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.
