Music Video and Evaluation

Introduction

After conducting research on the different types of music video, the theories behind music video production and the codes and conventions in music videos, I was given the task of creating my own music video. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to create a music video based around a song by my personal favourite band, Moose Blood, because whenever I listen to their music I can visualise all these different ideas for videos. The song I eventually decided upon is called 'Moving Home' and features on their first EP with the same name. The video I have created for this is narrative based and shot on location - the narrative follows a young man who has been kicked out of his house and goes on a journey on which he contemplates life and his relationship before returning home to reconcile with his girlfriend.



Planning

First of all, I started by researching the theories that Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis put forward about the production of music videos. This was useful because after conducting this research, I was equipped with ample knowledge and understanding of the different codes and conventions of music videos, the different types of music video and how music videos differ from generic film. I then started to watch existing music videos from artists that I like, analysing them carefully and considering the theories as I went along. This helped me to generate my own ideas for a music video and gave me an idea of how to put the theories into practise. 

I then started to collect images from other music videos, films, tv shows, books etc that inspired me or that I thought would fit with my music video/the song I had chosen. I created a visual mood board with all of the images I found, and created a colour palette below that which made me think about the colours I wanted to incorporate in order to get the message behind the lyrics across. After this, I had a basic outline for a narrative for my video and I discussed this with the rest of the class in a focus group. I gained plenty more ideas from this focus group, and eventually came up with a narrative that I was content with

What Went Well

I am relatively pleased with the outcome of the video and I am very happy with the amount of different shot types, camera angles and camera movements that I made use of. I think that the clips compliment each other well, as well as complimenting the song and the lyrics. The narrative is quite clear and has a distinct beginning, middle and end which makes the video more understandable for the audience, and I am happy with how I edited the clips in time with the music and used jump-cuts (which I had learned about in a previous unit, when researching the French New Wave). I successfully conducted 4 different shoots and the footage improved each time as I considered what went well and what didn't go well on each previous shoot and made a conscious decision to make the footage better in the shoot I was working on at the time. 

       

Improvements

There are a few things that I would improve if I were to shoot the video again, for example: I would ensure that all of my footage is filmed at the same time of day/night and on days where the weather is the same so that all of the footage is consistent in lighting, tone etc. This was something that I struggled with because my last shoot was on a day that was considerably more sunny than the other days on which I filmed. I attempted to correct this in post-production and this did improve the look, however it would have been more effective to just completely re-shoot. I would also ensure that on each shoot, Jordan was wearing the exact same clothing so that the continuity of the video flows, because in the last scene or so of the video, he was wearing a different shirt. 

     

Little Brother Feedback Report

Below is the feedback report that we received from Matt from the Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery some time after the completion of the project.

Shoot Two Evaluation

Overall, I think that my second shoot was moderately successful, however I would like to shoot again as I feel that I need more footage and of a higher quality. 


I re-shot the footage that I mentioned in my first shoot evaluation and after looking at the new footage, I can see a huge improvement on the first shots. I think that becauseI filmed at an earlier time of day where there was more natural lighting, it looks much better than when I was simply using the street light which cast an unattractive orangey tone.

   
                               Shoot One                                                                             Shoot Two


I think that the main issue I had on this shoot was the time of day - I started filming just as it was getting dark, however it got dark a lot quicker than I had predicted and so some of my footage was correctly exposed and good quality with a lower ISO and therefore less grain, and then the footage that I filmed last was under-exposed, dark, grainy and I had to use a high ISO for it. 


In my next shoot, I hope to get more footage and to film earlier in the day so that I still get the feel that it's getting dark and that time is passing, but so that I have more daylight to film with and therefore better quality footage. I have written a list of shots that I want 

Unit 6 Evaluation

Planning and Production Process

Before the group could begin the production process, we needed to establish exactly what our client (The Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery) required from us. We were given a starting point which focussed around the theme of 'protest', however the client said that we had a lot of scope with the topic and could base the film around any subject of our choice, providing that in linked in with the starting point. 

We split ourselves into smaller groups and brainstormed a great deal of ideas between us, considering carefully how each idea we had linked with the theme of 'protest'. This was particularly useful because it meant that we could discuss any ideas we had between us, everyone's voices could be heard and we really put some thought into where we could take the ideas we had in the production process. After this, we presented our ideas to the rest of the wider group and to the client, as well as Chris, who was the professional animator who helped us to create the short film. In this larger group discussion with the client included, we established that the film had to appeal to a wide range of people from different ages, backgrounds, genders and ethnicities so we had to keep this in mind when creating the film. We eventually agreed on the final idea which was the idea of 'big brother society' and cctv and surveillance because we believed that it is an issue that effects almost everybody. 

After we had decided on the main idea for the film, we needed to build a narrative around it. We again split up into smaller groups and discussed any ideas we had and then fed them back to the wider group so that we could have an in-depth discussion on the storyline. Eventually we agreed upon the story that we used for the production piece and as a large group, we created a storyboard that outlined the narrative in brief and from there, we made a list of the characters that would need to be involved. We were then given the task of creating the characters and sets which was really challenging but very exciting at the same time. I really enjoy creative tasks, so I volunteered to help create the sets. We were split into groups again for this, as we had quite a few sets and characters to make and Beth, Jess and I were asked to make the little brother's bedroom. It was quite time consuming which I had not expected, as we had to add so much detail to each piece of the set in order for it to look good, however it was really insightful because it made me realise just how much effort goes into a stop animation such as Wallace and Gromit. 

I had little experience with stop motion films, as we had only briefly touched on the subject in A-level photography, however Chris guided us through the process and showed us the basics on how to use the stop-motion software DragonFrame before we began filming. In the groups we created the sets and characters in, we began filming using DragonFrame, and Chris talked to us about 'onion skinning' which allowed us to see the previous frame before shooting the next one, so that when we put all of the frames together in post-production, it didn't look too jumpy and staccato. 

Post-Production Editing

In regards to editing, Chris did a lot of the editing using his specialist software as he had more experience with using it than us. However, he did talk us through the process and demonstrate how to use Dragon Frame before we began the filming process.

Client Satisfaction and Feedback

Some time after the project's completion, we received a feedback report from Matt from the museum. Below are some of the comments he made:

• "The tight timetable for the project was ambitious. If we were to do this again a few more workshop sessions would be programmed in. As it was the students showed wonderful commitment in giving their own time to ensure things were completed on time."
• "For the students to be involved in a project from conception to launch, I believe, was very rewarding. I also believe that the practical skills gained were significant, from model making, script writing, sound recording and stop motion photography. This was certainly a broad base of practical skills with a wide application for the future."
• "The challenging timescale of the project gave the students an authentic taste of producing material in a ‘client based’ scenario."

What Went Well and What I Have Learnt

As this was my first experience with a client on a live brief, I found it really interesting and provided me with a good insight into what the media production industry is like; I now have experience with communicating with a client. I think that working as part of a large group was really beneficial, as there was so much work to be done and it was easily divided between everyone which meant that we could stick to our strict schedule and time frame and also produce a high quality production piece. I found it really interesting and useful learning how to use the industry standard software (DragonFrame) and the entire process taught me about how much time and effort goes into making this type of film.

Improvements

Although I believe that the project was very successful overall, there were some aspects that could have been improved. Coming up with the initial idea and the storyline was very time consuming, which meant that we had less time for the actual production of the film and also meant that we over-ran the original schedule which was not ideal. In retrospect, I think it would have been a much smoother process if the client had given us a more specific starting point or at least a few options to choose from, as the topic was so broad. 

Research Methods Evaluation

For the music video production unit, I knew that it was vital to conduct some research before I went out and started the filming process in order to create a well-informed, effective 

I began my research by exploring music video theories put forward by Andrew Goodwin, who identified the codes and conventions within music videos and Carol Vernallis, whose theory was based upon the editing of music videos. Initially, my research took the form of some brief notes written down whilst my tutor gave us some background on the theories via powerpoint. From this, I learnt the basic outline of the theories. I then took my research further and built upon these notes by using secondary sources: Andrew Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' and Carol Vernallis' 'The Kindest Cut'. I also viewed information and summaries of the theories using google search, which often led me to look at other peoples' blogs, powerpoints, videos and slideshares etc. The information supplied through the latter method, however, is far less reliable than using the physical copy of the theorist's published books, as the information can be edited or misinterpreted by other people on blogs, slideshares and powerpoint etc. For this reason, my main source of research was the books written by Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis themselves.



Initial Research using Secondary Resources

The research that I carried out using the books written by Goodwin and Vernallis proved very useful when conducting my next research method, which was semiotic analysis of existing music videos. This played a vital part in the production of my own music videos and gave me an abundance of ideas for my own work. This, along with my previous research, gave me ample knowledge on the codes and conventions of different genres of music video, which I then used to influence my own work. 


Questionnaire

In order to gain a good, solid understanding of what audiences want from a music video, I decided to create a questionnaire and send it to the other students in my class to fill out. This method of research is called quantitative, as it relies on facts and figures, whereas the other methods of research were more qualitative, which  produces more varied and in depth results. Quantitative research methods are more structured ways of getting information and they produce solid information in a formal, often numerical manner.
The purpose of the questionnaire I created was to gain an insight into what an audience prefer a music video to include and to find out their thoughts and opinions. 
Examples of some of the questions I asked are:  'What do you like to see in a good music video?' and 'what is your current favourite music video and why?'. 

I had hoped that my questionnaire would provide me with lots of data that would help inform my work and give me some ideas and inspiration, however, this proved not to be necessarily the case. This is because not all of the answers I received from the questionnaire were in as much detail as I would have liked, with some of the replies being very short. Another reason why I did not get the quality of information that I had hoped for could have been due to the fact that a lot of the questions had multiple choice answers and some people may have found it difficult to choose an accurate answer, or even didn't have an answer that reflected their own opinion at all. As a result of this, I believe that the reliability of my results may be questionable, but I am glad I conducted this method of research because it gave me some idea of what kind of video audiences enjoy watching. 

                                                                                                      

Focus Group

After my initial research, semiotic analysis of other music videos and questionnaires, I felt like I had conducted sufficient research to form some basic ideas for my music video. I chose a song which was called 'Moving Home' by favourite band, Moose Blood, because whenever I listen to it I can visualise things that I could include in a music video for it and because it's one of my personal favourite songs. 

As a class, we held a focus group to discuss our ideas for each of our music videos. This enabled us to gain inspiration, explore in more depth the ideas we already have and build upon them, and also to gain insight into the other students in the class' ideas. The purpose behind the focus group was to gain qualitative data from a primary source through face-to-face communication with others. 

I found the focus group really helpful in the sense that it enabled me to develop my ideas which, at the time, were just the basics of an idea. After I had presented my ideas to the other students in the class, I asked for feedback and any suggestions that anyone may have for my own video, which I wrote down as everyone talked. I looked back on this any time when I was lacking inspiration for the video, as everyone had completely different and fresh ideas. 
To ensure the validity and reliability of this form of research, and to make sure that I had good, concise qualitative data to work from, I asked anyone who voiced their opinions or ideas to explain what they were saying in depth. 


Conclusion

Due to the nature of my production work, quantative research methods such as questionnaires prove ineffective in regards to supplying reliable and quality results. This is because they do not give you in-depth information and answers that can inspire and influence creative work. 
I found that using qualitative research methods was the most effective way of gathering quality research from primary sources, such as my peers in the focus group session and applying the theories that I had explored in my semiotic analysis of existing music videos. This primary research, using a combination of different sources such as books, journals and websites allowed me to gain a strong understanding of the theories that I would need to consider when producing my music video. It is evident that internet based resources have proved to be essential and very effective throughout my music video production unit, however, it was vital that I cross-checked any information from any sources to ensure the validity and reliability of each source because most internet resources can be manipulated by anyone.  

If I were to conduct my research again, I would more than likely make a few improvements, including:

• Recording the focus group using a microphone so that I can listen back on the session and record the information more accurately. 
• Create a questionnaire that includes more answer boxes in which the person answering the questions could write their thoughts and opinions down in the way that they wanted to, rather than using multiple choice answers.
• More thorough semiotic analysis of different music videos, more semiotic analysis of music videos (4-5).

Music Video Editing

This particular clip I shot had a very orange hue to it due to the fact that I used a streetlight as my main light source, so I decided that it would be beneficial if I attempted to adjust the colour balance in post production. I experimented with the different red, green, blue colour balances for the shadows, midtones and highlights and eventually ended up with a clip that I was happier with. 

 
                               Before                                                                         After

Location Scouting

Below are photographs taken from google maps of several different locations that I may use for my music video. Each setting is located in and around the area of Nuneaton, meaning that I won't have to travel too far to get the footage that I need for my video.



This will be the location in which the character gets 'kicked out' of - his home. This location will feature at the beginning and at the very end of the video when the character returns to his house. Most of the footage will be filmed outside the house or in a bedroom inside the house.



I plan to include shots of the main character standing outside a church, as if he is looking for forgiveness from God or seeking solace. This also links with the lyrics 'I saw God today, I asked him if I'm ready', so this location may feature as these lyrics are performed. 



I may feature a local highstreet as I think it would look particularly effective if we saw the dark silhouette of the character walking past the shop fronts at night against the lights etc. 



Taking inspiration from Edward Hopper's artwork, I think it would look very effective if some of my footage took place in a petrol station at night. 

I may feature clips of the character sitting alone in a fast food restaurant - taking inspiration from Edward Hopper's paintings - he will be sat alone in the corner of the restaurant and I will film from the outside. 

Shoot One Evauation

After reviewing the footage I obtained from my initial shoot, I am relatively happy with the quality of the footage I got. I believe that the shoot was very productive and has given me plenty of ideas to work with for shoot number two. 

                                                                                                                 
I shot in various locations - from a bedroom, a car, to an empty park, to outside a church and outside some local shops. This was effective because it shows the progression of the narrative and helps the audience to understand the passing of time in the video.





I am pleased with the variety of different shot types that I used and the different camera angles and movements that I made use of because when combined, they make for a much more interesting video. I used a lot of close ups and extreme close ups because I thought that this would help to project the feelings and emotions in the music/lyrics in a way that the audience watching can understand easily.  

I achieved the low-key lighting set up that I wanted, however I do feel that some of the darker shots are maybe too dark and will need to be re-shot with additional lighting. In my next shoot, I may take some LED lights with me or find a location with better ambient lighting, for example a street that uses LED lights in their street lights which cast a more cool-toned light. 

I would also like to think of an additional location for the scene outside the church, as the streetlight cast an orangey toned light on the building which doesn't look aesthetically pleasing or fit with my other clips in regards to colour scheme. There are several churches in the area that I have been conducting my shoots so I will attempt to use them in my next shoot.