Magazine Advert Final Draft

Digipak Final Draft

Music Video Final Draft

Questions 1 & 4

Question 1 & 4 (PDF)

Question 2 (VIDEO)

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

Question 3

Question 4

Question 1

Question 2 (Draft)

The Overall Process

Production Diary #18

In comparison to the coursework tasks that were faced at AS, there has been a massive jump in terms of the level of creativity, the equipment and software needing to be used and the overall research and planning process. When starting the process in the middle of July last year (2014), I believe that I made the right decision of starting with the research tasks prior to going straight in with the planning of my music video as I was struggling to come up with specific ideas and possible songs that I could use. When looking back through my blog, the first post that I uploaded was my introductory production log, outlining my thoughts and feelings towards the months ahead, as well as possible ideas that initially entered my head. I then started looking into other music videos that could possibly provide me with some information. The first proper research task that I uploaded was the research into various music labels. When looking into all the different labels that are out there, I felt that I could delve further into this and look at the different artists signed to them, and hopefully I could have found an artist, and more specifically a song, that I would form an idea for.

Even though it did take quite a few months to come up with an idea, it did give me a good amount of time to complete the majority of the research tasks that I uploaded to my blog. There were some planning tasks that I could complete without the ideas needed, however, for others it was a necessity that I had at least found a musician or band and a possible song to complete them.

I finally came up with the idea at the beginning of January after finding some inspiration from Vance Joy's 'Riptide' and a lyric video for 'Little Talks' by Of Monster and Men. I quite liked the idea of the lyrics written on pieces of card that were featured in the Of Monster and Men lyric video as well as the direct link between the actions and lyrics in Riptide. I decided that I wanted to incorporate this somehow into the song Maps by Maroon 5 as well as the idea of photos of friends and other loved ones.

Once I managed to come up with the idea for my music video, I found it quite easy to create the Digipak and Magazine Advert to go alongside this. I decided that it was important that you could see a link between the three products. To do this, I incorporated the lyric cards through video and photos into the music video, digipak and magazine advert. I felt that this highlighted the importance of this prop.

Overall, the process has been quite challenging and not as straightforward as last year, however, it was good to experience creating different products on different media platforms.

Use of Advertisements

Problems Along the Way

Production Diary #17

Audience Survey

Please could you fill out this Audience Survey so I can gain feedback on my music video and both ancillary tasks. You will find all 3 of the media products under the 'Final Product' tab down the side of my blog under 'labels'.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YHJ6V9G

Thank you. (you may need to copy and paste the link)

Video Draft (Rough Edit)

Filming, Footage and Final Draft

Production Diary #16

On the 5th February, I booked the black box studio again to shoot some more footage for my music video. To be prepared, my teacher is expecting us to have a final draft of the music video finished by the time we come back from the February Half Term. I had hit a creative block, however, I was quite happy and pleased with the way things had turned out, now I just need to wait and see how the footage turns out when I edit it together using Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 this week in class. Also this week I have been updating my blog and making some adjustments to posts that I have previously updated. For example, the analysis of the ancillary tasks is a very important research task and carries a tariff of 4, however, the first time I did the task I got a 2 due to the lack of detail to my work.

I have also managed to put together most of the footage for my music video, however I do still have about 15 seconds left to fill. I did find that the editing of the video was easier than the actual filming as the footage that I had filmed went together quite well. I did also get some feedback from my media teacher who said that some of the shots that I had got were too long, however I broke some of the shots up and flipped them so it looked like they were filmed from different angles, which I feel reflects the frantic nature of the song as it picks up in the chorus.

I am planning to film the last 15 seconds of footage over the next week by incorporating a map and the lyric cards in as my teacher did say that as they were only in the first minute of the video, they did seem a bit random so I should try and get them in at some other point in the music video.

Actors and Auditions

Here is a video featuring some test shots that I used when trying to work out who I believed would fill the role that I needed in this video. The video does not feature too much acting so features some simple tasks to do. This also gave me a chance to test lighting and other equipment I would possibly need for the video.

Actions-Auditions from Zoe Ramsdale-Clark on Vimeo.

Shot List

Contact Sheet

The contact sheet is a collection of all the images I have taken that will be included on either the Digipak and Magazine Advert.

Rushes Log

Location Recce

Location Release Contract

When choosing what locations I wanted to use for my music video, it was extremely important that I gained permission from the owner of that property allowing me to film the video there. Below are copies of the signed release forms showing that I gained permission for both of the locations.

Brand Guidelines

This post highlights the brand guidelines that I have created to keep a theme and consistency throughout my work. This will allow the audience to recognise that this work belongs to that particular artist. These brand guidelines will most likely feature on the Digipak and Magazine Advert I am required to create for my coursework. The brand guidelines will be used by any employees or partners with the company to ensure that they know what font and colour scheme to use etc.

Filming and Update Schedule (Update)

Filming and editing schedule (3) from ramsz001

I have found the filming and editing schedule extremely useful when it comes to shooting my video and inputting the footage on to the computer and Adobe Premiere Pro CS6. I have found that if I do need to make any references to this process, for example, when I start to evaluate my work, in any production diaries or in my exam during the summer.I have a clear and precise idea of what happened when.

Call Sheet

     
The call sheet is a document that I will be able to use to plan out the shoot of the music video. It includes the Personnel and Equipment that is required, but also when and where the shoot will take place. I have included a short detail of what the shoot will consist of, but also any special tasks I will have to carry out in order to make sure that the shoot is successful. For example, I have decided that it is necessary to make sure the equipment is set up prior to filming to ensure that no time is wasted. I have also asked the actor if she could come to school prepared for the shoot as much as she possibly can so we do not have to waste any time trying to adjust any costume or make up.

Chosen Location

I have decided that the most practical location for me to use would be the Black Box (drama studio) at school as it is easily accessible and is very versatile in terms of being able to shoot the video with various props and costume ideas. In terms of my music video, the three lights will be set up around the room - 2 directed at the model sat in the centre of the room, and one lighting the background - as shown below.

 *another two images - one showing the other light directed at model, second showing light that will brighten background*

As you can see in the two images above, the simplistic black background will allow the actor and the pictures that are used as props stand out more which is vital in terms of the video as these are the key aspects I am hoping the audience's attention will be directed at.

Model Release

                                    

It is important that when it comes to filming the music video that I have the permission of those taking part for me to use the footage the way I wish to, but overall to make sure that they are happy with what will happen when filming does take place. Mary has signed the model release form and has given me permission to use the footage for my video, we have come to the conclusion that she does not have to mime the lyrics or do too much acting - which is something she would be unhappy doing.

Ancillary Task Research

Filming and Refining Blog

Production Diary #15

On Thursday 29th January (last week), I booked the black box at school in order to get some footage for my music magazine. I had gone back to my original idea of filming inside due to the weather conditions - it was windy and there was a lot of hail, also it was freezing cold. My plan for the music video was formed in 5 minutes a couple of days before and consisted of ten bullet points in the notes app on my iPhone. I had decided that I wanted to keep the music video very minimalistic, so decided that the black box would be appropriate in making sure the music video was not overly crowded. On the Monday, I went to a low budget shop to buy a black sketchbook that I would pass of as a scrapbook in which the 'story in the video would be formed. I wanted the main prop within the video to be lots of photos, which I had developed a while ago and had yet to put up so decided that this would be the perfect use for them.

When it came to filming the music video on the Thursday after school, I set up the lighting so that two of the lights would light the model in the centre of the room, but then there would be a third light at the back to brighten up the background. Also, I initially had her sat on the ground so had to have the lights pointing down at a 45 degree angle approximately, however I needed to make sure that if I did alternate between various levels in which she would stand, I would also have to adjust the angle of the lighting to produce a high picture quality. I did struggle at first as some of the footage did go out of focus and I had not realised, so I will need to re-film some parts. (For this I have re-booked the black box for Thursday 5th in order to re-film.) Overall, I am quite pleased with how the footage has turned out and I am hoping that when I put it together the theme of the character going on a journey and this idea of a story being told will come across when it is being watched - this will become evident when I gain audience feedback for my work.

Conventions of a Music Video

Looking at the codes and conventions of a music video will benefit me in terms of the production of my video - planning, filming and editing - as certain genres of music use different conventions to others. For example, a pop music video will be entirely different to that of a heavy metal music video. By sticking to the codes and conventions of my chosen genre will also allow the demographic that it is targeted at to connect with the product.

Proposal

The main idea that I have considered to use for my music video is the idea of a lyric video. This is not something that you will typically see in the music industry, therefore, my reasoning behind this idea is that there is a gap in the market for something like this to work as it is somewhat original and has not really been seen too much prior to this. It will still feature some typical conventions that are seen in everday music videos such as having a basic equilibrium narrative in which there is a beginning, middle and end, but there will also be some differences, such as the person who is featured in the video will not be what I would consider to be the most important.

The story that will surround my video is that of going on a journey as the song itself is called Maps and is performed and written by the band Maroon 5. The song could be interpreted in various ways, with the direct interpretation being that the song is some form of love story. However, I believe that there are some subtle signs within the lyrics which allows the song to have alternative meanings. For example, the lyrics "When I was at my worst" and phrases such as "darkest nights" and "darkest times" could connote the inability to love and of someone going through quite a difficult and dark time.

I have decided that I wish to portray the message of the video through the imagery of photos and lyric cards. I have imagined that the actor herself will be sat in the middle of the dark room - which has been lit up - with a scrapbook set in front of her. My own interpretation of this being that she is trying to piece her life together, which can be signified through the placing of photos in the scrapbook. In terms of this equilibrium narrative, the typical construct of this is where there is an opening, which in terms of my music video is the looking through the photos and some what reminiscing, then there will be something that disrupts this, in terms of my music video I will have the actor start to get frustrated and upset which leads to her tearing up the photos, then finally, the end of this cycle is where the peace is restored, but not necessarily in the way it was present initially, in terms of my video this restoration of peace will consists of the actor trying to put the pictures back together again in order to gain back some normalcy. Ideally, this will show progression within the video, highlighting the story that is trying to be told.

In terms of how I will use the camera, I wish to have a mixture of close up shots, high angled shots, over the shoulder shots mainly, however there will be the inclusion of movements and shots such as panning of the camera and mid to long shots to gain some variety within the work. However, the main reasoning behind my choice of using lots of close up shots is to allow the audience of the video to see various emotions portrayed by the actor, but also to see what is included in the photos within the scrapbook and what is on the lyric cards that I have made which I am considering using alongside the photos as captions for the images.

In terms of locations, I had initially been considering places such as London or Ruislip Woods. However, I believe that for the simple yet effective look that I wish to achieve, somewhere such as the drama studio at school will be suitable. The room is simply just a room with black walls so can be quite dark. However, I could use this to my advantage in terms of being able to bring in lighting equipment and adjust it until I am happy with the outcome. I can move and change the position of the lights to achieve different effects. For example, one way that I could should the visual progression within the video would be through having the room slightly darker towards the beginning, however have the room getting gradually brighter as the video progresses. This could also be achieved through the editing stage when I get to using Adobe Premiere once I have filmed the video.

In terms of who I will be targeting this product to will be in terms of the band itself, but also the style of video that I wish to produce. Maroon 5 are a Pop Rock band so are likely to have both a male and female audience, most likely to be within the ages of 16 and 25. The band have been around since the 90s so are likely to have quite a large fan base which range in terms of age. However, in terms of the video, I believe that this simple yet effective style could attract both male and females as it is not something that could typically be considered as girly.

Risk Assessment

When filming my music video, there have been various things that I have had to consider. A way in which I have presented this is through carrying out a Risk Assessment which is allowing me to regard the safety and wellbeing of those who will be involved in the process.

Storyboard

Contact with Artist

As a part of the planning for my music video, I had to request the permission to use the song Maps by Maroon 5 from the artist and their label due to the need for me to explain that I do not plan to gain any profit and that I have no intent for any copyright infringement.

Editing Raw Footage - Stabilising/Brightness and Contrast

Production Diary #14

From the footage that I filmed when I went on the helicopter ride over London, I found that it was a bit shaky, so I have decided to use the 'Warp Stabilise' tool to make the footage more fluid. I also found that footage seemed a little dark, therefore I decided to increase both the brightness and contrast using the brightness and contrast tool. Initially, both were set to 0.0, however I increased them both to 26.0 and 25.0 respectively. The computers that I am using do come across a little dark so I might need to make some adjustments when I use a different monitor.

 

By making these alterations, the quality of my footage has increased and  looks a lot more professional. I had not used these tools before, however, by simply going to 'Help' on Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, and then clicking on 'Adobe Premiere Pro Help,' I was able to get some simply instructions which has allowed me to get the effect and high standard of footage that I wanted.

London Footage

Production Diary #13

                                 

                                  

                                  

                              

On the 11th January, I took a camera that I had borrowed from school on a helicopter trip along the  River Thames that had been planned. I thought that footage from this experience would make a great opening sequence for my music video. It was a challenge trying to keep the camera still so the footage is a little shaky at times, however, I believe that having that establishing shot at the beginning to open the video where the city looks so busy highlights this idea of confusion which I have considered to be one of the main themes within my music video. The ride lasted half an hour and in total I got a good amount of footage which I think can be used within the video and overall I am happy with how the footage turned out. I have not had a chance to start editing the footage for the opening sequence of the video due to having mocks last week, however, this week I hope to have it completed.