Prelim Task Evaluation

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you? 

I worked with Lucy Harding, Sophie Frain and Bonnie Fitch to create our prelim task. We worked very well as a team and spread the workload evenly between us. Lucy created the storyboard, Sophie took control of the special effects, I did the rest of the editing and Bonnie sourced all of our groups props. I believe we worked well in a group as we all had similar ideas all had high levels of motivation and determination. We managed the task well

We also thought our appearances were quite similar to the members of Little Mix, whose video we were recreating which made it easy when choosing who should be who. For example, Sophie has dark hair similar to Jesy and Lucy has blonde hair similar to Perrie.  

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? 

We allocated different jobs for the four of us in our group. Lucy and I created a storyboard which broke the 30 seconds down into all of the different cuts. Underneath each screenshot on the storyboard we wrote the duration of the shot and a shot description e.g. a mid shot. Sophie and Bonnie took charge of the locations and the props e.g. the book at the beginning of the scene, Sophie bought from home.

During our group discussions we would use mind maps to brainstorm ideas. We had an in depth discussion on getting our outfits precise and we worked out what we owned that is similar but we also decided to  borrowed clothes from friends in order to make it look as similar as possible.

We spent a lesson discussing locations and then went to them around the school to weigh up if they would definitley be suitable and how we would lay out the props in each scene e.g. the bad in the bedroom scene. We also took photos in these locations so we could record them, compare and write about them after.

3) What theories could you apply to the video you chose? 

Star image- there are quite a few close ups and medium close ups of the band members which shows they are the main focus

Male gaze- the 'extras' are looking at the band members in awe

4) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it? 

We used a Sony HD Handycam video camera to film all of our shots and whilst filming we used an iPhone to play the song so we could sing along to the lyrics to make it easier for the editor. We used a  computer at all stages along the way, including the preparation, planning and editing. 

Adobe premier CS6 is the software we used to edit our footage in order to get a similar outcome to the real video.

We used YouTube to source the song we used and to find special effects, like the moving flame which we imported into Premiere and overlayed on top of a shot. We found a tripod essential throughout filming as it allowed us to all being in the shot without needing an extra person to film us. It also ensures the frame is not shaky therefore making it look more professional.

5) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing? 

Being in a school made things quite difficult because there will always be people around which could potentially ruin a shot. Therefore for the scene where the band are more 'glamed up' we filmed after school so we could focus on getting it done rather than worrying when the bell would go, giving us limited time. We found that room availability was a slight problem because when we planned to film in the large drama studio we found that it was in use but we quickly solved this by finding the other smaller drama studio was free (our back up location) for a short time but we worked efficiently as a team and managed to get it all done in the time we had. 

Camera storage was also a problem because when on location we came across a full storage so had to take our essential filming time deleting old videos off the camera.Also, the battery life on the Sony Handycam's isn't great so had to try a few different cameras before we found one with enough battery. 

Our outifts were also something we took into account as we were focused on making them look as accurate and convincing as possible.We planned and gathered our outfits quickly and we thought they looked very similar.

6) How successful was your music video copy? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently? What did others say about your production? 

In the first half of our video (the bedroom scene) we placed the camera on a tripod but it would have been looked professional if someone had filmed it for us because we were not able to get any moving shots.

With more time, better props and better planning we could have made the first scene in the 'bedroom' look a lot more similar to the real video. We could have payed more attention to detail as when the camera is sometimes supposed to be moving, we had it on a tripod because we had no one to film for us.

7) What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing your music video, do you think? 

The task has given me an essential insight into what goes into a music video, for example the amount of cuts. A lot of planning goes into making a music video therefore for our main production we need to be very thorough in planning every aspect.
It also helped with my editing skills because for our film opening 'Evangeline' we did not use many obvious effects but during this task we learnt how to import a video from YouTube (the sparkles or flame) and put them over shots in our video.

8) How does it compare with filming an opening to a film? 

A film opening is a lot slower because there are a lot less cuts. A music video is an advert for the artist so needs to keep the audience interest for only a few minutes which is why producers need to fit a lot more in to keep the viewers interested and want to watch again and again. Whereas a film is a lot longer and the opening scene cannot give away too much of the film otherwise it could be thought of as trailer which is an advert (similar to a music video). 

9) What are your strengths and weaknesses as a group member? 

I think I am good at working in a team because I am good at communication and being able to lead. However i found i was not the best at all the complicated elements of editing on Adobe Premiere CS6 which is why Sophie and I worked in that together.

10) Looking at the other group's videos which do you think were most successful and why?

I liked the videos which were fast paced and had lots of cuts because this made them interesting to watch. However there was a slower one by the band 'East 17' where the group could focus more on the detail and the similarity to the original video.