Third Draft of Music Video

This is the third draft of my music video. I have completed all filming apart from one shot which I am going to get over the next couple of days. This is a very basic shot and only props are needed so it will be easy to complete this. I have added some different transitions, e.g. fades and wipes, to give the video a bit more variety and make certain shots flow smoother. I also added effects on to some of the footage, e.g. speeding up, slowing down, and flashes. This was either to make the shots conform to the aesthetics of the video or to help the video look more professional. In addition, I adjusted some of the timings of the footage, especially some of the lip sync scenes so they fit the music/lyrics perfectly. I still feel I have more work to do on the video over the next few days but I am happy with how it is looking at this stage.

Making Ancillary Texts

This is a video I made on Windows Movie Maker which provides an insight into the creation process of my ancillary texts on Photoshop, e.g. the tools I used and some print-screens of the products being made.

Ancillary Texts In Action

Digipak:

Magazine Ad:

Ancillary Texts - Magazine Ad

This is my magazine advert for the album. It could be featured as an full page advert in a music magazine, e.g. NME or Q, or as a billboard style advert in a shop window or at a bus stop, etc.

Ancillary Texts - Digipak

This is my digipak including a front cover, back cover, two inside panels, two discs, and spines. I have followed the conventions of digipaks, as well as adding some unique features that help establish my artist's style/image. In addition, I have maintained a cohesive style throughout my promotion package, including the digipak.

Editing Ancillary Pics

I have created 'before vs after editing' gifs of some of the pictures I am using on my ancillary texts. I created the gifs on gifmaker.me which is a free online animated gif creator site. I edited the pictures on photoshop using tools such as the spot healing and dodge tool. I also adjusted the contrast, brightness and hue of each picture, as well as using 'transfrom - scale' to get the size and positioning right. All these features helped me create much more crisp and professional looking photos for my products.

Filming Diary - Last Filming Session (06/03/15)

Today was the last filming session for my music video, so I now have all the footage I need for my full video! I can finally edit it all together, which I will be focusing on for the next couple of weeks. Everything seemed to go quite smoothly and there wasn't any outstanding issues. When we got to my house I got my shot plan, set up the camera and tripod, prepared the props, and ensured Emily and Jack were ready. I just worked through each shot I needed to get and crossed them off my checklist as we went along. The only slight issues I had was with the positioning of some of the shots, due to furniture being in the way or it being awkward to position the camera so Emily and Jack would both fit in the frame, etc. but I overcame these pretty easily by making some adjustments to my cinematography. The natural lighting also appeared to work well so hopefully when I get the footage on my mac it will look professional and won't be grainy. Now I just need to get editing and my video will be complete.

Filming Diary & Behind the Scenes Pics (03/03/2015)

Today I filmed the scenes of Jack and Emily together in the green room. First I set up the green room, e.g. rearranging the lighting and pulling the white screen down because it had all been moved. I then went to collect the camera and tripod that I had pre-booked. Whilst I was doing this Emily and Jack got ready and helped me to set up the props, such as blowing balloons up. Then I began filming, checking each shot off my checklist as we went along. Jodie was with us for the first bit of filming so she took some 'behind the scenes' pictures (which are below) for me whilst I was getting on with shooting. Everything went pretty smoothly and I got all the footage I wanted to get. One issue I had was that I wanted to use a clapper board for one of the shots but I couldn't find it, so I rethought the shot and decided to do something else instead, which I think worked just as well. I also started to run out of memory space on my SD card so I had to delete some of the older footage on it that has already been uploaded on to my mac in order to be able to film everything I wanted today. I will have to delete more footage this week as well so I have enough memory for the shots I will be getting in my last filming session on Friday. Overall, I think today went well and hopefully the footage I have got will be as good as I expect it to be and I won't have to re-film anything.

Downloading Photoshop

Today I downloaded an Adobe Photoshop free trial on my laptop. I thought it would be a good idea to do this because it allows me to work on my ancillary texts at home as well as at college, giving me the necessary extra time to get them done for the deadline. I was tempted to use the 30 day free trial for last years coursework but I thought ahead and knew I would need it this year more due to the amount of work to complete in A2 in comparison to AS, so I am really glad I waited. This is already proving to be beneficial because I have been able to get started on my products tonight, as well as getting chance to have a play around and find refresh my mind of where all the tools, etc. are.

Planning Last Filming Sessions

03/03/15:

Location = Green Room
People = Jack and Emily
Props = clapper board (shot 11), lemons (shot 45), rope or material that can be tugged (shot 53), converse (shot 65)
Outfits, hair & makeup:
Jack = natural hair, black skinny jeans, dark t-shirt, black belt and converse
Emily = hair in two plaits, purple lipstick, cat-eye style eyeliner, no glasses, black tights, black velvet playsuit, black boots
Shots = 11, 13, 22, 25, 26, 32, 34, 35, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, 56, 64, 65, 72, 75, 82, 83, 88

06/03/15:

Location = My house
People = Jack and Emily
Props = Beer (shots 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 23), plate with ketchup & bbq sauce (shot 57), baking utensils (shot 58), whipped cream (shots 58 & 59), alcohol bottles & cans (shot 61), converse (shot 66)
Outfits, hair & makeup:
Jack = natural hair, skinny jeans, plain black top
Emily = hair down and wavy (natural), glasses, simple make-up (everyday makeup with flicked eyeliner), black shorts, gingham shirt
Shots = 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 42, 54, 57, 58, 61, 63, 66, 70, 78

Outfit Pics: