Technology played a crucial role in the production of our music video. From the pre-production stage we decided that we’d prefer to use the DLSR camera that belonged to Jess. Paired with Taneshas 50mm we were all really excited to use the camera due to its ability to produce a very shallow depth of field and create clear, sharp images. Because two of the members owned DSLRs, we found it relatively easy to work with the camera due to previous knowledge. Therefore other than technical difficulties which arose from the camera itself, there were no errors in understanding how to utilise the camera to our advantage.
The camera in action on the first day of filming.
We also used a standard tripod for several shots to create a still and clear image. During our first day of filming in Costa Coffee, we were unable to obtain a tripod at this point and due to that we had to dismiss a variety of shots because of the amount of unsteadiness that can be seen within them. From this, we were able to understand the importance of the tripod and how it would set a higher standard for our production than if we did not use one. Post obtaining this equipment, we saw the importance of the tripod when using it in the park scenes. There is a specific close up where we have filmed it both with and without the tripod. In the end we chose to use the tripod used shot due to the steadiness. This shot in particular is in the video for quite a while and therefore we needed it to be still to avoid looking unprofessional.
The tripod we used to mount our camera.
As mentioned in another post we were able to use a Slide track piece of equipment. This allowed us to create a very strong, clear and sharp image within the Pool/Diner scene which when added to the timeline, created the perfect intro to the new setting. From audience feedback we received very positive comments on this shot. The audience found that the shot was unique and something they’d only see in professional pieces of film or music videos.
Final Cut Pro was the editing software which we used to create our music video. Every group member had had previous knowledge on how to use the software due to their foundation productions from AS. Due to our camera equipment already being in .MOV, we were able to skip the process that we had to do previously for our foundation productions which was convert the files to .MOV. This was beneficial for us as we were able to add to the timeline a lot quicker and easier. The prior knowledge on how to render was very useful as during the beginning of the editing stage of our production, we were faced with technical problems with rendering and frame dropping however we were able to, with help, solve this problem. Some members of the group were stronger than others in the use of Final Cut Pro however we believe that this helped us when creating the final piece. The group members which were less strong were able to oversee the creative side of the video as opposed to the technical side which the other members had to focus on aswell. Final Cut Pro allowed us to experiment with various transitions which we believe are a strong point within our music video. We have used a wide variety of transitions for specific reasons, for example we used a transition titled “Additive Dissolve”. We used this transition when there was either a shot containing lights before or after the next shot it was to be connected with. In our music video we have used an Additive Dissolve in the very beginning in the transition between the opening light shot and the mid shot of Amy singing in the studio.
The 'Additive Dissolve' used between the two opening shots.
How we added transitions between shots.
How we rendered our timeline when required too.
We used the website Youtube.com to allow us to add our music video to our blog. We encountered problems when initially trying to add the video via Bloggers uploader and thus one group member uploaded it via the website and linked it through there. We also realised that this was a good way to receive audience feedback. We then advertised the video on Facebook and asked for feedback from friends and family. We found that the video was received very well with several comments of appraisal and Facebook ‘likes’.
Our production music video on Youtube.
When filming, Amy needed the music to be played in order for her to be able to lip-sync correctly. To do this we had to use both an iPod and iPhone. The MP3 player on both devices allowed her to listen to the music in ear (via earphones) very clearly and thus making her lip-sync to a high standard. This was a vital piece of technology which allowed us to create our music video to a high standard of professionalism.
How Amy was able to lip-sync well throughout the filming process.
Another technology which we used was Photoshop in order to create our CD cover and magazine poster as part of our post-production Digipack. We started with a 12x12cm blank template and as a group had to create a design which fitted in with the overall image of the music video, the music genre and the original artist. We believe that we were able to interpret this and represent all three elements well within the final pieces. This was an extremely joint effort between the group as this is where everyone could easily input and add to how the pieces should look.
Different annotations and evaluations as to why we decided on specific elements to add throughout photoshop.
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