Planning Main Task - Chorus/Lip syncing effect

Me and Erin researched other students past video to help with ideas and found a video that used a projector to create a colourful and effective background. It was one of the most remeberable scenes, so we have decided to do something similar but with a different type of background. With the video being called colours, we decided on a paint drop, splash/explosion effect to help set the mood, theme and idea of the whole video.

Video links -

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yZZHbjRxxI
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OHxLcGzhv0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_okcNVZqqI&t=7s

Planning - Speed of Editing

Throughout the whole music video, we wanted the speed of cuts to increasingly get faster, showing that the story is coming to an end, almost as if erin is rapidly running out of time to confess and choose one, either Tom or Megan.

At the very end we want 2 second clips one after the other, showing the audience how it all fell apart and how everything is just a memory because every clip will be in black and white.

Planning Main Task - iMovie

To edit, fix and put together my whole music video i will be using the application 'iMovie' which is a highly recommended tool when it comes to editing. It was very easy to use and wasn't very hard to get used to, making it quicker for me to start playing around with effects, filters and adjustments. 

Planning Main Task - Location

Because of how realistic and normal the story, actors and theme is, we needed the perfect location to make it seem comfortable and not fake/acting. Me and Erin both decided that we should use an empty location, e.g. field or alley, so that it hasn't got too much going on in the background and wont disturb the audience or not fit in with the mood.

Planning Main Task - Style of Video

Both me and Erin agreed that by doing a story telling style in the music video gave us a lot more freedom to play around with different story lines, themes and characters. However, we also discussed having parts were there is only lip syncing, mainly the choruses. This way there is a sort of balance and there are breaks from the story and the other two actors, focusing on the main singer and the lyrics being sung. By the audience concentrating on the story currently being played out and having to try a suss out how it may end, it keeps them interested and also means they wont lose focus.

One of the reasons we also choose this was because the original music video for 'Colours' also had a very interesting story theme with only the tiniest scene were she is actual singing. However, we are hoping our story line wont be as complex or confusing as the original as it was quite hard to figure out and wrap your head around.

Planning Main Task - Days of Filming

We will be using a Canon Recording Camera to film everything that will be used in our music video, including lip syncing, natural scenes and solo scenes. it is a very reliable and recommended camera that has great quality and is very straight forward and easy to use.

Because of mine and Erin identical time schedule, it was pretty easy to plan when we would both be free. We decided that we would film on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th, both in November, because it would allow us both to record a fairly decent amount of film. 

If everything goes well and we get enough done, we may have extra time in the day to start editing, re film anything we aren't happy with or start fixing the timing with the downloaded song.

Planning Main Task - characters

Me and Erin agreed that it would be best if we only had a small amount of actors when it came to filming and with all of us being so close, it will make it a little less tense and awkward when we have to act for a scene.

Erin Evans (main actress) - Because of the artist being a female, who is quite confident, loud and lively, Erin was the perfect person for this role. The genre of the music fits Erin's style and attitude,  which helps a whole lot when it comes to the characters personality being put across to the audience. 

Tom Birtles (love interest) - Because of the plot twist we are hoping to put in the story of the video, we needed a male who could act as the main actresses love interest. Tom is very experienced with cameras and recording so we are hoping this will increase our chances of have a great video with some of his input and ideas. He has a very unique and different style which helps show the contrast between him and Erin and how two opposites attract. 

Megan Slater (close friend)  - Again, this actress has a completely different style to the other 2 characters which will help show their individually and separate backgrounds throughout the video. Even though this character will not have much camera time, she probably has the biggest story role. 

Planning Main Task - Deciding on artist and song

As me and erin are working together, we had to decide on an artist that appeals and entertains us both. We both decided it would be easier for us to do a female artist/singer because we would both like to appear in it or even do a bit of lip syncing. We needed a song that had an interesting story and sound but would also be a lot of fun making.

We harrowed it down to two artists and two songs, them being Halsey - Colors and Paramore - Misery Business. We posted a short post simply asking our friends on social media to vote for which song and artist they think we should do.

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Panning Pre Lim - Editing

With Tom having the most experience when it comes to editing, our best chance of this video coming out well was to let Tom have the biggest role while me and Erin helped with deciding on animations, timing and effects. We used Final Cut Pro X to edit and create our video because of its easy layout and how straight forward it is. It had plenty of effects and animations which widened our chances of our video looking exactly how we wanted.

Planning - Location

As we didn't have much time to film or to find a location far from where we were, we chose a closed and discrete area where there was no distractions and no surrounding sounds that may be picked up on the camera. 

We needed somewhere that was...

• Plain (brick wall or blank wall)

• Dim but not pitch black 

• Very quite

We also agreed on a silhouette effect on my hands which we used the projector for. This really helped when it came to just wanting all the attention from the audience on my hands that where clapping the beat of the song. It was a really different scene compared to the others and I personally thought it stood out considering it is also the very first shot the audience sees. 

Planning - Costume

Costume didn't play a massive part for me and Erin because of how small our camera time was and how little of our body was showing. Throughout the video you only see my hands and arms while erin only has her lower legs in view.

However, Tom had a much larger role and had to lip sync the chorus, so his costume was much more important and had to fit perfectly with the mood, theme and set. We all agreed on a casual look which also looks a little dressed up but would fit with the young and updated theme of the song. The target audience of the song and lyrics is teens, so by all of us being around the age of 16 - 18, it would easily fit in.

Planning Pre Lim - Filming Days

First day of Filming
With this being mine and Erin's first time actually recording anything, it took us a little while to get used to it. We all thought it was best to stick to one location for the first day and move onto a different one the next time we film, so we stayed close to college as we didn't have very much time to film and edit. We focused on syncing the beat to our actions, Erin taping her feet and me clapping behind a large, lit screen creating a silhouette. We also recorded Tom miming the lyrics to the chorus which made it easier from when we had to film a little more the following day. We filmed this specific part from two angles to create the effect that there is more then one camera recording.

Second day
As a group, it was agreed that the next location needed to have natural lighting and a more open space. We filmed one more tapping scene which included my hand slowly beating to the song on a music controller. We also recorded the chorus one more time from a completely different angle with different lighting.

Closer Music Video

Pre Lim Lesson 1 - Planning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT2_F-1esPk

The music video me and my group have chosen is Closer - The Chainsmokers Ft Halsey

The reason we chose this specific song is because it has very obvious beats and is quite easy to mime and lip sync. As none of us have every recorded a music video or acted, we decided to use a simple and popular song in order to make it easier for ourselves.

As a group we agreed to use the music between 00:30 and 01:12 because it has plenty of lip syncing, definite beats and also includes the the chorus.

Important Links

Mr Liddell - http://oaadvancedmedia.blogspot.co.uk/