PRODUCTION - Skills Development - Brief Overview Of New Editing Skills I've Learned

Brief Overview Of New Editing Skills I've Learned

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've learnt how to use smooth cam this was very significant because while filming our camera movement was a little shaky. Smooth Cam allowed us to make our video look a lot more steady than it usual was. Also I  came across different types of filters and special effects like fade out and fade in  

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation question 3 and 4 plan

Evaluation question 3 and 4 from montelpower

Notes and ideas for evaluation question 1

E delynj from edelyn55

Reflection: Successfulness of Costume Choices, Location Choices

Reflection: Successfulness of Costume Choices, Location Choices

Reflection On Editing - Day 5

Reflection On Editing - Day 5

During today's editing session, we created a second rough cut to show our class through the projector as the big screen enhances any flaws in our music video. E.g. if something is out of sync, it will appear more obviously through the big screen. 

We thought it would be a good idea to show our music video to the rest of our class as they are our target audience so it would be good if we got feedback from our target audience as they are who we're trying to attract through different aspects of our music video.

The feedback we received:

1. At the beginning of the video, it starts off in the day then cuts to a shot during the night time when Durim (our artist) is in an alley way. The audience said that the introduction to the evening shots at the beginning of the video doesn't make sense. We were advised to introduce that location towards the end as the day progresses through our shots from daylight to night time.
2. There are two strong beats in the music at the beginning before the full music kicks in. We were told to cut to two different shots in sync with the two beats.
3. A member of the audience told us that they do not like the filter to our video. However, we did not change this because when we filmed, the weather was really nice on both occasions so we had to dim the brightness a little so that our music video matches the melancholic feel to the song and lyrics as we are portraying Goodwin's theory of 'Illustration'.
4. At one point when Durim really goes for it in terms of his performance, we cut in the middle of his line. We were advised to let him finish the line before we change shots.
5. We were also told that we need to include even MORE close-ups as we want to be able to portray our understanding of Vernallis' theory through our music video so we need to include more close ups.
6. We were given positive feedback on our narrative. They said our narrative is very clearly illustrated in terms of how we edited it and the performance.
7. We were also told that our video has very good editing as a lot of our shots change in the beat of the music which is conventional of music videos.

Reflection On Blog Feedback

Reflection On Blog Feedback

I think I have gained strength in media every lesson I go into. I am learning new things every week. This time last year I had just begun using these softwares and learning new ICT. But now I feel like I know nearly everything and every day I'm learning something new, whether its a skill or technique on final cut pro or a new way of presenting my blogs. I think with my blogging this year, even though I haven't spent that much time on them due heavily focusing on our music video I feel like I've also improved my blogging skills. I feel more comfortable and freely. I can do blogs easily now, and I know what sort of ICT would be suitable for a perticular blog.

• I need to spend more hours on blogging 
• Do blogs thoroughly and on time that it was set and due.

Planning - Revisions to Pitch

Revisions to Pitch and final decisions

• We have decided that the filter for our video will not all be in black and white, we will just saturate the colour to have a gloomy depressing effect.
• We will have a lot of close ups.
• Make sure to match every shot with the beat to keep the flow of the video good.
• We will film in different locations to show our narrative side.

Outline Of Improvements Needed Before Deadline/Feedback From Target Audience

Outline Of Improvements Needed Before Deadline/Feedback From Target Audience

A few weeks ago, we were told to make our first rough cut in order for our teacher to gain a rough idea of what our music video will be like. 
When we created our first rough cut, we were given feedback on what needed to be changed, developed and what we did well.

We thought it would be a good idea to make another rough cut, after all the adjustments from the feedback we got last time, were made. We thought this time we would show our target audience as well as our teacher as it is crucial for our video to attract the accurate target audience, as well as the secondary audience.
In order to show our whole class, we had to project the video through the big screen which emphasises any flaws to our video. E.g. if what is on screen is out of sync with the music, it will be made very obvious through the big screen. We also thought it would be a good idea to view the music video through the big screen as all A2 media students will view each others' finished products in the cinema so we want our video to be perfect!
The imperfections of our music video were definitely emphasised.
Here is the feedback our fellow class mates gave us:

•  Within the first few shots, there is a shot of Durim in the dark and gloomy alley way. This shot looks out of place as it contradicts the sunny, nature-based shots which dominate the beginning sequence of the music video.
• At the beginning of the song, there are two hard hits of a drum, just before the beat drops. It would be better if you cut between shots in sync with the two beats of the music.
• The filter doesn't look nice- it takes away from the beautiful sunny day. (Ironically, each day that we filmed, the weather turned out to be beautiful, when we wanted gloomy weather for our music video).
• There is a shot during the chorus where Durim really goes for it and performs the chorus. However, there is a cut before he finishes the line. Never cut between shots while the artist is singing a line. It is unconventional.
• There is STILL not enough use of close-ups which is also very unconventional of music videos. Elongate the close-up shots you do use and add some more as these are in connection to Carol Vernallis' theory.

• (Strengths) The narrative is very clearly portrayed in a way that is not too extravagant and remains simple which is very conventional of the Indie genre.
• Some cuts between shots are in sync with the beat of the music which is very good as it shows you have been following some music video conventions.

Editing Day 4

Editing Day 4

Today's lesson we edited a few things such as the filter of our music video and then we showed it to our class mates. we a got a variety of  feedbacks (Which is posted on the pervious blogs) We then had to go back and improve our music video bearing in mind the feedback we received; which was think about changing the filter because it looked a bit dull and replaces certain shots in our music video because it didn’t flow as well. At this point it was just making sure we didn't have any bits that were out of sync and the song followed nicely with the music video.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory: How Have I Applied This To Our Music Video?

Andrew Goodwin's Theory: How Have I Applied This To The Music Video?

Feedback on Rough Cut 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Goodwin's Theory: Identify How You Have Used Her Theory In Your Music Video

Notes & Ideas For Evaluation Question 1

Notes & Ideas For Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation question:
'In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?'

Production of Music Video: Photos From Filming Sessions

Photos From Filming Sessions

Link to Photobucket album of photos from the filming sessions:
loritabaz's story on Photobucket

• I had to post a link as the album would not appear when I would embed it in the blog post.
• Through these photos, you will see that we all got a chance to film some shots, apart from Durim, of course, as he was chosen as our artist which meant that he had to be in front of the camera at all times (not that he was complaining).
• We thought if everyone got a chance to film, it would widen our technical media knowledge in terms of what angles to use, how to use certain equipment in order to produce a smooth and still moving pan/tilt that looks professional and carefully done.
• You can also see that on all occasions of filming, the weather turned out to be really nice and clear which was amazing as it made all are shots appear continuous although they were filmed on different days.
• We had also improvised at times, filming in places we had not planned on doing. For example, on the road. We thought this location is conventional for the indie genre as the settings used in Indie music videos are low budget and this is conveyed through mise en scene as they do not try to hide this concept.

Skills Development: How Have I Approached Planning This Production Differently To My AS Production Work?

Skills Development: How Have I Approached Planning This Production Differently To My AS Production Work?

Reflection On Editing - Day 4

Reflection On Editing - Day 4

As we were still making minor adjustments to our rough cut after receiving feedback on it from our target audience and teacher, we were individually given feedback on our blogs prior to the blog health check on Monday. 

Whilst we took it in turns to re-edit our music video, the other members of group 19 focused on their individual blogs, improving some that have already been posted and adding ones that have been missed out.
For example, I need to edit some of my blogs by adding images and different forms of ICT to avoid them from looking visually boring as the readers may quickly lose interest.

I admit that I am more confident in the written areas of this media course. However, I know that I have to contribute to editing so I am willing to try, regardless of how frustrating it may be as I'm not very good at it. I feel confident enough to edit as I have members of my group, who are stronger in the editing aspect, there to help me. :)

Feedback On Our Rough Cut

Carol Vernallis's Theory: How Have We Used This In Our Music Video?

Carol Vernallis's Theory : How Have We Used This In Our Music Video?

Evaluation question 1

Evaluation question 1 from montelpower

Examples our minimal costume in our music video 

 There were two of only three costumes used in our video, they were picked specifically not be flashy or draw attention.

Examples of minimal costume from Sam Smiths video

 Again two of three costumes from Sam Smiths Stay with me video where through most of the video we only see his whole outfit properly once

Editing Day 4

 Reflection on editing

In today's lesson we carried on editing and improving our music video. We looked at a variety of special effects that would look good over the video , We also made sure the camera was in time with the beat. We added slow motion and fast forwards , this make the video look more fascinating allow the audience to want to know what happens next, the fast forward also bring tension.

We added new shots to our music video because the beginning bit was too repetitive , we wanted to have range of shots and keep it engaging throughout.

Production of Music video - Skills Development - Editing : Colour Filter

I have spent a lot of hours editing our project, using the most of all our shots trying to maximise the best slot for each one. The hard thing about editing this video was choosing the filter. The theme of our song is indie so I decided to make our video looks as gloomy as it can without it looking too dark.  For this I used colour corrector three-way.

As you can see I have lowered the saturation way down so the video doesn't contain too much colour. Our filming days we had really nice and sunny weather but unfortunately for our video we wanted the weather to be sort of dark and cloudy. However using colour corrector has made our video visually look gloomy and has more of an Indie effect.

 We have 2 different filters, one for our base tracks and one for the artists memory.

This is a screenshot of one of our shot without the filter.

Before:

This is a screenshot of the shot with the filter.

After:

As you can see there is a massive difference between the first shot and the next shot. The filter makes the shot look really professional and cinematic, giving it a gloomy and low saturated effect.

For our second filter, as we wanted to show the shots were from the past, a memory, I decided to go for a more black and white approach.

This is the shot for the memory without the filter on.

Before:

This is the shot with the filter on.

After:

I have learned a lot about using colour corrector and gaining experience every time I'm editing, trying the best to make the video look cinematic and entertaining.

Carol Vernallis - Identify How You Have Used Her Theory In Your Music Video

Carol Vernalis skills

Reflection On Editing - Day 3

Reflection On Editing - Day 3

After last lesson's session of filming and editing, we managed to include the additional shots we filmed on that day. We included the extra shots in our sequence and presented it to our teacher. 

The feedback we received:

• Do not cut a shot through a line - We tended to cut a few shots while Durim was singing which made it look discontinuous and unprofessional.

• Check the framing of each shot - Our framework is particular shots are out of place which make our video look very poor. For example, there is a particular shot where Durim's head is at the bottom of the camera which rejects the conventional framing in music videos where the artist or main characters appears in the centre of the shot.

• We have not included enough close-ups - With reference to Carol Vernallis' theory, we have only included two base-track close-ups. We are going to film more close ups on a day of good weather so that the shots appear continuous and so the audience do not recognise that the shots were filmed on different days. If we do not get the chance to film more close ups, we will use more of our close-up base track. For example, we will use our close up base track of Durim standing by a tree more often. 

• Road Sign in the background is too distracting - As we shot our music video, we used obvious low budget locations such as roads, parks. However, as we assessed our gained footage, we found that in the background of a shot, there is a bright red road sign which will be extremely distracting in the cinema and for our viewers. To overcome this, we will cut that shot out and replace it with something clearer and of similar nature.  

• Our camerawork is too shaky as we used a fig rig which is handheld. As we were following our artist walking, the camerawork turned out to be very shaky as the floor was uneven. We do not want our shots to reveal this. Therefore, to overcome this, we will try to use a stabiliser on Final Cut Pro to make each shot less shaky and a little more still which will hopefully make our video look more realistic and professional. If the stabiliser does not conceal the shakiness of our camerawork, we will use slow motion through the first few shots where we filmed the scenery which will hide the shakiness of our shots.

• During our editing, we included cross fade shots as a method of transition between our different shots as it compliments our slow, melancholic feel. However, this method appeared to highlight the shakiness of our individual shots so we decided to cut them out and include just a simple cut which looks sharp and professional as it is used in popular, mainstream music videos.

• Our feedback is out of sync with the music and the pace is messed up - To fix this, we will ensure that the editing is in sync with the beat of the music at times. And when it is not in sync with the music, the pace is the same and does not suddenly speed up and then drastically slow down as this looks discontinuous and amateurish.

Rough Cut

Today's Lesson 13/11/2014

In today's lesson we continued editing, some of our shots were a little shaky.
i have learnt to use smooth cam , this helped my video look more steady.
I also re-did some of my Blogs using better technology.

13/11 lesson feedback

Today I learnt that I need to get on top of my blogs more and use more technology in them.

Also in editing we learnt about something we used called stabiliser which helped keep the shots in our video which were shaky, steady.
the video below shows a clip we used it on in our video and how it changed it for better

Production - Skills Development

 Production - Skill Development

Compared to last years planning for our movie intro I think A2 has actually been pretty close to the same preparation if not harder.

This year we once again had to plan everything for Mise en scene, editing and camerawork, however this year since we were making a music video we didn't have to think about sound as the song would've been the only thing in the video. Last year we didn't out too much planning into it either we just had to write up a script and think of the non-diegetic sounds we wanted to make the soundtrack for the movie. 

Just like last year my group and I looked at lots of different past videos of the product we were making, that which was done by professionals in the past. Last year we were given lots of opening to look at and we even recreated the intro from the Breakfast Club. this year we weren't given so many music videos by the college but instead had to go out our own and find music videos from the genres of song we were doing to find the conventional traits of music videos in our genre. We looked at artists like Sam Smith and Ben Howard for inspiration and conventions of this genres music videos things like costume, effects and location.    



This year a lot of the shots were repeated in the music video and we just had to think up and point out base tracks for the video, but we had to known perfectly where we were going to shoot and which shots we were gonna do for each base tracks, we were told it was very important that we have close-ups for our video. 

Production of Music Video - Improvements Needed

In response to the feedback we got;

We are going to take off the shot with the road sign in it 'this road is closed' because it's disturbing and doesn't look right, moreover it's bad use on mise en scene because it's not put there deliberately.

We don't have enough close ups , so we are going to go out and shot more close ups, for example the close up by tree, we should have more of that to follow Carol Vernallis.

In some parts of the video the camera movement is shaky, we decided to use smooth cam to make reduce the it looking s shaky.

We are going to even out the pace of the editing with music because it's not in sync.

Mainstream vs Indie

Reflection On Filming Day2 / Editing

Reflection On Filming Day2 / Editing

Today's filming session went really well because we got various shot types and found a good location that connects with the film.  We filmed base track in the park and we were able to film a variety of shots. Also we filmed the augment science and the since of me and Montel walking through the park. Moreover, the weather was good and we were able to match it to our pervious shots.

After we were done filming , we came back into class and we started editing what we had.  that was successful because we had many different shots to add on.

Reflection On Filming/Editing Lesson

Reflection On Filming/Editing Lesson

Within today's lesson, we filmed a little more footage that would convey more of our narrative within the music video, such as an argument between the artist and his partner in order to clearly portray that they are no longer together which explains why the artist is depressed throughout the video.

When we began editing last lesson, we were told to film at another location for the chorus as when the key in the music changes (in the chorus), our music video has to reflect the change of speed and key. We decided to film our artist in another location where he is standing inside this hut-like shelter in the centre of a park which shows a difference in location but still conveys a connection between our other locations as it is placed in the centre of the park.

The weather was very nice and, luckily was very similar to our first day of filming during half term which made all our shots connect clearly and appear more continuous.

Analysis of past a2 work

Reflection On Blog Feedback

Reflection On Blog Feedback

Feedback:

Reflection:
My blogs are very detailed and deeply reflective which I am proud of. However, I sometimes tend to become caught up in the words and ramble on without any visual representations of my ideas and concepts. In order for my blogs to be interesting as much as informative, I need to balance the writing out with the use of images/videos/gifs so that my ideas are more clear to the readers and more eye catching. (This is why I decided to screenshot my feedback instead of quoting it on the blog in writing as I usually would.)

Some of the ICT I have used are not loading/coming up. In order to fix this, I am going to try and fix them, otherwise I'll have to change the ICT to another one that represents my ideas and analysis just as well and that loads.

I will admit, a few of my posts were rushed and this is shown through the quality of the analysis and visuals. Some of these posts have no ICT or images used whatsoever which could affect my grade. Therefore, I will edit these posts and make them more in-depth through the use of analysis, images and ICT.

Now that I have entered the filming and editing section, I need to be posting blogs more regularly, reflecting on my lessons and writing about how they helped me and what I will make sure to do and improve for the next upcoming lesson.

Relection On Editing

Reflection On Editing

 

During our first session of editing, we have looked at and analysed each individual recording that we shot over the half-term. We separated our footage into two folders: the first folder included shots that we have guaranteed to use in our product. And the second folder includes shots that we are not too sure whether to include in our music video. The second folder also includes shots which we will use only little parts of, not the whole shot itself.

We haven't completely finished filming all our shots. However, we will resume our filming on Thursday as it is raining today which is not the ideal weather for the mise-en-scene of our music video. 

We also built a rough sequence of our music video, including some of our base tracks and a few close ups.

However, we're struggling with how we should introduce another setting without making the video looking discontinuous. We want our video to portray a narrative within our music video which is why it is so crucial that we analyse and which time to introduce a new setting in our video so that it makes sense visually, and according to the narrative.

  

Reflecting On Blogging Feeback

Targets;
I have been asked to do pervious blogs that i am missing,  i am going to do my blog analysis on a pervious student before 15th November , also i am currently doing my Laura Mulvey blog.
i need to make sure i am reflecting on my filming seasons.
Lastly i need to make sure i am consistently using different methods of ICT to improve my blog and make it look more appealing

Reflection on Editing

When editing today, we looked many different filters because we didn't know if we wanted to changed the colour of our music video to black and white because of the context of the song. Also we added a variety of close up to make it look more like music video cause music videos tend to have a lot of close ups.






We the thought about jump cuts and where we would put them. it effective to have jump cuts in music video as it keeps the flow of the song and makes it visually more interesting.

Filming - Reflecting

Day1 Of Filming 

Today's filming went well , we able to take numerous amount of base tracks for our music idea and we got quite a few close ups. The weather was amazing as it was sunny so we had a lot of light to work with the clarity of the shots. It was sunny it was exactly what we wanted. The noise in the park was reasonably and did not affect our filming as we found areas in the park that was quiet. 

What we could be better is have different locations when filming to make our music video less reparative and more interesting. Also unfortunately our battery run out which meant that we weren't able to tim as much as we wanted but still got enough shots for the day.