GROUP 09 -Antonia, Ally, Claire- Music Video: October 2008
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Second screen grab - editing.
This screen shot is an example of how we used Photoshop to create the white lines that separated our images. We simply arranged the image on the screen and then overlapped the PNG image to correspond with the size of the clips. This screen grab also displays how we are going to edit some of the clips further on in the narrative. We plan to desaturate on of the images on the screen whilst leaving the others in full colour. We felt this emphesised the differenciation between the settings and the time it is taking place. We also felt the different colour tones woud make the screen more visually appealing.
Throughout the editing we took several screen grabs to represent different stages of the editing process. Thus screen shot shows how we created our split screens. First we over-lapped the images we wanted to appear on the split screen, layering them in clips in order of viewing. We then clicked on the images individually and rearranged them around the space to form separate boxes. To create the white lines we used two different techniques depending on the flexibility of the clips. The first method involved applying a white slug underneath the footage to allow the black gas to be white. If we could not form even gaps between the clips we had to import white lines into Final cut using Photoshop. We found that both methods were effective, although we found applying the slug a quicker method. Despite this we were able to achieve very accurate lines using photoshop as appose to using the slug which was very difficult to line up sucessfully.
This is a risk assessment for filming. the area that we are filming is potentially hazardous, so it was an requirement to have one. This will be given to all crew members so that they are aware of how to keep themselves and the equipment safe.
we asked different groups of people to give us fedback on our rough cut, we did this via questions and answers.
Does it follow indie genre conventions?
yes it does, it looks very similar to other indie videos, like the plain white ts.
Do you think the split screen is effective?
Yes, it breaks the footage into different segments. You can see close ups, mid shots and long shots all at the same time which works really well and strongly engages the audience.
It is really well done and makes it look more professional. it is good that you make the audience active so each time they watch it they see a different narrative.
The split screen made it look like it was shot in wide screen which looked really effective and made it look almost like a film.
Is the narrative engaging?
Yes, its looks almost like a film.
It was slightly muddled as though she was in many different places t the same time. This is not negative as it keeps the audience wondering. The hand held camera filming from behind gives the impression that she is being followed.
Guitars added another dimension to the video. It allowed the audience to see the effect the performance will add to the video when you have shot this.
The mise-en-scene in terms of lighting, character, and location is really really good and it would be good to see more of this.
This is our rough cut. As we have not yet filmed the performance footage we have split the track into narrative and performance sections. Due to this the footage has large gaps in between where the performance footage will be placed. The footage starts at the first verse at 0.47 seconds into the track and continues on the other verses. The others begin at 1.17 and 1.58.
This is the music video for Hitoiro, by Japanese artist Mika Nakashima. It was used to accompany the film Nana 2 which also starred Mika Nakashima, and as such it uses a variety of clips from the film. However, there are a number of elements from this video which link it to the ideas we have for our own video. The most prominant of these elements is the varied use of split screen, especially in the way it's been used, as in the different sizes and spaces of each screen. There are a number of places in the video which have had the majority of the screen filled by one shot and then a tiny bar at the bottom with a close-up. An example of this would be at 1.53-1.55.
Another element of the use of split screen in this video which is, again, similar to our ideas would be the use of close-up shots, notice at 2.22-2.25 at the close up of her eye. We really like the idea of using simple shots, like the close-up of eyes or mouths next to a long shot and the character walking and we plan to incorporate it into our video.
This video also incorporates the usage of both coloured and black and white clips which was a big part of our split screen idea. The difference between the use of it in this video and the use in our video would be the fact that we want to use it for the different screens of the split screen, whereas this video uses it for an entirely different, full screen clip.
This video's usage of simple shots, split screen and the variations of coloured and black and white clips have given us some inspiration for our own video.
From: Alice Tasker (alicetasker@hotmail.com) Sent: 06 October 2008 14:15:10 To: thestills@thestills.net
Hello My name is Ally Tasker, I am a student of A level Media at Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge. I am currently creating a music video for one of my projects, where i am working in a group of three to try and create a professional music video. As a group we have decided to use your song 'still in love song'. We were wondering if when we have finished, you would like copy of our video? Thankyou for your time, I look forward to hearing from you. Ally
This is a copy of an email i sent to the stills. We thought that this was important beacause we were using their song.
To gain a greater understanding of what would appeal to our target audience group we devised a questionnaire, specifically based on 'Indie' music videos. We will use the information to mold our original idea into a stronger idea that will appeal to our age group. Our target age group is 15+.
1) With referring to 'Indie' music videos do you prefer their to be a running narrative through out the video or feel it should be all performance based?
- I think it depends on the track, but most of the time i much prefer there to be a narrative that fits the lyrics so that you can sing along with the pictures in front of you.
- Most 'Indie' tracks tell a story through the lyrics so a narrative is defiantly appropriate. I do like to see the band though as they play their instruments but probably mainly when the chorus kicks in because that's when the band gets lively.
- I like a bit of both. If the track is really lively then performance works really well but if it is slower narrative is more engaging.
2) Can you name some of your favourite settings that you have seen indie music videos being shot?
- I watched a video once when the band played in the middle of an underground tube train! That was really cool and was very out of the ordinary.
- I like the video 'My sacrifice' by Creed! The band are playing in a river as town becomes flooded. The water shoots off as they play and it looks really effective. I like the narrative as well as it is really strange and unbelievable but really well shot.
3) Do you think the idea of shooting at night is effective? If so, why?
- I quite like the idea of it being shot at night. It seems a little bit more rebelious and cool than shooting in the day.
- Yeah, i think that could work really well. It always looks really cool when everywhere is deserted at night time..so i guess you could use that to your advantage.
- I think it only looks good if there is really good lighting. If it is too dark it could be a bit boring. I really like colour and lively scenes!!
4) For the older viewers, what do you not like seeing in 'Indie' music videos?
- I have to admit i hate it when its really 'teeny'. I dont like it when its like over the top and all about drugs and raves. I like it when it's more artistic.
Can you think of any music videos that are like that off the top of your head?
Our call sheet will be used to refer back to on the day of and during the filming to ensure each member of the group knows where to be and when.
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The call sheet also provides information such as production contact numbers, the bands contact numbers and emergency numbers such as the nearest hospital. The time and dates of the shoots are clearly provided in a table which also includes brief information about what will be filmed in that shoot. The equipment we need for each shoot is clearly noted as to avoid forgetting equipment on the day.
We have also provided each team member with maps with directions incase finding certain destinations becomes difficult. For security reasons we have blocked out the contact numbers and addresses for the version seen here on the blog. A full version will be handed to each group member on the day before filming.
This is a picture of the lead singer we are using in our band. We thought it would be helpful for people viewing our blog if they could put a face to the roles.
This is the lead guitarist that we are using in the band.
Here is a screen grab of the method we used to create the split screen.
As demonstrated above we had to layer each image into serperate audio lines and arrange them over top of each other to play at the same time. We then cut some images in half and layered another image beside this so that the image in the box would change fluidly whilst the others remained the same. We desaturated the long shot image and left the close up shots in full colour to breifly show the contrast between the images as in the real video the different coloured shots will represent different time periods of the narraitve. After placing the images on the timeline we arranged them on the preview box to create even spaces between the images where the screen would be split. We did not have anough time to apply a slug behind the footage which would create the white line we wanted. The black line, however, was suitable for our test footage. We experimented with lighting by and shadows by using hand held lights. We then took a section of the track and lined it up with the images on the screen. We then faded the end using the pencil tool to create a smooth fading finish.
This is An example of last year's student work that particularly interested us. The large open space and surrounding flood lights makes it look well planned and effective. The bright lights give the impression of studio lights, almost like a professional film set. The water covering the floor adds to the urban surroundings and makes the video look spontaneous. The water reflecting the light from the car park looks artistic
This screen shot is an example of how we used Photoshop to create the white lines that separated our images. We simply arranged the image on the screen and then overlapped the PNG image to correspond with the size of the clips. This screen grab also displays how we are going to edit some of the clips further on in the narrative. We plan to desaturate on of the images on the screen whilst leaving the others in full colour. We felt this emphesised the differenciation between the settings and the time it is taking place. We also felt the different colour tones woud make the screen more visually appealing.
