Editing Conventions

I have outlined each shot with a black pen and added closer shots so I need to cut them up and like last year blue tack them to the wall play around with the order. I have looked up music videos such as the following: beautiful disaster by Jon McLaughlin

This inter cuts between 3 setting the narrative the band and the singer and as researched earlier the band is shown during the chorus. However, because my song starts with the chorus so it is difficult to change. The thing is when the Chorus is playing the protagonists are flicking paint at each other. I know this would be more entertaining for the audience to watch than the band but in order to use the conventional pattern of inter-cutting it won't work. However, with the fast pace during the chorus it is easier to have the paint scene there because I can conventionally jump cut like promos do and at the same time connote a chaotic portrayal of the characters. I thought about having more shots of the band during the guitar solo while the narrative actors are running through the school but I do not have enough seconds to do this and closer shots of the characters facial expressions and body language. Hopefully, I will sort this out today because it feels quite cliché with the teacher running after the students for so long.

Teachers Feedback

I need to make my anamatic clearer by outlining the pencil In my story board with a black pen and taking the photos closer up so I do not have to crop it as much thus it won't be as pixelated and it will be easier to see the anamatic. Also I need to change my storyboard slightly by evaluating other cross cutting sequences because there is usually a pattern to the technique for example in the chorus there are usually more shots of the band. This will be challenging but it will be worth it when I'm filming so I know exactly what needs to be shot and when. Hence I need to change my shot list slightly. 

Shot list

I have now decided to change the mise en scene slightly in my story board and anamatic mentally. Therefore, the male and female protagonists will have a costume change off camera which will copy music videos from my research such as wake me up when September ends, what the hell, and the only exception all choose to not show the audience the actors getting changed. So when they leave the school wearing uniform and covered in paint they will arrive at the VIP only concert all dressed in mainstream clothing. This is because it will be easier to edit and film as I can do the school section one evening up until they pick up the paint (58 seconds) the cross cutting to the band (1 minute 25 seconds) and (49 seconds) of paint splattering and running after. Hence if my calculations are correct it should come to 3 minutes 12 seconds all together. Yay it worked. However If a problem occurs I may need to split the filming up especially the 1 minute 25 of the band to two after schools or four lunch times with the blinds closed and stage lights on in the chikara drama studio to connote darkness. Nonetheless, I will need the actors to bring in their costumes to make sure continuity is consistant throughout the music video. Also if the protagonists change from their school uniform to mainstream clothes it will broaden the audience as the band will wear niche pop punk styled clothes. Therefore it signifies that people don't have 2 dress like them to enjoy their music. Furthermore on paramore's video the only exception the female wore mainstream clothes e.g. Green army coloured coat is in fashion at the moment.

Due to redoing my storyboard and animatic I have to change my shot list slightly

Tues 7th Jan 2014 - shots in class room - Hannah Vincent Julian Smith and Callum Welsh - protagonists wear uniform antagonist teacher wears suite props pens and text books (This is the first day back so could be a bit risky as people may not remember to bring costumes in but there is an Art Exam on the week beginning the 13th so I will probably not be able to use the facilities in enough time. However, if I want to do reshooting I need time in order to reach deadlines)
Thurs 9th Jan 2014 - shots in art room - Hannah Vincent Julian Smith and Callum Welsh - protagonists wear uniform antagonist teacher wears suite props poster paint paint brushes
Tues 14th Jan 2014 - first half of shots with band in shikara  Drama - Josh Riley, Oscar Bath, Reece Garside, and Luis Harding denium jeans black top black shoes actors will provide instruments - 3 guitars and the Music department will provide drums microphones and amps Drama Department will provide lights and location
Tues 16th Jan 2014 - second shots with band with protagonists in shikara  Drama - Josh Riley, Oscar Bath, Reece Garside, and Luis Harding denium jeans black top black shoes actors will provide instruments - 3 guitars and the Music department will provide drums microphones and amps Drama Department will provide lights and location protagonists no longer wearing uniform but mainstream costumes

Anamatic

I have made an anamatic in order to make sure my music video is in time with my song and to add to the efficiency of my pitch.

Storyboarding

Due to the fact that my song is only 3 minutes in duration I have had to shorten it. This is also a result of the idea that if I have less to shoot I can shoot it with better quality. As the saying goes it's not quantity it's quality. Therefore the students no longer go to look at their reports in Mr Michie's room. This means that they just go to the art room get covered in paint and then leave the school to go to a club which is actually in the school itself but if the audience is not part of the school they would think that it's a normal club where a band is playing. Also I need better continuity which means in the detention the students need to be doing work with props such as books and pens it's read of just staring at the clock for a few seconds. Moreover when the teacher gets called to talk to another teacher the notion that they are standing outside the door would mean that the students wouldn't chance escaping the detention. Thus, I have decided only one teacher is needed as he can say "I will be back in a moment" through diegetic dialogue. This will be easier as the less people I need to get together the better because everyone is so busy. Hence I have Mr Smith. However I thought three members in a band would  not be enough so I also have Josh Riley playing guitar.

Therefore I have to re-story board for these shots as well as the clock shots. This is because Mr Michie said that in post production we could slow the footage of the seconds down to emphasise that time is going really slowly in the detention. Hence I need a shot reverse shot of the clock and the protagonists reaction.

Furthermore I have a dilemma I can either use the English room which looks like a typical British class room but the teacher said that he has to stay there late marking as he does not have an office or I can use Mr Michie's room that does not have a clock and doesn't look like a typical class room as it's a media room and it is a different layout. Although I could ask to borrow someone else's clock I would have to re-storyboard most of the shots because the room is payed out so differently. These two rooms are the best because they are closest to the art department where the next scene will be filmed so it will be easier to edit and shoot if I use these rooms. I could rearrange the desks to look like a typical class room but I wouldn't be able to see the dark night as there are no windows or doors to the out side. The best thing to do is write a pros and cons list of the rooms and decided from there. This is below:

And we have a winner! I will use the class room first story boarded. The only reason I was thinking of changing it was the fact that I do not need the fire door as the protagonists can use the corridor door as the teachers won't be standing there. The continuity will thus be improved as in some schools the fire alarm goes off if you open the door. 

I have also been struggling in keep up with the fast pace and getting a balance between the band and the narrative. However it does feel easier working on my own than in a group because in AS everyone had different opinions and ideas. So even though there is more work and more to the brief we now understand how to share our time and I knew how much I needed to research in order to get a real understanding of the genre my band and the product.  

This is the finished story board - the shots are much clearer in the animatic if further detail is needed

Change of Heart

I have been having difficulty with finding actors to do the narrative section of my Music Video. I think this is partly because the students I have a choice from have a large amount of work to do. Also not all of them are actors because in sixth form you have the choice to do a variety of different subjects. For example I asked my friend Vienna whether her and her boyfriend would be in it however Vienna does psychology, English and Philosophy and Ethics and Chris does Btec Sport and English all of which are quite academic subjects. Thus they do not feel they are very creative hence are camera shy.

Then I asked Reece and Hannah because they are in my Media class and so know how difficult it is to get actors, but they said the same. Reece also said something that surprised me as he stated that it would be too "cringie". So I have thought about it and decided that if my next couple does not want to do the narrative section of my product I will have to change it. I will probably get two best friends who are girls to escape the detention but instead of hiding straight away in the Chikara room they would be escaping it to go and watch the band. Therefore after checking their reports on the computer and deleting them or paper copy and ripping them up they will leave the school and then magically end up at the venue of a club where the band is playing. This was at one point a back up plan but I am going to discuss my new idea with my peers as this is the target market for my products..

However, This could change my target audience to both boys and girls and I may need more actors for the rest of the audience of the band.

I am back and I have asked my amazing target audience young people aged between 10-25 what they think. The best response I got was my friend Beth's who said combine the two ideas. Genius! So I will have a boy and a girl who are friends and escape the detention to go and see a band in a club. I have also decided to use students from the music department as they understand more about the instruments and how to get it more in time. That way it will be easier to edit with lip syncing. So as soon as I have permission to use the rooms I want I can start storyboarding. Yay!!! Reece, Luis and Oscar said they will be the band members and Callum and said they will be the actors for the narrative based bit. I am getting excited everythings actually going to plan.

Pitch

Planning my pitch I need to answer the following questions:

1. What is the meaning or message of your project? How have you conveyed and created this meaning?
2. Who is your target audience and how are the reflected in your project?
3. what is your narrative? 

To clarify I have answered these below:

1. The main lyrics in the song "Lets hear it for the vague blur" are "You told me I'd be fine without my former life" which are repeated as part of the chorus explain the meaning. This is because the young person has left school and realized that he or she had more freedom and less responsibility than compared to going into the world of work or university. Thus, it is conveyed through a positive representation of age for young people. However, this could be interpreted differently depending on the audience.
2. This is due to the target audience being 10-25. Hence if someone over this age watched the promo they would think the young people disrespectful for leaving the detention when the teacher's back was turned. nonetheless this is how I have reflected my target audience. The conventions in the genre of Pop Punk express the positive representation of males which is dominant and strong. Therefore I have made my target audience white English (,American, Canadian or Australian) males (basically any English speaking person) as this is what is prevalent in my research which will be developed slightly as it will be portray this with the ratio of females to males being 1/2-4/5 depending how many actors I can obtain. So although I will have this target audience it is not treating the audience as though they are unintelligent but just hinting slightly because there are still girls in it.
3. The male and female protagonists are in a school (portrayed in a long shot of the English department or outside of the Chalfonts Community College) in a detention (conveyed through a close up of the clock and the darkness of the outside which reinforces the rebellious free nature of the students as the students have been so bad that they have had to stay until it was dark) the teacher gets called to the corridor to talk to another teacher and the student protagonists exit the fire escape and the teachers start to chase them round the school.(the audience is notified of the students age as I hope to get hold of old uniforms either from actors or I will just borrow them from lost property but if I cannot I will just ask the actors to wear black bottoms white shirts and a black blazer as this smart attire is iconic for students to wear). Anyway, the students will run outside into another building and up to art with the teachers running after them. The students will start flicking paint at them which will relate to the CD Digipak as there will be splatters of paint on the background. Then they will run through the winter gardens to Mr Michie's room (if I get permission). Here they will look through either folders or SIMs an interactive program which holds the students reports.(I may make this up on publisher or photoshop and use the real program as a template as I may not be given permission from either the actors or teachers to use the actors real reports. The protagonists will continue to be chased to the Chikara drama building where the band is playing. Throughout the whole video it will be cross cutting back and forth to the band acting as though they are playing instruments, lip-syncing and breaking the fourth wall and to the narrative. The couple come into the studio warn everyone about the teachers and then the song ends in a really fast pace so I was hoping to cut away from the band to the teachers and when the teachers come into the room all the actors are hiding. Thus the camera zooms into the foot of the female protagonist who is behind the curtain with the male protagonist no non diagetic music just like the beginning where there is just the diegetic sound of the clock ticking. The two main characters have a moment and just before they kiss the music video ends. It is quite similar to Blink 182s music video After Midnight but has quite a different meaning as it conveys the positive or negative representation of disability as it is set in a psychiatric ward. Thus, I have used this as nothing more than inspiration and developed it to suit my song.

Album adverts ideas

There are lots of different types of album covers and so I'm probably going to chose the top right one because it's simple but big. Therefore it will grab peoples attention.