Time keeping

This post will continuously be updated to show how many hours I have spent on each part of each section. As you're probably aware, at the end of each post I specify how many hours it has taken me to complete the tasks (total time spent: x hrs); this post will sum them up.

This is my final timetable, displaying the actual activity of my project in comparison to the individual timetables for each section (research, pre-production etc.).

Note: I have allocated two spaces per week; any more dates under the 'week' title will have been an addition to this timetable made by myself (rather than creating a whole new timetable for each extra date).

Key: (hours completed)/(set target hours)

Research

Week 1

21st Oct - Start of EPQ       4 hrs

24th Oct - Music vid intro   1 hr
TOTAL WEEK 1 = 5/5 hours

Week 2
28th Oct - Investigating style   4 hrs
TOTAL WEEK 2  = 4/5 hours

Week 3
6th Nov - Investigating representation   3 hrs
7th Nov - Investigating genre                 3 hrs
8th Nov - Primary research                    2 hrs
TOTAL WEEK 3 = 8/5 hours

Week 4
11th Nov - Visit Cambridge Libraries and LRC         3 hrs
14th Nov - Primary research extended (problems)  2 hrs
TOTAL WEEK 4 see below

Research section total hours = 22/20 hours

Pre-production

Week 4
14th Nov - Start of new section       1 hr
TOTAL WEEK 4 (inc. last section) = 6/5 hours

Week 5
18th Nov - Arranging meetings w/ clients 2 hrs
21st Nov - First client meeting                 3 hrs
TOTAL WEEK 5 = 5/5 hours

Week 6
25th Nov - Brief client meeting and recap 3 hrs
28th Nov - Meeting w/ Colin, Slushy tunes 4 hrs
TOTAL WEEK 6 =  7/5 hours

Week 7
2nd Dec - Decision making 3 hrs
5th Dec - not recorded at the time
TOTAL WEEK 7 = ~3/5hours

WEEK 8
9th Dec - not recorded at the time
12th Dec - not recorded at the time
TOTAL WEEK 8 = not recorded at the time

Pre-Production stage total hours (although not recorded on allocated days)
4 hrs client meetings and track decisions
1 hr recruiting actor and 2 crew members
3 hrs story boarding, brainstorming ideas and writing up details
3 hrs creating and developing powerpoint brainstorm
= 32/20 hours

Production

Note here: My actual production (the video shoot) started late on account of the holidays, and not being able to select a tune to use. So instead, I continued pre-production until my first shoot on the 23rd Jan.

WEEK 9

16th Dec - not recorded

19th Dec - not recorded

TOTAL WEEK = not recorded

WEEK 10

23rd Dec - not recorded

26th Dec - not recorded

TOTAL WEEK = not recorded

Note here: one week in my time table was not allocated correctly; for some reason the 2nd of Jan was not included. Neither was the 30th Dec - this initially threw off my timetable by weeks, however I have erased them from my calendar so now there is one less week. This is okay because it accounts for my Christmas holiday I forgot to factor in!

WEEK 11

6th Jan - Collaboration of work from holidays and type up 1.5  hrs

9th Jan - Planning practice shoot and arranging it             2 hrs

10th Jan - researching technical elements of my shoot      2 hr

TOTAL WEEK =  5.5 /5 hours

WEEK 12

13th Jan - Researching and analysing video inspiration 3 hrs

14th Jan - Arranged shoot cancelled due to illness       0 hrs

16th Jan - Preparation for shoot                                  1 hr
17th Jan - Shoot cancelled                                          0 hrs

TOTAL WEEK = 4/5 hours

WEEK 13

20th Jan - Ill                                  0 hrs

23rd Jan - Shoot 1 and initial edit   3 hrs
                Shoot 2                          1.5 hrs
24th Jan - Shoot 3 planning            2 hrs
                Actual shoot                  2 hrs

TOTAL WEEK in PRODUCTION WORK = 8.5/5 hours

Production stage total hours =  18 /20-30 hours (overall target of section is depending on time doing post-production)

Post-Production

WEEK 13 continued
24th Jan - Editing                          2.5 hrs
                Recording on/edit blog  2 hrs
25th Jan - Editing                          2 hrs
TOTAL WEEK in POST-PRODUCTION = 6.5/5 hours

WEEK 14
27th Jan - Editing                      2 hrs
                Review blog material 2 hrs
1st Feb -   First client edit         3 hrs

TOTAL WEEK = 7/5 hours

WEEK 15
2nd Feb - Milestone 2 meeting 30 mins
               Edit with client        2.5 hrs
8th Feb - Shoot (4)                  30 mins
               Blog edit                  2.5 hrs
               Edit with client        1.5

TOTAL WEEK = 7.5/5 hours

WEEK 16
10th Feb - Shoot (5)          30 min
                Edit with client 2.5 hrs
13th Feb - Edit with client 2.5 hrs (up to bridge scene)

TOTAL WEEK = 5.5/5 hours

WEEK 17
17th Feb - Planning and arrangements         1.5 hrs
22th Feb - Edit with client (in main section) 2 hrs

TOTAL WEEK = 3.5/5 hours

WEEK 18
TOTAL WEEK = 0 hours (ill and client not available)

Here is meant to be the start of the final section

WEEK 19

2nd March - Edit with client near completion 2.5 hrs
3rd March - Edit with client COMPLETE          4 hrs
6th March - FIRST DRAFT OF PROJECT preparation of which has been 3 hours

TOTAL WEEK = 9.5/5 hours

Post-Production stage total hours = 39.5 /20-30 hours (overall target of section is depending on time doing previous section. In total production and post-production need to amount to 50 hrs min)

Evaluation and presentation planning (finalising project)

WEEK 20
10th Mar - Plan evaluation                              1 hr
13th Mar - Colour grading                               4 hrs
14th Mar - Presentation planning                    3 hrs
                Evaluation write up                        2.5 hrs overall
15th Mar - Compiled list of project resources  30 mins

TOTAL WEEK = 11/5 hours

WEEK 21
17th Mar - (PRESENTATION 3:25pm) Render.1 4 hrs
18th Mar - Render. 2                                      5 hrs
19th Mar - Preparations for final draft            4 hrs
(FINAL DRAFT 20th March 2015)

TOTAL WEEK = 13/5 hours

TOTAL PROJECT LENGTH: 135.5 hours

Completion of project!

Finalising the project timetable version 3

My realistic timetable looked like this:

10th Mar - Plan evaluation

13th Mar - Colour grading

14th Mar - Presentation planning and evaluation write up

15th Mar - Compiled list of project resources (update)

17th Mar - (PRESENTATION 3:25pm) Render.1

18th Mar - Render. 2

19th Mar - Preparations for final draft, receive client feedback for blog

20th Mar - FINAL DRAFT

Client review

"I was approached by Siana who wanted me to provide her with a piece of original music for a media project which I was happy to do. She was very clear outlining her schedule and provided me with key dates and deadlines for when my music would have to be complete and informed me of the possibility that alterations may have to be made later in the process. I gave Siana a selection of recordings of which she picked one, she requested I shorten the piece for her project and asked me about the track. I explained to Siana what the motivations behind the music were and she showed a good understanding of that as she discussed ideas and plans for her filming.

Once she had completed filming Siana contacted me again and we met up so I could give her the shortened version of the track and take a look at some of the footage. I was very happy with how Siana had reflected the sentiments of the music in her choice of location, subject matter and points of focus. When she had put together a rough arrangement; she invited me to come and see it and I was very pleased with the results. We did however think improvments could be made in regard to the way the video developed alongside the music and Siana agreed that we should look at that.

We spent several evenings tweaking the video together where I was able suggest ideas and tips which she picked up and implemented quickly and which often gave rise to ideas of her own. Siana was passionate, focused and determined throughout the sessions and I enjoyed working with her very much. I look forward to working with Siana again in the future should the opportunity arise."

From Colin Chalkley - DJ PLAY

Rendering video 18/03/15

I know next to nothing about exporting videos. I've never known any detail about the ideal setting or which codec is ideal for what video purpose. Yesterday and today have been dedicated to finding out all about this. This is because I will need three versions of my work:

• Final: one total uncompressed file of the complete project, in the best quality available
• Accessible: a good quality piece to be sent in for my EPQ, compressed and not too large in size
• Personal use: I'd like to upload my video onto YouTube in my show reel list, this needs to be a compressed version

With my client, I have learned a lot of technical details which crop up in the render settings. We are trying to make the video come out so that it fills the screen of the player that is being used, rather than being in a small box (black around the edges of the image).

We also had a problem, which was that his final track glitched out at 1:13 in the video, and needed replacing. So, I re-synced the video and the new final track without the glitch.

Here are the things I've learned from this process:

• The format of the video once it is rendered out (.wmv, .avi, quicktime etc.) is the codec, meaning the piece of software which interprets the file so that it can be viewed, once it is opened up
• The American frame rate is 29.970 NTSC, which is fast, where as British frame rate is 25fps, because British films tend to be more about the sharpness than the speed (apparently)
• Mbps means megabytes per second
• CBR means constant bit rate, while VBR is varied bit rate; the mbps in the video is compressed either at a constant rate or, when varied, it is compressed differently per frame. The latter can be more efficient (smaller sized file once rendered) however some codec have difficulty with VBR and can cause it to misinterpret the file and crash
• Learned about the sharpness/smoothness percentage levels

Finally, the best render settings we could find for the most accessible video are as follows, which I have favourited for future reference:

Format: Windows Media Video (wmv.)

8 Mbps HD 1080-30p Video (*)

Image size: custom 720 x 540 (exactly half of 1440 by 1080, almost HD and gave full screen rather than a boxed image after rendering)

Frame rate: 29.970 (NTSC)

Pixel aspect ratio: 1.333 (HD 1080)

Video smoothness: 90%

Seconds per key frame: 1 (or up to 5 max)

Bit rate: Internet/LAN (ticked) 25 M

This seems to have provided me with the best quality my video can be before the size is too large that it becomes inaccessible for my tutor!

Overall, the three main video files that I wanted to render out for their separate purposes are as follows;

1. 6. Outer Peace EPQ new project settings music video.avi at 56.9GB (which is the best quality, and uncompressed)
2. 8. outer peace compressed 
3. 7. outer peace uncompressed to compressed.wmv at 291MB

Project complete... YAY!

Time spent: 5 hours

Colour grade examples and rendering 17/03/15

My client approved of the colour grading; we are both happy with the outcome so I have saved my work and moved on to exporting it. Here are four examples of my colour grading, where the right side of the screen is raw footage.

Time spent on exploring render settings today: 4 hours

Evaluation of my project

Successes

I think that my activity log is a strength of my project. This is because my online blog has been the backbone of time keeping and organisation for me. I am pleased with the level of detail in my blog posts as I feel it demonstrates how I have enjoyed engaging with the project throughout! I am happy with how I structured time keeping: for the majority of the project I have kept track of the hours I spent on it, which was incredibly useful in maintaining an awareness in my progression. 

For my Research section I included a range of sources that I believe have been used successfully. I was happy to go as far as I could in investigating other texts, which allowed me to broaden my understanding of music videos on a whole. This also contributed to allowing focus on creating meaning in my own music video. On a whole, the outcome of my shoots were successful; in total I did five of them. This was good because it broke down my aim of the shoot, and I obtained what I needed each time.

I overcame a number of problems during my project. My first major problem was the lack of progression with the two clients collaboration, and my project stopped over Christmas due to this. In production I had no crew to accompany me, and there were a few cancelled shoots. There was a technical error during the main shoot (I shot my video in 25 instead of 50fps). Lastly, problems during editing included monitor set up and beat syncing. I consider solving these problems as a great success because it was part of the valuable learning process.

Another success is that I felt I have learned new skills from the project, especially from working with a client. This is because my client really stretched my abilities in editing, requiring me to push my knowledge forward by finding more things out for myself. This final section of the project really put me to the test. We got on well and overall I believe that I did a good job in expressing his vision through my video.

Weaknesses

The main weakness of my project is the rigidity of my timetable. Despite my organisation, I must admit that I did not pay enough attention to making my timetables flexible enough to accommodate unexpected circumstances. The main failure in this case was that I didn't think about being away at Christmas, so I didn't manage maintain the routine. This was also a limitation because even when I was ill, there was still no leeway, and so I had to catch up immediately or be behind on my schedule.

Another weakness was the result of the Primary Research; creating a survey was something I hadn't done before, and I feel like the one I made wasn't massively relevant to my overall project. Then in Pre-production, I allowed my two clients to create a track together as they were eager, but this was a weakness because things fell through and I got stuck with my project.

During Production, I somehow failed to record in 50fps as planned. This was by far the most frustrating part of my project. It was a weakness because it meant that my footage didn't fulfill my original aim when used in post-production, which was to have clips that I could slow down to suit the calm tone of the music.

Limitations

One massive limitation was lack of crew. I had contacted three friends who said that they would provide me with a variation of shots with their equipment: fish-eye lens GoPro to attach to the hula hoop, and a different type of lens for close ups of frosty plants. And even a steady cam! However, no one show up to help me. Thus, I lacked in a number of shots that I would have liked to appear in my final video. I am thankful for my reliable actor!

Extent of achieving aims

In the research section the purpose was to compile and investigate information relevant for my goal of music video production. I think I achieved this to some extent. I mainly succeeded because I my research on music videos feels satisfactory; for example I made lots of detailed notes on sources I read, and analysed music videos sufficiently. However, I feel like I did not make such a great link between my research and the rest of the project, despite its relevance.

Although the pacing of the pre-production stage was slow, I certainly fulfilled my aim. I got in touch with a local artist and discussed available tracks, and with it, its concepts and tones. I evolved my ideas for the music video with the clients influence and prepared a shoot. I accomplished the main shoot and four others which contributed to the fulfillment of the video. Post-production met its aim too: by the end of 5 weeks I exceeded my target hours and had completed my project artifact.

In my brief on my blog, I said, "I want this project to demonstrate my capabilities; to show that I can produce a media text independently (in comparison to most group work at college) and to a sufficient standard." I believe that I achieved these of aims.
In my Project Proposal Form (PPF) I state, "My objective is to produce a music video to promote a local artist of my choice. I want to learn how to make an effective music video by developing my skills working with footage and music for a purpose." I feel I have also fulfilled this.

Improvements for next time

Firstly, I could definitely made my schedule tighter to start with so that I allow myself some excess time for unexpected circumstances. Also, I could plan ahead better by communicating with my family about plans in the holidays. This way, my project timetable will be more suitable and flexible.
Secondly, I would pick one client with a few complete tracks to chose from. This would be much better than hoping that a duo music collaboration will be stable enough to provide me an ideal track for video making IN TIME.
Thirdly, I would certainly factor in a couple of things into my timetable with larger proportion than I had. They would be; choosing a track for the video, and planning time for the next section of the project. This way the project would be less rushed, because, frankly, I needed to spend more time on these sections.
Finally, I would make a significant survey. I believe that it would make my research section better if the results would actually prove to be of use, and have it actually tie in with my overall project!

What I have learned from the project process

Quite a bit. I learned that it is difficult to make the decision of what track to use for a whole project, and that this section needs enough time for the careful consideration that it requires.

I learned that it is really useful to share my blog with Facebook friends, since they helped me spot errors, and even made suggestions on layout. For example one person told me to include hyper links in my resources list.

I learned an incredible amount about my own editing programme, how to get the most out of it for the purpose of my music video, including render setting for a purpose and effective ins and outs.

I feel more experienced in shooting footage for a music video after this, as it was refreshing to be back out with my camera after a long while, especially in contrast to shooting a film with a crew.

I felt I have gained a great insight into the professional life of a music producer through working closely with DJ PLAY. This was eye opening in the sense that conversations with my client ranged dramatically from their history, to discussions of sound waves and explanations of bars in music. I enjoyed learning from my client.

I also learned that it is good to have a back up plan, because not everyone will always be available when they say they will.

Time spent: 2.5 hrs total

Preparing for the presentation

What my project is about and why I chose to do it:
Consult PPF

What I did:
My project (how): blog
(stages) Research
              Pre-production - Hand out of power point of main track ideas
              Production - Hand out of story board
              Post-production
              Finalising the project

Evaluate (what went well, what went badly and how I'd do it differently next time):
Consult evaluation and PPF

What I feel I have learnt from carrying out this project:
Consult evaluation


I will include my power point, which I will use for my presentation, in my final document.

Time spent: 3 hours