical design as the iPad 2 - released in 201l "Externally, November's iPad 4 looks almost identical to March's iPad 3, which looks almost identical to 2011's iPad 2" (Ritche, 2012). In this promotional video, we hear voiceovers of Jony Ive, Dan Riccio and Craig Fedherigi, describing the product continuously as 'powerful' and a 'breakthrough' in tablet design - with dialect to mention their 'lightning fast technology', appealing to tech enthuasiasts to become excited about the products capability, where as Apple cleverly target the general wider demographic as they're 'blinding the consumer with technology. This immediately entices the viewer to feel excitement over the product; Ive introduces the product with a narration, coinciding with a visual of the products thinness (7.5mm) - to emphasise the main selling point of the product compared to previous generations. This is furthermore represented when Ive discusses the structural integrity of the iPad, with images of children, someone using their iPad in the woods, alongside someone using it from a substantial height - this is to reinforce the idea that it is 'safe' to use wherever you go with it; in all scenarios. This production launch advertisement creates a sense of excitement for the viewer and for the release of the product - a plan to help increase sales during the products launch, Apple does this and it seems to work, due to the fans of the brand willing to line up outside their stores "Ezarik first lined up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 — spending approximately 48 hours in line by the time the Apple Store opened at 8 a.m. on Friday" (Alvarez, 2014).
PROMOTE KEY MESSAGES/VALUES
In the 2018 advert for Three UK, a mobile network carrier, they discuss the ideology and promote the idea that "Phones are good". The inspiration and stigma for this advert is stated in the introduction of the advert, following articles and news reports that state "Cells phones have changed society in a negative way. There are many reasons why cell phones are bad" (Walker, 2014). Three imitates this with their own spin on what life would have been like if mobile phones were invented during historical time periods - an example of this is the eventuality of the titanic which Three explores comedically, a phone lands in the a member of the ships crews hands, he runs to the captain as he spotted the iceberg [that struck the Titanic back in 1912]; this follows with the captain turning the wheel of the ship, and saying "that could have been a disaster" - this adds a comedic element to the
39 seconds, *supposed* Titanic, sailing past Iceberg
advertisement as it foreshadows that event, with the theme song to Titanic (the movie released in 1997) ; My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion, coinciding with the footage of the Titanic sailing past the iceberg. The advert constantly reverts from and to modern day technology in historical time periods, with elements of humour added to show how the eventuality could have changed positively with the invention of the smartphone. The advert finishes on the message "See, phones are good and they're even better on the best network for data!", so Three can advertise their brand itself.
SHOW-REELS
10 seconds - James establishing he is unlikely to get pregnant.
In 2019, Channel 4 released the show-reel trailer for season 2 of 'Derry Girls' - a comedy series that focuses upon "The personal exploits of a 16-year-old girl and her family and friends during the Troubles in the early 1990s"(IMDB, 2019). The trailer introduces itself through an establishing shot of the streets of Derry, alongside big bold text which establishes the year and place. We then cut to previews of the episodes that explore comedic references - this includes the clip with 'James' stating that he is unlikely to get pregnant, but followed by 'Granda Joe' saying "I wouldn't rule it out son", this is comical to active and passive audiences for numerous reasons. James was constantly picked on by his friends as they believed he was gay - due to him attending an all girls catholic school, despite him saying "i'm not gay"; an iconic line from the first series which active audiences will remember, it is funny to passive audiences as the comedy is very dry and lacks sense. The show-reel also features a thematic choice of soundtrack which can offer audiences a sense of nostalgia of the 90's - We hear the instrumental to the song 'Dreams' by The Cranberries, an Irish rock band that was notably famous for songs about the troubles such as 'Zombie'. I believe the show reel is a good way to allow new and familiar audiences towards the show, especially how channel 4 have incorporated this approach, due to them mentioning "the hit comedy show is back" at the end, reinforcing the point on how this comedy show has been their highest ranked comedy in 5 years.
EVENT COVERAGE
In 2018, Taylor Swift went on her Reputation Stadium world tour; in partnership with Netflix she released a movie covering the entire event. The entire trailer covers all aspects of the event, from shots of fans crying with happiness, Taylor performing on stage and trailers that are usually played during the song changes. The trailer features 4 songs off the Reputation album to allow fans to be intrigued, these are 'Look What You Made Me Do" "...Ready For It" "Gorgeous" and "Don't Blame Me". We can see the event in different aspects by the advertisement, it incorporates fast past editing, whilst including a montage of clips edited in slow motion.
Xaviar Walker, 2014 (Accessed 9th April 2019), 'Cell Phones have changed Society in a negative way', University of Nebraska - Lincoln 1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA, Page 2-3.
I edited my video using Premiere Pro, and decided to screen record 3/4's of the process. The main focus of my video is to key out the white background using the colour key tool, as reflected in my questionnaire, I decided to continue with the clip that I shot in Shoot 1 as a baseline, due to subject being quite nervous in the beginning - almost emulating stage fright when singing Karaoke. The Background Gifs were all sourced from Tumblr after searching for the term 'vaporwave' as "it's essentially digital backgrounds that takes 80s synth classics and slows them down over unique beats and samples"(Davidson, 2016). I also increased the brightness and contrast of the footage used, using the Lumetri Colour tool, to enhance the makeup and facial features - comparable to bright vivid colours of David Bowie. The footage above follows the editing process. I could have been maticulous and used a green or a blue screen to film for my video, however, i purposefully wanted to create that rough edit/halo like effect around the subject - as it emulates the technology advances back in the 1980's. This is also the same reason why I decided to experiment with stock transitions, as in the 80's era of the music video, this resembles the experimentation of the new technology and effects of non-linear editing software.
Evaluation:
Overall, i'm extremely happy with how my final video turned out. I was aiming to follow elements of Andrew Goodwin's theory upon genre in Staged Performance and Conceptual/Experimental, whilst also considering the Diegesis theory from Carol Vernallis. I believe I articulated this well, using a staged performance but incorporating conceptual elements within post production, experimenting with vapourwave style backgrounds and stock transitions. Diegesis is then created also through the memorable backgrounds and transitions that play along to the beat. If i were to change anything, I would most likely incorporate different members, perhaps playing an instrument to add an element of variety. But, I believe that I have created a music video that emulates creativity, throughout various amounts of quantative and qualitative research and thorough planning.
Bibliography:
Joey Davidson, 6th October 2016, [online] - "Make your own aesthetic Vapourwave image whilst you listen to your favourite 80's hit" https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.technobuffalo.com/make-your-own-a-e-s-t-h-e-t-i-c-80s-image-while-you-listen-to-your-vaporwave%3famp
The gantt chart I have used above is something I have been developing as I went along this unit. every time I started a new element of my video I would colour code it orange, if I was finished, I would colour code it green. The patterns in this chart display I was starting out with an average of two posts attempted/completed a week. This then changes in Week 5, due to thorough planning of Shoot 1, making sure I am fully prepared, ensuring my subject is fully aware of health and safety guidelines (of the studio) and preparing contingencies. Due to this, there is an imbalance with 3 blog posts attempted in week 6, however, despite this occurance, it then balances out to the same pattern - conveying that my time management was thorough and correct - allowing my video to not be rushed in anyway shape or form. If for some reason I had left work to the last minute, I believe that the quality of my video would be poorer, resulting me in achieving a lower grade.
After my first shoot in the studio, I believe everything went as well as it could. However, there were a few faults that have impacted upon my final video.
My lighting set up, Key Light behind
camera, alongside two fill lights
opposing each other.
Starting on a positive of Shoot 1, the mid-close up shot came out almost perfectly. The lighting was a huge focus for this part of the shoot, so before Eve could make it to the studio, I used myself as a guide and did some trial shots. Essentially, I reversed the three point lighting set up; rather than the backlight being positioned behind the subject, I used this in front of the subject, allowing any shadows to be cast out, but also from a practicality standpoint, when the subject is moving, there is no glimpse of light that is shown on the camera.
The things that did go well included the mid-long shots/side angle shots I planned to shoot of the performer, revealing odd parts outside the 'green screen'. The issue was mainly technical, to ensure that my video was editable, I got Eve to move in front of the camera for approximately 10 seconds with a chosen lighting set up, after this, i would take the SD card out of the camera; put it in my mac and open Premiere and follow the steps quickly to key out the background. I ended up trying to film this for a good hour of the slot, and nothing was working, part of the background would key out, parts of it wouldn't, alongside parts of the subjects face also being keyed out accidentally. I, believe that this is due to two factors, the main one being the ultimate factor of filming on a white background opposing to green. This was a known factor, therefore i'm not surprised, due to white being a common colour, that can blend in with skin, unlike green which is used as "it doesn’t match any natural skin tone or hair color, meaning no part of an actor will be edited out through chroma key" (Keppler, 2016). Due to this, the next issue was lighting, as it was near enough impossible to cast out all shadows and achieve a perfect 'white', without lighting up my subject brighter than the background. Although, I purposely want my video to look unprofessional and undefined, If i used the footage that was shot today, I believe it would ruin the conceptual genre of my video.
I came out with only 1 successful run through throughout the whole song, which is okay, but I definitely need more in order to have variation in my clip.
GROUP CRITIQUE:
Report:
As I was struggling with ideas to help move forward with my video, I decided to edit what I had, and show some peers and ask for some advice on what they would want to see improve.
Date of Critique: Thursday 14th March 2019 - There were 5 peers, all aged 18-21 years of age.
To start with, I explained to my group my concept of post modernism and explained it as "a video made to look like it was made in the past, but was ultimately created in the present with modern technology", and my plans to achieve this in a hybrid genre format of 'Studio Performance' and 'Conceptual'. I informed my group that I also conducted a Questionnaire before to help inform me of ideas of potential genres and song choice, which was concluded to 'Blue' by Marina and the Diamonds. I ensured to explain to my group my vision clearly and asked if they had any questions on what I had said to cover bases for a more accurate conclusion on ideas.
Attached below is the clip I showed to my peers, as a base idea of what my video is going to 'become' - with the successful run-through keyed out to some 'vapourware' gif's I have found on the internet.
I also explained before hand with the clip that only one shot was successful, therefore it is a linear run-through of the same clip throughout.
After I played my initial 'draft', I asked -
1. Do you like what I have done so far, within my first shoot?
P1 - "I like it, although it seems very plain and not very exciting, despite the interesting background changes"
P2 - "I agree, I think it looks great so far, I understand it's a planned draft but it definitely needs some spicing up to merge the ideas together"
P3 - "Right now, I like where it is going, but I'm seeing a lack of the conceptual/experimentation genre.
P4 - "Wow, that looks so cool, I love the girls makeup and I love the dress, very vintage and it represents the song perfectly".
P5 - "I agree with the others, it's getting there and I can see visibly with the odd moments of the hair being blurred out how hard it is to film this, but the footage is a perfect marriage between a 'bad' video and an 'old 80s era' video. You just need some other elements".
2. To make up for any difficulties with filming different shot types, do you have any ideas on what you would want to see in the next shoot, as you know my concept and have seen my plan so far?
P1 - "It's unfortunate that you can't seem to film long shots and such, as you could have cut to them; but now I think you have to work with what you can do for definite, I would recommend you use some experimental zooming, zooming in and out of a mid frame, to allow the viewer to peek into the set, that would look cool and very stylistic".
P2 - "When you shoot tomorrow, shoot this same clip again to allow back ups, I think the current footage is okay, however, I think the performer is lacking some emotion, and I want to see something cheesy, thats very 80's!"
P3 - "Try the shot types again, and if you can't perfect it, then try some panning shots or different angles"
P4 - "Well I like it as it is, but I think some different variations of the clip will keep the viewer interested, as at times, I was waiting for a change, but nothing changed other than the background"
P5 - "Maybe experimentation of clothing could be an idea?, white clothing could be a cool idea as she would be blending into the background - when you edit it anyway"
3. As you can see, the editing needs some work, as it is a draft. Anything you would like to see in regards to specific techniques, effects etc?
P1 - "Add some VHS elements - like a filter maybe? If that looks too cluttered due to the gifs, try maybe just the play button or the date/time? things like that.
P2 - "I'm not too sure, but maybe brighten your subject up somehow in post production, like with that really colourful background that shows when the lyrics 'give me love, give me dreams' stars, I think that will be a cool change, due to the change in tempo in the song"
P3 - "I think you could use cool transitions in your editing to help with your concept, as P2 said, you got to make it cheesy, therefore, I would suggest you use really basic 'stock' transitions, like a slide in, it will all add up"
P4 - "On the Key tool in Premiere, you can actually edit which areas you want to protect from being part of the background, maybe use that to refine footage where possible that you plan to use".
P5 - "I agree with all the above, I can't add anything else really, maybe lyrics? It could simulate like a karaoke session, as P2 said in the 2nd question, the footage you've got is okay, but lacks emotion, maybe you can emulate this into them having fun as the song picks up pace. It will still fit with genre, and it will look cool, karaoke bars were big in the 80's.
4. Finally, do you think a secondary shoot, outside of the studio and in nature will work with my concept, like a love story for example?
P1 - "If i'm honest, I don't think that will work, as it will contrast too much with the conceptual/performance genre that you were going for."
P2 - "I mean it does sound good, but again, I don't think it will blend well with your concept"
P3 - "Stick with what you have got, as you don't want to clutter your video, it could confuse your viewers if you are using the conceptual/experimentation genre with a performance, outside of the studio."
P4 - "No, I agree with the others"
P5 - "If you can plan shoot and edit it in time, then yes, but otherwise, I would focus on your experimentation within your editing to add to the concept. Therefore creating a hybrid"
Findings & Review - MINI PLAN FOR SHOOT 2:
This group critique was done in order to come up with some new stimuli and techniques to carry on in shoot 2 with, alongside some editing ideas to help with the production of my music video. I think the results definitely helped with Qualitative research.
Question 1:
This helped me gain a lot of insight in regards to the plan I was going for, however 80% felt that "something was missing from the video", which could leave viewers a sense of discomfort. Another person commented that despite the colourful backgrounds "the video seems very plain". Although this question didn't offer any suggestions or anything explicit in regards of ideas, I believe this has helped inform that I should carry on with my current concept, with the same hybrid, but perhaps attempt different methods from the upcoming questions - allowing me to fit that missing piece to the puzzle.
Question 2:
I asked this question as a 'call for help' on ideas and I feel I have found some good ones in regards to Shoot 2. As one person said "I should work with what I can do", therefore I will reshoot the footage again but this time, as another person stated, "I should direct my subject to have more expression in performing, as it will make it cheesy - like the 80's". I think this is a good idea to work with. One person did state that I should experiment with clothing, however, I don't want to do this as I think if i do, it could cause some issues with colour keying as if the subject wears a white top, it can clash with the subjects facial colour/hair and increase risk. Finally, another person suggested that I "Experiment with zooms", I think this would be fun to play around with, even if the background does go back to white, with the keying out process, shows a home video/unprofessional vibe.
Question 3:
Example of the Key tool, this did not work successfully when tracking the subject.
Within editing, someone pointed out that there is a tool on Premiere within the Key tool that can be customised to not blend in the background - however, when trying this, I found that it doesn't track accurately and the shape I had customised was half way down the screen. Apart from this, other people suggested "some old stock style transitions as it would conform to the 'cheesiness' of the video" - I think this would be cool to experiment with, especially like a fade in/out and a slide, allowing the subject to be digitally 'moving'. I will also experiment with "brightening the subject and increasing the contrast on some upbeat parts" of the video as someone else said, allowing the footage to be variated and displaying the change in tempo visually - a sense of synaesthesia.
Question 4:
Everyone was in favour of me not doing any additional shooting outdoors, therefore I will not be as one person said that they "felt the video would be too cluttered and distracting for the viewer" and others saying "it would not blend well".
Overall, I think my construction of the Group Critique worked successfully, it allowed me to gain qualitative research for my next shoot and also any future editing techniques I could use in my final production. There was definitely room for improvement though, I feel if I would have asked more questions, in regards to specific areas of the video, I would have gotten detailed, more thorough answers, especially in conjunction to the song - but I'm happy with it as I got some valid research and new ideas that were needed to help pursue my music video.
Bibliography:
Nick Keppler, 21st January 2016, [online] Mental Floss, "Why Are Green Screens, Green?" http://mentalfloss.com/article/73988/why-are-green-screens-green
Listed below is all the equipment and props needed for my Music Video, alongside back ups and precautions taken to avoid any issues that can occur upon the day:
Technical Equipment:
- 2 Canon DSLR's. - Ensuring both camera batteries are fully charged to ensure that there will be no technical glitches occur in the shoot (i.e: battery dies, and we lose all footage shot).
- 2x 32GB SanDisk Ultra SD cards. - Making sure that both SD cards are Ultra write speeds, as the footage may not write to SD card on standard, and stop midway through/degrade quality. I will also ensure that the SD cards are fully clear, to ensure I will not run out of storage.
- 2x Tripod - Although I only need 1 tripod for my shoot, to ensure I don't recieve a faulty tripod, I will rent out two, asking the technician to check both are fully functional.
- MacBook Pro with Charger - This will be used to ensure that during test footage, everything is working okay, in regards to the Key Out tool on Premiere.
- Two Studio lights (alongside a third additional light) - This is to ensure that I have a lot of light, with minimal amounts of shadows.
Mise-en Scene & Props:
- Studio White Background.
- Subject (Eve Miller) - I have another friend, Charlotte Haile who is willing to help at any point, who has got availability on fridays, if Eve cannot make it/drop out.
- Schwarzkopf hair colour spray (Rose blush) - This will be used incase Eves hair colour blurs into the background when using the Key tool on Premiere.
- Tea Dress (size 16) - Outfit for MV.
- Morphe X palette - for blue shades of the eye makeup.
As discussed in previous posts, I will be taking inspiration to film my music video in the photography studio at college, with the white background being keyed out in post production, in order to achieve an imitation of a green screen. As learnt from my Green Screen Key test, there are things I can do to prepare for my shoot, in regards to equipment, set up and lighting.
Following from the questionnaire, it became apparent that the two most popular music video genre's were Experimental/Conceptual and Studio Performance. These, hopefully will be hybridised successfully following post production, but in this particular shoot, I will be focusing mainly upon the studio performance aspect. My friend, Eve Miller has agreed to partake in being the performer of the video.
Package received from Boohoo
with Tea Dress.
In terms of mise-en scene, I have ordered Eve a Tea Dress to wear for the shoot from Boohoo.com, this is because I wanted to go for a post modern approach, and boohoo does this with their dresses successfully "It's all about the vintage this season and we're loving the modern day revamp of the 'it' dress of the '30s and '40s" (Boohoo, 2019), even though not reminiscent of the early 80's music video era, I feel this would be an interesting play upon merging different era's together, some reminiscent of the 50's, some of the 80's, some of modern day technology, you see this in many videos that incorporate a post modern approach - see: Love - Lana Del Rey (smartphones used in video, alongside shots of a 60's Chevrolet, with futuristic settings). The tea dress I have ordered in particular is black, with white hearts - I chose black so it would oppose with the white background, but I wanted to purposely have white specs in the dress so when I key out the background, some of the hearts may key out too, giving it a purposeful glitch, a convention with post modern videos, as they can often replicate the early advances of green screen technology, with the result becoming mostly good, but not looking realistic.
Eve's make up look for the music
video.
Hair Colour Spray I purchased
to avoid Eve's hair being keyed
out in post production
In regards to hair and make up, Eve's hair will be let down, as she has a shoulder length bob. What has worried me is that because her hair colour has been bleached platinum blonde, it will interfere with the keying out process of the white background, causing issues for the final product. As me and Eve work at the same workplace, which doesn't allow 'extreme' hair colours, I decided to pick up a 'one wash' hair colour spray in the shade 'rose blush' by the brand Schwarzkopf, rather than dealing with the commitment of dying her hair fully, with the benefit of not having to worry about the post production aspect of the video. Within makeup, I have asked Eve to sport this Blue eyeshadow look that I saw from one of her social media posts; using the Morphe X palette, alongside a dark red lipstick. I decided to go with this look as of the song title itself, reinforcing the blue connotations to sadness - especially around her eyes; the red lipstick will connote towards the bittersweet melody of the song, with its upbeat tempo and sultry lyrics "give me love give me dreams" whilst speaking from sadness with "give me a good self esteem".
Within Camera and Lighting, I will be shooting with two camera set ups. One of these will be handheld filming mid-close up shots of the performer, whilst the other will be stationary, on a tripod filming mid-long shots. The lighting will be the trickiest part to this as I need to ensure there is minimal to no shadows, therefore, I will be using the two main studio lights alongside a secondary portable studio light, all within a 1.5 metre distance to ensure the subject isn't over exposed. With this in mind, I don't believe I will need to use a majorly high ISO as I did in my Key Test (which was 3200), I will experiment on the day to see what will work. I plan to shoot 25fps, therefore my shutter speed will need to be 1/50. The aperture on the stationary camera will be F16, where as, the handheld camera will be F4/8, dependent on what works on the day.
We have booked the studio on Friday 8th March, from 12:15pm - 16:15pm, giving us 4 hours to prepare and shoot the music video. We have also booked an additional three hours the following week (Friday 15th March, 12:15pm - 15:15pm) to gather any additional shots that we may require.
In regards to health and safety, I have sent Eve a link to my health and safety in the Studio blogpost, as she is not a photography/media/film student; therefore she is aware on the rules and safety precautions that need to be taken in the environment.
