Filming Blog for Music Video

 Over the course of my Thanksgiving break I did not film nearly as much as I wanted to. But I did manage to acquire a few skills and one crucial piece of technology that will help me during this project. One of the main reasons or my delay in filming is that my actor was unable to join me for filming. I am spending my break in South Carolina and he is really my only friend who lives here so that really threw a wrench into my plans. Fortunately I was prepared to be the main actor in the music video. Unfortunately, I am not a man, nor do I really look like one. So I did the best I could and did some research into drag king make-up in order to look more masculine. I stayed away from fake facial hair out of worry that it would be too silly, but I learned how to contour my face with make-up to look more masculine. It is far from perfect, my lines are harsh and all of the bronzer and brown eyeshadow in the world can’t make my jaw any sharper. I borrowed my dad’s shirt from his three piece suit for my costume, and while it is noticeably very big on me, some tucking and a hair tie can make that less apparent. 

The most important thing I did over the break was purchase a tripod. It was on sale during black friday and considering the fact that I was going to be doing this project alone, it felt wise to buy one. It was an amazing purchase. I can position it at different heights and the top-part tips in different angles, which is going to make a lot of shots in the process a lot easier. The legs also fold up into a selfie stick, which I can use for tracking shots and tilts. My favorite part is that the Tripod came with a bluetooth remote, so after connecting it to my phone I could easily start recording from any location. I know I sound like an advertisement, but I am genuinely  happy with what I bought and I think it will make this project and future projects easier. 

I did a little bit of filming the morning of November 30th. I filmed all of the scenes with the guitar (except or the extreme close-up) and the piano. The piano scenes were far more difficult to film. The first shot required an awkward camera position and angle than I had anticipated during my planning stage, The garage is a lot smaller than I remembered and the table is much lower than anticipated. This also required me to move around some pieces of the set like the guitar and keyboard from where they were planned to be placed. The other shot with the keyboard was like a fight against physics, which in hindsight was probably unwise, but nevertheless it ended up working. My keyboard is set at an angle and I placed the tripod on that angle. On several different takes it fell over in the middle of filming, but I did not have another surface high enough to place it on. I was eventually able to get a take with a stable shot. I may refilm a few of these shots tomorrow or wednesday, but for now all I have left to film is the extreme close-up, the singer shots and the outdoor shots. 

Planning Storyboard for my Music Video

Scene one: ( “Ooh love ooh loverboy What're you doin' tonight”) 

A long shot of the actor playing a piano in the center of the set. Near the end of the scene he turns his head to the right, as though he is interacting with someone. This scene helps to establish the idea that the actors will be playing their instruments and that the sound is diegetic. The head turn at the end also sets up the next shot.

Scene 2: (“Hey Boy”)

 The camera cuts to a close-up of the actor with his body away from the camera and his face turning towards it. This scene is meant to act as the response to the previous interaction implied from the last scene.

Scene 3:(“Write my letter Feel much better”)

A tracking shot of the actor walking across the set happily from right to left while holding a microphone. This scene corresponds with the line “Write my letter

Feel much better” and I want the scene to convey how the character is very happy with his current predicament. 

Scene 4:(“And use my fancy patter on the telephone”) 

 A medium shot as the actor slides down the wall into a seated position. As this happens the camera tilts up. This scene helps transition into the bridge, as the camera tilts up and the actor slides down it allows me to change location and general ambiance just as the song does. 

Scene 5: (“When I'm not with you I think of you always”)

The scene fades to a wide-shot of a pond around sunset. This scene allows me to establish a new setting for the music video. 

Scene 6: (“(I miss those long hot summer nights) I miss you”)

 A high angle of the main actor laying down by the lake. This shot is meant to establish the calm nostalgia the character feels about this place. 

  

Scene 7: (When I'm not with you Think of me always”)

In a medium shot the actor sits away from the camera and faces the lake. This scene is meant to show that the character is reflecting on their love life. 

Scene 8: (“Love you, love you”)

The shot dissolves, in order to show that it is not happening concurrently with the other scenes, into a low angle medium shot of the main character being proposed to. This scene explains why the main character is so happy with his love life and why he is singing about it with his band. This scene will require a prop not mentioned in the planning blog as I came up with the proposal idea while working on the storyboard. 

Scene 9: (“Hey boy where do you get it from”)

 A long shot at a low angle showing the actor leaning against the wall singing into the mic. This scene is meant to show the confidence the character has as he asks the question. 

Scene 10: (“Hey boy where did you go?’)

 A closeup of the actor playing the piano. This shot serves as our final close look at the main character's expression. 

 

Scene 11:("I learned my passion in the good old fashioned school of loverboys)

A long shot of the actor holding an electric guitar. This scene establishes who is playing the guitar in the next scene.

Scene 12: (Guitar Solo)

 An extreme close-up of the actor playing the guitar. This scene coincides with the guitar solo of the song and also serves as an opportunity to showcase the engagement ring.

Planning Blog: Music Video

 

Song Title

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy.

Props

For this music video I will be using several props. I will be using a keyboard piano, an electric guitar and a microphone in order to emulate the idea that the actor is playing the instruments. 

Costume 

Since this song is about being romantic and gentleman-like I want my costumes to reflect that. I intend on having my actor wearing black pants and a men’s dress shirt for filming. 

Schedule

On 11/13 I chose the song for my music video and decided to work alone.

On 11/16 I began researching the conventions of my song’s genre.

On 11/17 I planned out my music videos props, costumes and locations. I also established a schedule and a back-up plan in case anything goes wrong. 

On 11/19 I will design a storyboard for my music video.

On 11/29 I will begin filming. If I need to I will extend filming up to 12/01.

 On 12/01 I will begin to edit the video on Clipchamp. On 12/03 I will have access to a desktop computer again and I will finish editing in Openshot.  

 Location 

The main location I will be filming in is my garage. The garage is bare enough to resemble a stage and it is already where my dad keeps his electric guitar, and since I do not want to move it I will be staying in there. Additionally, the garage allows me to use both artificial and natural lighting. A few short shots will be filmed outside of the garage by a pond near my house. 

Back-up plan 

My main concern for this project has to do with my actor. If he can not make it for filming I will have to adapt. I will take on the part as the subject of the scene, and ask my family for help with holding cameras. If my phone breaks like last time (hopefully it won’t because it’s new), I will film on my dad’s phone. As a fail-safe I will be immediately uploading all of my footage, regardless of whether or not I intend on using it, to google photos because I am filming in another state and I won’t be able to re-film if I lose anything. 

Research Blog: Music Video Conventions.

  

The Song Good Old-Fashioned lover boy is a rock song by the band Queen. It was initially  released in 1976 on the album  a day at the races and then released again in 1977 as a single. For these reasons I researched some of the conventions found in rock music videos from around that time. I specifically took note of Queen’s music videos but I also researched music videos from other similar bands and artists.

 

Some of the most common conventions of the genre include the following.

 

Unlike more modern music videos, many of the music videos from the seventies do not contain a clear narrative related to the lyrics of the song. Most music videos of the era are multiple shots of the musical artist performing their piece with their instruments and lip synching along to the lyrics. Of course many songs contain some creative shots that have nothing to do with the band playing their instruments, such as the iconic opening of the Bohemian Rhapsody music video. , The Mise en scene of the video will often reflect the tone of the song. For instance, in the music video for Crazy little Thing called Love, The members of Queen are dressed up like Elvis, which makes sense because the song is an homage to him. The sets for these music videos tend to be basic. They are often set on a stage or in a simple everyday landscape, like a forest. Location changes were few and far between. In terms of shots, rock music videos use a plethora of them. Close-ups and long shots are prevalent in order to display the members of the band fully. Tracking shots are also quite prolific, likely to give a sense of movement to the stationary set. Low angles are often used in rock music videos, this helps to portray the subjects in the frame as powerful. Transitions such as fades and swipes are also quite common in these early rock videos. My goal for this project is to have it follow the conventions of the genre well enough to fit in with the other rock music videos of the era.

 

Introduction to the Music Video Project

     

     For this project I have decided to work by myself (excluding the actors) for a variety of reasons. I am a very busy person and I typically work on weekends so it is much harder for me to set time aside to meet up with people. Additionally, most of the people who I know in my class live far away from me, so even if I could meet up with them it would be challenging.  The biggest reason I’m working by myself has to do with thanksgiving break. I’m visiting my dad over the break and I’m not coming back to Florida until December 2nd. I don’t think it would be fair to my group mates to leave them on such a tight filming schedule. Since I’m working by myself I will be able to film over the break and incorporate certain items, settings and people into my film that i could not otherwise include. It is probably for the best that I work by myself. While it would be nice to have a lighter workload, I like having lots of creative control with my projects. By working by myself I also eliminate the risk of creating a bad project because my group did not do their part. This way if my music video is bad it will be no one's fault but my own, which is something I will be able to process and grow from easier. I surprisingly didn't struggle all that much with picking a song, which is odd for me because normally I am very indecisive. I chose the song "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen for this project. Queen is one of my favorite bands and their music is some of the only non-show tune music I listen to on a fairly regular basis. I feel as though this song will be great for some interesting and dynamic film-making. The song goes through multiple tempos and emotions despite its short length. Which is perfect for a music video that can only be a minute long.  I also know that I will not get sick of the song because I listened to it almost every day last summer and I never grew to hate it. I'm very excited to start this project and I already have some ideas for the video.

 

 

Creative Critical Reflection

 

Creative Critical Reflection

How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?

 

As a product, my commercial both uses and challenges conventions common to Maybelline commercials. In my commercial I made sure to say the name of the brand and product out loud near the beginning of the commercial. The song I used for background music is similar to the sensual music in the Maybelline commercials. When recording my voice over I did my best to make my voice sound as smooth as possible, and made sure to include any information that one might find in a real commercial. I also made sure to include the wide shots and close-ups common in Maybelline commercials. The biggest conventions my commercial challenged were the glamorous sets and models. I filmed this commercial in my house, and while I love it a lot, it certainly is not as glamorous as the sets common in Maybelline commercials. As the lone actress in this film I was not able to film multiple models as is common in Maybelline commercials. I also lacked some of the ethos that would come from being a model, as while I do think I am good at make-up, I lack real expertise nor have I been hailed as a leader in the field. Furthermore, as someone who is not a model, I do not believe that I would be able to persuade a customer to buy this product, just on the idea that they will look like me. However, I think my average looking appearance may be to the benefit of certain social issues. Many young women face feelings of insecurity or think that they are ugly. The extreme presence of models in print, social media, TV, and many other places adds fuel to this fire. GreatLash is a drugstore mascara, and despite it being the favorite of many model’s it’s average customer is going to be, as the name suggests, average. In this commercial I portrayed an average woman throughout the decades that GreatLash has been on the market. The clothes I wore were not high fashion and my hair was simple. The set just being an average looking house also contributes to the idea that this commercial is meant to relate to the average consumer rather than inspire envy or self loathing. Were this commercial to be seen by a large audience, it may not follow the standard convention of Maybelline using envy to persuade it’s customers to buy products. Instead, it will make the audience feel represented and depending on their age, may make them feel nostalgic for when they first started wearing makeup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?

 

As a product my commercial engages with my audience in a few ways. The biggest way is that the commercial directly addresses the audience. In the commercial I used phrases such as "your lashes" and "your eyes".  Using language like this I am able to persuade the audience to imagine themselves using and buying the product.  The other main way my piece engages with audiences is through nostalgia. GreatLash is not a new product by any stretch of the imagination, and a lot of people who wear make-up have either heard of it or have used it in the past. My commercial plays on feelings of longing for the past with it's costumes and voiceover. These aspects of the commercial may cause audiences to remember using the product in the past. If those feelings are fond or if the person wants to check out the product to see why they loved it, it may encourage them to buy it. Were I to distribute this film I would want it to be able to reach its target demographic easily. One of the main places I would distribute this ad would be on youtube. Both as it's own independent video and as a pre-roll advertisement on videos. Assuming that I could choose what types of videos I could advertise before I would aim to play the ad before makeup tutorials. Specifically, I would want the videos it plays before to be aimed at women aged 30 and up. Since one of the main ways I connect with my audience is nostalgia, I would want the majority of the people who see my ad to be old enough to be nostalgic for this product. In terms of more traditional advertising I would also want this advertisement to play on TV. I would obviously like to show this Ad during prime time on major television networks. I would also want the Ad to play during morning and daytime talk shows, such as Good Morning America or The View. My main reasoning for this is that unlike prime time, when people will not be going to the drugstore, showing the commercial during the day will keep it's message clear within the heads; of the audience as they go throughout their day. If they are running errands or simply don't have much else to do, they may buy a tube of GreatLash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

 

Over the course of this project my production skills developed in various ways. Before I began filming I made a storyboard, which is something I have never done before. Making a storyboard was surprisingly difficult, as I had trouble translating ideas for shots from my head on to paper. I also learned about costuming. While my costumes were not very elaborate, I think they fit the theme and ambiance of the commercial. I probably learned the most during the filming process. The first and biggest thing I learned how to do in the filming process was how to do all of the shots I needed to do for the commercial. This proved to be a beneficial endeavor, as I was able to include a variety of shots in my project, and I could use them again in future projects. Throughout the project I had to learn to solve problems in little ways so I could keep my vision. For instance, early on, during the second scene I created a makeshift tripod in order to film a long shot. Using problem solving early in the project helped me deal with some of the issues I would encounter later in filming. In future projects I'll know what to do right away should those problems pop up again. During the later parts of the filming production I learned how to direct other people and taught them how to film certain shots and angles. I think this would be a handy skill if I were to go into the film industry, because they are a team endeavor. My editing was a lot more in depth and smooth than my last project, partially thanks to some of the mistakes I made and learned from in my last project, like learning how to make cuts more smooth. One of the biggest things I learned during the editing process was how to apply transitions. The fade from the door to the logo proved trickier than expected because the would always break for a second and show the logo to early. The way I fixed this was by separating the clips a bit on the timeline so there was a little bit of black between the two shots, then I applied two fades to each shot, going in opposite directions. This resulted in a much smoother transition. In future projects I hope to use the skills I develop to help production move along smoother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

The first piece of technology I used was Blogger. All of my written blogs and photos were posted here. I don't have access to a camera so I filmed my project on my phone. I'm sure a camera would have resulted in better camera quality but using a phone had its benefits as well. It was easy to hide if it could be seen in a reflection and it was much easier to do close-ups because it was small and easy to hold to my face. I'm lucky enough to have a phone with a lot of storage now, so I did not have to rely on a secondary storage device to transfer my videos. I recorded my voice-over on the open source audio editing software Audacity using my compression microphone. I certainly could have spent some time fiddling around with audio effects and editing since audacity has a lot to offer, but I was much more focused on video editing. I uploaded my videos to Google Photos and then downloaded them onto my desktop. By using a cloud storage software I was able to transfer videos between devices easily. I used OpenShot to edit my video and insert my voice over and music. I am a lot more comfortable with OpenShot than I was before, and like it a lot as an editing software. In order to add the slogan to the Maybelline logo, which I found on Google Images, I used the browser based photo editor Canva. I did not want to download another software to my computer and Canva was easy to navigate and perfect for something as simple as adding text. One of the final pieces of technology I used was YouTube. I had used it earlier in my project to look for royalty-free music and I used it at the very end as a hosting site for my commercial.

 

 

 

Commercial Blog

Over the course of this project I learned a lot about the film-making process. This project marked the first time I made storyboard. I had seen them before during behind the scenes features of films but I never realized just how useful they could be. I also learned problem solving skills during the editing process. I had to work with my limited, at-home resources and I think I did well despite the circumstances. This project also taught me patience, as both editing and filming is a long and tedious process.

Looking back on my project there are a lot of things I would do differently. One of the big things I would do differently was to choose a different product to make a commercial for. I feel like it was challenging for me to replicate the codes and conventions of a maybelline commercial with my limited skills. I think I focused too much on making my commercial unique, instead of making it accurate to the brand. It also does not help that I did 4 different make-up looks and GreatLash is notoriously hard to get off. Regarding some more technical things I want to improve on, I really need to improve the steadiness of my camera. I was lucky enough to have my camera on a solid surface for most of the filming process, but whenever I needed to hold my camera on my own, shots would be shaky and inconsistent. Editing is almost definitely the thing I need to improve on the most. For my next project I want to learn how to fix lighting and speed in editing. I attempted to do that in this project but it ended up looking worse, so I stuck with cuts and transitions. Before my next project I think I will practice editing independently so that I don't struggle as much. Despite the many things I wish I could change and improve upon in my project I am quite proud of it. I still really love my concept of having each scene being in a different decade, and if I had more time and money I would want to go even farther with that concept. All in all, I think this was a fun and educational project that allowed me to be creative.

Editing Blog

   My editing process began on October 29th as I imported all of the clips onto my computer. While I was waiting for the clips to upload, I recorded my voice over. The first thing I did while editing was cutting anything that was planned on being cut in the first place. One of the things I learned from my last project was that leaving a bit of time before and after you want your scene to end is beneficial. After I trimmed the clips my commercial was about 45 seconds long. I cut the first scene by around four seconds, because it was already the longest scene by quite a bit. After that I was still over by 11 seconds, so I cut the inserts of the eye and the mascara tube. After doing that, each of those inserts were around one second long and I was down to 32 seconds. Finally, I cut the final shot of the Maybelline logo down by 3 seconds. In the end my video ended up being 29 seconds long.

Ensuring smooth transitions was difficult for me. I managed to get by in the first few scenes by cutting scenes extremely closely and making sure they ended naturally. The transition between the stairs and the door was exceptionally difficult for me to edit, because it seemed like no matter how I cut it or what transition effect I added It looked awkward. I ended up trimming the staircase scene a bit, and extended the tracking shot towards the door, so the cut would look less sudden. The cut between the tracking shot and the close-up is still my least favorite cut in the commercial, but I don't know how to improve upon it at this moment. Another part of editing I struggled with was the cut-aways. inserting them and cutting the scenes a part was not very difficult, but it was extremely tedious, especially since the editing program I used did not automatically link all of the clips together, so if one clip was moved, all of them had to be moved. I ended up placing my inserts and cutting away from the main action whenever a step was taken.  

Sound editing was harder than I expected. I had to rerecord my voice over a few times because It was either too quiet or did not sync up with the music. In my video editor, I trimmed my music so it started and ended in a natural spot, and turned it's volume down to 50% so that the voice over could be heard properly.

My final step in the editing process (besides exporting the video) was adding the slogan, 5 decades strong, to the logo. I used the online photo editor Canva to add the text, and then imported the file into the project, and placed it in my timeline accordingly. After adjusting a few of the clips I exported my video project and rewatched it to check for any flaws I could fix.