Practical Skills Evaluation

Evaluation:

Over the entire unit my practical skills and knowledge of these skills have also increased a lot since the beginning of the year. I had some camera knowledge but only when it came to photography to it was eyeopening to learn that there were so many more techniques and skills to learn when it came to to the whole unit. So my filming skills had improved by focusing that the camera was steady when filming as it is a lot more evident when watching clips back if the footage is all over the place. 

Learning different ways to drastically change lighting in scene too was very key as I can tell throughout the entire unit, i've improved drastically on this portion because my lighting skills were beginner level, having to enhance them a lot when editing, where as know i'm able to plan around natural lighting hours to try and get the best possible lighting, as well as become more advanced with extra lighting too if needed which is very handy as well. Knowing the settings on the outside and the inside of the camera are really good skills to know too, as tech can be tricky sometimes so knowing how to use them properly is essential, especially when you require them for your projects and future projects too.

I've been able to become educated on my knowledge of the health and safety features when working with other, using equipment which can be a very handy skill as well as good to know for your own safety and other around you, which is top priority! So this skill has made more more aware of my surrounding and potential dangers you have to thing about for you and others when creating projects.

I believe that I still need to improve on my microphone/audio skills as for the majority of my projects, I used a lot of audio that was downloadable so I only got the chance to use speak audio a couple of times but even then i wasn't super confident and happy with the overall result so if i could go back and improve, it would to be more experimental with mic skills and how to edit with audio files more. However on the downloaded audio, I was able to combined different audios together in one of my past projects this year which was new for me but i kept experimenting and finally was able to do it, which was a big achievement for me and made the overall project improve a lot more.

Organised Footage in Premier Pro Evidence

Labelling throughout the editing process with multiple colours and groups to help the order of all the clips and arrange the correctly. As well as evidence of the individual shoots/clips being separated with bins in premier to make them easier to find when editing. Each clip was individually named in the order that they were filmed however they can be used in whatever order wanted. The clips are labelled by colour depending on the type of lighting used/ what makeup look was used.

Lyric to Shot

This is a plan for what I want the shots to look like when they sync up with the lyrics:

No sleeper seats, that's a mattress

No sleeper seats, that's a mattress (sleep)

You ain't stingy, split your tablets with me

You won't flinch when camera flashin', flashin' ----- I want the visuals to links with the lyrics so a flashing sequence will occur during these lyrics.

Not fake laid back, no, it's natural

And I think you made for the life I lead

I'm not fake patient, I don't fake sick

That kinda coffin don't need lean, rest in peace

Got this lust for life in me ----- I want the visuals to feature lots of colours, constantly changing to give a chaotic illusion, almost drug like.

Horny for the game, uh

First they kiss, then they bite soft, uh

Then that bitch wanna play it off, huh

Fuck it, I'm pretty still in a pit of snakes

While serpents shake some brand new scales

I need a new face, I'm tired of these weirdos

Acting familiar, took all the rock ---- Multiple different visual effects to show the decrease in their mental state as the lyrics get more and more insane.

And turned it to pop, he think that he Elvis

And he ungrateful, they don't say, "Thank you"

They don't say grace, not even for meals, not even for millions

Fuck it, I'm pretty still, look at my deal

Richard Mille, look at my ears, flooded with diamonds

Look at my skills, running through blocks like 49ers

Forty-nine diamonds, stuffed in my bracelet

That cost a whop, that cost a whopper ---- Multiple different visual effects to show the decrease in their mental state as the lyrics get more and more insane.

And it ain't new, I had a knot at John Ehret in my locker

Pretty still, it ain't no pretty pill, it's either real or real

Real easy on the eyes, green like a soccer field

Skin hot when they tried me like them poppers feel

Hands shaking, norepinephrine levels skyrocket, fuel

Rocket f-

Quit being violent with me (yeah, why, why) ---- Repeated lyrics will be mouthed out during the video to give a more direct effect on the viewer, giving more focus to the lyrics at that moment.

Quit being violent with me

Quit being violent with me

Make me violent ---- Use a lighter for dramatic effect at the end of mouthing the lyrics, used as a statement to represent the mental state during the song.

My room, my room, my room with me

Every night you were in my room

My room, my room with me

I guess I can't state my feelings too soon

I don't know you ---- At the end, lots of visual effects being used to make an insane look to the video, almost as if the end of the song represents how mental health can drive you to go insane if kept quiet.

Editing Evaluation

Evaluation:

For the editing unit overall I believe that my overall knowledge of editing history was very very bare but I have been able to change that by being educated on the many different pasts of editing such as past editing softwares, editing professionals, different types of editing and how editing as a whole has massively developed and changed over the years. As well as the history of editing, I've also been able to develop my physical skills of editing through lessons and independent learning and my own experiments when creating projects throughout the the past year. All of this can be seen throughout how i show my physical editing with screenshots. It has also allowed me to be more creative mentally as the more you use editing softwares, the more you get used to them and what features they may have so when thinking of ideas for projects it makes it easier to visualise a project if you know what type of edits/ how you could see yourself editing it. I believe this is a very useful skills that can only be created from being so hands on the your projects creatively.

I strongly agree that my experience the premier pro has increased dramatically as at the beginning of the year, i found it difficult to follow along to the simple premier pro tutorials which are seen at the beginning of my blog, whereas now I'm very comfortable with the software and love to see how much I can experiment with certain clips, from colour balance, effects, audio effects, text, overlapping and so many more.

I've become more knowledges on how different types of editors can edit the same scene and how everyone has their own way of doing it, whether that be right or wrong in other peoples eyes.  It has also made me more appreciative when i'm watching videos/movie/music videos because you can visually notice what types of edits have been involved in these projects so it makes you view creative projects in a completely different light which is a great skills to have as you can take huge inspirations from other projects. Just as other famous celebs such as Quentin Tarantino has from lots of others but one specifically would be 'Band of Outsiders'.

I believe that I could improve on my time scheduling when it comes to editing as I haven't quite got my mind around how long a project may take, so I either give myself too much time and then i'm unsatisfied with the results or the complete opposite effect where I realise I have too much to do, but then left myself with not enough time, leaving me with an project that I may be unsatisfied with again. So grasping a better timing around the whole unit of editing would be very useful to learn more about.

Research Technique

 Research Technique - Focus Group

A focus group is another type of researching technique that uses collected data through the process of a group interaction and communication. This discussion between the group of people allows multiple opinions to be heard and applied to whatever the discussion is about. With multiple opinions it gives data of how different people think and behave about certain things, when being discussed about. (Anon., n.d.)

The history behind focus groups is that focus groups were first used during World War 2 to access reactions to radio programming. This was back then called 

focused interviews'. Focus groups now are used as a research technique to evaluate consumer perceptions and reactions.

These focus groups usually last between 30 - 90 minutes and this time is essential to gather as much helpful information and feedback as possible. The moderator involved, main goal is to make sure everyone is evolved and engaged in the conversation to keep the discussion going as well as let everyone have there own chance to give their own opinions on the matter being discussed.

The right questions need to be asked by the moderators to set the whole tone of the conversation, this could either make or break the entire thing. If the right questions are thought out before, the type of data wanted may not be collected by the end of the focus group which would then all be a waste of time. So structuring a set of questions beforehand focusing around the topic, is key to a successful focus group.

An Example Clip of a focus group:

Different types of focus groups:

• Two-Way
• Dual-Moderator
• Dueling-Moderator
• Respondent-Moderator
• Mini Focus Groups
• Online Focus Groups

Two-Way focus groups are one group that watches another group answer questions, observing there discussions and answers. By listening to this, the listeners are able to have an even more in depth discussion that leads to more solutions/conclusions.

Dual-Moderator is when a focus group is happening however there are two moderators, this allows them to bounce topics off each others. As well that as, one can make sure that the discussion stays on topic and flows smoothly, whereas the other one can focus on the entire discussions itself, providing support for everyone involved.

Dueling-Moderator is a focus group that allows the two moderators to represent one or the other side of a conversations, for example like a debate, seeing and representing both sides. allowing different viewpoints to be thought into consideration during the focus group.

Respondent-Moderator is a type of focus group which allocates someone involved in the focus group to be the lead moderator, this is done to change up the dynamic of the entire group to switch things up from time to time.

Mini Focus Group is a more intimate focus group, consisting of a small group of people around 4 or 5 people.

Online Focus Group is the same as a normal focus group however it is all done online, this could be done over a video call but being online it also gives the opportunity to broadcast the focus group to an audience for a wider range of people to participate.

The Pros of Focus Groups:

• They're typically one of the least expensive ways to collect research than other methods of research.
• They're partially easy to create, as long as communication is good.
• This research allows vocal responses as well as body language, which is rare to achieve with other research techniques.
• The results are created just from conversation alone so they're created quickly.
• Focus Groups can be flexible and applied to lots of different topics so it is a great option for research.
• This technique allows perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and experiences from all different types of people to be applied to the data being created.
• Recording the focus group would be even more beneficial as it allows people collecting feedback to look back and double check as well as keeping a record of the focus group.

The Cons Of Focus Groups:

• With so many people being involved some people who may not be as strong willed, may be swayed to just agree with others, rather than voicing their actual opinion on the situation.
• If some people involved are more outspoken, their opinion on the conversation can be changed because they may have a more dominating attitude.
• The results from one focus group don't represent a large amount of the public.
• Larger focus groups may be harder to control because of the amount of people involved as well as organising a large amount of people to be at the same place, at the same time can be extremely difficult to organise.
• Depending on the topic being discussed, some participates may be uneducated on the topic compared to others so that way sway the results because some people involved are more educated on the certain topic that others involved. 

Types of applications focus groups are used for:

• For brand purposes, it may be new advertisement ideas or elements of a brand that need outsiders opinions.
• To test and review products with a clear mindset to the object.
• Explore new options for problems around a certain situations.
• Just to hear a wide range of opinions on new ideas.

Evaluation of Focus Groups:

I believe that focus groups are a great way to collect research from a wide range of participants fairly quickly and cost effectively. It allows a group discussion to occur, which creates multiple opinions to be able to come across they way they want to on certain topics that may have not been able to voice their options before. The focus groups when planned well, are structured very well which can result in a huge amount of data to be collected from a flowing discussions between a group of participants involved. With the access of multiple people being involved, problems that may appear can be solved faster and more efficiently  because of how well teamwork skills and working together towards a goal can be effective on the topic being discussed.

On the other hand, focus groups could also be seen negatively because the data collected from focus groups isn't always accurate to everyone involved. This can be due to overpowering personality that may be involved in the focus group that could persuade or completely overshadow less confident people who may have wanted to voice their concerns and opinions but were pushed aside by more outgoing people. So the results aren't always accurate to what was actually happening if everyone had the chance to participate. As well as this, the questions asked may not be as direct and more wide range, making it easier for everyone to answer but this can lead to data being collected that could be useless to the topic, whereas questionnaires would be able to be very direct with the questions asked.

Referencing:

• Anon., n.d. B2B International. [Online] . Available at: https://www.b2binternational.com/research/methods/faq/what-is-a-focus-group/
• Anon., n.d. Corporate Finance Institute. [Online] . Available at: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/focus-group/

My Music Video

 

My Music Video - 

This is my final result of my music video to the song "In my Room" by Frank Ocean. The filming style and editing style is heavily inspired by music videos shown in my inspiration presentation. 

When it came to how i applied what i learned from Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis's music video theory's. I had some actions such as the strobe lighting effect, appear in the music video when the lyrics "FLASHING" were being sung in the song. I also used the concept by Andrew Goodwin, Notions of looking, in my music video. The clips of the actor talking and staring directly into the lens of the camera and at the audience is when the words "Quit being violent with me, Quit being violent with me" and the "You make me violent" these lyrics were sung directly to the audience, making them feel a part of the music video and concerned for the actor as to why she's asking people or something to quit being violent with her. however hopefully throughout the next couple of clips i was able to give the impression that those words are all just in her head, tormenting her thoughts.

Pre planning allowed me to become even more creative when it came to the editing process, however you can never have enough shots! The multiple styles of makeup also allowed the similar style of shooting to appear completely different even if it was the same backdrop and model. Giving even more variety to my shots.

Weaknesses:

I tried researching multiple videos and websites to figure out how to get the effect where there was multiple people in the shot but i couldn't figure it out in time so i tried a few different techniques of overlaying different shots to make it appear that there was more than one person in the entire video. 

If i could go and redo this whole unit, i would have chosen a song that was better suited for more of a narrative music video as i believe it would have been easier to follow when editing, because this video had no story behind it so it got harder as i went on to get creative with how to create creative shots with limitations.

I would also improve my filming equipment as it was obvious that i wasn't in a studio, the backdrop didn't look professional at all so i think it just made the whole music video look very unprofessional. I also should have shot more shots as, when i got to the editing portion, i realised that i didn't have enough footage to cover the whole song so for part of it, there are some parts where i reused clips and edits to fill the whole song.

Strengths:

The variety of editing techniques I used throughout the entire music video and how I was able to overlap multiple effects onto each other to give even more intense illusions and visuals throughout. Filming on a tripod made it a lot easier for the shots to be at similar height as well as making sure certain angles were able to be captured.

Another strength of mine would be the camera/camera angle! i believe this was a strength of mine because I thought ahead of shootings and had multiple ideas planned out on how I wanted to edit the music video so I knew before hand that I wanted lots of shots that I could possibly use multiple times as well as shots where the actor is positioned at certain angles or certain positions from the camera so it allowed me to overlap clips while editing. Knowing all of this beforehand really helped while editing as I had lots of clips to experiment and work with.

I used as much lighting as I possibly could with the equipment I had on me at the time! This consisted of handheld lightings with red, blue and yellow filter sheets that could be stacked to create other colour options too, these were key to the video visuals as they added better visual aspects as well as more depth and meaning to the video too because the coloured used at certain times can be linked to moods throughout the video. I enhanced or diffused these clips with coloured while editing depends on what type of vibrance and style, i desired during that clip of the music video.

Moodboard Makeup Inspiration

 

This is just a quick visual mood board of the inspirations i used for the makeup look/styles that I used when preparing to shoot for the music video. I found all of these styles on Pinterest. I chose these styles because i wanted the makeup to really stand out in the music video as the whole video is shot on a face, so i wanted to make it interesting with different looks and designs.

For the first look i wanted the idea of glitter tears coming down from the eyes. A big inspiration for this look would be from the tv show 'Euphoria'. This style of makeup is used multiple times in 'Euphoria' as shown in the images, and was pretty easy to recreate with just the use of eyelash glue and glitter. The makeup artist for 'Euphoria', Donni Davy, states that the meaning behind the glitter tears is a way for the emotions of the characters in the show to be frozen in time. So with this being said, it can also be applied to the meaning behind the music video, capturing all of the emotion being displayed.

The second look is mainly just the use of eyeliner all of the face, going in all different directions, creating all different types of patterns all over the face. I wanted to go with something like this because it gives off a chaotic vibe, representing being mentally all over the place in a way. So for this looks it didn't really have a big inspiration behind it but i knew i wanted it to be crazy and dramatic with the use of eyeliner everywhere.

Media Theorist - Andrew Goodwin

 Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory:

Goodwin's theory is made up of 8 key concepts, these being: 

1. Links Between Music and Visuals
2. Links Between Lyrics and Visuals 
3. Genre Characteristics
4. Intertextual References
5. Notions Of Looking
6. Voyeurism
7. Demands Of the Record Label 
8. Performance Based, Narrative Based and Concept Based Music Videos

Links Between Music and Visuals - The links between music and the visuals can be shown in a music video by for example having a slower sadder song, having longer more dramatic, darker lit shots. Then the complete opposite could be a really upbeat song, having visuals of people dancing around in the sunshine to represent how moods can be shown through songs and then presented in visuals too. This can be applied to editing too, faster editing can be used for the more upbeat song whereas less edits could be used for the sadder song.

Links Between Lyrics and Visuals - The concepts consists of when a word, place, item or even person is used as a lyric in a song and then in the visuals, the thing sung about appears in the music video, to reflect the lyrics of the song in the visuals. When the audience is watching the music video, they are able to make the connection from the object to the song, this can be a way to make something more memorable as well.

Genre Characteristics - This concept could be seen as stereotyping however it's used to identify different music videos to the genre of song so for example, a dance/hip hop song will typically have dance routines in it with some type of theme. Another examples would be that rap songs tend to have cars and money involved in the visuals as a way to flaunt their wealth to others, which is a big deal when it comes to rappers.

An Example:

Intertextual References - This concept is when music videos make references to other types of media, this could be books, movies or even other songs. An example of this would be Ariana Grande - "Thank U, Next" and in that music video she bases the whole music video off of four movies that meant a lot to her in her childhood/teen hood and they all have strong feminine roles that are very empowering to others. And empowerment was a great message to link all of them together as well as the song because the whole meaning behind the song is self love and how you don't need a relationship to be yourself and happy! These four are Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Bring it On and 13 going on 30.

This is the music video for comparison:

Another example of storytelling in music videos would be:

The story behind this music video made by Hayley Kiyoko is about a third wheel who soon gains the affections and attention of a neglected girlfriend, drama occurs once the boyfriend finds out. Multiple shots that show tension make the music video feel like a short film.

Notions Of Looking - The notions of looking is a technique used to create a connection between the audience and the artist, actress or whoever is on the screen. They look directing into the camera lens and make the audience look them directly in the eye, this technique is used so the audience feels as if they are a part of whatever is happening in the music video, and not just watching from the sidelines.

Voyeurism - This concept is when the visuals are recorded to be seen sexually, this could be shots of body parts or certain clothing being worn. Camera angles work well into this as normally to capture these types of shots, the camera angles are all over the place.

Demands Of the Record Label  - The Demands of the record label is pretty simple to understand, it's basically pre requested shots from the record label themselves. So this could count as certain shot styles, angles or items to be in the music video.

Performance Based, Narrative Based and Concept Based Music Videos - Performance based music video are music videos that are shown as live performances, or like a montage or clips from a tour of the artist performing. Narrative based is when a music video will follow a narrative/storyline or the artist is trying to sent a message across to the audience through the art of a music video narrative. Concept based is when the idea of the video is described/displayed through the props and surroundings such as mis en scene, and these don't have to be related to the music whatsoever.

Referencing:

Bacon, C., 2018. Advanced Media Portfolio. [Online] 

Available at: https://chloebaconmediaa2.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/andrew-goodwins-music-video-theory/

Media Theorist - Carol Vernallis

 

Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis is the first person to articulate a theory of how music, lyrics and images can be placed in relation. She also provided detailed analyses of individual videos that show the parameters of sound and images at work in a temporal flow. (Vernallis, n.d.)

She has written two books that link to music theories, the first one being 'Experiencing Music Video' that theorise the genre of music from moving image and sound. Her second book being called 'Unruly Media: Youtube, Music Video, and the New Digital Cinema'

Her theory is made up of four concepts, these are : Narrative, Editing, Camera Movement/Framing and Diegesis.

Narrative - Carol Vernallis's theory suggests that the music video is a visual response to the narrative of the song. Resulting in whatever occurs in the video, reflects the lyrics of the song somehow. She follows her point by saying that the narrative may not always be complete so the narrative can be disconnected and only show a glimpse of the narrative throughout. However even with glimpses of a narrative, a music video has to have something making it continue to be enjoyable so this isn't always the narrative, it can be the music itself or the artist on screen.

Editing - For editing, carol's theory states that the editing of a music video can break the normal convention/rules of editing. This is stated because the editing in music video's doesn't have to be hidden like in movies, as continuity is key in movies and editing mistakes can take distract you from the movie. However music video's have more freedom when it comes to editing as most people pay attention to the song, and the video just being a fun creative way to express the lyrics even more, so there are less rules. Some rules frequently broken in music videos would be the 180 Degree rule, jump cuts, extreme change in pace of the editing style.

Example Music Video:

It is very obvious and clear from the beginning of this music video that it has been heavily editing, the majority of the video is sped up so feel more energetic and flow well better with the upbeat music. Throughout cuts are made to make Beyonce's movements hit the beat perfectly with the beat of the music.

Camera Movement & Framing - In Vernallis's theory for this concept she states that the establishing shots are one of the key camera features of a music video, they are used very frequently, as well as close up shots. Saying this, it can have a huge variety because the style of video can result in many different style of videos. In some cases the camera's movement may flow in time with the lyrics.

Example Music Video:

There are lots of close up and extreme close up shots throughout this entire music video because the focus of this video is all about Rhianna. It shows her vulnerability and with the camera being so up close and personal with her like this, it really adds to the feeling of being isolated and alone.

Diegesis - When it comes to music videos, diegesis is known as the constructed world made around the music video. In Vernallis's theory she explains that in music video's the diegesis is shown slowly, and repeatedly throughout a video. Some of these frames will appear more important than others due to the way they are shot but it all adds up together to create a type of backstory or surroundings of the area of the music video, making it more realistic.

References:

Vernallis, C. (n.d.). Music Stanford. Retrieved from Stanford University : https://music.stanford.edu/people/carol-vernallis

YouTube Clip 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4YRWT_Aldo

YouTube Clip 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF8BRvqGCNs

Focus Group Of Music Video Pitch Session

 

This is just a video example of past focus group we have had about our music video planning. In these focus groups you're able to see that we each spend a certain amount of time explaining and presenting our ideas for what we plan to create for our music video. When explaining this, some people had visual representation/ inspiration from other music video or album covers or even movie designs.

These focus groups allow all of us to receive feedback on our ideas from multiple different viewpoints, which then allows us to take that feedback and use it in whichever way we want to improve out ideas. These groups also allow the chance for others to discuss strengths and weaknesses of ideas if a person is indecisive in which way they want to go with there ideas to begin with, this allows the decision to be a little easier to decide one you get opinions from others. These groups are key to the beginning of research and planning as it can change your original idea all together for the better with the help of others around you, going through a similar situation.

Music Video Pitch Presentation