FMP Reflection Log - 16/03/2021

This week I picked the song I wanted to use to make my music video about and made sure that it didn’t have an official music video already. I analysed the lyrics to see the story and messages they could be trying to get across. I asked for feedback from some friends aged 16-20 to get their opinion on my lyric analysis to see if they didn’t agree with anything or if I had missed anything. Feedback I received was that my analysis was in-depth and made sense. I was also to uncover different interpretations of the lyrics in a way that made sense. I researched about what the purpose of music videos are and what aspects of them made them successful.

This week, I also researched Andrew Goodwin and his theory about music videos. According to him, every music video should include some of these eight principles to be considered successful. This research has influenced my work as it has made me think about the different aspects of my music video and how all of them are important so I should make sure it all has purpose. Next week I will work on planning my music video using the help of my lyric analysis to influence the story/message I want to tell.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 23/03/2021

This week I worked on my music video pitch deck. I researched the artists behind the song I have chosen to make a music video for to discover their brand identity. This helped me figure out the style of video I should aim for and what I would need to learn during post production to edit my video accordingly so that it fit that brand identity. I also made a mood board including pictures of the aesthetic I would be aiming for when filming my video to help me understand the band's style better.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 30/03/2021

This week, I finished my pitch deck and filmed it. In my pitch, with the help of a powerpoint I prepared, I explained my intentions and the decisions I wanted to make for the final product. I explained what influenced my decisions and backed up each decision with research that I had done during the week to make it clear that no decisions were random but were planned accordingly and had meaning. For my pitch, I made a mood board consisting of pictures that reflected the band's brand identity which gave me a better insight on the band's intentions with their music. The decisions I have made should reflect the band's brand identity so I can respect the messages they wanted to convey in their song.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 13/04/2021

This week I worked on my music video’s pre-production. I completed the risk assessment sheet and started a detailed shot list for my music video. I planned out each scene, where I would be filming them and included notes explaining the meaning behind every scene to show what I am aiming to accomplish with my final product. I have begun looking for tutorials online to teach myself how to apply certain effects to look like footage was recorded on an 8mm camera. I have also learned how to make a film jittering effect as I am planning on using it on some of my video footage. Completing the risk assessment helped me realise the limitations of what I could film. Because of covid regulations, I should try to have as few people as possible in close proximity, which limits some of the ideas I originally had for my music video. My final concept is now easy to film to convey the message of the music whilst also following covid regulations. Next week, I will be working on finishing my shot list and start filming for my music video.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 20/04/2021

This week I made a storyboard to help me plan what I plan each shot to look like in the final product. I printed out a template of 12 shots and drew what each shot would hopefully look like to help give me a clear guide for when I began filming.

I have begun filming the first couple of shots for my music video this week and plan to film the rest this weekend. While filming, I ran into a couple of limitations such as space availability. I fixed this problem by discussing when I would need the area to film so I did not disturb anyone. With the help of my shot list and storyboard, I plan on creating a rough draft of my music video to see what the clips look like together to see if I need to improve on anything or if I need to film extra footage.

Next week, I will have finished filming so I can begin editing my first draft of the music video.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 27/04/2021

This week I have begun editing the beginning of my music video and placing clips where I am planning to have them. I haven’t finished filming every scene I need yet due to weather problems but I am planning to film during the weekend and next week so that I can have all the content I need to finish my rough draft.

In addition to filming and editing, I have also worked on improving my previous FMP tasks to make them even better and add onto my critical analysis. I researched the history of music videos and how they have changed over time to show how music videos have adapted to align with society’s views. I used my previous knowledge of different theories - such as the male gaze and reception theory - as well as my new knowledge of Godwin’s theory to expand my analysis of music videos that I had researched.

Next week, I will have finished filming and finished my first draft. I will have also improved on my previous tasks so that they are higher in quality.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 04/05/2021

This week I have improved and finished my pitch deck and continued editing my music video. A limitation I ran into while editing was realising I did not have enough footage for the entire song so this week I have edited in the footage I already have and left gaps for footage I will be recording this weekend to add onto my music video. To plan the extra scenes I have in mind, I will adjust my shot list accordingly. This experience has taught me to plan thoroughly and edit short after the recording process so that mistakes can be fixed earlier on in production. Next time, I will use what this experience has taught me and aim to edit my footage as soon as possible.

My aim for this weekend is to film extra footage that I need to fill in the gaps and finalise my rough draft so I can receive feedback on ways to improve my final product. After I finish filming more footage and have a first draft ready, I will ask for feedback from my target audience to find ways I can improve on it before the due date.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 17/05/2021

This week I finished filming the extra footage I was missing and adjusted my shot list to contain the scenes I had added. This week I faced the issue of footage glitching when transferring to my laptop so I had to take some time to reshoot any footage that had glitched. I have also begun editing my music video and have almost finished putting together the full video. During the editing process I took screenshots as proof of my process and progress. I sent the rough draft of my first attempt at the video to my teachers to get feedback on what and where to improve on. My rough draft was good, however the criticisms I received were to work on the colour grading and to adjust shots where the focus was on an irrelevant object for too long. I took that advice and used this week to improve the editing of my final product. I learnt how to combine different effects to create filters. Those filters set a dream-like tone for the video which not only helps with appealing to my target audience but also to reflect the band’s brand identity.

This weekend I plan on finishing my editing process by adding the needed filters and effects that I had said I would use when planning my music video. After I have finished, I will send my music video out to my target audience and a questionnaire so that they can give me feedback on how I could improve next time. I will then use this feedback to write my evaluation to show what I have learnt from this unit and how I can use that feedback for future projects.

 

FMP Reflection Log - 25/05/2021

This week I finished editing my music video and sent it out to my teachers and target audience for criticism. I asked the first people I sent my video to to send it to friends and family so I could receive a wider range of feedback from a secondary audience. Along with the link to the video, I sent them a link to a google form that asked for feedback on the video. This makes it easier for me to collect all the feedback and keep it in one place. I can also compare critiques and see what the most popular answers were which will tell me what I could improve on most. The feedback I received from my target audience was very helpful in telling me what I should do if I make a music video in the future.

I still had time before the deadline to improve on my final product so I went back and added some extra effects and text. I also re-recorded parts of the video that didn’t look good. The new footage was easier to see and/or looked better, for example the first shot of the clock and the final shot in bed. These changes were in response to the criticism I received from Mrs Shipp about my rough draft.