HR: Candidate 7225

Music Video

Evaluation: Question One
Evaluation: Question Two
Evaluation: Question Three
Evaluation: Question Four

Print Work

Print Work Analysis

Animatic

Brighton Footage

Technical Analysis

Music Video Analysis 1
Music Video Analysis 2
Music Video Analysis 3
Music Video Analysis 4
Music Video Analysis 5

RA: Candidate 7001

- Final Cut of Video

- Digipak

- Advertisment

- Animatic

- Location Reccie

- Pitch

- Analysis:

• Technical Analysis
• Music Video Deconstruction
• Digipak Analysis
• Female Representation Research
• "Is music video art, porn or advertisment?" essay

- Evaluation:

• Question 1, 2 & 4
• Question 3

- Audience research:

• Profile of target audience
• Focus group
• Pitch feedback
• Method/results/evaluation
• Video feedback

RA: Evaluation

Group: Question Three

HR: Question Four

HR: Question Two

HR: Question One

Group: Audience Feedback

This is the audience research questionnaire we created on Survey Monkey. We will be analysing the results of this questionnaire as part of our collaborative evaluation.

The survey can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R9LNL95

As well as this, we conducted further audience research at a screening of our video last week. We handed out a physical questionnaire to some audience members, particularly those who conformed to the description of our target audience. These are the responses we received:

Group: Final Cut of our Video

This is the final cut of our video. We uploaded the finished video to YouTube in order to share it online with ease, which will help with obtaining audience feedback, as we can embed it on social networking sites such as Facebook.

HR: Final Advert

In what ways does your print product use, develop or challenge forms of other similar products?

• The way in which the advert has taken inspiration from other media forms is by using a similar format to Marina and the Diamonds previous print products. They include the protagonist, except the way that I have altered this convention is by not breaking the fourth wall.
•  Usually in her print products, she looks straight into the camera but I have challenged this by making her look at the award. I have kept to the rule of thirds to make the print easier for audiences to read. This is a conventional approach to print products.
• It is also conventional that I have added a website to the poster in case audiences wish to find out more information about the artist.

How does your product link to the other print and moving image products your group has constructed?

• The advert links to the digipak because it has got the lyrics in the background, expect I have used all lower case whereas the digipak used upper case letters so it allows a link between the two ancillary products, but also through the video because the lyrics are auditory rather than visual.
• The diamond is an important aspect of our promotional package because when people look at the logo they will remember the link between the artist and the logo. As it is a diamond it is an illustrative representation of our artist Marina and the Diamonds name. The diamond is large in the digipak and video but not in the advert because it would have drawn attention away from the text.
• The green dress is a predominant iconic visual for our promotional package. It connotes envy which links with our theme of celebrity culture. It is used in the bridge of the song when she is gaining her stardom which we felt worked with our ancillary products.

What other techniques have you used in the software not already mentioned? To what effect?

• By applying a lens flare to the advert, it links with the lighting in the music video, allowing the audience to draw their eye towards the text that is by it which is the song title, the release date and the artists' name. It also breaks up the dark colours in the video by contrasting with a lighter colour.
• I decided to put a black curtain in the background then lower the opacity because I felt it would link well with the music video of when she gets her supporting actress award so it is easy for audiences to understand why her facial expression is sad in the advert - it refers back to the music video.

Group: Editing Development

• As well as the vignette effect we have added to our montage and flashback shots, we created another .psd in Photoshop to use above the shot in which Electra receives her award. We did this to disguise the fact that we did not have enough extras to fill the audience.
• As you can see in the first screen shot, there are clearly seats that are empty. But by adding the .psd we can disguise this. This creates verisimilitude within our video, as it is realistic that an award ceremony would not have empty seats.

• Another aspect of editing we are working on today is improving the montage. We feel it needed a greater variety of shots, so we have added footage from earlier in the video (for example, shots from the opening sequence) to this section.
• As well as this, we are in the process of adding transitions to the montage to give it a more stylised effect. Once again, we are using the cross-dissolve and dip-to-black transitions. We feel they are very effective technique, as they create a more interesting visual, as well as being a convention of many music videos of this genre.

• To counteract the static nature of some of our footage, we created an artificial zoom in Premiere Elements. We did this by adding a keyframe at the first and last frames of the clip.
• Firstly, we zoomed in to a larger percentage at the first keyframe, but leave the end keyframe at 100% zoom. By doing so, the clip will automatically zoom out at a consistent rate from the first to last keyframe.
• To create a slower zoom out, you zoom in to a lesser extent at the first keyframe. We also used this technique to create the movement of the diamond at the very end of the video. In this case we also used a keyframe two thirds through the duration, so that the zooming would slow as the diamond fades to black.

RA: Digipack - Final

In what ways does your print product use, develop or challenge forms of other similar products? 

• I chose to have the subject of the photograph slightly off-centre on the front panel of the digipak. This creates a more eye-catching visual as it is unconventional, and therefore will encourage a more focused consumption of the product.
• However, other aspects of the layout conform to the more traditional reading path. For example, the text on the front panel is presented within the rule of thirds. It is also conventional in that it shows the protagonist from the video, therefore adding to the artist's meta-narrative. It is common for record labels to encourage inclusion of the artist, as it helps to add to their star construct by advertising them to potential consumers.
• For the inside panels, I chose to display the lyrics of the song. Many digipak albums contain a booklet of lyrics, but as this is a single so only contains one song, I chose to adapt this convention by using the inside panels as a lyric booklet. The right panel is where the CD would go.

How does your product link to the other print and moving image products your group has constructed? 

• I chose to shoot the subject with this stance to create the shadow effect on her face so as to tie in with the message of celebrity culture that our song and video connotes.
• As well as this, it creates a visual link as the use of lighting, shadows and silhouettes is a recurring visual element within our video.
• I decided to adapt my idea so that the back panel of the digipack is made up of mostly white negative space with a diamond in the centre.
• I did this for a number of reasons: the reference to the artists stage name 'Marina & the Diamonds,' the suggestion of a record label to create a professional look, and to link all of our products together as the video, poster and digipak all feature this diamond image.

What other techniques have you used in the software not already mentioned? To what effect? 

• I created the smoky effect behind the text by using the eyedropper tool to select the shade from the front cover, and then used a textured brush on a low opacity to fill in the background.
• I also used the eyedropper tool to select the shade of green from the dress to use for some of the text on the back and inside panels.
• I used the text tool to add the lyrics, titles and 'small print' to the digipak. The main font I used was 'Myriad Pro,' and I also used the italic feature for the artist name on the front panel.
• I used the crop and eraser tools to fit the various layers to their section of the template. I also used the eraser tool on low opacity and soft brush to create the feathered edge to the background layer for the inside panels.

HR: Advert Development

As I thought the background looked plain with it being all black, I decided to add the lyrics of the song in the background subtly in grey as well as adding a black curtain so it works well with the theme of our music video. I made the opacity around 70% so again it would not overpower the main photo of our protagonist.

 

I also made the text light pink with a bevel and emboss effect on top of them so they showed up against the bright lens flare that I placed behind the text so it would catch the audiences' eye so they are drawn to read that section of the text.

Finally, I added a diamond in the bottom right hand corner of the advert as if it were the record companies logo.



Group: Editing Development

For the montage shots where our protagonist is not singing, we decided to give it a vintage effect on top of the clips, so I did this on Photoshop by making a new transparent layer and using a large brush with a feathered edge and coloured it in black. Then I imported it onto Adobe Premiere Elements on another track on the timeline and altered the opacity of the .psd file so it was not so harsh.



To improve the first verse of the track to make it more visually stimulating, I referred back to our opening by adding shots that we did not use in the opening so that we did not repeat shots and it makes our audience think back to the beginning making the storyline move along. For example, I added an ECU of our protagnonist's eye to connote a voyeristic representation.

To make the transition from the chours to the verse refer to the end of the clip, I added the silhouette shot in the bridge of the song on top of the close ups of the posters. I made the poster shots fade out while the opacity of the silhouette shot faded up to 100% rather than 50%.

HR: Advert Development

I started off with a photo that we took on our shoot on Friday 16th November which is similar to the image I had in mind for what I wanted to do, which was our protagonist holding the award above eye line. This will enable me to stick to the rule of thirds so that it is easier for our audience to read.

Firstly, I wanted to remove the black background because it was not an even colour and it means I can apply any image behind it so if I did not like the black background, I can easily change it. I did this by applying a layer mask and using the colours black and white to erase or add the colour back to the pictures to ensure a clean edge. I also made sure the paint tool I used had a feathered edge to ensure it looks as smooth as possible. I then applied a black background behind it.

I then added some brightness and contrast to make the colours in the photo more vivid as it looked muted before. As the digipak is going to have the lyrics from the song in the background I thought I would stick with a similar theme and do the same. I did this by applying a text tool and putting the lyrics on. I made the colour grey so it wasn't too noticeable and lowered the opacity to 35% so it was subtle and did not overpower the other text which I shall put on top.

For the wording, I have not yet decided what font it is going to be, but I am trying to figure out where I would like the text to be. I know I want to make it a light colour, possibly a light pink as this will fit with the conventions for our genre and artist. Also it will show up well against the dark background so I did a template layer of text and chose to put it above where the award is in the middle with the release date slightly off centre to the left.

 

Group: Concept Development

• We are concentrating on continuing to edit our video. Currently we are editing the part of the song in which Electra is tearing the posters down.
• We are using a combination of 'meat' shots, the 'perfomance' shots of the protagonist signing on stage, as well as a variety of shots showing her tearing the posters down.

 

• Editing techniques we are using for this section include having a fast cutting rate to portray the emotional colouring of this part of the song.
• As well as this, the cutting rate is synchronous with the music. This is a common convention of music videos.
• We have also added another cross-dissolve transition between the chorus and the bridge of the song.

• As well as editing, we are continuing to work on our ancillary texts. During our shoot on Friday we took the photographs we will need for both the digipack and the advert, so we have now began the process of creating the products in Photoshop.
• This is the raw photograph that we will be using as the front cover of the digipack.





• We chose to use a stance in which she is covering part of her face to tie in with the idea of celebrity culture we are connoting within our video. It creates an interesting visual, which links to our video as the use of lighting, silhouette and shadow is a repeating visual theme throughout the video.

HR: First draft of advert

This is my initial drawing of the advertisement that I wish to make on photoshop, I want to keep to the theme of the music video and have the protagonist in the green dress holding the award.

Group: Evaluation of second shoot

What, where, when, who, how long?

• We shot the 'meat' shots, ripping of the posters, and a variety of other shots for use in the second verse and the montage. We also re-shot the performance shots for the bridge of the song, as the shots of these we got at our first shoot turned out to be shaky.
• This footage was shot on location at our school's performing arts centre.
• The date was Friday 16th November.
• The only cast was Rozzy, and Heather was in charge of camera operation.
• We were shooting from 3pm to 6pm.

What did you achieve?

• We have now filmed all of the footage we should need for our video.
• We utilised the lighting equipment in the Performing Arts Centre to create many creatively-lit shots.
• We can now concentrate on editing the video to have it all finished before our deadline.

What problems/obstacles did you encounter?

• We had to wait for the main room Performing Arts Centre to be free before we could shoot our 'meat' and poster shots. However, we used this time to set up our equipment and to shoot the shots for the montage section of the video.
• We had to make sure that Heather's shadow or the shadow of the camera was not visible in the shots.

RA: Digipak Development

This is the first version of our digipak.

• I created this on Photoshop CS3 using a digipak template which I found online.
• We took the photograph which we use here as the image for the front cover whilst on our shoot on friday.
• We chose to shoot the subject with this stance to create the shadow effect on her face so as to tie in with the message of celebrity culture that our song and video connotes.
• As well as this, it creates a visual link as the use of lighting, shadows and silhouettes is a recurring visual element within our video.
• I decided to adapt my idea so that the back panel of the digipack is made up of mostly white negative space with a diamond in the centre.
• I did this for a number of reasons: the reference to the artists stage name 'Marina & the Diamonds,' the suggestion of a record label to create a professional look, and to link all of our products together as the video, poster and digipak all feature this diamond image.
• I chose to use a plain white background to create a strong contrast to the black textured background of the front and inside covers, which creates a more eye-catching visual.
• For the inside panels, I chose to display the lyrics of the song. Many digipak albums contain a booklet of lyrics, but as this is a single so only contains one song, I chose to adapt this convention by using the inside panels as a lyric booklet. The right panel is where the CD would go.
• I created the smoky effect behind the text by using the eyedropper tool to select the shade from the front cover, and then used a textures brush on a low opacity to fill in the background.

RA: Digipack Development

• I have now decided to alter my idea slightly and to create a four panel digipak instead of a six panel one. This way the 'lyrics' can occupy the inside panels and photographs will be on the outside panels. I feel this gives the digipak a more uniformed visual, as well as a more simplistic design.

Group: Concept Development

In today's lesson we are continuing to edit the footage from last friday's shoot. We have now added the track to the project, and have placed it so that it fades in at the end of the opening scene as the protagonist walks off of the stage.

Having the track means that we can now add the ending of the video, which we filmed with our extras during the last shoot. This is a screen shot of one of the last frames of our video, showing the protagonist bowing now that she has finally got her 'starring role.'

Also this lesson we are collecting our equipment ahead of our second shoot this afternoon. We will once again be filming on location in the Performing Arts Centre at our school. In this session we will be filming the 'meat' shots for the majority of the video (in the 'poster room'), as well as some short sequences for the montage during the bridge of the song.

The equipment we will be using is:

• Camera
• Tripod
• Track & dolly
• Handicam frame
• Lighting deck

Group: Call sheet and risk assessment

Here is the call sheet and risk assessment for our second shoot in Friday. This will allow us to plan shots easily and counteract any risk that could be there.

Group: Call Sheet for second shoot

This is the call sheet we carried out for our shoot tomorrow. This exercise allows us to document the details of all the cast and equipment in case of an emergency, as well as to plan the technical details of our key shots for the shoot.

Group: Editing Development

On Tuesday we began the editing process for the footage we have filmed so far. On our Friday shoot we filmed all the footage we need for the opening of the video, as well as some of the performance shots for the bridge of the song in which the protagonist is singing on the stage.

Heather is currently continuing to edit the opening. Unfortunately, we had some issues with the settings on Adobe Premiere Elements 9.0, which meant that the video was not in the full HD we had filmed it in. To combat this, we had to create a new project file and re-upload the footage. However, we could use the previous file as a template for re-editing the footage, so this didn't take too long.

We are now concentrating on creating continuity with the visuals.

Here is a rough-cut of the opening as it is currently:

As you can see, We have added a cross-dissolve transition at one point during the opening. We think this creates a very professional and creative look.



We added some shots of the audience clapping inbetween the shots of the protagonist so we could mask any continuity errors. The fact that we used a wide variey of different angles means we had a good choice of what shots to use which means we haven't repeated any angles twice.

Now that we have had a chance to review the performance footage, we are very pleased with most of it. One of the shots that we feel worked particularly well are the shots where the protagonist is on stage and lit from behind. During the editing process we can lighten the midtones of this video so that you can see the protagonist clearing without compromising the silhouetted effect of the shot.

However, we have noticed some small errors in some of the other shots, for example in this frame (taken from a track and dolly shot that was panning in) you can see the shadow of the camera. It is useful that we saw this error now as it means that we can redo this particular shot on our shoot tomorrow.



RA: Digipack Development

This is the mock-up I have designed for the digipak.

• I chose to show the protagonist hiding her face so as to tie in with the message of celebrity culture that our song and video connotes.
• As well as this, the shadow creates a visual link as the use of lighting, shadows and silhouettes is a recurring visual element within our video.

Group: Concept Development

• We went through each piece of footage and trimmed each shot so we only had the key features within the shots ie we don't have someone says "action" before hand. This will make editing a lot easier to do.
• We will download our track so we can get started with editing the video.
• We made the call sheet and risk assesment for our second shoot on Friday which is at the same location except there is only two of us who are going to be there.

Group: Evaluation of First Shoot

What, where, when, who, how long?

• We shot the opening and closing scenes of the video, as well as the performance shots for the bridge of the song.
• This footage was shot on location at our school's performing arts centre.
• The date was Friday 9th November.
• The main cast was Rozzy and Ellie, and Heather was in charge of camera operation. We also had more than 20 extras.
• We were shooting from 4pm to 6pm.

What did you achieve?

• We have now filmed all of the shots containing extras that we will need for our video.
• We utilised the lighting equipment in the Performing Arts Centre to create many creatively-lit shots.
• We can now begin editing the opening of the video, as we have all the shots we will need for this section of the video.

What problems/obstacles did you encounter?

• We had to employ some unconventional camera angles to disguise the fact that the audience was not full. For example, none of the shots of the audience are taken from the left of the seating.
• Some of our extras arrived late.
• We had to make sure all of the extras knew what to do at all times, and that they were quiet when off-camera.
• Some of the footage we took with the track and dolly looks slightly shaky.

What did you learn that you can take into the next shoot?

• Prepare and set up equipment as much as possible in advance of the shoot so that you can begin promptly.
• Always take multiple takes of each shot in case you find a problem with the shot when editing.
• We now know which lighting settings work best for 'meat' shots, which will save us time on our next shoot.
• We will try moving the dolly slower to try and reduce any shaking. We will also review the footage as we go along, so that we know whether this is effective.

Group: Shoot Planning

• On Friday 16th November, we will be doing a second shoot where we shall be working on the footage of the montage and doing the main meat shots with the posters in the background.
• It shall be in the same location as the last shoot: TWGGS Performing Arts Centre as this gave us brilliant lighting thanks to the studio equipment.
• We will not need any extras as we managed to film that section of the music video on 9th November, only myself and Rozzy will be at the shoot this Friday.
• We will need to have the track and dolly again to ensure our shots look professional, so I sent the following email to the technician:

Please may we have the following items for Friday 16th November:

 

Track and Dolly

Award

Handicam Frame

 

Thanks,

Heather and Rozzy - Group 4

HR: Advert Development

• For the advert, I was researching artists that were in the same genre as our artist: indie pop and seeing what their adverts for their songs were like visually and what kinds of text they put on it. I found one from Good Shoes and say that they put some reviews from various magazines which I think would suit the advert because as our message is all about celebrity culture, this will reflect this because of the reviews.



• It is a simple design as it does not have too much going on within the advert so it is easy to read, so I was thinking of taking some inspiration from this advert.

Group: Risk Assessment for Friday Shoot

This is the risk assessment we carried out for our main shoot tomorrow. This is a useful exercise as it allows us to consider the potential risks of carrying out our shoot, and foreseeing how we can overcome or avoid them.

Group: Call Sheet for Friday Shoot

This is the call sheet we carried out for our main shoot tomorrow. This is a useful exercise as it allows us to document the details of all the cast and equipment in case of an emergency, as well as to plan the technical details of our key shots for the shoot.

RA: Third Poster

This is the last poster I have made in photoshop to use as a prop in the video. For this poster, I used a high quality photo of myself (as I will be playing the protagonist) as well as using text to display the protagonists name, 'Electra Hart.'
To reduce the harsh edge of the photo I used the eraser tool on a feathered brush and a low opacity. I also used the opacity settings to create a subtle texture on the background.

Group: Concept Development

• As our first shoot is on Friday 9th November, we are working on starting the digipak and advert today.
• Rozzy is looking up different formats of digipak templates to see which ones would be suitable with the design in mind.
• I am researching ideas on what the advert should look like by looking at our artist's previous adverts. I have found the adverts show the artist's face in close up, but I am particularly favourable of having a side view, much like the following photo of Marina and the Diamonds that I have found.

RA: Second Poster

This is the second poster I have made in photoshop to use as a prop in the video. For this poster, I used a high quality photo of myself (as I will be playing the protagonist) as well as displaying the character name 'Electra Hart.'

I sourced the other photographs from google images.

HR: Second Poster

Here is the second poster I have made as a prop for our music video. "Electra Hart" - the name of our protagonist - is written in the smallest font to show that she is not a main part.

HR: First Poster

Using Photoshop, I made the following poster for part of our music video. I took the title and tagline from Marina and the Diamonds song "Girls" to show intertextuality within our music video.

I used a variety of tools such as the mask tool, magic wand tool and many layers to create this poster. 



Group: Animatic Evaluation

What skills did you use at AS to produce animatic?

• At AS we used Adobe Premiere Elements 9.0, and we used the blade tool to cut the frames to an appropriate cutting rate.
• We used a digital skills camera and a tripod to photographs the pictures from our storyboard.

What challenges did you encur?

• We didn't use any of our soundtrack within the animatic.
• I feel we should have paid more attention to the curring rate of the video, so at to create a faster pace at the appropriate times.
• It would have also been useful to consider where within the framing of the video our credits and titles would go, as it was for an opening sequence.

How did you improve your performance at A2?

• We used the song to as the primary part of our timeline, and added the photographs of our storyboard frames to it. This allowed us to create a cutting rate that was synchronous with the song.
• We used keyframes to create movement for some of the photographs where we were considering using zooms within our video.

Evaluate the outcome of your animatic, what did you learn?

• We learnt that we will need a greater variety of distances for our meat shots, and that we will need to come up with some more shots for the first verse of the song, as currently the narrative mostly takes place after the first chorus.

How are you going to use this information when you shoot your video?

• We are now planning more shots that we can include within our video.
• We intend to use a track and dolly when shooting our music video, which will create more movement, as currently the animatic needs to be more visually interesting.

Group: Shoot Planning

We will be inviting people to be extras in our Friday shoot via Facebook. This will allow us to easily communicate with our extras and organise their involvement, as well as being able to invite more people than we would be able to by word of mouth.

This will be the message that we will be sending to our extras through the Facebook group:

Hello all!

Heather and I (Rozzy) are in need of extras for the music video we are making for our Media project. All we need is maximum one hour of your time!

The details of the shoot are as follows:
Date: Friday 9th November
Time: 4-5pm
Location: TWGGS Perfoming Arts Centre

All we need from you is to turn up, sit down and let us film you. However, there is a dress code! The context of this scene is an awards ceremony, so we'd really appreciate it if you could dress as if for a formal event, i.e. dresses and ties. No bright colours please- the duller the better- but black, white, grey, purple, red and blue are all good! NO GREEN

Please let us know if you'll be able to make this asap, we'd be really grateful for you to give up your time for us. We will be providing sweets and donuts for everyone who turns up!

Thanks a million,

Rozzy and Heather

RA: First Poster

This is the first poster I have made for use as a prop in our video. I took the title 'Radioactive' from the first single of Marina and the Diamonds second album, Electra Heart.

As you can see, our protagonists name, Electra Hart, is displayed smallest and at the bottom, indicating that her role is the smallest of the actors mentioned. To ensure that the audience for our video notice this, we will use a close-up on the text, either in the establishing shots of the 'poster room' or when Electra is tearing the posters down.