The Givers - Meantime

I like the use of torches in this video, as there isn't any daylight due to filming at night. This would be good as you don't have to wait for good weather, it just has to be a dry, dark night. The party scene at the end is fun and quirky, as the band are performing and people are having fun, confetti and glitter has been used, and the torches also remain as the light source.  

Coursework Schedule

A2 Media Studies Schedule 2013-2014 Lutterworth College.docx

Post Production (Prelim)

After filming we uploaded the footage to an apple mac and added the files to a new project on final cut pro. Because we had filmed everything we started adding and clipping the videos in the right order in correspondence to our storyboard. We added the downloaded version of our song onto the soundtrack layer and this then allowed us to insert the clips in the right places with the song.

We encountered a problem when editing the series of photos taken in the sweet shop, as final cut pro would not easily allow us to select every photo and set them to around 0.2 seconds each, so they would flow in a recorded video style way, with a slight cut , showing the fact they were actually photos. As a group we each had a go at trying to work out how to do it, and in the end we had to try and do it at home, using Windows Movie Maker. We created the video and it was the exact length we needed, however we then couldn't import it into Final Cut Pro. In the end we had to drag the photos on individually and set the time for each one. A better knowledge of final cut pro would have been more helpful, however by testing things out and working on our prelims, I feel I am gaining more knowledge about how it works, and this will obviously help me when completing my final music video.

This is our final video:



It could be vastly improved by the use of more interesting camera shots, more developed ideas and better dance moves.

Production (Prelim Video)

On the day of filming we worked out which bits we would film first based on the weather and who was available to film during their study periods. We decided since the weather asn't too bad we would film the exterior shots, and this worked well as this was the lesson we were all available at the same time. When filming the exterior shots we found that sticking to time limits wasn't too hard, as it only took a few takes to get the right shot. We were focused on filming and didn't mess around, yet we also had fun at the same time whilst dancing and singing along to the music, and I found that it's important to get the right balance as it makes filming smoother and easier. We used a video recorder camera, borrowed for the library, as well as a tripod to ensure that the footage was steady and the scenes were shot in similar positions.

To listen to the music at the same time as filming we used Kelly's phone as she downloaded the song. We used natural light for the outside scenes, and when filming the indoor scenes with the mirror, we used the bathroom lighting, as it was bright enough mixed with the light through the windows.

When filming the sweet shop scene, we went to the Sugar Mouse Sweet Shop in Lutterworth and asked the owner if we could take some photos and film inside. Instead of using the video recorder we used a digital camera, and used the motion capture setting that takes several photos per second.

The vinyl on the record player at the beginning of the video was filmed at a friend’s house, as he was the only person I knew who had a record player and would let me film inside his house. To do this I just went over one morning and took around 10 seconds of footage.

When filming we used generic locations such as getting ready in the mirror, greenery surrounded by trees etc, yet the sweet shop location develops the idea of being in a town centre and shopping. Taking photos in a sequence instead of filming is a developed idea, as several TV shows such as Miranda use it in their opening titles, as it's quirky and fun; something we wanted to make our video.

Pre-Production (Prelim Video)

To decide which song to create our video for, we thought of female artists that we could easily lip sync to. We initially looked at artists like Katy Perry, but decided to go for a smaller, less known, indie artist, as we could create a quirky and fun video. We chose Stay Out by Nina Nesbitt because of the simple tune and the video gave us some inspiration.

When deciding what to do for our video we made a list of possible things to incorporate, including locations, props, actions and shots, before storyboarding. This helped us to work out what we should include and what we shouldn't, as well as express our ideas and let everyone say what they want to include, whilst working as a team.

After deciding which bits would be possible to film, we started storyboarding. We used the YouTube video/song to see how long the shots would be, allowing us to make sure every point of the song had a shot. We drew the scene out, thought about camera angles, decided how long the shot would be, and which parts we would lip sync.

When creating the storyboard we didn't take too long due to the time limit, making us more focused. We completed the planning in two lessons and then got straight on with filming. 

Lip Syncing

Prelim - Opening the Door