Reflection

I worked with a friend to create my music video. This meant that there were two of us to create a music video to the best of our ability. It also meant splitting roles in order to have the best results.

My role was more to do with filming and directing. Although I was involved in a lot of the editing process, my role was mainly with filming. I used my Canon EOS 1200D and a Canon EOS 600D to film, and these were good quality cameras which I believed would give me the best quality pictures.
I was also responsible for the equipment, using tripods, sliders and different lenses.

There were many things I learnt during the filmmaking process, particularly with how difficult it is to work with actors who aren't paid and who also have work commitments. It was a struggle to try and find time to film, especially when the demand for the film was quite time consuming. In the end, we changed our actress for the narrative side, as we couldn't rely on our original actress as much as we thought we could.
I also learnt a lot to do with time and organisation. I learnt that filming a minute's worth of film can take up to three hours, depending on the types of shots we needed. I also learnt that keeping organised was very important; making sure that we had all our equipment together and that we didn't forget equipment, as well as recognizing that our actors couldn't be with us for as long as we would want them to be.
I also understood that keeping organised and planning properly would help me to create a good music video. Knowing what I was doing and what my plans were helped me to stick to my plans and keep a schedule on what I wanted to complete, to what extent and to what time.
As well as this, I learnt a lot during the editing process, particularly with thought beats and lip syncing. I learnt that having enough footage was very important in order to fill up enough of the song so that we could do thought beats properly. Cutting to the beat was difficult, but when I had been editing for a long time it became easier. Lip syncing however was fairly difficult, as sometimes the actor may have sung too slow or too quickly, which resulted in me having to increase or decrease the speed.

Overall, the progression of my skills from AS has significantly improved. I have learnt skills in different technology such as Premiere Pro, and how to film, using different camera angles and movements.

Evaluation Question 4

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Evaluation Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Evaluation Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main products and the ancillary tasks?

My ancillary task had to represent my music video and the band in such a way that the audience could recognise it quickly, as almost a brand. I feel like my ancillary tasks are good at representing the band. I took most of the shots on location, so that it linked to the four separate locations in our music video, which showed continuity within my products.

I actually used a few different colours within the digipak itself but they all followed a theme of love, which was what I wanted to represent within it. I also called it Brand New Eyes in order to connote the meaning of the music video, that being starting over and new beginnings. The "Brand New Eyes" title is looking at the world in a different way, through new eyes. It is also the name of another Paramore album, but I thought it would link nicely to our music video.

My poster links with my digipak in terms of font and the lead singer. The font I used on the poster is the same as the font used on the album cover which helps to create a brand identity. The usage of Keira in the poster and digipak establishes the meaning of the band, helping to inform the audience who Paramore are. The usage of the lights helps to connote the Last Hope video, using flames to establish the meaning. The back of the album cover is black and white, like my poster in order to create a brand identity. As well as this the heart around her face is the same as the inside cover on the digipak. This helps to anchor the meaning between the digipak and poster.

My ancillary tasks also relate to my main product with the props used in the music video. For example, our actresses t-shirt was chosen due to the flower-heart shape, which is also used on my digipak and poster. I thought the heart shape to be a repeated visual motif seen constantly throughout all of my pieces.

I think that my poster helps to sell the album as it is fairly ambiguous, but the heart around her face connotes a feeling of love and passion. I also used an image of the hearts themselves which also helped to connote the idea of love and happiness. The pink also helps to bring out the poster to catch the reader's attention. 

The "OUT NOW" in scruffy-looking font used in most rock magazines and posters which helps to anchor the genre, connoting rock music. As well as this, the music magazines NME and Kerrang! helps the audience understand what genre the band is. I used these two magazines as they are known to be rock magazines, and are both magazines which Paramore have been featured on before. I used HMV to distribute as it is a well known store where CDs can be sold, and one that audiences will recognize.

Furthermore, the record label Fueled By Ramen is a fairly popular record label for punk rock/rock bands such as Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Fun., Cobra Starship and Twenty One Pilots. 

Evaluation Question 1

Final Video

This is the final cut of our music video. Overall, I am really pleased with how it turned out. A lot of work was put into it, but I have learnt a lot, for example, it takes a lot longer to film a 5 minute video than I thought it would, actors can be unreliable if they don't get paid and shooting good quality images at night is very difficult without the right lighting! I have also learnt a lot while editing, using Premiere Pro. I feel like the use of this editing software has taught me basic skills in editing and they are hopefully ones I will continue to use.

DIRECTORS COMMENTARY
(Slightly out of sync)

I posted the video on a few social networking sites and this is the feedback we received.

As well as this, I filmed some feedback from three classmates, Sophie, Eddie and Janet.

Institution

My final ancillary tasks are all distributed by the same institutions as Paramore are. I decided to do this because it seems a very realistic and accurate way of presenting my ancillary tasks in a way that audiences would understand, as I was following the codes and conventions by using a company who produces alternative rock, punk and pop-rock music. I also included Atlantic Records, as this is the label Paramore are also on as well as Fueled By Ramen. Atlantic Records is a very well known company and so it would be easily recognisable by audiences from many countries and backgrounds. 

Furthermore, I included legal information on my digipak, informing the customer of copright infringement laws and other legal information, as well as an email and label icons.

"© Published by 2015 Atlantic Records, all rights reserved. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring or public performance strictly prohibited." 

The colours also fit in with the usage of colours in my actual music video, using reds, yellows and pinks to represent the tone of the video, that being strength, passion and love. The heart on the actresses t-shirt is also reflected in the poster and digipak.

I used YouTube to upload my music video. YouTube is defined as a "video sharing site... which allows users to upload, view and share videos". I found this to be the easiest option, although Vimeo was also a good platform, YouTube was more popular and distributes to wider audiences. Most musicians and bands upload music videos and band-content onto YouTube channels, some using Vevo or other sponsors. It also makes it easier to reach mass and niche audiences, as anyone can search for anything on YouTube, with 300 hours worth of footage being uploaded every minute.

My digipak used HMV to distribute. HMV sells a variety of different items, such as CDs and DVDs, as well as t-shirts and electronic equipment. HMV is a leading brand in Britain, to those who still purchase portable albums instead of iTunes. As well as HMV, I would also sell it at Supermarket's such as Sainsbury's, for people who may be interested but not set out to buy the album.
As well as this, my poster would also be sold on magazines. I would use magazines such as NME and Kerrang! as they represent the rock and punk genres, genres that Paramore easily fits into. As well as this, Paramore have been shown in both of these magazines in the past, making it a sure-fire option for distribution. Both the magazines have fairly large audiences, so that the album will reach a large audience. 

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of my ancillary tasks and music video. I have made progress and developed my skills very clearly from the beginning of the year, starting with my preliminary video and now with my completed one, as well as the development of my Photoshop skills. 

Final Ancillary Tasks

These are my final ancillary tasks. 

I have used the visual motif of hearts to signify the idea of love being relevant and a major topic point to the album. As well as this, "Brand New Eyes" represents the idea of my music video, by looking at the world with new eyes, to start over. I also included a pink motif on the poster which was to fit in with the colour palette of the HMV logo as well as fitting in with the heart colour. The hearts really enforce the album's ideology between the poster and the digipak. 

On my poster I have included critics' views, using Kerrang! and NME since they have often distributed Paramore articles in the past. I have also included a distributor, this being HMV as well as the record label, Fueled By Ramen. This is to fit in with the codes and conventions of music posters and to make people aware of where they can get the album. 

The digipak includes a memoir/thank you on the sleeve, as well as an email address, barcode, record label, as well as Atlantic records and copyright warnings.

3rd Phase of Filming: Narrative

After a long struggle, we finally got around to filming our all-important narrative. The reason we took so long was because our main actress kept cancelling, so we decided that to save time, we had to use someone else. Unfortunately the second person also cancelled, but we got hold of Janet who was featured in the band cutaways as the bassist. We actually thought that using Janet in the narrative as well would work since it shows she is part of the band, like Keira is. And right at the end, she places a photo of her in the band which nicely linked in with the band and narrative of new beginnings. 

 

Name: Janet Bargmann

Age: 18
She was a great choice because she loves acting and hopes to study it at university, so this was a good opportunity to have someone who was really into the acting side of filming which was just as important. She also likes the style of music, alternative rock, which meant she would enjoy being part of our music video.

The third phase was the most important part of our music video and took the longest to film. However it was worth it and the following day we edited it all together.

This was our storyboard that we had to redo after Keira cancelled. We managed to film all of it one day as we were determined to get it done. Despite being tired, it was worth it.

Ancillary Tasks

These are my nearly-finished ancillary tasks. I have chosen to make a poster and digipak.

For my poster, I chose to take a photo of our lead singer, Keira, so that the audience can associate the lead singer with the band. I focused on her and used a heart shaped sparkler to outline her face. The heart symbolises love, which is a strong narrative in our music video, and also demonstrates the importance of individuality. In the first example I didn't include "features" and my audience feedback told me that I needed to. I chose to change the colour of the font from yellow to pink as it fitted in with the colour of the HMV logo in the bottom left. As well as this it fitted in with the heart surrounding her face, representing love.

I added reviews as well as five star ratings and used the same colours throughout to keep the colour palette.

This is my digipak so far. I really like the back and front of it. The front is minimalistic while also fitting a rock narrative, with the nose piercing. The hearts on the back cover really represent the feel of the album narrative, 'Brand New Eyes' meaning starting over, like our music video is trying to represent.

The middle images (top) require a little more work as they don't really fit with the other images, however, the pictures themselves are well suited for my digipak.

I also need to add a barcode and description of production and record label to the back of the cover to fit in with codes and conventions.

UPDATE: 

3rd Phase; Risk Assessment

RISK	SOLUTION
Filming pieces of paper that we have ripped apart could be a trip hazard.	Make sure paper  is in box before use, and clean up afterwards  so there is no chance of falling.
Will be filming outside briefly so there is a risk of actors getting cold and equipment loss.	Ensure actors are wearing warm clothing between takes. Make sure equipment is stored in camera bags, and out of the way of vehicles etc.
Props/equipment damage: risk of equipment being damaged by a majority of factors.	Make sure equipment is in bags and covered when not needed.
Battery/memory card running out: if either of these run out of space/charge then I won’t be able to film.	Ensure that battery is fully charged before shooting. Ensure I either have space on the memory card or I have an extra card.

Music Magazine Advert

So this is my poster so far. I've added social media accounts, stores it can be bought at as well as the band's record label (Fuelled By Ramen). I also included a "featuring" section which I saw on another poster for The Killers. 

The only thing I might consider changing is the actual image. I was thinking of taking a picture of Keira with a sparkler, and use a long shutter as she spells "Last Hope" in the air, so that it looks like this.  

Ancillary Tasks: Updated

This is my magazine poster so far. I have changed the image so that it is cut down into landscape, and edited the fonts. I have also added album reviews and star ratings, as these are conventions of music magazine adverts. I've also added "Out Now" to inform audiences drawn in by the poster to buy the album.

I am going to add further updates, such as internet links to the bands websites and social media. 

Ancillary Tasks

I have started my ancillary tasks. This is my poster so far. I originally wanted to use a photo of Keira at a bonfire but we couldn't really get another bonfire. So instead we decided to take a photo of the band which displays the band in a line of four.

I need to improve on this, and include links to social media and the band website, as well as other information. I might also change the font and possibly the image.

Dilemma

So we have hit a wall. Our main actor, Keira, has dyed her hair blonde, which completely takes away the fiery colour her hair had when it was red, which was something we liked as a type of motif in the video. 

We have two options, and that is to make her dye her hair back (she seems pretty against this), or re-film the narrative with a different hair colour and blame the redness in the band and bonfire shots on the colour of the lighting. It'll be very annoying since it might ruin the continuity, but we are starting to run out of time and we need to make a decision. By the sounds of it we're going to have to re-film the narrative again.

UPDATE:
So we are using someone else to be part of the narrative. In some videos, the band and the actors are separate. For example....