FINAL PRODUCTS

MUSIC VIDEO

DigiPak & Website

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The Post-Production Diary

To put together our music video, we worked in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. First we started with organising all the raw footage into folders both on an external hard drive (to avoid space issues) and in Premiere Pro. The most effective sorting for us was by scene. We used the storyboard to pick out the key parts of the video and, having accordingly named each video by scene and take, placed them into folders in order to edit later.

One of the first steps was to add the music track into the timeline to allow us to organise videos to the beat. I had previously edited the music track to cut down the length of the song and to create a bridge (as the song did not have one and we wanted to include a build up part before the final chorus). You can hear the original version of the song here which had two choruses instead of one at the end of the song that were cut:

When filming, I also created a 1.5x speed version of the song as we wanted to have a lip sync playback effect in the music video. This meant I had to lip sync faster and we needed to slow down the video footage and use a normal speed version of the edited song. Therefore, one of our first steps was to figure out how much slower the videos needed to be (which were filmed at a higher frame rate of 60fps to have smoother slow motion). According to some magical maths by Amy, dividing 100 by 1.5 got the speed of 66% which matched the song speed. (You'd be surprised how long this took us to figure out; I cannot tell you how useless I am at basic maths). 

After this, using the storyboard, we worked on adding the videos in their correct places, leaving effects until after. We focused on perfecting lip sync timing and having a variety of visuals as well as a cohesive, progressing storyline as sorted in the storyboard.

We also added in a basic version of the titles in the places where we wanted graphics to be added alongside video effects. 

After all the videos were sorted, I took the Premiere Pro file home in order to work in the CC version of the programme instead of CS6. This was because more effects were available on the updated version and I wanted to work with a wide range of graphics. This meant converting between the two versions, shown below, and manually re-adding keyframes for the effects as they do not convert between versions.

After all the visual and audio effects were put in place, some listed below such as VHS tape glitching and sound, this turned into our rough cut version. It did not have perfected lip syncing, all the effects or graphic titles and, according to feedback received, was too long but we were ready to work on improvements after the viewing.

Above you can see the completed timeline of our rough cut. Originally, our rough cut had an intro and outro narrative aspect which added about 45 seconds to our completed video. After feedback, we decided our narrative made sense without these parts, and as much as it was painful to 'kill our darlings' (especially because they contained video which required us to drag out a massive old tv across school, film in -7 degree weather in only a light dress and more) but we felt the video worked best without those parts.

Once these bits were cut, we began working on the final cut. This required to use After Effects to make titles. We used a tutorial to animate a neon blinking sign for the OUTLEX logo and ANGEL ON FIRE title. This was then linked into Premiere Pro and placed in the start of the timeline.

Once the final effects were added in, including the graphic title, we double checked the lip syncing and left the project to render all the effects.

Once completed, we formatted to H.264 1080p YouTube compatible format and exported our completed video. This was then uploaded onto the OUTLEX YouTube and whilst processing, we created our own thumbnails, and you can see mine below:

And so, the post-production process was complete after several weeks of hard work!

Rough Cut and Feedback Reflection

Before completing our music video, we created a rough cut version which we showed to the class and our target audience to get feedback on what areas were good and what needed improvement. You can view our rough cut here:


Class Feedback
We first showed this video to our class. From them, we collected feedback on survey sheets and here is what we found out:

1. Use of transitions average = 8.4/10
2. Performing average = 8.6/10
3. Camerwork average = 8.4/10
4. Lip-syncing average = 7.2/10
5. Colour/Effects average = 8.4/10 
6. Pace and feel average = 8.4/10 

All areas were close in score and high overall which was encouraging at that stage. The highest score was in perfomance which a positive as it was the area we had least ability to change without reshooting. Other areas received an 8.4 average meaning they each could be improved slightly. The lowest score was in lip-synching and this was likely because some areas were out of sync.

Further questions brought up these positive aspects:

• all those asked enjoyed the conceptual storyline
• the studio lip-syncing appeared professional, especially the lighting
• the VHS tape concept brought the video together well
• the colours chosen were appropriate for the atmosphere
• the glitching effects were well fitting with the VHS concept
• varied camerawork which is steady and focused
• range of locations fit the story well
• good build of action through video

To improve areas such as the lip syncing and the lenght, which many commented was too long, here is the areas that are lacking and what we will do to improve them for the final edit:

• increase transition smoothness, in particular adding more graphic matches and smoother dip to blacks
• sync up lip syncing where it is out of place, in particular in the final forest/sticky-note throwing scene
• add titles and graphics with appropriate fonts
• shorten the length - currently over 4:30 minutes - we likely will cut out the beginning VHS in TV bit as well as the throwing VHS into water bit at the end which people felt were not as necessary to make the story cohesive
• lacks colour correction - we will bring up the three way colour corrector and saturation to intensify the colours to fit neon and 80s vibes
• include more of the fire overlay for studio lip-syncing in the second half of the song.

Overall, the class feedback was very helpful in establishing the more technical issues with the video. We will be using these suggestions when finalising effects and the timeline of the video to fit the brief best.

Audience Feedback

To get realistic target audience feedback for the artists, we conducted interviews with late teens who enjoy electropop music and frequently watch music videos to see if this video fits their genre expectation while still being original and creative. Here is what they said:

Filming 'Angel On Fire' - Day Six Diary

Filming 'Angel on Fire' - Day Five Diary

This day was dedicated to burning props such as roses and sticky notes, which is to be inserted into the chorus of the song. The plan for the chorus is to have Outlex burn roses to match the lyrics, and there would be a lot of conceptual imagery involved.
However this did not go exactly to plan, turns out roses don't burn easily, so we were unable to obtain this footage. However we still used the opportunity to film shots in which Erika was lip syncing with either one or multiple roses, or posing and pulling parts off of them for extra shots.
We still managed to get a shot of Erika with burning sticky notes, even if it did take a while to actually set the match and notes on fire (it was extremely cold outside).
After this all of the burning scenes were done and we just got a few shots of Erika lip syncing to the chorus that can be inserted in between the burning scenes. We did one from a canted angle with her in the corner, as we wanted to have this illusion of mystery and confusion, as it reflects Outlex's feelings and thoughts.
After this we were done! We didn't have much to do today unlike other days, but our next steps are to finish the studio scenes, go to soho and do photography for Outlex's brand image!

Filming 'Angel on Fire' - Day Four Diary

Today was the day in which the outro would be filmed, meaning only one location was needed, a park with a small stream in which the VHS tape can be thrown in.
As you can tell from the vlog, photos of the singer Outlex was also taken on this day as we need this shots for future use, such as when it comes to making a website and social media accounts, as well as an image or two to be incorporated into the digipack if needed.
Once these were done it was then time to film! Practice shots were taken at first to make sure that it was known what was doing, so that when it came to actually filming it would be a lot smoother and would take fewer tries.
The first few shots were of Erika approaching the river from different angles, as well as a close up on the VHS, as it's an important element in this scene and it's presence needed to be made clear.
Erika's makeup changed as she mentioned due to the fact that this is the end of the music video and it's the scene where Outlex releases herself from her anxiety and decides to fight back against it.
After this the GoPro was used to do a perspective shot. The GoPro would act as the VHS tape and would be thrown in the river before looking up at Outlex through the water, to show the end of this era.
Once all this was done Erika also threw in some sticky noted whilst photos were taken again for brand image, as well as extra photos so we had a variety, and then it was time to call it a day! The main bulk of the song is done now, just some burning scenes and the studio left then it's on to post production!

Filming 'Angel on Fire' - Day Three Diary

Hilltop:

Today was probably the coldest day of our lives.
It was the day where all the scenes shot were located outside, in the evening where it's colder. We started off at Richmond park where we filmed the hilltop scene, and met early so that we could practice shots and set up equipment whilst waiting for the sun to set. Shots to practice in particular included the arc shot, as we had to make sure the position of the camera had to be in time with the music and the action in the shot.
Once this was done it was dark enough to actually start shooting, starting with a wide shot of Erika at the top of the hill. The actions here showed her sitting down in defeat, which a did with a wide shot and also a close up of her face to show her emotion. These I found were the easier shots, as there wasn't much movement required. We found out soon after filming that it was actually too dark for anything to be detected clearly on camera. This was soon resolved as we were already using Erika's phone for the music for her to lip sync to, so we just used the torch on her phone and I angled it for each shot to make sure it covered the vital parts of the scene.
The arc shot was an example of a difficult shot, as I obviously couldn't walk around Erika at the speed we wanted, but we realised that it was OK as in post-production the clip would be slowed down to match the music, meaning I had to walk quite fast to avoid the clip being too slow once edited.
Erika showed me her vision for the shot by us swapping places and her filming a test shot with me as Outlex, and then from there I had an idea of what to do. It took a few tries, meaning we got a few shots that we can use when it comes to the editing process, and I managed to get to a speed at which when the camera got round to facing Erika it was just in time as we hit the final chorus of the song. This for me was a hard shot as I was trying not to fall and roll down this steep hill, as a sidestepping all around in a not so accurate circle.
Next was a scene I think Erika would say she dreaded, I mean, she did have to lie down on the cold, damp ground and get leaves all in her hair. And this took a long time, as we had to get all sorts of props out. First: the lights, but not lit as we are showing the defeat that the character is feeling at this time (and also because I'm pretty sure there are no plug sockets at Richmond Park). This involved me standing over Erika so she looked directly up at the camera, a high angled shot to show that Outlex has lost all of her power because of this anxiety figure. I also then did a low angled shot from behind Erika as she held up the lights, which is such a nice shot as we see the row of city lights in the background at the bottom of the hill.
The lights as a prop were then done and put away, and it was time for the sticky notes. I lay them all around Erika in a pattern so then when it came to the full body shot I was doing of her lying down we can see all of the notes surrounding her. It was hard to get this angle as I had to hold up the camera quite high, and we realised it's better standing by Erika's head rather than feet as we could see more from this angle.
Next was a very tricky scene, which may have been better with an extra person, but we still did it. I had to drop the sticky notes over Erika, making her realise they are back and falling all around her. It was difficult because the notes kept sticking together and falling in clumps, and I didn't really have any free hands as I was holding the phone and camera, so some notes actually stuck to the phone as there were all in the same hand. I also couldn't move that much otherwise the spot of light we had would move around too, and so would the camera, making it very unsteady. This was done in the end though, after a few tries we got a shot where the sticky notes fell separately and gradually.
After this we did a few other small shots, such as an extreme close up of Erika's hand grabbing a note from beside her, and a shot of her reaction to reading it.
Then we were done, well for that location anyway. It was time for the next one: The Street Scene.

Street:

We filmed on Erika's street, and we were in luck when it came to lighting. It was very close to Christmas at this time, so people had put out lights on their trees in their front garden, which is a convention of electropop which we could conveniently utilise when filming Erika walking past them. We started off filming her walking with me tracking behind her, with these lights to the left of her lighting up half of the shot. I then also walked in the middle of the road to get the same shot of her walking, but as a wide shot and also side on.

We then got a few other shots tracking from the front with her lip syncing and her encountering a sticky note on her hand, where an over the shoulder shot was done with her holding up the note so both Outlex and the audience could read it.

Then it was time for a costume change, we were bringing Anxiety Alex into the street scene. At this location she would be shadowing Alex and leaving sticky notes around for her. We filmed similar shots that we did with Outlex, such as tracking her from the front walking towards the camera and lip syncing, as well as me back on the road again doing a wide shot of her walking down the road.
We also decide to shoot with the rose as a prop, in which Erika would walk around singing with it and posing with it.
Once this was done, that was it for the day! We managed to get verse 1 on the street done and the bridge on the hilltop done.
That was it for the day, and thanks to the typical British weather in Winter it wasn't late despite being dark
Our next steps are to finish the studio shots, incorporating the projector into our shots, and to film the outro of the song by the riverside.

Filming 'Angel on Fire' - Day Two Diary

Filming 'Angel on Fire' - Day One Diary

Saturday 9th December, 11:00-19:00

This was our very first day of filming!

Due to cold and rainy weather, we began the production day with the inside dinner party scene. All outdoor shots were left to be filmed in the evening (for the purposes of the dark).

I arrived at around 11am and helped Erika with her makeup and costume. Here, I was shown the dinner table setting Erika set up and it was exactly as planned. Using the storyboard, we set up and framed the camera for the first shot of the day, waiting for our extra actress, Lyjan, to arrive to begin filming.

Once she arrived, we were straight into filming! We played the 1.5x speed version of the song and changed the frame rate of the camera to 50fps so we could slow down the footage in edit to create a playback lip sync effect. I had a go at using the steadicam for a professional and smooth shot to fit with the slow motion. However I found that both the steadicam and camera put together were too heavy for me and the shots turned out the opposite of steady. After a few attempts, we came to the decision to attempt to film without a steadicam which, in the end, worked much better. In this shot, I carried out a pull focus and a slow pan into Erika as she sat at the dining table and lip synced to the second verse of the song. We took many takes of this (about 10 even, I believe!) until we got a few shots we were 100% happy with.

Erika then took over the camera while I appeared in front of it. I wasn't as prepared as she was! I attempted to act out a fake conversation with Lyjan which may have taken a few tries as I had to reallyamplify my actions and reactions. Even if we were just talking about Biology tests, I had to laugh and be happy! We repeated the same process for Lyjan chatting away and then it was time to put the camera on a tripod as all three of us were going to appear on screen.

This shot was super fun to make. In the post-production process, we want to speed the footage up to make it appear as if Lyjan and I were ghost-like. For this, we needed at least 3 minutes of  Erika staying still as Outlex, feeling ignored while we walked around the setting talking and drinking, just enjoying the party without even noticing her. This took several attempts as keeping a straight face for that long of a time was a challenge for Erika!

Another scene we captured was an argument between Erika and Lyjan. To create a realistic argument illusion, I had the difficult task of not laughing (which would have resulted in a shaky camera) while they screamed nonsense about YouTube or something else. ("A 0.5 SECOND APPEARANCE IN REWIND WAS NOT RESPECTFUL," and "EVERYONE WAS PROBLEMATIC IN 2012 NOT JUST THEM" - honestly, just don't ask what any of it means). Eventually, the perfect shot was achieved and we moved on to working with sticky notes.

Theses sticky notes had loving messages such as "No one cares" and "Die" which was really fun to write When it came to filming with this prop, I was behind the camera and Lyjan was dropping the sticky notes over Erika as she sat at the table. We also carried out other shots of Outlex discovering the sticky note for the first time and more accumulating around her.

Next followed the trickiest of shots that day - breaking a glass champagne flute. To get the shot, I stood and quickly tracked down as the glass fell and smashed on the floor, dangerously close to me. This turned out only semi-successfully as we managed to miss most of the glass breaking on the floor but it still remains a usable shot which is successful enough in our books!

After a well deserved food break, we cracked down on the last few shots of the day. The first step was converting Erika to the dark side: changing Outlex into the anxiety figure. A grunge hoodie and smudged makeup later, we filmed lip syncing and writing mean message sticky notes. Once this was done, the indoor scenes were complete!

Filming the intro to the video did not take as long as the dinner party scene. This involved Erika walking out of the house and sitting on the step by the door, which, in editing with sound effects, will show that she has walked out of a party. Many of the shots were low angle to portray her character as weak and inferior, but we also included POV shot of her discovering a VHS tape with her name on it and reaching out to get it. This took a few tries as I found getting the right camerawork  was challenging - juggling a focus shift, tracking and steady camera movement is a tough job! We got there in the end and that was a wrap for our first day of filming!

In terms of our next steps, we have completed test shots in the studio which will be our next production day. After the studio aspect is complete, we will focus on hilltop, riverside, street and Soho scenes individually.

A successful and fun first day to the say the least! 

Test Shots

Before filming, we tried out some shots in the drama studios. We documented this and then made comments while editing to help us prepare the next steps of filming. you can watch it here!

Call Sheets

Using our production schedule, I created call sheets for each day of filming as reminders for us as producers and any actors we will be needed. This contains things like the location, which part of the storyboard to look at, cast in the scene, prop requirements and technical kit we need to rent out. 

Job Roles

In order to organise ourselves when it came to the production of our music video: both the filming and the editing, we decided to assign job roles to one another to make this whole process efficient for us.
With the list of job roles that were given we chose what ones based on the following factors: who wanted to do it and who could and was able to complete the role's duties. For example, I was given the role of the director of photography due to Erika having to be the one in front of the camera, as she is playing this artist Outlex.

Directors

Amy B and Erika A

A vital role in the overall making of the music video. This is a group effort so both of us will partake in the planning and concept of the video.

Casting Directors

Amy B and Erika A 

Choosing who is going to take on what acting role within the narrative of the video

Production Designer

Amy B
This involves setting up the location ready for filming

Costume and Makeup Designer

Erika A

Finding appropriate clothes for the characters in the narrative to wear

Props Coordinator
Amy B and Erika A

Finding and buying the props needed for each scene

Director of Photography

Amy B

Taking photos of the cast and location, as well as the progress of the production

Camera Operator

Amy B and Erika A

Due to Erika having to be in front of the camera Amy will be filming most shots, but Erika will be able to in terms of establishing shots, e.g. of a location

Editor

Amy B and Erika A

Post production of out footage, putting the clips together to make our final piece

Sound Coordinator

Amy B and Erika A

Syncing the music with the video clips to make sure it looks professional and all fits

Visual Effects Coordinator

Erika A 
Adding effects such as fire to the video using After Effects

Brand Image Planning and Extra Research

For our music video, we have created an artist for whom we are making a music video, digipack and website for. With this, we want cohesion, therefore we have considered detailing social media, colour motifs, visuals relations, album information and more to create a full, realistic artist.

This is the information we have decided:

Artist name: Outlex
This is due to "lex" meaning law in Latin therefore the full name is "Outlaw". Alex, the real name of the artists, will be focusing her music on considering issues hugely not spoken about eg: mental health as with our "Angel On Fire" music video, therefore we felt this name would be most appropriate.

Album: Stigma
Again, this follows on the idea of considering issues rarely discussed in music, hence them having "stigma". We have also come up with song names for the rest of the album which reflect this idea, each addressing or linking to a different, less talked about, issue:

1. I
2. Angel On Fire (our music video song)
3. Stigma
4. A Rose by Any Other Name
5. Infamous
6. Black is the New Black
7. Her
8. Seventeen
9. Androcentrism
10. Nostalgia
11. Butterfly Effect
12. Harmony
13. You

Cohesive Style

For this, we considered the kind of imagery and style that would be associated with the artists, which helped influence our choices in location, props, lighting etc. 

• blacks, greys, reds and oranges - signifies light in darkness and passion)
• roses - signifies love, which is a big focus in the album 
• neon lights - aesthetic choice linking to the 80s, modern and city-like
• trendy, dark clothing - linking to colour choice and going well against the neon lights

All of these will be used on things like her website, social media, digipack, photography, merchandise etc. all to create a specific, recognisable star image, which can be aspired to (the star as an ideology according to Richard Dyer)

Further Research

Very early on in the process, before beginning any kind of planning or research, I practised various music videos ideas which has inspired all work related to the 'Angel on Fire' music video. For this, I put together a mock-up trailer for a music video (of a different song). This includes various things that we will be using in our video such as some locations, glitch effects (or VHS effect), neon lights and even the song genre - electropop. You can view this early experimentation here:

To help influence our ideas for the music video, digipack, and website, from the summer before starting this coursework to now, I have collected various pieces of inspiration by photographing, screenshotting and writing down anything that would relate to Outlex as an artist. Here you can see a compilation of some of the useful things I found. I also annotated some song lyrics when we were choosing the songs to suggest visual and style choices that helped plan my treatment.

You can view this research here: