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How did you use media technologies in the construction of research, planning and evaluation stages?

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What have you learnt from audience feedback?

As a way of gathering feedback I had to come up with a range of ways to gather some comments about my music video and take note of the thoughts and reactions of the audience, as well as whether my music video was successful in general in terms of the genre it was associated with. I was hoping to put my music video on Facebook so that it could be accessed and commented on by large numbers of people. However, after a long thought on this idea, I concluded that it would not be a wise idea. I believe that if it was on Facebook, some people may not comment in a mature manner which I could then use in my evaluation.  As a result, I decided to gather a focus group. The focus group consisted of ten people being my family and friends. Their ages were between 17-50 so the general feedback from the individuals was not very one sided in terms of age, but rather varied. In terms of gender, the focus group concisted of mainly young women. However, I did include my father, two uncles and my cousin.The questions I included were aimed to produce both qualitative and quantitative data. I believe that this would product a good variation of feedback which I can then organise and compare.

1. What genre would you classify my music video as? Please tick more than one box if needed.

This was a highly important question in the questionnaire as it is vital for the audience to recognise what genre my music video is, and it would also highlight whether the conventions of the R&B genre that I have included has shone through, therefore making it successful. Here are the results shown below:

As shown in the graph above, 14 out of 15 people would associate my music video with the R&B genre and only one ticked the genre of Pop. This indicates that the conventions that I have used in my music video reflect the genre of R&B to the audience which I was extremely happy about.

2. What aspects of my music video would influence you to think it is associated with this particular genre?

This was also an important question in the questionnaire as it was vital for me to know what conventions caught their attention the most. A large number of  participants stated some of the conventions which I had included. For example, one person stated “A female protagonist presented as vulnerable is something that we would usually see in R&B genre music videos. I remember watching Rihanna’s Unfaithful which is really similar to this”. Another participant said “the flashback with black and white effect birthday cake scene really reminds me of Mariah Carey’s music video ‘Love Story’. On the other hand, one of the participants stated that the song was an indicator to the genre. This may suggest that the conventions were not as highly recognisable as they should have been, or may merely of been because they were not aware of the conventions of the R&B genre.

3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of my music video?

This question enabled me to reflect on my work as a whole and what others think about it. This question allows the focus group to write about any negative aspects of my music video which they believe I could of improved on, but also comment on any aspects which they believe I had done really well. There was a large amount of feedback to this question, but some in particular said that “I really like the breaking glass bit. I love how its in time with the music and I believe it really puts emphasis on how the girl is torn apart and literally broken into pieces.” Another participant stated that “There is so much emotion in the music video. The beginning section really works well to show how far the protagonist has come in comparison to the flashback”. One person commented on the lip-syncing and said “it was really in time with the song”. Some comments on the negative aspects of my music video were on how I could of cut shots to the beat a little more often.

4. What genre of music do you listen to? Please tick more than one box if needed.

The aim of this question was to discover what genre of music people in the focus group liked to listen to. This would portray what percentage of the focus group were familiar with the R&B genre, and would allow me to see whether that influenced any of their comments in the questionnaire. Some people ticked more than one box; here are the results below:

I was happy with the results as a large number of the group had ticked R&B which made me conclude that there would not be a large amount of misunderstanding of what conventions the R&B genre commonly consists of.

5. What music channels do you watch?

This question also followed on from the previous question and was included for the same reasons as before. The majority of the focus group noted channels such as Chart Show, Flava and MTV. However, there were a few which wrote down ‘Kerrang’ and ‘MTV Dance‘. As a large number of the participants wrote down channels such as Chart Show and Flava, I felt happy that the majority should be aware of the R&B conventions through watching those music channels which are very R&B orientated.

6. What music channel do you think my music video is more likely to be shown on? 

Every questionnaire stated that they were more likely to see my music video on channels such as MTV, Chart Show and Flava. I was very happy with the results as these programmes consist of mainly R&B music, and I believe would fit my music video extremely well.

7.  Overall, what would you rate my music video out of 10? (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest). 

Digipak and Advert

Another way in which I gathered data was through gathering my members of class and asking them to annotate around my digipak and advert. The feedback consisted of mainly what they thought worked really well, what they thought did not work well, conventions that they noticed that I had used etc. Here is an image of the brainstorm:

For my advert, a number of people commented on the boldness of the artists name and the fact that it is very eye-catching. Others picked up on the artist being presented as "dangerous" and referred to the artist as "femme fatale". Overall, I was happy with the feedback as I believe people have picked up very well on the conventions that I have tried to incorporate into my advert. On the feedback regarding my digipak, many people commented on the font, the overall image that the artist is presenting. However, a criticism that was provided was on the advert, where someone noted that the bottom phrase "Including the hit song Leaving" could have stood out more and as a result, I definitely understand where the weaknesses are in my texts. 

To conclude, it is clear where the strengths and weaknesses stand. As a result of this task, I have understood the importance of audience feedback. The audience feedback really is the time where your work is judged and seen whether you have completed what the task was. I am very happy that many people highlighted the different conventions which I have included in my texts. I am glad that overall the texts that I have made are quite suited towards the genre of R&B. 

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Target Audience

Throughout the creation of my text I have kept in mind the aspects that would appeal to my target audience (consisting of young women around the ages of 15-25). Here is some points of my texts which I have highlighted as relating to my target audience. 

I have a used a number of items of clothing in order to appeal to the target audience. For example, in the beginning of my music video I used a mid-shot of the protagonist wearing a leopard print dressing gown which was purchased from Topshop. In my research into my target audience (shown previously) I collated the hobbies and interests of Amy Harlow. This item would attract someone such as Amy to my music video as this piece of clothing is sold in a shop that is her favourite. 

Similarly, this shot would also appeal to my target audience. Particularly in the winter, these thick knitted scarves are trendy and therefore would attract my target audience as they would have a passion for fashion. For example, this would relate very well to Amy who is also a student at the London College of Fashion. Also, the blazer that the protagonist would also attract my target audience blazers are a very smart but chic piece of clothing. 

The concept of love and relationships explored in my music video would also catch the attentions of my target audience. Whether they are currently in a relationship, or have had a break up, they may be more sympathetic towards the protagonist and can therefore relate to the music video. 

I have also tried to incorporate aspects which would be appealing to my target audience in my advert. Firstly, the fact that the artists face is on the front cover instantly acts as a brand identity, and associates with the music video where the artist is first seen, therefore making it appeal to the target audience who have watched the long and laborious journey that the protagonist has been on. Secondly, in the creation process of my advert, my aim was to make the main focus of the image the protagonists face. The artist relies on the use of make up to symbolise her fierceness and her animalistic personality as she is fighting her oppressive relationship. The make up would be attractive for the target audience as they have an interest into anything relating to beauty and fashion. The fact that the album names is "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" emulates the target audience into admiring the artist who shows such positivity and strength.  The text used is striking and bold, but also relates to more of a female target audience as the colours are quite feminine such as the pink. 

The album has also included aspects similar to those of my music video. The posture of the artist on the front cover presents her as dominant. This relates to the target audience who have one been in a relationship or a part of a break-up. The artist acts as a role model. The albums name "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" has the same affect of showing superiority, and showing women in a positive light. The aspect of make-up is also used in the front cover and back cover, where the leopard print eyelashes are clear. The writing on the back cover also presents a number of feminine colours that can relate to both male and females but mainly females through the use of pinks and purples. 

FInished Product

Over the past three lessons I have been working on my advert and the final product looks like this. Overall, I am happy with the result and believe that it looks very well next to the music video and digi-pak due to their similarities. I asked 5 members of my media class whether they thought that you can tell there were connections between all the texts and they replied that there was which was a positive note. I decided to use this image as I believe it fit in very well with the conventions of the R&B genre, and would be easy to associate to it. It presents the artist vulnerability through her head looking down, and it looks as if she is staring at the text which the girls commented on was quite interesting. Despite this vulnerable side of the artist present, this is juxtaposed with the use of the leopard print feather eyelashes, a theme used in all of my texts, which signifies a sense of rebellion and dominance of the artist. My chosen font text was called ‘Bebas Neue’ downloaded from www.dafont.com, as previously used in my digi-pak. I believe that it would work really work as it is bold and eye-catching. I reused the mocha colour which was also shown in my digi-pak of the artists name ‘Kassie’. I made sure that this was placed towards the middle of the frame and would be spotted first. I also increased the size so that it was more noticeable that the other texts in the image. Moreover, I used images of the iTunes and Amazon logo which would inform the audience where they can buy the album. The fact that I used such brands to advertise my product gives it an advantage as such companies would be willing to sell the album. One issue that I encountered with the advert was the layout. I was quite unsure on where I should place the layout so I gathered a group of girls and asked them their thoughts on the two different layouts which I then collated into a tally chart.

*Insert image of the adverts side by side*

The phrases "The new digipak including the hit song 'Leaving'" were initially placed in the same rotated position as the artists name along with the album name just underneath. The positioning of the image of the digipak left a blank section on the bottom left-hand corner which looked quite odd. As a result, I decided to rotate the text back to its normal position, and drag it more towards the bottom of the frame. However, this was not undergone without the advice of members of my class. I decided to put the two different images of the adverts side-by-side (one with the text underneath the album name, and the other positioned on the bottom left-hand side) and I gathered members of my class who then chose which one they thought would be better. After gathering the results, I organised them into a tally chart:

Planning and Ideas

After gaining more of an insight into the conventions of R&B genre adverts, I have been brainstorming a number of my own ideas for my advert. My first initial reaction to this task was that I did not want to use to same image as used on my digi-pak. I believe that this will be too repetitive and dull. I want to use an image that I have not used in my digi-pak to add some variety to my ancillary texts. I had another look at all the images that I had taken and have come up with a few options that I think would work well on the advert.

*Insert Images*

I have also been thinking about fonts. I believe that the font which I used for my digi-pak would work really well for my advert. It contains all the qualities that a font on an advert should; it is eye-catching, bold, and can easily be spotted from a good distance away. I am also thinking of using a variety of colours to help the advert stand out but I am hoping to avoid colours such as red as I think it would depict the wrong message. 

My aim is to achieve a strong advert which connects easily with both my music video and digi-pak. I want the artist to be perceived as strong and powerful, hence the use of the images I previously took using the leopard print feather eyelashes, but also differ from my digi-pak in which the image shows the artist as paramount and strong. 

Research - Adverts

Album adverts are used primarily to promote the sale of the album, whether it be physical copies or downloads. Album adverts usually only feature very basic information such as band/artist name, album name, release date and where abouts to purchase from. Everything is kept minimal; the colour scheme, the typeface, the layout and the information. Usually found on billboards, the internet and inside magazines, the idea is to keep the design simple yet recognisable. They are used to supplement the other forms of advertisement such as radio, talkshow appearances, music videos and television adverts. Most album adverts just feature one image which is usually of the album cover in order for the audience to identify the album quickly and easily. Occasionally, some adverts will include short quotes or ratings from music-related sources such as well-known magazines, newspapers or other artists. These one-sentence reviews and star ratings give the audience an insight into what to expect on the album. Also, it may boost the perception the audience have of the album before they even hear it if the reviews are positive and praising the record.

To gain a wider insight into the specific adverts of the R&B genre, I undertook some research into R&B adverts to help me with the creation process of mine.

One of the most prominent album advert is Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ advert. The overall look of the visuals evokes  a sense of rebellion, dominance, and aggression. This look is created through the use of various techniques. For example, the lighting is very dark and there is a lack of colour. The aggressive look created in the advert is always but emphasis on  through the use of mise-en-scene of the make-up. Her hair has a very ‘rock-chick’ look to it. It is shaved on one side, maybe signifying her masculinity, and the rest of her hair is placed on the other side of her head, having a messy look to it. The heavy eyeliner makes the artists eyes look extremely bold, and creates quite an devilish look to the artist. The use of the black lipstick also has the same effect; the audience cannot depict any symbolism of innocence or purity but rather the opposite. It is clear that the artist wants to create a strong, masculine type look through their music video’s, digi-paks and adverts. This is supported by the view that the R&B genre has changed significantly. A typical convention of the R&B genre is the use a female protagonist who is commonly oppressed in a relationship. However, the modern R&B has gone through a number of changes; one in particular is the use of a female protagonist who is presented as quite masculine and superior. Although Rihanna is a prime example of this, other artists such as Ciara who takes the role of a man in her music video ‘Like A Boy’, and Beyonce ‘Run The World’ are other ideal examples.

 Moreover, her posture is strong but there is definitely an element of secrecy through the use of her covered face. Rihanna still uses her appearance to market the album, as she still looks attractive, although not using complete sex appeal to sell it. Aggression and a slightly depressive look is used to match the themes in the album with the advert, so the audience can expect to hear music that is similar to the vibe that they get from seeing the advert, they can also expect that the music won’t be the same genre that is in her usual albums and that the artist is experimenting with her music. The album advert has similar characteristics to that of a simple promotional advert, as Rihanna’s look is used to market the album as she is the centre of attention on the advert. As well as this, the information on the advert is clear and fits in with the ‘punk’ design of the advert, as well as making the advert look more interesting and still stands out. The use of text further depicts the overall vibe that the advert is giving to the audience. The text is bold, and extremely conspicuous. It is clear that the intentions of this advert is to definitely stand out, which is a common technique that Rihanna uses in her designs. The fact that Rihanna’s name is placed in the centre of the frame suggests that Rihanna’s image and name is used as a marketing tool, as she is such an established artist with a huge global fan base, she only needs herself to sell her music.

The main text visible on this CD album advert is the name of the album (Rated R), the name of the artist and her two famous songs ‘Russian Roulette’ and ‘Hard’, instantly enticing the audience to purchase it.  The font styles reflect the meaning of the album as all of the text is clearly visible in bold, unfeminine and edgy fonts (also in capital letters, which is more aggressive) and can suggest that the album contains more controversial and aggressive songs, maybe aiming at a slightly older target audience. The name of the songs ‘Russian Roulette’ and ‘Hard’ also depict a sense of danger . The ‘Rated R’ is also of significance as it relates to the PEGI rating system for films and video games (Rated 18 for example). The font is rough and untidy and the colours consist of black, white and red, colours which are very dull but also eye-catching.

 The cover is quite conventional, with the photograph of the artist large on the cover (highlighting that it’s the main selling point of the advert) and the text at the bottom. The order of importance is quite obvious on this CD album advert, mainly because of the size and colour of the different texts which make them stand out.

Creating the net.

As I have finished my digipak, it was time to transfer my digipak onto a net which we could then fold up and take pictures of to include in our adverts. 

Here is an image of what mine looked like:

To create the net my first step was to edit the pictures to make more like a net. For example, the image on the top right had to have a section cut out from the left hand side. Secondly, I inserted a slip onto the image which I then wrote 'Lyric Booklet' on. After that image was completed, I inserted a CD template onto the image on the top left for it to be the CD case. After all the editing was completed I created a new background and opened all the images separately in the background of the computer. I dragged the four images onto the white background and arranged them according to which would be the front, back etc. The last step was to rotate the two images at the top 180 degrees making it upside down.

This was an entirely new thing for me as I have never done this before, but it really made me realise how all the small aspects of the production does make a large amount of difference. Next lesson, the plan is to start researching on adverts.

Finished

As I had a day off today,  I went into school to spend some time on my digipak and finalise it for the deadline. The last thing that was remaining was the panel and the back. I stuck to my initial idea of using the picture of me with my hair blowing, and I believe this works really well. I enlarged the picture to have it like a close-up of the artist to act as a way of introducing the artist. I also listed ten songs, but rather than boringly listing the songs, I decided to vary the colours and sizes of the texts. Last year I discovered the website www.dafont.com which is a very extremely good tool for us media students as we can download different style fonts for free. Today, I went on the website in search to find a really good bold, conspicuous font, which is easily read, and would fit in very well with the rest of the image. 

The font that I picked is called "Bebas Neue". It is really clear and bold, and I thought that it would work really work with the hard and dominant image that I am trying to create. I did not edit the background of the image at all because I like the fact that the artist is the center of attention with the background being neutral. I also included an image of a barcode to really make it more like a digipak. Overall, I really like the panel and I think it works well with the digipak as a whole. Although I have used a tough image on the front, this is contrasted with the vulnerability that is presented at the back. 

Editing

These two lessons we have been working on our digipaks. I started on the front cover and I decided to use the picture of me with my arm out, where I have written "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". I believe this picture is really eyecatching because the eyelashes are really clear. I look very dominant in this image in contrast to other images where my head is down, and my posture a lot lower. 

I rotated it towards the left, to put the main attention on the arm, placing it in the center of the frame. This worked really well. However, once I rotated it, the corners were left black, leaving me to pick up the same colour as the background to fill them. This was not as easy as I though it would be, due to the flash that I used to take the picture. I picture has a gradient effect, it is lighter in the middle areas but darker on the outsides. It left me to consider cutting out myself, and putting myself on the background which was not an idea I really wanted to carry out. After spending some extra time at lunch I managed to clone the outside areas, and fortunately it fit in well with the rest of the background. I also added the name of the artist "Kassie" in the colour brown. I believed this works really well with the brown eyelashes. I also asked a number of people in  my class and they thought it would work better than a different colour such as bright pink, grey etc. 

I also started working on the inside panels. My initial idea was to use a screen shot of me throwing the glass. However, this idea changed when I realised that this would be a really bad idea, due to the highly pixelated image. It was extremely difficult to see what I was throwing, and it was really dark overall. I replaced this with an screen grab of me sitting down on the floor with my head in my hands. This image had better quality due to the brighter lighting. 

Last lesson I worked on the second inside panel. I did not want to use another image of me that I took recently with the eyelashes as it would be repetitive and would lack visual variety. Instead, I took a screen grab of the beginning sequence where there is a close-up of the book, and layered this with a few images from the music video. I wanted to use this as it gives the audience an insight into what the subjects of the songs may be etc. I worked on blurring the edges of the pictures so that the lines would be less defined, and would blend nicely into the background. Next lesson I am hoping to work the back panel. I want to use an image which I took  previously, but rather than being extremely similar to the front cover, I am using one where my fringe is covering my face, and where my hair is blowing  (this effect was created with the use of a blow-dryer). 

Here is the image below:

I want to use this image as it shows quite a vulnerable side to the artist, in contrast to the image on the front cover. The way my hair is covering a section of my face signifies a sense of secrecy which I think will really work well in the album. Despite my posture being quite lower than the other image, the eyelashes are still very clear, and the eye make-up is also shown in this section. I like the fact that this will add a sense of variety to the digipak rather than it being dull, boring and repetitive. 

Ideas

On Wednesday I ordered a pair of false lashes. The false lashes arrived yesterday morning, and this evening I took a large number of pictures. After having look at the results, I am extremely pleased with a few of them. Overall, I did not change the look I created with the make up. I was aiming for a conspicuous look, using dark eyeshadows such as dark brown and black, along with the use of the animal print false eyelashes, but paired this with a light pink lipstick rather than a colour such as red, in order to highlight that the girl is still vulnerable. My posture is quite low in some pictures to put emphasis on her vulnerability and innocence, but quite straight and strong in others to reflect the fact that she is a strong independent woman. My hair is straight in every picture to put the attention of the viewers on the girls face rather than other factors such as clothing etc. Despite keeping my hair straight, I did play around with a different style. I created a quiff in the front of my hair, to really highlight a sense of fierceness from the girl, which I was inspired to by a number of pictures of the R&B artist Rihanna where she looked very powerful using this hairstyle. Moreover, I wore a simple black vest in every picture to also take the audiences eyes away from any other aspect of the girl than her face which will hopefully evoke a sense of vulnerability through the way in which I was looking down. The next stage of the process is to get back to school and decide which picture will be the best for the cover of the digipak etc, and then start the editing process.

I was also really inspired by one of Shakira's album covers where she has written something on a part of her body. I think that is a really unique way of presenting something to the audience. I decided to write "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger". I believe this is a really strong quote and hopefully it will instantly leave the audience aware of the type of songs in the album. It will also present me as quite strong, and dominant. 

Another image that I was inspired by was found on www.weheartit.com. I love how this image conveys a strong message and i would like to reflect that in my own text. I also love the fact that its unique and is not extremely common which would entice the audience.

Here are a few of my favourites which I believe will work well as a part of the digipak:

Digipak Annotation.

Below, I have annotated a few digipaks of existing and well-known artists to help me get a rough idea of the conventions of a R&B genre digipak. 

Rihanna Digipak

____________________________________________

Keri Hilson Digipak

______________________________________________

Leona Lewis Digipak

Digipak Research - What is a digipak?

Definition of a digipak - 

Digipak is a package designed for CDs consisting of a plastic tray pasted on a high-quality paperboard. They consist of usually four panels, and one of the advantages of digipaks in contrast to jewel cases is that it is stronger. If it is accidently dropped for example, it is likely to escape serious damage. Digipaks vary according to the genre of the artist who's album it is. For example, in a heavy metal rock album, there may be more use of colours such as red and black, to signify a sense of danger and the hardness of the music. Conversely, genres such as Pop will be more likely to use soft and vibrant colours such as blues, pinks etc. A similar effect is used with the font. The acoustic genre is more likely the use less bold, and conspicuous text, in contrast  to genres such as Rock. 

Additional footage, Editing, and Editing Completed.

The editing process is finally finished! This lesson we spent time making sure we are happy with the music video, filming any additional footage (if needed), adding effects etc. I used this lesson, along with a free period and my lunch time to change certain parts of the music video. For example, I took out a few cross dissolve effects as I believe it was getting a bit too repetitive.

Moreover, I also did some additional filming in the beginning of the lesson which took me roughly ten minutes. Although this may seem very short notice, I believe that it does benefit my music video and was worth the time. The clip consisted of the picture flying away with the wind and landing on the grass. This emphasizes the fact that she has let go of the photograph, and it is the final step to giving up the things associated to her past. I also slowed down the pace of the clip to add significance to the photograph falling.

I am generally happy with my music video. Although some aspects of it did not go to plan, such as the actress pulling in ill, leaving me to step in and take responsibility which was not the initial idea, it allowed me to experiment much more with the footage, and be more flexible with timing.There was also the issue of having a number of clips that looked lovely for example, the shots of me singing, but unfortunately because I had to film myself, I was not completely in the middle of frame.

It has been an extremely valuable project, as I have become much more comfortable with using Final Cut Express, familiarising myself with its effects, how to apply them etc.  I have had to tackle a number of difficulties, but have fortunately been able to overcome them. Overall, I have enjoyed every part of the project, and I am looking forward to the creation of the digipacks!

Symbolism and Justifications

Prior to the filming process, we spent a good amount of time planning our music videos, what we would include in it etc. An important part of our planning was thinking about including metaphors to give our music video some weight, rather than it simply being a video with a performance section and a narrative based performance. After brainstorming a few ideas, I came to the conclusion that I would use a broken glass. This would symbolise the girls broken heart, along with the idea that her life has fallen apart. In my music video, I have anchored this shot of the broken glass with a blackout just before it. I believe this really puts emphasis on the broken piece of glass and the blackout reflects the dark side of the relationship, reinforcing this depressing and forlorn mood of parts of the music video.



Secondly, I have also included a candle. The candle symbolises the girls and the boys relationship. When the candle is lit, is reflects that their relationship is still continuing. However, it also highlights that their relationship is dying out (as reinforced by the burning candle suggesting the fact that it will soon come to an end). There are certain aspects of the music video that include the candle at random points. This acts as a reminder to the audience that time is slowly running out.

 Moreover, I decided in the beginning of the planning stage, that it would be a good idea to use black and white. This black and white effect only intervenes when anchored with the shots of the past. For example, as soon as the establishing shots of Central London are shown, the black and white effect is shown, reflecting that we have gone back in time. I also believe that the lack of colours intensifies the sense of sadness in the flashbacks.



Motifs - A motif is referred to as a subject, theme, etc that is recurring. In this case, the motif in the music video is the candle and the photographs. Both of these things are included a few times in the music video to act as a reminder. For example, as stated above, the candle is repetitively brought up in the music video to remind the audience that time is running out, building a sense of anticipation and suspense. Similarly, the photographs are also brought up in the music video a number of times to reflect that the girl is stuck in a limbo. She is still considering whether to leave or whether to stay. It also reinforces the sense of happiness which the couple once shared, also fortifying the sense of sadness.

Cross dissolves - Cross dissolves are used a number of times in my music video. At first, I thought that there was too much use of the cross dissolves, making the music video less visually appealing. However, I have cut down a number of them which are irrelevant and do not create a effect for the music video. The cross dissolves are used  in the beginning sequence of the music video, to add a nice flow to the music video rather than shots just appearing and disappearing abruptly. I have also included cross dissolves in the section where the protagonist is looking at the picture frame considering reasons why she should leave or stay. I used this effect to establish to the audience that she is going into a thought and flashback of her past, and she is coming to a decision. I believe if I did not include such as thing there would be no distinction between this section and the rest of the music video to signify that there has been a shift in time.


Opacity - In the beginning sequence of the music video, I changed the opacity levels for two images to look overlapping, but still be visible at the same time. I think this  a beautiful effect, and the reason why I included it is due to the fact that it really helps signify that as soon as the girl sees the photograph lying in between the pages, it would instantly help draw her back to her past.

The beginning sequence - Although this idea did not spring to me in the planning stage of the project, I did spend a lot of time afterwards thinking whether I should include it or not. After a while of thinking, and asking those around me, I came to the conclusion that it would be a really nice thing to establish what the music video is about. I believe that this would really emphasize the growth that the girl has made, through the fertility surrounding the girl on the balcony. I also thought that the balcony would really help enhance the idea that she is no longer down, but is rather high, which is emphasized through the use of the low-angle shot looking uo at the balcony. This highlights her status, and power at this point of the music video. Furthermore, rather than using the black and white effect, I decided that I would leave these shots with their initial colour, as the shots look extremely visually appealing. There were a number of colours consisting from green to pink, and hiding these colours with the black and white effect would not be a wise idea, and a good way in reflecting the changes in time.
                                                                        

I also took the lighting into consideration. The lighting varies in different areas. For example, the point where the girl is near the door, the lighting is very dark. This reflects that as she gets closer to the boy (on the other side of the door), her life gets darker. In contrast, when she is on the other side it is a lot brighter.

More Editing.

This lesson I focused on tightening the music video, quickening the pace, cutting out the irrelevant shots and cutting down shots that are too long. The purpose of this is to make my music video more visually interesting, rather than leaving the audience bored. I have also added in some more affects, for example, I have been playing around with the opacity of the clips, showing 2 clips at the same type. I did this particularly in the beginning sequence of the music video to highlight the fact that the picture which was lying in between the books, sparks a number of memories of her past. The shots with I have used on top of the previous clips are those of her birthday, the candle, the Big Ben and her playing thumb wars with her previous boyfriend. I have also anchored these shots with the "cross dissolve" editing effect in the beginning and end of each clip, to make it look more professional, rather than it instantly appearing and disappearing out of the music video.

Another thing in which I have been editing is the lip-syncing shots. I have been cutting out some bits of those as some shots would go on for quite a while. I believe this will strengthen the visual variety in my music video.

This weekend I plan to make a plan of what aspects of the music video I need to touch upon in order to make it better, just in case I forget when it comes to the lesson. As the deadline is coming up soon, it is vital for me to make sure I make the most of my editing time, and time in school, to priorities my editing. 

More editing.

This lesson I have spent the majority of my time adding some more clips towards the end of the music video, such as the one of the girl blowing out the candle to reflect her letting go of the relationship. I have also been adding in some more performance based shots in between certain parts of the music video to quicken the pace, making it more like a music video rather than a fully narrative based production. This also strengthens the visual variety in the music video. Moreover, I have been including some more "cross dissolves" to change the repetitive simple cuts that I use throughout the music video. I also use this effect in the section where the girl in holding the picture frame, sparking the memory of her life at this point in time, to highlight that time has passed.

The return to school - Editing and Reactions.

On Tuesday we returned to school, which meant that editing was on the way again. The first step I took was to upload my footage and view it, gathering an overall opinion on the footage that I have taken over the holidays.  I was quite happy with my footage, particularly the "balcony" shots which consisted of me sitting down, studying, and coming across a picture in between the pages, triggering memories of the past. This shots are exactly how I wanted them to be; bright, colourful, and clear.The lighting is perfect, and I managed to include a lot of the flowers in the balcony, to really emphasize the sense that her life has grown, in contrast to the rest of the music video. I also filmed some establishing shots to set the setting of the music video, in the flat. These shots consisted of low-angle shots looking up at the balcony to emphasize her higher status in her life at this point in time. The shots also include the blue sky, as I really thought it would symbolise her happiness through the bright colours.

I was also quite happy with the footage of me singing. I aimed to find a blank wall to video infront of, as I did not want anything to be a distraction to the audience, making the girl the main focus of these shots. The shots consist of me showing quite a bit of emotion, for example, through putting my head in my hands, suggesting that she is stressed, looking around her (in order to imply that she is searching for a way out, and thinking about what the next step for her is to take). 

The next step for me was to start with fitting in the new footage with the rest of the music video. I started off by putting the balcony clips in the beginning of the music video. I wanted to separate the starting sequence from the whole of the music video to really highlight it as a pivotal moment, for the audience to realise that she is going to look back on her past. I also added in the clips of me singing to enhance the idea that it is actually a music video rather than a short film. Moreover, I added a few more editing techniques such as the overlapping effects in the beginning sequence to show that she is getting flashbacks of her past in her head.