2.2 – Interpret

Task 1

Last week, I did some primary (surveys/focus groups) and secondary (Internet browsing) research on four different topics that interest me. I carried out research on music, films, animals and friends/family. This research went well as I managed to work out what kind of route I’d like to go down in terms of filming for my final major project. I found researching music the most enjoyable as it’s something that I have a very strong interest in and already previously knew a lot about. I was specifically researching this generation’s opinion on current music as I had a theory that many people my age slate current and mainstream music and think it’s “not as good as older music”. I was pleased to see that the answers I got from my survey backed this hypothesis up nicely. One of the questions in my survey was asking if people thought the quality of music had declined in the past 20 years and every single person who took the survey (10 people) said yes.

I researched film after this, which I also enjoyed. I looked into the topic of genre which interested me as well, but my research on this wasn’t quite as specific as my research on music. I created another survey on people’s favourite genres and found out that horror and comedy were the most popular (as I expected they would be). After this, I went on to research animals as my next interest. I didn’t carry out a survey for this, but did a small focus group instead, consisting of myself, Ollie, Amber, Ed and Lewis. I asked them if they like animals, what their favourite animals are and why, if they own any pets, if they have fears of any particular animals and if they have ever done anything to help the prevention of animal cruelty (becoming vegan, joining campaigns etc.) All the answers were fairly similar- they all liked animals, most had pets and three out of the four people I spoke to were vegetarian. The reason I asked these questions was because I wanted to know if people like animals enough to be interested in a potential video about animals.

After looking back at the research I did, I decided that the path I’d want to go down in terms of my final major project is music. I’m not completely sure what kind of video I want to make, but I’m thinking either a music video or a documentary on music (maybe the music course at the college as it would be the most accessible thing to film).

Task 2

• What is it that makes me do my project?

I have chosen to do my project because my main interest is music and I was torn between doing a documentary on music or a music video (I went with the latter). I want to create a visually pleasing and gripping  video which involves a story (to maintain an intense level of interest for the viewers) and also demonstrate my knowledge and experience of all the filming techniques that I have learnt this year.

• My personal experiences that influence my choices (idea for the project, my role in the project, how it relates to my future career)

I have always thought that music can completely change the mood of a scene/video if used effectively and I think that the most powerful scenes in any film are completely down to the music used in them. This concept has always fascinated me so I wanted to produce a project involving both visual media and music. Besides media, music has always been a huge part of my life and a huge interest of mine and music videos (and their creation) has always been something that has interested me also.

I wanted to be both director and cameraman for my project because I’ve always been interested in the directing and producing of music videos so I wanted to give it a try myself (also I know exactly how I want it to look in terms of shots, angles etc.) I’d like to look into becoming a music video director in the future as I think it’s something I’d definitely enjoy.

• What is the basic premise of my project?

My project is a music video with a story behind it (the song being Ten Tonne Skeleton by Royal Blood). The video involves two people and starts with one person walking down the street looking paranoid after seeing someone behind them- it soon becomes clear that the main character in my video thinks they are being followed by the other. The video follows the main character in a long, anxiety filled journey as they are becoming more and more aware of the person behind them who is (coincidentally) taking the same route as them. At the end of the video it becomes clear that they were never being followed and were, in actuality, were just being paranoid. Shot-wise, it will consist of mostly close ups/medium close ups of the main character as it is important that the audience can see their facial expressions clearly. I want the whole feel of the video to be dramatic, action filled and gripping, to fit the upbeat song.

• What do I seek to achieve and how it relates to my target audience?

I want to achieve the creation of a gripping and exciting music video that fits the song nicely and is visually pleasing to its target audience (fans of rock music and the band-Royal Blood). I think that if someone is a fan of the band who sung the song in the video they will want to watch my video and be interested in it).

 

Task 3 – Use Findings to Contextualise Your Project

What are similar media products and how does you work relate to them? (position yourself in relation to similar media products)

I have been researching chase scenes from films to get a better idea for what my video will look like and to influence my idea. I have two scenes that I have been particularly influenced by- these are the chase scenes from the films District B13 (2002) and Point Break (1991). My work relates to these because I researched them during my researching period to get ideas and therefore I want my project to include elements from one or both of these two scenes as I think they are very iconic chase scenes.

How have similar media products influenced your project?

The two chase scenes I have previously mentioned influence my project because I want to include elements from these scenes in my own video. I have been watching these scenes over and over again to get inspired for my own chase scene. I want my video to be fast paced and exciting, like these two scenes.

What can you learn from similar media products? Compare similar media products, have they influenced your perspective and ideas for the project – talk about both script and techniques

Point Break (1991) is a fairly simple chase scene, including a lot of action- this is the one I have been influenced by the most, as I want my video to be fairly simple, but with a lot of action involved to keep it exciting and interesting.

District B13 (2002) is more of a parkour orientated scene- climbing up buildings, jumping off high surfaces etc. My video will not include any of this, although I really like the amount of action included in this scene. During the chase, there is no spoken word, which shows the characters are all incredibly caught up in this chase, which I like.

Task 4 – Content Research and Production Research

Content research and Production research

(taken from 2.1) I wanted to research music, as the song I am doing my music video for is Ten Tonne Skeleton by Royal Blood which is a fairly heavy rock song. I found this research:

Firstly, I researched people’s opinions on music “then vs. now” and found some interesting evidence. I visited a site called “ibtimes” and came across an article about how music has changed in the last forty years. I found an interesting and helpful quote that said, “The difference between pop music produced today versus pop music produced in the ‘60s through the ‘90s is true sound, poetic lyrics, and a real passion for the music, not the money.” (by Haley Weigman, journalist from patch.com) A couple of sentences later, the paragraph ended with “today’s most famous musicians are auto-tuned, bubble-gummy, and emotionless.” This was exactly the kind of quote that I was looking for in order to back up my previous statement about a lot of people nowadays disliking current music.

I found this interesting as the song in my video is quite dark and the lyrics have meaning (as I want my video to have).

My content was fairly basic as I didn’t include any props- all I needed was my character. I had him wear his own clothes as I wanted it to be as casual as possible, and it was all filmed in public so there was no need for certain costumes or particular clothing.

Crew

I won’t need many people in my crew- only myself and two other actors. I will be doing the camerawork and Edward House and Ollie Hood will be my two main characters. I feel that my project will be a relatively easy one to film as I don’t need a lot of people and as the only audio in my video will be the music over the top of the footage, I won’t need to record any audio.

Locations

I have four locations planned out- these are: Canterbury High Street, Canterbury (near West station), Ramsgate and Ramsgate beach.

Other materials (props, costumes, scenery etc.)

I don’t think I will need any extra props. All I need are my actors, equipment (camera) and my locations. My video is going to be very simple and will focus just on the people involved.

 

Reflective writing

This blog post was quite interesting to do as I planned my FMP and what I’ll be doing for it- after a lot of research and planning, I have a stable idea that I am quite confident about proposing my clients/lecturers. I am very excited about beginning filming as I have ideas in my head about what I want it to look like and I feel that it will be quite impressive once it is filmed and edited. I also liked comparing my project idea to other similar scenes, as they gave me ideas for my own future project.

Bibliography

Mahapatra, L., Varandani, S. and Halleck, T. (2014b) Lyrics, now and then: The history of music in charts. Available at: http://www.ibtimes.com/lyrics-now-then-history-music-charts-1556137 (Accessed: 21 June 2016).

 

 

 

2.1 – Review

Tuesday, 12th April– Today, we started the work leading up to our FMP (Final Major Project). We had to create collages from images/words in magazines, newspapers and the Internet that represented us as people; what our interests are, significant aspects of our lives etc. In mine, I included mainly things about music, films/filmmaking and where I grew up/where I live now. I thought these were definitely things that showed who I am as a person and gave information about my background.

Today we also started a second task- in groups, we were given the task to go out and interview each other talking about ourselves and the others in the group. I enjoyed this task, it was enjoyable and fun to do.

Wednesday, 13th April– Today my group went out to re-film some shots as the ones we got yesterday weren’t exactly what we wanted (also the audio wasn’t very good as there was a lot of wind noise in the background). We managed to get the filming done quickly as we knew we needed to get back to class and edit it.

 

Monday, 18th April

Task 1 – Research plan

Primary research

 

I created this small mind map which shows my main interests. By doing this, I can begin to finalise ideas for my Final Major Project by narrowing down ideas of what to base my video on. So far I have included my interests in media (films, TV, YouTube), animals, music (playing music, listening to music and going to gigs) and friends/family.

I would say that all my interests are global. My interests in music, animals and media are particularly global as I’m interested in all of these particular things from all around the world, especially animals as a lot of the most exciting and rare animals are from other countries. I enjoy listening to foreign music as well as I like to listen to a variety of different artists/bands from everywhere, and the same applies for my interests in the general media. As for family/friends matters, I’d have to say my interests are local as my family all live in roughly the same area as me.

Reflective writing

Today we began on our research planning for the FMP, which I think went well. I’m glad to have a slightly clearer idea on how to carry out my research now. I like the idea of carrying out focus groups as primary research to gather opinions from my peers, but I also like the idea of using the Internet for any secondary research I will need.

 

Tuesday, 19th April

Today we began our research on our topics of interest.

Music

I created a survey on a particular topic of interest from the previous session. The survey revolved around music, and these were the questions:

* 1. What is your favourite genre of music?

* 2. Do you prefer older music or newer music?

* 3. Do you prefer mainstream music or “indie” music?

* 4. Do you think the quality of music has declined over the past 20 years?

* 5. Who is your favourite artist or band?

 

I’ve heard many people state that they think older music from previous generations is a lot better than newer and more mainstream music, and that a lot of people my age and from my generation (and also older people) are beginning to dislike current and mainstream music. I wanted to prove this theory by including these questions in my survey.

Here is the link for my finished survey – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DVB6WWJ

Film

I created another survey on film, another one of my interests. This was just about genre in general, nothing incredibly specific, also it was shorter than my previous one. Here are the questions:

*1. What is your favourite genre of film? Why?

* 2. How often do you watch films?

* 3. Is there any particular genre of film you dislike? If so, why?

* 4. Who is your favourite director and why?

Here is the link for this survey- https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DG7BM5W

 

Animals

My third interest is animals, so for my primary research, I carried out a small focus group on animals with four other classmates and asked a variety of questions such as if they like animals, what their favourite animals are and why, if they own any pets, if they have fears of any particular animals and if they have ever done anything to help the prevention of animal cruelty (becoming vegan, joining campaigns etc.) All their answers were very similar in the way of them all liking animals, most of them had pets, half were vegetarian etc. My reasoning behind asking these questions was I wanted to know whether people were interested in animals enough to want to watch a video made about them.

 

Family

Finally, I put my fourth interest down as “friends and family”. I decided to just research the “family” element of this in the end. I spoke to several members of my class (five people) about their families in general, and asked a range of questions. I asked questions such as:

• Which family members do you live with?
• Is family important to you?
• Do you have siblings?
• Do you have a family member you’re closest to?

The answers were all fairly similar- everyone I spoke to had siblings, agreed that family was very important to them and many people answered either their mum or dad when asked if they had a family member that was particularly close to them. I also had someone say that family wasn’t as important to them as friends were, because they saw their friends as their family- which I found interesting.

Secondary research

Firstly, I researched people’s opinions on music “then vs. now” and found some interesting evidence. I visited a site called http://www.patch.com and came across an article about how music has changed in the last forty years. I found an interesting and helpful quote that said, “The difference between pop music produced today versus pop music produced in the ‘60s through the ‘90s is true sound, poetic lyrics, and a real passion for the music, not the money.” (by Haley Weigman, journalist from patch.com) A couple of sentences later, the paragraph ended with “today’s most famous musicians are auto-tuned, bubble-gummy, and emotionless.” This was exactly the kind of quote that I was looking for in order to back up my previous statement about a lot of people nowadays disliking current music.

Further on in this article, the author, Haley Weigman, goes on to say, “It seems the year of 1997 was the turning point. In 1996 the top selling album of the year was Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill,” and in 1997 it was the Spice Girls’ album “Spice” (apparently creativity in album titling was going down the drain too). It devolved into the empty lyrics of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.”

I went on to find another site that talked about why people may be more fond of older music than music today, and a big factor of this was the actual lyrics of the songs. Research has shown that meaningful values of lyrics have gone downhill rapidly over the years.

The following charts, created by Nickolay Lamm, show an incredibly interesting analysis. The squares in the graphs represent how often a certain word is mentioned in a song, red being very frequently and no squares or light coloured squares indicate that the word is mentioned no times or not as frequently.

Firstly, Weed.

As you can see, nowadays many artists are creating music that talks about meaningless content such as smoking weed, something that only became a popular song topic around the 2000’s and became more popular towards the current time.

Although music has always included elements of the topic love, less and less musicians have been singing or making music about love and have been creating more music about non meaningful content- which is why more and more people are slating today’s music.

Information from this website: http://www.ibtimes.com/lyrics-now-then-history-music-charts-1556137

Mahapatra, L., Varandani, S. and Halleck, T. (2014) Lyrics, now and then: The history of music in charts. Available at: http://www.ibtimes.com/lyrics-now-then-history-music-charts-1556137 (Accessed: 21 June 2016).

Film

I went on then to research my second interest which is film. I wanted to specifically research genre and what each genre contains and is about. After researching on Wikipedia, I found out that there are actually more genres than I had previously thought. The list read:

• Absurdist / surreal / whimsical
• Action
• Adventure
• Animated
• Comedy
• Crime
• Drama
• Fantasy
• Historical
• Horror
• Magical Realism
• Mystery
• Paranoid
• Philosophical
• Political
• Romance
• Saga
• Satire
• Sci-fi
• Slice of Life
• Speculative
• Thriller
• Urban
• Western

Information from this website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres

Unknown. (2016). List of genres. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres. Last accessed 5th May 2016.

Out of all these genres, I was not aware that Absurdist, Paranoid or Magical Realism were actually genres of film.

I also researched what certain genres determine and found that the main characteristics looked at within genres are location (where the film is set and locations used within the story), characterisation (personality of characters, backstories etc.), plot and structure (storyline and how the film is set out), themes (e.g. romantic films including themes of sexual, moral and emotional values), narrative address (playing on the expectations of the audience) and style (of the general image of the film, way the characters look, the way it’s shot, the certain music used etc.).

 

Animals

As my third interest is animals, I did some research on the most popular animals in general. I found an interesting website that listed the most popular animals typed into Google. The top five were dogs, cats, horses, chickens and fish- I thought that dogs and cats would be in the top five but chickens and fish were a bit of a surprise as I didn’t think they were as popular as they are.

Information from this website: http://list25.com/25-most-popular-animals-on-google-search/4/

Salamanca, A. (2015) 25 most popular animals on Google search. Available at: http://list25.com/25-most-popular-animals-on-google-search/4/ (Accessed: 5th May 2016).

I went on another site which was simply titled “Favourite and popular animals”. On this site, I was able to find other animals which have been known to have a lot of people be interested in them. Examples include the bear, whales, tigers and turtles (slightly more exotic animals). I wanted to see what types of animals other people are interested in so if I were to create a video on animals, I’d know which animals to include to attract people’s attention.

Information from this website: http://a-z-animals.com/animals/favourites/

Unknown. (2008). Favourite Animals. Available at: http://a-z-animals.com/animals/favourites/. (Accessed: 5th May 2016).

Family

For my secondary research on family, I looked into the general meaning of the word “family”. One particular definition stated that family is “a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” I learnt about the term “nuclear family” which is considered the typical family with two parents and their children (the type of family that everyone usually automatically thinks of when hearing the word “family” as it is always the type that is typically shown in film and television).

In my primary research on this topic I stated that someone I know claimed to consider their friends as their family as they are closer to their friends. I learnt that many others actually think this way as well and see friends as “the family you choose” which I found very interesting.

Information from this website: http://family.lovetoknow.com/about-family-values/meaning-family

Michelle Blessing. (2012). Meaning of Family. Available: Blessing, M. (2006) Meaning of family. Available at: http://family.lovetoknow.com/about-family-values/meaning-family (Accessed: 21 June 2016).

 

Reflective writing

I enjoyed doing this blog post as it has been very interesting and informative and I have learnt so much on the topics of music, family, film and animals. I especially enjoyed the research I did on music as it is my favourite topic and I managed to learn some new information about lyrics and music over the years. I also enjoyed carrying out surveys and focus groups with other people as I learnt a lot about different people also. I know now that I am a lot closer to knowing what I’m doing for my final major project which makes me very excited.

 

Bibliography

Mahapatra, L., Varandani, S. and Halleck, T. (2014) Lyrics, now and then: The history of music in charts. Available at: http://www.ibtimes.com/lyrics-now-then-history-music-charts-1556137 (Accessed: 21 June 2016).

Michelle Blessing. (2012). Meaning of Family. Available: Blessing, M. (2006) Meaning of family. Available at: http://family.lovetoknow.com/about-family-values/meaning-family (Accessed: 21 June 2016).

Salamanca, A. (2015) 25 most popular animals on Google search. Available at: http://list25.com/25-most-popular-animals-on-google-search/4/ (Accessed: 5th May 2016).

Unknown. (2008). Favourite Animals. Available at: http://a-z-animals.com/animals/favourites/. (Accessed: 5th May 2016).

Unknown. (2016). List of genres. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres. Last accessed 5th May 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

1.1 – Analyse

Analyse the requirements of a creative media production project

 

Task 1 – Style/Form/Genre/Aesthetics

What style?

I have decided I want to create a music video with a realistic yet exciting storyline.

What form?

I have decided on a music video as I have always been interested in music videos and I’ve always loved the way music can change the entire atmosphere of a scene or a video so I wanted to experiment with this myself.

What genre will your project be?

I’ve decided on an action/drama orientated video including elements such as a chase and dramatic body language to exaggerate the particular genres and make them clear to the audience.

Aesthetics?

I want the video to be quite dark in terms of colours to add to the dramatic atmosphere of the video. Although I want to film outside, natural lighting may not give me the outcome I want but I can change the brightness and colour in the editing process in post production.

 

Task 2 – Technology, equipment relevant to the project and chosen media / Skills/Techniques relevant to the project and chosen media

For my project I have decided that apart from the basic DSLR and Zoom mic, I don’t want to use anything extra as I feel that I don’t need anything else too technical (e.g. Steadicam). I already own a DSLR which I am able to bring in and film with, and I plan on hiring out a Zoom from college. In case this particular part of equipment I need isn’t available to me on the day I begin filming, I have thought ahead. I have researched Zoom mics, where to buy them and how much they generally cost. I found out that prices online generally range from around £69-£200. I found a good mic for £69.99 which I am able to buy just in case I am not able to hire one out from college.

I am not using any certain techniques (e.g. slow motion, timelapse) as I want to keep my project very simple and I’m confident I can get away with creating a good video without using anything too technical. The only thing I want to do in terms of editing is darken the general tone of my video (as previously stated) but I know this will be easy to do on Avid as I have done it before.

 

Task 3 – Audiences (target audience)

The song I am creating the video for is Ten Tonne Skeleton by Royal Blood, so I am aiming my video towards fans of both this band and also people who are generally into rock and alternative music. I’m also going to aim my video towards anyone who is into the action genre as that is what my video will mostly consist of- elements of action. I discovered last year that the general age range of people who watch and enjoy action films is 15-35, so I think that it will be mostly young people watching my video.

Archetype: Lewis is an 18 year old film fanatic and especially enjoys the Marvel franchise and most Keanu Reeves films. His favourite music genre is alternative and he plays bass, guitar and drums.

Bibliography

Amazon (1996) Zoom H1 handheld recorder. Available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoom-H1MB-H1-Handheld-Recorder/dp/B0144JHW4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463497512&sr=8-1&keywords=zoom+mic (Accessed: 21 June 2016).

 

Project management

• Location recce

 

Canterbury

Canterbury High Street

Ramsgate

Ramsgate Beach

• Risk assessment

 

– Will have to make sure we aren’t in anyone’s way, especially in busier areas e.g. the high street

-Beach hazards such as the tide being far in (I will check tide times for the day I’m filming) and potentially being in the way of others again (film in a more secluded part of the beach)

-There is also a risk of the equipment being damaged on the beach (sand getting into the camera, accidentally getting it wet). Fortunately, I own a camera cover which I will make sure to bring with me.

• Proposal

 

Music video including a story about one person’s paranoid and fretful journey.

• Synopsis

 

A story about someone who thinks they are being followed on their journey but in actuality is just being paranoid- the other person is not following them at all.

• Treatment

 

My video starts with a close-up of the main character’s face to show their emotion- distressed, slightly on edge. The camera follows the character on their journey with the use of cuts and a lot of close-ups. Occasionally the camera will cut to the second character who is walking behind the main character the whole time. The main character does a lot of turning round fretfully to see if they are still being “followed” and then begins to speed up (start running) more and more towards the end of the video as the tension gets higher and the anticipation rises.

• Script

 

There is no actual script required for my project as there is no spoken dialogue included- the only audio I will have in my project will be the music.

• Production schedule

 

 

·         Budget

The only concern I have in terms of spending money is travel- I am going to have three other people with me helping me film and part of my video includes travelling from Canterbury to Ramsgate and then back to Canterbury- this will cost each person £5.50 as we will be travelling off peak (so it’s cheaper). Overall for the four of us that would come to £22 but each person has said they would be happy to pay £5.50 for travel.

My actors would be able to wear their own clothes (no costumes required) and I don’t need to buy anything extra for this video as it’s focusing on just the people and locations. So I’m setting my budget at £40 overall- so we have an extra £18 in case of emergencies.

·         Equipment checklist

-DSLR x 1

-Zoom mic x 1

·         Legal requirements

Although I am filming in Canterbury High Street, I won’t be filming in the general Whitefriars area so I’ll be filming in  a public space with no permission needed.

I wanted to film in the train station and on the train but I realised that students are not legally allowed to film there for free and the fee is quite pricey (not something I can afford right now) so I decided that where my character was actually going to be getting on a train, I’m going to now imply that they got on the train (film them walking into the station from the outside, getting out their train ticket etc.) This way all my filming will still be fine to do and I won’t be breaking any rules.

 

Working with a client

What is most important when working with a client?

I think the most important aspect of working with a client is listening to them and making sure you meet their needs. Once they tell you what they want, it is important to make sure you do exactly what they want in order to meet their expectations and not let them down.

Why listen to what they say?

Listening to what they say is important so you know exactly what they want and how to achieve it. If you miss out a crucial part of what they want, you may end up letting them down and not achieving the final product- which will not look good on you (and you don’t want to let them down if they are paying you either).

Why produce what they want?

If a client is paying you to work for them then you will need to produce what they want, or you won’t get paid. Also, no one else will want to hire you if you get a reputation of not being reliable and letting down your clients. Also, once you have successfully produced what they have asked you to produce, it will be incredibly rewarding, both for you and your clients.

Why be professional?

You won’t be taken seriously if you are not professional, and also will not gain a good reputation. Professionalism is key in the media industry (or indeed any industry) in order to get your work done well and please your clients.

Why do we need technical skills to work with a client?

Technical skills show you know what you are doing, especially in the media industry (where you obviously need technical skills anyway). If you know a lot about technological equipment or technology in general, clients will trust you to do a good and professional job for them.

Why do we need communication skills to work with a client?

Communication is absolutely vital in terms of working with clients. You need to constantly be able to contact them or have them able to contact you just in case of any issues with the producing, or any changes with the work that need to be discussed. If you cannot be in contact with your clients, you are not much use- communication is key as without it, you wouldn’t know what they want you to do for them.

Why do we need time management skills to work with a client?

Time management skills are also very important- if a client needs something done by a particular time or date, you must have it done by then, or else you will not be seen as a reliable worker. You will let your clients down massively if you fail to keep to a time frame or are not good with time management.

Why do we need diplomatic skills to work with a client?

You need to be tactful when dealing with clients. If you want to suggest a change to their idea, you must suggest it in a way that is professional and polite- do not be rude to your clients or tell them you dislike their idea, or you won’t get a good reputation and will come across as impolite and won’t be seen as someone who is good to work with.

What type of client do you think would commission you to produce the product you have chosen to produce for your FMP… Why?

The type of client I think would be interested in me producing my product would be someone working in the music industry. My final product is a music video, so I would think that either a band/music artist or any kind of content creator in the music industry would commission me to my produce my product.

 

Reflective writing

I found this blog slightly hard to do as it involved a lot of research and planning and took a long time to do. All in all, it was incredibly helpful and I have learnt a lot from doing all this research, such as all the pre production that needs to go into planning a production. I enjoyed planning my project as now I have a clear idea on what I am doing.

 

Project 2

Evaluation and Evidence Document – Project 2 – Winter Project

In this post, I will be talking about my entire Winter Project (Project 2) from production, pre production, what went wrong and what succeeded.

Here is my finished Winter Project:

 

Firstly, planning and pre-production.

At first, I had many different ideas as to what my Winter project should be about. I considered music videos, interviews, stories etc. but I kept changing my mind constantly and coming up with new ideas. In the end, I decided on a short video which portrays the beauty and aesthetic of winter in general. My goal whilst planning my video was to make something that focused mainly on visuals that were aesthetically pleasing- many people see the season of winter as dull, gloomy and dismal and I wanted to create a form of media that showed its audience some of the nicest parts of winter. “Winter is beautiful” was my overall message to the viewers.

What is my project?

In my video, I gathered a set of shots which I had gone out and filmed of “wintery” landscapes and other pleasantries that one can associate with the particular season (hot cups of tea, bare trees etc.). I also included a set of positive text in my project- the words simplicity, tranquillity, beauty and relaxation can be seen throughout the video as these are all words that I relate to winter. This added to the general happy vibe of the video.

I would say that my project was aimed at anyone who appreciates simple yet aesthetically pleasing content- whether it be young art students or elderly people. My target audience (in terms of age) would most likely be 16+ as I know young people/children would most likely get bored watching it. I think my video should be watched because hopefully it has the capability to boost people’s moods (especially on miserable Winter days) and maybe even be seen as therapeutic by some.

I like to think my project is different because it promotes the season of winter  and portrays it in a positive light, which isn’t something I have come across before (I searched for videos similar to this whilst planning and I couldn’t find any).

 

Audio (Unit 5- LO3.1)

I didn’t run into many problems whilst recording my audio. As the only audio in my video is one line at the very beginning, I didn’t find it too difficult to record. This being said, I originally wanted to record the spoken line whilst I was filming at the beach to have wind and the ambient sounds of the waves in the background. I tried this out but instantly realised this wasn’t a good idea as the ambient sound was far too overpowering and the outcome was not what I had in mind. I decided I would record my audio when I was at home and could find a quiet area with no background noise- which is exactly what I did. I had no problems syncing my audio with my video in the post production process either, as I have had practice with this previously. I think in the future, I will stick to recording my audio in quiet locations, as I have learned that trying to record in loud environments will never end well and the outcome will most likely always be disappointing.

Other than the audio I recorded, the only other audio in the video is the background music (Firestone Instrumental- Royalty Free). I like this track and decided to use it because it’s upbeat yet simple and not too energetic or too slow. It fits the calmness of my video but also has a certain fast pace to it.

 

Visual (Unit 6- LO3.1)

The main visual problem I encountered was the fact that I wanted my video to look as “Winter-esque” as possible, yet whenever I wanted to film, the weather was always sunny and warm! I had to wait until days that rain and grey skies were forecast before I could film, which was annoying as I began my filming in what was essentially the beginning of Spring. Thankfully I was able to look at the weather forecast to then find out that the next couple of days would be overcast- this meant I would be able to go out and film.

This being said, I did film some parts of my project in sunny weather. I waited until evening on one particular day so it still looked wintery and cold although the skies were blue. I like to think this was a bonus though, as it added to the “Winter is beautiful” theme.

Still from the evening clip I filmed

In the future, I most likely won’t be doing any more season themed videos, as the weather can always be unpredictable which is an irritating factor as the weather has the ability change the whole video.

 

Interactive (Unit 7- LO3.1)

I shared my finished video on Facebook to be seen by friends and family- the number of views went up a substantial amount and I had a few comments and some nice feedback. My only regret was not posting it to my Twitter page- I wasn’t very active on Twitter around the time of filming so I didn’t think to post it there once I’d uploaded it. The reason I regret this is because I probably missed out on a fair amount of more views. Next time I upload a project, Twitter will be the first place I share it on.

I uploaded the video straight to my YouTube channel- I have 15 subscribers there currently (not much, I know) but I did get about 6 of my subscribers watching my video due to being subscribed to me on YouTube.

Before I film my next project, I want to have gained more followers on my college Twitter account and more subscribers on my YouTube channel. This way I can get more views, comments and feedback on my video.

 

Overall, I was pleased with how my final project turned out. The hardest part for me was the planning as it took me so long to come up with an idea that I was truly happy with. I wanted something aesthetically pleasing and I think I achieved that. I’m also happy with the fact that I made some mistakes but can learn from them in order for my Final Major Project to turn out well.

FINAL Project 2 Evidence Document

Feedback and reflections – Week 7

I enjoyed the practical task we were given this week, I didn’t have a lot of experience or knowledge on lighting so it was very helpful to have this week to practice my lighting skills. I found learning about three point lighting very interesting and informative, and I’m pleased with the photos we (as a group) got. Here is an example of a photo we took when playing with the LED light and a reflector:

We only shone the light on one side of his face (as shown in the picture).

I also learned what gel filters were this week- I had no idea what they were or what their use was before this lesson, and now (after using them) I’ve decided I definitely want to continue using them for future projects as they are actually incredibly useful.

I also enjoyed learning about three point lighting, and the purposes of the key light, fill light and back light. The key light highlights the subject and is the main light used in this system, the fill light is used to fill in and lighten shadows created by the subject and back light illuminates the subject from the back, creating an edge that separates the subject from the background. I found this information very useful and will definitely be remembering this in the future.

 

 

Problems and solutions – Week 7

Whilst doing our practical work this week, there were a few small problems we came across. Firstly, finding the right lighting to take our photos was a difficult task, but it was simply a matter of playing around with different lighting and experimenting with it. We changed the position of the LED light and the reflectors multiple times to experiment and see how the photos turned out each time. Once we got a good outcome we carried on taking photos.

Another problem I came across before we began taking our own images was finding my own stills from films and analysing the lighting in them. I struggled to assess the lighting in some of the stills I found but received help from Zoran. He told me what to look for when analysing lighting in images (where the light was coming from, how strong it was etc.) so I was able to complete the task.

Work produced – Week 7

For this task, we had to search for three different films and analyse the lighting in certain  scenes from these films.

First film- God Bless America

Although the film itself is dark, the lighting throughout the film remains quite bright and warm. A large portion of the film is shot outside with (mostly) natural, bright lighting. Although for this scene, it is obvious that artificial lighting (and maybe reflectors) was also used to focus on the characters face- you would not have been able to achieve this level of brightness with just natural lighting.

Second film- Stand By Me

The majority of Stand By Me is shot outside where the lighting is natural. In this particular scene, the weather changes to gloomy and grey which contrasts with the weather throughout the film previously which was bright and sunny. As this scene is probably the darkest and saddest scene throughout the film, the director used “pathetic fallacy” so the relatively gloomy weather portrays the mood in the scene.

The lighting is similar to the last scene in the sense of using both natural and artificial lighting so you can clearly see the characters faces and bodies.

Third film- The Butterfly Effect

In contrast to the last two films, The Butterfly Effect is quite a dark film in terms of both lighting and meaning. In this one particular still, you can tell that the lighting and colour has been heavily manipulated. Evidence of artificial lighting can be seen on both the characters faces in order to be able to see them both clearly, and for dramatic effect. The blue lighting/colouring is symbolic. Blue is often associated with trust and loyalty, which is appropriate within the relationship of these two characters.

We also went out this week and took our own images imitating/based on the film stills we chose previously.

The first picture I took was replicating an image from Stand By Me. The outcome I wanted involved natural light and artificial light from the bottom left pointing upwards towards their faces. I wasn’t able to get the exact natural lighting I wanted due to weather conditions outside. In the original still from the film, as well as the natural lighting, there is also some subtle light pointing up towards their faces- I tried to replicate this but the lighting I used was far too strong, causing an unwanted shadow on their faces.

For this image, I wanted to focus mainly on the natural lighting as I thought it would replicate the original image more effectively. I used a reflector on the left side of his body to try and subtly create more light but this wasn’t effective as the lighting created by this wasn’t strong enough. I should have used artificial lighting for this rather than relying on just natural lighting as the background lighting in the original picture is very bright, whereas the light in mine isn’t as intense.

 

To replicate the image from The Butterfly Effect, I needed the focus to be on two faces and also I also needed the image to include mainly blue and white tones. To get the blue colours in my image, I used a blue background and high contrast (to make sure the face was clear and easy to make out) and also a green gel filter to help with the general tone of the image. We also used the LED light over the faces to try and create the same lighting as in the original image, but looking back on it now I realise we should have picked a darker location to take this picture as the general area we were in was very bright, meaning the LED light wasn’t as effective.

We also took images demonstrating our understanding of lighting.

For this task, we experimented with three point lighting. We used a bright LED light (key light), and other less bright lights (iPhone torches acting as fill lights and back lights) and also a reflector. In these images, as we also had the main light on in the room, the results turned out quite bright.

 

 

Feedback and reflections – Week 6

This week, we had more practice with both recording sound using zoom mics, and Avid. Although I do feel completely comfortable with sound recording now (I’ve had a lot of useful practice during our practical sessions this year) Avid is still a program I struggle with using. Although I am beginning to understand it more and more with each editing session, I’m still not completely comfortable using it, and I find myself needing to ask for help whenever I use it.

This week we weren’t editing video on Avid though- we were syncing sound to video which in my opinion, was more challenging than editing video as there were so many audio tracks to sync up in such a short duration of actual video. I found this quite difficult but still managed to complete it.

I also enjoyed using Audacity for the first time this week as it is definitely something I will be using more in the future for my next projects- it is an incredibly effective program for editing all kinds of sound (also very simple to use).

I didn’t get feedback on my work this week, although I did receive help on how to sync my sound with the video from Stephen which was very informative and useful.

 

Problems and solutions – Week 6

This week, whilst recording audio for our Lifted project, there were a few problems that occurred.

Firstly, we had to watch the video (Disney Pixar’s Lifted) and note down every single sound we needed to replicate, which was a challenge on its own as there were many different sounds we would need to record in order to complete this task. I had to watch the video over again at least four times to make sure I hadn’t missed anything out. I’m glad I took the time to watch the video multiple times so I knew exactly what sounds I had to create.

As I spoke about in my previous post, ambient noise was also a problem when recording. Most of my sounds were easy to record, but for a few of my required pieces of audio I needed to go outside to record. With this, came unwanted traffic noise and wind noise but thankfully there was a simple solution for this- Audacity!

I was able to use Audacity to edit some of my sounds so the background noise was non-existent. Audacity was a problem in itself for me at first as I was a little unsure on how to use it but once I got the hang of it I was able to use it effectively.

Another issue I came into contact with was syncing my audio in Avid to match the correct timings in the video. This took me a long time and was quite a frustrating task as I knew what to do, but generally found it tedious and difficult. The simple solution was just to concentrate and keep working at it with no distractions (which I managed to achieve).