Throughout the production of my music video I have had to learn and use to a range of different technologies.
Firstly, I began with creating a schedule for which I plan to have different sections of the coursework complete. To do this I chose to use Microsoft Excel. I had the entire task which needed to be completed along one side, and all the weeks I had to complete the tasks running across the top, and then I used different colours in blocks to demonstrate the time period I anticipate each task to take.
I also used Microsoft PowerPoint for a range of different tasks, but mainly to present research work I had done. The first task I completed on powerpoint was the research task. I research into the purpose of music videos, how music videos have developed over time, new technologies and the direction that music video are going, as a result of the new technologies becoming available, key convention music video tend to follow, famous music videos which might not have followed the conventions and what has made them famous and lastly different theoretical approaches toward music videos. It is key to research into these different topics as they all have the potential to influence how we create our own music video. I chose to use powerepoint for this because it enables me to break down the research into section and present each topic on a new slide.
I also researched into polarising lenses, which I discovered from audience feedback I would need to use when filming as I would be filming through glass, and generally when filming through glass naturally there is a glare which comes off the glass. Therefore I needed to find a solution to this, which I discovered to be polarising lenses. I thought it would be a good idea to research into what it was I would be using before going off and using it, to ensure I knew how to use it more effectively. This required me to use both the internet and also PowerPoint. I used the internet to research into the equipment and then PowerPoint to present what I had found. Again, I thought powerpoint would be most effective in doing this because I can break down the different aspects of the lenses and present in, and also allows me to use images to demonstrate what I am saying.
I researched into my target audience, which is again important because you needed to know who the product is for, and what it is they like in order to please them. I researched this by hosting polls on my blog, and asked as many people are possible to vote in the polls. I then analysed these results, with graphs, which I out together using both Microsoft excel and also word. I then copied the graphs onto PowerPoint to analyse exactly what it was the graphs where telling me about my audience. PowerPoint worked well for this task because I used a new slide for each question.
I also used Microsoft word for similar purposes, such as presenting work. Pieces of work I used it for are Iconic Music video still, which is research I did into iconic moments is famous music which are remembered. I too a screen shot off YouTube of the video and then wrote about why the shot was iconic. Word was good for this because it allows basic picture editing, such as ‘crop’ which meant I was able to cut out the rest of the screen which wasn’t needed in the picture. I was then also able to add text under the picture.
Once I had chosen the song I was going to produce a music video for, I needed to do a lyric analysis for the song so I can develop a greater understanding of what the song was about, so I was able to get across the right message in the video. I presented this on word also because I could include text boxes and colour code the boxes.
There are also a number of documents which needed to be filled out before filming such as Call Sheet, Risk assessment, Actor release form, model release form, shot list and location release form. These were all primarily created on word, however because they needed to be signed by the actors and actress in my video, as well as the person who owned the house I filmed at, I printed them off, go them signed and then scanned then back onto the computer so I could put them on my blog. Similarly, I used word to create the audience feedback form, which my target audience filed out about each product I produced. Word is a good programme to use because it allows you to add text, as well as text boxes to organise work into sections.
The first stage of making this evaluation documentary was writing out what I waned to say onto Microsoft word. This was I could use spell check to make sure there was no grammatical errors for example. I then used a Dictaphone to record what I wanted to say, and my webcam to film it to camera.
I also discovered ‘Prezi’, which is an online cloud-based presentation software. I wanted to experiment with new way of presented work, so I used this to create my design inspirations work. I found it was useful for this task because it aloud me to mind map out all the different aspects of the project. However, I found it difficult to use, and unfortunately didn’t use again.
As part of our planning stage, we formed groups and went on and did some filming to learn about the different equipment we could potentially be using to create our music video, for example the camera. This also gave us the chance to get used to using some of the programmes we would need to use to edit the footage, such as Premiere pro, as once we had uploaded the footage we editing it on here to make a video. We individually was able to play around with the different effects you could do on premiere, for example, reverse slow motion which plays the clip back backwards, which you might use in a flashback scene for example, extreme slow motion, which plays clips back in slow motion, and you can change the speed at which it plays back. Multiple exposures means you can have the same person on the screen at the same time, but maybe doing different activities. Playing the clip back in reverse was another technique we learnt, which might be useful is for example you wanted to see someone un do an action, like after pulling the petals off a flower, with this technique you’d be able to see the person put the petals back on the flower. In the video we made, you see someone drawing a flower, however this is done in reverse, so looks like they are rubbing out the picture with a pen.
From learning the basics with the programme, when it came to making my music video I had a better understand, despite using it briefly in AS work.
For the shoots I did on location I used a digital camera, and therefore to upload the footage it was as simple as plugging the SD card into the computer and copping the footage across to the computer. To edit it, I then had to drop the footage on to the time line on premiere and ‘cut’ t up accordingly, disregarding the shots I didn’t need and placing the shot I anted in the appropriate place with regards to the song.
After I had placed all my footage on the time line in a chronological order that I wanted and I was happy with the way it played, I had to export it the project out of premiere and upload it onto After Effects, which allows you to add special effects to the video. For my video, I used to programme to remove the green background from the shots I had done in a green screen studio and replace the background with a picture I had created using Photoshop. I also added the animated flourishes using after effects. The two programmes work similarly and use the idea of working on a timeline, and therefore because I was already familiar with how premiere worked; it wasn’t hard for me to learn how the new programme worked. With things that was wasn’t sure about, I could use the internet to look up how it was done, and find tutorials on website such as videocopiolet, which I found very useful.
I also used premier to create my evaluation documentary. This was much easier than the complex processes I had to go through to create my music video. To create my evaluation all I had to do is drop my voice over onto the timeline, and cut it where appropriate. The same with the webcam video I had created. Once this was done, I just needed to think of appropriate images and pictures I could use to go with what I was saying.
Also during the planning stages I used to internet for research purposes. Before going ahead to make a music video, I felt it was vital to have a background understanding of what music video were about. I researched into the key purposes of music videos, how music videos have developed over time, new technologies which have been incorporated into creating music videos, the key conventions of what makes a good music video, music video which have become well know because of the controversy, for example Madonna Like a virgin. Lastly, I looked into the different theoretical approaches there are towards music videos, like Andrew Goodwin.
For some extra research, I also used to internet to find out more information about polarising lenses. For some audience feedback I learn t that I was going to need to use one while filming on location to avoid the glare you get when filming through glass. Because I had never heard of this equipment before and therefore didn’t know anything about I thought it would be a good idea to conduct some reach to find out what they are used for, how to use them to get the best results and the possible hazards of using them.
YouTube played a very key part in the production of my music video. I often used YouTube to look at current music videos to gain inspirations for my own. In particular, I used YouTube to pick three videos and analyse them to give me an understanding of what the director had done to create the video. For example, the camera angles they’d used, editing styles, props and costumes
I also had to use YouTube to host the different draft of my music video onto my blog. I needed to put the video on to YouTube first and then embed the video onto blogger. This was the only way of getting the video onto blogger, and therefore extremely important.
Before I could even start filming, there was several documents which needed to be completed by there actor and actress I was going to be using in my video, and also on location the person that own the property had to sign an agreement. I printed the standard blank document off the computer and then used a scanner to create picture of the documents which I would be able to put on my blog. I also used the scanner to put my draft of my digipack on my blog.
The other key programme I need to use to complete the package was Photoshop. I used this programme to create both my digipack and also my magazine advert. I was very familiar with this programme as it’s the same programme I had used to do my AS work, and therefore could only develop on these skills, for example I learnt new was t remover the back ground from an image, which I found useful because for the picture I wanted to used for the back of my digipack, it would have been impossible to cut around the models hair on the side where she was messy hair, and therefore I used to ‘remove background eraser’ tool, which like the rubber tool, rubs out the colour of the background you don’t want while leaving the colours which for example are on the model. Other new things I learn include the vanishing point tool which I used for the inside of my digipack, I learnt how to merge to images together for both the front and the back of y digipack and lastly the gradient tool, which I used on my magazine advert to fade the bottom of the picture out.
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