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

Colour grading final artefact 13/03/2013

Today I am colour grading my final draft of my artefact.

My client has developed his tune by making a number of adjustments, such as adding layer of percussion and tidying up the bass line so that the music is clearer. He says he will have the final thing within the next week, and in the mean time he has provided me with the work in progress version and an additional ambient version.

My progress today consists of independently colour grading my music video. I am doing this shot by shot so to tweak the colours individually and accurately. In this way I am avoiding generalised colour balance of the music video, e.g. darker shots have being taken into account so that they fit in with other shots and don't look out of place.

I am looking for a slight sincere effect, and mainly to create a dreamy tone. The thing I aim to make the most consistent has to be the temperature; in order to achieve the overall look (a winter look), the majority of shots will need blue highlights/midtones to create a cold atmosphere. I am also adding elements of red to weigh it out the blue, creating pinks and purples, to suit the winter dusk. This should bring out the colours in the sky and make the overall look quite beautiful.

One important thing I have learned today is how to compare effects that I have put on a clip to how the clip originally was. It may sound incredibly simplistic, but it was all down to me clicking and dragging a dotted box over the still image on the preview pane. Initially, I had no idea what the strange box was; now I am glad that the penny dropped.

I saved my work as a new project, the colour graded version, so not to override my original piece. Most of the grading is subtle, just so to eliminate the raw edge of the footage.

What's next

Next, I will hand over this colour graded version to DJ PLAY and ask him if it reflects his overall vision. If so, I shall keep it, if not, I will proceed with one final edit to suit his taste.

Lastly, I will be meeting with my friend on the weekend to discuss aspect ratios, as I was not pleased with the size of the video when I rendered it last time.

Time spent: 4 hours

Planning the evaluation

Reviewing my project:

Successes: What went well? 

• I am pleased with the level of detail in my blog posts
• I always keep track of my hours spent on the project, and I am happy with how I structured an organised time keeping post
• I have used a range of sources Research section that I believe I've used well. I also enjoyed this section very much
• I think that my shoots were mainly a success, and my video fulfilled its aims
• I overcame a number of problems during my project and I consider this as a success, especially because it was part of the learning process in my project

Weaknesses: What went wrong?

• Not enough attention to making my timetables flexible (i.e. I didn't think about being away at Christmas, this was also a limitation. Could have made my schedule tighter to start with so that I allow myself some)
• Creating a questionnaire was something I hadn't done before, and so I feel like it wasn't massively relevant, even to my overall project
• Production: failed to do 50fps, because it means that it doesn't fulfill my original aim

Limitations:

• No crew; my crew did not show up to help me, so I lacked in a number of shots that I would have liked to appear in my final video

How well does the artifact produced meet the original brief? (Extent of achieving aims)

• The original brief: "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."

• Research: The purpose of my research is to compile and investigate information which is relevant for my goal of music video production.

What I'd do differently next time and why:

• Pick one client and a track rather than hoping that their musical collaboration will be what I need to make a music video from
• Make a quicker decision over my choice of music
• Next time I will factor in these things in larger proportion in my timetable (because I needed to spend more time on them): choosing track, starting the next section
• Maybe make my timetable changes more precise
• Make a questionnaire which is relevant, and make my research tie in better with my overall project

What I have learned from the project processes:

• It is difficult to select a track for the project
• That it was really useful to share my blog with Facebook friends since they helped spot errors, or made suggestions (such as include hyper links in my resources list)
• How to use my editing programme more effectively
• I feel more experienced in shooting footage for a music video after this, especially in contrast to shooting a film

Time spent: 1 hour

Finalising the project timetable version 2

The timetable should look like the previous version, however because of illness (one week) and the fact that I did not take into account that I'd have to prepare my first draft hand in, it has been pushed back (I spent my hours for finishing off of the music video editing and printing my blog etc.). This means I am on a tighter schedule!

In addition I will now be catching up with colour grading while writing my evaluation and preparing for my presentation! What a jumble! This is certainly something to take into account in my evaluation...

10th Mar - Create plan and get started A.S.A.P.

13th Mar - Colourgrade and aspect ratio. Export final video. Make evaluation and update blog with feedback from first draft. Plan presentation.

Weekend (14th&15th) - Same as above; complete all.

17th Mar - Morning: make final amendments to blog. PRESENTATION 3:25pm

Prior to final due date: Print all work and have video exported and ready to go.

20th Mar - FINAL DRAFT

Finalising the project timetable version 1

27th Feb - Start of evaluation and presentation planning

6th March - Export final music video

10th March - Write evaluation

13th March - Plan and practice presentation

16th March - Complete project

20th March - Final draft hand in to tutor

Post-production timetable version 2

Timetable showing the actual dates I completed these events.

24th Jan - Editing, and recording on/editing blog

25th Jan - Editing

27th Jan - Editing, and reviewing blog material

1st Feb - First client edit

2nd Feb - Editing with client

8th Feb - Blog editing, and editing with client

10th Feb - Editing with client

13th Feb - Editing up to bridge scene with client

17th Feb - Planning and arrangements for completing the video

22th Feb - Editing the main section of video with client

2nd March - Editing with client near completion

3rd March - Editing with client, structure of video completed

6th March - Preparing first draft of project

Project resources

Here is a list of all resources, sources and intertextual references used in the entire project which has offered a contribution. I have taken a good guess and added them, so please feel free to correct me if something is not a source. Their categories appear in the brackets so you know roughly where to find them if need be: 

1. Investigating Style (Research): Slideshare on narrative http://www.slideshare.net/egregson/narrative-and-music-videos-2013
2. Investigating Style (Research): a blog on genres http://drewburdakyting.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/different-genres.html
3. Example of Style 1 (Research): Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk-4lXLM34g
4. Example of Style 2 (Research): Duck Sauce - NRG   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2ouQMCcOz4
5. Reference (Research): Wutheing Heights, Emily Brontë (1847)
6. LRC text in investigating narrative style (Research): Television Studies, The Key Concepts by B.Casey, N.Casey, B.Calvert, L.French, J.Lewis (2002), page 137
7. Example of Representation 1 (Research): Pennybidyrabbit- Run  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPXSyw0uqC4&feature=youtu.be
8. Example of Representation 2 (Research): Taylor Swift - Shake it off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM&feature=youtu.be
9. LRC text in investigating Representation (Research): Music & Youth Culture (2006) by Dan Laughey, page 187
10. Example of Genre 1 (Research): Flo Rida - Whistle  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSnkWzZ7ZAA
11. Example of Genre 2 (Research): Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Yumeno Hajima Ring Ring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwWm3om-gSw
12. LRC text in investigating Genre (Research): Media & Film Studies handbook (2007), by V.Clark, P.Jones, B.Malyszko, D.Wharton, page 88
13. Primary Research (Research): https://www.surveymonkey.com/
14. LRC text (Research): Make your own music video (2004) by Ed Gaskell
15. Research survey on Google Forms (Research): http://goo.gl/forms/fZbE9gZ8TA
16. Video inspiration 1 (Pre-production): Pennybirdrabbit - Maybe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puJX_LsT1Kc
17. Video inspiration 2 (Pre-production): Hula hoop in the snow (by Blue Tornado) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpnuvDAGN5E
18. Video inspiration 3 (Pre-production): Hoop Cam GoPro  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EumsgPn9xaM
19. Technical research (Pre-production): Information on FPS http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/video-frame-rates-24p-25p-30p-60i.html#b
20. Technical research (Pre-production): Digital timer for Canon DSLR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol3rdzzxUTA
21. Technical research (Pre-production): How to make an HDR timelapse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAMiwG7ROXc
22. I asked my friend how he makes his time lapses (Pre-production)
23. I asked my tutor from the Arts Picturehouse about how he made time lapses (Pre-production)
24. Clients and crew (Production): DJ PLAY, Slushy GB, crew, actor ?
25. A friend over Facebook gave me constructive feedback on my first shoot
26. Setting up external monitors (Post-production): Using an external preview monitor http://www.videomaker.com/article/15709-using-an-external-preview-monitor
27. Weather forecast (Production):  http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/u1214b469
28. (Post-production): How to beat-sync songs... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3UlPvdv2Wg

Time spent: 30 mins

Draft hand in

The draft hand in deadline is the Friday 6th March. For this, I need to print my blog and put it in a folder, along with my music video first draft on a USB: this will be handed in to my tutor. As requested, here is a list to indicate where I am at this point and show exactly what I have next to do in order to have completed my final project:

• Colour grade my music video
• Speak to a friend about aspect ratios in order to get the best one for my video
• Render the video with the updated version of my client's music as I have been working from an old edition
• Re-read my blog posts and touch up spelling and grammar, or any general errors
• Hyperlink all links on blog
• Complete the evaluation
• Re-print the final draft ready for collection
• Work on my presentation

In a rough count, my total time spent on the project so far comes to 111.6 hours.

Time spent preparing first draft: 3 hours

3/3/15 final editing session for first draft

In this session we completed the outro and therefore the whole music video!

The first part of editing was extremely difficult because the final footage I had taken of my lovely actor sitting on a log at dusk was much disliked by my client. We had debated this previously, as I wanted to keep it and he did not, and this time we reached a decision and that was to not use it. Instead, I managed to create an ending which satisfied me without the use of my intended clip: this was by arranging and replaying footage in a certain way which gives the impression that the actor has dropped both hula hoops. I am now happy with this.

Now, I am now tidying up the video to eliminate any unwanted clips on the timeline which are not seen in the video. I am also getting rid of all of the original sound attached to the clips which were on a muted layer. Next is to render this for the first draft.

Time spent: 4 hours

2/3/15 editing session - almost complete!

In this session we finally completed the main section, and began compiling footage on the timeline for the outro of the music video. I am happy with the music video up until this point. It has got more challenging the closer to the end of the edit we get, but it is worth every step.

Problem: Before ending the session, my client and I disagreed on the final clip of the outro. While my intended footage of my actor seated on a log in the dying light, with her two hoops, DJ PLAY is sure that he wants the last shot to be a clip where we see the actor drop a single hoop on her way to the log. There is a great continuity error here which I believe contributes to the problem, and that is that I have footage of my actor dropping one hoop on the ground, but sitting on the log with two. My client wants to have the dropping the hoop shot as the last one, but I did not get a shot of my actor letting go of both the hula hoops. We will be finalising the outro tomorrow.

Time spent: 2.5 hours

22/02/15 editing session

Today I learned how useful it is to coordinate the footage with the bars of the music - my client informed me on this. It was useful to also gain musical knowledge! DJ PLAY expressed how he values our communication as our separate creative backgrounds enable us to use unusual terminology (or nicknames for video clips) in order to refer to editing techniques.

Progress: we are half way through the main hula hoop section of the video, meaning that we are now approaching the end of the video. So far we have been extremely thorough in choice of shots (selecting only the very best) and I am pleased with the progress. We have been working through 8 bars at a time and have had lots of discussion.

Time spent: 2 hours

17/2/15 session

Today I have gone through my work and begun thinking about the final stage of my project. I am also getting in contact with my client to arrange the next edit, which will be for the hoop scene. He expressed particular interest in participating in this section, but has not been able to make it recently due to demanding work calls. I hope to have had the next session done by the end of this week, and I will be playing it by ear.

Total time today: 1.5 hours

13/2/15 editing session

More progress being made: we broke up the bridge scene with flash-forwards of the next scene. This gives the impression that our actor is thinking about what she is going to do. The shots are obscure, sun-drenched and dreamy, keeping the viewers waiting to find out what they are.

Furthermore, we added a few nature shots before the hoop scene so as to act as a reminder that the significant theme is the natural world. Again, it helps to break up the action and focus on the actor.

Lastly, my client agreed that the video is lacking in some places where the nature theme comes in, so I have decided to do another shoot when I can. The things I need to shoot better footage for are:

• Ripples in water, in river
• The sunsetting
• More plants/foliage closer up

Total hours: 2.5 hours

10/2/15 editing session

First, I had been on my way home and found a tree full of birds, so I rushed out with my camera to film them. This is my 5th shoot for the video. I am very glad I obtained this extra footage, as it has been blended into the video nicely; for example the shot where our actor jumps from the gate fades into the shot of the birds.

During editing with my client, we reached the next 'scene' of the music video, where our actor begins to hoop. This means we spent most of our time selecting, ordering and analysing our choice of shots in the 'gate/bridge' scene. This was initially difficult because we were questioning the significance of the bridge and deciding whether or not to keep the gate scene, since it was extended.

We got round these problems by: varying the shots in the gate scene, by reversing, extending, zooming into and rearranging shots (from my rough cut). The bridge scene was kept because its significance arose when connecting the last of the gate footage with a shot of the flying birds I had obtained just a few hours previous to our editing session. This is because her journey over the bridge mirrors the ascent of the birds; myself and client agreed that it symbolises the actors path to freedom (which she finds in hooping).

Time spent: 30 minute shoot + another 2.5 hours editing
Total of 3 hours

Production timetable version 2

This is a timetable of the dates in which I carried out the events for this section of my project.

9th Jan - Planning practice shoot and arranging it 

10th Jan - Researching technical elements of my shoot

13th Jan - Researching and analysing video inspiration

14th Jan - Arranged shoot cancelled due to illness

16th Jan - Preparation for shoot

17th Jan - Shoot cancelled

23rd Jan - Shoot 1 and 2 initial edit

24th Jan - Shoot 3 planning

8th Feb - Shoot 4

10th Feb - Shoot 5

Editing with DJ PLAY

Notes:

• Thinking about how to later edit in foreshadow of hula hooping
• I continued to edit, with DJ PLAY directing/ giving opinions and suggestions
• We have completed one minute of the edit

Time spent today: 2.5 hours editing my blog, making adjustments and comparing to mark scheme

                             30 minutes shoot

                              1.5 hours working on edit with client

Total of 4.5 hours

Saturday session - shoot 4

I went back to production in order to obtain extra sky shots to inject into the video where need be. I think they may be necessary in slow parts where there is not enough footage.

The sunset creates a silhouette against the harsh pink colour to the sky in contrast to the footage taken on the main shoot. Currently, it does not convey the cold mood of the video (even if it was cold when shooting it!), however it can be adapted in continued post-production, colour correction.

Here are stills of each of the main shots I took today.

Time spent on shoot: 30 minutes

Editing with DJ PLAY

In the first half of this evening's session (7-7:30 pm) we continued where we left off from last time. We were having problems with shot length and matching them to the beat. By trial and error we attempted to change the timeline to beats per minute, or bpm, so that we could easily sync visuals to the music. When searching online this was the most helpful source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3UlPvdv2Wg

The next problem we encountered after changing the scale on the timeline was that the rate of the new timeline did not match the bpm of the track. We then found where to access the 'metronome' tool, which helped us identify the desired bpm. Under file>preferences>properties>ruler we could then change the bpm from the default 120, to 123 (the speed of the track).

In the second half of the session (8-10 pm) we continued our work, focusing on the pacing again. To create more of a flow to the track, I have slowed down shots. My client wants to aim for a dreamy feel about it, and so we have tried to achieve this by the use of disjointed cutting and effects. One of my favourite effects so far has to be 'left mirror', where we see double of the actor. However, we are still debating as to how many effects should be included; I feel if we use them then the first effect will set a precedent for the rest of the video which we will have to maintain.

Time spent: 2.5 hours

Milestone 2

Today I met with my EPQ tutor to discuss my progress. I had positive feedback about this work, and I found out that to print the blog, it's as simple as right clicking, and pressing 'print'. Before I do so, however, I will need to 'show all posts' and unfold drop down lists so that my full blog is on display. In fact, I could simply click on each section of the project under the header so that I can print sections of my work. Decisions...

Time spent today: 30 mins

Editing with DJ PLAY

I arranged a meeting with my client in my studio, so that he can review the rough cut of my work and we can go from there. I decided to work with DJ PLAY in post production for two reasons; firstly, he is very keen to see the transformation of the material, and secondly because, as the client, he acts as the director. I think this is extremely important in the sense that, while I edit, he can make judgements and suggestions which will reflect his view of the video. Afteral, the video is being made to represent his track. I want this to be done as accurately as possible.

How we work

With my external monitor, I click and drag over the window from my editing program onto the larger screen. This is what my client mainly views. I sit at my desk and arrange/adjust footage to our liking. While I have developing skills in editing, DJ PLAY has a history of music producing and mixing, and also some background in video editing. In turn, we are able to communicate in terms of overlapping software terminology.

Progress made today

We have edited almost 1 minute of the music video, and discovered a variety of appropriate techniques and effects.

How my rough cut has changed

The main adaptation of my work so far has been the pacing. My client advised that I extend all of the shots in the opening to double their length, so to match the music. This has been useful in that it has set precedent for the pacing of the whole music video, so to match the feeling of the track. In addition, DJ PLAY has had a say in the ordering of imagery, and the appearance of nature in the structure of the music video. This was useful in developing the video framework.


Time spent: 3 hours

Post-production: editing video and planning next steps

Today I have spent roughly two hours developing my video.

Notes:

• I am working on a rough cut
• I thought I had run out of footage when I realised that last time I didn't finish going through usable hooping clips, I was only half way!
• Considering restructuring the video because the first half is the travelling and the second half is hooping. This is because I collected equal amounts of footage. However when showing this to a small audience (my family) they asked where the hooping was after a minute or so of my video. Bear in mind that the track is long; 5 minutes and roughly 20 seconds
• Lacking extra crew on the shoot means I am missing out on the footage I wanted to get using two other types of cameras in conjunction with more advanced equipment than my basic tripod. Although this is unfortunate, I don't think it would make an enormous difference to the events of the video...
• ...Maybe it would have provided more of an interesting viewing experience, however

My next steps in my project are:

• Schedule a meeting for Milestone 2 and work out how to create a draft for this project

Time spent: 2 hours editing, and 2 hours reviewing blog material.

Sneak peak screenshots from shoot 3

Start of the video

Additional location #1

Additional location #2

Additional location #3

Move: helicopter

Move: body roll

Time spent: Editing (and screenshots etc) 2 hours

Saturday (shoot 3) part 2

The shoot went really well for a first try. There was a lot I learned on the day; here is how it went

Myself and the actor met at the chimney at 3pm and cycled down to the location. In the first 'scene', if it were, by the tree, it was very difficult to shoot because that area is actually marshland, so we were standing on waterlogged soil. It was worse than the previous time I went there myself, so reflecting back, I found my poor abilities as a location scout rather amusing.
This surprise proved itself to be more of a nuisance during the tracking shots (which were difficult enough for me as a short person, and I had no steady cam or anyone to watch my step as I was walking backwards in front of my subject).
Since it was a busy evening by the river, my actor, who was familiar with the area, suggested we used another bridge, so we were walking with bikes, hoops, camera equipment and coats across a boggy field, and I had not accounted for wet feet!
One useful thing about the trip is that we found extra two locations to film in - the gate and the graffitied bridge - which provided a nice addition to my collection of footage. The bridge was very difficult to wheel our bikes up, and we also used the stairs to shoot on, so it was real workout going up and down them.
After facing more marshland on the other side of the bridge, I abandoned my original plan to put the hoop against the big log, since it was so far away. Instead we used a nearby pole and filmed hula hooping as the sun was setting. Despite my technical error, I am very impressed with our efforts.

The technical error during the shoot

I recall going into my settings on my camera to change the fps to 50 instead of the usual 25, however on return from an afternoon's work, I played back the footage on my laptop to find out it was all shot in 25. This is a problem because I was filming movement and I also want to achieve slow motion; now my footage gives the slight appearance of two hula hoops being spun where there is actually one, and it has a slight flicker to the video when I walk with the camera. However I tried out slow motion, at 70% on a desired shot, and that seems to not be so bad. Still, here are my next steps...

Combating the error

These are a few things I can do about my mistake:

1. Leave it as it is; it isn't so bad after all
2. Reshoot with my actor, who is willing to do so this week coming
3. Attempt to 'correct' my work on After Effects (recommended by a friend)

First edit with footage from shoot 3

Another problem I encountered when I got home from my shoot was how I was to review my footage. Over Christmas, I acquired an external monitor to use in conjunction with my laptop: the make is Technika and it connects to my laptop via a gold-plated, HDMI Xbox cable, made for gaming because it is high speed and good quality. I tried to connect it but it wasn't working. I looked up online and found some sites I thought were useful but I still had no luck - my monitor still said 'no video available'. I searched through settings on my editing program initially, and then checked on my laptop settings, however the screen simply wasn't recognised. I solved the issue when I systematically changed the channels on the monitor and realised the cable simply needed to be in the second output for the image to appear. I then learned how to adjust the resolution, and rearrange the screen set up so that my mouse will appear on my monitor when it goes the to the left (my monitor is on the left), as I haven't done this before.

Something to remember

From previous experience, I recalled that I need to avoid moving the primary location of my footage on my laptop's documents, because if I do, the clips in my edit on the project will be lost (they will say 'media offline')!

Another note

There has been a big change in the mood of my project: to start off, my client produced an ambient track where I was to reflect a serious tone. He has recently revamped the tune so that it has more of a beat to it. This has changed the mood because it conveys more positive vibes. I am glad that this has happened because one thing I did not take into account about the main element in my video (hula hooping), is that one cannot hoop without feeling happy, and this strongly comes across in my video. I am grateful of this changed and I think it has added to the development of my project.


Time spent:
Shoot                                            2 hours
Editing                                          2 + 1/2 hours
Type up/screen shots/ edit blog   2 hours

Saturday shoot (shoot 3) part 1

I have arranged to do my shoot today, meeting with my actor at 3pm, without the rest of the crew. I am aware that it will be quite difficult because there are shots which would require more than one person to make it successful; for example the tracking shot where the camera tracks backwards as the subject moves towards it.

So far this morning, I have done 2 hours planning; finishing my storyboard and listening to the track to confirm my timeline of events. Since the video is mainly in chronological order, it will be required that I shoot it consecutively. This means that timing is key, because our shoot starts at half 3 and lasts until sundown.

Today seems to be quite chilly, at 5 degrees Celsius, sunny and windy. This is where I go to check the weather for my upcoming shoots:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/u1214b469

I will post more information when I return home in the evening.

Time spent: 2 hours

Friday session shoot 2

Wow! What a busy Friday. I went out to shoot again, this time at my location. It was a little further than I had anticipated. I went there on my bike with my tripod and camera. It was very cold and I'm glad I wrapped up warm. I took some shots of the area, but I couldn't really find many nice plants since everything seemed a bit dead. Here are some images; photos and screen shots of footage.

Shot by the river - moorhen are the only wildlife I could see

Chosen starting location, Stourbridge Common

View from entrance of Ditton Meadows - even more to explore here

Entrance onto Ditton Meadows

Entrance onto Ditton Meadows - second chosen space

Time spent: 1 + 1/2 hours