Progress

The lighting has now been fully edited to what we think is the right standard. We of course will need final feedback from our teacher for any last minute changes to improve the video before the hand in tomorrow. As we have completed the majority of the editing with time to spare we have also looked at evaluation in relation to the work we have done.

Progress in Editing

We have managed to fully edit the video to the song in time for Friday. The next few days will involve getting feedback for further improvements and adjusting the visual aspect of the video in order to improve our mark and the quality of the video as much as we possibly can. We have decided against adding in different colours as we felt that the video was enough as itself and we did not want to 'over-edit' it. This has also allowed us more time to hopefully perfect the final product. We feel the video has been much more successful than our draft and the re-filming and reconsideration of editing has led to a big improvement of the final product.

Progress over the last few days.

Since we filmed on Wednesday, we have now begun editing. We labelled the clips that we needed and uploaded them onto Adobe Premiere Elements. This is the software that we will be using to edit the whole of our video. We have found that the lighting, quality and variety of shots used have improved immensely since filming our draft video. Using just one location makes you focus more on the band themselves so no objects become an immediate distraction. The acting also looks a lot better as the band members are much more enthusiastic and look like they are having fun. They interact with one another which makes the video captivating and interesting throughout. At this stage we have edited roughly 2.5 minutes of our video and we still have around 1 more minute to edit. Once all of the clips are in order and in time with the music, we will then go on to edit the finer details such as lighting, contrast and colours of each shot.

Filming finished!

Yesterday we filmed the whole of our video in the drama studio. We started setting up the kit at around 3.10pm and this included setting up the instruments, sorting the lighting and organising the set itself such as drawing the black curtains behind the kit and removing any other visible objects that we didn't need. The main problem that we found in the drama studio was trying to avoid the posters on the walls as it is normally a classroom but to get round this we made sure they weren't visible in the shot before actually filming. In some shots they are slightly visible but we feel they are not a direct distraction as most of the shots are only a few seconds long. We started filming at roughly 3.30pm and began with the wide shots of the whole band performing. This was because we had more of these than any other shots. We then went on to film the individual band member shots, then the additional performance shots from different angles. As a whole we feel that the filming went very well and was a huge improvement since the last draft video. The lip syncing and acting was much better as the band members were more enthusiastic which made the shots look more realistic and fit into a traditional indie music video. They really got into character, they looked the part and had a lot more fun with it. The variety of shots also looked more effective as it keeps the video interesting throughout. We finished filming at around 6.00pm. We are now beginning to edit the video so we have just over a week to finish the video. This is good as we now have plenty of time to edit each individual shot in the way that we want it to look like. Editing will be the most important part in the construction of our video as we need to alter the brightness, contrast and colour of the lighting to achieve the look of the other video by The Vaccines that we aim for our own video to look like. This is so that each shot looks as effective and realistic as possible.

Plan of action for tomorrow!

Tomorrow we are aiming to shoot our whole video in the drama studio from 3.00pm-5.00pm roughly. We have 116 shots to film to time may be a problem although we feel that we have planned quite well so everything should run quite smoothly. Tomorrow morning I will be bringing the drum kit into school at about 8.00am and storing it in a room all day until we have to use it. The guitar that I am borrowing off of a friend will also be stored with the kit. We will begin to set up at the end of the school day and hope to be filming by 3.15pm at the latest. This way we should be able to film all of the shots in time.

New animatic

This is the animatic for our redrafted video. The timing is a little bit out , but this is something we are aware of and will be careful to correct during editing the actual clips and video. The aspect of the video not captured in the animatic is the lighting that will be fading and creating a silhouette effect. We are also hoping to edit the colour of the lighting during editing. We hope this will be more successful than our original more complicated video.

Researching shots for final video.

Here I have watched a video from the same genre as our band and found the shots that they have used very inspiring. As our video now just consists of band performance, we need to include intriguing shots and have more of them to keep the video interesting throughout. Here are a few images of shots we may decide to use...

 

 

 

Plan for next week.

Next Wednesday we are planning to film all of our new video in the drama studio. This is going to be very tough as we now have double the shots as our previous video although we believe it is still achievable if planned out in detail. Before this we will be finalising the storyboard, producing a new animatic and planning everything in depth in preparation for filming. Last time we felt that we could have been more organised than we were during filming as actors were not entirely sure on what they had to do or act like. This time we will be choreographing each shot and writing down the lyrics for the actor so that they are prepared before we film the shot. This way we will save lots of time instead of explaining what they have to do and filming it numerous times. In the new video the actors are going to be a lot more enthusiastic and act more to give a more positive and realistic vibe. We have warned the actors of this and they have watched similar videos to the ones we which to achieve to identify things they might want to look like or do. We also need to organise costumes in advance so that it looks like they clearly fit into the indie alternative genre. As the video is now focusing solely on band performance, every tiny detail needs to be planned out carefully so that we can make the video we wish to achieve a success and keep the video interesting throughout.

New Risk Assessment.

As we are filming a whole new video, other risks may occur that we need to be aware of. Here I have focused on the same areas as of the previous assessment but updated it with other factors that need considering.

Hazard: Fall of actors/equipment
Answer: Yes
Severity: High
Likelihood: Medium
Persons at risk: All 3 actors and crew (2) - all equipment
Precautions: Minimise the chance of somebody falling by planning exactly what they have to do in advance. Also make sure all equipment is stable and secure (mainly band equipment and cameras/lighting devices)

Hazard: Temporary structures
Answer: Yes
Severity: Medium
Likelihood: Medium
Persons at risk: 3 actors - band equipment
Precautions: ensure band PA equipment is safe and secure - mainly speakers

Hazard: Tripping hazards
Answer: Yes
Severity: Medium
Likelihood: Medium
Persons at risk: All 3 actors and crew (2) - all equipment
Precautions: Warn actors and crew when wires are around the set and also any other obstacles or props. Ensure only objects needed in the scene are used and that all other areas are clear.

Hazard: Vehicles
Answer: No
Severity: Low
Likelihood: Low
Persons at risk: -
Precautions: -

Hazard: Special effects
Answer: Yes
Severity: Medium
Likelihood: Low
Persons at risk: All 3 actors and crew (2)
Precautions: Ensure the silhouette screen and other equipment is in a safe and secure place to avoid injuries and only used when needed.

Hazard: Weapons
Answer: No
Severity: Low
Likelihood: Low
Persons at risk: -
Precautions: -

Hazard: Burns from lighting
Answer: Yes
Severity: High
Likelihood: High
Persons at risk: 3 actors and crew (2)
Precautions: Ensure all lighting fixtures and artificial lighting is supervised by crew members at all times to prevent overheating or the band equipment lighting from falling.

New Photographs for Digipak

Photos

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Styling

We are planning to dress our lead singer in a similar style to The Drums front man. We think this will work well with the style of the band and the video we are using. He will be wearing a shirt, rolled up purple trousers and canvas shoes similar to Jonathan Pierce in this video. He will also be wearing sunglasses similar to these below, as we feel it would work effectively and should also help us overcome confidence issues with the people we are using. We are hoping this style will be more effective than our previous draft version.

Blank Slate..

Since we received our feedback from the draft video, we have come up with a whole new idea of just focusing on the band element and having bits in between to express the personality of the band and what they do in their spare time. This will make the video more personal. We decided that the story was too distracting and 'serious' for the song previously and as the song is quite upbeat we will be particularly aiming to add humour instead. I have produced a list of locations that we may be using along with ideas of costume as we have changed the role of a particular band member. Grace will now be replaced with Ryan so that the drummer and guitarist do not look similar in any way. We will be using a number of different locations as the video will be quite hectic. These are not official settings yet but the list I have came up with are the drama studio for the band performance, a staircase in town, Jame's car, a car park, streets in town, a park, a pub, Argos, Boots, a market, a bmx track and a library. These are just immediate ideas that came into mind although we will not be using all of them. For the behind the scenes aspect we will be mixing up the locations to keep the audience interested. For the lighting we will be using artificial lighting in the drama studio for the band performance, we will be shooting the 'behind the scenes' in the day and also some at night at the pub. The main alteration for the video is the idea that it will be much less serious and humour will be added. The band members will be more laid back and have fun with the song by being themselves and showing to the audience their relationship and what they enjoy doing other than just performing. At this stage we are now storyboarding the new video from taking elements from other videos in the same genre and finalising our new ideas so that we are ready to start filming next week and then editing the week after.

Back to the drawing board...

After the video feedback, we have gone back to looking more in depth into videos from our genre, primarily those that just involve the band and a performance. We will be taking a large amount of inspiration from these as we know that these are effective techniques that work.



I personally really like this video, the idea of it is really endearing and works well to engage the audience. The editing may be a bit slow for what we are trying to achieve, but the idea of the band all together just 'messing around' on tour is something that works very well and would be achievable with the time and equipment we have. It also adds a bit more fun to the video which is something I think would work with the song we have chosen. It would mean that the video becomes more illustrative and disjunctive than we originally planned, however our original idea was not successful so this is something we need to consider.



This video is really simple, something we have been told and have seen works well. Personally I think it is a little too simple, however the set up and the idea work well as a whole. the framing of the shot and positioning of the band is something we will take note of as well as the lead singer and the huge focus he controls, from when he enters to his dancing and lip synching. The idea of them packing away at the end builds interest and adds a more quirky appeal.



What I've taken from this video is the camera angles used when filming band performance. This is a vital element we need to look at to achieve a good quality video and to keep the video and shots interesting, so is something we'll be focusing on looking into.



This video is very similar to the Bombay Bicycle Club video in that is simply a mix of the band performing and messing around in various places. Again I think this is something achievable and more relaxed and endearing to the spectator. It shows the band away from performing which is something many fans want to see and it makes them more accessible as artists to the public audience. We could take a lot of inspiration from the shots used in this video as well as some of the ideas if we were to pursue this type of video.

Video Feedback.

From receiving feedback from our draft video, we have came to the decision that we have a lot of work to do for the final video. For the final video we will be scrapping the story aspect and focusing mainly on the band performance. We will be using a simple, basic room and simply play along to the song using a variety of different camera angles to make it look more realistic. We decided that the story was very distracting and the PA kit was not needed for the draft video as the mise en scene was not realistic. We will also be changing the actors and actresses so that they are more enthusiastic and have different styles. We now need to storyboard for the final video and watch other videos that are similar to what we are aiming to achieve. We will focus on getting the right mise en scene, lighting, actors and also equipment to make a dramatic improvement to the video from this stage. In the next 2 weeks we will be filming and editing the video making sure that is is a huge improvement from the draft.

Latest Ancillary texts.

Latest Ancillary Texts.

Ancillary Texts Feedback.

Digipak
From the feedback I have received I have found that the cover idea is good although the image needs to be clearer and more defined. The text is laid out well although the text on the back cover needs changing. The bar code needs to be made smaller and I will also be changing the colour yellow so it doesn't stand out so much. The 3rd panel of the cat eye with the image of the band is not as successful as planned as it is not 100% clear what it is unless you look at the front cover. The two inner panels worked well together but I didn't like the idea of the trees as it didn't link to the rest of the digipak. Instead I will be using more images of the band so that it ties it altogether.
Advert
For the advert, the main comment that was raised was that it is too text heavy. The text simply needs to be made smaller and possibly use an image with more space surrounding it. The name of the band also only needs to be labelled once instead of having the band logo on it as well.