Final Music Video

We have completed our final music video, however we are unable to upload it to YouTube due to the computer with the video on being unavailable as their are other students still yet to finish their final music video.
We have exported the video to our desktop, it is ready to upload on Monday morning when the computer will be free.

Post Production- Update

Today is the deadline for our final music video, we have finished editing in terms of putting the clips into final cut pro and matching the lip syncing to the song. Now we must make small tweaks to the final cut to really bring it up to the high standard we are aiming for e.g. ensuring all lip syncing is accurate, clips are cut to the beat of the song where necessary, change any slow-motion/repeating or rewinding shots and changing the exposure on some of our footage to match the rest of the music video (some footage we filmed for the draft version of the video is being used again in the find cut, to ensure continuity we are changing the exposure to change some shots that look slightly 'cold' in colour/lighting).

Below are some screen shots of the editing stages in final cut pro:

 ^ Retiming/rewinding a shot and how I did this.

 ^ Editing a shot into slow-motion to create a more smooth and 'gliding' look.

^ Editing the exposure on some of the shots from our draft music video, using the colour board which can be seen in the top right corner of the program.

Post Production

Having filmed our music video last Tuesday (19/11/13), we are now embarking on the post production stage of the process. We have converted all of the footage from the tapes onto one of the school Mac's and have imported them into Final Cut Pro. The creation of our draft video was a valuable experience as it has equipped us with basic knowledge of this editing programme which means that we can work more efficiently this time around. In accordance with this, we found that when editing our draft music video it worked well if we were each allocated approximately a minute each to edit.

As a result, we have decided to separate the work between us- Jess taking responsibility for the first minute of the video, Meg focusing on the second minute and I will be editing the final minute of the video. This works in our favour as it means that we can be time efficient because we are able to work on the video at times when it is most convenient for us, even if other members of the group aren't available. Consequently, Jess has now finished her editing and Meg is hoping to have completed her section of the video by the end of today(27/11/13). Proceeding from this, I will aim to finish the editing process tomorrow so that Friday can be dedicated to the three of us working collaboratively in order to amend any minor mistakes. Despite the fact that we have all individually contributed to the video, we have also been assisting one another if necessary.

As we have altered various aspects of our video from the draft version, we decided to create an entirely new storyboard and work from there. Because of the fact that some shots have been kept the same as before while others are completely brand new, there has been slight confusion when reviewing what we have filmed. It has also been slightly difficult to work through the storyboard for the new video as we were unable to film some of the shots due to the fact that the location (The City Rooms) had decorated their large ballroom with drapes which were previously not there- which created continuity issues for us. In accordance with this, we have also struggled to keep the lighting consistent throughout. This is because when we filmed our draft music video we only had three artificial lights as oppose to our final filming day where we had four. In an attempt to overcome these problems in the post production stage, we are hoping to adjust the contrast and brightness to ensure that all of the shots look similar.

We are continuing to work on the editing of our music video so that we have completed it by 29/10/13 and will meet the official deadline.

Audience Feedback

Magazine Advertisement 

In terms of the poster, I think that the photograph used is incredibly effective as it is of a high quality, well lit and presents the girl well. Within the Pop genre, artists own appearances are highly important and work as one of their main selling points- the use of a large midshot shows that you have acknowledged this and that you are well informed about conventions of the genre. The fact that the girl is making direct eye contact with the consumer is also an effective feature as it encourages viewers to feel that they have a more personal connection to the artist (also drawing the fans own eye in). Additionally, you have styled the artist well in accordance with your target market (adolescent girls) as she is dressed modestly and appears quite wholesome which won't intimidate fans.

The use of minimal text on your poster also works well as it retains the focus on the image and keeps the design simple and clean cut. The composition of the overall poster is aided by the fact that you have positioned the text to the right hand side. This shows that you have considered the fact that people generally look from left to right and therefor consumers attention will initially be on the photography and then proceed to the lettering. I like the way you have separated the text with different colours- black and pink- as this creates a distinction between the artists own name and the title of her album. I also think that the use of different sized text is good as the more important information is prominent.

In terms of what could have been improved, I think that you could of rearranged the imagery and text on your poster in order to include some ratings/ reviews as this is often a convention of Pop magazine adverts. However, I realise that you wanted to make the image of the artist a focal point and therefore enlarged it so that there was no space for ratings or reviews. 

Digipak

The comments that I previously made about the image on your poster apply to the one used on the cover of your digipak (as they are the same). The fact that you have used the same image is effective in some ways as it links both products together well. The style of both your poster and digipak correspond successfully too. However dissimilar to your poster, where the image was placed on the left hand side, I like the fact that you have centralized it. This creates a pleasing composition and allows the photograph to take command of the cover. Yet again, you have kept text to a minimum which I think works well on the cover as it means that there are no distractions from the imagery of the artist. The title 'Keys' has been aligned well and the bold, pink font manages to distinguish itself from the photograph behind- ensuring that it isn't lost on the page. I also like the way you have designed the back cover and the way which you have centralized the track list and corresponding legal information/ record label. Your digipak would be even better, in my opinion, if you had made the two inside panels white to connect with the back and front cover. However I don't think the fact that they are black is an issue- it's subjective. 

Digipak Booklet

I think the fact that you have included a small lyric booklet to go inside your digipak is a really nice detail and shows that you have thoroughly considered all the ways to make the product more interesting for consumers.Your use of additional pictures of the artist in the booklet was a good choice as it means that people will be more inclined to buy the digipak in order to get the unseen images. It has been put together really well and I think the fact that you have reduced the opacity of the pictures beneath the lyrics is helpful as it means the text is easily legible. The 'with love' lettering also works well as it tricks buyers into thinking each album is more individualistic (despite the fact that it has been printed on them all).

Overall, I really like both of the products you have created- taking into consideration your genre of music. I think that you have considered conventions well and effectively composed all aspects of your work. 

TO DO LIST- Week Commencing 25/11/13

To Do List- Week Commencing 25/11/13:

• After getting some more footage last week, we have since started editing the final cut of our music video. 
• The deadline for our final music video is this Friday 29/11/13, we are going to split the music video equally into 3 sections between myself, Phoebe and Jess (approximately 1mins 13 seconds each) this worked well during the editing of our draft video so we are going do the same this time round.
• If we have any spare time this week after completing our music video we are hoping to create a 'bloopers'/outtake video that will show our experience throughout filming.

Audience Feedback

IHere I have given my peers some feedback on their DigiPak and poster. Hopefully I will receive some feedback which will help me gain new ideas and to pick up on any mistakes that I have made on my final designs of the DigiPak and poster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review of the filming day - 2

On Tuesday the 19th of October we returned to The City Rooms in Leicester to improve a few shots for our music video that we were displeased with. As Alex's contribution to the music video was minimal we decided it was unnecessary for him to attend however we did have Ellie with us and managed quite well with focusing on shots featuring her. When we arrived at our location we encountered a huge problem. There were large drapes placed over the windows and the ceiling near the chandeliers. Therefore we couldn't film some of the shots we planned to do, it would mean we would either have to refilm the entire music video, or keep some of the shots from the previous draft that we made. We only had five hours in the venue, so we didn't have time to refilm. We did ask the events manager when the drapes will be down, just in case we could film again on another day, however they will not be removed until late April. Phoebe and Meg then went back to the new storyboard to edit some shots that we initially wanted to create, and they created a list of all the shots that we couldn't do due to the drapes, and shots that we could still film . This took up a lot of our time, but as they were doing this I was getting Ellie prepared and made up ready for filming. We prepared very similarly to last time, Meg created a list which highlighted the equipment and other items with us. (You can see all of the previous posts we made prior to filming). We all had the same roles again, and proved to work better under a tight schedule as well as setting up the lights and getting Ellie ready in a quicker time than last time. We managed to redo some shots of Ellie, and to make it easier when it comes to editing she sang the lyrics instead of miming. The footage we have seen so far looks really good, especially the lighting. By having the four lights it made the shots more warm in colour without any shadows. In our draft video some of the shots were out of focus, this was because we left the camera on auto-focus, and the camera only picked up on the walls behind Ellie. When we refilmed the close up shots of Ellie's lips we put the camera on manual focus. This created a stunning focus and made the shots more proffessional. Although we were dissapointed with the aesthetics of the venue this time round, we worked better as a team and managed to get through the schedule on time quickly and efficiently.

Feedback & critique from MediaDog

Through a mutual friend I have been able to get in contact with some media professionals who will be able to give us some feedback on our draft music video, hopefully before tomorrow when we refilm and after we have shot and edited our final music video. This feedback/critique will help us improve our music video in production (filming) and post-production (editing) to a very high and professional standard.

"Media Dog are a broadcast equipment hire company owned and run by Rob Shaw and Mark Tredinnick. Both are BBC and ITV trained as lighting cameramen, between them they have over 20 years of experience in broadcast and video production at the highest level."- mediadoghire.com

Below is the email I sent to Rob & Mark, I am waiting for a reply which will hopefully include some rough critique/feedback.

Today I received a reply from Gavin... 

Some of the feedback Gavin gave me in his email are things our group (myself, Phoebe & Jess), or our teacher has already picked up on e.g. disjointed shots due to change in lighting & black frames- editing issues. However, the critique on the 'establishing shot' is something that we had not picked up, but we have taken Gavin's advice on board and will shoot neccessary footage tomorrow to see if this will work better in our music video and raise the standard to a professional level.
We are really grateful for Gavin's professional advice, he has also agreed to view our final cut of the music video and give us some more feedback that will be useful in our evaluation and help us see how an audience would view our product.

Audience Feedback

Above is the feedback I left on another student's digipak and poster, hopefully i will also receive some feedback that will help me in my evaluation. Feedback from my peers will help give a good understanding of what an audience thinks of my digipak & poster and whether or not it is successful in advertising Influxx's debut album.

Final DigiPak, Poster and Artwork

Artwork Update

After receiving some feedback from the artwork, I have had to consider some changes. Originally I was going to create a small piece of artwork which will also be a poster. I wanted the artwork/poster to fit in a slot within the CD. It would have had a plain matte black back to it. The feedback suggested that I should apply lyrics to the back, so listeners will not have to go online to see them. As I have twelve songs on the album, I was slightly concerned that the lyrics wouldn't fit on, and was anxious on how I’d set the typography out. Therefore I decided to test out what this would look like.

Here is an example of this:

 

I don't feel that this design works, as the lyrics look very crowded, and as some of the songs are longer than others there is a mixture of sizes and to me doesn't look aesthetically pleasing. I struggled to find other bands and artists who included lyrics with their poster. All of the people I have been researching into have more of a minimalistic approach to the aesthetics of their posters. Therefore I will be keeping the artwork plain, but I will create a separate poster which will include the release date for the album and the record companies involved. 

 





 



 





 

 

 

 

 

Preparing For Our Second Day Of Filming- 19/11/13

As mentioned in a previous post we have confirmed our location (The City Rooms) on the 19/11/13 to refilm sections of our music video. Again we have access to the entire location (ballroom, bar area, reception, two small function rooms and all corridors/passageways in the building) as this is our second visit to the venue and we will only be filming sections of the story board we will mainly be using the grand ballroom, main staircase, reception hall and bar area staircase to film in. We have booked the location from 8.30am-2.00pm, we feel that we will not need as much time to film compared to our previous visit and we have also taken into account the change of lighting throughout the day since we last filmed as the sun will start to set earlier as the clocks have changed since our last visit, we must ensure continuity of lighting throughout our entire music video and therefore filming earlier in the day will be beneficial in helping us to achieve this.

On our last visit we were charged £50 for the day for using the location, as we are returning for a second time the Events Coordinator Ashleigh has changed the price of the location to £20 which we will split evenly again amongst the three of us.

Since receiving the feedback from our draft music video we have been reviewing the original storyboard changing and adapting shots to improve the outcome of our final music video and have put together a brand new and improved version of the storyboard, this will be used continuously throughout the day as we refilm necessary shots that we feel can be improved since our last day of filming.

We must ensure that we are (again) throughly organised for our day of filming. We have become more familiarised with the equipment we will be using (especially myself as the camerawoman, I feel I can use the camera to the best of my ability). As this is our second attempt of filming in a professional environment we all feel more confident in our roles and feel that we are able to produce an even more successful final music video as we have learnt from our previous experience in filming. Again, we have distributed items on the 'to-do' list evenly amongst the three of us and we will continue to review this over the next few days before the day of filming (19/11/13).

I have produced another schedule similar to Phoebe's work prior to our last filming day, this will ensure we use our time wisely throughout the day and complete all necessary shots.

Estimated time of arrival at our location: 8.30am
-Jess will begin styling Ellie, working on the hair and makeup (straightening her hair, applying natural make with a red lip and matching red nails).
-Whilst Jess is working on the hair & makeup I will be setting up the camera and lighting 
-Phoebe will be reviewing the storyboard to see which shots should be filmed first, Phoebe will also be responsible for setting up the music & docking station.
We will begin filming at approximately 9.15am
-We plan to film the new shots until 12.00pm (with regular breaks & touching up any hair and makeup, plus changing sets/lighting in the location)
12.00pm-12.30pm lunch break
- After our lunch break we will continue working through the new and updated storyboard and filming for another 90 minutes until we are due to leave the location at 2.00pm.

Throughout the day we will be religiously reviewing the footage we have filmed as this is our last chance of getting the shots for our final cut of the music video (we will also be constantly checking the framing of our shots as before we had issues in post-production due to the framing on the camera viewfinder being inaccurate). 

Phoebe's Mum has agreed to drop and collect us from the location again which is approximately 30-40 minutes away from our homes. Again this will be hugely beneficial to us all as it will allow us to travel safely to the location with all of our equipment. Below is a map showing the journey to the location:

I have also researched the forecast for the day, this is very important to ensure that the continuity of lighting throughout the day is to a very high standard. Although we have our own lighting the weather changing throughout the day will cause the lighting to change throughout the day.

I will update this again on the 18/11/13 for a more accurate weather forecast:

(updated on 18/11/13)

As previously mentioned the roles within our group on the day of filming will stay the same:

-Meg: Directing shoot with the help of Phoebe, all camera work, filming and framing the shots, directing Jess with the placement of lighting, setting up the camera, tripod and dolly.
-Jess: getting all the equipment ready for each shot, makeup, hair and styling for band members, get lighting in correct position (with help from Meg).
-Phoebe: Directing each shot and working with the storyboard, helping Jess to set up all the equipment needed, playing music within each shot.

The risk assessment I previously put together for our day of filming last month will stay the same, the post on this can be found here: http://jessphoebemega2media.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/risk-assessment.html

Below is an updated list of things we need to take on the shoot, we have taken things off the list that we did not need on our previous filming day e.g. hairdryer & laptop and also added new things e.g. paper & blue tack to cover up any signs such as 'no smoking'
-Camera & Charger
-Spare tapes
-Lighting & spare bulbs
-SLR Camera
-Tripod
-Storyboard
-Docking Station
-Make-up; foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer, blusher, foundation concealer & powder brushes, mascara, lipstick (red), eyebrow kit, cheekbone highlighter, lip balm, nail varnish (red), moisturiser, liquid eyeliner.
- Towel
-Make-up wipes & cotton wool buds
-Hairbrush
-Straighteners
-Hairspray/salt spray/wax/volumising powder
-Costumes:
    -Ellie; white dress & superego flatforms
-Extension Leads
-Foil light reflector

-Food & drink
-Pens, pencils & paper
-Props:
  -Chairs will be provided at the location
-Elastic bands
-Extra soft lighting (loaned from school)
- Screw driver 
-Lint Roller 

- A4& A3 Paper & Blue tack
-Money (to pay for location & lunch)- Jess, Phoebe & Meg

We will be updating this list before the day of filming as we think of more things we will need on the day.

Key:
Phoebe
Jess
Meg

Improvements to final music video

As we are going to create a new storyboard the

• Ellie properly singing
• Avoid windows -  because of backlight dominance
• Avoid filming the radiator 
• Let go of the banister whilst walking down the stairs
• Remove the non-smoking sign (cover it with white paper)
• Make Ellie look more 'engaging visually' - doesn't suit 'cold and aloof'
• Include intro and outro text 'INFLUXX' 
• Ensure the lighting is continuous throughout the day 2:04-2:10
• Timing issues around 2:31
• Framing issues (camera needs to be level)
• Shot of Ellie starting at her abdomen up to her face is too long, we need to cut the shot
• Continuity!!

Shots to keep:

• mainly ones with Alex

Final Magazine Advertisement

Final Digipak

Location Update

We have received an email from the location, allowing us to film on Tuesday 19th November. We need to contact our band members informing them of this date, to see whether or not they are available. After we have finalised this date, we will create a few more posts showing recent updates of our planning, alongside lists of things we need to take and prepare.

Location Enquiry

As shown in a previous post, we have now received feedback from our draft music video and received 30/40 for our efforts. Although we were fairly pleased with this, there are various parts of the video that we would, ideally, like to re- film. The production of our draft video allowed us to take note of certain problems we encountered and also drew our attention to the various shots that weren't successful. Our own review of the draft combined with the feedback we received from our teacher will be incredibly helpful when it comes to re- filming the video. With this in mind, over the next week, we will begin to recreate a new storyboard which takes into account all of the amendments we need to make.

We have decided to use the same venue that we used for our draft, The City Rooms, as we felt it was successful and suited the style of video we were aiming to achieve. However, when we re- film there are certain things we will have to reconsider; for example the fact that the flooring in the venue is on a slight slant (to counteract this we can lengthen one of the legs on the tripod) and we will also have to avoid getting certain signs (such as 'no smoking' and 'fire exit' signs) in the shots. We struggled to avoid having these signs in the shots as the viewfinder is not completely accurate to what is being filmed- although we are able to crop the frames in Final Cut Pro, this reduces the quality. In order to correct this we will have to be constantly conscious of the fact that the viewfinder is slightly out and be extra careful when framing shots.

Below is an email I have sent to The City Rooms enquiring about the use of their venue over the next few weeks. As we are currently unaware of the dates both of our models are available on, I have simply asked for the available dates between now and 29/11/13 (our final video deadline). 

Digipak Secondary Draft

Magazine Advertisement Secondary Draft

Final Magazine Advert

I have decided to submit this as my final magazine advert. I got the idea of using the QR barcode from an advert in a tattoo magazine (picture below) this advertisement gets the reader to colour in the barcode which they then scan in to their phones, I tried a 'whited out' version which would be coloured in but I wasn't happy with the result (see below). Unless it stated on the advertisement that the QR barcode needed to be coloured in and then scanned (like on the tattoo ad) no one would know to do that and it would either be ignored or it wouldn't scan properly as it hasn't been coloured in. To colour in the barcode would take a lot of time and the whole purpose of the QR barcode is that it is 'quick' and will take you to a link that relates to the advertisement. The type of paper the advertisement is printed on will also depend on the success of the 'colouring in' technique. 

I have produced a Tumblr page that features images of INFLUXX, the album cover, the music video etc. This is linked to the QR barcode on my advertisement, once scanned on a smartphone the audience will be taken to this page which acts as part of the advertising campaign for their album. This advertisement could also be featured on billboards & London Underground advertisements rather than just magazines.

QR barcode link to tumblr site: influxxmusic.tumblr.com

Magazine Advertisement Development 1

Above is some development I have worked on for the design of my magazine advertisement. As displayed, I have decided to do choose a portrait page as the posters I have analysed and researched are also portrait- conforming to pre- existing conventions of the Indie Pop/ Synth genre. Initially, I started with very simple and plain ideas (taking inspiration from The XX's 'XX' poster) as I felt that it was a good starting point which would give me room to manipulate and alter my poster accordingly. While focusing on the white background and black text posters, I experimented with boarders and the positioning of text but felt that I could still further my ideas. 

Consequently, I chose to experiment with a black background and white lettering- yet again adjusting the boarder and placing of wording on the page however was still unsatisfied with the results. Proceeding from this I used Photoshop Elements 6.0 to edit a pattern and place it behind the text. I used a layer effect called 'multiply' so that the bands name 'Influxx' would appear to have been filled with the abstract artwork. I decided that I wanted the band's name to be the most prominent feature on the page and therefore avoided using the pattern within any of the other text on the page as I felt it could potentially distract from 'Influxx'. To ensure that it remained the focal point, I placed the other wording layers above the imagery so that it remained white. I considered having the font in a grey shade but felt that there wasn't enough of a contrast between the background and lettering and wanted it to be easily legible. 

Similarly, to many of the posters/ albums that I have researched- I chose to avoid having photography of the band featuring on the design. Despite having attempted to use a picture I had taken of the band on my draft copy, I decided that I was ultimately unhappy with the outcome and discarded that idea entirely. As I have discussed in previous posts, it is common for Indie Pop/ Synth artists to want to showcase their music before their appearance- holding their 'artistry' in higher regard than themselves as a 'brand'. Because of this, I felt that my decision to use merely lettering on the poster and digipak was justified and conforms to our selected genre's conventions effectively. The absence of reviews and tour dates on all of the above designs (and the record label on some of the above designs) can also be understood when viewing the posters I have already analysed and researched- as I have found that these features aren't an integral part of the design. 

As the development progresses, I personally like the designs more. I feel as though there are still various tweaks which could be made to the poster but overall I am adhering to a minimalist design, having been inspired by various other pre- existing magazine advertisements and digipak's. I plan to continue to further the development of my poster until I am completely happy with it but feel that I now have a fundamental idea concerning how I want it to look and also a better understanding of the direction I want to go in.

Magazine Advert- Drafts

I have made the decision to produce an A4 portrait magazine advertisement.  Below are a few 'draft' versions of a very minimalist and stripped back magazine advertisement. I believe that with my advertisement 'less is more' and the same goes for my digipak. The lack of images and information suits my band's style and their target audience, fans that know the band well will understand the poster, those that don't will be intrigued to find out more (adding the smartphone QR barcode allows the public to do this).

 Having such a minimalist advertisement will also add exclusivity to the digipak as it features the insert poster of the band (never before seen images to the public).