Rough Cut Audience Feedback

We have just finished the first full draft or rough cut of our music video. So far, we have incorporated two of the sweeded scenes and also the performance scenes. Moreover we have put a real titanic movie clip onto the TV which has guided our audience and gave them an early idea of what the concept is about.

I spoke to a number of people and showed them our rough cut. They all had some interesting comments to say about our rough cut. I spoke to Simon Sandved Smith who said that there is one part that is more jumpy when they are inserting the video. Moreover that he would like to see more of the performance element of our clip. He suggested that we condense the sitting room scene as we spend too much time on that. He said that it is all very well cut, but went onto to suggest that we should make sure that all of the sweeded scenes incorporate the real movie scenes so that the audience are reassured by the concept of our video. I asked another person in my boarding house and he said that he would also like to see more of the performance aspect of our video as he said that it was very nicely shot.

When I spoke to people they also said that it was very nicely shot. Both of the people that I interviewed about it said that they said that the performance scenes were amazingly shot and the props surrounding it were great. They went onto say that they realised everything in the room and that it blended in with the 1980s vibe that we tried to give off when building our set. Furthermore they said that the timing of our video was great.

Overall I believe that this was good constructive feedback. We need to take on board that we need to incorporate more of the performance element and also make sure that the sweeded scenes are timed properly.

Evaluation of Rough Cut

We have had to put a rough cut this week, simply using our performance footage that we shot last week.  We wanted to provide excitement in our rough cut and make sure that it is gripping for an audience to look at. The main feature of the performance that I found testing was trying to show the concept or the emotion of Maxim through a diverse range of shots that I could edit from. I found that the vast amount of clips that we could choose from made the task easier.

There are many positives to our rough cut. Firstly when I was editing, I made sure that our entire band as featured individually to show the importance of each of them in a group. I gave a lot of the camera time to Maxim due to his predominant role in our music video. The clips fit together very nicely and, I believe, clearly illustrate the basis of our concept without even inserting the narrative clips yet.

However there are also many aspects of our rough cut that can be improved on. Accuracy when editing is key and our video needs to be specifically cut to the beat. This makes the final piece look a lot smoother. Moreover I believe that some clips in our rough cut have not been placed correctly in the video. We will need to change some of the clips around to match the concept even more. We want to make it as fun to watch as possible however we also want our audience to be able to grasp the concept easily.

Although our rough cut requires some attention I believe that it provides an audience with some incredible footage. We incorporated some amazing shots and I really look forward to our final piece. We need to add the narrative scenes in and also make sure that all parts of our video are cut to the beat.

Evaluation of Shoot Day

The day before our shoot day we made sure that all our props were ready and there so that they would be easy to use and get hold of the next day. We then went to start building the main frame of our performance set. We had a meeting with a set designer and told him the supplies that we would need which included wallpaper and back boards to make it look like a living room. we made sure that our backboards were covered in wallpaper and designed how the posters would fit onto them the next day. We also got our VHS player ready to put on set and also tested it before the shoot day so that we could make sure that it was functional. Subsequent to this, we made sure that all the instruments were accounted for as well as building a drum set. We put a carpet floor down and inserted a fridge into our set. We could do no more work from there as we had to wait for the glue to dry on our back boards.

 

Before we started shooting we didn’t have much to do as we had checked of all our props before we started work the day before. We put all of the posters on the wall, making sure that we placed them so that they would still be in sight when the band was on set. We placed a TV on the set which was one of the main features of our video. We then started putting discreet extra props to make it look like a living room. we put beers in the fridge that we had designed before the shoot day. We also put different VHS videos on the top of our video player as well as the four main ones that we were using during the day. We decided on the spot that the guitar cases would look nice in the back ground as it gave more of a band practice feeling to it. We made sure that every particular was accounted for, even a light coming out of the fridge. We then put the people in our band in their costume and started to set the camera up.

 

I believe that our studio genuinely looked like a living room. we had put the video player in back left of our set with the screen on. On top of that were the four videos with empty beer bottles and other VHS video and cassette tapes. We had fridge on the right hand wall of our set to make it look more like a ‘lads’ hang out area. The drums were placed at the back of the room with guitarists either side and the singer at the front of our set. All of the posters that we put on the walls linked with 90s culture with created a retro atmosphere on our music video. I could not have designed a better set, I believe that it did in keep with our concept and certainly provided our audience with something else to look at and gain a meaning from.

 

All of us started with different roles at the beginning of the day and rotated these roles as the day went on. As the day progressed we realised that some of us were very good at doing particular things at a certain time. For example, we sighted that Richard was very good at filming the narrative section of our video whereas Theo was responsible for the camera role during the performance set. At the beginning of the day I was responsible for directing. I really enjoyed this job as I was responsible for making sure that everyone was ready to start rolling and also make sure that the continuity was correct from the previous shot. When directing I also had to constantly watch the monitor which projected the shot and make sure that there was nothing wrong with the shot. If there was something wrong with the shot I would adjust the shot and then start again so that when editing I could have numerous good shots to work with.

 

I believe that when I was directing I did a good job. I cut numerous times because the shot wasn’t good enough. This proved to be very useful as it transpired that it helped a lot during the editing process. I also made sure that the continuity was correct in between each shot. Moreover after lunch I was heavily involved in preparing the next set which was the living room scene. This was difficult to set up as we had to make sure that we were able to have a decent amount of shots so that the editing process would actually be viable. Moreover I operated the clapper which was an easy task however you have to know when to move out of the shot so that the footage is fully recorded.

 

We encountered a few problems in our music video however they were all resolved very quickly. One of the main problems that we encountered was the fact that a costume had not been arranged for Alice for the pizza delivery role that closes the entire music video. We debated for a long time about what we were going to do about this situation however we resolved it by putting a baseball cap on Alice and telling her to wear what she was wearing at the time. She looked very elegant and in turn it gave an added effect to the video. We made it apparent that it was her love for the lead singer that made her deliver the pizza and it was fate. She is not a stereotypical pizza girl at all.  Moreover we did not know what to do when building a set for the titanic sweeded scene so we simply filmed all of the footage for the sweeded scenes against green.

 

The most successful part of our music video was by far shooting the performance scenes. We produced some amazing footage. This was by far the best footage when filming. The reason it was extremely successful was the amount of time and effort put into the building of the set and also the attention to every detail. For example we made sure that the cassettes on top of the television linked with 1990s culture. Moreover the living room scene was amazingly shot with some professional looking clips. The other scenes that we shot were also very good however due to the fact that we were so rushed for time meant that they weren’t at the same standard of our performance clips. However sweeding means a watered down version which links to the shots we filmed and the clips that were produced.

I wish that the performance set and also the living room set had gone a lot faster as this would have given us more time to focus on the sweeded scenes which was the main concept of the music video. I also wish that the performance set had started an hour earlier so that we could have got some more advanced shots such as using a crane to go over the drum set and also so that we could perfect our final tracking shot which is featured at the end of performance set. I also wish that the props that were used for the Dr No scene were better so that we could have included a broader variety of shots.  

 

Our group worked extremely well as a group. We all new all of our roles and operated them very well. We also told each other how certain things can be improved and how we can add things to the idea which turned out to be a prevalent idea in our newly revised concept. We operated different things at different times of the day and realised that some people are better than others at certain roles during different times during the day. By doing this we realised that we produced outstanding footage.

 

We had a photographer on set at all times during our shoot which meant that we have a whole new photo album that can be added to our website. Moreover we can add sneak peeks of our music video while we are editing the video. I also want to make sure that our audience is constantly updated with news about what our band is doing and at what time. Furthermore I want to change the front cover of our website to only a picture of the band. This would make our audience focus on the band as it presently it is a picture of Alice. Other than that I would not like to change anything to our site as I like the simplicity of our site.

Webpage Evaluation

We recently made a website for the up and coming band crystal moon. This site has just been made and it includes pages such as merchandise, about the band which includes tour dates, merchandise, how the band started and galleries on the band. We wanted to show a simple yet effective image to our audience that are interested in researching our band. This is illustrated as soon as  you open the page. The front page of our band is simply a picture of our band in a photo shoot that we did a few weeks ago leading up to the publication of site. The page had to be effective as soon as our audience came on the page.

One of the positives for our page is the black and white picture which hits you straight away. We asked for some audience feedback on the matter and all of them said that the front cover made them want to look further into the site because of the picture. Furthermore the font of the band name was crucial as it symbolises the genre of the band. This makes the band unique through the font of the title. The photo shoot also gives our audience a stronger sense of what our band is like which could help us expand our target audience.

Our band  site can also be improved on many levels. The merchandise that we made available to our audience can have a wider range of stock. Moreover our contact information was very week as it was not very easy to get in touch with the band. We are also thinking of changing the template of our site. We made this decision because some people have said that the template does not face the suit the nature of a band website.

Our band site is close to being published. I believe that it has come on very well and it will be a promising site. We are adding a twitter site and Facebook page so that our fans have a new source of information and can find an easier way of accessing our web page. Although we have to change a few aspects of the site, I believe that it will be a very popular site.  

Screen Test

Album Artwork and Websites

Evaluartion of animatic

The role of story boarding is vital in the pre-production process of making a music video. In terms of their function they are used to transmit the message of the music video and outline how it is going to be shot. It also identifies certain problems in the music video which you are able to change before you start shooting instead of after when it is too late to change it. The storyboard essentially shows how your music video is going to look like. It symbolises an extremely watered down version of the completed product. When you start the editing process, it helps create a structure from which you need to edit on. Storyboards is fundamentally the most important planning component when making any media product however especially a music video.

Constructing a story board is necessary for the construction of a music video. For our music video it was a difficult process building a music video as we had to incorporate 3 different parts of a video and merge them so that it conveys a narrative, a performance scene and another part of the narrative. Putting all of these scenes together so that they contribute to the overall narrative of the music video was a very difficult part of the video however it was vital so that we could establish what the room is going to look like and moreover so that the other people we are making it with can grasp the idea of the video. It also gave us the opportunity to see what we needed to do to make it look better and appeal more to our target audience.

The feedback that we received from our animatic was mixed. All of the criticisms that we received were constructive and we have now been able to alter the video based on our audience feedback. One of the key points that we were told to build on was to make sure that our animatic is cut exactly to the beat. This means that the video flows a lot more fluidly. Moreover our audience said they would like to see more shots in our music video so that it is more exciting. One of the key points of advice was to cut partly to the rhythm of the song at times. We are therefore going to include more shots in our music video. This means that it will be more exciting and interesting to watch. We are also going to cut it together a bit faster.

The star image of our video has been constructed well in our animatic and it was clearly transmitted to the audience as they felt there was an individual attraction to our lead singer and the girl by the way that they are both represented in our music video. The animatic clearly portrayed star image which is what we wanted to do. Our target audience wanted to play our video again and said that they really enjoyed watching it. This illustrates that we have constructed a video that it easy to watch and makes you want to watch it again.

Making an animatic has given us a real grasp of what our video is going to look like. It has been a very useful experience as we have now been able to make changes that we wouldn’t have been able to see without the feedback from our audience. Moreover it gave us an idea of the props that we would need and how we are going to build our set.

Animatic

Sweeded Scenes

THIS IS THE FIRST OF OUR SWEEDED SCENES, THE PAINTING SCENE FROM TITANIC.

THIS IS THE SECOND, THE SUBWAY SCENE FROM SEVEN YEAR ITCH

THIS IS THIRD SWEEDED SCENE, FISH TANK SCENE

THIS IS THE LAST SWEEDED SCENE, THE DR NO SCENE.

Set Designs

Props List with images

Cast List

 

 Alice is the main girl in our music video. She will appear in all of the sweeded scenes and at the end, in the pizza delivery scene.















Maxim is the lead singer and the person who is in love with the main girl. He will act in the sweeded scenes and also in the performance and sofa scenes.















Alex is the Drummer. He will appear in the performance scenes and in the sofa scene.

















Harry is the bass player. He will appear in the performance scenes and the sofa scene.

Go discs records copyright letter

Dear Go Discs records,

We are a group of A Level students working on an A Level project for a qualification in Media Studies. We are writing to request permission to use the following track as part of this project:

The La’s- “There She Goes”

With your permission the track would be used as the accompaniment to a short form video that is made purely for assessment purposes and will have no commercial usage. The video will be viewed only by members of the school community and the assessor of the examination board.

The artist and the copyright holder will of course be fully recognised in the pre-production and evaluation material that accompanies the project. We can also include a full copyright notice if required both in the planning material and on the video itself.

Kind regards,

Charlie Farish

Story Board

Emily Wyatt summary

When Emily Wyatt came to visit the school she taught us about the importance of a treatment and brief when producing a music video. She went on to talk about the budget and how this can dictate the style and the possibilities of the video. Emily spoke about how she produced and more importantly distributed videos onto sights such as Vevo and YouTube and how these sights have helped boost the videos that she produces. She went on to talk specifically about a video that she made with Ellie Goulding for her hit single burn. She started telling us about how the treatment and budget shaped the video.

Emily told us about the budget of music videos and how they determine what the video is going to look like and the possibilities available for a video.  For example if you have a high budget you can travel and employ well known directors, your film sets can be bigger and more varied. You can also have more props and shoot in places that suit your video more. If you are an unknown or a small artist you are going to looking at a budget of around 6000 pounds. This includes camera time and studio time. This can also include lighting and the hiring of actors. For well-known acts the company who is making the video will often look for external funding to make the video. Well known acts are normally given a budget of around 25,000 pounds or more however some videos such as the ones made by lady gaga can go up to 100,000 pounds due to the amount of props and shots that are required for her videos.

The treatment is the piece of texts that is given to music video producers to actually make the video. The treatment must have a link to the artist and the genre of the music so that the video will attract the same target audience as the musician. In the treatment you also have to decide whether you are going to do a full performance video or a full narrative video. In Birdy’s videos she tends to always have a full performance video due to her natural performance talent whereas the Maccabees normally have full narrative videos due to their songs containing a lot of meaning and adventure. Emily said that the treatment should outline what is going to happen in two hundred words and also show you visually what is going to happen in the video.

The most important area that Emily discussed was the distribution of music videos. Due to current technologies, she said that the videos she made had to fit a certain specification so that it had the possibility of being put on television and can also be promoted via the radio. However the best form of promotion and distribution is via the internet. Sites such as Vevo help promote the video and spread the video to wider audiences.

Emily was recently on set for a music video for Ellie Goulding, an extremely well known artist. For her knew single ‘Burn’ she wanted there to be lots of lights and for there to be a sunset. The video is set on an airfield and depicts people coming to see her and being attracted to her music. Polydor records, the company which Emily works distributes and produces some of the most iconic music videos from some of the most iconic and famous artists. The Ellie Goulding video was made with a large budget mainly because of the after effects and all the lighting that went into post production. The editing of the video took nearly 3 weeks.

Timeline