Music Video Evaluation

For my music video I worked on my own, the idea was inspired instantly from listening to the song. I did the pre-production work, production and editing all by myself. Abbie helped with the production giving me ideas on location and lighting techniques when in the studio.

In regards to how well I did my role, on reflection I should have communicated better with my actress and been more professional when filming as I didn’t give her clear and strict instructions of what I wanted from her. I generally let her do her own things in scenes when I wanted, a casual and relaxed look. I think this gave the wrong impression and ended up with her getting side tract, losing valuable filming time. Which I later regretted as I found out in the filming stages, she was suspended from college, so I was unable to finish filming the footage that I needed for the last two verses. I communicated well with my production assistants Joanna and Abbie when they helped me in the studio as they understood and did what I asked of them; they were really helpful.

The only constraints was the actress’s availability as well as my production assistants, I was only able to book out the TV studio at awkward times as the availability was limited which was an issue with regards to my production schedule, as I hoped to start filming sooner. This meant my actress and assistants had to leave to go home a couple of hours before my booking finished, which gave me a limited time to film. In terms of the budget I was able to get costumes from student from the other group and the only thing I needed to buy was the rose petals as the microphone and rose was lent to me by a relative.  I didn’t have any issues with the idea as the original one only adapted to be more creative towards the end but the vision was how I wanted it from the beginning.

I enjoyed making the video, the  filming I found was the hardest as I don’t believe I am a good director so I found it quite stressful, however the editing I found enjoyable because when I saw it with the music I felt more positive about the finished outcome.

Another issue I had with the production was I filmed some shoots in the wrong frame size so I had to stretch some clips, which was time consuming. If I was to do any production again I will check I’m filming in the right size before, so I don’t have this issue again. The main problem I found with the whole production was the lack of time I had which was down to me starting my filming later than I wanted and having educational days off  meaning I missed a days’ worth of editing.

The biggest success for me was the footage I used to replace the scenes I would have had of Mercy if she wasn’t suspended. I was really struggling for clips to use but I’m happy with the idea I had of zooming into the roses and going around the microphone stand with cuts of it panning up Mercy outside. I’m generally happy with the idea, the main changes was due to the actress being suspended as the ending would have been as storyboarded.

If I was to do it again I would have had more creative shots and extended the storyline of her and the man, as well as had more of her singing whilst with him. I would have improved the syncing  to make it look more professional as well as adding colour effects especially in some studio shots as I found it was too dark at times.

 

 

I’m generally happy with the finished video, I only feel as though it could have been more polished. The feedback I got was generally positive on my lighting and studio effects with the flashing lights. It was also said that one of my strengths was the lip syncing. I got mixed views on the locations and my story as they were put as my strengths and weaknesses. They agreed with me on the low key lighting in the studio and I agree with them on the locations I should have been more adventurous and creative with my locations and had some more out door shots as I liked the colours in those unlike my dark studio shots.

From the production of the music video, I’ve learnt the value of pre-production and planning making the filming easier. I have also learnt that it is a struggle to lip sync as I thought it would be really easy and the actress would be able to sing the music in one take and it would be perfect. To my surprise it wasn’t. I’ve found it challenging taking on all the roles of a director, producer etc. However I enjoyed the challenge and would like to do a music video for my FMP. Even though I felt I didn’t do well as a director I feel as though I developed and improved from each shoot, learning from my mistakes and inefficiency on some shoots. I have also discovered more interesting shots and techniques in the studio and when filming, when testing things which I will use in future projects.

 

Last week of editing

I've fallen behind schedule for editing as my Mum was taken into hospital on Monday evening, so I was unable to go into college on Tuesday as planned to edit and catch up, on time missed on Friday for editing as I was at my university interview.

I went in on Wednesday to edit however we only had lunch time and a bit of the morning to edit and I struggled to stay focused. This meant I didn't get a lot done that day and I also had to visit my Mum after college so I couldn't stay later than usual to get some more editing done.

On Thursday I had to help Joanna film her music video in the morning and through lunch, so that cut down the time I had for editing by quite a lot.

I struggled to find clips that I could use for verse 4 and the scat as my actress was suspended before I had chance to film it. I had to repeat previous opening clips and show more buildings than the singer in the final verse, which wasn't as story boarded.

I had a finished music video although not satisfied with it, I had to leave college to go and visit my mum. I am generally happy with the finished outcome considering the issue with my actress being suspended half way though filming and not having as much time as I would of to edit. I think it's acceptable however when I watch it I can continuously see where I would improve and change it in places. My favourite bit is the beginning, as it is exactly as story boarded.

19th and 20th editing stages

I was at a university interview on Friday so I was unable edit in class time however I did some editing through lunches and after college but that only meant I had about 4 hours of editing time over the two days.

I've managed to create the beginning verses one and two but just need to make the rest a clean cut and in sync with the rest, so I can then start adding in effects such as the speed and duration along with any text at the beginning or any shots I think will look good in black and white.

I'm generally happy with the music video, I can see it developing and coming together nicely as I have a rough idea of the finished outcome.

My aim next week is to obviously complete and hand it in but I need to make sure I give myself enough time to make the finished piece polished and well in sync as that is my only worry at the momment as well as the lack of good footage I have of mercy singing. I think I will need to change the duration in sections of the clips to make it fit with the audio well.

Filming day four 14/03/2014

After re filming all the footage I needed and extras on filming day three I had a rough edit and idea of how the music video would look and decided on adding some extra rose petal shots in the studio and some extreme close up shots of Mercy singing the first verse into the mic to add in the beginning. However when I showed my teacher, she thought it didn't need any extra filming of mercy singing in the first verse, which I was pleased to hear as that would mean I would only need a few more shots, giving me more time to edit.

When it came to the day of filming the main character(singer) Mercy was suspended from college just before I was about to get her ready for filming and she wasn't allowed on the premises therefore I couldn't shoot the only scenes I needed which was in the TV Studio.

I ended up still using the TV Studio to film rose petals shots of them falling, them shaped into a heart, surrounding the microphone and some close ups shots of the rose petals. I thought these shots could go in between the shots I did of Mercy, laying in the rose petals I filmed on the first day of filming, instead of her singing shots that I planned to film on Friday.

I also went around Nottingham with Tyrone filming landscape shots of the church restaurant- Pitch and Piano from the top level on car parks to get a nice view. I also got a few more shots of birds flying around the buildings that I might use along with the similar shots in the first verse. I plan on using more bird shots within the last verse just before the scat or use them in the scat, when I use lots of quick short bursts creating a climax.

My only worry now is that I won't have enough singing footage for the scat as I wanted her singing  in rose petals but will have to make do with the footage I have for now, until I know when my actress will be allowed back into college.

After I carried on editing instead of filming Mercy on Friday I had more ideas of shots I wanted for the video. I need more extreme close up shots of Mercy's lips singing as well as close up shots in the TV Studio and outside, of her moving her hips to the music.

Another idea to incorporate with the landscape shots is of a busker that plays ouside Marks and Spencers in the streets of Nottingham. He plays the saxophone, an instrument that is used to create the song. He may not be there when I decode to film or allow me to film him but it is an idea that I will try. I think these exterior shots, or outside ones will look nice in black and white. This is something I will see if it works well with the theme of the music video.

filming day three 07/03/2014

Today I shot majority of the scenes I needed for verse 3, as well as re-doing a couple outdoor shots that I needed for verse1.

First of all I edited the footage that I already had, with the converted files that we're too big and tried to sync the video with the music as well as I could. I had to adjust the speed and duration of some clips to get it to match the audio.

By editing the footage, I was able to judge what other footage I needed to re do or add to the music video. This saved time when filming as I could visualise what clips I filmed could go in certain gaps on the editing time line.

I printed out the lyrics and noted what needed filming and when as a guide. This helped a lot when filming.

This day filming was much more successful than the others as I managed to film everything I needed in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. I haven't looked at my footage yet, so I am unsure if it has been shot in the right frame size and if the lip syncing clips are use able.

Issues with the footage from shoot 1 and 2.

After my second day of filming I began to edit my footage to hopefully create my first scene/ verse however after having issues with Adobe software, of it not playing my footage smoothly for me to be able to edit. It was soon realised I had shot majority, if not all of my footage in a larger setting than the Adobe editing programme could cope with. I had the options of either re shooting all of my footage or attempting to convert my clips into smaller sizes which would take a long time to do. I decided to convert the files, so I will go into college early on Thursday and pick as fewer clips as possible I know I want in the music video to convert and hopefully have them all converted by Friday ready to edit.

This has delayed the production process as I planned to know what I needed to shoot on Friday by Wednesday, where as now I will probably spend most of that time on Friday editing my first scene. I have also committed to starring and featuring in two other music videos, giving me less time to edit and shoot giving myself not enough time to edit before the deadline. I will have to re evaluate and adjust my production schedule.

second day of filming 04/03/2014

It was my second day of shooting today I aimed to film the beginning scene of the music video and scenes on the stairs but not the scenes on the stairs with the gentleman flirting with her. I had the camera booked out from 9am till 4pm however the artist didn't turn up until just before 2, and after getting her in the costume and getting her hair and make up ready, I wasn't able to start filming until after 2, giving me only just under to 2 hours to film her scenes.

Before the artist came I was helping out in other music videos(Joanna's) and I was also able to film the clips of the 'sun in the sky' and 'birds flying high'. Luckily the sun was out that day and I had to quickly get my camera out and film it when the clouds started to clear and after a couple attempts I managed to get the shot I wanted. Filming birds flying was quite difficult at first, as the object moved to quickly for me to set up the camera in time and get a clear, good shot. Luckily when the camera was rolling as I was filming the sky, a group of birds came flying over unexpectedly allowing me to get the shot I wanted. So I was generally happy with those shots.

The scenes I managed to film with the artist was shots of her walking along the dainty building just outside college. Getting close up shots of her walking and her hand brushing against the wall. I attempted to lip sync her singing the beginning verse which was difficult again as she struggled to remember the lyrics. I was generally happy with some shots but much like the last shoot the only footage that didn't appear very good was the ones with her singing, the most important and time consuming shots. Although I didn't get any successful singing shots, I will try and edit them to fit by cutting or changing the speed of the clip in the editing suite later on.

My only worry from today's shoot and last shoot was the time it took to film and with me having only produced a 1/4 of good quality footage that I'll be able to use. As well as loosing hours of filming time due to the artist being late. I have booked another day of filming on Friday and I will begin editing the first scene ready to decide on what needs filming or re shooting in the studio next Friday.

First day of filming 28/02/2014

On Friday 28th February I did my first bit of filming for the music video. I aimed to film all the studio scenes, of her singing into the vintage mic and the scenes of her laying and singing in rose petals. I only had the studio booked out from 1.00 till 4.00pm and I'd underestimated the I needed to film all of that as I was only able to film the signing into the mic and her only a couple of shots of her laying in the rose petals not of her singing. The first day of filming wasn't very successful as I struggled to get the artist to sync her lips with the beat and timing of the song. I had looked at some of my footage after filming and I was generally pleased with the look of the shots with the lighting however unsure as to whether it will be synced well. I haven't been able top start editing yet as I will continue with one more day of filming then start editing to see what shots I need to re shoot. I have booked out the TV Studio on the 14th March  from 1.00 till 5.30pm as I have struggled to get in any earlier as it has been fully booked. The main issue is being able to get the artist to stay any later than 2.30 as they have plans elsewhere. As the first day of shooting was a issue after 2.30 when the student(Abbie) on lighting had to leave, I struggled to film and adjust the lighting as I couldn't see what it looked like in shot when adjusting the lights.

In the studio as well as being pleased with the shot angles, the hair and costume also looked good, as the head wrap sat on her head properly, like how Nina Simone wore hers. The dress also fit in with the mood of the scene. I was particularly pleased with how the dress looked as the colour was shown clearly, representing freedom. Which tied in with the song of her expressing how she feels alongside expressing the personality of the singer Nina Simonne's strong views on civil rights and freedom.

Flo Rida recently released the song 'How I feel' featuring examples of the song feeling good by Nina Simmone. It was released as the album's second single and title track on October 29, 2013 in the United States.

The music video features similar themes and props I will be using in my video. It shows the themes of him enjoying himself . It shows him turning up outside Planet Hollywood in an expensive, classy vintage car, then he steps out in his velvet blue suit with his friends and enters a club. This continues with him gambling with shots of him singing to the camera. He continues to party at the bar until he is on stage singing into a vintage microphone. The Vintage theme that's been incorporated with the modern lifestyle in the music video works well. I however will stick to the vintage theme throughout my music video, as I will display dainty stairs and building/ surroundings as the settings unlike modern clubs. Flo Rida's music video also features women around him, helping with his good mood. In my music video I will also feature an actor of the opposite sex to show an interest in my artist by him hitting on her, she will acknowledge his presence and gifts however ignore his affection as I want to represent her as an independent woman.

 

I saw the video after already deciding on what I will film for my music video and after watching Flo Rida's interpretation of the meaning of the song, 'feeling good' and seeing the themes and ideas he used to represent Nina's song, it gave me great confidence in my ideas for it. This was due to it having similar style camera shots, props, the themes of his surroundings and women/men being around them. Although I will have a slightly different take on it with it being a different artist.(e.g female) allowing my video still to be different to his.

31st January

I started on my story boards, deciding on what shots will be needed and where. To make the production process easier as I can start filming straight away, knowing what to film and locations I need to have booked ready.

 I also started gathering props for the music video, as I will be needing;

• Vintage microphone
• Black dress
• White dress
• Rose
• musical instruments
• A suit for the man who's featured in it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24th January first week review

I have researched songs of a similar genre that I would like to do and compared the songs Beyonce- listen and Nina Simmone- Feeling good in my previous blogs that I did off timetable. After choosing the song feeling good. I have created a proposal of what I want to happen as well as props,costumes and who the cast will be.

In order to carry out my proposal and ideas, I researched the songs music video's by other artists of different and similar artists. I discovered Nina's characteristics and signature style to influence the music video.  Her signature head wrap influenced other women to wear them in music videos. She had also written songs after events discriminating civil rights had been taken away. For example on bio true story it stated 'She wrote "Mississippi Goddam" in response to the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers and the Birmingham church bombing that killed four young African-American girls. After the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Simone penned "Why (The King of Love Is Dead)." She also wrote "Young, Gifted and Black," borrowing the title of a play by Hansberry, which became a popular anthem at the time.'(A+E Networks, 2014)

I started looking at prices of props and costumes needed such as dresses and musical instruments.

Music videos I like

Music videos are often a representation of the artists lyrics either shown as a short film or is performance based. I personally prefer music videos that tell a story, as they explain and express the meaning behind the lyrics or what the lyrics mean to the artist. The music videos I've enjoyed the most are by artist Macklemore and Ryan Lewis as there's tell a story. The music video 'wings' I found particularly powerful, as it was inspriring yet had the emotions of loss, childhood, nievety etc. The music video had a child portraying macklemore inbetween clips of macklemore now, wearing the same shoes. This makes the lyrics and song much more powerful as he sings about his childhood it shows a realistic scene of him as a child, explaining the lyrics. It engages with the audience as the video is shown as macklemore telling the audience about a personal part of his life automatically making the music video more interseting to watch, especially for fans.

Even though the lyrics are about a simple topic of nike shoes and how it defines you, the music video brings it to life as it tells a story of how it changed the artists life, and the allows the audience to vislise the effects it had on him as a child Instead of just listening to it.

The black and white shots used added authenticy to the video as well as the song not starting straight away, allowing th scene to be set first, grabbing the audiences attention. It also changes shots in time with the beat of the music. As the song moves along so does the story/visuals.This technique makes the visuals more powerful, I would like to use some of these techniques in my music video.

song options for my music video

Two songs I've picked to possibly make music videos for:

Nina Simmone- Feeling good

Her version of the song was released in 1965 and hasn't got a music video however other artists such as Muse and Michael Buble have produced music videos of there own versions of this song.

Nina Simmone's song has the sub genres of show tune, jazz and blues and lasts for 2 minutes 53 seconds.

When I listen to the song, I imagine the beginning clip in black and white of a black woman in a white dress outside, only showing shots of her hand touching the walls or her lips. This sets the scene before the song plays and she sings 'birds in the sky you know how I feel' a clip of birds in the sky in black and white is shown then she sings. 'Sun in the sky, you know how I feel' and clip of the sun is shown. She continues singing as it films close ups of her, rarely showing her whole face in one clip. Before the beat starts after 'i'm feeling good' she opens some doors. This cuts to a clip in colour of her on a stage/studio in a black dress singing with a microphone, as the band plays behind her. For the rest of the song I imagine it switches from the black and white scene of her walking and dancing up some stairs whilst romancing with gentleman on her way, offering her flowers etc. Cutting to the scene in colour of her on stage with close ups of the band and instruments being played. As she sings the lyrics in both scenes.

Another song choice I was thinking of doing for my music video is Listen by Beyonce from the film Dream girls. This is a similar theme to the song above of glamorous dresses and the genre of soul and R&B. This song lasts for 3 minutes and 40 seconds.

Two music videos have been made from this song, the first one is of a vogue shoot this was of the artist singing into the camera whilst showing clips of her character in dream girls doing a photo shoot. I find this version shows more of the R&B genre as it has Beyonce singing into the camera in a black T shirt, differing from the period the film is set in, modernising the song.

The second one is the clip from Dream girls which I prefer the most out of the two, as it is more story based. The character Beyonce plays is in the recording studio as she sings the song, aiming at the man sitting in front of her, automatically making the lyrics more meaningful rather than in the first one as there isn't a character or person to direct the message of the song towards. It also shows clips of her becoming an independent woman and not letting the man we saw in the recording studio control her and exclude her feelings and thoughts.

I imagine the music video for her song to start off with a woman sat near a window, looking outside with tears in her eyes, then the starts singing.. 'listen, to the song here in my heart'.. as she sings clips are shown in between of her performing and eventually being offered a place to act abroad on a project, it shows her clips of her trying several times to tell her partner of this opportunity but he tells her she isn't good enough etc. He tells her it's best to stay here, as he gets lots of attention from his footballing career he doesn't want her to get attention too, she does what he says at first. Then 3/4 way through the clip she packs her bags and leaves the place they was living together(the same place where she sings from the window) she starts her dream of becoming an actress in L.A and as the song finishes a clip is shown of her ex partner seeing a billboard from the window she sang from crying of her in a big film.