PRODUCTION: Progress Review Blog

I think my blogging has improved a lot compared to my old ones as I've made it more fun I guess? I've used memes and other funny things to make it more interesting to read and relatable.

I think I blogged the research, planning and construction stages of my music video successfully because I went into a lot of detail and made a lot of effort on them (like the little behind the scenes videos). I was precise on why certain decisions were made and blogged about any changes we may have made along the way.

I'm very happy with my individual blogging as I've done them on time and I have 70 POSTS!!! (including this one 71 ;D)

This is more than I thought I would have by the end of this stage but I guess this means I'm doing well :)

PRODUCTION: Skills Development (Editing)

While I was editing I would say I learnt a few things here and there than what I initially knew. A few of the new skills would include:

- adding filters to our shots
- Adding our own text with our font into our video (editing in photoshop for a transparent background then importing into Final Cut Pro)
- chopping and screwing and slowing/speeding things up if certain lyrics were out of synch (simply because it was sung in time while filming)

Other than that, I think I was fine with editing :)

PRODUCTION: FINALLY FINISHED!!

 

 

 

Its safe to say that our hardrive can have a little rest (for now that is) as WE'VE FINALLY FINISHED!! You can tell from the smiles on our faces how relieved we are. Roll on the 10th for the screening woooooooo!!!!

 

 

PRODUCTION: Editing 8 - Adding the Filters

Once we had finished perfecting our video we could finally get on to added the filter. We did this by using the colour correcter 3-way. Here is what we used and what we did when we added the filter :

We then pasted the attributes to the rest of the clips:

Here is a before and after shot of when we applied the filter: 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the filter gives a warm, autumnal glow to the arist. It makes her hair look more golden. This filter connects to the location that we used. Of course it didnt come out as much in other locations (such as the cafe) because that was in a different more duller ligher so it didnt come out as strong.

PRODUCTION: Editing 8 - 29/11/13

Again we decided to split the editing so everyone came in early apart from me because I had a lesson in the morning (sighs). Once my lesson had finished I went to the editing suites to join in with the rest of the girls. I found out that the same problem had happened gain with everything going out of sync!! This was not looking good AT ALL. We asked the teachers for help and they managed to pull up one of our older versions of our work from the day before. We looked at this and saw this was in sync but didn't have any of the new edits we had made yesterday afternoon.

So then began the process of copying and pasting the bits which didn't come up from the out of sync one. Fortunately this didn't take that long. Once we had done this we fixed up the remains of the last two choruses which as fairly easy. It consisted of cutting between base tracks and using the the better parts of it instead of the bits that were a bit shaky or out of focus. Once we were completely happy with the outcome we showed it to our teacher for her opinion of it... and thankfully SHE LIKED IT!! We were over the moon because at some point during the day we thought we wouldn't ave been able to finish it on time.

But oh no, we weren't finished just yet. We still had the filter to add on as well as adding the the name of the artist and the song title.

We added the filter on to the whole song. The filter we used gave a nice autumn glow and brought out the colour more (will go into more detail in the next post).

Also because we already had a font picked out to use across the video and the other media products, we moved from final cut pro to photo shop to edit our text to being white and having a transparent background. We wanted this so it would appear that it was just the writing going over the music video.

 

And finally we were finished :)

 

[Production] Finally adding the filters!

At last.. We added the vintage filters to our music video, just to make it that much more appealing. And it worked out great - the shots looked more vibrant and colourful. 

Here's an example of one shot that we edited:

Here's also how we did it on Final Cut:

[Production] DEADLINE.

Even after spending hours of editing during our lessons, lunchtimes and after college, we're still not completely finished!

The deadline is tomorrow, and hopefully we'll finish everything before the deadline...

This sums up my feelings right now:

[Production] Feedback

Here is some feedback we got from our classmates after they watched our rough cut:

Notes for Evaluation Question 1 -

-In our music video we have used dismemberment which can be linked to Laura Mulvey's theory of the Male Gaze

-Andrew Goodwin's theory can be applied as our artist (Eva Ellis) is both the narrator and the performer in the music video

-In our music video, I look directly into the camera, to make the viewer feel more involved. This is rarely done in conventional broadcast

-Intertextuality is also used - we incorporated elements from conventional indie pop music videos (such as the natural setting and the guitar which was used as a prop) 

-In terms of the structure, we used disjuncture as there was no real connection between what I was singing and the shots in the video

[Production] More editing...

 Today as we opened Final Cut Pro to edit, we realised that the clips had gone out of sync on the timeline! :'(

This was my reaction to the problem ^^ (documented via Snapchat)

However we eventually managed to resolve this, by working in a team and focusing on getting the clips back to where they were originally put. With the help of our teachers, we managed to open an auto-save file produced by Final Cut Pro itself, and from there we had to re-do the changes we had previously been made which were lost!

Despite being so close to the deadline, we didn't lose hope!!!

We slip our group into two and edited all day - me and Kellie edited in the morning, then Korima and Sian edited in the afternoon so we could get as much work done as we could.

Eventually, everything was sorted out! :)

PRODUCTION: DEADLINE TOMORROW!!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THE VIDEO DEADLINE IS TOMORROW.

 

Everything has gone by so quickly. It only seems like the other day when we were put in to groups and started to think about songs that we could do. I'm still anxious about whether or not we'd be able to get it all done on time but one can only hope.

 

I just hope everything goes to plan and it all turn out how we wanted it to.

 

 

Notes for Evaluation Q1

Here is a few notes I have made for the first evaluation question:

 

PRODUCTION: Reflecting on how our ideas/locations developed throughout

PRODUCTION: Editing 7 - 28/11/13

Today we decided to split up the editing. Eli and Kellie edited in the morning and I edited in the afternoon. When I arrived they explained that they added a few match cuts here and there and changed around some of the clips we used BUT something went wrong... EVERYTHING WENT OUT OF SYNC!!!

I know, I know. All that went through my mind was....
 

 

 

So I spent most of my time trying to get everything back into sync. This took up a WHOLE LOT OF TIME. Once Eli and Kellie came back i managed to get it back in sync. But once I played the whole thing back, another clip appeared out of sync. At this point I was just like..

 

 

But no, I couldn't do that seeing as though the deadline was TOMORROW. I repeat, TOMORROW!!! So once Eli and Kellie came back from their lessons, we decided to try and salvage what we had and fix what we could. Finally we managed to get most of it sync but that's all we could do for the day as the editing suite was being shut early for the day.

 

So it all comes down to what happens tomorrow...



Production: Day 10, Editing - Ensuring that all clips are in sync & order

28th November 2013

PRODUCTION: Day 9 - Even more editing:

27th November 2013

PRODUCTION: Editing 6 - 27/11/13

 

 

During todays editing session we just started playing around with what we could do with the second chorus. We were definately going to be using the guitar base tracks as we already mentioned in the previous planning posts as it would be something to signify that i is the chorus. It also creates a clear structure in terms of the verse and chorus as there is a change in location between them.

So once again we cut back and forth between the guitar base tracks and the base tracks in Richmond Park. We kept it basic at first and add on any extra bits and change stuff around if needed. We also did the ending with Eva spinning in the park after throwing the leaves in air and then fading it to black after the song stops.

That was all I was there for because I had a lesson afterwards but the other girls stayed back to editing during their free time. Things are looking great. Can't wait till its all finished!

Production- Day 9:editing

Finally, adding the filter...

PRODUCTION: Day 8 - Continuing to edit...

26th November 2013

PRODUCTION: Editing 5 - 26/11/13

I'm very pleased with what we managed to get done during that editing session. We finished the whole of the first verse, first chorus and second verse. All we have left to do is the last two choruses at the end!!

We picked up from where we left off yesterday which was the second verse (cafe scene). We added a few match cuts here and there where she wasn't performing and changed around a few shots which didn't look right.

To the first verse we added a lot of varied shots of Eva (Eli) laying in the grass while singing and added a few cutaways of the scenery of leaves. We also added a few shots of her not performing and just sitting down. Because shes laughing and smiling in these shots, it shows a care free side to her which you don't really see while she's singing.

In the first chorus we cut back and fourth between the different base tracks we had of Eva playing the guitar. This plays off of the repetition theme we wanted to have throughout our choruses as we wanted to apply some of Goodwin's theory to our video.

After a long day of editing we decided to leave the rest of it for tomorrows edting session. It was the most we've managed to get done in one session of editing and for that im very proud of our group. I'm now feeling more hopeful that we will get it all finished in time for the deadline on FRIDAY!!

EVALUATION: Question 1) Using forms and conventions in our media products

In what ways do our products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

PRODUCTION: Day 7 - More Editing

25th November 2013

PRODUCTION: Editing 4 - 25/11/13

After the rough cut we had decided to start the sequence again as it looked a little messy and the layout confused us when it came to editing. After all the base tracks were laid out properly to the lyrics making sure they were in sync, we started to cut all of them to the beat. After doing that, we looked over what locations we were having for what part of the song and got rid of the clips we didn't need. This made it easier to edit between the different base tracks without getting them mixed up for another one.

After doing this we made a little intro for the beginning where you can here the guitar chords. In the intro you can see little snippets of Eva (Eli) in all the locations that are in the video. This is to set the scene and get you used to the locations that you will see. After that, we made a start on the second verse as that was something we had already done in the rough cut. We managed to get a bit done of the second verse and have decided to do the rest of it tomorrow.  

Changes to Story Board

We've decided to change around our locations for the verses and chorus once again. Initially we had the Richmond bridge for the first verse and the cafe for the second and the guitar ones for the choruses. We've changed it to showing a little of all of the locations in the intro just to open up the video and help set the scene. The first verse will now be the base tracks of Eli lying on the floor and a few cut always from that location. This is because we felt we didn't have enough from Richmond bridge for the whole of the verse and also there is NONE of her singing which would look rather odd. The first chorus will be the guitar base tracks, the second verse will be opening with Richmond bridge and leading to the cafe and then the second chorus will be Eli singing and walking around in Richmond park. The final chorus will be a mixture of all of the locations to finalise the video and let the audience know that something different is happening (hopefully they realise we did this because it's coming to the ends)

[Production] Editing base tracks

Below are some pictures of our group editing!

Before adding clips such as cutaways and match cuts, we decided to edit the actual performance footage. To do this, we marked a specific word on the original song and then on our base tracks after which we lined them up to be in sync. We have a few base tracks and will use them in different parts of the song such as the verse and chorus.

PRODUCTION: Day 6 - Editing

19th November 2013

PRODUCTION: Editing 3 - 19/11/13

During today's lesson, we put together what we could before the deadline for our rough cut which was at the end of the lesson. We started off marking down where each verse and chorus starts so we had an outline of the timeframe we were editing in for that particuar bit. We then laid down the base tracks for the first verse and the intro. We started to cut between the base tracks and add in a few cut aways here and there. We then went onto the chorus and added the shots of her singing while laying in the grass.

After doing this we looked over what we had done an realised it didn't look right. We were stuck on what to do with the first verse as we didn't film ANY footage with Eva Elis (Eli) lip syncing. We realised it would look very odd with her not singing at all at the beginning so we had to change this. We changed it to a few shots we did in Clissold Park so it fits in with the rest of the video.

After trying to sort out the dilemma with the first verse we realised we were running out of time so we added a few extra bits here and there (e.g cutting to the beat, adding more cutaways etc.).

And then our time was up. We saved what we had done and got teady to present our rough cut to our class. It wasn't completely finished but I'm sure everyone knew that bt from what we had doneyou could see the type of video it was going to be and it set out our main points of it.

Production- Rough Cut Feedback

Based on the feedback given to us by our teacher and our classmates, what we need to do the most work on is the chorus part of the song -

What we have done: we only used two base tracks for the chorus and just alternated between them as we didn't have enough time to add more footage and edit it in time for the deadline

What we need to do:

• Use a wider variety of shots such as mid shots, close ups, even some cutaways
• The focus of the chorus will mainly be on the performance itself, so we will include more footage of Eva Ellis performing
• Include one than more location in that specific part 
• Make sure the lip-syncing is in time with the clips
• Make sure the clips we are using isn't of bad quality (i.e. shaky, out of focus etc) 
• Check that editing is in time with the rhythm of the song
• In terms of the whole music video, we will also use colour correction to make it seem more lively and vibrant, which should make the performance even more interesting to watch

Here is some more feedback recieved from one of our other teachers:

Production- ROUGH CUT

Here is our rough cut:

This is only the first half of the song as we had a limited time to edit our music video for our first deadline. This is not in any way final and there will be loads of changes made as we progress into the editing process - we may chose to use different footage for the different parts of the song and add effects such as decreasing the speed in order to create a more dramatic effect. We also haven't added the yellow-toned filter which is a part of our synergy plan as it will be something that Eva Ellis can be associated with.

Evaluation -question 1 ideas

In what ways do our products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

-theories- Laura mulvey, Vernallis, Goodwin,
- Influences- taylor swift, nicole sherzinger, eliza doolittle, florence and the machine rabbit heart filter/
-Structure of our video

Production- Day 8: editing

Finishing and presenting our rough cut...

Following this feedback came...Arranging base tracks

After creating our rough cut and presenting it to the class and teachers, we decided too start a new edit on final cut pro and this time do some things differently. We received positive feedback on our shots but an improvement could be the actual structure of the video. In order to improve this, we lay down each base track and marked all of them to match the song. We have taken the advice on board and will now make sure each chorus is similar and the verses will be more varied. We aim to make more of a clear structure rather than it looking like we have used the shots in a random order.

[Production] Filming Gif

I made my first animated gif!

I was looking through footage from the cafe scenes and found something quite funny that I decided to turn into a gif - it pretty much sums up how I felt every time we filmed ->

My reaction to the weather.. ^^

PRODUCTION: Filming Day 3 - 15/11/13

Heres a video I made of what we did during our last filming session.



Overall the things that went well were:

• We managed to get a variety of shot types
• Filmed a lot of shots in a limited amount of time
• Got everything we needed as well as a few additional shots just in case it was needed

Heres another mini vlog explaining why we were hiding behind a tree:
              

PRODUCTION: Location Change!

 

 

Our new location..... CLISSOLD PARK!!!

We decided to change the location of our base track from Richmond Park to Clissold Park. The reason being because it took up to two hours on travelling there and back. This would mean that we would spend quite a lot of our time not being productive. We changed our location to a park which was closer to our college because we wouldn't be wasting a lot of time and also the base tracks and shots we plan on filming only need a green scenery and trees which could be shot in any park.

Independant Research

Here is a prezi I made on some research I did on movement in music videos:



Here are the two gifs I was talking about in the prezi:

 

PRODUCTION: Day 5 - Filming (Final Basetrack & Change of Location)

15th November 2013

We decided to change the location for our last day of filming as we didn't want to waste too much time travelling - I recommended a park within 20 minutes of our college as it had all of the natural mise en scene we needed (trees in the background, leaves, wide open space, etc)

In the video below there are snippets of what we got up to and how we organised the artist's performance to make it appear it's best. You will see members of our group behind the camera reading out guitar chords and us operating the camera with a fig-rig to give a REAL music video feel.

Have a look:

I made this presentation to give a more detailed account of what we achieved on the last day of filming, it shows how we filmed the whole final basetrack and the images will give you an idea of the types of shots we used.

Here you go :)

[Planning] Planning Development

[Production] More editing...

Since the weather has been bad on a couple of days when we had filming planned, we spent some time re-arranging our footage and reviewing it.

One useful technique I learned was renaming each clip on Final Cut Pro to what it actually is - this will help us organise our footage and save us time when we review it again!

[Production] New location for last base track!

Although initially we planned to film everything in Richmond, we realised that for our last base track we only need grass and nature scenery to film our artist playing the guitar and lying in the grass.

Since going to Richmond usually takes us about an hour, we've decided to go to a nearby park to film these last scenes.

Our usual journey... ^^

[Production] Hairstyle Change

We decided to make a last minute change to my hairstyle in the last base track we will film -

I did some research and found that in conventional music videos from the same genre (pop) many artists have a different hairstyle for each base track. For ours, we decided to style my fringe differently for the park shots. 

Apart from that, we're keeping the rest of my hair loosely curled as it's part of our promotional plan for Eva Ellis - we're using synergy for this so that her audience recognizes her immediately. 

Here are some examples of this being done in music videos from our genre:

[Production] Filming in Richmond Park

The collage above shows us filming in Richmond Park! I brought my Nikon DSLR camera to get some good behind the scene shots and document the day. ^^

Problems we had:
1.) We were constantly disturbed by animals (deer and dogs) - there were many people walking their dogs in the park, and they got into some of the shots as well as the deer which are usually in Richmond Park.
2.) Choosing exactly what part of the park to film in - we spent longer than we should have walking around and picking the perfect spot to film which wasted filming time
3.) Some shots are darker than others as the weather kept on changing - although this is something we hope to improve with colour correction

What went well:
1.) We found a lovely pond surrounded by trees where we filmed one of the base tracks with the artist (me) sitting near it. This was really suitable for our nature-based theme.
2.) There weren't many people in the park so we didn't disturb anybody and managed to get our filming done quicker
3.) We got different shots from a variety of distances/angles so when we edit we can pick the best

[Production] Editing

[Production] Blogging Progress

So for my first blog review I received 16/20 marks. I was slightly disappointed as I did try to incorporate many different types of media and put in so much time and effort to make my blog posts interesting.

Despite this, I really appreciate the comment from my teacher - it has helped me understand what I'm missing out and that I need to improve my blogging consistency. From now on, I'll blog as often as I can and use different animation websites that make my blogging content more fun to look at!

[Production] Last Minute Outfit Change!

[Production] Colour correction research on Final Cut Pro

This video tutorial has been really informative for me because it shows an alternative way to achieve the vintage yellow-toned look we're going for in our music video.

What we have found so far is that increasing the saturation and adding a yellow tint also creates the effect however this looks more professional and advanced.

[Production] Main Makeup Look

As shown in our previous blog posts, our artist Eva Ellis (me) will be wearing bright red lipstick in more than half of the shots in our music video.

This is for two main reasons:
1.) Synergy - the audience will begin to recognize her that way because this will be incorporated on any promotional posters and advertisements linked to her including the album cover. (it is also inspired by Taylor Swift as her usual look includes eyeliner and red lipstick)
2.) Male gaze - red is a colour which is symbolic of passion and sexuality which will therefore attract a male audience too. This is important because her main target audience are girls, so the red colour scheme will widen her audience

This is how my makeup look was created:

Production: Day 6 - Filming

Production- day 6: filming (last day of filming)

Final day of filming!

Some changes were made...
(Location)

Before we began filming, we decided that it would be best to film at Clissold Park rather than Richmond Park again. This is because it has a similar appearance and would have just the same effect as Richmond Park. It is also nearer and we used less time to travel which gave us more time to film.
(Equipment)
One of our targets was to take more moving shots. We used the fig rig today which allowed us to take more steady moving shots of Eli/Eva rather than just stills. We didn't use the tripod at all today even though we had it with us. 

 Here is a slideshow which shows our two settings for the base tracks we filmed today. We filmed the guitar base track which will be mainly used for the chorus, and the base track in which the artist is laying on the grass or performing on the grass.


Shots

Ps... (A little more research on how/when music videos are used) - Something I personally noticed

Admittedly, I'm a stereotypical music & media loving teenager myself, & I recently went to see one of my FAVOURITE UK artists live at the O2 Arena - Jessie J!
Despite being mesmerized by her real life live performance, something else caught my eye! I noticed that throughout the concert, video clips accompanied with her music would be shown on a screen (Just like a huge TV) - It fabricated an entertaining piece of visual and audio, resembling a music video! Showing the artist, her track, and effects to enhance the both. I found it bizarre that a music video would be shown even with the artist present in the room to perform live.

A midst all of the dancing & fun I did manage to film a sneak peak of these clips - take a look and understand yourself how these promotional videos were incorporated into the night.

So...

I started to wonder WHY such technologically edited pieces of media text were being shown at a LIVE gig. After enjoying the amazing live (and not live) night I concluded these few reasons to why 'music videos' were used:

1. THEY ARE SIMPLY ENTERTAINING! - Of course people (like me) attend live concerts to be entertained by artists and music that they love, & music videos are able to enhance every aspect of the artist & music to a point of near perfection! - So why not throw a few into the arena & excite the audience's atmosphere even further?
2. ON SCREEN VIDEOS DO THINGS THAT PERFORMERS AREN'T ENABLED TO DO IN REAL LIFE - E.G. Meaningful words & lyrics are shown on screen like 'LOVE' to captivate people's attention to deeper music meanings. 
3. TECHNOLOGICAL EFFECTS CAN BE APPLIED - There is a lot of slow motion & fades throughout the video which clearly aren't humanly possible to create on stage in real life. These special effects add more tension & emphasise body parts and movements of the artist. They create an overall atmosphere very easily! (slow or fast paced) 
4. AUDIENCE GETS UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH JESSIE J - The shots including extreme close ups on the screen allow the audience to see the artist VERY closely. Although they are at her gig, nothing is more up close & personal than an extreme close up on a huge screen. This achieves the same aim of a promotional video by letting the viewers get to know the artist closely.
5. IT PROMOTES HER OTHER VIDEOS - The videos shown at the concert were amazingly done! They created such emotion & feeling. Therefore if the audience (me & the other 20,000 attenders) enjoy these videos, they may be intrigued to see the rest of Jessie J's videos afterwards. It's basically a music video promoting her music videos! B I Z A R R E - BUT- C L E V E R 

Costume Changes

We decided to add another costume into our video. This is because we wanted a certain outfit for the cutaways and the bridge, a certain outfit for the chorus and another for the two verses.
At first we only had two; one for the verses and another for everything else but we wanted to differentiate between each part so you could see a structure to it. The outfit with the dress which originally was for the chorus is now for the bridge and cutaways.

Here is a picture of the additional outfit which we will be using for the chorus:

Production- day 5: filming

sitting by the pond- extreme close ups, wide shot, panning, tiliting, 

walking through plants- walking with artist, around artist, artist moving more

PRODUCTION: Editing 2 - 08/11/13

During this editing session, we sorted the videos a into different categories because we had a lot of footage, a lot of which we knew we wouldn't be using. We changed it from list view to icon view so we can tell what is what. We also structured it by location so it would be simpler when searching for the right clip to add to the sequence.

We also renamed the ones that we would definitely be using so we wouldn't waste time searching for the ones we wanted. After we had done this, we started to mark the song to the beat so we could edit to it as this is a convention in a majority of music videos. 

Here is a picture of the footage that we divided into separate groups:

Blogging Health Check

Our teachers checked over our blogs to see what we were doing well and gave us feedback on how we could improve it. They mainly looked at the research and planning aspect of it.

Here are the comments my teacher made of my blog:
Good. Upload lots of photos in a slide show instead of individually to demonstrate good use of ICT and improve presentation of the blog.
Greater use of multimedia is needed and some posts need more detail/depth.

My comments:
I feel like the work i have done reflects the mark I received for it. But I feel I could improve it more if I work on what my teachers have told me to do so. I have started to do this on recent posts a I what to achieve the best I can.

Production- day 4: editing

Editing

Due to the rainy weather we decided to get started on our editing today. We marked some of our footage and matched it with the soundtrack. Today, we focused on the cafe scene. We cropped some of the clips to make the overall product more consistent, as some aspects of the clips were better than others, we we wanted to keep the better ones. We added jump cuts, we had close ups of the artist and close ups of one of our props (the diary). 

Experimenting with the filter...

As we are adding a vintage style filter to our music video, we decided to experiment with this today. On final cut pro, we looked at the filters they have, we chose to use yellow and orange tones. We were not satisfied with just the filter, so we also adjusted the saturation on our clip. We discovered that this enhanced our footage and improved it. We did not save these changes today as we are going to do this later on in the process, when we have all of our footage added in.

Inspiration...