Final Cut

Filming/Editing #7

To finalise my music video, I tidied up any cuts, made sure everything was in sync, and corrected any colouring or filters.

I also laid over footage of the end part of my performance in the lighter costume with footage of me clapping while framed in various positions.  I think it was successful in the build up to the end of the song and the final energetic chorus as there is a lot happening visually.

Fifth Draft

Filming/Editing #6

After feedback, I reshot my performance pieces for the end of the song.  For my costume I dressed in lighter clothing, wearing a kimono which emphasised my movements, and wore brighter make-up, such as a lighter shade of red lipstick in comparison to the previous dark red.  I also tried moving more when singing, particularly with hand, arm and head movements to fit with the energetic end chorus.

I also added in some cross dissolves to make the transitions between the clips more visually pleasing, rather than just using simple cuts throughout the video.  All of these changes were to try and convey the change in mood within the song, as well as matching with the cheerful ending to the narrative.

Music Video Feedback

We screened our nearly finished music videos and received feedback sheets on the developments we had made.  Here is some of what I received:

These feedback sheets show I have made significant improvements to my music video, particularly with adding and developing my narrative and including elements of Goodwin's theory.  For example, the link between visuals and lyrics, as well as visuals and music.  I think I need to make minor changes such as including transitions between shots to make it more visually interesting.  I also hope to adapt the ending so it builds more as the song does, possibly including more cuts, then I think it will be complete.

Fourth Draft

Filming/Editing #5

For my ending two shots, I wanted to have my actress featured with a sunset behind her, as I thought it would convey the happy and relieved tone at the end of the song.  However, I did struggle due to bad weather.  Luckily, we waited until there was a day with a sunset of yellow, pink and purple tones, exactly what I had wanted for the footage.  We met and filmed at the original park location at Danson Park, and captured the two end shots I had planned.  I then edited the final shot to fade out along with the song.

Filming/Editing #4

I did some more filming at Greenwich Park, but waited until a day with better weather so it was sunny.  I wanted to use this for the second part of the song, after the slow bridge, as the song picks up pace and becomes more cathartic.  Therefore, I thought the bright sunshine would convey happiness and show the change of the narrative when the girl overcomes her past.

To further develop the narrative, I filmed the girl looking at and then later deleting pictures of her and a boy on her phone.  This shows the relationship and then signals the change in tone once she has started to move on from it.  I edited the footage of her locking her phone and the screen turning from the image of the couple to black in time with the line 'The dog days are over', to suggest the relationship is over.

I also shot footage of me clapping along to the song from slightly different angles, framed in different places.  I originally tried dancing while clapping, similar to the original video for the song, yet found this was not successful as I had hoped, therefore changed to this idea of cuts of these various shots.  It also relates to Goodwin's theory of linking the music with the visuals as the cuts are in time with the clapping.  When there is a break in the song after this moment, I intentionally left it black to fit with and emphasise the build up before the final energetic chorus.

Third Draft

Filming/Editing #3

I decided to refilm my narrative using a different location.  I chose Greenwich Park, as I thought it had a more romantic element to it due to aspects such as the band stand.  I also included another prop for the actress to drop as she runs, red flowers, as this is another connotation of love and relationships.

When editing, I also used Bullet Looks to add an effect called 'Interview' onto my footage, which added a softer look and pink tones to the shots, as well as highlighting the subject well.  I think this emphasises the theme of romance within my narrative.

Second Draft

Filming/Editing #2

I continued with filming my performance pieces in the drama studio.  I tried brighter lighting and a side shot, which I thought was more interesting, and tried cutting between this footage more to keep with the pace of the song.

I also filmed some of my narrative, about a girl getting over a past relationship and moving forward in her life, conforming to the indie/pop genre conventions and using the setting of a park.  I used Danson Park, a park nearby to me and my actress to make meeting to film easier.

The actress I used was my friend Daisy, as I knew she would be reliable when organising to film.  Her make-up and costume were simple and quite plain, as even though the narrative is important, with indie/pop music videos the artist's performance is the main focus, and I wanted to follow this convention.

I included further elements of Goodwin's theory, relating the lyrics and visuals, by using footage of the girl running when the lyrics 'Run fast for your mother/Run fast for your father' are sung.

Feedback from 1st Draft

There are a lot of blank spaces within my music video which I intend to fill with narrative, yet have had trouble organising to film this.  However, I screened what I had so far and this is the feedback I received:

From this feedback, I can focus on filling the blank spaces, particularly by including more narrative so it is clearer.  However, I am glad they liked the costume and lighting of my performance footage.

First Draft

Filming/Editing

I started with filming my performances pieces.  I used the same drama studio as I did for my digipak photographs, as I liked the black background.  I also used the same lighting, using one light that acted as a spotlight.  I intentionally had long, still shots of me singing, as this is a genre convention for indie/pop music.

I also tried using warmer lighting when wearing a different outfit as indie/pop music videos contain more than one outfit, promoting their image, relating to Goodwin's theory.

Also relating to Goodwin's theory, I included footage that related the visuals to the music, such as short cuts showing me clapping along to the song.  I filmed this in the white art gallery as I thought it would be a nice contrast compared to the black background of the drama studio.

I also included intertextual references to the original music video for Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine, with footage of me spinning in a flowy dress, which I then slowed down.

Music Video Influences

I researched music videos from various genres on YouTube and created a playlist of the ones I found interesting or that gave me possible influences for my own music video.  







One particular music video I enjoyed was Out My Mind by The Skints.  This music video shows examples of Goodwin's theory, matching the lyrics with visual images within the video.  For example, the line 'I call up my friends' accompanied by a girl holding a giant mobile that says 'Calling John...' towards the singer, and the lyrics 'it's 4am' with another girl holding up a clock showing that time.  This is definitely something I would consider including within my video.

I also think the use of these girls within the music video conforms to Goodwin's theory of voyeurism.  The girls are there to only hold up objects that relate to the lyrics and reiterate the narrative, therefore have no other purpose than to be looked at, and they often look directly into the camera.  This is reinforced by the fact they all have similar make-up on.

Another video that relates to Goodwin's theory is Cough Cough by Everything Everything.  This video is cut in time with the beat and music of the song, generally making it more enjoyable to watch as this means there are quite a lot of cuts to keep it interesting.  I will also consider using similar techniques when I edit my music video.







Furthermore, I found several music videos with engaging narratives and ways these narratives are shown and explained.  The videos that stood out most to me were Sacrilege by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Breezeblocks by Alt-J.

The Sacrilege video shows the narrative in an unconventional way.  It starts with the end and gradually shows how the events happened by repeating the clips yet revealing more each time, with the story working its way backwards.  For example, the couple surrounded by flames, with the next shot showing men pouring gasoline, and then the shot after showing people dragging the girl towards the unconscious man as others place wood around them.

The narrative in the Breezeblocks video is similar as it is also revealed backwards.  However, it consists of longer shots in slow motion, and the shots are literally backwards rather than jump cutting backwards like the Sacrilege video.  A noticeable example is when the women throws the bottle at the man, which misses and smashes against the wall.

These narratives compel you to watch the videos and find out what has happened and the reasons for the end result which is shown at the beginning of the video.  They also often change your views of the people within the videos as more is revealed.