Monday, 13 March 2017

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?
 
After having received feedback from our rough cut, we started to understand a lot more about what our audience were expecting from us. We summarised the feedback into two separate categories: positive and negative. This helped us to decide what we would keep and what we would change for the final video. For example, the lip-syncing was well liked as well as the variety and pace of shots, so we therefore chose to keep these throughout our video. On the other hand, the criticism we received allowed us to see that the narrative was not developed enough, some of the shots didn't match with the tempo and it was a bit repetitive. Taking this audience feedback into account, we started working on our final music video.
Using this, we decided that we needed to make the narrative clearer to the viewer and to focus on the finer details (such as getting rid of any 'filler' shots), improving the delivery of the story. Taking this all into account, we learnt exactly what we needed to adjust, fix and change.

Therefore, after finishing the final music video, we once again received audience feedback on our product. Overall, the feedback was a lot more positive in comparison to the feedback from our rough cut and we were extremely pleased with the outcome. The narrative was extremely well received; the audience enjoyed the modern twist on Red Riding Hood, and thought that the story line was well portrayed and made easy to understand for the viewers. We discovered that interlinking shots between narrative and studio gave the video a more professional aspect and allowed for break between story and singer.
Similarly, we were complimented on the variety of shots we had used for our final music video. The use of a variety of different camera angles allowed different sides of each character be shown and let the narrative tell itself to the viewer, through our wide breadth of shots. Having a different perspective let the audience quite literally see the different points of view depicted within the narrative, a choice which the audience feedback agreed with.
In particular, the feedback we received depicted that the viewers were impressed with the editing overall. One thing they highlighted was the lip-syncing and how well timed it was. They believed that using lip-syncing with an actor who mimed it well and placed at the right time it made our music video look much more professional and improved its quality. In correlation to the timings, we learnt that they loved the timings of our shots and how it matched the tempo (for example, the quick flicker between the "Wolf" and "Red", or during the screaming scene). Not only did it create a more polished effect but let the narrative seep through too. 
Additionally, we found that the majority of our audience feedback was positive about the colour effects we had used. The choice to change certain scenes within our music video (mainly the narrative) to black and white and only keep the colour red of Meghan's coat was well received. They found it an effective way to keep the focus upon her character and added an aspect of quality to the music video. Not only did it allow for the focus of the viewers to hone in on her character but it also meant that her character thus had significance (and important aspect we had been trying to portray during the whole process). It was extremely rewarding to hear that the decision to do this was approved by our audience. Moreover, the fading between the gray-scale/red scheme to the original colour scheme was written as a positive. We learnt that it helped to differentiate between narrative and 'story-telling' and further showed at the end that it added humanity to their characters and allowed an attachment to be made by the viewers.
The one negative feedback we received from our final video was that some viewers didn't agree with the face paint. This opinion is understandable as it was not professionally done, and could be considered as a way to cut corners for our music video. We see how the face paint could 'cheapen' our final product, however, we thought that it was crucial in order to portray the fairy tale that we were trying to get across and was a firm decision we had made at the very beginning of the process. We therefore learnt from this feedback that not everyone will agree with the artistic decisions made and that if we are to use a similar artistic choice in the future, we will consider ways in order to create the highest quality, professional product.
In conclusion, we used the audience feedback from our rough cut to improve our final product. We learnt from the feedback we received in regards to our final product that the majority of viewers were impressed with our music video. They found the narrative to be an interesting twist of the original fairy tale (which was well portrayed through the use of editing techniques and the small prologue at the beginning) and that a variety of shots helped to represent this. Furthermore, they believed that the lip-syncing was extremely well timed and it added to the quality of our video (especially the shots filmed in Butterfly Studios). In addition, from the one piece of negative feedback we received, we learnt that perhaps choosing a more professional route for the face paint might have allowed us to achieve the highest quality product possible - something we will take into account for next time.
Overall, the feedback was largely positive and we are extremely happy with the end result, having learnt that taking into account the views of your audience can largely affect the outcome of your final product.

Copyright Issues

Unfortunately, after having attempted to upload our final music video several times to YouTube, it still gets taken down due on copyright grounds. We have tried to find ways around it but as a result, have not been able to keep it on the website for more than a few days. We tried to use Vimeo but this site doesn't take videos with a file size larger than 500MB. We are next going to try DailyMotion, but so far our attempts have been unsuccessful. 

We've also contacted the band All Time Low in an attempt to fix the issue and we are eagerly awaiting their reply. Due to the limit of 140 characters on Twitter, it is extremely informal, in comparison to the formality of the message sent on Facebook. We are unable to find an email address but are continuing our search.





Saturday, 11 March 2017

Audience Research Questions

1) How often do you watch music videos and where do you consume them? TV/YouTube?

2) What genre of music video do you watch the most/prefer?

3) What do you think makes music videos particularly effective/ memorable?

4) How important do you think it is that the narrative links to the lyrics in the song?

5) How would you describe a conventional music video?



Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Sunday, 5 March 2017

Audience Feedback











 

After exporting our rough cut and receiving the audience feedback we carefully went through our music video, making sure to be as critical as possible. We also looked at it from the perspective of someone who had never seen it before in order to see how the narrative could be perceived. This allowed us to focus more on the way the story and narrative comes across, making the final product more successful. As well as this, we took out all of the filler shots which hindered our video and added in more thoughtful footage. We also had the idea during this process to make the footage of Meghan and Charlie black and white in order to bring out the colour red and enhance its significance more. It was quite time consuming as we had to do colour select for each clip however once we had finished we found that it made our video as a whole look a lot more professional. We also had the idea to fade in to colour and out to colour at the end in order to show transitions from different parts in the narrative. This was not only another skill that we were able to incorporate but it added to the narrative in that it helped the audience to understand that it was a memory. I feel like the feedback that we received from our final cut was much more positive and rewarding as it showed that the editing/filming techniques we had used and the ideas we'd had had paid off. The audience seemed to understand the overall narrative and theme we wanted to portray.

Saturday, 4 March 2017

Evaluation Question 4

 How did you use Media Technologies in the Construction, Research, Planning and Evaluation Stages?
 
Media Technology is a generic term which can refer to anything within these 4 areas;
 
  • Audible media ( sound and sound effects)
  • Visual media ( Screen and seeing)
  • Print media (Newsprint & photos)
  • Social media (Facebook, twitter etc.)
 
For the Research section of our project, we had to set up a Blogger account in order to document the development of our ideas through the research and inspiration that we collect. One of the main servers we have used would be Google; to look up certain websites to gather information as well as using sites to understand our genre and target audience. YouTube was also a major component in the research process and we watched a variety of  music videos, tutorials and A-Level work in order for us to understand what made them successful and unsuccessful, taking ideas from their narratives, filming and editing techniques. They helped us gain inspiration and really allowed us to create the most successful outcome we could. As well as this, we compared music videos, this helped us to understand what type of music video would work best and which types of music videos/genres we wanted to focus on. I would say that the research and initial stages of the project were the most fundamental as they were the platform for which we built everything else off of. 
 
Prop/costume wise, we started by looking on amazon and eBay, in search for a red cape and roses. We looked into buying roses in bulk, through florists and other private companies online and found a few capes on amazon for a good price. However, we also looked into other cheaper, more resourceful options and in the end decided that would be the best route to take considering our budget and time restrictions. We ended up scrapping the bulk roses idea and using single ones from Morrison's instead. As for the cape, we did manage to get hold of one which was lended to us by a friend. We liked the coat that she had, which was quite cape like and in fact looked more realistic and professional, plus it was warm. We looked into different editing techniques on YouTube and found that we would be able to turn her blue coat red using the colour pick tool in adobe premiere pro. From this, we found that it is extremely important to research into each element of the final product as it will benefit us financially, time wise and visually. 

When researching into bands to cast ( when the idea was still fresh in our minds and on the storyboard) we used social media such as twitter to try and find local ones and contact them through their twitter page. Unfortunately, whilst scrolling through their tweets we found that they had just split and so, decided against the idea. We also researched into instruments and transportation, getting to the studio etc... and that's what helped us to finalise it. ( We also decided that it might confuse the narrative slightly as it would introduce more cast members).
 
Once we had come up with a rough idea and developed it into a story board/shot by shot plan, we moved onto the Planning Section of our project.  This involved the preparation and decision process leading up to the filming. During these time periods, we kept in contact through Facebook messenger on a group chat, allowing us to alert and update each other on filming arrangements as well as costume/prop decisions. This was particularly useful as it is instant and allowed us to express ourselves correctly . As part of our preparation, we also had to hire a studio, this was arranged by email and paid for online. We then found their address and arranged for transport to take us all there and back. 

The day filming at Mousehold required forward planning transport as we were unsure as of how to get there. We researched into bus times and looked into the best areas to film in. This made our work much easier when we got there as we were able to film within the time slot we had allocated. Looking at the weather forecast beforehand also helped us to dress accordingly and bringing snacks and plenty of water helped us to stay energised and film/direct more efficiently. Time management throughout the entire filming process allowed us to get awesome shots which were dependant on time of day/weather etc. We ended up not using the shots taken in the evening as they were too dark so afterwards planned to shoot primarily early morning/afternoon.

Before filming Charlie during his wolf scene, we planned ahead by bringing face paints and all required materials included inspiration and brushes. This meant that we could paint him quickly and with ease. If we had had more time, we would have got it done professionally however as explained previously, we did not have the money or time required.

For the Construction Section of our project, we used one SLR camera as well as another Canon. We made sure to bring 2 SD cards so that we wouldn't run out of memory and the back up camera came in handy for the behind the scenes photography as well as when the main camera ran out of battery during the first day of filming. ( Because we were shooting for such a long period of time). It was also very handy to have two good quality cameras because it improved the continuity of our footage, taking different angles of the same shot for example.

We also used the canon to take the Photographs for our Digipack and Poster. We took advantage of the white walls and lighting at Butterfly Studios and took them there. We used Photoshop CS6 to edit the Photographs, adjusting their contrast and brightness accordingly. We also adjusted the colours in order to improve continuity by focusing on B&W with the flash of red.  We used the Magnetic Lasso tool to select Meghan’s lips and the rose and erase so that the background image shows from underneath. 

Although we used the canon for a few of the behind the scenes shots, we wanted to use it for the footage too so during these times, we used a mobile phone. It still had a good quality camera and we made sure to include ourselves in the shot to show the process and development.

The editing program we used was Premiere Pro CS6 and we used it to edit our footage, crop the videos, add titles etc. We found it effective and really developed our skills on the software throughout the project.

When we had finished our music video, we exported it as an MP4 at a high quality and uploaded it to YouTube and finally onto our media blogs.



 


 








 
 

Saturday, 25 February 2017

The Ideas Process

We began to debate and brainstorm ideas back in September, spending a week or two creating storyboards, researching into existing videos and gaining inspiration and concepts from them. We looked at various artists, including The Weekend, Panic! At The Disco, K.A.R.D and Incubus. From looking into the work of these artists we became particularly interested in the idea of creating a very artsy, contemporary video, with a mix of narrative and performance. During the first week of our project, we began to look at songs, however struggled at first to find one that we were hugely inspired by. Then, we were listening to All Time Low and stumbled across 'Dancing with a wolf'. What we found particularly exciting about the song was the mixture of pitch change, as well as the rhythm and the lyrics in the song. Originally, we were really interested in incorporating a fairy-tale narrative into our music video; this song facilitated this perfectly as we were able to adapt the story of red riding hood.

We looked at various bands online and tried to get into contact however the one that we had hoped would agree to let us film had just split and we realised that we would not be able to transport instruments as well as a professional band around easily. Unfortunately we had to abandon the idea however now I think it was for the best as it may have confused the narrative.

Our idea to start off with was to have our male character, in a studio with a band where he would step forward and leaves would start falling. It would then fade into a shot of him in the same position but in a forest. He would have to complete or face a number of 'challenges'. One of which being him walking through water falling onto him, then we wanted to include a shot underwater, with roses falling onto him etc. We would see flashes of red however never would we get to see the females face. A rose would simply fall into his grasp to symbolise her presence. She would remain a mystery. From time to time, the shots would fade back to the studio, bringing us back to reality.

After researching into props and location and assessing overall costs and time schedules, we decided that this idea was slightly too complex and optimistic. Therefore, we decided to simplify it to make it more realistic and achievable. We got rid of the elements such as the roses falling as we would need so many as well as the water as this would require a much more powerful camera as well as water and props that would take a lot of time to prepare and the risk of not working anyway. However other than these elements, we rolled with the idea and we managed to portray it well.

Once we had begun filming, our ideas started to develop more as we could see our idea coming to life and imagine how it would all look when edited together. After filming Charlie, we realised that in order to portray emotion and enhance the significance of the lyrics in relation with the narrative, we would need to take more footage of Meghan. We would need to include her and Charlie together as well, in order to give the story a backbone and help the audience to understand their relationship and in turn the story as a whole. I feel like it may not have been clear to them if we had stuck with the original plan. We took shots of them arguing and put them together at the start of the music video before the music even starts to introduce the narrative and engage the audience. Flashback shots were then inserted throughout to allow for continuity.

Evaluation Plans



 
 

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

3) What have you learned from your audience feedback?

4) How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Friday, 24 February 2017

The Editing Process


We began the editing process as soon as we had completed our first day of filming. We found this quite useful as were able to clearly see what needed adding and what footage we needed. We were also able to assess our methods of filming as we went along, improving upon our skills each time.

Throughout the process we have become more and more confident in using Adobe Premiere Pro as well Adobe After Effects. One obstacle that we were particularly invested in perfecting was the colour change of Meghan's coat. During the first few weeks of the course, we made prop decisions, one of which was to find a red cape. We managed to get hold of one however it did not look that great on camera as looked cheap and velvety. It also may have looked like we were trying too hard to relate it to red riding hood rather than just adding a subtle link. Therefore, in watching YouTube tutorials online and experimenting in Premiere Pro, we had the idea to use Meghan's coat and make it red.



We did this in the effect controls panel, experimenting with colour change and tolerance to change the colour from green to red. Once we had mastered this once, it gradually became easier. It was, however slightly frustrating at times when hues of the same colour of Meghan's coat were caught and turned red as well. We edited this by adjusting the tolerance which was successful the majority of the time.

Another element of editing that we found quite complex was matching the backing track up with the footage of Charlie lip syncing. We were lucky in the sense that we had casted an actor capable of lip syncing successfully as well as confident on camera during the narrative scenes. This made our job a lot less tedious as we only had to cut them down slightly for them to fit to the music. We didn't have to mess around with speed duration etc.

The process started to get even more enjoyable as we added in footage of Meghan, we saw how the addition of another character really helps to enhance the narrative and create a storyline. Originally, we had not planned on doing too many shots of Meghan and Charlie together however found that for the narrative to work well and for the viewer to understand, we would need to do this. After filming with them both, we were able to really build upon the story and fill in the gaps. We used a variety of transitions throughout our music video, mainly the cross dissolve however when changing from a memory stage (B&W) to lip synching, we incorporated a flash dissolve. This really gave the impression that he was having a flashback and added to the overall outcome. In addition to this we learnt how to cross fade from colour to black and white,



 this also proved to be quite simple in the end despite watching a very complicated tutorial on how to do it on YouTube. We simply cut the shot in two, made the second half black and white and added a cross fade between the two.





We also experimented with speed duration throughout the video, especially during the flash back shots where the two characters are arguing. Here we decided to slow down the duration in order to create a more powerful and emotive impact on the viewer. The way in which his facial expressions are slowed down creates a sense of fear and empathy with the female character. It also helps us to get a closer look into the narrative and learn more about the characters and their relationship. It all depended on the rhythm and beat of the song at the time as well as the feelings we wanted to portray when we were adjusting the speed duration. During the louder, more energetic parts of the song, we tried to speed the shots up so that they would match the beat of the music. For example the 360 degree shot of Meghan, it created the impression that she was being circled like an animal.



The speed of the song encouraged us to experiment with cutting different shots. In the really fast paced parts, we created a flashing effect by cutting up shots of Meghan and Charlie and mixing them up.

What I found especially effective was the decision to make the flashback shots black and white. This created a separation between the two narratives happening at the same time as well as continuity throughout the music video. It also made the shots look more professional and added to the theme of black, white and red as we still managed to pick out the red of the rose and the cape. Some parts of this proved to be quite difficult as like before, some hues of red such as on his face and on the bench stayed slightly pink when everything else turned black and white. We were able to adjust this slightly however it is one element that we would say could do with improvement. Given the timescale we were just not able to be too picky.



 
During the course of this project we have also learnt how to group clips or 'nest' them in order to be able to move them all as one collective shot and edit them together.
 

 

 
 

 
Overall, we have used a variety of effects, we also added sound effects downloaded from YouTube to add to the start of our music video to introduce it. We used a YouTube converter in order to open it as an mp4 file in Adobe Premiere Pro.










Evaluation Question 1

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

Our music video both challenges and complies with music videos and media products in industry. Our main focus was to try and create an original, minimalistic and stylized piece of work inspired by the lyrics in the song, using them as a platform for our narrative. This artistic approach allowed us to experiment with camera angles, props and effects during the filming and editing process.

The main element of our product which challenges forms and conventions of typical music videos would be our narrative style. We took the risky decision to incorporate both lip syncing as well as narrative ( Which is not often done in the industry as we found out through research). We wanted to make something which would create an impression. From the start of the project, a fundamental part of the process was to experiment and explore a range of different filming techniques and styles in order to broaden our skills and apply them to our video. I found that by using both lip syncing and narrative, we were able to learn a lot more about the character through the lyrics as well as through the acting. This created a sense of empathy. This is a technique used in conventional music videos as it draws the audience in and allows for narrative and character development.

Our initial idea challenges forms and conventions in itself. The majority of music videos produced in industry have a simple narrative and genre behind them, ours leans towards the short film category in that there is so much going on within it. There are several themes as well as an underlying narrative, a relationship and a mystery.  We have an element of romance within the genre which complies with conventions; these days the majority of music videos do consist of romance, documenting the relationship of a male and female and the development of their relationship reflected through the lyrics in the song. I feel like although ours does incorporate bits and pieces of this, we have gone about the idea in a completely different way. First of all, the narrative behind the lyrics in the song is ambiguous, we looked at them and manipulated their meaning in order to create a romance/mystery music video. What I like about this is that the lyrics don't tell you everything, allowing the audience/viewer to perceive it as they want.  The ambiguity of it is what we hope will draw the audience in, we do not really delve deep into the personality and feelings of the characters, only a vague relationship between the two and the effects they have on each other which can be suggested through the lyrics of the song. This all helps to maintain the mystery element of the genre that we wanted to create.

Location wise we opted for a range of different areas. The ongoing idea was to shoot in forests and wood like areas in order to link in with the underlying theme of red riding hood and the fact that his emotions reflect the characteristics of a wolf. However in contrast with these dense, outdoor locations we decided to opt for a cleaner much more artistic space in order to really highlight the importance of his abstract feelings and emotions. We filmed him in a large white studio space called Butterfly Studios which provided us with great lighting and effects creating professional shots and footage. The contrast in colour as well as costume and location is quite stylistic and snappy. Conventional videos would stick to a theme throughout so as not to confuse the viewer however I feel that the way in which we have executed the filming (colour theme of red, same actors and continuity) has allowed for this. The contrast between the clean white walls of butterfly studios and the messy, foliage and trees where the narrative takes place creates a separation between the two scene changes. It allows for continuity as well as audience understanding.  

However we have also taken inspiration and ideas from other music videos such as those of 'Panic! At the Disco' and more contemporary bands like that. The montage was one of the things that we showed particular interest in during the initial stages however as we progressed we decided that we wanted to go for the more contemporary approach. What we enjoyed particularly about their videos were the fast shots used for effect and the way in which they used props and other actors body parts to create impression. Movement is a key element to the way in which it comes across. It all syncs with the music which is fast paced and we wanted to make sure that we really made sure that the movement and shots within our own video matched to the beat and timing of the music. (Especially after understanding how key it was to the overall consumption).  We had also watched various music videos where props had been incorporated to add effect, water, leaves, flowers, coffins etc. Our original idea was going to involve many more props however we found that that would just be too expensive and time consuming. We did however incorporate leaves into it in order to make it abstract as well as face paint and the rose. We did experiment with hands and body movement pulling and pushing Charlie however we did not have the numbers to make it as effective.

Our choice of casting also complies with conventional forms of media. The decision to cast a male and female actor for our music video with the genre of love and conflict is a typical choice that most artists make. This is because it is an ideal way to portray emotion and causes the audience to empathize with the characters as they can relate to them. However it is not obvious in the lyrics that it is about a relationship, this is only how we decided to present it. The lyrics could imply the gradual deterioration of their relationship or the way I which 'Red' has left the wolf. One idea we took from the lyrics could be that she is having an affair or has just stopped taking interest in him. This would challenge forms of media as it is usually the male who ends up hurting the female. I think that it is important to challenge as it shows that people should be more open about the way media is perceived.  

 The fact that we have linked our narrative to the lyrics in the song also develops conventions of real media products, we have, so to speak, based our idea on the song that we had decided to use at the start of the project. This means that we have had to really try and reflect the lyrics and the emotions of the song through our camera work and the actors. This makes it seem almost like a short film as everything ties together.

Overall I feel like we have both challenged and complied with conventional media products, probably challenged more so in that we have really tried to make it original and artistic rather than a normal narrative linking subtly to the lyrics in the song. From the start of the process, we have placed an emphasis on originality and have used subtle props such as the rose, the mic, costume such as the coat, the suit so that we could enhance the overall effect on the audience and maintain the professional quality of the video.

Thursday, 23 February 2017

Final Steps in Editing Process

  • Find a background sound effect for prologue
  • Story Plot Shots (fillers0
  • Ensure all lip syncing is in sync
  • Shot transitions should match the beat of the music
  • Make second verse more interesting (Variety of different shots)

Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Ancillary Task 2- Poster



    FINAL POSTER

 
After receiving audience feedback for our 'final' poster we made a few slight changes in order to gain as high a mark as possible. This adjustments included adding a release date as well as a production company to show who had given us the 5 star review.

Audience feedback on inital idea and ancillary products


Audience Feedback Questions


http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HEB58/

1) What are your initial thoughts on our idea?
2) How original do you think it is?
3) What interests you the most about it?
4) What type of audience do you think our music video would appeal to?
5) From what you've heard, would you want to watch the final music video?
6) Are there are any changes or improvements you might make?



Instead of creating a video, we will hand out these feedback sheets and upload the evidence that we collect