General Update - 08.04.2015

This is a General Update post to bring my blog up to date with everything that has been completed.

As of earlier this week, all Evaluation Questions were completed and can be found under the Evaluation label of my blog. However, due to software in-capabilities at home where I have been completing the questions, some things need to be done, which will be completed in free time when I return to college after my trip to Iceland for another one of my subjects (I return Wednesday 15th). These include:

• Video recording of the script for Question 2 of the Evaluation
• Transfer of this footage into Final Cut and adding appropriate images to create the Director's Commentary
• Adding appropriate images to the Prezi for Question 4
• Any corrections/suggested improvements on the questions

Also, the shots needed to improve the first draft into the final cut have now been filmed, and will be dropped into Final Cut when I am back to create the finished product. This means that, by the end of next week, all construction pieces will be complete, and soon after, all evaluation questions will be completed too.

Afterwards, attention will turn to the exam. Nearly there!

Preparation and Ideas for the Evaluation

With my video essentially complete, I must turn my attention to the evaluation. The 4 Evaluation questions I must answer are as follows:

1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2 - How effective is the combination of your main product with ancilllary texts?

3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

4 - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

For question 1, I am thinking of presenting my answer in the form of a Director's Commentary. This way, I can link my answer to actual clips from my video, and also discuss different themes and ideas that allows my product to develop, use and challenge forms and conventions. Alternatively, I could present these ideas on Padlet, which I used for this question last year, and found worked well to analyse each individual aspect of my video in depth.

For question 2, I am thinking of presenting my answer in the form of a Slideshow Presentation or Powerpoint. This question has a limited discussion and I can utilise the image aspect of Powerpoints to annotate and discuss the key areas of my ancillary products that make them effective. Alternatively, I could create a Director's Commentary, as this would demonstrate this skill and make use of the limited material I could perhaps discuss. Either of these would aid illustrating the synergy between my products.

For question 3, I am thinking of presenting my answer in the form of a blog post analysis where I can reference my earlier findings in my audience research, my focus group analysis and bring it all together in my evaluation as to how it informed the final cut. To vary it from a formal essay I could alternatively portray this information in a powerpoint, depending on whether I use this method over a director's commentary in question 2.

For question 4, I am thinking of presenting my answer in the form of a Prezi presentation, where I can create a "mind-map" effect to include each aspect or planning, filming, editing and evaluation and the progression I have made since AS.

NB - Posts currently being finalised/worked on before Evaluation questions will be published are:
- Final Cut of Music Video
- Shot List Vs. Reality (to include original storyboards from before any changes happened)
- Locations of Shooting (with Photos from the shoots, maps, and analysis)
- How the Focus Group Responses affected the Final Cut (to include Focus Group Questionnaires)
- Filming/Editing Methods and Equipment* (to inform Question 4 of the Evaluation) (*may discard as it is very similar to Question 4)
- Use of Intertextuality
These posts will not take long to finalise and will inform the evaluation questions strongly.

Planning - Location, Shooting Schedule and Casting

In my music video Treatment post, after the original planned shot list, I referenced the cast of my video, the different locations and a shooting schedule. I have since posted "Update" posts, which note the changes I have made to the shot list, added shoots and changes to the cast. This post will explain the final choices I made with regards to my music video planning.

Casting
My video features 5 main characters, all young people that would form part of my target audience. This makes my video more accessible to the people that I am gearing it towards. I also do this by selecting ordinary people and presenting ordinary issues that young people face. My characters are:

• Elliott Doyle - Elliott played one of the Shades in my AS piece, where he wasn't really seen, but is an ideal choice for one of the main characters of the video. He is dressed in a smart, oxford shirt, with skinny jeans and converse shoes and a lightweight coat - he appears very trendy and as a typical young male. He was chosen as I cannot get a professional actor for my video, and I would not want to, as my audience would be able to relate more to someone like them. His character is in a turbulent relationship, and he struggles to express how he feels. He begins to question his faith when he cannot seem to make things work.
• Tom Seago - for similar reasons, I chose Tom as the other lead character as he is a young male that most people would be able to identify with, and it was practical for me to film with him. He is dressed in a plain top, a coat, skinny jeans and vans trainers - less smart than Elliott's character, but just as relatable. Tom's character deals with the issue of friendship, an interesting twist on the more obvious meaning of the lyrics that would be commonly associated with a relationship. Tom's character feels alone and as if he doesn't belong with his friends, but is shown otherwise in the end of the video.

The rest of the cast includes:

• Ben Winter and Lee Johnson - Ben and Lee were chosen for practical reasons, as friends of me and Tom, and it would be natural for them to act how they would usually around Tom to suggest friendship in the video. They are also dressed in normal clothing, making them relatable and accessible. They are portrayed to be caring and funny.
• Ria Hopwood - Ria's character plays Elliott's girlfriend in the video. This was practical for me as Ria is my girlfriend and therefore is easier to film with on a shorter notice. 

Locations
In my video, I use several different locations, to keep up with the fast-paced narrative of the piece. The locations I use include:

• Thorpe Marriott Green and Marriott's Way - this location is used for the introduction to the video as it allows for some aesthetic shots that introduce the ideas in the video and is briefly seen at the end of the video.
• Bawdeswell Heath - this location is used for all of Tom's section, as it represents the place he goes to be alone with himself. He gets lost in the forest, representing him feeling lost and without direction, and alone, as he feels alone without his friends. Also, the location is interesting as it references the religious idea of Dante's Divine Comedy, in the line "midway upon the journey of our life I found  myself within a forest dark for the straightforeward pathway had been lost" which is shown in Tom not knowing where to go, until he stumbles out of the forest and onto a beach- which could also be interpreted as him coming out of "Hell", in the context of the Divine Comedy. 
• Cromer/Overstrand Forest and Cromer Beach - this location allows for the transition in Tom's section from forest to beach. The forest comes out onto an isolated segment of Cromer's beach, further towards Overstrand, where Tom's character is again completely alone on the bleak landscape. This represents how Tom's character has come to the end of what he can physically take and needs to make a change.
• Taverham Streets - I used the streets of Taverham to film certain sections pertinent to Tom's section of the narrative. In one section, Ben and Lee, Tom's friends, are out looking for him, and they then proceed to get into the car. At another section, they are shown to be waiting outside an area of woodland (the forest) for when Tom's character finally emerges. These locations are more practical as they are nearby to where all characters lived.
• Norwich City Centre - for the final section of the video for Tom's section, the three men are shown having a good time together. For this I decided the busy city centre of Norwich would be most appropriate. This also links to the time-lapse of the different locations at the start of the video. 
• Room #1 - Elliott's Room - for Elliott's characters section of the narrative, where the video begins, Elliott's character is shown in his room. His room is fitted with many intertextual items such as posters, CDs, drinks etc. to make his character more relatable to the audience. The room is quite messy and unorderly, stereotypical of young males rooms, again making the character more accessible from the offset. 
• Room #2 - Ria's Room - again for Elliott's section of the narrative, he is in a turbulent period in his relationship with his girlfriend in the video. For this, I used my girlfriend Ria's room, again fitted with intertextual references in the form of posters of bands and other artworks, including a Lord of the Rings map. The room also has a lot of sixth form work and the shots also make reference to the stress that the education system places on young people, a very relatable idea to my target audience. The room also allows for a link for the story later where Elliott's character meets up with Ria's character in the finale of the video.
• Taverham Church - In the middle section, Elliott's character goes to the local Church where he is shown to be questioning his faith, pertinent to the lyrics of the song and the religious themes of the artist and video. For this section, I obtained permission from the Reverend, and filmed on a weekday when the Church was empty, again to emphasise the emotion of feeling alone.

Shooting Schedule
Filming began in the October half term, and has progressed since, with the filming concluding at the end of February. Since the original shooting schedule, a lot has changed regarding the shot list, naturally as I go along I realised some ideas would work better than others, and hence locations and cast changed.

Elliott's Room - 27/10 - Cast needed: Elliott
Bawdeswell Heath Scenes - 29/10 - Cast needed: Tom
Beach Scenes - 1/11 - Cast needed: Tom
Norwich City Centre - 4/12 - Cast needed: Tom, Ben and Lee
Taverham Church - 2/1 - Cast needed: Elliott
Taverham Streets - 18/1, 27/2 - Cast needed: Tom, Ben and Lee
Ria's Room - 19/2, 28/2  - Cast needed: Ria, Elliott

No props were needed for any of the locations, except the Rooms where posters, CDs and such were put up and around the room, and then the work/textbooks and flowers in Ria's Room. Most other extra shots were filmed at random points - for instance, when shooting for the digipak and advertisement, I filmed some of the time-lapses for the start.

Abandoning Sunday - Real Talk - First Draft Cut

Here is the First Draft cut for my music video for unsigned artist Abandoning Sunday's song "Real Talk", taken from his new record "Struggle".

NB: Shots still to film are indicated in the video with a text note.

Shots will be moved around once the final few shots are filmed, which will form the Rough Cut. Some shots will not feature in the Rough Cut as they will be replaced. Aspect Ratio and Quality will be higher for the Final Cuts.

This is the First Draft Cut, with a few shots left to be added to form the Final Cut.

General Update - 26.01.15

Here is a checklist of things that have happened recently regarding production, and the things that I have planned to do in the coming weeks:

Completed in January

• Draft cut completed and uploaded to YouTube as an Unlisted video / Posted to Blog
• Questionnaire for Focus Group designed and sent out to the 8 members (26/1)
• Ideas generated for Digipak and Magazine Advertisement and photos taken
• Final scene for 2nd verse regarding the group of friends setting out to find Tom filmed, put into Final Cut and into the right section of the video.
• Initial experimentation in Photoshop to develop skills with software
• Draft of the covers for the Digipak and Magazine Advertisement complete 

To do in the next few weeks

• TO FILM: Sections with the Girl, arranged for next week. Final section with the Girl and Elliott. Final section with the group of friends at night. 
• Hear back from the Focus Group and make appropriate changes to the video- potentially film extra shots/edit other areas.
• Continue development of digipak and finalise magazine advertisement - now the main focus of lesson time, as the video is essentially completed.
• Case Study for research into an aspect of the music industry - contacting a local band for a brief interview
• Last touches to the corrections on research pieces. 
• Director's Commentary and Evaluation (to come on to in lesson)

Overall I feel that regarding time management, everything is in order and "to-do's" are all attainable, as now I can focus on the ancillary texts in lesson and make appropriate changes to the video when I can. 

Abandoning Sunday - Real Talk - First Draft Cut

Here is the First Draft cut for my music video for unsigned artist Abandoning Sunday's song "Real Talk", taken from his new record "Struggle".

NB: Shots still to film are indicated in the video with a text note.
Shots will be moved around once the final few shots are filmed, which will form the Rough Cut. Some shots will not feature in the Rough Cut as they will be replaced. Aspect Ratio and Quality will be higher for the Final Cuts.

Production Update (1.12.14)

With the Christmas break approaching I have a few weeks to produce a rough cut of my video to "Real Talk". As a result from the last update, the storyboards have been changed in that the character that would represent the artist is now not going to appear and the video will focus on the narrative aspect of the two characters.

Character 1 is played by Elliott Doyle. Most of his sections are now filmed, all that is left is the Church sequence where I need to film Elliott on his own in Taverham Church as this is the local church, and film some shots of him to portray how he is questioning his faith, pertinent to the lyrics of hope and believing in the song. I also need to film him with the female who will be his partner in the video, and I know who can play this role. On the same shoot I will get some shots of them to integrate alongside the shots of Elliott looking distressed.

Character 2 is played by Tom Seago and again the majority of the shots I need for his section have been shot, uploaded and edited, which include the forest and beach sections. All that is left now is for him to be re-united with his friends and to be shown having a good time with them. I should be able to film parts of this whenever throughout the next couple of weeks before the break, notably this coming Sunday and the next few Sundays as well as at a few other times.

Once these sections are filmed, I should be able to just put these straight into Final Cut, as whilst I'm filming sections I am simultaneously editing my video. I have completed about 1/2 of the video with a few things to put in here and there to make it more coherent. I've done the intro and first verse, end of the second verse, and then the instrumental to the last chorus. I am happy with the current progress I am making and how it is coming towards the finished rough cut. 

Filming Update

Regarding production thus far, I have successfully filmed about 2/3 of the shots I require and transferred them onto the Macs where they have been sorted and assembled in Final Cut to begin editing. 

However, I have encountered some issues. As I work weekends, filming shots is now difficult. I have decided to scrap the original concept of having one character on the cliff as I felt that it portrayed an actor as the artist, which I did not think would work, and also because logistically, it was difficult to achieve. Instead, I'm going to focus more on the narrative aspect of the lives of the two characters. I hope to film a few more sections with each actor and their respective groups soon, whilst editing the existing clips at the same time.

I've settled on the ending for the Character who felt uncomfortable around his friends, in that he will leave the beach and his friends will be waiting for him, and they will then be shown to be having a good time. I'm not certain how the story for the Character in the relationship will end at the moment, bar the fact that the issues will be resolved. I hope that the more I film the more this will become apparent.

Generating Ideas for the Music Video // Track Confirmation!

Brainstorming Ideas - Treatment Draft

In lesson, we began drafting treatments for our videos. At this stage, I did not have the track that I would be using, but from knowing my artist well, I could still construct potential themes to explore, ideas, and potential cast. I know that I can utilise autumnal themes and use a forest or track for an opening "title sequence" and using a tape or CD with the track name or artist on it being played at the start before the music begins. I know from previous songs that my artist explores themes of relationships and love, as well as loneliness, being lost, depression and hope. For the 'lonely' part, I thought I could use one man playing the guitar on a cliff top overlooking the sea, and utilise other shots in settings, as well as exploring props and a narrative to develop the piece. Regarding cast, I have several options. I thought maybe my piece could follow the lives of many people and their daily struggles (due to the album being named "Struggle") but this depended on the song I would be sent. My main actor will likely be Ben, a guitarist who can perhaps even replicate the appearance of my artist. I could even use myself in the video, as an actor. Inevitably, a female will probably be involved lyrically, and so I have several options here, including a friend who has had modelling experience, a Drama Student, and even my sister. To appeal to my adult audience, my Dad could feature, regarding his struggles with coping with his business. One idea I had was having close ups of several different peoples blank faces, perhaps linking how the lyrics affect many people, again depending on the song.

Yesterday evening, I received an E-Mail from Michael, my artist, saying he had two songs that would fit this project that he would like me to consider using. As the album isn't out yet, I will respect that and not name the tracks here, but one was Acoustic, and the other Full Band. I have decided to go for the full band track, as it has a much faster pace, meaning editing will play a more prominent role, and ideas for narratives became apparent.

From this, and once my Audience Research Surveys have been completed and analysed, and I have more of an interpretation of the track from more listening, I will be able to construct a full Treatment regarding an outline to the narrative, shot list, casting, and can begin getting some footage recorded and planning for main dates of filming.