Editing.

Unfortunately, due to inset days and other school timetable arrangements, we have not had many media lessons. However, on Friday we had a school progress review day for the younger years, which meant that we were able to come in and do some work. Editing is going great, and I am quite happy with the way things are going. I have tried to add some more effects including the black and white effect, along with the change of opacity.They look really good.

Today we have a media lesson, which we will presumably be spending on more editing. As the deadline is gradually getting nearer, the pressure is on to be completely focused in lessons and try our best to work towards the completion of the music video.

Editing and Lip Syncing

The majority of last lesson was spent on uploading the footage and really getting started with putting the music video together. My overall reaction to the shots was good. I was extremely happy with the establishing shots which I took in Waterloo. I believe the iconography really fits well to establish the setting of the music video clearly. The angles in which I took the shots give a really nice wide view of the area. 

I started adding the clips, also putting in some more cross dissolve effects to add some variety. I also cut the clips according to the beat of the music to make it look really sharp, and more professional rather than being quite disorganised. From my research into music videos a while ago, I identified that the majority of the videos cut the clips according to the beat and I believe this really adds to creating a successful music video. 

A few lessons ago, I learnt and discovered the life of lip syncing. Lip syncing is something which I have always seen, and have been really intrigued to see how it is done, but have never had the chance until this point in time. In the previous lesson we were given a lesson on lip syncing to act as a tool to help us. At first, it seemed completely confusing, but once I gave it a try with my own clips, it was a lot easier than it sounded. I managed to fit my clips to the song accordingly but did come across some difficulties. There were times where I wanted to cut a very small section of the clip out to fit exactly with the song, which was quite difficult as you had to know where to cut it, making sure you did not delete any clip that was actually needed. Although I went through 15 minutes of undo-ing what I have done, I soon got the hang of it, and successfully completed a few clips. 

  

Filming

Tomorrow  I am planning on filming the second part of my music video. This consists of the iconography, such as  the London Eye and Big Ben, and also a few of the shots as the girl approaches the flat. Due to my unreliable actress who was meant to be used previously, I decided that it would be a waste of good footage if I decided to find another girl to replace. Instead, I will be keeping the footage of myself as the protagonist and continuing the shots by directing my friend on how to take the shots etc.

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Second lot of filming done. I am extremely happy to say that the second section of my filming is completed. Fortunately, one of my friends was available, and acquainted me to Waterloo to film some shoes of the London Eye to portray the setting of the music video. I have also taken a few shots of the Thames, and some of me singing. I also included a shot of a bracelet falling, to reflect a sense of the protagonist giving up and moving on. We were in Central London for approximately an hour and a half and managed to get a great amount of footage filmed. I believe this will add to the variation of visuals to stop the music video from getting quite dull and boring. Tomorrow, I will start editing the footage.

Reaction to editing

This lesson, we spent the majority of our time uploading our footage and having a look at it. Overall, I was quite happy with the footage. However, I did notice a few problems, one in particular was my initial idea of using lighting to play a big role in the music video. I wanted the light towards the kitchen to be a lot brighter in contrast to the lighting towards the door (where the boy was standing on the other side). I wanted this to reflect how her life is a lot darker when she is near him. Looking back at the footage the shots near the door were a lot darker and do not show the girls facial expressions. Despite this, it is very clear that she is upset and angry through the use of her body language (her fists knocking against the wall, the movement of her hands, head in her hands).

Problems

This morning the girl that was meant to be the main character in my production called and said that she will not be able to due to an illness she had overnight. She let me know 2 hours before we were meant to meet. This caused a huge amount of stress for me because no one else I had asked before were willing to be appear in my music video.

Despite this, I gave it another try and contacted 2 of my closest friends, and my cousin. Unfortunately, my friends were busy with celebrating their New Year, and my cousin already had plans for the day, which led me to decide to be in my own video, but direct the boy (who is also acting in the music video) with the shots.

I found this decision to be very time-consuming because it meant that before every shot I had to fully explain what shot I want, and what I want to be getting out of it, however it had to be done/

Filming Schedual, Shot Lists and Safety

My filming is going to take place in the course of 2 days. The first day I have planned is tomorrow, and I will be focusing on taking footage of the indoor shots, for example, the girl walking into the flat, looking at her and her boyfriends picture, a few of the flashbacks of the couple indoors etc). My second day of filming, will be on Friday. On that day, I will be focusing on taking footage of the establishing shots of London, and filming the protagonist singing the song.

Summary of what I need to film for the music video:

1. Girl walking into the flat, along with atmospheric shots for example of any plants which I may be able to use later on in the music video to symbolise her growth. 

2. Shots inside the flat. (Girl looking at the picture of her and her boyfriend. 

3. Flashbacks. The handheld shots of the birthday cake reflecting upon significant moments of her life, thumb wars shots to reflect happiness. 

4. Some shots of me singing in the mirror to reflect that I am trying to convince myself to leave. 

Friday's filming list:
1. Establishing shots of London. For example, the Big Ben and the London Eye. 
2. More atmospheric shots of London, for example the traffic. Some shots of the River Thames (the water may evoke a sense of calmness and a soporific mood. 


In order to help me during the filming process, I have created a shot list to assist me whilst I am filming.  Last year during the filming of our film openings, this is exactly what my group and I did, and I believe that it was beneficial in keeping us organised. This will make it a lot easier for me to know what I am filming, in what location, using how many actors, and how many props. I have also created a column where I can tick whether I have completed the shot.

I have created one for the narrative part of the music video, and the other for the performance based section.
The shot list below is the one for the narrative based section:

Here is the shot list for the performance based section:

Safety

As I am including a shot of the glass breaking, it is vital for me to think about the safety conditions which I need to consider. Here is a list of things that I have reminded myself in doing during the process of filming the glass shots, and during the breaking of the glass.

1. Wear gloves! I have packed a pair of washing up gloves to make sure that the person handling the broken glass does not get cut etc. I have also asked my uncle whether there is a broom to clear up any remaining pieces of glass left on the floor, particularly because it belongs to my uncle, and not thinking carefully about the safety precautions may cause dangerous circumstances for those living in the flat.

2. Break the glass beforehand! I have come to the conclusion that it would be best to break the glass before hand rather than throwing it, resulting in the glass shattering on the floor. This would enable us to have more control over the pieces instead of searching for minute bits of the broken glass. I have decided to break the glass in the sink to reduce the amount of danger that may be caused. 

Balcony

Some of my shots are taken on a balcony. It is vital for me to consider safety issues to prevent anything occuring whilst on the balcony.

I have to make sure that I am  not leaning too close to the edge of the balcony to prevent falling off. I have to make sure that I wear sensible shoes to prevent myself from slipping. I have also notified my family that I am going to film in the balcony just in case anything happens and no one would be aware.

Candles

Candles are another hazard which I need to take into account. I have to make sure that the candle is placed on a steady stand to prevent it from tipping and causing a fire. I have also taken into consideration that I should not leave the candle lit and walk off somewhere. It is important that I am aware of the candle. I have decided that the best way to prevent a fire is to light the candle whenever I need to film and then blow it out whenever it is not needed.

Locations, Cast, Props and Clothing

I have been thinking about locations, and where would be an appropriate location to base my music video in. My initial idea was to set the music video in my home, however, I decided that it would not be a good idea as it is quite a family home, but I am aiming to find a home that is quite feminine and modern. Fortunately, I asked my uncle whether I would be able to use his flat, and he said it would be fine. Although the flat does not belong to a female, I believe it does have some very modern aspects to it, and it could also get away with being a female property. I made a trip to my uncles flat in Hendon to have a look and figure out whether it would be a wise idea, and I believe it is.

Here are some images I took:

My other locations are in Central London. I am intending on using some establishing shots of Big Ben and the London eye to establish the setting of the music video. I would like to produce shots that look similar to these:

Cast 

Here is a picture of the girl which I intend on using as the protagonist in the music video,  who I believe suits the look that I am aiming for, her modern approach to style depicts the young audience that I am targeting, roughly around the ages of 15- 22. I believe that she would be perfect for the part as she is a part of a drama school in Central London and would be really able to get into the role a broken-hearted young girl, showing a huge amount of emotion in her lip singing. She has also shown great interest in the project that we have been given, and has been curious on my ideas for the project. 

Clothing and Props

Using the website www.polyvore.com, I have created two collages consisting of what clothing I intend on dressing the girl up in, and secondly, showing the props that I intend on using. The first collage I created was the costume collage:

I am aiming to make the actress appeal to the age group that I am targeting (roughly the ages of 15-22). To do this I intend on dressing up the actress in stylish, up-to-date pieces of clothing. In the collage above I have included some clothing items such as a Chanel bag. The reason why I have included this is due to the fact that it is a bag that many girls wish to have. I have also decided to put her hair in quite a scruffy bun, which is quite in fashion at the moment. The blazer highlights her smart, and elegant style, and the one-shoulder top with the scarf  to balance the pieces of clothing out to make it quite casual. 

Here is the collage of the props I intend on using:

1. Birthday Cake - The birthday cake is going to be used in the shots of the flashbacks, to reflect a good and celebratory part of her life, in contrast to the rest of the music video, which is portrayed as quite forlorn. 

2. Candle - I have come up with the idea of using a candle as a symbolism of the girl and boys relationship. The candle being lit reflects that there love and the continuity of their relationship. I intend of including a shot at the end of the music video where the candle is being blown out, to reflect that the girl is moving on. 

3. Glass cup -  Although the cup has no significance, I have planned to include shots of glass being broken. The glass symbolises the girls broken heart, and life. 

4. Framed Photographs - The photos are going to be a motif in the music video. I want to include a number of shots coming back to the photography to reflect the memories and the love they had for each other in the past. 

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Target Audience

I have created a collage of a young woman which is my target audience. I have spoken about aspects of her life, her favourite genre, artists and clubs, her favourite clothing stores and what she spends doing in her spare time. 
 

Ideas

Ideas for my music video:

• My music video is starting off with a number of establishing shots, portraying the setting of the music video which will be London. I intend on including shots of the London Eye and Big Ben, very obvious iconography to instantly inform the setting to the audience.
• It is then going to cut to a shot our protagonist standing on the Embankment bridge. The mid-shot portrays her in deep thought, head in hands, staring at her watch (reflecting that time is passing and that she needs to be somewhere). 
• It then cuts to a number of atmospheric shots of the landscape around her, for example the Thames river etc. I am also intending on filming on quite a cloudy/rainy day, to reflect her inner emotions. I believe it would really set the mood of the music video.
• It then cuts to her taking slow steps off of the bridge, reflecting that she does not want to go where she is intending on going.
• A cut takes place to show our protagonist walking down her street, followed by a high-angle shot of our protagonist walking in car park, going to her flat.
• The music video then cuts to a mid-shot of our protagonist walking into a lift and the doors closing. It is then followed by a close-up of her putting the key in the keyhole and opening the door, pushing the door open and slowly stepping inside (reflecting the fact that she does not want to be there, and it is as if she has no other choice but to go there because it is her home). 
• A cut takes place to show a mid-shot of her dressing table with a picture frame placed flat.
• She approaches it to pick it up and a over-the-shoulder shot takes place. 
• The music video then cuts to a series of flashbacks portraying what happened in her past. It shows a mid-shot of a boy and girls bottom half of body hugging. This leaves the boy and his second partner ambiguous. This allows the audience to build their own opinion of the boy without being influenced by good looks, or other actions.
• It then cuts to a mid-shot of our protagonist showing the bottom of her body only. It then cuts to a close-up of her bag dropping along with a significant bracelet which was on her hand. An extreme close-up takes place showing the bracelet dropping on the ground (Using editing tools, I would like to make this shot slow paced to reflect its significance). 
• It then goes back to realtime, and we are back to the over-the-shoulder shot of the girl holding the picture frame. 
• We then go back to a series of flashbacks, however these differ from the first in a sense that they are good memories rather than bad. These flashbacks portray her birthday. This shot will be shown in a hand-held shot with a date at the bottom to reflect how it is being filmed by the boy. Also a mid-shot of her on the swings laughing, reflecting her happy/jolly mood. 
• We then cut back to real time and a series of long-shots take place which will be overlapped using Final Cut Express. This will reflect the fact that time is passing. The shots consist of the girl sitting on one side of the floor with her her hugging her knees, with her head down, her head in her hands etc. 
• We then cut to a shot of her buying a pregnancy test. I chose to include these shots as they reflect the lyrics "Me and my boy we're leaving". It would be very hard to include a child in the video, not only because my family consists of a number of girls, but also because it would mean that I would have to gain consent by their parents. It would also be a hazardous place for a child to be around due to the candles, the wires, the camera equipment etc.

Metaphors:

I have also been thinking about things that can act as metaphors in my music video. A metaphor is an object etc that is symbolic or representative of another thing. I have thought about a number of metaphors that can be used in my music video. I have decided to use some sort of glass breaking. It would then be followed by a close-up of the bits of glass that have been broken. This can reflect her broken heart, and how her life seems broken apart. 

Storyboard, Digipack and Lyrics and Visuals.

I have completed my storyboard. I am very pleased about my ideas. I am aware that things may change through the process of filming, or things may be added on, but at the moment I am very keen and happy with my ideas.

Lyrics and Visuals

I have also made a Lyrics and Visuals, portraying what sections of the music I want to correspond with a certain shot, and what it reflects:

Planning - Brainstorming Ideas.

Recently, I have spent my time in my Media lesson, to brainstorm a number of ideas for my music video. I have brainstormed a number of things such as appropriate characters, locations, props, any ideas of what my music video may be reflecting, any metaphors that may be useful to use etc.

Here is what my brainstorm looks like: