MV: Final Products

MV Construction: Editing

Once I had finally got all of my footage it was time to start editing and create a music video. Whilst out film I filmed additional shots that were not on my shot list as I wanted to get a variety of shots for my music video.

When the raw footage had been shot I could finally start editing. Firstly I didn't use any visual media but got the song and looked at it's sound wave so I could pin point beats on the video so that I could edit to the beat with ease. What i did when there was a beat was add a marker on the sound wave which made it easier to view when the beats were during the editing process. This made editing a lot faster as it mean the video media would snap to the beats of the music and make the editing seamless.

Once the audio had been marked for the beats I started to piece together a rough video, snapping the video media onto the marks on the audio. This didn't take long and gave me quite a clear picture of what I wanted for my music video. The problem this left me with is that the video was unrefined and choppy due to some inaccurate place audio markers and lack of transitions between video media. After this I discussed with my target audience how my video could be improved, what would make it more engaging? I got several responses.

Audience Response:

• "The video is well edited but the end transition was choppy and the two video's were not lined up properly so you could tell they were two separate images"
• "The start of the music video was quite bland the difference between the video's you used were minimal so we did not notice the transitions"
• "As you music is conceptual try an make the video more engaging by adding random shots from different points in the video. Maybe at the star."

This feed back was quite useful so I then went back over the video to look for mistakes to correct. One of the corrections I was given was that the start was plain. To improve this I went back and on every second beat added a video of Sadiq kneeling to add variation to the shots which ended with him looking into the camera at the end of the intro. This will be more engaging to my target audience. Secondly I was told the end wasn't properly edited together which made for a poor quality video. What I did to improve this was alter the video qualities and dimension so that the path matched up better and added a crossfade so the impurities that were there were not noticed as much. Finally I added so foliage footage and videos of Sadiq looking around with curiosity within the chorus. This made the video more engaging and less boring than just Sadiq walking down a path.

MV Planning: Filming Schedual

Filming if goes to plan should only take place on one date:

- 15th February 2018- Both Indie and Sadiq will be needed (woodland Quarry)

I got all my filming done on that date so there was no need for further filming dates.

MV Planning: Shot List

Shot number	Location AM/PM	Lyrics	Actor/s	Camera shot	Angle	Movement	Details
1	PM Woodland path	Intro	Sadiq	Establishing shot	Mid	None	Slowly cuts inwards and outward
2		Feeble bones took me to a valuable weakness		Mid shot	Mid	None	Sadiq Kneeling
3				Close up	Mid	None	Sadiq moving his head upward
4		There’s no comfort in silence no real violence in words		Mid shot/Long shot	Mid	None	Sadiq stands up to then look around
5		So I sharpen my blade and bowed my head before I ceased and desisted		Mid/long	Mid	Pan	Foliage shots to act as filler whilst editing
6		And though my stomach was a ball of resistance I went straight for the course		Close up	mid	Track/ pan	Of sadiqs face looking around in curiosit and falling back
7		With burns on the back of my palms will I reget my cause? Or revel in my thoughts?		Long shot	mid	none	Sadiq starting to march forward getting ready to walk
8	Woodland area PM	I’m caught in the winds of remorse ‘Cause everybody knows	Sadiq	Long shot	mid	none	Sadiq charges up to walk
9		What good is a sword next to a shotgun x3		Long shot	mid	none	Sadi walks toward the camera and away
10				Mid shot	mid	Pan/none	Foliage and sadiq feeling confuse
11		How did I get stuck in this valiant position		Close up	mid	none	Sadiq sits down and rests
12		When either I’ll survive for an instant or cradle the earth		Mid shot	mid	Rotation clockwise	Sadiq still sitting mixed with sky and foliage
13		My god forsaken, weakend pulse, I knew I had to amend this		Close up	mid	none	Sadiqs face
14		Though I never was a force to be reckoned, or a sight to behold		Establishing shot	low	pan	Foliage
15		With burnd on the back of my palms will I regret my cause and revel in my thoughts		Mid shot	mid	rotation	Sadiq contemplating life
16		I’m caught in the winds of remorse ‘Cause everybody knows		Close up	mid	none	Sadiq looks up to find somebody
17		What good is a sword next to a shotgun x3		Long shot	mid	none	Indie walks away from sadiq whilst sadiq runs after her
18		Am I biting the bullet		Mid shot	mid	none	Indie turns around and knocks sadiq on the floor
19		Am I biting the bullet		Long shot	Low angle	none	Indie walks away
20	woodland Pm	What good is a sword next to a shotgun	Sadiq	Establishing shot	mid	none	Two shots that’ll cross fade

MV Planning: Costume and Props

These are some of the ideas I had for the actors outfits for my music video.

Sadiq:

1. Puffy coat
2. Black jeans
3. Black shirt
4. Black trainers

Indie:

1. Superdry Coat
2. Misc shirt
3. Jeans
4. Black trainers

Props:
N/A no props are included in my video

MV Planning: Equipment

When I start filming the only piece of equipment i'll be using is the Nikon D3300 camera without the tripod. This is because I need to made the shots feel like they are hand shot and it would make my indie video look more rustic and down to earth. Also the camera shoots in slow motion which is vital for my video.

MV Planning: Location Planning

For my music video I only needed once location but the path had to be perfect and not ruined by motorbikes or pedestrians, it also had to be quiet and secluded. I went on the search for a very secluded woodland path

Grafton Underwood was a good choice however it had a lot of left over old buildings that would have gotten in the way of the shots. Also it is a very busy village with a main road going through it so no matter what cars would have been in the shot.

My second choice was to shoot at the wood at Wick steed park however because of it's popularity there would always be pedestrians in the shot; that or a giant roller coaster ride in the background. Another problem was getting there. My actors had no way to get to the park as they lived quite far from it.

Finally I decided on the "quarry" woodland area. It is close to the actors so we can get there. There are no restrictions. It's fairly remote and quite and barely any litter. It was a perfect place to film.

MV Planning: Casting

Young Couple Casting

Because of the absence of lip syncing I didn't audition people based on how well they could lip sync but on how comfortable they are with acting.

Name: Indie
Age: 16

Name: Emma
Age: 17

Emma was a great candidate for my music video but because of her height she wasn't intimidating enough to be the villain so for that I had to choose somebody else.









Name: Ashley
Age: 19

Good candidate but a bit too old to play a teen boyfriend.











Name Sadiq
Age: 16

A brilliant candidate for the male role. He's the right height comfortable in front of the camera and can play a vulnerable male.










Cast:
I have decided to use Indie and Sadiq as they both can play contrasting roles and are comfortable in front of the camera.

MV Planning: Storyboard and Animatic

To develop my Animatic I used website called Storyboard That which lets you create frames to build up a story board.

MV Practise: Cutting To The Beat

This short 30 second video is just a practise to cut to the beat of music. The practice helped me understand how to precisely get the images to match up to the musics beat. I leaned how to develop my skills using premier pro and helped my overall understanding with editing.

MV Planning: Treatment For My Music Video

Artist and Song: Gallant - Shotgun
Director: Ashley Paddick
Summery:

Within this video the main focus will be on the emotional and psychological deterioration of the boy as the girl feeds on the power of him feeling weak. The video will be conceptual meaning that most of the story the audience will get out of it will be out of symbolism and hidden meanings. The focus will be mainly on the boy and showing how hurt and destroyed he is from his past relationship how she is the shotgun and he is the sword; and unfair battle. There will be no aspect of lip syncing because of the nature of the the song being conceptual and indie R&B however I could still involved some of the lyrics being represented by visual aid. It'll start with the boy kneeling on the path and as soon as the music kicks in he struggles to stand as he is weak, symbolism for the emotional stress he has been under. I will edit to the beat in a specific way to show the point of view mainly from the male however towards the end of the video the females perspective will be integrated in as well. The ending of the video will be of the girl causing such emotional stress to the male he collapses and vanishes into nothing ending the video where it started on an empty path making my music video cyclic.

Lyrics:

Feeble bones took me to a valuable weakness
There's no comfort in silence
No real violence in words
So I, sharpened my blade and bowed my head before I ceased and desisted
And though my stomach was a ball of resistance
I went straight for the course

With burns on the backs of my palms
Will I regret my cause? or revel in my thoughts?
I'm caught in the winds of remorse
'Cause everybody knows

What good is a sword, next to a shotgun
What good is a sword, next to a shotgun
What good is a sword, next to a shotgun

How did I get stuck in this valiant position
When either I'll survive for an instant
Or cradle the earth?
My God forsaken, weakened pulse, I knew I had to amend this
Though I never was a force to be reckoned, or
A sight to behold

With burns on the backs of my palms
Will I regret my cause? or revel in my thoughts?
I'm caught in the winds of remorse
Cause everybody knows

What good is a sword, next to a shotgun
What good is a sword, next to a shotgun
What good is a sword, next to a shotgun

Am I biting the bullet alone?
Oh I know that I'd rather be bold
(What good is a sword, next to a shotgun)
And we're biting the bullet alone
Oh I know that I'd rather be bold
(What good is a sword, next to a shotgun)
Am I biting the bullet alone?
Oh I know that I'd rather be bold
(What good is a sword, next to a shotgun)

Detailed explanation:

This video is conceptual, giving the audience a chance to interpret it in any way they would like. It'll b of the song "shotgun" by Gallant and will be made to seem dreary and sad. I will use specific camera shots that'll capture moments of desperation and fear within the boys eyes as well as his daily struggle to live. The sadness will become more intensified near the chorus as the beat picks up as I can edit to the beat more shots of him in a stressful situation. The audience will experience this build up as the editing gets slightly faster towards the end to copy the pace build up of the song. There will also be shots of scenery of the woodland edited in as well to show the boy experiencing sadness as it shows that even in the darkest times life can still exist. The girls role will only pick up toward the end of the song as it'll show her rage a fury and this'll match the speed of the song at the end.

The whole video will be shot on one path just like how Stephen's "Crossfire" is shot in one room. Because a lot of the video's messages are hidden within symbolism having to change location so often is not a requirement. Because of the natural cold my actors will actually start to feel discomfort making the video seem more believable. The setting being in the woods will help my actors fit their role better as they will be isolated away from other people so therefore they will be less embarrassed and start to loosen up. The fact it is isolated as well means that they can shout and fall without bother pedestrians. 

The video will start with an establishing shot of the path cut into five separate shots each zooming closer into the path then back out so that I can edit to the first 5 beats. Then i'll do a mid shot of the boy kneeling and then a close up of the face as he looks up into the camera with determination in his face. This will cut to a side long shot of him standing up and starting to walk down the path to the beat of the music. His appearance will be that of a casual teen with normal jeans trainers and a puffy coat (doubles to make sure actor doesn't get cold) the girl will wear similar clothing so that the target audience can identify with them. The male will be portrayed as determined and strong willed contrasting from the girls viciousness. Once he is up and walking there will be snapshots of him stumbling looking out, him being confused and scenery but edited to the beat of the song until the chorus when he will walk forward with determination in his wake.

The chorus starts with a triple trumpet beat which will be great to show quick advancement in time, as the chorus starts he will walk in slow motion to the camera from a distance. With every beat of the song he will be edited to move closer to the centre. When the words "what good is a sword next to a shot gun" come on I will do a slow motion pan around his head as he looks up in curiosity, curious as to what his relation ship would have been like. For the second half of the chorus he'll be walking away from the camera in slow motion with every step being edited to the beat. When the chorus ends he'll do a final 3 steps before sitting on the ground and looking up to the sky, giving time to think to himself and wonder what life would have been like if he had never dated that girl.

This verse will be similar to the first with a series of slow motion head turns and scenery shots edited to the beat so that the audience can get into the song as well as interpret it in any way they see fit. When the second a final chorus kicks in it will start will the girl death staring the boy, she will be standing above him showing that she had more power than him in the relationship; she is the shotgun. The boy will offer his hand and then the triple trumpet beat will kick in and instead of the boy walking in slow motion it'll be the girl walking way from him with the same step edited to the beat. when the next part of the chorus kicks in it'll be of the boy running towards the girl shot from many different angles, from below, close up of feet, face and a panning shot of his torso as he runs after her. Just as the song hits the bridge i will do an over the shoulder shot of the girl looking at the boy running toward her. When Gallant sings the high pitch "Shotgun" she will do a dramatic turn and step forward thrusting her chest out with power and dominance. The boy will be forced through the air in slow motion and hit his head on the ground. This will cause him to "Die" in a metaphorical sense and a sideways close up of his face will be shot to show how he is emotionless and not moving. Then as the song is ending the girl will walk away from his body on the ground and the final shot will be of the road with the boy laying on it as he slowly fades away reviling the same shot from the start of the video making it cyclic.

Technique and Production Details:

My Mise-en-Scene will be quite simple for my music video as there will me no props involved whatsoever the only think I will have to make sure is the same on the actors is their face paint and the dirt stains from when they fall to the ground. Luckily the budget fro my music video will be either nothing or a very small budget as I already own most of the objects I need for the music video. Clothing is easy to get as well as most people own trainers, jeans and a coat. 

The main focus of my video will be on the male. My image is to have the male around 5'3'' to 5'6'' with dark brown hair. He will have a casual attire with a couple of mud stains on them because of the nature of the video. He will be of average physique or quite lean as he takes care of him self. His personality will be stern with a strong will and determination.

The female will be similar to the male in terms of dress code. She will also be around 5'3'' to 5'6'' with brown hair. She will also be wearing jeans and trainers with a puffy coat. Casual attire but not as dirty as the boy as she wont be on the ground. Her personality will be strong, stern but vicious like a venomous snake.

For the equipment I wont need much. I will be using the Nikon D3 Digital SLR as it include an option to shoot at 100 and 200 FPS (frames per second) this means that I can film the whole video with slow motion and double my footage.

Editing techniques will be quite experimental for my music video as it is conceptual. Cutting to the beat will definitely be a thing. Transitions between shot wont be as experimental as it'll just confuse the audience except for the last two shots. For those two I will include a cross fade to make the boy disappear. There will be no lip syncing within my music video so I don't have to worry about that.

References: