Notes for editing

Recently I made the decision to re-edit my music video, as the three narrative strands were getting too confusing and made it very difficult to fit everything into the video. I have chosen the narrative strand that I believe is the best (the most well-shot, good composition, good lighting, clear storyline) and I am going to stick with that one and edit my video accordingly around that footage. 

The video will now consist of the following elements/ follow this loose structure:

• Shots of the band playing instruments and singing - following the usual requirements of there instruments in time with the music and lip syncing in time with the lyrics - however there will be inclusions of animated elements around them which may emphasise their actions or provide intertextual references.
• Shots of just the park storyline - the character dancing freely by themselves and then being joined by a shyer one - these shots will be spliced with the performance ones and will also be enhanced by small animated drawings.
• Shots of the “dance floor” - as well as the outdoor shots, there will also be shots of the couple dancing in front of a green screen that will be edited to look like a dance floor - this will add a third location to the video so that it doesn’t feel repetitive, and will further reflect the abstract style of the video.
• Shots of the band dancing - to reflect the song’s overall theme, avoid the video becoming repetitive and boring, and reflect the band’s playful persona, I have also decided to, towards the end, include shots of the band dancing. This will hopefully tie everything together, and even make it feel like they are dancing along with the characters in the narrative strand.

Progress this week

 This past week I have finished editing together my music video, and have begun to put the finishing touches to it such as colour grading. I have begun to fill in the blank space in my performance shots with drawings/graphics - my plan is to animate references to the song lyrics, as well as intertextual references.

 

Planning - Website

For the logo - could try an animation of APRICITY being frozen in ice, and then when clicked, a sun comes out and melts the ice off to reveal the actual logo (because apricity means the warmth of the sun in winter). The actual logo could consist of leaves wrapping around the name, and colourful flowers being dotted around it.

For the About Us page:

• Each band member having a different “theme” that represents them - that also ties into the name - Isobel being a flower, Louie being ice, Felix being the sun.
• Isobel having a section on her experiences as a woman in the industry - talking about how she’s treated as the front runner of the band. This appeals to a young female audience, and to an audience of musicians.
• Fun facts about each band member
• Sneak previews for a photoshoot and interview with Isobel - a big leading magazine, e.g. Vogue or Vanity Fair

For the main page:

• Charity campaign - Mind. Use the other footage from the two other narrative strands I filmed to create a dancing video to spread the message of not being alone when dealing with mental health issues - include statistic about young people.
• Merch - tote bags, t shirts, CDs or vinyls to appeal to young audiences as we are now in an age that wants physical media back. Could also include preview for collaboration with Safa Noor jewellery in the form of a pop-up
• Intertextual references - include a section that urges audiences to go back and look at the video to find intertextual references - a direct call to action.
• Competition - include a competition that appeals to an audience of fellow musicians, the prize being new equipment - shows the band’s generosity and incentive to help fellow bands - community is important.
• Also include - dates for future events, a message from the band, the actual video.

Raw Footage

 https://southendhighschoolforgirls-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/18-ikha_shsg_org/ErFN_zpXFnlOiMP4_-GaDOcBuVThff6A7gF-H1ZO_8ssZA?e=gsn1W1

Shooting Days

Band Shots (30th August)

Things I had to change:

• My original singer/lip syncer, Felix, had issues with his confidence in performing, and Isobel, who was originally going to drum, had issues with transporting her drum set. To solve both of these issues, I changed it to Isobel lip syncing as she was a more confident singer, and Felix playing bass alongside Louis' guitar, in place of the drums. 
• This then brought about an entirely different issue, in that I couldn't have a female lip syncing to a male singing voice, however I couldn't change the entire song and therefore entire video concept as I had already filmed other elements of it, so I found a female cover of the song by "The Suga Babes".

Details of the raw footage:

• I filmed in two locations, one outdoor, one indoor. I decided it would be a good idea to invest in a green screen to use as a backdrop for the indoor footage, as I would be able to edit it to look like they were in multiple locations, and also use it in a stylistic way and make it more reminiscent of music videos like "I wanna be adored" by the Stone Roses. The outdoor setting was my garden, as it had good lighting and the plants added a nice backdrop to take photos for the website.
• I made sure to film almost all of the time, so that I could collect footage to use in a "behind the scenes" video that could possibly be used for the 30 seconds of additional video required.

Inspiration

Music Video Case Study

I chose to look at the music video for "I Wanna Be Adored" by The Stone Roses. It’s main feature was it’s use of green screen technology to create a visually engaging effect of the band floating around and fading in and out of a mountain landscape that had also been recorded with the band walking on it. The combination of the two videos created a “trippy” effect that added to the music’s whimsical nature. I also noted the use of colour, as there is a purple and pink filter put over the whole video, which also helps create a certain atmosphere.

The inspiration I would take from this video to put into my own work would be:

• Utilising a green screen for the main focus points of the video.
• Utilising a fading effect for editing clips.
• Sticking to a specific colour scheme throughout to make the video feel more cohesive.

Abstract Art

When considering what to include within my animated aspects of my music video, I decided to look into works of surrealist art. I felt that including certain references to famed works within my video would not only draw upon a further audience of culturally competent consumers, but also reflect the video’s quirky style. Some examples include:

 

The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dali

 Man Ray’s unique Eye Photography

Photoshoot Results

 Subject No.1 - Evie Taylor

Subject No.2 - Ella Copeland

Subject No.3 - Test shots for Merch poses - rings and bracelets