Despite not being able to fully incorporate some elements I wanted to showcase such as low angle shots that mirror the rap genre or strobe lighting effects discussed in pre-production, I feel that as a whole I've successfully established the main genre I am working in whilst still being able to express influences from other genres such as Electronic Dance Music (EDM).
After showcasing my piece of to several students it was a widely accepted piece of work and effectively engaged the audience which I deem as a success as band performance music videos struggle with that aspect due to the lack of narrative to follow. It was a conscious decision to create a music video in that style as I wanted to challenge myself and showcase my editing skills in as best a light I could - which I feel that I have been successful in. I've definitely grown and improved my skill set in video production and directing throughout the course which has been an enjoyable experience for me as a whole.
After showcasing my piece of to several students it was a widely accepted piece of work and effectively engaged the audience which I deem as a success as band performance music videos struggle with that aspect due to the lack of narrative to follow. It was a conscious decision to create a music video in that style as I wanted to challenge myself and showcase my editing skills in as best a light I could - which I feel that I have been successful in. I've definitely grown and improved my skill set in video production and directing throughout the course which has been an enjoyable experience for me as a whole.
The Editing
I edited the music video using Sony Movie Studio Platinum 12.0 as it is the editing software of choice that the school purchased for the course and also because it shares similarities with Sony Vegas Pro which I have had previous experience in. I focused strongly on editing to the beat and emphasised key points in the lyrics through strong visual cues. The editing process went smoothly and took less time than the filming as I have already analysed the lyrics and important points in the music that I felt called for a visually striking work of editing in cohesion with the music - this is particularly true for the ending half of the music video that featured high energy "twitch" effects, particle overlays and punctuated camera shakes in strong relation with the music's beat, pulse and lyrics.
Editing the video with the mood of the music in mind was a key aspect in the process. I used smooth fade transitions in between shots to highlight the calmer sections of the song then used fast cuts in contrast to emphasise the abrupt nature and literal meaning of the lyric "Goes" that broke up the continuous arc shots pretty successfully.
Cutting to the beat was also another technique commonly used in music videos across all genres. This is where I felt that I was successful with my song choice as it has an established beat and pulse the audiences instantly grab on to - editing to the beat was just a natural thing to do in order to keep audiences engaged and balance out the weaknesses of not having a narrative for them to follow.
Editing the first half of the music video was quite standard as I didn't do much on the raw clips itself. It was a simple case of syncing the clips up to the music with appropriate shot transitions. This is because the song is very tight in its structure in this moment in time and quite repetitive. It became more adventurous as I transitioned into the ending section of the song. The music is more driven with sound effects and modulations which I then compliment with my editing through a series of TV Static effects, sudden/on beat twitches and subtle particle overlay. I also had to correct the brightness in the original clips.
Editing the video with the mood of the music in mind was a key aspect in the process. I used smooth fade transitions in between shots to highlight the calmer sections of the song then used fast cuts in contrast to emphasise the abrupt nature and literal meaning of the lyric "Goes" that broke up the continuous arc shots pretty successfully.
Cutting to the beat was also another technique commonly used in music videos across all genres. This is where I felt that I was successful with my song choice as it has an established beat and pulse the audiences instantly grab on to - editing to the beat was just a natural thing to do in order to keep audiences engaged and balance out the weaknesses of not having a narrative for them to follow.
Editing the first half of the music video was quite standard as I didn't do much on the raw clips itself. It was a simple case of syncing the clips up to the music with appropriate shot transitions. This is because the song is very tight in its structure in this moment in time and quite repetitive. It became more adventurous as I transitioned into the ending section of the song. The music is more driven with sound effects and modulations which I then compliment with my editing through a series of TV Static effects, sudden/on beat twitches and subtle particle overlay. I also had to correct the brightness in the original clips.
The Filming Process
The whole music video was shot in the span of 3 hours continuously. There were some issues with the venue that I originally wanted to film in as the school's main hall still had paintings on the wall due to the school production. These paintings were very out of character for my music video and the setting I wanted in my head so I had to film in the drama studio. I felt that this change allowed for a tighter proximity and allowed for effective close ups, in some ways it was even better than filming in the main hall due to this tight proximity forcing my shots to be fuller with minimal negative space in framing the shots. Another set back was to do with the fact that the smoke machine didn't operate as expected due to insufficient power into the cable. It was a shame as it would really add to the atmosphere but I had to work with what I had at the time.
I admittedly deviated a little from my original storyboard as in retrospect I felt that it was a little bland and originally had way more static shots with the camera on a tripod. Keeping the audience engaged in my head I directed my film crew to maximise as much camera movement with the gimbal as possible - filming predominantly in arc shots to entice the audience and add a new dimension to my music video. A series of slow panning was also effective in highlighting the steady mood of the music - particularly after the intertitle. For the high energy parts such as the chorus I directed the film crew to shoot it hand held as it gives a natural shakiness to the film which adds to the aggressiveness of the music at this point and time. I coupled it with a zoom out effect in sync with the music but made sure it was done hand held rather than zooming out and in the camera lens - again to add a shakiness to the frame.
The ending section was relatively easy to film. I directed the film crew to roam around the band set with the gimbal. It was also easy to perform as our band just naturally perform as such. The lighting setup was also simple as I just added colour filters to the light - however I felt that as a whole the lighting could've been improved which was a constructive feedback that I was given. There were shots were the background was lit up leaving the foreground to be dark and misguiding the audience attention to what should've been the foreground/singer. What really made this section work in conjunction with the lights was the editing. I chose red and blue colour filters to compliment the ending that I would be doing later. Also because it is a recognisable aesthetic commonly associated with sport - again appropriate in visually expressing the high intensity of the music.
Overall I am quite happy with how the filming process went. It was very straightforward and smooth despite some equipment not working and venues having to be changed in short notice. I felt that the outcome was one of my more well-produced music videos and have definitely improved since previous works.
I admittedly deviated a little from my original storyboard as in retrospect I felt that it was a little bland and originally had way more static shots with the camera on a tripod. Keeping the audience engaged in my head I directed my film crew to maximise as much camera movement with the gimbal as possible - filming predominantly in arc shots to entice the audience and add a new dimension to my music video. A series of slow panning was also effective in highlighting the steady mood of the music - particularly after the intertitle. For the high energy parts such as the chorus I directed the film crew to shoot it hand held as it gives a natural shakiness to the film which adds to the aggressiveness of the music at this point and time. I coupled it with a zoom out effect in sync with the music but made sure it was done hand held rather than zooming out and in the camera lens - again to add a shakiness to the frame.
The ending section was relatively easy to film. I directed the film crew to roam around the band set with the gimbal. It was also easy to perform as our band just naturally perform as such. The lighting setup was also simple as I just added colour filters to the light - however I felt that as a whole the lighting could've been improved which was a constructive feedback that I was given. There were shots were the background was lit up leaving the foreground to be dark and misguiding the audience attention to what should've been the foreground/singer. What really made this section work in conjunction with the lights was the editing. I chose red and blue colour filters to compliment the ending that I would be doing later. Also because it is a recognisable aesthetic commonly associated with sport - again appropriate in visually expressing the high intensity of the music.
Overall I am quite happy with how the filming process went. It was very straightforward and smooth despite some equipment not working and venues having to be changed in short notice. I felt that the outcome was one of my more well-produced music videos and have definitely improved since previous works.