Production Diary 23 – evaluations

We started to do the evaluation part of the coursework. I started planning the answers to the evaluation questions. I first focused on question 1 and 4 as these were easier to do considering that they are similar to what we have done before and the exam side (question 1a and 1b). These are also ideally the longer answers so it is perhaps better to start off with these questions.

Once I finished writing up draft versions of my evaluation, I got feedback for it and made improvements to it accordingly, Afterwards I started to put them in more presentable formats. I displayed my evaluations in different formats to make it more interesting to read. For the first question, I made a video to accompany the Miscrosoft Word document. For the second question I created a Prezi. For the third question I used Microsoft PowerPoint and presented it in Issuu in the scrolling format. Finally, for question 4 I created a magazine style document in InDesign and uploaded it onto Issuu so it you could flips the pages when viewing it. 

Production Diary 22 – feedback and final draft

This week we had to complete the final draft for our music video, digipak as well as the magazine advert. We made improvements according to the feedback we received.

After getting feedback on my music video I analysed the results and found which areas I needed to improve on and which parts were favoured by the audience. I changed some of the camera shots so that there was more of a variety. I added in more transitions and different movements. I also included new props which were filmed in the second music video shoot. 

For my music video, I mainly changed the transitions of the scenes so that they were smoother. I also added in the extra footage I had taken and altered the lighting to make it fit with the rest of the footage.

As for the digipak, I had changed the image to one that I had taken with the camera in the studio rather than the print screen of my music video with the green background. This made the quality of the photo much better as it was clearer and the outline was smoother. I also added in a ‘Thanks to’ on the inside page and decorated the CD.

For the magazine advert, I also changed the photo so it was the same as the digipak. I also added in a more reviews to fill up the empty space around the image.

Production Diary 21 - contact sheet, brand guidelines, key framing

I created the contact sheet of the photos I took for the digipak and magazine advert. To do this I opened up Photoshop and created the contact sheet by clicking file > automate > contact sheet II.

For the brand guidelines I displayed the colours, fonts and logo of my product to show what would be used if other people were to create a product related to my brand.

I also created a video using CamStudio to show how I did the key framing for my music video. This was more useful than explaining in words as you can see how it is done.

 

 

 

Production Diary 20 – Shot list and altering shot type in music video

I completed a shot list which included the details of each shot in my music video. For every shot I noted the type of shot it was e.g. close up, a description of the shot e.g. lip-syncing with props as well as the timing of it in the music video e.g. 0:00-0:26. This then gives a brief outline of my music video which is handy to use if I wanted to change the variation of the shot type for example.

After completing the shot list, it had helped me to change some of the shot types as I had little variation throughout the video. I looked though my music video and changed some of the shot types so that all close ups were about the same size and all mid shots were the same so that there is a clear distinction between the two type of shots.

Production Diary 19 - Music video shoot BTS

This week I did made a behind the scenes video for my music video shoot. To do this I imported the photos I had taken and made the duration of each photo very quick so that it created a time lapse effect. I added background music to it using Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby” and since I only used part of the song I added a fade effect so that the song didn’t finish abruptly. I also added in a brief title in the beginning and credits at the end. After I had completed this I upload it on YouTube and then posted it on my blog.

I also uploaded some raw footage of my music video through YouTube. I picked out some videos which I could talk about in terms of how it was different to my actual music video –editing.

Production Diary 18 – first draft

This week I managed to progress the editing of my music video quite a lot as I added in backgrounds and text which made my music video start to come together. I used many effects such as wipe and slide which makes the text appear in different ways. I tried to choose effects that matched with the lyrics for example I added in a wave for the lyrics “I'll sail the world to find you”. For some parts of the song I didn’t add lyrics in the background so that there is a variety or scenes.

For my digipak and magazine advert I had used the lyrics of “Count On Me” as a background. This made it look quite nice and matched well with the simple design I had initially created. I also added a thick black border to the front and back cover of the digipak so that it there was more to it and so it would look neater.

I managed to finish the first draft of my music video and ancillary tasks on the first week of the holidays. I uploaded my music video on YouTube and saved the magazine advert and digipak as images and uploaded them on my blog.

Production Diary 17 – editing out green screen and putting video together on Premiere

This week I managed to put together a draft version of my full music video.

The first task I did was the rushes log which is where you list all the videos you have filmed and note what it was, the length of it and whether you’re going to keep it or not and also when to cut it if necessary. This helped me sort out which video clips I would use in my music video.

Afterwards, I followed a tutorial to setup up my Premiere file. I then imported all the videos I could possibly use. Then I followed a tutorial to remove the green screen background for my videos. It was fairly easy to do and I was able to pick up on it very quickly and comfortably. It wasn’t necessary to repeat the same steps over and over again as you are able to copy and paste the effect onto other videos.

I imported the song and then put each video in sync with the song. I had to cut some of the videos to make sure that the image on the screen matched with the audio of the song.

After I had everything in place I started to experiment with the background. Firstly I added in a ‘colour matte’ which is just a block of colour. I used this for the background for some parts of the song.

Production Diary 16 - actor and location release, floor plan, filming music video

This week I filmed most of my music video. Before the shooting I had to get permission for using the location as well as permission from the actor so that there would be no access problems. I got a form signed from my teacher and my actor.

I also created a floor plan so that I know how to layout the set for my video shoot.

I managed to do the shooting of my music video using the green screen at Haydon School. We started the shoot with separate parts of the song e.g. verse 1, chorus etc. In between we had to do some scenes a few times as we tried out different positions and expressions so that I would have a lot of to use.

I also got another camera set up to take photos of the whole shooting process so that I could create a behind the scenes clip.

In lesson, I then transferred the files so that I can start looking through the clips and images. For the behind the scenes photos, I had over 600 photos so I picked out some of the unnecessary photos such as at the start when the camera was on when we hadn’t started the shooting yet.

I took about 46 video clips for my music video. These were all fairly short clips which I would have to edit and put them together on Premiere. Some of the clips are not necessary as I had to re-do some of the scenes because the camera was out of focus. So I will start to edit my video after I have looked through each video and picked out unnecessary clips.

After I have done that I will learn how to remove the green back ground and remove it from each video so that I can insert a different background and possible effects with the lyrics of the song. I will look online for tips on how to do this effectively.

Production Diary 15 - costume planning, digipak initial design layout

This week I managed to get the costume planning task done. I noted the kind of costume, hair and makeup I want the artist to have for the music video. The overall style I aim to achieve is quite simple but bright. I also found some images to illustrate these ideas. I looked on clothing websites which were aimed at my target audience for ideas for the costume.

I also finished the initial design layout for my digipak. I used the same font throughout the digipak which was “A little sunshine” as this made it looks consistent. I altered the font to make some variation within the text by making the name of the artist in a bolder style than the rest of the text. I also make it in capitals so that it would stand out more than the album name as it is the most important piece of information on the digipak. For the back cover, I put the tracklist in capitals and aligned in the middle of the lines. I also added in other details such as the barcode, logos of the companies related to the digipak and the copyright and production details. I decided to include these bits of information because I thought it would make my digipak look more professional.

Production Diary 14 – risk assessment, location recce, location contract and call sheet

In this week’s lessons I managed to get a few of the pre-production tasks done and some of them started. I completed the risk assessment as well as the location recce. I then started to complete the location contract and call sheet in preparation for the shooting of my music video which is likely to take place in the next two weeks. I also completed the personnel details task.

For the risk assessment I had to identify some of the possible risks that I would need to consider for my music video shooting. These included: health and safety, personal injury, damage to equipment and halting production. Since my music video will be shot indoors there are perhaps fewer risks than out on the streets for example. However there are still some risks which need to be taken into account such as tripping over objects in the studio.

For the location recce I had to mention the details of the location including the address and note the advantages and possible issues with the location such as access to it. I also had to take a photo of the location.

In the personnel details tasks I listed the people that would be involved in shooting my music video. Along with the people’s names I also had to write the role they were playing as well as the equipment required for the role.

Completing these tasks will ensure that I am prepared to shoot the music video as soon as possible.

Production Diary 13 – storyboard, anamatic

Since I have changed my music video I have been working on my storyboard which would bring me a step closer to shooting my music video. For the storyboard I sketched a rough idea of each of the shots I want to shoot for my music video. I also stated the type of shot and the lyrics that would be heard at that point.

For a lot of the shots they showed the singer singing to the lyrics and there were also quite a few shots which had props to display the lyrics.

After I have completed my storyboard I plan to make all the necessary props for my music video so I will be ready to shoot it as soon as possible. Some other tasks I intend to complete next week include the costume planning, photographs of chosen locations and props list.

Afterwards, I created the anamatic which consisted of the sketched scenes in my storyboard. I scanned in my storyboard to make the animatic which consists of the scenes I illustrated in the storyboard. I created this in Adobe Premiere and synced the images with the song so that it created a moving version of the storyboard. This roughly sketched out what my video would look like. I then uploaded it onto YouTube and on my blog.

Production Diary 12 – digipak design layout and altering music video idea

I started to make the layout of the digipak on InDesign. I decided to have 4 parts for the digipak –front cover, back cover and 2 pages inside.

After much thought and discussion with my teacher I have decided to alter my idea so that it would to allow me to create a music video which would look professional. The fault in my original idea was creating a theme and being able to find a variety of ways to present the lyrics in an interesting way. As I got on to plan it I found it very difficult and different from what I had expected. My original plan was to have a lyric video without showing much of an actor but now I have decided to make the video a playful performance which interacts with the lyrics. I kept the main point of my original idea which was to do with the lyrics but instead I am going to be focusing on the actor more compared to what I had planned for my original idea.

Production Diary 11 - magazine advertisement initial design layout

This week we started to look at the digipak and magazine advertisement for the album.

We firstly looked through previous student’s work and picked out point which were good and parts which were not as good so we know what we should imitate and what we should avoid. For example, we found that the most successful ones were fairly simple which made it look professional. The less successful ones generally has a lot going on. I therefore learnt that I should keep my magazine advert and digipak design more simple to achieve a professional look.

Afterwards, we started to create our own magazine advertisement in InDesign. This was our very first version which is just a brief idea of what we plan to create. Some of the things we included on it were: artist and album name, reviews with stars and date of release.

After my teacher demonstrated to us I learnt how to create the stars for the reviews. This was interesting as it we usually use shapes to create each individual star but for this we quickly created consistent looking stars which looked professional.

I selected some fonts from dafont previously and I used them for the text I had added on the magazine advert. I decided to use 2 different fonts which matched well as this would give show a bit of variation on the advert yet it wouldn’t look like they don’t belong in one place.

I created a hierarchy for the text on my advert as it is important to make sure that the most important bit of text is much bigger. I made the artist name and album name the biggest and then the release date and finally the other information including the stars and reviews.

In progression of the making of my music video, I have made some of the props for my music video. For example I created “123” on some paper which I plan to hang on some string and film it using a pan shot. I also wrote some lyrics on an envelope and letter which I intend to use. To match the lyrics I also drew a picture of a boat and an anchor.

Production Diary 10 – storyboard, proposal

This week I carried on with some more of the planning tasks.

I started to do the storyboard for my music video. I sketched the rough look of each shot I plan to have and noted the edit, length of shot and type of shot. I listened to the song to know how long each shot would last for. I also gave some more details to make it clear what I am going to do for example some of the shots I plan to show the lyrics in the notebook so I noted that beside the shot. To do this task I used the ideas I had noted in the task where I analysed the lyrics of the song. This made it much easier to gather my ideas together and draw the storyboard.
I will carry on drawing the storyboard in my next lesson.

I also completed the proposal task. For this task I had to write the brief of the coursework and identify the aim and my intentions for the music video I am going to make. I briefly outlined the type of music video I wanted to create. I also had to write about my target audience and note any similar products.

Production Diary 9 – influences of music styles and improved previous tasks

I had improved some tasks I did before because I did not get the highest score I could have. I added a few sentences describing what I had done for the contact artist task. I also added some images in the conventions of a music video task.

For homework I improved some of the previous research tasks: music label research, genre research and I also completed the influences of music styles task.

For the music label task I added in a few sentences summarising what I had researched and what I found out whilst doing the research.

Similarly for the genre research task I wrote a couple of sentences regarding how the task had help me in developing my music video.

For the influence of music styles task I researched the different kinds of pop music that exists and noted some of them such as pop rock, dance-pop and indie pop. I found the notable artists, some characteristics as well as a brief history of the genre. I also made a venn diagram to represent the instruments used in each of the 3 genres. This venn diagram showed the instruments which overlapped in the genres and instruments which were more distinct to one of the pop genres. I found this research task quite interesting as I found out that there were so many different types of pop genres which had developed. However, I found that most of these subgenres overlapped by quite a lot and it is possible quite hard to differentiate them as a lot of artists belong to more than one of those pop subgenres.

Production Diary 8 - improvements to work: conventions, theory, ancillary tasks, work that I admire

This week’s classwork I set myself to improve some of the tasks I previously did. These include the moodboard and work that I admire.

I added in some more images for my moodboard. These images were more closely related to the kind of things I would include in my music video as previously I included a lot of images which were related to the audience. For example, I found an image of someone laying on the grass with a guitar which relates to my idea of having two people sitting on the grass with one playing the guitar and another lying down beside them.

For the work that I admire, I only analysed the videos and said what I liked about it. To improve it I talked about how it would influence the music video I make such adopting similar techniques such as having a bit of narrative in my video ad using similar transitions.

Another task I set myself was to find some fonts which I could use. This is an important task because my music video is going to be based on the lyrics of the song so I need to have a variety of suitable fonts that I can use for the lyrics that will be shown throughout the video.

The homework tasks I set myself last week were to improve the analysis of the ancillary tasks, music video theory and the conventions of a music video. To improve the analysis of the ancillary tasks I analysed another digipak and magazine advert as I previously analysed a website instead. I also added in a short paragraph on how the analysis has helped me to learn about what to do for my own product.

For the music video theory, I added in how I would apply each section (narrative, audience, media language and genre) to my own music video. For example I mentioned how I may create my music video so that it would suit the pop genre.

Finally for the conventions of a music video task, I also added in how I would apply certain conventions to my music video and others which were not necessary. For example, I would still use some camera movements e.g. pan but not some of the editing e.g. parallel editing.

Production Diary 7 - initial planning ideas, moodboard, contact with artist, equipment list, analysis of lyrics

I completed the 2 homework tasks I set myself last week which were: initial planning ideas and moodboard.

I did initial planning ideas on Prezi. In this Prezi I included the brief idea I had on my music video such as the song I am planning to use (“Count On Me” by Bruno Mars) as well as the type of music video (lyric video with a bit of narrative). I also mentioned the possible locations and props I could use for my music video (school themed).

For the moodboard I collected several images of the things related to my music genre (pop), target audience interests (brands, hobbies, status) as well as ideas related to the type of music video I want to create.

For this week’s classwork I chose to do: contact with artist, equipment list and analysis of lyrics.

For the contact with artist I wrote an e-mail to the management of Bruno Mars which I found on his official website. In the e-mail I requested for permission to use his song for my media coursework.

The equipment list requires us to list all the possible equipment which we may use for our music video including the equipment to film the music video such as camera and tripod as well as the props we may use in the music video.

I analysed the lyrics on Prezi as I thought that it would be more suitable as there is no frame which restricts you from putting things like PowerPoint slides. This was important because the lyrics are formatted in a long list and so Prezi would be useful in analysing it wouldn’t fit nicely on a PowerPoint slide. For the analysis I mentioned my interpretation of the lyrics as well as how I may film my music video to match parts of the lyrics for example using the notebook and other props to present the lyrics.

Production Diary 6 - research into equipment, artist, directors, genre and audience

This week in class I set myself 3 tasks to do which were: research into equipment, research into artist and research into music video directors.

For the equipment task I wrote about the different equipment which I plan to use to make my music video. These included the camera, tripod as well as software –Adobe Premiere, InDesign and Photoshop. I briefly explained why I plan to use these equipment and also mentioned how it would help me to make my music video.

I did the ‘research into directors’ task on PowerPoint. I researched the directors of the videos which I liked such as Katy Perry’s “Birthday”. Through this research I found out about the other videos which these directors had directed. For example Tanimura the director of “Birthday” also directed other Katy Perry songs which was interesting to know. I also found that a lot of the music video directors also directed films.

I researched Bruno Mars and noted some of the important and interesting information about him. Firstly, I found the basic information about him including his birth name, date of birth, occupations etc. I also researched the awards and nominations he received and also other areas of success such as his album sales.

I completed the homework task I set myself to complete which were: research into genre and audience research.

I used Prezi to present my work regarding the research into the pop genre. I firstly found the definitions of pop music. This was rather interesting to see how people defined it. I also noted the conventions of pop music, mentioning the clothing and colours used for example. I also mentioned some famous pop artists and included some images of them.

For the audience research I used a website called PowToon. This is a website which creates animated presentations. Since I had used PowerPoint and Prezi quite a few times already I wanted to find a different way to present my work and I came across this when I was searching for different ways to present things on the internet. I found this website fairly easy to use as the way it was set out was easy to get used to. Despite not having being taught or looked at tutorials and managing to make an animated presentation is a personal accomplishment and perhaps suggests the simplicity of the website. Although it was quite easy to use but the outcome was wonderful as it looked professional and interesting.

I typed up the information before I put it in the presentation as it made it easier to work with and also ensured that I had a copy of the information in case it didn’t work out. I wrote about the age, gender, social class and interests of my target audience.

Production Diary 5 – music video theory and music channels

This week I managed to get two more research tasks done.

Firstly I completed the music video theory task which was fairly easy to complete as I used the information from the work I did for the exam side of this course. I got information on each of the following concepts: narrative, media language, audience, representation and genre. To accompany some of the theories such as the narrative theory I inserted some diagrams beside the text to show the theory in an easier and more interesting way.

Secondly, I completed the music channel task. For this task we have to research information regarding different music channels. I decided to research the music channels 4Music, Viva and MTV because these are the few most known music channels. For each of these music channels I found out information about it such as when it was launched, who it is owned by and the slogan. I also found some more descriptive information such as the details of the launch of 4Music as well as the first music video that was shown on Viva.

For homework, I set myself two tasks to complete: research into genre and audience research.

Production Diary 4 - music video conventions and history, work I admire and music labels research

Over the summer holidays I managed to get some more of the research tasks done.

Firstly, as an extra research task I finished off the reverse storyboard of an existing music video which we started in the lesson. We used a program called Celtx which allowed us to make storyboards. To create the storyboard I print screened the music video and briefly wrote about what was significant in it. Through this task I managed to find what types of transitions I could use for my lyric video.

Another task which I did was the conventions of a music video. For this task I used PowerPoint to complete it. I divided the conventions into sections such as camera, sound, structure, mise-en-scene, editing and so on. Although my music video is going to be a lyric video and will be different but some of these conventions still apply I think. For example, the mise-en-scene is important to show the emotion of the song so this would not matter whether it is a lyric video or narrative video whereas the camera shots may not apply for my lyric video but would be necessary for a narrative video.

I also found examples of lyric videos which I admire. I chose Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up” and Katy Perry’s “Birthday”. These videos really caught my eye as they were done to a high standard. I really admire the mise-en-scene of these videos as it was thought out carefully which inspires me to also do the same for mine. I wrote briefly about music video and described some of the techniques used. I then explained what I liked about it.

Finally I did the history of music videos task. For this task I decided to use Prezi to present it. I gathered a lot of information from the internet to create the sort of history timeline of music videos. I found out about some of the earliest types of music videos. To accompany the factual information I found I put in some relevant images/videos.

This week I managed to complete the music label research task. For this task I used PowerPoint to present my work. I researched 4 music labels, these were Warner Music Group, EMI, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. For each of these music labels I mentioned the key facts such as when it was founded, the labels under the company, some of the artists under the company as well as some points about the history of the company. To accompany the text I included some images of the company logo, logos of the labels and images of the artists.

Next week I plan to get started on another research task which will be researching directors or theory.