Preliminary Task: Workshop Evaluation

1. What do you think you learnt from Monday's workshop? You could discuss anything you like - technical, performance, production process, directing, the various roles, specific skills - anything you think is relevant.

Music videos work around 3 key features – music, lyrics and visuals. They connote characteristics of a particular genre through dance, styles, gesture, dress codes and more. The video that we replicated had a 50s vibe, which was clear through the style of dress, giving a playful feel. Together with the lyrics and choreography, the video was clearly about having fun, as the artists even made fun of other videos in a lighthearted way.

Editing the music video was very different to other projects we have worked on, such as the thriller which focussed on continuity. Music videos routinely break principles of continutuity by deliberately using jump cuts and disrupting narrative flow, which I learned could be effective. For example, we move from the shot at the door to the library.

On the shoot, we focussed on 3 areas: technical, production and directing. I was mainly involved in the production – dancing and getting my costume. When we weren’t filing, it was helpful to watch Jake and see how the lighting could be used effectively and how shots could be achieved through different angles, with various lights and other equipment like the crane.

Technical:

• Involved lighting – lantern, big beam, china ball etc.

• Camera – HD gave a filmic look

• Track made the shots smoother, particularly useful for the gym scene

• Crane, needed to achieve the high angle in the gym

• Crew were really helpful as they have experience in the media industry so could answer all our questions and were a lot of help.

Production:

• Creating the set: we created the library scene in the gym, which looked really effective. Moving posters, tables, chairs and bringing shelves and books took a lot of time but was worth it in the end to replicate the real video.

• Performance: I found it quite hard to get into character and really act enthusiastic like the girls in the video as I was trying to focus on getting the steps right and not falling off the table!

• It was really important for the crew to make sure the main actors were alright. They had the challenging task of being in the forefront, especially Ciara who had to learn all the moves and act like the main girl.

Directing:

• It was important for Jake to constantly check the monitor, as what looks good in person doesn’t always look the same on screen. He was always checking the framing and lighting, which is vital in achieving a perfect shot.

2. For you, what was the best bit of the day and why?

I enjoyed the performance most of all. I liked dressing up in character and learning the dance routine which wasn't too hard and actually fun. Although we had to retake many shots, it was nice to be active and doing something instead of focussing on the technical aspects which is what I've always done in media.

We were lucky to have all the equipment, some of which I hadn't actually seen before. For example, the crane was really cool and I it felt like a professional studio with all the monitors and high quality HD camera that we used.

3. Are you pleased with your edit? Is it how you expected it to look? Identify the successes and failures of your edited version. In hindsight, what would you do differently at the production stage?

I am pleased with the edit, as a lot of people have said it looks just like the original which was our aim. We put a lot of time and effort and had a whole crew which was really helpful and beneficial to us.

There are some mistakes that we couldn't correct, such as the basketball hoop that is visible in the library scene. We were restricted as we created the set in the gym and nobody realised when we were filming. These are things that we would definitly need to think about when filming our own video as it is hard to spot errors.

4. Have the lip sync tasks benefitted you in any way?

The lipsynch tasks have definitly been useful, as got the chance to perform in front of the camera which is vital to any music video.

The first video we did was a lipsynch to the song In The Sun, which is what our final performance would be of. This focussed on technical and performance side issues, mainly getting in to the performance and matching the audio to visual when it came down to editing. This was a lot of fun and really helped me to think about editing a video which is not always a continuous narrative and how to fill the gaps of instrumental when there are no lyrics.

With this video, our main aim was to have fun so we didn't really take it too seriously. Winnie and I filmed the whole song in a variety of places (inside/outside, alone/together, still camera/moving etc.) so that when it came to editing we wouldn't have to worry about continuity or not having enough to choose. This really helped and now I'm more excited to film the real video in a few months time.
We took a day to shoot the actual video, trying to match our shots to the original video. Luckily, we had a lot of help from past students and Mrs Blackborow + Mrs Dymioti who had already prepared detailed storyboards and equipment. We were lucky as all we had to worry about was performance, which I found hard as I was just worried about getting the steps right! When it came to editing, all we had to do was match the shots so Winnie and I found it quite simple. This really helped me think about doing my own video which I know will be hard as I won't have quite so much help as we had with this video :(

5. How do you think the work you have completed for the preliminary tasks will impact on your real music video project?

The preliminary tasks were extremely useful as they helped replicate a real music video shoot, giving insight into how the media industry works. We were made to focus on the construction process of a video, as well as creative so that we could understand the role of the performer better.

We had the opportunity to meet a director (Jake), 1st AD (Jasmine) and a technical crew, so we could observe the roles that they played and what was involved in a real music video shoot.

From watching the video and seeing how effective some people's acting was, I can see that it really does look good when you connect to the camera, as this hooks the audience, which is one of the artists main objectives. This can also be achieved by constantly showing the main star, visually hooking the audience and connecting them to the music.

I think that one of the main things I have learnt from completing the preliminary tasks is that the people on screen really need to connect with the audience, whether it's through having fun or showing emotion. This can help to express song lyrics and as the artist is trying to sell a song through their video, this is important.