Music video- draft edit 2

This is another draft edit of my music video. I organised a second meet up for filming to fill in previous gaps, this time I chose to meet up at a later time of 4pm, to add continuity within the video and to show a time line of the day. I made some adjustments to the title, when researching Coasts I came across their logo, so I included this in my video, still using white text to stand out. In the last part of my video I edited the speed and duration of the shots, slowing them down to fit in with the pace of the song, showing a relationship between the song and visuals which responses to Andrew Goodwin's theory. My music video isn't completely finished, you will notice two small gaps and in these gaps will feature a time lapse and shot of the sky, all of which were suggested to me in the peer feedback. 

Hot Desking- Peer Feedback

I found the hot desking very helpful as it gave my some ideas for extra footage which I was having trouble coming up with. I will take in consideration what the viewers said for instance the length of the clips and apply this to my video. However some I will not be able to adjust; it was suggested that i cut out the shaky clips which I'm not going to do because the idea behind my video is to make the audience think that the person with the camera is actually apart of the friendship group and not apart of the film crew. Overall I am pleased with the feedback from the viewers. 

Music video- draft 1

Above is an incomplete version of my music video. I am pleased with the way its going, however I need to organise another meet up with the cast to fill in the gaps. I like how the shots relate to the lyrics, for example when it says adventure the cast look as if they themselves are about to go on one. This is a key aspect of Andrew Goodwins theory, showing a relationship between visuals and the song. 

Title

I believe that my music video needs to include a tittle so that my audience are introduced to the song and artist. I have tried to base the style of writing around Coasts album cover, to show a connection. Even though the texts don't completely match as i had a limited choice on premier pro, I'm happy with my choice of title.

Experimenting with effects- Three way colour correction

The three way colour correction adds a sense of warmth to the video, emphasing the sunny weather we had on the day of filming. It creates a much richer and bolder image, which in some respects i like but in other i don't, this is because i want my video to have a natural feel to it. 

Draft Music Video- without editing

Music video- test shots

These are my tests shots for my music video, which I applied a retro effect to. I still havent mastered the perfect retro look yet but with further experimenting, research and practicing i will. 

Retro Effect

I found this website on google showing me how to create a retro/vintage effect to my video. 

The website was a bit of a struggle to understand because I have only recently been introduced to premier pro so have a weak knowledge on it, however I picked out interesting key points and used them in premier pro.I played around with the colour balance, adjusting the graphs for each colour until I created the best retro look to my video. To the right is a snap shot of my video before it was edited and above is it edited. I think the brightness is to high and perhaps doesn't have a retro feel, however this was only an experiment and I will continue to play around with this new skill I have learnt and apply it to more video clips. 

Location

Some problems have occurred with my idea. Originally I planned to shoot my video at wells beach but because of the distance and the fact that I have to rely on my parents for transport, the location is going to change to Knettishall heath in Thetford. This has actually turned out to be a good thing and gives me an advantage, as its much closer to where me and the cast live which means transport wont have to be provided allowing much more freedom. Also if I need more shots or something was to go wrong its easier to revisit. The concept/storyline for my video is still going to be the same just in a different location. 

Story Board

Participant release form

This is just one example of the participant release forms that I got my five cast members to fill in. 

Call Sheet

Risk Assessment Form

Due to other commitments over the half term two of my cast members have had to pull out, which means I now have 5 cast members; this is not a problem because it will be easier to work with and direct a smaller number of people and still produce the same outcome. 

Cast members now:

Meet the cast

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Audience Profile

I produced a collage/mood board of images that I believe relate and describe to my target audience. My target audience is aimed at both males and females

who categorise themselves to belong in the indie genre. I'd expect them to be between the age of 17-19, most will be currently taking their A levels and be creative, showing an interest in art or photography. Festival season is over for the year but this doesn't stop them from going out to gigs and small events, sharing their love for music with other and begin saving up for next years festivals such as Lattitude and Reading. Socialising and keeping up to date with friends is important to my target audience, whether this is going down to the pub for a few beers then hitting some parties, or maybe just getting together with friends down the local skate park capturing new tricks on their cameras and sharing on instagram with their smart phones; this is where they also follow favourite bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen. My typical audience especial the females would be fashionable following new styles aswell as creating their own and shop in H & M due to it being cheap allowing them to afford trending clothing that appeals to the student budget. My target audience maybe musically talented themselves and own a Taylor guitar which they took to camping trips over the summer and jammed to a Hozier song around the campfire; but now after some busy days at college they enjoy sitting in coffee shops, reading. My target audience is aimed at visual people who take notice at the way things look like, so I want to include visual effects which will make my music video seem creative and visually pleasing to my target audience.        

Stereotypes of the Indie genre

Location
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Fashion
  Follow Ellyse's board Fashion on Pinterest.

‘Indie’ is short for individual. Indie can be used in many ways to describe unique music, clothes, photos and art. Indie fashion is unique to ever person. People who make their own clothes or try different things instead of buying what their friends are wearing and following the crowd. Indie clothes are trendy and make you stand out/ they aren’t usually brand names, most of the time its vintage/retro/home-made.

I selected a video that I believe covers all the stereotypes of an indie music video, and these are the reasons why... 

Jake Bugg- Trouble Town

The music video for the song 'Trouble Town' by Jake Bugg fits into the genre of indie and features aspects that you would typically see in an indie music video because of the derelict worn down locations, the acoustic guitar and retro look the video has. The cut between digital footage and film footage with the black and white shot at the beginning then the change to colour all adds to the retro/vintage look; this is done so that the audience can clearly identify what genre of music it is as most indie music video incorporate some sort of effect somewhere.

BRAINSTORM

I have been brainstorming ideas for my music video, creating a story board visually which can later be expanded and improved; obviously this story board is not finished. 

Film & editing task- Doors

We worked in pairs to create/construct a short clip of someone walking through doors, this was to broaden our understanding and skills of the equipment, filming and editing process on premier pro, that can later be applied to our own music videos. 

In order to create the effect of time passing and clearly show a journey, we set up our tripod and 1100D camera in different location around college, and created juxtapositions in the edit. We had to capture multiple shots so that our video flow smoothly to create continuity editing like a journey, beginning with me pressing the button to open the door, walking through the door, then a shot of me opening the handle of a different door and exiting out of it. One thing I have learnt is that it is important to get a large number of shots to make continuity editing work well, which is something we didn't do in this video, however I can make sure I do this in the construction on my music video. 

We played around with different types of camera angles and shots, such as close ups and medium shots, to make our video ascetically interesting rather then only shooting the same shot through out, which would essentially bore our viewers. Close ups were used to focus on objects, for example the door handle, to make the audience feel like they are part of our journey, creating a relationship between the audience and actor/actress. This relationship was'nt carried throughout because there are a number of shots were the actress's face isnt in shot, hiding her identity; an example of this is when Amelia is in the lift as the shot only includes the lower half of her body. 

I think the most difficult part of this process was actually trying to fit the music in with the shots when editing.We had to alter the shots slightly using tools on premier pro to make the track and shots fit together, as after all the most important thing is that they combined well together. we also adjusted the speed of some shots, for instance when Amelia is the lift because the shot itself was very long as it took a while for the lift doors to close; we increased the speed to keep the audience interested.

Music Video Production Treatment

Music Video Proposal

Music Video Analysis

Paula & Karol- The Way We Were

I came across this music video when browsing indie videos, I'm not familiar with the band but from what I researched on them they aren't that well known and belong in the folk genre. The video obviously doesn't relate to my genre because mine is indie, however the reason I chose to look at it was that the shots and story line is very similar to my idea, I also believe that the video itself is indie. 

The video is shot in many different locations from a forest to a beach; all of which follow the stereotype of an indie music video. These shots are connected together with the continuous use of jump cuts; which from my research is a very common aspects to be seen in a video for this genre. I noticed that the female in this video is wearing converse while the male is wearing a checked shirt, both fit into the indie fashion style, however i wouldn't say that they completely follow this style as when I first watched this video they didn't strike me as 'indie'. Nevertheless the lantern which was used in the last shot ties in with indie feel as it belongs on the same line as the fireworks which were used in Alt J's music video that I previously analysed. 

Music Video Analysis

Alt-J Left Hand Free 

Alt-j are an indie rock band fitting in with the genre of music I have chosen for my music video. The main reason i decided to look at this video is because it features a group of teenagers messing around and just generally having fun; tying in well with my idea.

Left hand free is prime example of the typical indie style music video because it follows all the conventions you would usually see in indie music videos. Most of the video was filmed at Guadalupe river in Austin, Texas a common location for this particular genre along with beaches and any other location which appears to be worn down, which you will also see in different parts of the video. According to Andrew Goodwin particular music genres have their own style, you will find that most music videos that are categorised as indie will be conceptual and slightly narrative with similar conventions. 

Jump cuts are shown throughout the video reflecting the fast pace of the song and possibly the teenagers, because we can be seen as lively and energetic. The whole purpose of the jump cuts in this video is to show the journey/road-trip that the teenagers are taking, its to sum up their day in a short amount of time. The close ups of their faces are used to express feeling, it appears that they are enjoying themselves as the mouth(smile) is the main focus in the shot; this is a shot that I would like to incorporate in my music video. When the girl appears to be coming up from under the water while being filmed, a slow motion effect has been edited in; this was quite hard to spot but when I looked at it closely it appears that the waves around her have decreased in speed. This shot has also been edited in time with the track because the sound is a much higher level when she comes up. 

It is conventional in an indie music video to add an effect of some sort in, whether this is black and white or simply just adjusting the colour gradient. In Left Hand Free the colour gradient is a connotation of summer giving it a rustic and retro look. 

Storyboard/Inspiration

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Copyright Confirmation

I emailed a few bands to ask for permission to use one of their songs for my music video, and I got a reply from a band called Coasts, allowing me to use their song' Tonight'. I chose this song because when I listened to it I could already imagine my music video in my head and I think this song will also let me be free with my idea. 

What is a music video?

A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced mainly for promotional purposes. They are designed and used as a marketing device, interacting the audience with the artist/band. Its purpose is to entertain and persuade the viewers to purchase/ download the item. 

Samuel Kristofski- Director

I researched the director of a favorite music video of mine to get inspiration and ideas for my music video; his name is Samuel Kristofski.


Samuel Kristofski produces underground music videos that are fun and exciting. His videos are very different to what you usually see in mainstream music videos, as they don't really have a theme, it is just a bundle of energy. I noticed when researching the other videos he has directed that he tends to travel, creating on the go shots, possibly using a track as the artists (subjects) are followed throughout the video. The track captures both backwards and forward shots, producing smooth movements, adding to the relaxed and mellow feel.
I don't think Samuel specialises in a particular genre because Jinga safari, one of the bands he worked with are indie but then another band his directed for called Kids of 88, with their song 'The Drug' are electro disco, this makes me believe that he is a very versatile and skillful director as he can direct a video for any genre. When I watch his videos I feel like I'm there witnessing everything and being part of the action, this is due to the use of continuity editing; creating a sense of reality. Occasionally you see cutaways showing brief shots of another action that is happening. On thing you will notice in this video that there are other diegectic sounds incorporated in, overlapping the song itselfs: in this case he has used sound effects that could be associated with the jungle. Samuel includes a large amount of animation to add to the element of fun and exciting energy that reflects the band and puts his stamp on the videos.There may seem like a lot is going on but thats what i like about it, you definitely don't get bored watching and that's what makes a good music video.

Skater Boy- Transition Music Video

The main purpose of this music video was to teach us a new skill, lip syning and how to edit it in our video. The process was difficult because to begin with you have to make sure you use a simple song as a song that invloves, for instance rapping would be much harder to lip syn and then edit. Towards the end of our muisc video there was a problem with the lighting which we noticed when editing, it caused the face of the performer to be very light and slighlty white. I think this was due to the black background where she was positioned in this particular shot as the lighting in the rest of the shots were fine. The key technique I learnt from the editing process was lining up the song with video, I would say that this was definitely the most frustrating part of creating the music video as we were finding it difficult to get the right timings and it also takes alot of patience which me and my fellow directors/editiors didnt have. Overall I found this task very helpful and I'm going to use some of the skills I learnt in my music video for my promotion package.