Draft Music Video Feedback - Nat

Some Nice Shots: 
Some of the shots that we have used in our video are framed and with sufficient movement. However there is a limited amount of them which identifies that it took us a while to adjust the camera and the tripod to our comfort. We did struggle for time towards the end because we felt that we weren't as organised as we would have liked. This meant that we did rush shots to make sure that we got enough to use in editing. To overcome this e will make a list of things we need done in each time frame, and we will stick to a precise schedule to ensure that this is done to the best of our ability, to ensure we get good enough marks.


Costume is a real issue:
We have been notified that the costume attire we dress our artists in makes the performance look scruffy and unprofessional. We have decided with large research and thought that it would be a good idea to dress our dancers in similar costume to those in the Ed Sheeran - Thinking out Loud video. Even though the dance in this video is more lyrical/ballroom we still believe that with the costume being more formal in our video it would create a better aesthetic. We will overcome this factor by looking online and resourcing clothing from local high street shops to ensure that this is possible.

More lip sync required, especially the title sequence where the dance is overlaying with the singer:
We were aware after filming when looking at our footage that we only had Katie singing the chorus for most of our filming. Therefore during post production we were aware that we were limited on what we could do. This also meant that some parts of the lip sync do not match as we had to use a few different lyrics here and there to ensure we had a sufficient amount of footage of our artist. We would need to become a lot more organised before re-filming, but we have decided that re-filming everything is something that we should do to ensure we attain the best grade we can.


Make up needs attention, this needs work:
By watching YouTube tutorials it will enable us to gain a better understanding of how to present our artists and our dancers. In many shots both Katie and the dancers look washed out of the shots, and they look particularly young. We would like to completely get rid of this if possible as it means that the overall professionalism of the final product will look better. Unfortunately with pop, and the concept of dance it makes it extremely difficult of us as everything must be the idea of 'perfect' which will mean that effective planning beforehand and organisation is key for us to succeed as a pair.


Full marks will be very very challenging:
We have been made aware the full marks will be challenging because of the music genre that we have chosen. Our contemporary dance video will need to be 'flawless' as any problems or misjudgments will be picked up on. As students, with the technical ability we have, have made it aware that this will be hard to achieve, but all those involved have been made aware how important the video is.

Draft Music Video Feedback - Sanj

Some nice shots:

•  Most shots that we have created, need work. During feedback stages most have been described as static (no movement). This will be changed during the final music video stages, as both I and Nat will be encouraged to move the camera more and experiment much more with the shots and angles that we use. Before filming our next video, we will compile a more detailed storyboard along with details of the camera and how we wish to use it. This will then be discussed with peers and staff in a hope to gain approval for we film our final music video.

Costume is a real issue:

•  This is something that we have been made aware of prior to our draft music video feedback. Our new design would feature a more classy, sophisticated mise en scene. All participants involved,feature a black tie theme that will give us the atmosphere that is needed.
• Our male dancer, will be wearing formal attire. Featuring black trousers, a smart white shirt and waistcoat. This will add both class and age for our dancer, in a attempt to give us the correct atmosphere that is required as well as making a professional impression for the viewers watching.
• All females involved will have a re-evaluated style of clothing, rather than dance equipment and t-shirt and jeans. During the stages of our current research, we have decided upon our female dancer wearing a lyrical dress. This can be sourced from most online shopping websites, meaning we are not restricted with the style that we need. Our main issue will be the colour, we will need to decide upon a suitable style that will work with the studio that we are attempting to hire as well as working in conjunction with the other participants costumes.
• Our singer/ Katie will be wearing clothes used during the second photoshoot/ final digipak. The choice of clothing here worked better for our needs. It made the artist fit the music genre that we needed as well as attracting a male gaze audience, something that is a heavy component of the pop/ indie music genre,

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp-EO5I60KA


More lip sync required, especially the title sequence where the dance is overlaying with the singer:

• This was an issue, as Katie (our model/ singer) had little knowledge of the music and lyrics, which became evident that the stages during the stages of our filming and is something that has been reproduced in our video. Our filming skills have also been questioned, as we limited ourselves to certain lyrics that were being filmed. This can be easily resolved, as Katie will be made aware that of our filming date with enough time for her to learn them, in addition - checking with Katie that she has learnt the words before the filming date will give us confidence that our video will be more successful than the draft.

Make up needs attention, this needs work:

• This can be done via researching tutorials that can be used to achieve the desired look at we are attempting to recreate. Birdy fan made videos and blogs (tumblr's) will have been created, providing visual aid towards the work that we are attempting to emulate. 
• Either Nat or I will focus on how to make the artists make up better, and will attempt to reproduce a style that works for the video and genre that we need.
• Particular attention to eye make up is crucial. As it allows us to have the desired strong, emotionally manipulating effect that we need. Focusing on the artists cheekbones, will be another primary focus. 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm5_2bTQwUc Using make up shading, will allow us to make the cheekbones become more defined, attracting the audiences attention towards the artists face, it will also make the model look similar to Birdy in a strong sense of appearance. 
• Smaller things such as foundation, concealer and eyebrow work will be applied to all those involved. This will allow use to achieve a flawless look for the participants, helping to make sure that the overall appearance appears professional. 

Full marks will be very very challenging:

• We have been made aware of this because of our chosen music genre and the style of video that we wish to produce. Creating a contemporary dance music video has meant that there is little room for mistakes, as these will be picked up in either the singing or the dance between our male and female partner. To secure as many marks as possible both Nat and I will put the work in to acheive the best standard possible. Making others aware of the importance of the video and how it will effect us as students will also put into prospective how professional the video must be. However, we are prepared to put the work and effort in to achieve the best.

Websites to support improvements:

Birdy inspired/ fan blogs: 

• birdystyle.tumblr.com/
• daily-birdy.tumblr.com
• i-love-birdy.tumblr.com/

Source: www.tumblr.com

Make-up tutorials:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x86Hc2LCjQg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtQjYP4VE1A
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R7Q7s1lpEc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfBp8GXF0gg

Source: www.youtube.com

Sanj's Feedback

Alex Rhodes:

Will Jones:

Krish Chauhan:

Angus Simmons:

Brad Ryan:

Millie Leader:

Molly Simpson:

Ollie Dennis:

Nat's Feedback

Will Jones 

Alex Rhodes 

Angus Simmons

Brad Ryan

Jack Green 

Chloe Phillips

Krishna Chauhan 

Michelle Knight

Millie Leader

Molly Simpson 

Plans Before Filming

Below Nat and I have had discussed the timings that we plan to meet when we are filming, this will ensure that our video is efficient and we overall manage our time better.

End of school: 3:10 pm
Leave school premises: 3:10 pm - 3:30 pm 
Travel to 151 Films:  4:10 pm (35 mins)
Set up at studio: 4:20 pm (15 mins)
Dancer's, hair and make up/ costume change: 4:40 (20 mins)
Filming, dancers: 4:40 pm - 5:40 pm (2 hour)

Katie arrives: 5:15 pm
Hair and make up/ costume change: 5:35 (20 mins)
Filming, Katie: 5:40 pm - 7:00 pm (1 hour 20 mins)

Re-film of dancers: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm (1 hour)

Filming finishes: 8:00 pm  - 8:15 pm  (15 mins)

Leave studio: 8:15 pm

Music Video Bloopers

Digipak and Advert Commentary

The digipak I created was inspired by both Taylor Swift's album 1989 and Gabrielle Aplin's English Rain. The reason as to why I was inspired by these were due to the simplicity and delicate aesthetic which is present across both. Unlike the mainstream pop genre albums which focus on the male gaze predominantly, these two albums focus on the theme of the album, in a less 'in your face' way. This means that the professionalism of the product is in a way easier to recreate as a student, due to our artist not being of the aesthetic which Rihanna is represented like in the media.
The warm filtered theme which runs across my digipak and advert is based around the album title 'Autumn Leaves'. Like Gabrielle Aplin's adaptation of the English countryside I decided to keep a theme of the autumn season. A typical convention of a pop digipak and advert is vibrant colour, therefore I ensured I used this where possible to keep to the conventions. However, overpowering of colour is something I tried to divert from as our artist is known as being indie-pop, so simplicity was still key. Unlike most indie-pop digipaks and adverts they don't present the artist generally on either the CD cover or advert. This made it difficult to make the decision as to whether it was important to have the artists image on mine. Due to pop conventions of presenting the artist across both pieces of media I believed it was important to at least have use at least two different images.
Another convention of a pop digipak and advert is the artist's image attracting the male gaze. With research from Aplin and Swift's albums stating this isn't the case I decided to divert the photography away from the idea of attraction and more towards the tone and emotion of the album. I believe in my opinion this would attract the target audience I have, more so than a different 'in your face' gaze style would.
The inspiration of how our artist is dressed came from multiple artists such as Gabrielle Aplin, Birdy, Taylor Swift, Shannon Saunders and Hannah Grace. Regardless of only three of these artists having record deals presently, I believe the two YouTube starts Saunders and Grace put across an individual style which fits the genre they produce music in, and is effectively simply stereotypical. With a target market of teenage girls primarily, I believe the more simple she is dressed the easier the audience will relate to the artist.


My Digipak and Advert:

Photoshoot

https://www.flickr.com/photos/115382431@N02/

Research and Planning

 

 

 

 

1. The positioning of the artist is something that I feel, helps to effectively grabs the audiences attention. This is something that can be said to be a unfollowed convention of CD covers, therefore making it individual and unique.
Enlarging the image to ensure that it becomes the focus is something that I think is of great importance, and the image of the artist will often be used to publish or push the release of singles/ albums.
In addition, the mise en scene of the image adheres to the basic overall house style of the cover. Consisting of a basic hair style followed with natural make up and basic clothing, the image provided suggests a indie/ alternative music genre. Applying this to my own work, it would mean that I would have to take a considerable amount of thought and time into the models facial expression and appearance. Ensuring that it is similar to what I have found is very important as anything different would mean that the image would lack overall professionalism.
I would also take care of the artists choice of clothing and make up, ensuring that eyes become the heavily focus of the models face, while the hair style helps to form a representation of the overall music genre.
When looking the choice of clothing I feel that a plain jumper, collared clothing would be suitable for the image that I would intend to reproduce. This is because the image provided on the cover is sophisticated and simple all of which is something that I wish to my own artist to convey.

2. Jessie Ware's album is something that I feel resembles that work that I originally intended to re-produce. This is shown through the bordered image, positioning of text and the overall appearance of the cover. There are some differences between mine and the image provided, but I feel that the inspiration that I have based my own upon, shows many signs of this particular digipak.
Using a white boarder is something that I feel helps to attract a niche indie/pop target market, as using this style helps to create a Polaroid styled image, these have gained recent popularity and have often been associated with those outside the mainstream spotlight, in addition the white also provides balance and space helping the overall design to appear efficient and unique.
The image of the artist, is something that is something that would not often appear in the charts industry and would rather attract the desired audience that the artist intends to attract. T
The photograph used features the artist sitting on a set of stairs, with the image taken from a angled perspective. This allows the a full/ long shot to be used, and ensures that all factors of the artist become desirable, for example the face, body or clothing that the artist is supporting.
Having the hair in a bun connotes sophistication, and from the research I have done, I believe that this is the music that the artist produces. It gives a clean and presented appearance, suggesting that care has been taken to maintain a good standard of both the artist and the appearance on the cover.
With Jessie Ware intentionally avoiding eye contact, it can be suggested that she may have a shy personality or intends to remain away from the public or medias eye, something that is found by many artists, as these particular influences can have the occasional negative impact on the career.

3. The cover of this particular digipak conveys a dark and gothic theme that is reflected through the artist choice of clothing and make up. Wearing chocker's, heavy eye make up and large untamed hair is something that represents a grudge/ punk-rock genre that would often be shown through the music as well as the bands appearance.
Using a black and white theme has been used in separate effect to those covers analysed before. For this particular focus, the use of dark shades and colours connote negative associations such as death, bleakness, evil and 'scary'. This is something that is often linked to the genre of the bands music and therefore is reproduced in the bands members.
When looking at this particular design, my attention is bought towards the extreme close ups used of both band members. The photo has been taken large enough ensure that it becomes the entirety of the cover and therefore ensures that it becomes the primary focus. It allows the audience to be drawn the cover for different reasons ranging from a male sexual perspective to a desire for clothing or imitation of the music genre.

Digipak Inspiration 2

I have created another mood board, however this time it includes all sorts of images which inspire the reproduction of my digipak. After receiving feedback about my draft it became very clear that the the whole design didn't reflect the pop genre. Another thing which needed improving was the image of our artist. So therefore I have found images to inspire a new style of clothing and hair which will reflect our artist in the best way.

Nat's Digipak Feedback

It became clear to us both that our digipaks needed a rethink and restyle. This is because the photo we are using for a start ant in enough quality, as well as the whole staging of the photo. This means that we need to book the school camera to have a photoshoot this week with our artist to produce better photos. Also, the regular conventions of a pop digipak haven't been met by both Sanj and I with regards to layout. This means that we would both like to do some more research into layout styles to help us improve our drafts.

Sanj's Digipak Feeback

Upon receiving feedback from both my digipak and promotional poster/ advert it become apparent that many changed would need to be conducted in order for the products that I've produced to be realistic, efficient for their purpose and produced to the highest standard possible.

The promotional poster/ advert's most significant change is the main image used to promote Katie Jones and her album. When looking at the image I have used, it is apparent that it connotes happiness, innocence and naivety. This can be shown through this type of clothing that she is wearing - a basic printed shirt and the facial expressions and body language that the artist is producing. Using a clear close up/  head shot with basic equipment has resulted in complications, such as a unclear and distorted image during the printing stages and also the limitations that have been made as a result of the image being framed in a particular way.
During research stages, and the research I intend to produce, my digipak and poster appears to be a stern, professional and sophisticated genre. These are mainly through the black and white colour scheme that is often associated with a classic and upper class audience it is also plain and efficient for its purpose, a reflection of the niche style of music that Katie Jones is producing, all of which are contributing factors to the type of persona/ indemnity that I wish to create for my artist.
I intend to meet up, once again with the model that both Nat and I are using. By this point I will have a clear understanding of the type of style that I want to produce in my own work, all of which will be discussed with peers in a hope to seek approval. I will find existing digipaks and images and evaluate my findings, considering how they would be suitable for my work and how they could be adapted to the work that I want to produce.

Once finding a suitable photograph I will  be able to look into the actual design and layout of my work. Finding the image is the current priority of mine, as I feel that my rest of both the advert and digipak would be able to be based around this idea such as the text, layout and overall house style.
I will also continue to reproduce my work in a hope that there is a sense of direction and that the artist and the music that is being represented is reflected through my design and changes.

Evaluation Of Filming

When filming we were presented with a number of issues which made it difficult for us to get all the footage we needed. Firstly, the tripod equipment we took with us from school was broken, and therefore we had to borrow the professional tripod from 151 studios. This did work out in our favour due to the tripod being of excellent quality, meaning some of the footage we produced was better than it would have been with the basic equipment we took with us.
The second problem we had to overcome was shadows. Due to having three large filter lights it came increasingly difficult to get the right size shadow, and keep the continuity of the studio infinity walls the same at all times. We played around with the lights height and position so that we could produce the best overall aesthetic in our opinion.
A further problem we had to face was the size of the space we booked out. The dancers were struggling to complete the whole dance as the space was too small. This meant we lost the fluency of the dance in places which decreased the professionalism. The final problem which occured was the amount of time we had and the way in which we utilised it. We needed our dancers and our artist to look the part which unfortunately took longer than we were expecting. As well as this, we also had to go through the health and safety with the owner of the studio which took the, and we had to set up the studio ourselves. The time we had to film meant that we were cutting it fine to film all the footage we needed. unfortunately, we didn't capture as much as we had hoped from both the artist and the dancers which means that in post production, repetition of some shots will occur for our draft.

Evaluation Of Draft

After producing the draft it became very clear that both Sanj and I didn't have enough footage to create the video. This meant that only the chorus of the song could feature the artist, and certain parts of the dance were repeated twice or even three times. Some of the dance we captured we didn't play back until oct production, and technique and camera angles aren't as sharp as we had hoped. This meant that throughout the editing process, parts of the dane needed cutting to prevent showcasing the average to poor quality parts.
However, because we were confident with final cut already, after producing the film we made earlier this year, both Sanj and I researched how to use special effects to see if it made a good effect in our video. We found that blending was something which has worked really well in our draft and is something we intend to keep. However, we are still unsure if we used enough or too much, and if they are in the right place of the video. This is something we will evaluate before going to film next time, so we can get the right shots so the blending is more effective.
For our final video we would like to encorporate more special effects which increase the fluency and overall aesthetic to our video. Even if very minor, we would still like to use them because we want our video to look as good as it possibly can.