Against The Wind: Final Cut

This is the final cut of my music video, Against The Wind. I actually made numerous improvements from the feedback I received from members of my target audience who had viewed the rough cut. Firstly, I added in a more diverse mix of transitions, particularly cross dissolves to make the shot transitions smoother and to give a greater sense of continuity, this was in response to the comment that some of the shot transitions were too short, sharp and sudden. I also added in some more additive cross dissolves as I think the dream-like, ethereal style the transitions evoke follows the indie music video conventions.

When I asked my artist for feedback she said that she liked the low angle mid shots of her stood under the trees, so I've added in some more of these shots as they reinforce the representation of her authority and independence within the video. I have also lengthened some shots as a member of my target audience said that she couldn't really fully register what she was being shown in some shots as they were so quick. However I have only lengthened a few shots as one of the main conventions of music videos is the quick shot times, this has been proved in the research section of my blog as I created a timeline of Ben Howard's Old Pine music video. Looking back at the timeline of shots I found that the longest shot time within the music video was about 8 seconds and the quickest shot time was about 1 second, so I tried to keep my shot times between 1 - 8 seconds.

The other improvements I completed was cutting out some shaky bird shots as there was some noticably shaky footage which dis-orientated the viewer, thus improving the quality of the music video. I removed the first speedboat shot so the main speedboat shot is more spectacular as some members of my target audience said that it was too repetitive. I also trimmed the main speedboat shot as the speedboat goes out of shot at the end, so I edited it to make it smoother. I made the transition into the letter animation smoother by inserting a cross dissolve as it was originally quite an abrupt cut. I also lengthened the fade to black at the end of the music video as it was too sudden and members of my target audience said they wanted time to see more of the water washing over the sand in the end shot. The final aspect of the film I edited from the rough cut was enhancing the colour of all the shots by increasing the brightness/contrast filter, thus sharpening the imagery and brightening the vibrancy of the colours which evokes a summery, cheerful atmosphere that reinforces the typical conventions of the indie genre.

Overall I'm very pleased with the final outcome of my music video as I believe it appeals to the target audience of 14 - 19 year old girls, it follows the typical conventions of the indie genre, and it successfully promotes my artist and her song (which is essentially the main job of a music video). I've also found the process challenging but I've overcome the challenges and learnt valuabe skills while creating the final product.

Conclusion

Looking back at the final cut of my music video, if I were to start the whole production process again, I would probably go about it in a similar way with a few exceptions...

I am happy with all of the preparation and pre-production I have done, as I analysed several music videos within the indie pop genre which gave me a wealth of ideas to experiment with in my own music video. I also created a time line of shots based on a current music video (Ben Howard's Old Pine music video was my main inspiration) which particularly helped me to create my own storyboard, as I was aware of the length of time each shot should be. My research on Andrew Goodwin's book Dancing In The Distraction Factory was also helpful as I made sure my music video followed the conventions he outlined in his book, particularly the way the visuals reflect the music and the lyrics, which was a key positive comment within my target audience feedback about my own music video. I think my planning was very successful as the call sheet, shot list and filming schedule made the whole production process much quicker and easier as I was organised and knew exactly what I wanted to get done.

 I also researched some prominent directors before I started creating my product which was extremely helpful as I could then emulate and develop the style which was my favourite. The specific style which influenced my music video was the style of Sofia Coppola's film making which have distinctive features such as, visually stylish mise en scene, an abundance of pastel colours, languid camera movements, an ethereal atmosphere and modern soundtracks. All of which has developed through Coppola's love of fashion, photography and art to create an aesthetically pleasing form of storytelling. The particular production from Coppola which inspired my music video was her advert for the 'Miss Dior Cherie' fragrance (although it's not a music video it's still aimed at a similar target audience to mine 14 - 19 year old girls), and I've used the prominent features within my own video e.g. the light hearted, fast paced story telling, which keeps the audience hooked through parallel editing in a montage style, as well as evoking a care-free, cheerful and quirky atmosphere. This demonstrates how I've conducted research of typical conventions and applied them to my own media product.

The actual production stage was probably the most stressful part of the project as I only had a limited amount of time in Cornwall (as I was just there on holiday) so I wanted to get all of the filming done with a variety of shots as I didn't have a second chance to go back and film again. However the filming was weather dependent so I spent a lot of time looking out of the window and checking the weather forecast on the internet. Eventually there was a glimmer of sunshine which I seized and luckily the nice weather lasted the duration of the filming. There is one particular long shot at the beginning of my music video where there is light rain, however I think this adds to my music video by creating a juxtaposition between the sunny shots and the rainy shot, which emphasises the change in tone from the woodland scenes to the beach scenes.

The filming itself went quite smoothly as I followed my storyboard, however there were some spontaneous shots which I hadn't planned but worked well at the location, so that was pleasing. An aspect of filming I would do differently, is to film more close up shots of the artist lip syncing, as I didn't have enough and they are the most important shots within a music video as they allow the audience to make a connection with the artist while she's singing. Another aspect of improvement which came up from the target audience feedback was that the two animations didn't flow as well as they could have, so If I had more time I would have made a third animation to integrate into the middle of my video to make them flow more effectively. I also think if I were to film again I would definately film shots with a greater freedom of expression e.g. more flowing shots which evoke the key theme of freedom.

The post production stage of the project was my favourite part as I enjoy being creative and transforming the material into a finished product. I also learnt a lot about editing techniques such as changing the brightness/contrast of the shots which made the video look much more like a indie pop music video. An aspect I would have liked to include more of is the use of focus pulls within my music video, as when I looked back at the indie pop videos I analysed (particularly Ben Howard's Old Pine)  they frequently used focus pulls to exude a quirky, ethereal atmosphere. I think I should have referred more regularly back to the indie music videos I analysed to make sure I was following the typical conventions of the genre which were present within the music videos I analysed.

Overall I am thoroughly pleased with the outcome of my coursework as I feel the products fulfil the purpose of promoting the artist and her song, it also attracts the target audience of 14 - 19 year old girls (as demonstrated in my target audience feedback) and follows the typical conventions of music videos within the indie pop genre which I identified at the beginning(e.g. creative/artistic touches, rural location, parallel editing, natural/tranquil atmosphere, etc). I am also pleased with the way I've developed my media skills as I've learnt a lot in terms of editing and using new technologies (iStopmotion, inDesign). It's been challenging at times because I've worked independently this year instead of working with a partner as I did for last year's coursework which was difficult at first, but I'm glad I did as my confidence and independence has improved hugely because of it.

Evaluation Question 4:

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

  







Evaluation Question 3:

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

  





Evaluation Question 2:

How effective is the combination of your main product and the ancillary texts?

 

 

Evaluation Question 1:

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge froms and conventions of real media products?

 

 

 

 

This is a powerpoint which adds detail to the annotations within the music video you've just viewed...

   

Evaluation Question 1 from Jessie Williams

Finished CD magazine advert

I have altered the colour of the fonts so that they flow with the colours within the background image by complimenting them. The artist's name is now in a dark green with a brown outline to highlight the colours in the trees - the darker colours also make the words easier to read. I changed the name of the album font into a pale pink colour to compliment the pink colour of the artist's skirt, with a blue outline to make the words jump out of the page. I also altered the layout of the text 'Against The Wind' to make it easier to read by putting it across two lines in the centre of the advert at the top, so it's directly in the reader's eyeline and it's a lighter background colour, instead of the dark foilage which made it hard to decipher the 'Wind'. By centring the text it draws the reader's eyes down the middle of the advert which is where all of the vital information is positioned; the photo of the artist, the name of the artist, the name of the album, the album's status and where its available to buy.

I added in some secondary information at the bottom of the advert telling the reader what is being advertised and where they can buy it. I think this information is vital because without some sort of information it is unclear what exactly is being advertised. This text is in the same font as the name of the album to reinforce the continuity within the design. The blue colour of the font reinforces the natural feel of the imagery as it represents the colour of the sky, which also relates to the name of the album 'Against The Wind', thus following the typical natural conventions of the Indie genre.

Finished CD digipak

My main alteration to the CD digipak was changing the colour of the font so that it complimented the colours which were already present within the imagery. I changed the artist's name into a green colour with a dark brown outline which highlights the colours in the trees and also makes it easier to read than the original purple colour as it's darker. I changed the colour of the album name into a pale pink colour which works nicely with her skin tone in the background image. I also changed the layout of the album name so that it's over two lines and centred in the middle, as the word 'Wind' was difficult to read due to the dark foilage in the background, now it's easier to read due to the light background.

I made the font on the back panel (with the track list) larger and thicker so it's easier to read and I also changed the colour to dark green to make it flow well with the typography on the front panel. I created a pink outline around the green font to make the text stand out and also to compliment the pink colour of the artist's skirt in the background image. I also altered the colour of the font displaying the lyrics on the inside panel to a pale pink as I wanted to link the panels of the digipak together and create continuity within the design. I made the outline a darker blue so the text stood out as it's quite small - but it has to be small otherwise I'm unable to fit the whole song on the page.

Overall I think the CD digipak is successful as I've not only gathered feedback from my target audience but also feedback from an Art teacher/designer and my artist. As Alex (my artist) and myself are both members of the target audience we both agreed that the CD digipak is appealing and we would definately want to purchase it if we saw it on display in a shop.

Editing ancillary products

Adobe Photoshop:

 

 



Before I created the ancillary products in Adobe inDesign, I edited all of the photos in Adobe Photoshop; I enhanced the Brightness/Contrast by going on 'Image' and then clicking on 'Adjustments', so the colours are brighter, sharper and more vibrant. To layer the coffee stained paper underneath the photo for the magazine advert I put the photo on the top layer and then selected 'Overlay' on the drop down menu (I've highlighted this on the right hand side of the screenshot), which made the paper show through around the sides of the image, thus evoking an authentic, rustic style which follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre. I then exported the images off and transferred them on to Adobe inDesign.

 

Adobe inDesign:

Editing the magazine advert

 

This screenshot depicts me editing my magazine advert for the CD in Adobe inDesign. I had never used the programme before so the tools were all new to me, but I have learnt a lot over the last few days and I've managed to transfer the background image from Photoshop (where I layered the image of coffee stained paper under the photo) to inDesign, and I then added text. I put the image on the programme by going to 'File' then 'Place', I then went to 'Object' then 'Fitting', then I clicked 'Fit content to frame' so the photo fits the box without being stretched. To insert text I clicked on the 'Text' tool in the toolbox on the left hand side of the screen and then simply typed in the text I wanted. I chose the style of typography from a copy right free font website after doing a lot of research as I wanted the typography to reflect the genre, and then I downloaded it on to my computer. To change the colour of the text I clicked on the 'Colour' button (which is highlighted on the right), selected my colour and then clicked 'add to swatch', so I can refer back to the colour later on. To make the typography stand out I added in an outline by clicking on the 'Stroke' button on the right hand side of the screen, I then thickened the stroke and changed the colour, so it made the text easier to read.

Editing the CD digipak

To create the CD digipak I found a template on the internet with the exact dimensions of a six paneled CD digipak and then I downloaded it to Adobe inDesign. I then inserted each image into the panels by using the 'Place' tool and then clicking 'Fit content to frame' so that the images are the right size (I had to rotate the three photos at the top as they will be folded over when I print it). To insert the text I clicked on the 'Text' tool on the left hand side and then typed the text, I also used the 'stroke' tool to make the text stand out.

Ancillary products 2nd feedback

Professional feedback:

I have asked the head of our school's Art Department to give me feedback on both of my ancillary products. I printed out both products and gave them to Mr Childs, he said; the colour of the text needs to compliment the colours within the photograph e.g. pink to match the artist's outfit, or green/brown to match the trees, thus ensuring that the design flows and the text stands out. He also said there needs to be information on the magazine advert telling the reader what is being advertised and where they can buy the CD, so I will add in 'The U.K's best selling album, available from all good music retailers' as this information is common on CD magazine adverts which I've researched.

 Mr Child's said the layout of the text 'Against The Wind' may need to be altered so it is easier to read, which is the same for the lyrics within the CD, so I will make the colour darker. He also said that the white outline makes the text difficult to read - so I will try out a darker outline colour as I think an outline makes the text stand out more.

Artist Feedback:

Alex had positive comments on the imagery and layout for the digipak and magazine advert, she particulary liked the choice of photo for the CD front cover, as she liked the way the sunlight frames her head making her appear angelic. Alex also thought the typography was effective but she suggested that the lyric font should either be a darker colour or have a lighter colour for the outline to make the text easier to read.

2nd mock up of the CD digipak advert

I have made quite a lot of improvements to my magazine advert as I want the advert to really jump out of the page at the reader. The main feedback I received for the design was to space out the text so that it isn't clumped together at the top, so I took away the unnecessary information ('The number one UK album featuring Another Day and This Life) and left the vital information (artist name and album title). Therefore the text stands out more and grabs the reader's attention as it is the only text on the page, the photo of the artist also becomes clearer as the main focal point of the advert. The dismissal of the other text makes the finished design feature the rule of thirds with the artist stood in the middle of the two lines of text, thus drawing the reader's eyes towards the image of the artist, therefore making her recognisable to the target audience and making the overall design more aesthetically pleasing.

I changed the typography of the text as a few members of my target audience stated that the original font style wasn't reinforcing the Indie genre. So I took these opinions on board and changed the typography of the artist's name to a serif font, thus conveying a more feminine, decorative, handwritten vibe which also injects a sense of fluidity and formality within the design. This 'handwritten' style follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre as it evokes a creative feel. The typography of the album title was inspired by the typography that is featured on Noah And The Whale's album, The first days of Spring (an indie/folk band). I like this font as it's bold and plain which contrasts against the curvaceous, fluent style of the font used for the artist's name. 

I used similar colours for the typography of the magazine advert as I did for the CD digipak as I want my music video's  promotional package to contain design features which flow throughout, therefore if a member of our target audience has seen the magazine advert then they will recognise the CD digipak as it contains the same typography and the  image used for the magazine advert is the same one I used on the back panel of the CD digipak. I have added a white border around the edge of the typography to make it stand out and easier to read.

To further reinforce the Indie genre of the album, I found an image of a coffee stained piece of paper on the internet which I then placed in Photoshop and faded behind the image of the artist. This enhances the creative, handwritten style of the advert, while the sepia tones add a slightly rustic, authentic, vintage affect which follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre. I wanted the magazine advert design to emulate the style of Corinne Bailey Rae's album cover, The Sea.

2nd mock up of the CD digipak

This is the final version of my CD digipak with all of the improvements completed from my target audience feedback. It is inspired by the front cover of Corinne Bailey Rae's album, which captures the typical conventions of the Indie genre through the outside location, quirky typography, and folk style of the artist's costume. Many Indie CD digipaks features artwork which references the natural world, therefore the main focal point of my design is the location which features as a picturesque backdrop within the photographs. The sun's rays shining through the trees evoke an optimistic, hopeful, care-free atmosphere, thus reinforcing the archetypal conventions of the Indie genre, therefore attracting the target audience. I have enhanced the colour intensity of the images on photoshop by increasing the brightness/contrast, thus emphasising the warm tones of the sun and making the digipak much more vibrant and eye catching.

The improvements I have made from the target audience feedback, is I've removed the 'Verse 1' 'Verse 2' so that I can increase the size of the text, thus making it easier to read. I have also changed the typography of the artist's name, the track list and the title of the song 'Against The Wind', as I downloaded a serif font which conveys a fluid, feminine, handwritten style that follows the conventions of an Indie album title. I also changed the typography of the album title and the lyrics, as I thought the san serif font was too plain and boring, so I found another font which was more decorative but still bold - so it contrasts with the serif/embellished style of the typography for the artist's name. I have altered the actual dimensions of the digipak to make it more realistic, I did this by researching the typical measurements of CD digipaks and then applying them to an Adobe InDesign document. Therefore I had to change the position of a few images and rotate three images so that when the digipak is printed it works successfully when its folded.

Ancillary Products feedback

CD digipak feedback:

 I have learnt that a member of my target audience thinks the digipak would look more attractive if I took away the titles on the lyric panel ('Verse 1' 'Verse 2'). This would enable me to increase the font size of the text ( it is very small as I had to squeeze a lot on the page), thus making the text much easier to read, which would greatly improve the overall product. This is a very helpful piece of advice which I will act on by altering the text for my final product. The member of my target audience also stated that she liked the photography and typography on the CD digipak, which is encouraging and proves that the album would appeal to her if it was on the current market.

Magazine advert feedback:



This person isn't a member of my target audience (girls aged 14 - 19) however he does fit into the age group, and he is studying photography so I thought he could offer some professional advice on the design of my magazine advert. His advice was to space the text out on the advert, as there is a lot of information squeezed together at the top of the page. So he said I should keep the artist's name and the album name at the top, but position the secondary information ('The Number 1 UK Album, Featuring Another Day and This Life) at the bottom of the page. Therefore the text won't distract the reader's attention from the photograph of the artist, but it will still deliver vital information to the reader and the design won't be too crowded at the top of the page, thus making it more aesthetically pleasing for my target audience.

I will definitely follow his advice as it will dramatically improve the readability of the advert; making the design clearer for my target audience to read and understand. I am really glad I asked him as I never considered placing any text at the bottom of the advert as it isn't directly in the reader's eye line, however as long as the important information is at the top (name of artist and album) then the secondary information doesn't have to be as obvious, but still clear to read. He also commented that the font was nice and the use of the image was effective which indicates that the design is attractive and appealing. However I think the typography for both the digipak and advert needs to reflect the style of the music more e.g more feminine, quirky and creative. So I will experiment with a variety of typography such as a serif font which is more decorative and then decide which font will work successfully.

Mock up of magazine advert for CD

This design features the same photograph that was on the back of the CD digipak, I did this deliberately so that the artist could become recognisable to the target audience. The artist is portrayed as being quite shy and reserved in this image as she is almost hiding behind a tree, however she's got a coy/playful expression which conveys the light-heartedness of the album. I like the way the sunlight is shining through the trees, thus evoking a cheerful, optimistic atmosphere and also acts as a spotlight on the artist so she stands out.

I have used the rule of thirds within the design to make it more appealing and easy to read for the target audience. The composition of the advert is effective as the woodland takes up the majority of the image which signifies nature's importance within the songs on the album, which reinforces the theme of my music video. The artist's costume is evocative of a warm summer's afternoon; the maxi skirt conveys a stylish, laid-back, quirky individual which should appeal to members of our target audience and also reinforces the style I would like the music video to portray.

I placed the text at the top of the design so it grabs the reader's attention when they are reading the magazine, the text also stands out as it is positioned on the white area in front of the sun. The typography is in the same style as the text on the CD digipak, as I want the same style to flow across all of the ancillary products, therefore the album will be recognisable to the people that have come across the magazine advert. The text that features the name of the artist is larger than the rest of the text on the page, as I wanted it to be the focal point of the advert, so the target audience immediately know the name of the artist.

The typography of the artist's name is in a serif style which evokes a feminine, sophisticated edge. However the other text on the page are in a son serif style as I wanted the typography to be simple but bold, so they deliver the necessary information but doesn't distract the reader's attention from the main focus: the name and the artist. The blue colours of the typography convey tranquility and a sense of freedom, it also evokes imagery of the sea; all of which encapsulate the style and theme of the music video. The name of the artist is in a darker blue which signifies that it is the most important information on the advert, the lighter blue is used as I wanted to break up the text using colour, so it is easier to read and more attractive to the reader.

I have produced a second mock up of the magazine advert which is exactly the same but it only has the artist's name and album name, as I wasn't sure if I wanted the information about the 'Number 1 UK album, featuring Another Day and This Life' . This is because many magazine adverts of the same genre only have the name of the artist and the name of the album on the advert, which is simple and doesn't distract the reader from the image as it only features the vital information about the album. To choose my final design I will conduct a survey using members of the target audience; I'll ask them about the text and if they have any other improvements, thus ensuring my magazine advert appeals to the target audience.

Mock up of CD digipak

I made this CD digipak on Adobe InDesign which was my first time using the software, I found it easy to understand and simple to navigate. The design was inspired by the creative photography set in rural locations as seen on Corrine Bailey Rae's album, The Sea, and Noah and The Whales album, The First Days of Spring. I wanted to capture the beauty of nature to reinforce and evoke the subject matter of the majority of the artsit's songs. However I still wanted to include the artist in the imagery as I think it's important for the target audience to recognise the artist. Kate Nash's album, My Best Friend is You, doesn't feature an image of the artist which is different as it doesn't follow the typical pop conventions for a CD cover, but I don't think it is very successful as the audience can't feel connected with the artist or relate to the artist as they don't know what she looks like.

 

I chose the close up of the artist for the CD cover as I think it's more personal and I like the way the sunlight frames her head so she really stands out. Her face is looking upwards, which makes it appear as if she is looking towards the text on the cover, as I positioned the text in her eyeline, thus making it the focal point of the image. I have used the rule of thirds within the front cover to make it more asthetically pleasing and easy to understand for the target audience. The background of the branches evokes nature which makes the subject flow throughout the music video and the ancilary products. The rural setting also follows the typical Indie music conventions, as I have analysed many Indie CD digipaks which include references to nature e.g. Jack Johnson, Lissie, Florence and The Machine. The artist's costume of the leather jacket evokes toughness and a sense of adventure, which illustrates the mood I would like the music video to subtley convey.

 

 

The typography of the artist's name has a serif style which is flowing and conveys elegance, sophistication and femininity, thus appealing to the target audience of girls aged 14 - 19 years old. The typography of the album name, track titles and lyrics is in a son-serif  type writer style which is bold, simple and quite rustic, thus portraying the key features of Indie music. The blue colour of the text amplifies the name of the song, Against The Wind, whilst also has connotations of peacefullness and the sea (which again amplifies the imagery featured in my music video). The blue colour also makes me think of freedom, as I wanted the design of this digipak to convey the feeling of growing up and breaking free from the mould (which highlights the meaning behind the lyrics of Against The Wind).

 

The other photos featured within the digipak all link back to the main theme of nature, with the artist interacting with nature in a wooded area. The sun was just setting when I took the photos which was perfect as my music video is going to feature a sun rise so there will be a continous theme through my final products. I like the atmosphere the sunset evokes; it's quite a meloncholy feel as it has connotations of an ending, be it the ending of a day, the ending of a life, or it could be represented as the ending of childhood. This is why I chose the photo where the sun is almost fully set for the end panel of the digipak as it symbolically illustrates the end. I have edited all of the photos on photoshop to brighten them, thus evoking a happy, cheerful mood and conveying the sense of a summer's day (despite it being a chilly Autumn day!).

 

I wanted some of the photos to include the artist with her guitar to convey the authenticity of her music and to also enhance the acoustic/indie vibe of her music. The costume of a maxi skirt, vest and pendant portray a slightly hippie style which follows the typical conventions of indie pop music. It is also valued as a trendy outfit within our target market, thus making the album appeal to them. All of the photos convey quite an isolated feel as the artist is on her own, however this reflects the depth of her lyrics and also makes her the focal point of the audience's attention. I tried to get the artist's poses to be as natural as possible to portray a laid back, free spirit personality to reinforce the stye of the music video.

 

I will show this design to members of my target audience and get them to assess the appealing quality of the digipak; I will ask them if they would consider buying it if they saw it in a CD shop, and what I coud do to improve the overall design so that it appeals to other members of my target audience. I think I will need to improve the text on the digipak as I'm worried it isn't 100% easy to read; the light blue colour doesn't stand out very clearly and the size of the text for the lyrics is too small. So I will evaluate these aspects and alter them for my final design.

Ancillary products research

Here is a PowerPoint presentation displaying my research into album digipaks and advertisements from my chosen genre (Indie/Acoustic). I now know the common features included within Indie promotional packages, so I will try to emulate this style within my own ancillary products, to ensure that they appeal to my target audience. I have also included photos I've taken of my artist, which I will then conduct a target audience survey to choose a selection of the best photos which will appear in my promotional package.

Ancillary Products from Jessie Williams

Rough cut feedback from blog

This is a screen shot showing the rough cut of my music video which I uploaded on to my own personal blog with the message: I would appreciate any feedback you could offer, particularly the strengths and weaknesses of the video and what improvements I could make to make it more suited to the genre/more appealing to the target audience.
This proves that I have been creative with my use of digital technology to try to gather as much feedback as possible, particularly from people who don't know me, which is useful as they don't feel pressured to give positive feedback about my music video.

Here is a close up of the only feedback I recieved for my music video post, despite the absence of comments it was positive feedback; two fellow bloggers 'liked' my post so that is encouraging. This proves that the rough cut of my music video clearly appeals to members of my target audience, as I viewed their profiles and one of the bloggers fell into my target audience category.

Rough cut feedback 2

Improvements:

I held a viewing of my music video with members of my target audience and got them to write down what they liked about the video and what they thought needed improving. Everyone had a mixture of positive and negative comments, which is helpful as I can improve my video to suit what the target audience wants to see. I then collected up all of their notes and sorted through them. The main improvement which 90% of the audience commented on was that some shots were shaky and needed editing to cut out the shaky footage. I completely agree with this point as I actually filmed some shots (most of the bird shots) with a hand held still image camera, so the shots were not as high quality as the other shots which I filmed using a Panasonic film camera on a tripod. To improve this I will cut one bird shot which is completely out of focus and tidy up the editing of other shaky shots so that the majority of the shots are smooth with minimal wobble.

Another comment was that I needed smoother editing and shorter shot times to quicken the pace of the video. I agree with these points too as I thought watching my music video on a large screen seemed to magnify errors, such as shaky camera work and also increased the time of the shots so I noticed they did drag on for longer than necessary. Therefore I will quicken the pace of shots which will make the video much sleeker and more attention grabbing. I will also make transitions smoother so there is a greater sense of continuity within the video and make the shots flow more successfully.

I received a lot of positive feedback about the dramatic speedboat shot however many people said that I should remove the first shot of the speedboat and just have the long speedboat shot at the end of the video as it is noticeable that I've repeated the shot. I agree with this and will therefore remove the first wide shot of the speedboat and keep the second shot at the end. I will also cut the end of the second speedboat shot, as some people said that the second shot of the speedboat needed to be trimmed slightly as the camera loses track of the boat at the end of the shot, which is understandable as it doesn't flow very well.

A few people said that my second animation with the letters spelling out the lyrics is quite abrupt and needs to be integrated better within the video, either through smoother transitions or by adding in more letter animation at different intervals within the video. I can understand this point, so I will experiment with more letter animation within the video, or maybe just make the transitions into and out of the animation smoother. One person said they thought I could include more close up shots of details within the video, such as close ups of leaves, or blades of grass within the wood. I didn't think about this during the editing process, however I like this idea as it would increase the variety of my shot types as I don't have many close ups within my rough cut. Therefore I will search through my footage and see if I have any close ups of detail which would reinforce the rural location of the video.

The whole audience said that the last few shots of my music video was the best and most effective section, one member of my target audience wrote, 'The last 30 seconds are perfect'. This is encouraging as it leaves the viewer with something memorable - especially as the last shot features the name of the artist, thus adding a personal touch and making sure she becomes recognisable among her target audience. One pertinent comment was that the last shot needed to last longer as the fade to black was too fast, so I will increase the length of this shot and add a slower fade.

Positive feedback:

The common feedback featured statements such as, 'nice shot selection', 'last 30 seconds are perfect', 'good variety of shots', 'effective end shot/great ending'. Many people commented on how much they enjoyed the surfer shots, animation, and end shot. In summary I think I have managed to successfully capture a variety of shots in different locations which reinforce the Indie genre of the music video and I think the composition of my shots work well - particularly the beach shots. I also think my music video conveys a creative touch, especially within the animations, which emphasises the category of people I want to attract. Generally the majority of the class all had positive comments to make so I have hopefully made a music video which will appeal to the target audience and engage the viewer. Therefore when I make the necessary improvements my music video should strongly attract the target audience to become dedicated fans of the artist!

Rough cut feedback

These are two members of my target audience who watched my music video rough cut, and then answered some of my questions. The first question I asked them was what they thought the strengths of the music video were; Ellie said she liked the two different locations (the woodland and beach) as she thought they complimented each other. She also said she liked the shot of Alex sat singing on the bench in the wood as it connects the different shots together and makes them flow. Fliss said she thought the wide variety of camera shots and different angles was really effective. Fliss also said she liked the way the imagery matched the music, for example the shot of the boat hitting the waves when the music got louder, faster and more dramatic. Ellie said she also liked the way the visuals reflected the music and the lyrics, such as when Alex is singing about birds, there are wide shots of birds flying in the sky. One of the main conventions of Andrew Goodwin's theory is that the visuals in a music video either illustrates, amplifies or contradicts the lyrics, so the visuals in my music video amplifies the music as well as amplifies the meaning of the lyrics. This is good as I want the target audience to understand the message in the song and to be able to relate to how the artist is feeling.

They also had some improvements for me to make to my music video, Ellie said that some of the shot transitions were too sharp and could be softer/smoother so I could improve this by adding in more dissolves so it's more flowing.  Fliss said that some of the shots were too short so the viewer didn't really have enough time to fully register what they were being shown, so I can improve this by lengthening some shots. Their feedback has proved really useful and I agree with all of their comments, so I will make the improvements and hopefully my music video will be more appealing to the target audience.



Artist feedback

Alex (my artist) had a huge amount of input when we created the storyboard as we sat down together and discussed different shot types, shot compositions and locations, as she had a clear idea of how she wanted to be represented within the music video. However I also had a clear idea of the style I wanted the video to capture - luckily we both agreed and even developed each others initial ideas. Although this project is a collaboration, I am the one in charge of the technical side - I edited on my own during class time, so the finished rough cut was Alex's first viewing of the video. She was impressed and pleased with the outcome, however she did give valued feedback on how I could improve it; she said she really liked the animations within the music video as they illustrate the lyrics successfully, this is good as I think the animations add a creative, quirky edge to the imagery which makes my music video a bit more unique. She thought the shot content effectively amplifies the message of her song. For example the wide shots of birds flying through the sky not only illustrates the main lyrics of her chorus but amplifies the message of her song: they depict humanity's need to stick together but also the difficulty to be individual in such a judgemental society, whilst the bird shots also evoke freedom and a care-free atmosphere, which follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre. 

Alex suggested some improvements, including; varying shot transitions to add interest, she suggests more dissolves to make the shots flow better and to give greater continuity. I agree with this point as I do use a lot of simple cuts between shots, however I did this because the majority of Indie music videos I have researched have only had jump cuts and cross dissolves as transitions, so I want to make my music video follow the typical conventions of the Indie genre by using similar transitions. I have used a few additive cross dissolves which gives a dream-like, ethereal effect, thus enhancing the quirky mood of the video, so I could add in more of these in appropriate places. Alex also said that she likes the shots of her looking down at the camera, so I will definitely try to use more low angle shots of her in the tree, as I think they make Alex appear in control and authoritative which is how I want her character to be represented.

Against The Wind Rough Cut

This is the rough cut of my music video which I will show to members of my target audience and ask for their feedback - either written or verbal recoded on camera. I think the main issue with the rough cut is that there is some shakey camera work and most of the shots need to be cut down to quicken the pace of the video, however I have plenty of time to make the neccessary improvements to ensure it appeals to my target audience.

Editing the brightness/contrast filter

This is a screen shot of me editing the brightness/contrast of my music video in Final Cut Express, I did this by clicking on the 'Effects' tab at the top of the small window on the left, and then I clicked on 'Video Filters' and selected the 'Brightness/Contrast' option and dragged this option to the middle box which contained the clip I wanted to edit. After this I clicked on the 'Filter' tab at the top of the middle box which opened a window containing individual brightness and contrast scales, so I could then play around with increasing/decreasing the brightness/contrast, until I found the combination that worked successfully.
I increased the 'Brightness/Contrast' filter to create an Instagram style to this shot to make it look edgy and artistic. This also makes the setting appear sunnier as the colours are brighter and more vibrant, therefore evoking a happy, cheerful atmosphere, which is one of the key conventions of the Indie genre.

This screen shot depicts me having dramatically increased the contrast of the shot, which really improves the clarity and sharpness of the imagery. It also makes the colours incredibly attention grabbing, however I think the colours within this particular shot may be a bit too bright so I will have to tone the colours down a bit, so that there is a sense of continuity between all of the different shots. I haven't enhanced the colours in all of the shots, as some are already bright enough, I've only enhanced the brightness/contrast filter on particular shots where the weather was dull and therefore the lighting wasn't good, but I've also used the filter to create an artistic style, however I don't want to overdo this effect - I want it to be a unique feature on some shots.

Editing transitions

This is a 14 minute screen recording of myself editing my music video rough cut in Final Cut Express. During this recording of the post-production process, I played around with transitions - I particularly like the additive cross dissolve which I've used for a few transitions as it gives a dreamlike, ethereal, quirky quality to the shot which follows the typical conventions of the Indie genre. Most of the transitions in the music video are simple cuts as the music videos I've analysed in the same genre mostly use cuts not a range of transitions.
The recording also shows me altering the end of the music video as members of my target audience suggested that the end shot should last longer so there is a bigger impact, therefore I lengthened the end shot. I also experimented with various special effects like altering the colour saturation and applying a kaleidoscope effect to a shot, however the colour saturation didn't work as I would have to apply it to all of the shots to reinforce the continuity. The kaleidoscope effect also didn't work, as it was hard to distinguish what was actually occurring within the shot, however it did give a creative, arty feel which follows the typical conventions of the Indie/Pop genre. Overall I found the editing process an enjoyable and simple process as I have previous experience of utilising the software and I had a wide variety of shots.

Evaluation of filming Day 2:

For the second day of filming in Cornwall we filmed on a beach (the second location) as the vast, open space could be used to portray isolation, which would reinforce the lyrics of the song. I checked the weather the night before and it was suprisingly a lovely clear sunny day which enhanced the cheerful atmosphere of the shots. We only filmed a few shots today as we had a limited amount of space left on the SD card and we had already filmed the majority of the shots on the first day of filming. We started filming at about 10:00am and we were finished by 11:30am as the shots went smoothly because I had looked at my storyboard before hand and decided on all of the shots we needed to capture.

The beach was deserted, which was good as we could experiment with different shots without getting lots of people walking in the background, however there were quite a few dogs who almost made Alex's costume very wet and sandy! I decided that we needed mostly close up shots of Alex lip syncing today as I had captured a lot of long shots yesterday, my favourite shot that we filmed today was an over the shoulder shot of Alex sitting in the sand dunes, as the sun was shining and the wind was blowing through her hair, which gave the shot depth and authenticity while also reinforcing the care free atmosphere I want to portray in the music video. If I were to improve the production stage of this project I would definately check how much space I had left on the SD card and upload the footage on to my laptop if there wasn't enough memory, luckily we had filmed all of the shots we needed when the camera alerted us that the SD card was full.

Evaluation of filming Day 1:

Today was our first day of filming on location in Cornwall. I chose to film in Cornwall as I am familiar with the county, (we live in Oxfordshire but will be on holiday in Cornwall during the half term break which is when the filming has to take place) and I think the rugged landscape and picturesque beaches will make a perfect back drop to the music video. The rural imagery will amplify the lyrics which are focused around nature, and I want to portray the artist as an active, outdoor character who gets inspiration from the world around her.

The first day of filming was mainly done in a woodland area; I chose this location as the colours of the leaves are so vibrant at this time of year which will look beautiful in the background of the shots. I also chose the wood as it has a river running through it which I incorporated into various shots; thus portraying the tranquil, reflective atmosphere that I want in my music video.

I looked at the weather forecast the day before to check that the weather was going to be nice - unfortunately the British weather is very unpredictable (especially in the Autumn) so what I thought was going to be a clear, sunny day was actually a grey, cloudy day but no one can control the weather so I just got on with the filming. We started filming in the wood at around 2:00pm when the rain was just clearing so I managed to film a variety of shots (mainly with the artist lip syncing) within the trees and around the river when it was clear sky. My ultimate goal was to portray a picturesque, sunny location with rays of sunlight streaming through the trees, however I only managed to get a few seconds of sun so I am worried that some shots may be too dark. We left the wood at around 5:00pm (as it was starting to get dark) so I managed to record lots of footage.

Overall I thought it was a very productive day, as we managed to achieve a lot. I found the camera equipment easy to use, as I hadn't used them for a while so I had to familiarise myself with the camera and tripod. I was the only camerawoman, however my Dad took photos of the filming process and he also recorded the 'behind the scenes' footage on a small Flip camera which was helpful as I can use it to document the day. In terms of health and safety we all wore suitable clothing (coats and wellies!) as it was chilly and very muddy in the woods. This meant that Alex's initial costume had to be altered as we had originally planned for her to wear sandals and a dress, however this would have been a health risk due to the mud and tree roots which she could have caused her to trip, so instead she wore wellies, tights, a dress and a leather jacket. This outfit was practical and comfortable yet still attractive as we wanted her appearance to appeal to the target audience.

I was very impressed with Alex as she had learnt her lyrics off by heart, she never got distracted and she followed instructions which meant all of the takes went smoothly and we very rarely had to reshoot. To make sure she sang in time, she recorded her song on to her phone and then played it back while the phone was in her pocket which worked really well. I am really pleased with the shots we filmed today as Alex acted the part and got into the role of the artist, therefore the shots look really professional. We only have a few more shots to film of Alex lip syncing on the beach which we will film tomorrow as it is meant to be nice weather.

Here is a short video depicting behind the scenes footage of our first day filming (filmed by my Dad and edited by me)...

Sunrise animation test shot

This is a shot of the animated sunrise I would like to use at the beginning of my music video. I created it using iStopmotion software, which is basically like taking a photograph of the image and then moving it a millimetre for every frame. I originally wanted to use paint on glass to depict the rising sun, however I decided that this would be too complex and time consuming, so instead I used black card for the silhouetted trees and coloured card for the sun. I copied the image from my own footage of a sunrise, I then drew it on to the card and then cut the shapes out, however they weren't intirely accurate, so an improvement next time would be to increase the accuracy of the animation so it's almost identical to the real footage. In my final music video I would like the sunrise animation to dissolve into the real life footage of a sunrise.



I managed to get the animation done in an hour after a few practise shots, which was a real achievement as we filmed about 10 seconds of footage, which needed a lot of planning. I am really pleased with the outcome of both my animations (the shuffling letters and sunrise) and I think they will add a unique, creative, dynamic angle to my music video. I particularly like the way the clouds and birds move around in the sky to make the story more authentic. I think this sunrise animation will successfully introduce the light hearted, cheerful, optimistic atmosphere of the music video, while also introducing the dominant theme of nature; all of which follow the typical conventions of indie/acoustic music videos.

Letter animation test shot

This is a practise video of the letter animation I want to use for a section of my music video. It features a collection of letters (which I cut out from a magazine) in a group and gradually they move and spell out different words which illustrate the lyrics of the song (But only the end words of different lines of the song, e.g. 'Different', 'Wrong', 'Listen' and 'Song'). This is one of the first times I used stop motion animation and I found it extremely interesting and quite easy to utilize the software, as I simply had to move the letters a few centimeters and take a frame by pressing the number '3' button on the keyboard as I captured 3 frames per second.



I am really pleased with the final outcome of the test shot, as it evokes a quirky and creative style which reinforces the Indie conventions of my music video. However I'm not sure about the ending of the clip as it appears as if it cuts half way through - it isn't finished properly. Ideally I should of had all of the letters fall off of the white background, but I think I'll just cut the footage so it ends when the word 'Song' is on the screen.

 I am planning to film the sunrise animation next week, so I am preparing for this by cutting out different coloured card which I will use to depict silhouetted trees and a sun rising up behind the trees. I have decided to make the sunrise out of coloured orange, red and yellow card as I thought it would be more time efficient than using paint.

Sunrise test shots

These are a few test shots of a sunrise I've filmed to try to give an idea of how my music video will begin. I would like the beginning to feature an animation of a sunrise (similar to the sunrise animation at the start of Coldplay's Every teardrop is a waterfall) and then there will be a transition to a real life shot of a sunrise. I have taken seperate shots of the same sunrise at different stages of rising, the first one is when the sun is lowest in the sky, the 2nd and 3rd shots are when the sun is higher in the sky. The test shots were taken in a similar location to the one I am using for my music video.



Test shot 1: I like the way the sun's rays are bursting out from behind the cloud, which evokes an optimistic feeling for the beginning of my music video, thus reinforcing the light-hearted style of typical Indie music videos. I also like the church tower in the background of the shot, however I think the foreground of dense trees is a bit dull, I would prefer a far reaching vista. The camera work is quite shakey, but I could try to edit the footage to get a smooth shot.




Test shot 2: The composition of this shot is much more effective as the two trees frame the sun on each side, which draws the viewer's attention towards the sun rise. The sky is also clearer so the sun is brighter and more vivid. In terms of animation this shot would work well as I could use black card to depict the silhouetted trees in the foreground and in the back ground I could use paint in various colours (orange, yellow, red, pink) to display the gradual rising of the sun.




Test shot 3: This is my favourite out of all the shots, as I like the strong foreground of the plants with the droplets of dew sparkling in the sun. However I will edit out the car going past on the road in the middle-ground. This shot reinforces the typical Indie conventions as it places a strong emphasis on nature, which occurs in many Indie/Acoustic videos I've analysed. I wanted the style of this shot to emulate the beginning shots of Ben Howard's Old Pine music video as he walks through a field as the sun is rising and there are beautiful close ups of orange rays shining through the grass.

Creating the animation

This screen shot displays the iStopmotion software which I used to create my letter and sunrise animations. It was simple to use and navigate; firstly I opened a new project then I set the recording mode to capture 3 frames per second (which is on the right hand side of the screen), after which I linked the camera to the computer and positioned the image I wanted to animate in front of the camera. Then I moved the position of the image a few millimeters at a time and pressed the number '3' button on the keyboard to capture 3 frames. To ensure the animation was as smooth as possible I only moved the image a tiny amount per click of the button. Once I finished creating the animation, all of the frames should be displayed on the timeline at the bottom of the screen, to play the sequence you simply press the space bar or click the 'play' button.

Animation inspiration

Pixilation- is a stop motion technique where actors or objects are used as a subject taken frame by frame in an animated film. This is created by; the actor/object posing while one or more frames are taken and the actor or object changes pose slightly before the next frame. This technique is often used to blend live actors with animated ones in a film, e.g. The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb by the Bolex Brothers.

I would like to include a short section of stop motion animation within my music video. The main part will be the animated sunrise at the beginning during the intro to the song with the sun rising above the countryside; the sky changing colour from an inky blue dawn to an amber then sunny yellow morning, and the birds flying in the sky. I have discussed this idea with a professional animator and we think this will work best either using paint on glass or cutting out a drawing and moving it. I also want to do a section of animation using letters cut out from newspapers or magazines and spelling out the main words in the lyrics to illustrate the message of the song. I have already experimented with this technique using wooden blocks with letters on them, and it worked really effectively. Here are some animation videos which I have used for inspiration.

This video was written and directed by Andrey Shushkov, inspired by the legendry animator, Lotte Reiniger and Anthony Lucas's 'Jasper Morello' Film. I like the use of the silhouetted characters and objects which evoke a dark, slightly gothic feel. I think the smooth movement of the animation makes the film very realistic and life-like. I would like to create an animation of a landscape with trees silhouetted by a sun rise at the beginning of my music video, so I will experiment with cutting out trees from black card and maybe painting a sun rising behind the trees.



This Coldplay music video is one of my favourites as it utilises stop frame animation in a creative way which doesn't distract the viewer from the band. Instead not only does it illustrate the lyrics of the song but it amplifies the message of the lyrics in an artistic and (at times) humourous way. The animation is in a spray paint/graffiti style which portrays the quirky conventions of the Indie music genre. I like the way the animation flows seamlessly into the real life shots and the way the editing of the animation - particularly the transitions (cuts) - fits in time with the harsh beat of the music. I would like to use a similar shot of the animated sunrise at the beginning of the video in my own music video using paint or a cut out drawing as I really admire the use of colours and the optimistic connotations that starting a brand new day has.

Shot log

Risk assessment form for filming

Call sheets

Music video shoot schedule

Costumes, props and locations

This is a powerpoint presentation displaying photos of the costumes, props and locations I will utilise within my music video, plus explanations about why I've chosen them and how they reinforce the genre of my music video.

Costumes, props and locations from Jessie Williams

Music Video Storyboard

Music Video Style Mood Board

 These are a few images of the artistic, quirky, creative, indie style which I would like to convey through my music video. The images with the bubbles, birds, and beach are ideas which I would like to include in my video. I will also use these images to inspire the photographs and design of the ancillary products (digipak and magazine advert for the digipak).

The music video has a significant role to play in constructing an image for the artist, by creating an associated iconography (visual features which regularly accompany performance by the star, e.g. costumes or settings.)The image of my artist is very important to me, so Alex and I have discussed how she would like to be portrayed as a young up and coming artist. We have decided that she will be portrayed as a care-free, creative, artistic individual through her costumes, and the style of shots.

One of Alex's ideas for the video was to emphasise her lyrics through close up shots of the words, such as; a close up of a particular word in a newspaper article when the word is sang, or a close up of a word in a scrap book. Another idea I had was to include close up shots of a painting (e.g. birds in the sky - which illustrate the lyrics in Alex's song), and then have a transition to a real shot of birds flying through the sky. I particularly love the colours in this photograph so I want to experiment with changing the altering the filter of some shots. We have discussed adding text over the top of shots to draw the viewer's attention to Alex's lyrics.

I would like to experiment with animation; I am going to an animation workshop next week so I will play around with some ideas I have and see if they will fit into the theme of the music video. There have been a few Indie Pop videos that I have researched (in particular Tiffany Alvord's 'We Are Young' cover - see my presentation on style inspiration) which include animation, so it fits with the genre and it would also be an effective way to inject an artistic flair into the music video.