Creative camera use + Rejected footage

Creative camera use:

In our video we used several different techniques and effects to enhance the effect of it. In the very first shot of the video we used a time lapse shot. This involved leaving the camera to shoot the sky for a lengthy period of time. We then sped this up at the editing stage and this gave the effect of the fast moving clouds and day turning to night.

We also used camera blends showing the transition of different characters in the same background. It was a simple effect to add but really shows the story of the video well with each character walking along the same path searching for the women. Here are some screenshots showing the shots where this happened:

We decided to limit the special effects we used as we felt that too much may have taken the video away from the folk genre and Mumford's previous videos that are simplistic and very traditional.

Rejected Footage:

We added rejected footage onto our uploaded youtube video. One shot we decided not to use is of Ben playing a guitar looking over the river. We placed the camera behind him but when it came to the editing stage we realised you could not see that he was playing the guitar and also that the shot was a bit too dark. Here is the shot:



Another shot we rejected is with the main actor Kris and the female actor. She is meant to walk behind him and when he turns to look she is just disappearing out of shot. However, due to on set communication and the structure of the shot we decided not to use this. Firstly, the actor turns around too late and we didn't think it looked real enough. The way Kris was at the bottom of the shot against the tree also meant he wasn't easy to notice and some viewers may miss him which would take away the point of the shot.

Evaluation

In what ways does your video use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwzuiViP9r_0MTY4OGQ1NWUtMDE5OC00MmNlLWE4YmEtNTc1NjhmYmE5MDU2&hl=en_GB&authkey=CJ2XnrcP

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

When developing my promopack, my main aim was so that they could be linked to each other with their styles and themes and also that it looked like a professionally made package. As my video idea was based around a gloomy forest setting with the female 'awakening' the band members, I used this dark and slightly mysterious style for my promopack.

Here are my final digipack and advert versions:





Looking at these I really think they work together and that the audience would make a link between the two if they were viewed separately. Both use dark colour schemes of black, brown and grey which is the main aspect people will make connections between the two. I also made some of the fonts the same or similar such as the the album title "The Awakening" on both the advert and digipack to add more continuity which the audience would hopefully realise. The images I have used are all similar in ways as well which gives more character to the promopack and this theme is something that the audience would be able to see in the video to re-iterate this point. The images are all of non-urban locations featuring trees, rivers, grass etc and gives the audience a look into the bands personality and backgrounds as the images could be seen to mean something to them.




This promopack clearly ties in very well together with the album keeping its focus on the house/shop front that the band appear in. The back cover shows an image of a window clearly related to the image on the front because of the colour and style of windows. The advert is simple and shows the front cover but also provides the vital information alongside it with all the conventions of an advert. This is different to my advert as mine doesn't feature the digipack on the advert but focuses more on flowing on with the same themes and styles as the digipack. One particular I notice is how the fonts of the Mumford promopack are all similar and use the same traditional style of type. This is something I could have done and is certainly an important aspect that I have ignored because it does affect the coherency of the package and how they work together.



Again, this package makes it easy for the audience to connect the two as the advert uses the direct album cover but extends it to add more information around the product and band such as tour dates and the tracks featured on the album. The audience viewing the advert will immediately link it with the album due to the identical appearance. This is different to my advert but despite this I still think mine is effective as there is many aspects that link them and fans might appreciate the little variation that my promopack offers.

What have you learned from your audience feedback? (takes a couple of minutes to load correctly)

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwzuiViP9r_0OTFkODlmNWUtNDI3Yy00YzA2LTg5OGEtODg5OWM2OTlkZDRk&authkey=CN6D25kE&hl=en_GB

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages of all your products?

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwzuiViP9r_0ZjY3YjAzNTctMzAxYS00NDZiLThlYjUtZTFhODI2NTM4ZTQ1&hl=en_GB&authkey=CPCXlf0H

Final Video

Shooting scripts/Storyboards

These are the storyboards myself and my group made when planning the shots we would use throughout our music video. We had all agreed on the narrative and the storyboards would help us structure our filming and give us a clear outline. However, we would only use it as a plan - shots can look very different than on paper and with the unknown location there is sure to be changes to some aspects of the video or individual shots. When planning we decided that we would keep cinematography and the setting simple as this is similar to Mumford and the indie/folk genre. This involved the camera movements used and also the transitions, although the latter wouldn't need to be thought about until the editing stage.

Here is the call sheet our group made in case of an emergency or if any members needed to contact each other:

Completed Advert

This is my advert that would be part of the promopack to accompany my digipack. I feel the theme of the advert compliments the digipack well, and also the video that we created. The dark atmosphere of the poster has strong links to the video and digipack which is important as the audience can view the three as a package which increases its effectiveness as a product. For the band's name I chose to use a white on black style as this emphasises the text and will stand out to anyone viewing the advert. I tried to limit the text on the advert as too much can lose the audience's attention. Advert's are there to be viewed quickly and people will want to gather all the information they can from it, too much text can distract and damage the effectiveness on it. I included the name of the album, which is vital, and placed it in a position where it is easily seen. I also increased the font size for the album title to put more emphasise on this and make it stand out. Stating the special contents of the product was also needed as the audience need to be influenced to buy it and being informed of extra exclusive content will do this, which is something that was evident in my research of adverts before I produced my own. Another aspect of adverts I gathered in my research were media opinions and ratings and I included this in my advert. This is another feature that influences the audience as they want to know how good the album is before they spend money on it. I added images of the band members to the advert as Indie music fans like to know bands more personally and the images let them see the band and relate to them. At the bottom of the ad there is information and companies related to the product. The 'play.com' logo shows where the album can be purchased and the 'Island' logo represents Mumford's record label who would have produced the product. The address for the official site of Mumford & Sons is also included as it shows fans where they can go for more information on the band or product, such as tour dates and more merchandise.

Feedback:

Adverts

I've looked at examples of adverts used by artists to promote their albums to gather ideas in the different styles that can be used and in what way the advert is effective in appealing to the intended audience.



This advert is for a band called The Vines, they are an alternative rock band so this similar and relevant to Mumford and Sons. It is a very creative advert with the graphics playing on the bands name as there are vine leaves that twist around the page. Using this style means the audience can link this to the band which could create a hype around the band if they are easily recognised by this graphic trademark. This is all on a white background that emphasises these colours and the text is black which again makes this easily viewable to the audience and immediately informs them of what and who the advert is about. The advert also provides extra information around the product such as release date, what it includes and how fans can purchase it. These are conventions of adverts and would be expected to be found on any advert promoting an album. The advert is very unique which will appeal to the target audience as individuality is the main trait of indie music and the advert provides that. It also features bonus content which gives an extra incentive for fans to purchase this album.



The second advert I looked at is one for 'Only By the Night' by Kings of Leon. The main image used for the advert is the official album cover. This means the audience can immediately relate the product to the advert when they see it in stores or online as their appearance is identical, which should aid the sales of the product. The image is quite mystical and edgy with the stare of the band members and transformation of their heads. This conveys the theme of the music and that the tracks could be quite aggressive and meaningful which is an effect that may be intended for audience appeal. Again the advert features all the main conventions with release date and there is also the logo for 'play.com' which may have been a paid spot for them to advertise. The advert may appeal to the target audience because of the abstract main image which suits the indie/rock genre's fan base. The fact that the four band members also appear in the advert means fans can relate to them and it makes the band more personable.

Shooting Diaries

We planned our first day of filming for the 18th of January, where we were hoping that the majority of our shots could be captured. We had to make a late change of location for this due to the original setting becoming unavailable. However, the alternative location we found didn't hinder us and still allowed us to create the video we wanted to. In this filming session we realised the task was much larger than first thought, and that the amount of different shots we needed would mean that several more sessions of filmings would have to be planned. One of the main issues we faced to begin with was the lighting and keeping this accurate. Due to our forest location, the lighting of each shot differed and this required us to change the lighting settings such as the exposure, as we wanted the video to use low key lighting throughout. All four. members of our group were needed in the video so the roles of each of us changed each shot. However, for most of this session I was in shot as a character of the video as all three of the 'band members' had to shoot our individual shots. I also had a main role in directing shots for the ones I did not feature in and this required organisation on my part to ensure each shot was structured how we wanted to give the required effect

Our second session of filming was on the 9th February, and a members of the group brought in guitars as we wanted to base the shoot around the band shots that would be included in the video. This was tricky for the group as it took some time for us to get used to acting, miming and playing the instruments. For this period of filming I was usually on the camera due to not having a main acting role and had to make sure all aspects of the shot were correct and suited the video. I was behind the camera for most shots featuring band members playing the guitar individually. One problem we faced in this session was the effects of the weather. Rain had made the ground uneven and I needed to adjust the tripod to ensure that our shots were level. We also had to be careful as there was a lot of standing water so the equipment needed to be handled appropriately.

We planned our third session to be the final stage of filming where we would get the shots involving the sole female character in the video. We also wanted to get any shots that had been missed in the first two sessions so that we were fully prepared to be editing the video in the following week. I took the role of director for this as I wasnt needed in many shots and took control with the placing of actors in each shot, how it would be captured (type of shot/camera movement) and informed them on when each shot was beginning.

A fourth date of filming was needed after some technical issues leaving us with lost footage from previous sessions. With the aid of our storyboards it was easy to estabilish which shots we needed but it did mean we had lost time for editing the video. A major issue we faced was again with the lighting. We were filming much earlier in the day than we had before and we found it too bright compared to our already captured footage and that it did not fit in with the gloomy atmosphere we wanted to convey in the video. However, this problem was overcome by adjusting the brightness settings to make the forest appear much darker than it was in reality. We had to continuously do this for each shot as the lighting would vary for each different location we used in the forest. As this session only involved three of our group, we had to adapt our roles for each shot depending on who featured in it. The others in this session were the main male character and the sole female character and as they required several shots together, I had to shoot and direct from my position behind the character. I used several panning shots which required precise movement with the tripod. I also shot a scene that involved giving an effect that a character was disappearing. For this I needed to shoot and pause at the exact right moment while also directing the characters on when to move and when to stay still.

Image Editing

The software I used to manipulate the photos I had taken is called iPhoto. It allowed me to adjust images to create the effect that I wanted to with my digipack and advert.

Here is a screenshot of the editing process for my advert:

Here are the changes I made from the original version of the photo I used for my advert:



I made the image much darker so the promopack had continuity as the digipack also had dark themes and audience would need to made connections between the two. I also think the rustic dark brown shade to the picture gives it a traditional feel and suits Mumford and Sons well. The darker tone also allowed me to add text to the advert that would stand out more than if it was on the bright shade of blue on the original image.

Here are the changes for the inside of my digipack:



This was more of a simple change but I found it effective. The digipack needs to be a complete package with a continuous style and theme. The changes I to the inside do this and it compliments the exterior packaging well. The black and white tint adds a vintage effect and the font used for the lyrics on the inside cover of my digipack combines well with this and really highlights the effect that I wanted to put across.

Advert flat plans

This first plan I did and I feel it links to the video well with the wooded setting which would enable the audience to reference these together. Placing the band names text at the top of the advert stands out in my opinion and an important aspect of the advert would be for the audience to immediately notice who the advert is for. The font sizing is also crucial as too much standard text on an advert can appear less appealing as adverts are there to be viewed on the go. It also separates the more important text like the band name and the product name (album) which are the main points that the audience would need to see. After analysing several adverts I've ensured that all the vital information needed featured on the advert is included. Review quotes and ratings from reputable names is also an optional feature that shows the audience an opinion on the album and may influence them to make the decision to purchase it. Overall I think the advert conveys Mumford's style well and the tree with connotations of the wilderness will appeal to the indie folk fans who appreciate the traditions of the band over the more 'urban' mainstream bands.



This plan differs in the way that it is horizontal and uses different dimensions to my first plan. Again, the plan includes the typical conventions of an advert which is vital. It also includes an image of a band member/character playing the guitar. This will appeal to music fans who appreciate live playing and instrument based artists, which is especially true for Mumford who are renowned for their live performances. Using this image conveys that to people who may not know Mumford and could attract new fans for the band. It's effect is also emphasised as it is the only image on the page and this means it will be a main focus point when viewed. Also included on the adverts are logos for sites/shops that sell the product which inform the audience of retailers where they can purchase the product.



My third plan uses one main image which fills the entire advert. It shows the three band members used in the video in a park-like setting. Their poses convey their folk-indie style and cool demeanor which would appeal to the target audience. The band's name acts as a masthead at the top of the page and clearly displays who the advert is for. The name of the album, 'The Awakening' is centralised which maximises the viewing capacity for the advert's purpose of selling this product. At the base of the page I've added information, such as showing that it is a digipack edition of the album which adds a unique selling point and may give an extra incentive for people to purchase the album. After thinking about this feature, I feel that adding more information to the advert about the features of the digipack would be necessary as the audience may not fully understand the benefits of buying this version. This is something I may look to include in my final advert and shows how planning can aid you in weighing up important decisions to produce the best design possible.

Completed Digipack

I wanted to link the theme of the album to its title and I feel that 'The Awakening' has connotations of mystery and of the 'unknown'. The image I used for the front cover shows this, in my opinion, with the character out of focus and surrounded by darkness. I used a dark colour scheme for the album as I felt it would add to the mystic feel and compliment the album name and theme of the songs. It may be viewed that this is going against the usual style of this genre but I feel that doing something different from the norm can be effective and would appeal to the indie fans . I also think the style of the album still represents Mumford and their music well which is important. For the inside of digipack I used one image across the two panels as I felt that this would be viewed open like a book and that it was more effective than using two different pictures. I edited the photo used so that the colour showed some continuity and the colour scheme fitted in with the outside covers as this is something I noticed from analysing other digipacks. The font I used for the band type on the front cover is traditional and this represents the folk genre well as the instruments are acoustic and their clothing takes a vintage theme.

In this task I acquired an advanced understanding of Adobe Photoshop CS5, the program I used to design my digipack which was complex and initially very challenging to use. I also improved my editing skills using iPhoto which helped me manipulate photos to give the effect I desired and achieve the design I wanted.

Feedback:

Digipack flat plans

Before beginning to produce my digipacks through photoshop I drew rough plans to try and get a better idea of how they would look and so that I had something to work with when it came to making the digipack. However, My drawing incompetence stopped me from fully developing my ideas onto paper which was a drawback of the task.

This is the first plan I did. I chose to only use one character on the front as I felt this may enable the audience to connect the album title 'The Awakening' to this figure which would emphasise the meaning. Having a simple background would also keep the focus on this character and wouldn't let the audience get distracted by an object or scene behind him. The back cover has a slight design that clearly outlines the track listing and bonus features. Mumford and Sons are a very traditional band, as the folk genre shows and I feel that this simplicity suits their style and what the target audience would expect. The inside cover shows and image of a bridge over water which fits in with folk connotations of the environment and freedom. Adding some information based around the album would also add a unique aspect to the digipack and attract fans who may have interest in this. Again, I went for a simple design on the CD section as it would normally be partially covered by the CD itself and not a place of much focus. I would choose to feature the 'M & S' in a traditional font to suit their style as they play very traditional instruments with no electronic sound used so this would reinforce this culture to the audience.

The front cover to this plan shows a vast contrast from the first with an image of the band playing. Mumford and Sons are a renowned live band and this would appeal to the target audience who appreciate this aspect of the band. The countryside style background links well to our video and also to the folk genre and the background alone would tell people about the band with their style. The back cover is again very simple and the border adds a vintage style to the digipack. I did this because I don't think exuberant designs or colours would represent the band as they should be and is not an aspect that Mumford fans would find appealing. The inside cover would be sectioned into quarters and feature a variation of shots linked to the band and this would enable the audience to connect to the members more and add something that an album wouldn't offer. The CD side of the digipack would have an image of the sky. I feel that this would link to the album name as the open sky has connotations of freedom and this could refer to the experience the audience may feel with the album titled 'The Awakening'.

Copying existing video

Our version: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0DnGj06WOfoNGUyYjRmYTUtZGFmZC00NGJiLWIzM2MtNGYxODBhOTJjNDE3&hl=en&pli=1
Official Wheatus video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jJVRcCdvyY
Before starting our own project, we decided to copy an existing video. This is so we could get used to the recording and editing equipment, and also become familiar with directing and constructing shots. The video we chose to replicate was 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus because of its college setting, which suited us as we were able to copy eveything that happened in the video.

One of the most important things we learnt from this was the basic use of the camera.
This involved the initial set up, with the shutter speed needing to be at 24 frames per second and the mode in PAL.

Before starting to shoot the video, we had to learn how to adapt the cameras lighting to suit the conditions, whether you're inside or outside. There are many different settings for the white balance such as 'daytime filming', for outside, and 'artifical light' for filming inside where there may not be natural light available. We also learnt how to change the depth of field on the shot which enabled us to bring people in and out of focus and give more layers to the scene. This was a skill that we needed in certain parts of the 'Teenage Dirtbag' video.

We then went through the different ways of using the camera in terms of its placement and movement. A tripod is always needed when the camera is still as it prevents unsteady shooting and allows small intricut movements horizontally or vertically. We learnt how to attach the camera to the tripod 'plate' properly so there was no risk of the camera becoming loose and getting damaged.

Communication on set was shown to be important as the cameraman and director needed to make sure actors were placed correctly, and then make them aware when the shot was about to start and when it was finished. Organisation was also important, for example, shooting scripts and clapperboards. This made it easier when it came to editing the video as seperate the clips easily and decide which was the best.

The editing process was very complex, we used Final Cut for this. This involved setting the linear structure and then uploading our footage onto the software. We went through the different types of edit:

Assembly edit: pick out good shots, put them in correct order
Rough edit: add soundtrack, make sure shots flow into each other
Final edit: add effects, transitions etc, complete video

For my group's section I was mainly an 'extra' in the shots we filmed as many were needed to create the school atmosphere that the 'teenage dirtbag' video has. However, in some shots I did direct actors and placed them where they were needed to re-create each shots as best as we could.

Health and Safety

Whilst planning and filming our video, we need to make sure we are not at risk and are working in a safe environment.

Vehicles may be used in the production and it important these are safely driven and laws are met if in a public place.

Equipment must also be handled properly as there is risk of injury if they are not stored or carried properly.

The majority of our video is also shot in a woodland area so we need to make checks that it is safe and we aren't at risk of injury with tree stumps, water and any other hazards.