Task 14: Reflection on Progress

My gradual progress for blogging in media compared to last year is slightly lacking in from my point of view due to the fact that blogs need to be done in larger quantities rather than one by one.

However, the use of ICT has exceeded the amount I used during the my first year during AS Media which has proved to make my work more interractive and appealing ratherthan dull and gloomy and I would mark myself 16/20 for the use of ICT as far as I'm aware of, I have used ICT in all my blogs except one. 

 

AS Media Studies

A2 Media Studies

Task 13: Synergy

Created with Padlet

Post 12: Editing our own version of Katy B's song Louder

In today's lesson, we looked through our footage from Monday's lesson and chose the footages we thought would be the best to start editing with on premiere pro. After doing this we have realised we lack base tracks - this is important for the actual music video and we need to improve on adding base tracks. 

Mary suggested we use our filming time smartly, for example instead of staying in one shot waiting for the singer to start we could use it essentially by making the singer walk towards the camera and then let her start singing. We have decided to use this suggestion for our actual music video. Additionally, some of our footages were too fast so we had to use slow motion to make sure it was in beat of the song - this is similar with the lip syncing as in one footage it was too fast. However, our camera shots matched the actual music video as there are specific close up shots, mid shots and long shots. 

Difference between Final Cut Pro 7 & Adobe Premiere Pro

The change from Final Cut Pro 7 which we used in AS to Adobe Premier pro was a very big leap for myself. After getting to grips an video editing software for the first time last year which was Final Cut Pro, I finally perfected all my errors in the way I edit and was proved in the way I edited the final AS project which was the beginning of a short film. Compared to my earlier work you were able to see the severe progress which I made. However, for A2 Media we were told to use Adobe Premier Pro, which at first seem a lot complicated than it actually is, after finally getting to grips with it after a few weeks, it proved to be a breeze as editing seemed easier with less complex aspect which allowed progress to be swift and quick.

Premiere Pro - Lip Sync Edit

For A2 we will be using a new software which is 'Premiere Pro'; we learnt how to interlink the video footage with audio of the song, marking several in line with the beat. As well as, marking the point where the lead vocalist sings and matching it to the video synchronsing it together which helped create base tracks in the process, causing fluency between both sectors. With the markers, we were able to choose which footage we could cut out, along with the razor tool, we got rid of the shot we didn't want in the footage.

This took several minutes just to get the video and music together and examining edit very closely as one second off when intertwining the two sectors could prove to be a vital aspect which could hinder the whole product. The finish product is below:

Premiere pro - lip sync editing

In this session we were introduced to a new software called ‘Premiere Pro’. This is a software where we were taught how to connect a selective video footage with an original audio of an actual music video.

By pressing on the keyboard letter ‘M’ which is known as the marker, we mark the lead artists voice with the video clip we have chosen in order to create base tracks This is then dragged down to the box several times till we have a certain amount of video clips. Then we have the chance to make it in sync with the music video by using ‘cmd’ and the left and right arrow of the keyboard. Once that is done, more markers are added in the beat of the song, making it easier to choose the clips we want to erase from the video with the razor tool. After doing this a several times, and analysing the entire video - with the base tracks and audio included - I have come up with this:

Post 11: Mainstream Vs Indie

Premiere Pro CC- Experimenting

It was the very first time I used the Premiere Pro; as I have been used to using Final Cut Pro, this was an entirely new experience. I was introduced to a new tool 'M', this is called a marker and its for the purpose of marking where you would like each base track to link.

This is how it looks after I marked and erased the base tracks; by using the erasing tool I was able to remove parts of a track without removing the entire base track.   

A very confusing part of Premiere is the fist thing you drag into the timeline is not the soundtrack, which you automatically first do. However you start of by dragging one of the base tracks, this allows the time to be adjusted to the base track instead of the soundtrack; which sometimes has different times from the base tracks.                               

The selected tool in this screen shot is the select tool, this is the tool I used for selecting and grabbing the video into the timeline. I also used the selective tool to erase the different part of the base tracks I didn't need. Therefore, this leads into the erasing tool. The erasing tool is location right next to the select tool, I used the eraser tool to select the section I want to delete.

This first session, where we were both introduced and experimented how to complete a music video step by step; it felt much similar and easier to understand, than Final Cut Pro. It feels much easier to select and edit the parts of the clip that are not as important. I am quite excited to use this new software as I think it will allow me and my group to produce an impressive piece of work.

Post 9: Costume And Setting Changes

Calvin Harris:- How deep is your love

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One direction:

Taylor Swift: Wildest Dreams

Post 7: YouGov: Ellie Goulding

YouGov Profiler:

Ellie Goulding:

Before even researching into the target audience for Goulding, I have a rough idea of her audience; as many people around my age group very much enjoyed her music. 

Here it says that Ellie Gouldings target audience are, female and would range between the ages of 18-24. They are at times very easily distracted but enjoys to listen to music and are hopeless romantics.

Post 8: Previous Student Work Analysis

Looking through the range of videos from previous years, I can see how quickly the music industry has changed and what seemed to be very effective before doesn't seem to be that interesting now.

Emaze-

Post 10: Costume and Setting Changes

This is the Timeline of the costume changes in Olly Murs's- Troublemaker

Costume, setting and location analysis

Task 9: Analysing costume, setting and location

Previous student video analysis

21. Khadeeja, Romy, Andreia, Luke from 283goswell on Vimeo.

YouGov Profiler

Sam Smith
In each of these sections, it gives people a brief outline of who a typical Sam Smith is and what they do, eat, use and buy. For example, a Sam Smith audience is most likely to be a female between the ages 18-24 who is bighearted and loves shopping in Primark or Debenhams. Also, someone who reads the Mirror newspaper and watches X Factor. In other words, YouGov profiler helps give others an insight of what a Sam Smith audience is most likely to be like.

Task 8: Review On Previous Students Work

04. Emmanuel, Ariadna, Yuksel, Joshua from 283goswell on Vimeo.

The aspects of a previous A2 students work that I'm fond is that they use a huge variety of edit and camera shots which intertwined which the music and left the end product to a high standard. 


Here one of the shots which I liked was the 'low angle' shot when one of the protagonists dropped the flower upon the grave, not only was it used to show respect according to the lyrics and give slight power to the singer due to him still being alive but also caused a smooth transition between the next shot at another location.

Another shot which caught my attention was when the other singer of the duo was in his apartment during a counselling session, with the room dark and quiet it showed the true atmosphere of the song emphasising about the sorrow within. The beret the singer is wearing while drinking the alcohol from the clear glass with slight effect shows the planning that has go into making the video with thorough detail.

Moreover, before the climax of the video, one of the singers who was wearing a white t-shirt suddenly changes to wearing all black, this happens when the music beat drops after being a quiet and the camera rises up and drops when the beat returns and provides a stunning effect combining the song and the transitions together.

Laura Mulvey's theory

Task 7: YouGov Profiler

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Task 6: Laura Mulvey's Theory On Representation

Carol Vernallis' theory: research

Task 5: Carol Vernallis' research

Andrew Goodwin's theory

Andrew Goodwin is a music director and he believed that all pop videos had a different structure rather than a traditional narrative analysis. He believed that pop videos approach narrative from a different angle to novels and films.

The reasons for the different narrative structures are because:

• Pop videos are built around songs
• Pop songs use the singer both as narrator and character
• The singer often looks directly at the camera

Pop videos rely on repetition; videos often repeat images and/or parts of the song. Intertexuality means we can become familiar with the genre and have certain expectations. 

The visualization of a song may go beyond the original meaning. Some videos may provide a visual pleasure that encourages numerous views, which promotes the music. The videos may promote films as well, showing that there are three types of relations between songs and videos:

Illustration – this is where the video tells the story of the lyric:

This video is illustrative because it shows Eminem standing on rooftops and giving examples of confident body language, showing that he is ‘not afraid’ of anything or anyone anymore.

Amplification – this occurs when the videos introduce new meanings that do not contradict with the lyric but add layers of meanings:

Disjuncture – this is where the little connection between the lyric and video or where the video contradicts the lyric: