Music Video - First Draft and Improvements

Improvements

When the first draft of the video was exported and uploaded to YouTube, the quality of the video decreased as the resolution seemed as i it was quite low. We will attempt to solve this problem by first of all rendering the entire work area rather than just the effects, which is what we have currently been doing every time we rendered it. We also need to ensure that it is exported in the highest quality possible, hopefully at 1080p.
We also need to finish the filming and then the editing of the video by the 18th December to meet the project deadline.

Questions

1. What are the good points of this draft of the video
2. Does it fit with the conventions of a music video
3. Is the narrative of the video clear
4. Are there any issues with the lighting or brightness
5. What changes would you make to the current draft
6. Is the pace of editing suited to this type of music
7. Does this music video fit the song that we have chosen to use
8. Are there a sufficient variety of camera shots and angles used
9. Which shots or parts of the video would you say need to be improved
10. What level and mark would you give this music video if it was completed at this level

November Feedback Response

In response to my November feedback that I received from Mr Rutherford on Friday 13th November, I will be using my A2 Media Studies student guide to improve my blog, which lists the individual tasks that need to be completed for the blog and the coursework.

The first thing that i will be improving is the production schedule. Currently the schedule is not detailed, so I will be adding a lot more detail to the post by describing exactly what we will be filming on each certain filming date and when we will be editing the music video. This will also detail which types of shot we will be using and which cast members we will need to use on each day and in each individual scene/shot.

SMART Targets:

Complete music video filming, editing, research and planning by the 18th December
Make sure that all work is at a high standard according to the success criteria
Ensure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors in my blog

November feedback

Steady progress is being made on the web-log so you need to gather momentum and fill in the gaps using your A2 booklet as a guide.

Planning needs to be made clear and documentation needs to be thorough. You need to evidence a lot more planning documentation to reach level 3 and 4. Schedules and risk assessments need to be detailed.

I am yet to see evidence of filming.  I now need to see a first cut of the film and you need to gain audience feedback.  I have seen evidence of editing but we need to stage-post the edit to evaluate how we can improve. 

Storyboards are basic but show planning an give an idea of the shot type.  Ideally you should storyboard each shot.

Ideas are outlined. A risk assessment has been provided with some detail. Tasks have been started but there is a lack of detail.  For example, the investigation into a target audience is still basic despite the time spent outlining the ways of defining an audience in class. Further research is needed to move into levels 2 and 3. Personalise the blog, reflect on the creative process.  Manage your time effectively.

Music Video Task 6 - Storyboard

Music Video - Album front and back cover ideas

Front Cover Ideas

A photograph of all of the characters that are acting in the music video. This will be a shot of all characters facing the camera, with the artist (Brandon) at the front of the shot standing in front of everyone else, with the rest of the characters standing in a group behind him, maybe on either side of him. This will make the artist stand out as he will be the closest to the camera and will be in the centre of the shot with the rest of the group standing behind or to either side of him.

Back Cover Ideas

This will be a very similar shot to the one on the front cover, but will have all of the characters facing away from the camera, with the artist being the furthest away standing beyond the group. A bright light will be shown in the background of the shot in the direction that the characters are facing. This will essentially be a shot with the same set up as the front cover, but with the image being taken from behind the group rather than from the front.

For both the front and back covers we may be able to use a screenshot taken directly from the music video or from unused footage on the cover.

Music Video - Risk Assessment

Hazard	Risk	Solution
Cars driving near filming	It is possible that, because we will be filming next to or even on roads, there could be cars driving near the place of filming. This could potentially lead to the actors that are starring in the music video being injured by a car or lead to equipment being damaged.	We will all be as careful as possible when filming near roads so as to ensure that no one is injured and no equipment is damaged. We will also try to film only when the roads are not too busy so as to avoid filming near drivers as much as possible.
Filming near water	Due to the fact that we will on occasion be filming near water (next to a canal), it is possible that equipment could fall into the water if not handled with the appropriate amount of care during use.	We will ensure to handle all equipment with care when filming close go any water sources.
Filming on a bridge over a railway track	Equipment would be damaged or permanently lost if dropped onto the railway track.	All equipment will be handled with care and kept as far away as possible from the edge of the bridge so as to ensure that none is accidentally dropped or falls over the edge onto the railway track below.
Issues with weather	Due to us wanting to film the majority of our video outdoors, the weather at the time of filming will be an issue as to weather or not we can film and what shots or scenes we will be able to film. This is because our video will be mainly upbeat in style, so filming in the rain or at night would not fit in with the theme of our video.	While we cannot help the weather, we will film as often as possible when the weather allows it. Also, if the weather is not good enough for us to film at any point, we can instead film part of an indoor scene so as to ensure that we are still getting some filming done despite the limitations of the weather.
Damaging equipment	Throughout the entirety of our filming, we will be handling various pieces of equipment that are necessary for the filming of our music video. Because of this, it is a possibility that any piece of equipment could be damaged at some point in the filming stage.	Anyone who uses any equipment throughout the duration of filming will be careful to not drop or damage it in any way.
Corruption of files and data	During the editing of our horror film project in Adobe Premier Pro in the previous year at AS level media studies, we encountered some issues with certain shots being corrupted when inserted into the software for editing, meaning that these shots could not be used. This meant that we had to spend more time than planned to re-film these shots.	We will ensure that we use a camera that has a fully working SD card with a lot of spare space so that no footage is corrupted and we do not run out of storage space. Also, backups will be made of files and videos once they have been downloaded from the camera's SD card onto the mac that we will use for editing.

 

Equipment

Sony HD camera

Camera Tripod

Mac Desktop (used to store and edit footage)

DJ mixing deck to remix song and use as a prop in the video

First aid kit

Mobile phone (used to contact someone in case of emergency)

Music Video - Locations

The main locations we have chosen to set our music video is around Amington in Tamworth which we will be filming around a house estate using the streets, roads and main road which has a train track in the background. Also there is a farm where we are going to film using the fields and rivers and an old bridge which is over a rail way. The locations we have aimed for are every day routes and spots which have a lot of character and good background setting. We chose these setting because we felt the location suit our narrative of a journey through every day life effectively. We will also use a house in the estate in a dark room to film the scene of the artist with the DJ deck and showing performance elements.