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