Reflection

Media Arts: Music Video Production – Term 04 2013

Self-reflection/evaluation:

Respond to each of the following dot points (using complete sentences or paragraphs). You should include as much detail as possible in your responses.

Teamwork during Pre-Production:

Describe any problems or difficulties your group encountered while developing your music video concept and deciding upon music;

A problem we all encountered while in pre-production was that it was hard to understand and decide on what ideas out of all us we would use because we all had ideas that we could use in the narrative but we only had a few we could use otherwise the clip would be too long and too confusing. However in the end, our ideas came together to create this amazing clip that we are all proud of.

Explain whether your group effectively used the pre-production and planning templates prior to filming;

We worked extremely productively and got everything done before filming. We were all extremely organised as we used the templates. In particular the shot-list was very useful as it helped us know what shots to film and not waste time pondering what to film and get filming done as soon as we could. Therefore I found that the shot-list template was really useful.

Describe whether your group made effective use of their time in class during pre-production. (Did each group member; contribute; have set tasks at all times; know their role in the group etc.) 

All of our group made considerable amounts of contribution into this clip. We all had idea inputs and we contributed equally in terms of the shot-list, shooting schedule and storyboards. We all played our part in the production of this film. We all knew what we each had to complete and that if we didn't, the whole clip would fall apart. But in the end it all worked out.

List some steps your group could (or did) implement to improve in this area;

I think some steps we could have implemented was that we could have done the shot-list faster so we could have filmed more before the term started. I think we could have also made more storyboards so we could understand what the angle and movement was when filmed, therefore it would have been easier when we filmed all these shots. Filming would have also been faster as well so then we could have edited earlier and then finished earlier and there also would have been less stress. But overall I thought we did a great job with our pre-production anyway.

Teamwork during Production and Post-Production:

Discuss how your group used storyboards, shot-lists and a shooting schedule to assist during the filming making process;

My group used storyboards, shot-lists and our shooting schedule extremely well. Especially our shot-list as that made it easier for when we were filming to figure out what shots we were supposed to shoot for that particular day. It also helped when we started to edit as it helped when the shots were supposed to begin at the particular time of the song. The storyboards was also very useful as they helped us show what angle and movement we were supposed to use when we were in production. Therefore this let us get shots filmed faster. The shooting schedule was useful as it. Helped us plan for what days and time we were going to film.

Did your group experience any organisational issues during filming, (i.e. members who were absent or did not contribute; finding suitable times to film; forgetting shot-lists, costumes; not booking equipment etc.) How did you manage or work around these difficulties? 

We experienced no organisational issues. The only time one person didn't come to a filming day at my house was when Charli had work but she couldn't help it so it was fine. It all worked out anyway and we were all very organised for when we filmed and edited. But one problem we encountered during filming was to try and keep the paint still there and not to have it fade away. To fix this we just re-applied more paint on our faces every few hours. Therefore we were all very organised and succeeded at overcoming any issues we faced.

Describe any problems or difficulties you encountered during post-production and editing. These may include; technical difficulties, corrupt or missing files, group related issues. etc;

One problem we faced while in editing was when I had my put all the correct footage into the wrong sequence. Once I had asked Mr Andrews for help, it took a while but eventually he fixed the problem by transferring all the edited shots over so I didn't have to re-edit them. But I did have to render all the shots which took a while because I was editing a scene that involved flickering between shots really fast but eventually I got it done.

Did your group complete all shots as detailed in your planning?

We completed every shot that was in our planning. We even got more shots just for back-up in case those shots we planned for didn't work out. Therefore we were very organised and got not only our planned shots but more shots as back-ups filmed as well.

Discuss your individual feelings about the Music Video Task:

Are you group satisfied with the final result?

Yes I am very satisfied with the final result. We put all our effort and time into this project and came out with a great result. Our pre-production went really well which formed a good base for the production and post-production. Production was really well done as we got all of our planned shots done but also more shots for backup in case those shots didn't work out the way we wanted. Post-production was also very good as we all edited our particular section and we did it and it fitted really well so overall I am extremely proud of our work.

Would like to change any aspects of your music video or its original concept?

The aspect I would have liked to change is that some shots could have been shot differently and I would have liked to get more of Georgina and myself running out of the house which we never thought of but now I think of it, it would have been good to do. I also think that I could have the made the flickering shots to red more flowing but overall I wouldn't have changed anything else.

If you could start the project again what would you do differently?

Well I would like to try and make different characters that were trapped in the cage. I would keep the song but I would have liked to have made the characters more clear about what they were because I think it was left to the imagination about what they all were.

Was it easier planning, filming and managing your time during this project than your first film? Why?

I think the easiest part of the task was planning as in filming there was a lot tot film and took a while to get everything in order to film because it was a lot of trouble just trying to meet up at my house. The editing was also very difficult as we only had one week to complete it and we had to try and edit it really well so it would be good so overall I thing the planning was the easiest part.

Did your treatment accurately reflect your video or were the substantial differences between the concept and final product?

I think there was only minor differences between the video and the treatment I had made. However we got nearly everything I wrote down matched the music video. Therefore my treatment accurately reflected my music video.

Consider whether you undertook adequate and detailed reflection to throughout your project. Have you provided enough evidence to support your work? (Does the work on your blog/journal represent 6 weeks’ worth of work). 

I think that I undertook an adequate amount of work and reflection during the process of making my music video. I put a lot of effort into this project and I think that it turned out really well. Therefore I think a lot of evidence was provided on my blog. 

Scene 2 - Ilona's Shot-list

Production Title: Radioactive Director:			Sequence/Scene Name: Scene 2 Sequence Designer: Ilona Leaver
Shot No	Length  of Shot (second)	Visuals (including explanation of action, setting, shot type, angle camera movement, lighting, spec fx , transition)		Corresponding Music/Lyrics
1	5	Georgina and Ilona walking out of house		‘Welcome to the new age, to the new age. Welcome to the new age’
2	6	Zoom out to new world		‘To the new age … whoa oh, whoa oh.’
3	3	Ilona walking away from house		‘I’m radioactive, radioactive’
4	7	Ilona walking further away and into forest		‘Whoa oh, whoa oh. I’m radioactive, radioactive’
5	4	Georgina walking past tree (fade into next shot)		‘I raise my flag, done my clothes.’
6	4	(Begins with fade) Ilona walking past the tree		‘It’s a revolution, I suppose’
7	.02	Georgina face (plain white face/eyes closed/close-up)		‘We’re painted’
8	.02	Ilona face (plain black face/eyes closed/close-up)		‘We’re painted’
		Shot 7 and 8 repeat again about 10 ten times flicking through each other until the lyrics ‘…Red to fit right in’
9	.1	Georgina face (plain white face with red lines down face/eyes open/close-up)		‘red to fit right in’
10	.1	Ilona face (plain black face with red lines down face/eyes open/close-up)		‘red to fit right in’
		Shot 9 and ten repeat about 10 times flicking through each other until the lyrics ‘Whoa whoa’
11	1	Georgina running away and trying to escape		‘whoa whoa’
12	2	Ilona coming out of a bush running away		(music plays)
13	1	Georgina running into bush		‘I’m breaking in’
14	1	Georgina running over a log (fades into Ilona running over the log/they merge shots so the two people are one and the same)		‘shaping up’
15	2	Ilona running over the log (at beginning of shot, it had faded into Ilona running over the log to show the similarity between Ilona and Georgina)		‘shaping up’
16	5	Charli looks into the box/cage that Ilona and Georgina were trapped in and finds that they are no longer there. She then rushes down the steps to find them.		‘then checking out on the prison bus, this is it the apocalypse’
17	4	Charli is running in the bushes to find Ilona and Georgina		‘Apocalypse, whoa whoa. I’m waking up.’
18	3	Charli running through the bushes		‘I feel it in my soul’
19	2	Charli runs then stops to look around		‘enough to make my system glow’
20	1	Charli looks around to see whether they are her but find they are not. She begins to worry and become scared that Ilona and Georgina want revenge.		‘Welcome to the new age’
21	3	Charli runs as she suspects Georgina and Ilona are looking for her as they want revenge.		‘…age. To the new age, welcome to the new age…’
22	3	Ilona runs after Charli as she wants revenge		‘to the new age’
23	4	Geogina runs after Charli as she wants revenge		‘Whoa oh, whoa oh. I’m radioactive, radioactive’

Music Video Treatment

MUSIC VIDEO CLIP TREATMENT
Names of group members	Georgina, Charli and Ilona
Song selected	Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
Type of clip (Highlight your choice/s) performance / narrative / collage Concept for clip Explain what narrative/images the clip will contain	Narrative     The puppeteer (Charli) begins by walking to a box where she has held two people/puppets (Georgina and Ilona) captive. As she leaves the box, Georgina and Ilona break free from this cage as such and run away. As the puppeteer realises that Georgina and Ilona have escaped, Charli tries to find them. However as time goes on Ilona and Georgina find Charli knock her out and put her in the same cage they were trapped in. Now Ilona and Georgina can leave in peace.
Message What message will your clip contain or what is its purpose?         Style What look and feel will your clip have?	The purpose of the clip is to tell the story of two people/puppets breaking free from a cage which is held together by the evil puppeteer (Charli). This is done so the audience will understand what the puppets are going through. Therefore the message is that no one has the right to control anyone and even if you do, there are always consequences.   This clip has an intense and paranormal feel about it as the puppets are very strange creatures. This will be achieved through many tilted shots as this disorientates the view and makes them feel strange. It will also be intense as there will be many fast-paced editing.
Technical codes Explain the ideas you have about camera work, transition devices, lighting, special effects, framing and composition	This clip will include shots of only the present and what happens to the characters as they carry along in the story. There will be a lot of transitions in this clip when Georgina and Ilona will merge together while running away and towards Charli. These transitions would be good for our clip as Georgina is dressed in white and Ilona in black, so the contrast between them will be very influential in the film as they are in a very similar position but are still two totally different characters. As for lighting, the clip will feature strong amounts of light in the cage, and strong light outside the prison. Finally, to match the characters and what they portray such as Charli who is a strong character, we have included different shot types to suit these different characters. For Charli, an example would be a low shot to make her seem powerful.
Audio codes What is the song about and how do the lyrics relate to the visuals you have selected? Will you be adding an additional sound?	Originally, we had made a decision that we wanted a song to suit the storyline. Therefore we had already decided we wanted to perform a narrative but had to find a song to suit the narrative. We then chose the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. From there, we understood the lyrics were about being ready to explode and break free from whatever was holding them back. We will not be adding any sound but we will be only using the music from the song Radioactive.
Pace What sort of pace does your song have and how will this be reflected and created in your clip? Written codes If you are using any written codes, what text will you use? What is its significance? Symbolic codes Will there be any symbols in your clip and what will they be? Will you repeat any images or use a motif? How will the symbolism you have used contribute to the message of your clip?	This song is a medium paced song at the start then becomes a fast paced song. Therefore the shots will have to be paced equal with the lyrics and the beats within the song.   There will be no written codes within our clip. There will only be the codes from mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sounds.     There are many motifs in the film such as rope and string that control many of the characters. Also there are motifs through the contrast of black and white between the two puppets and that they are very simple until they break free and bleed red to symbolise the freedom of the two puppet characters.
Key elements of mise-en-scene to be used Explain the settings needed and outline key props and costumes needed	The set has been a very vital element in the film as it shows that it is set in a remote jungle where very few people surround the area and it is very difficult to escape from the cage. The props were also a key element in the clip. Especially the rope. The rope showed the constriction and power it had over many of the characters. Another prop that was important to the clip was the clothes such as the cloak for Charli and the black and white clothes for Ilona and Georgina. The style of acting was extremely important as this created the atmosphere for the clip.
Appeal What things in your clip do you think will appeal to a youth audience?	Overall the music video will appeal to youth audiences as it is a paranormal and a fantasy clip that will intrigue youth audiences. The audience can also relate to the plot line in the clip as many teenagers sometimes can feel trapped and like they no freedom so they can relate to characters such as Georgina and Ilona. The use of technical codes and mise-en-scene should entice the audiences and want to watch more of the clip even if they do or do not relate to the characters in the clip.