MacBooks!

I am very lucky my parents have bought me a MacBook which came in the post today and I am currently using it. My teacher said the technicians will upload adobe for free for me. This will keep my budgeting for my project down a large amount. This is because you have to subscribe to it now for about £40 a year. Hence, my work will be safer as people will not be using my MacBook. Also my friend Hannah's Macbook battery died this week. Hopefully her work will be retrievable as a technician will take it to an Apple store this weekend. Nevertheless, I am more confident taking full responsibility for my work instead of leaving it with someone else. This is provided that I do not leave it on the bus or anything stupid, but I have vowed to guard the MacBook with my life.

However, on the down side I tried to four three times this week but Imogen my female Protagonist wasn't free on Tuesday, the rooms weren't  available wednesday, Rob my male protagonist wasn't available on Thursday and no one could make it on Friday. Luckily, I have about 4 weeks to finish everything, when I have to start the evaluation which I feel is going to be much easier compared to last year. This is due to how much research I have done especially compared to last year. I mean I did quite a bit of research for my 2 minute opening of a thriller but I didn't transfer it to my project. This year I have copied combined and developed ideas from previous products.

Progress - to do list

I am midway through my music video as I have edited the first and second chorus and the beginning of the narrative section. I have incorporated the post-modern theory by breaking the first wall in the performance section. I have further developed this theory by making the layout of the school hyper-real because there is a large amount of space from one room to another in the narrative section and the 'club' is actually a drama studio in the school. Thus, bricolage is used as this is a a collage of footage instead of images. Also, the song it self could be a generic hybrid of pop-punk, indie and . I still need to finish filming as explained earlier I have used a different lower quality camera compared to last year but it is still the same format so I have gained more confidence with setting up the tri-pod. This is due to the idea that we are now working individually so I have had more practise as we had to divide the work up last year in order for everyone to have a go.

Unfortunately, the different camera means different files which are slower and is why my editing is taking so long. Moreover, I transferred all my files to a different laptop at the very beginning of the project and I know that it did not work so I imported the small amount of footage I had again and created a new premier pro file but didn't delete the old ones this also made my MacBook slower so it is a little faster now. What seems to be happening is the sound is playing but the images are not so at the moment I am listening to the footage marking in and then out what I want to import which is working a bit better than before but not drastically. Basically, I have to be patient with it. I have now decided to right click on the timeline of the preview of the footage to mark in and out what I want to import this continues to quicken the pace of editing. I think before, I had something to do while I was waiting for the footage to render as I would go onto Photoshop and do my digipak but now I have realised how long it was taking to load. Plus the more files added the more time it takes to buffer. What I need to do is just get another piece of work and keep switching while waiting for the mac to load but it gets irritating after a while of starting and stopping thought processes. 

Oscar showed me how to use it as he does A-level Photography which just goes to show its not what you know its who you know. I had a challenge taking a photo of the background of my digipak because my memory card was jammed but my friend Alice fixed it.

Editing my digipak has been interesting I learnt how to use an SLR camera and how to use Photoshop. I used Photoshop a few times in GCSE art course but I had forgotten quite a lot of techniques but its just a matter of asking my teacher, peers and looking up things on YouTube. For example I found this video that taught me how to change the green screen into the back ground I wanted: 

However, when I did the above there was a green shadow like halo around my people. I asked my friend Reece and he said to use the eraser and go around the images carefully while zoomed in.

When I changed my idea from a skeleton hand to a half skull half human face my friend Callum showed me this video but I felt it was easier to ask someone to show me so I asked my teacher and I learned that I had to select the layer and adjust the opacity (70%) and size of the skull to fit on the musicians faces. I didn't think about it when I came across the idea but it gives anonymity to the band like masks which combines digipaks such as Avril Lavignes and Weezer who have with Green Day and Blink 182.

I was quite pleased with my self when I worked out how to speed up clips and slow them down for example when the protagonists run out of the detention they did not do it fast enough to get into the storyboarded time of 2 seconds and 12 frames therefore I changed the pace to enable it to fit and it looks quite good considering that shot was when the music starts. Furthermore, I slowed the seconds non diegetic sound down to symbolise that time was going slowly because they were so bored. I still need to adjust the sound especially for the narrative section so that the only thing heard is the non diegetic score of the clock.
I still need to change the sound so the background diegetic sound is not heard but the ticking non diegetic sound is heard. I also need to make sure the lip syncing is better because the basic skill like framing and so could decrease my grade considerably.

Props

I made these for the last chorus when the protagonists join the band but I have realised the reaction shot story boarded will capture the teachers desk piano and white board that  are in the drama studio I will be using but I'm sure I can work it out and cover it all up. It will all be fine as long as I get everything done in the next 5 weeks. 

Paint scene

I randomly found this video and I think it captures the what would look amazing with the paint but I do not have the location for it as I can't get paint on the school class room. Also unfortunately Rob has a basket ball match today and tomorrow so it looks like I'm going to have to cancel filming again which I do not like doing at all. Especially as my dead line has passed. 

Record label logos

I need to design my old record label logo as I have to use non copy right images these are examples

I was thinking about combining these 2 ideas and calling my record label back street records and copying the conventions of the black and  white but challenging the angle that it is positioned and making it angled to the left.

unfortunately this would copy a record company that already exists so I will probably change my idea to backstreet credits with the same idea. I Googled this and found no existing copy with the same name.

Extension of rough-cut deadline

Luckily, Mr Michie will give me an extension I do not know until when but I will film the rest of the narrative section this Thursday and The bands chorus section on the first Monday back as the room probably won't be in use as my group won' be using it as our exam will be finished.

However, issues have occurred in my footage for example I forgot that Imogen had to turn around in her close up shot to look at the clock but that should be easily fixed on Thursday. Fortunately, I decided to swap the protagonists as in the animatic the male character was on the right but in the footage Imogens on the right. Thus, if I needed to re-shoot the Imogens close up she is most likely to turn up. Also it does not spoon feed the viewers into thinking the target audience is male as in the narrative section the female protagonist is predominant compared to the male. However, even though this is counteracted in the performance section females could still like the band because of sexual attraction because the males are young. Perhaps too young as I have said already if I were to redo the project I would have chosen older musicians as if they were reflecting on their childhood. Nevertheless, pop punks main audience is 17-25 and considering all the males in the band are 18 it appeals to the lower end of the target market making them quite niche.So my ancillary task is going well and I will book the mac out a he end of today to edit what I have over the week end and finish the Digipak at least.

Editing is coming along slowly but surely because it is taking so long to render the shots. This is due to the fact that I filmed all the bands shots all the way through the song without cuts. Thus it has a large amount of frames to render when I import just one shot into to time line. I have adjusted the clock shots to make them go slower as a metaphor for time going fast when you have fun but obviously the students are not having fun in the detention but when they start having fun the pace quickens due to shorter shots and the pace of the music.  

Now it is the 13th Feb and I wanted to film the last chorus with the band and the protagonists but unfortunately Oscar is working and if I can't get the whole band it won't work. So I will have to leave it until next term. I was hoping that I could fit it in between the end of school and the trip because school finishes at 15:40 and the coaches pick us up at 16:45 which gives us more than enough time. Never mind I'll get it done eventually I think this is going to be the most difficult bit because I need to get 7 people together all of which are doing different things at different times. Then again the paint scene will prove difficult as well as I will have to try and not get paint everywhere.

5th day of filming

Yes! finally I have got a section of my narrative done. Unfortunately, I had to miss a performing arts rehearsal even though my exam is this Tuesday the dead line for my rough cut is sooner; Monday. Hence it takes full priority in order to finish filming. However, I completely forgot I still need to film the whole band with the protagonists and I'm filming the rest of the narrative section today which means I can either do tomorrow after school which no one will want to do considering its Friday Monday is the dress run for my performing arts Exam Tuesday is the Exam which means Monday I will be rehearsing until six again and Tuesday I will be at the Beck theatre all day. I may be able to film it Wednesday but my self and Imogen have a theatre trip to see Henry V in London for English literature A-level. we are getting a coach there so we may be able to film while we wait for the coach it depends what time we are leaving and if we have time to eat something before we go. Therefore, that only leaves Thursday next week because then its Friday again and everyone is busy on Fridays. Also the school is not available on the weekends I thought it would be easier to use the school because that means we do not need to travel anywhere but it just makes it more difficult to film stuff as we cannot come in on holidays without a member of staff - the end of next week is half term which is really irritating. Nevertheless, I Saturday to finish editing the footage I have got as I will sign the mac out over the weekend and then Sunday I am practising at the Beck again for performing arts. I was thinking it may be easier if the Chikara is free to meet at 8:20 in the morning if people could get the earlier bus in. It's asking a lot from teenagers so I won't get my hopes up but the year 13s are use the room on Thursdays so it doesn't give me much choice.

My ancillary task is well under way but I may need to retake Oscar and Luis' photos because squeezing them on the the front cover of the Digipak has proven difficult I may just need to make them small but the problem is more of the way their feet are positioned. I think in my research I did too much on the front cover and not enough on the rest of the digipak so I may need to go back on that. Ok so I Googled digipaks and only four panelled ones came up I googled six panelled ones and guess what I was sent to a link which sent me to a blog so I decided to look in the course work archive of past students work.

The bit I have missed in my research is the photos I will probably divide my band with either a photo of Luis and Oscar on one side and Josh and Jonny with the splatters of paint in the back ground but this may be too busy I will try and test my ideas before cancelling them out. I could go the other way as to just have one of them blue and green but this may be too simple thus I might meet in the middle and have to band members separated with one green background and the other blue.

This is another example of the green days digipak  I will have the back of the of mine either black or red with the text vise versa. Its decided front page all band members with splattered paint one square will have just splattered paint another just 2 band with green background the same again but with the 2 other band members and blue back ground back page music production company with list of songs with black font and red background to match the font on the front page.

Project continues

Ok slightly freaking out because my laptops gone missing it should be fine the year 12s have probably signed it out so it should turn up but now that is stopping my progress. Its just irritating that the media laptops are not linked with the schools hard-drive because then I could use any computer in the school and my work would be more secure. This is teaching me a good lesson with backing up my work but the thing is I haven't got enough room on my memory stick so I may need to get a hard-drive of my own. This is really annoying because it is stopping progress with editing. I am going to film the class room scene on wednesday and the paint scene on thursday if it kills me because I need next weeks time to edit my rough cut together as my deadline is approaching thick and fast. I now have nothing to do for an hour because I don't have anything as everything from the raw footage to the ancillary tasks photos are on that one mac. I can't sit here and do nothing so I spoke to my teacher and he said its up to us to keep things safe and if people don't put things back its not he's problem... but its my problem and I'm stuck now...

What do I do if it doesn't turn up? right all the footage is still on the camera as I didn't delete it so I just need to look on all them cameras and upload them all to another mac then re-edit all the editing I've already done. but I deleted the photos off the SLR cameras so I will have to retake them photos and photoshop them again. Lastsly I will back it all up! Although, this will take time I'm glad I didn't do what I was told and deleted the raw footage from the cameras as I would have to reshoot everything again. and yes I used 2 different numbered cameras so 1 has the first section of footage and another has another bit of footage which is another reason I wanted to keep the camera Mr Michie's office to keep all the footage together. I think there are about 8 HD cameras in Miss Collin's office which could have my shots on. I am probably letting my imagination run away with me but its definitely worth thinking about.