Music Video Rough Cut 2 and Feedback - April

This is my second draft on making the music video but it is the first that I have made my own without Alex. I have tried to take into consideration the improvements from rough cut 1 and I will now be asking for even more feedback from my target audience as well for my rough cut 2. This is because it will allow me to gather more reliable and suitable feedback as it is coming from the audience who I am aiming at. By asking my target audience I will then have an idea of what they like and dislike about my music video and I can work around their suggestions to make my music video meet their expectations and become more enjoyable for them to watch.

What went well

• There is a clear narrative in the music video as the story is clear and flows well.
• Split screen works well showing their separate times in the day and representing that they are not together. The timing of the two shots in the split screen match well as the both go into each other at the same time in both shots.
• I like the slow paced editing at the end when they are about to meet and the slow motion adds to making it more dramatic and highlights the scene.
• Filming the end scene when they meet was planned well for lighting which works really well for making it more dramatic and adding colour to the shots.
• There is a good colour theme throughout which flows into the different scenes well.
• there is a good variation of camera angles and movement for example the drone shots from high up and the close ups on the guitar which make it more interesting and intriguing to watch.
• I like how you have used drone shots at the beginning to set the scene for the music video and that you have used this same location for only these shots and for when they meet at the end as well, making the music video foreshadow the location for the ending.
• The mood, themes and setting in the music video goes well with the style of the song.
• The transitions add detail to the music video and make it more interesting. They haven't been over used and are suitable and work with the visuals and pace of the song.
• The locations chosen were good, they worked well with the song.
• The quality of the visuals is good throughout the music video.
• I like how there is a physical difference between past and present in how the people look (the male actor has a different hair cut)

To improve

• During the shots of the couple singing together, the male actor seems to be showing more expression in his acting in the performance where as the female is showing more facial expressions.
• It is easy to understand the story from the video structure however the flashbacks aren't very clear. They need to be clearer so it is easier for the viewer to understand the narrative by seeing what is the present and what is the past.
• The lighting is too dark in the performance shots and you couldn’t clearly see their facial expressions.
• Could have added more flashbacks of them going on dates and doing things.
• At the beginning,  would prefer the wind sound to stay while the names were being presented
• The lip syncing needs to be in time with the song

Now that I have gathered some feedback from my target audience I can see whether I have met their expectations which seems like I mostly have. There are a few improvements I will need to make so that my target audience can enjoy it more. Overall the feedback has been quite positive but also the improvements from my target audience are useful as seeing their opinion on my music video and understanding what they believe would make it better is helping me to develop my ideas and create it to meet everyone's expectations.

Final Music Video - Alex

Here is my Final Music Video

Music Video Rough Cut 2 and Feedback - Alex

What works well

The skating section works a little better now

Even Better If

I do not understand why Alex is lip syncing and the weird shadow in the dance studio is evident! It is clear this is not Josh!

What you need to do is pop the lip syncing Josh did back in, (the non wobbly ones) colour correct is needs be. Speak to Josh and ask him to give up one break time or lunch or registration and PLAN what you will film with him - go to the recording studio and film him. If you need me to I will ask him! 

You need a scene with Cerys and another man

You need Josh (or a manly hand) finding pictures of her with another man on her phone to make the narrative clear

Check the lip syncing - it was quite in sync in your first cut and now it is out

Correct the wobbly camera

From this feedback I will need to consider all of the points above and chose the appropriate pieces of feedback to implement into my third draft in order for my final cut to be even better.

Music Video Rough Cut 1 and Feedback

What went well:

Some good shots

Cery's lip syncing is excellent

Good editing ideas

some good use of different paces of shots

Good use of mise

Even Better If:

The narrative needs to be clearer - the song is about her cheating but we do not see her cheating! 

Needs to be more intimacy between the two characters

What is the relevance of the skate park and why is it in his glasses reflection when they are in a shop?

Why is he skating with a different girl when it is about her cheating on him?

Is it all your own footage? I'm talking about the park section at the beginning

The lip syncing sections are too dark and the lighting changes as they sing (2.20) Why not film in the recording studio where you have light and it looks professional

The dangly flower lights are pretty off putting! 

Cut the section of Josh at 0.40

The focus is off in some shots

I dislike the section between 3.04 and 3.06 - shaky camera and weird camera movement

I do not understand the editing at the end

From this feedback we will need to consider all of the points above and chose the appropriate pieces of feedback to implement into our second draft in order for our rough cut 2 to be even better than the first. From this point onwards we have decided to go on separate paths for our products.

Final Location Scouting for all 3 Products

Music Video Final Locations

For our music video, we have chosen and decided our final locations that we will shoot all of our scenes in. For the big part of our music video that incorporates the lip syncing, we are shooting in a low-key lighting set area in a dance studio. We are going to have the curtains shut with our own choice of lights for the actors so they can be seen properly. The area we have chosen is very big, therefore we can use the microphones to stand up with them singing to it. This will show off our mise skills to the best they can be, as we have come to a good conclusion with the location we have, the lighting we have chosen and the space used in the shot.

The next location used is through a town centre and central park, where we will present the actors walking in different directions which matches their 'going separate paths' kind of break up effect. But coincidentally end up in the same place when they walk towards each other. The town centres shots will be good, as they show a range of locations leading up to the final scene.

The we went to a variety of different places to film at for the flashbacks, this included the cinema, Pizza Hut restaurant, Primark shop and ice-skating. This was to show the audience all of the memories they spent together and that this song is revolving around their relationship and how this lovely time they spent together is now gone.

The final location is at Hylands park where they actually bump into each other creating a dramatic effect. We chose this location because it is very quiet and has quite beautiful scenery. This is to remind them of their relationship, and also makes them alone together in a park together kind of forcing them to talk. We placed them on one of the pathways in the park, this was also to make it dramatic so we can watch them walking towards each other.

Magazine Advert

The Magazine Adverts location will be in Hylands, as that location holds sentimental value to the two characters , and will probably be the shot of when they bump into each other as it is the first time in a very long time that they have touched and looked into each other's eyes. We may use more of the locations so we can have more shots added to the advert.

Digipak

The locations we have chosen for our digipak, have a variety of different scenes in the music video. Two of the pictures are going to be a close up of each of the actors, on with Josh on the guitar, and one with Cerys in slow motion. The front cover is going to include the dance studio with them lip syncing but move them so they are back to back, to represent the distance from each other and going in separate directions. The back is going to be a shot of the path they walked on with some polaroid pictures of the memories they spent together. The disk will be the same as the magazine advert location, but with the opening scene as the background behind it. Then another shot of the park they meet in with the sunset behind it and a polaroid picture of him holding up, to add more sentimental value to the location.

Final Props Information for all 3 Products

Music Video

For our music video with regards to props, we are keeping with the ideas in the previous and implementing additional props. We are going to be using the sunglasses, the extra lights, microphones and the photo album. In the walking scenes we are going to give Cerys a handbag to carry around with her, although this is a minor prop addition, this is touching up on small cosmetic issues. It would make sense for her to carry one around rather than not therefore making it more realistic. We are also having Josh wear earphones for the same reason. Here is a list of the props we are planning to use for each scene

- Studio - flowers & decorations, fairy lights, microphones with stands, guitar, spotlights

- Walking - bag, earphones, mobile phone 

- Ice skating - ice skates

- Cinema - pop corn, white torch lights

- Meal - table and chairs

- Other - sketchbook

Magazine Advert

In the magazine advert we are not including any props, the only thing that is in incorporated is the clothing, the location and the actors. If the feedback for our magazine advert is to add props in for better effect, then we will consider using the idea.

Digipak

In the digipak we are thinking of implementing the use of having Polaroids in some of the squares to tell a story of their relationship. Through this we will add snippets of the flashbacks inside these pictures making it look very dramatic and romantic.

This will help us when creating our music video as we will now know the appropriate props to include in the right scenes and locations when filming.

Final Costumes Information for all 3 Products

Music Video

The costumes used for the singing scenes are really dull and dark, as it represents the time the couple are going through as they have broken up. We will purposely make some of Josh's clothes a bit brighter and hers darker, this is to portray Josh as the innocent one in the relationship as he has been cheated on by the female Cerys. This is the reasoning she is wearing dark clothing as she is the bad person breaking the rules in the relationship.

In the flashback scenes we made the clothing colours lighter as when they were together it was more of a positive time for them.

Next in the walking scenes we again chose darker clothing especially for her, and also made them wear jackets, this was to represent them having layers on and metaphorically speaking making them not get hurt with protection. Although this connotation of the clothes is very implicit it makes sense with regards to the narrative and mise.

In the final scene they are wearing the exact same clothes as the walking scenes, so it was clear to the audience that where they were walking, was to the same place and crossed paths with each other.

Magazine Advert

The costumes they are wearing for the magazine advert are the same to what we are using for the final scene of the music video. The colours will hopefully be a lot darker in the magazine advert and the background will be lighter this is to create a silhouette of the characters. This will create a mystery effect on the audience making them wonder why they're dramatically staring at each other.

Digipak

For the digipak we are using a variety of different shots from the music video so the clothes we have chosen to be included will vary from the different shots we choose to use. Therefore the colour scheme is not just boring colours. We are using the shots of Josh in white and Cerys in black.

Shot-list for Magazine Advertisement

For our Magazine Advert, we will need to consider multiple different shots from our music video that we are creating for it to make sense. For this to work efficiently we will need to choose what scenes we created with the best shots.

Our first idea is showing them singing/lip syncing displaying chemistry together. This could be good for our magazine advert as this scene appears in multiple different areas of our music video and can symbolise our project with this picture.

The next shot we have considered is when they walk past each other in a beautiful background of the couple 'coincidentally' walking past each other and becomes really meaningful and symbolic. It also displays a silhouette kind of look to it that the audience aren't supposed to see their faces but just look at the moving picture and can be presented with the magazine advert. This would also give the audience a mystery and a question regarding what's going on this picture making them want to watch the music video. There is a various amounts of shot ideas from this which we could use as well if we wish to use multiple shots.

We have also considered using the split screen of the two walking which is also used in various different areas of the music video leading up to a moment, this could also make the audience wonder, where are they walking towards and why is it so tense?

The final shot we considered incorporating, was when the couple were at a restaurant looking into each others eyes and showing to the audience a positive vibe in comparison to the others which would influence the audience more to look at it as it is more joyful to watch.

Shot for Magazine Advert that Alex is going to use - The shot in the park when they bump into each other. This is because it has a lot of meaning, and will go on for a long time in the music video making it a symbolic event.

Shot for Magazine Advert that April is going to use - A shot similar to Alex's by my idea is to have them standing opposite each other whilst facing each other so I can silhouette them with the lighting in the background. I may use more shots within it and make the colours bold and stand out.

This will help us when creating our music video as we have assessed all of the shots and multiple scenes that could be considered for our magazine advert.

Shot-list for Digipack

For our digipak, we will need to consider multiple different shots from our music video that we are creating for it to make sense. For this to work efficiently we will need to look through all of the shots we filmed and choose the appropriate shots for our digipak.

Our front cover for our digipak needs to have a lot of value and included in multiple different shots of the music video so it is relevant. That is why we want to use the lip syncing scene with the microphones to be our front cover. However, we are going to switch the picture around so they are back to back, this will represent the characters going their separate ways, and so it is not exactly the same as the music video. It also makes the question why they are not facing each other.

 We are hoping to use this shot somewhere in our digipak, probably going to be the background of the CD, as it isn't a massive part to the video but does represent the location they meet each other in.

 This shot will be in the CD template this is because this might be the main shot of our magazine advert, and is a very crucial part of the music video, with that sudden realisation where they have bumped into one another.

 We are hoping to use the idea of having Polaroids in our digipak, as this is a good way to add different photos in 1. We are probably going to implement the use of the flashbacks in the Polaroids as a segment of the males memory.

 We wanted to have the two actors to have their own square on the digipak to show the audience who is starring in it and who is singing, here are the two shots we are considering.

We are going to use the shot of the pathway behind Josh, as another sentimental part of the video as it is the path they walk on probably with a Polaroid picture that he is holding up to the sun.

This will help us when creating our music video as we have assessed all of the shots and multiple scenes that could be considered for our digipak. We can create a questionnaire maybe and come to a conclusion to what the audience would want to see and what their favourite is.

So to summarise:

Shot 1 in the top left image - Image of the female actress from the music video as we want to have pictures of both in the digipak.

Shot 2 in the bottom left image - Image of the male actor playing the guitar.

Shot 3 in the top middle image - Image of the two bumping into each other on the pathway.

Shot 4 in the bottom middle image - Image of the pathway they walk on in the end of the music video, with some Polaroid pictures at the top that include pictures of their past in them.

Shot 5 in the top right image - Image of the background/setting they were walking across to set the scene including a Polaroid picture with a flashback we included in the music video.

Shot 6 in the bottom right image - Image of the two with microphones facing back to back.

As April is doing slightly different, she is planning on using more similar shots that have been properly taken and aren't from any footage taken. She wants the images in the digipak to all be quite similar so that there is a consistent theme of colours and visuals and so it works well with the other products. She also wants to try and draw in the audience by using bold colours to make the digipak stand out from others.

Her summary will consist of:

Frame 1 (top left) - Image of Josh facing the disc with the sunset in the background

Frame 2 (top middle) - Image of sunset and circle for disc

Frame 3 (top right) - Image of Cerys facing the disco with the sunset in the background

Frame 4 (bottom left) - Image of sunset with logo of company (Virgo Records)

Frame 5 (bottom middle) - Track list with information and barcode (I put this on the back frame of the digipak so people can view it without opening the case)

Frame 6 (bottom right) - Front cover, title of song and artists, picture of artists with sunset in the background

Draft Filming/Editing Schedule

We have created a filming and editing schedule for our project to help us keep organised and prepared:

Schedule	Filming/Editing	What’s going to be done?	Location	Equipment
10/10/17	Filming	Actors walking around town leading up to our final scene.	Town Centre	Camera Actors Clothes
11/10/17	Filming	Flashback scenes of the couple	Cinema, Pizza Hut, Ice-Skating, Selfie while shopping.	Camera Sunglasses Phone
14/10/17	Filming	Lip Syncing across a path meeting towards each other. (Final scene shots)	Hylands Park	Camera Same clothes worn in the walking scenes
17/10/17	Filming	Male flicking through photo album of memories, transition idea for establishing shot	Outside on a bench, opening door transition	Camera Photo Album
18/10/17	Filming	Establishing shots of the location we are filming at	Hylands Park	Drone
19/10/17	Filming	Filming the lip syncing against the microphones.	Dance Studio	Camera Microphone Microphone stand Additional Lighting
24/10/17	Editing	Adding in all the clips to the software and piecing where everything goes.	N/A	Sony Vegas Pro 15 Adobe Premiere Pro Adobe After Effects
26/10/17	Editing	Putting the lip syncing clips in and matching it with the song.
27/10/17	Editing	Piecing together the transitions between scenes and flashbacks.
29/10/17	Editing	Final touches and checking whether everything is put together perfectly with no gaps. Once completed, special effects upon relevant clips to be completed.
30/10/17	Editing	Last check to see everything is good, then render the video to the appropriate settings.

This table shows when we are filming and editing, and what will be included in that day in terms of where we are filming and what we will need. We made this so we have a set schedule to go by making us organised when it comes to film and the edit the production. This also allows our actors to be prepared and organise their time so they are free to film. We did this so we would know where we needed to be at a certain time and with the right equipment. For example if it was an aerial shot, we would need a drone. If the shots are the ground of course we will need a regular camera. This will hopefully help prevent us from forgetting anything on the day and be prepared in terms of knowing what we are filming and editing.

Equipment Information

In order for our music video to look professional and of high quality, we will need to have a range of different equipment that will aid us into creating the music video we have planned to make. Here is the list of equipment we require to create our music video:

Camera

We intend to film the footage with a DLSR Panasonic Lumix camera because it has many features that will help us create good quality shots. We will use this camera to film in 1080p and 60 FPS (frames per second). The 60FPS will ensure smooth shots which will good for when we want to slow down footage. This will be done through the use of editing during post production. The 1080p will ensure the highest quality of camera image so the picture is clear and can make the shots look more cinematic. If we film with any other cameras we need to make sure the quality is the same so the shots don't look different. Other cameras we may use would be for example a drone camera.

Tripod

We are planning on using a tripod for most of the pre-production filming. We can make use of this piece of equipment by mounting our camera to it. We can use it to keep it still and adjust it to a certain position. This will make our footage still and stable without having any shaky footage or uneven camera work if we filmed handheld. This can also keep the camera in one place so we can have the shot we want stayed in the right position. A downside towards using a tripod is that we don't have many options in terms of moving the camera. A tripod is meant to keep the camera still in one position so we can't use it for tracking shots for example. However we could still use it to create smooth tilt and panning shots.

Grimbal

To fix the stabilisation issue for moving the camera, we could use a Camera Gimbal to prevent us filming free hand. This will help to keep the camera still and therefore create smooth, high quality shots.

Drone

To create our establishing shots for the beginning and end of our music video, we will be using a Phantom 4 drone. It has a built in camera and will allow us to gather footage from unreachable angles, making our shots more interesting. If these shots are successful we believe they will be great for setting the scene for our music video and intrigue our audience by giving them a good first impression. 

Lighiting

We believe lighting we be a very important aspect to consider for our music video as it can drastically change the quality of shots. We need to make sure it suits our expectations and is placed in the correct position so that looks what we wish for it too. We will be using some spot lights to shine upon the actors when they sing to prevent the lights behind them silhouetting them and to make sure they are clear and visible when they lip sync. We also wish to use subtle fairy lights in the background for when they lip sync. Most of our music video will be containing natural lighting so we need to make sure we film at the correct time of day to get the lighting we want.

Software and Post-Production

Alex:

Here we have Sony Vegas Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. These editing software's will be used to edit the clips together in a professional way. In premiere pro I intend to edit a split screen and an opening door transition through masking skills. We would use it to stabilise any clips that would be shaky. In after effects we intend to create an advanced mask edit to switch between scenes through cool transitions. In Sony Vegas, I intend to put all of the clips together and render the video in the best settings.

Here we have the programme Handbrake, this is used to compress the music video file into a smaller file and also improve the quality, if any parts were to slip. This would help in a quicker upload to YouTube.

April:

To edit our footage I will be using Final Cut Pro because it has so many features that will allow me to be creative and add lots of interesting details to perfect the footage and make my music video flow well. This software will allow me to add many different transitions as well as create my own. I will also be able to edit the footage itself by adding filters and colour grading to changing the speed of the shot. Final Cut pro will contain all I need to create my music video, therefore I won't need to use any other software.

Planning out our equipment will help us when creating our music video as we now know what we want to use and what programmes we want to edit in, meaning me are more prepared for when it comes to creating the music video. We can combine this and our filming/editing schedule to help us put our music video together perfectly and easily direct it without missing anything we need.

Draft Shotlist

Shot Number	Shot Type	Location	Action if Applicable	Clothing if Applicable	Actors in shot	Length of Shot	Equipment
1	Close up (POV first person)	In a house	Opening a door	N/A	Josh (Male)	4 seconds	Camera and door
2	Establishing	Hylands Park	Drone capture	N/A	N/A	3 seconds	Drone
3	Establishing	Hylands Park	Motion tracked title of song displayed on ground.	N/A	N/A	6 seconds	Drone
4	Medium shot	Dance studio	Actors lip syncing against microphone	Casual and dark	Josh Cerys (Female)	Decision once in post-production.	Microphones with stands
Shot 4 will consist of close ups of both actors faces and medium shots showing both of them singing, it will switch between different POVs. This scene will be switched to back and forth throughout the whole music video consisting of close ups and medium shots. This will not be repeated in the shot list.
5	Close up	Outside on a bench	Flicking through photo album (flashback)	Casual	Josh	From 10-15 seconds with different shots in between.	Photo album
6	Medium shot	Skate rink	Skating	Casual	Josh and Cerys	Between all 4 shots of them at skating, each will be about 3-4 seconds.	Skates
7	Close up	Outside/Town	Walking	Casual with coats	Josh and Cerys	Each shot will be 2-3 seconds each.	N/A
8	Medium shot + close ups	Pizza Hut	Talking and maybe eating (flashback)	Smart and formal wear	Josh and Cerys	Each shot will be 2-3 seconds each.	Phone
9	Close up	Odeon Cinema	Watching and talking (flashback)	Smart and formal wear	Josh and Cerys	Each shot will be 2-3 seconds each.	N/A
10	Medium shots + close ups	Hylands park	Walking and lip syncing towards each other	Casual	Josh and Cerys	The whole scene will last about 30 seconds	N/A

Here is our draft shot list. This is a guide for us to organise what different shots we will include. This isn't the chronological order of them, as each shot will be repeated again throughout the music video and inserted into different areas during post-production. This will help us when creating our music video as we will know what kind of shots to film with all the exact details in a simple form. This will also allow us to change them if some ideas do not work.