Mrs D

This is a good first drfat Danielle. Well done for hitting your deadline. The lip syncing is impressive. You need to concider how you are promoting your artist - more close ups are needed. You also need to think about the different threds that you are using and how the locations work i.e. one location for present (Woods) and other locations to suggest flashbacks. Go back to RMAs to help you.

First draft music promo

First draft editing reflection

Within the editing process, I started off looking at the different transitions I could use to make the video flow better and move from each location/scene in a smooth and professional way. I knew what I was looking for from the beginning- I didn't want anything too bold or too young looking because it needs to appeal to a young adult audience. I used a number of transitions such as cross dissolves, additive dissolves,  dip to colour dissolves and different image effects such as black and white. I felt these editing effects were appropriate for my video because it linked in with the style I wanted to achieve and made the video have a completed and professional look.

However I did have the issue that in some areas of my music video, I did not film enough footage before and after the part that I needed, meaning that it was difficult to add a transition in for it. However I overcame this problem by choosing other suitable transitions which fitted. If I still have this problem when I come to do my second draft, I may have to think about filming some parts again.

Overall I felt this was a very successful process because it made my music video look polished.

Digipak drafts





Draft 1: I really like the image on the front cover here. The medium close up promotes the artist well and the fact that she is looking directly at the camera, makes the audience feel like she is directly addressing them making it more personal to them. I feel the scripted, handwriting font fits with Taylor Swift's girly style. I like how the artist is positioned to the right on the back cover because the lyrics look well positioned and they are not covering up the artist as they would if she was positioned in the middle of the frame. I may think about changing the font on my back cover to the same font used on my front cover to show continuity. The left inside image does not work well because the audience will not be able to see her face and therefore will not promote her properley.  However, the right inside image works well because the guitar fits in with the instrumental parts of the song which is why I have chosen to use this particular prop. Also I like how her body is slightly dark with the background being lighter because it makes her stand out more and the audience can see her straight away. She is positioned well in the centre of the frame with the lyrics to the side of her. To balance this out more, I may choose an image which has the artist on the right side instead of in the centre. Overall I feel this is a successful draft because the same locations provide continuity and ensures the artist know that it is all from the same artist from the same album. 

  

Draft 2: This draft has the same front cover image as the other drafts but I have looked at a different font for 'Taylor Swift'. The back image is also different and I like the unique idea of what she is doing in this photo. However I feel that this image doesn't go as well with the front image as the other image with her standing against the tree. The image on the left inside with her looking down works quite well but I may choose one where she is looking at the camera, in order to promote her more.



Draft 3: This draft includes a different font for the front cover. I am not sure on using this font because it doesn't fit with the style I am trying to get across.



Draft 4: This draft includes a more script font. I'm unsure on the font used here because I feel it is hard to read in some places, especially when it is smaller on the back cover.

Draft 5: This draft is one of my favourites. The font is perfect for the style I am trying to get across and the outline effect makes it stand out even more. I need to ensure that the brightness' for the front and back cover are the same. I may also think about changing her outfit of location for the inside, or just changing the effects on the images I have taken in order to make the inside look slightly different but not too different.

First draft filming reflection

Unfortunatley I did not begin filming on the 16th October due to my main actor not being available. Instead I re-scheduled to film on Friday the 19th October. Due to nearly all of the video being set outside, I could not film on this day due to the weather conditions. I filmed what I could inside but could not complete all of the filming. This issue was frustrating because I knew I had to meet my deadline on Thursday 25th October. After these problems I ensured that I made a time where both me and my actor are available. Monday 22nd October I filmed the rest of my music video. I made sure that I filmed each particular part 5- 10 times so that I would have enough footage to choose the best from. It was also good to do this, incase my actor made a slight mistake which I wouldn't of picked up on from just watching her. I can then use the other footage without these mistakes.

Whilst filming the inside part of my music video, I felt it went successful. I found a suitable location where my actor was sitting on the window sill with a large window in the background which is what I wanted. The only factor which was less successful was that the camera had a slight tilt to it which made it hard to get it straight. I tried to hold it so that it was straight, however did not want it to jog due to me touching it.

After this, filming in the woods was again very successful. For the first part of the video where I said there would be a close up of the actor singing, I found that it worked better if I started off with the close up then zoomed out so that the audience could see the road that she was walking down, in order to link with the lyrics in this first verse. For the chorus, I felt that it would work better if I had a slightly different area of the woods and got my actor to do something different than she would in the rest of the song. I used the pathway with the wooded area on each side and got her to walk down the pathway towards the camera until she reached a medium close up position. I felt this distance shot would work well as it differs from the other parts of the video which is good because it is the chorus. For the instrumental parts of the song I have chosen to film my actor playing a guitar because it fits with the instrumental tune in the song and also goes with the country- pop theme which I am trying to achieve. On my storyboard I said there would be a part set by a lake. I didn't change this, but I did change the camera angle because I felt it looked better. Instead of a medium close up used with the lake in the background, I used a long shot with the actor walking towards the lake whilst looking at the camera and then looking out at the lake with her back to the camera. I felt this was very effective due to her raising her arm for the bit where she sings 'fly'.

Overall I felt that the filming for my first draft went very successful. The main aim which I wanted is to link visuals with the lyrics, which I felt I achieved in this draft. I also wanted to ensure that the lip syncing was in time and that it looked profession (e.g. no smiling or laughing during filming.) I feel that all of my aims have been achieved and am very pleased with how this filming process has gone.

Dolby

Danielle, The posters are nice- I think that the mise-en-scene works well for the artist and it does use the key ingredients- font suits artist well. Consider the size of font relating to the importnace of the information. Could you include the artist to promote her? Also, could you display more ICT skill by integrating text and image more effectively?

Mrs D

I have just had a look at your storyboard and it has lots of potential. It has some good shots and promotes the artist well with mid shots and CUs. I would have a bit more variation of these in terms of location. You need a few movement shots too - not just zoom. Some of the fades work - although there is a positive moment and you fade to black - not sure that works. Look at how your RMAs end to help you. There is also a lyric about walking down a street at the beginnning - would it be good to include this as a location to vary it a little?