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.