Thursday, December 5, 2019

Music Video Editing Blog

      Anyeska, Lesly, Jazmin, and I all worked on editing our music video. It took up the majority of our class time, and unfortunately, the editing process did not go well. Although Anyeska was able to dump all the footage from the SD card to the desktop, it took a while to view each scene we would use and for the computer to handle the download size. Eventually, I was able to finish the downloading process and save it all into Google Drive. After this, Lesly found and downloaded The Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars onto the computer. Once I was ready to edit, I opened Pinnacle Studios and imported the footage and audio into the program. From there, I started editing the raw footage. It was difficult to do this because the preview of a scene (on the right side of the screen) would lag and slow down the computer. Thus, it took me some time to figure out the different scenes just by their image, when I was trying to match it to the lyrics. The following paragraph will explain the different tools I tried to use and what happened during my editing process.

      Due to the fact that our class time was running short, we were only able to begin editing the first scene. First, I used a razor blade icon to split the first scene because it was too long and unnecessary. I thought to detach the audio from the shot, but it helped to match the first lyrics to our dance. Since the background sound was the actual song, we wanted to dance or act out each scene with a reference and to potentially benefit us while editing. I had difficulty trying to place the first scene as soon as the initial lyrics: "Today I don't feel like doing anything" started. Apparently, Pinnacle Studios uses a magnetic timeline, in which any clip you drag and drop into the timeline snaps to any existing clips. I did not know that you can turn that function off, so I struggled to do that. I let my group members try to fix or get the scene to where we wanted it, but they didn’t know how to either. With little time left, we decided to end our editing process and rely on starting and finishing it next class. Unfortunately, after I saved our music video I deleted the footage from the desktop, thinking that I wouldn’t need it, but it backfired and ended up disabling the footage from pinnacle studios. I ended up solving the problem even though it took up 5 minutes of editing time.

      There are editing techniques I planned to use in the music video. Some include adding a title screen, subtitles, cropping footage, and a fade-in/out. Hopefully next class, when we continue editing that I'll see a vision along with my group members of our music video coming to life. I also hope that editing will be successful. I think it may be hard at first, but Lesly and Brit seem to be experienced and ready to edit our footage. The only type of sound I plan to use in the music video is background music. The camera movements and angles we used were: High angle, tilt shot, pan shot, long shot, medium close up shot, over the shoulder, point of view, zoom in/out. All of these editing techniques will be used while editing our music video. We will try to edit so it comes in between 1:05 to 1:15. Ultimately, I will create a fun and interesting music video that will excite and engage audiences.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Filming Blog #2

      Last week Sunday, I met up with my team mates to finish filming our music video. We met up at Anyeska’s house again, but this time we met up around 1:30 PM. Initially, we had four scenes left to film. However, we ended up breaking the storyboard and switching over to new ideas. We ended up only filming one scene on Sunday, which was actually our very last scene of the music video. Scene six and scene seven from the storyboard which I drew, was merged together into one scene, breaking the storyboard. Additionally, scene twelve from the storyboard was changed up. Instead of filming a long shot of Jazmin kicking her socks off then laying on the couch, Anyeska filmed an extreme close up shot of her kicking her shoes off. It was my original idea to show someone taking their shoe off when the lyrics stated “‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything;” the reason being that a person can not go out and do anything if they are not wearing shoes. All in all, these changes to the storyboard was made the day before, Saturday.
      Scenes thirteen through fifteen were completely changed up on Sunday. As previously stated, we only filmed one scene on Sunday. Basically, we merged the three scenes together, making them one scene, and cutting our actions short. Our initial idea was to throw up paper confetti in scene thirteen, lay on the floor in fourteen, and in the last scene someone would cover the camera with their hand; Instead, we went against the storyboard again. We decided to only throw up the paper confetti, gather in a circle as we cheer happily, then Jazmin walked away from the group and covered the camera with her hand. Anyeska’s mom was behind the camera for the previously described scene and the scene was filmed as a medium shot. At that point, filming the music video was called to an end. We all felt pretty relieved, so we decided to go out and have some fun.
      Overall, filming was successful. I enjoyed working with Anyeska, Jazmin, Lesly, and Nick. We were quite strategic of how we went about filming the music video. For one, everyone was involved in at least three scenes which means that we all played a huge part in the music video. Moreover, we filmed in five different settings around Anyeska’s house, and everyone had a chance to operate the camera. Meaning, we all actively contributed to the music video as a team is supposed to do. I felt as though I learned a lot from my fellow AICE Media classmates. My biggest takeaway was how to creatively use camera movements, angles, and shots. I am content that I made the decision to work with my friends because for the entire time, work felt like leisure. I will definitely be working with these same people for my final Cambridge project.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Filming Blog #1

      Over the weekend, my group mates and I filmed our music video. We filmed on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, I met up with my group mates at Anyeska’s house around 2 PM. The agreed time to be there was 1 PM; However, I was running an hour behind. The people who were involved in the filming process were Anyeska, Lesly, Jazmin, our volunteer named Nick, and I. By the time I arrived, my team mate, Lesly had already finished his “birthday suit” scene. We mostly went with the flow, and majority of our music video was filmed out of order. Upon arrival, I walked in on the scene where Anyeska had to lay in bed to match the lyrics “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Lesly was filming her at a high angle as mentioned in the storyboard. After Anyeska’s scene, we filmed Jazmin’s over-the-shoulder scene where she was sitting on the couch and she tossed her phone as she was receiving a call from Lesly; the lyrics: “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone.” Afterwards, we took a short, twenty minute break to grab a quick snack. Anyeska’s mom made us mozzarella sticks and we had juice, as well as water. After eating, we jumped right back into filming. Our next scene was a dance sequence where we came up with simple steps to express the lyrics, “today I don’t feel like doing anything.” It took us about twelve minutes to come up with a dance sequence and after a few takes, it took the group about fifteen minutes to master it. Anyeska’s mom was in charge of filming this scene.  The fifth scene which we did was the scene where the lyrics went: “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, ooo.” For this scene, Anyeska printed out papers which read “No,” and we all had one, except for Lesly. We stood in a line side by side and we each extended out the paper every time we heard “no.” On the last “no,” Lesly zoomed into the camera because the next scene would be the scene of him in his “birthday suit.” We basically filmed the five scenes previously mentioned before Lesly had to go to his basketball game. Therefore, we filmed all of the parts which did not include him.

       Once Lesly left, we wasted no time. We jumped right into filming all of the scenes which did not involve him. The first scene we filmed without him was a video game scene where Nick was playing video games, but then he stopped and relaxed. The lyrics to match the scene are: “oh, today I don’t feel like doing anything.” Second, Anyeska filmed my scene where I was in the bathroom mirror with a comb in my hand and me shaking my head; the lyrics were “no, I ain’t gonna comb my hair. ‘Cause I ain’t going anywhere.” Then, Jazmin filmed the scene where Anyeska was laying in bed, but this time, turning over onto her side and putting the covers over her head. Lastly, we filmed two scenes. We filmed a scene where Jazmin took her shoes off, and the song went- “”cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.” The final scene of the day was the part of the song which went, “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone.” In this scene, I recorded an insert which displayed a bunch of missed calls to express the lyric previously stated. That was it for filming on Saturday. We all agreed to return the following day to finish out last few scenes.

      The next day, we all met up at Anyeska’s house to ultimately conclude our video. We decided to cut the scenes short, braking the storyboard to an extent. We only filmed one scene on Sunday. Basically, in the last scene we used confetti as a prop. We lip singed the lyrics: “Nothing at all!” Then, we threw the confetti in the air, huddled and cheered. Once again, Anyeska’s mom recorded this scene. As Nick, Lesly, Anyeska, and I huddled around, Jazmin stepped away from the group and she covered the camera which means that the video was over. Once the video was over, I was relieved. I feel confident in the scenes we filmed and I can not wait to edit them so that I can see our ideas come to life in our final product. After filming, we went to an arcade, then a pizza restaurant to award ourselves.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Music Video Conventions Blog

    Codes and conventions are used by many different companies. They can be used as a marketing strategy in order to grab the attention of consumers. That way the product seems more interesting. A code is a system of signs that are put together to create a meaning. One example of a code is a technical code which are camera techniques, framing, lighting, exposure etc. Another example of codes are symbolic codes, which consist of objects,  the setting, body language, clothing, and color. Lastly, there are written codes which are headlines, captions, speech bubbles, and language styles. Conventions are habits of doing things. In short, what people have come to expect. Examples of conventions are: Camera angles, shots, editing, lighting, sound, music, computer graphics, and special effects.

    Many songwriters use conventions in order to help the audience understand the theme of the video. They also want to give them a feel for the emotion behind it. While in the original music video of The Lazy Song, the dancers dressed in baggy clothes and wore ape masks. This created a crazy, lazy, but happy atmosphere. Throughout the song the dancers dance along with the music. In the Lazy Song's music video, there were a limited amount of camera angles. One camera angle the director used was a wide shot which allows for the audience to see everything lateral. The wide shot was used in the whole music video. This is evident because as the music video was occurring, there were not any changes to the wide shot camera angle. The director is trying to engage with the audience by showing them all of the dancers with Bruno Mars in the center.
   
    For our music video, we will change the dynamic. To start with, we are going to engage our audience by opening with a fade in. This makes the audience seem like they just walked into something. Then right after, we will start dancing just as in the original video. This will catch the audiences eye and make them want to continue watching. To add onto that, our costumes, makeup, and props will surely catch the eye of our viewers because we are wearing bright and crazy colors. Our music video will also take place in multiple settings, rather than just one. We will zoom in to the birthday suits characters eye and transport from the bedroom to a different location. Another thing we show differently is what we’re doing. The actors in the film will be watching TV, combing their hair, and playing video games. These are things that people contribute to everyday life and have genuine interests in. Lastly, there will be more camera movements which allows for a better understanding of the film's theme.

Music Video Storyboard Blog

      Today my teammates and I manifested our storyboard in our group chat. After completing our planning blog where we discussed how we wanted to go about filming our music video, we knew it was time for our storyboard. It took approximately an hour to draw and write out our camera angles, camera movements and actions for each scene. Had we not execute a plan in our planning blog last class, story boarding would have been a much longer process. Our teachers restrictedour timing to at least one minute and five seconds, and at most one minute and fifteen seconds. Ourstoryboard consists of fifteen different five second scenes. Meaning, our music video should be around one minute and fifteen seconds long. So far, we are on a good track with timing. Our storyboard is shown down below. It is filled with great details which will guide us during the filming process.

       Within the first scene of the blog we will edit in a fade in transition which then displays a wide shot of my three other teammates, a volunteer, and I dancing to the lyrics “today I don’t feel like doing anything.” Secondly, we will have a high angle of someone laying in bed “sleeping;”Lyrics: “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Third, we will have a jump cut into an over the shoulder of someone silencing their phone then tossing it on the couch— lyrics: “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone. ‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.” In the fourth scene: “No, I ain’t gonna comb my hair, ‘cause I ain’t going anywhere.” The actions that match the lyrics would be someone holding a comb, looking at it, placing it down, then shrugging their shoulder. In the fifth scene, all five of us involved will hold up signs which reads “no.” Using the camera movement, pan and a close up shot, we will move the camera left to right going down the rows of “no” signs. The lyrics will play: “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noo.” On the last “no,” the camera will zoom into someone’s eye and then zoom out of it in the following scene. The following scene will include the lyrics “I’ll just strut in my birthday suit, and let everything hand loose.” A person will be strutting sound and pulling their suit an appropriate amount to match the lyrics of letting “everything hang loose.” Moreover, the next scene will be a dance sequence similar to the one we introduced the video with; This will be portrayed through a wide shot.  The lyrics: “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeaaah.” Next, there will be a pan shot of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller. Lyrics: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything." Then, there will be a high angle of someone laying in the bed and pulling the cover over their head: “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Furthermore, along with a jump cut, there will be an insert of a phone screen which displays missed calls. The following scene will also be an insert of a phone screen which shows a new voicemail/message. Lyrics: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone) The next scene will consist of a long shot which shows someone kicking off their socks or shoes then laying on the couch. (Lyrics: cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.”) The third to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all...) The instrumental will then play out as everyone lays down on the couch and floor as though we are asleep. (Lyrics: nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video.


      Thankfully, my team mates and I work well together and we all pull our own weight. Everyone makes an effort to contribute towards each section of the project.





Music Video Planning Blog

      For our music video, we will be filming at my partner Anyeska’s house. There are no present health and safety procedures we would follow. The props would be a phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. The costumes would be birthday suit and formal clothing. In the beginning of the music video, there will be a fade in into a wide shot of our dance sequence. Every action by the characters are going to be matched by the lyrics of the song. So, the next scene will be a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Then, there will be a jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). Next, there will be a jump cut to a medium shot of someone holding a hair comb then putting it down (Lyric: "No, I ain't gonna comb my hair cause I ain't going anywhere" as they lip sync it). After this, there will be a line of five people with signs reading "No" (Lyric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooo). In the last "No" there will be a zoom in to a character's eye, then a zoom out in a different location and showing a person in a birthday themed costume. Following this will be a zoom out from the character's eye to the living room and someone will be shown dressed in a birthday suit. They will be strutting around and dropping some part of the birthday suit (Lyric: "I'll just strut in my birthday suit. And let everything hang loose"). Then, we will have another wide shot of our dance sequence (Lyric: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"). Next, there will be a pan movement of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller (Lyric: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything"). Then, there will be a repetition from before where there is a high angle of someone laying in their bed; However, this time they will be pulling the cover over their head on camera. (Lyrics: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Furthermore, along with a jump cut, there will be an insert of a phone screen which displays missed calls. The following scene will also be an insert of a phone screen which shows a new voicemail/message. Lyrics: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone) The next scene will consist of a long shot which shows someone kicking off their socks or shoes then laying on the couch. (Lyrics: cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.”) The third to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all...) The instrumental will then play out as everyone lays down on the couch and floor as though we are asleep. (Lyrics: nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video. Not to mention, there will be subtitles throughout the music video.

Schedule: (11/18-12/9)
- Day 1: Planning our music video.
- Day 2: Script and story boarding.
- Day 3: Filming.
- Day 4: Edit
- Day 5: Submitting music video.
- Day 6: Reflecting on music video.

      Back-up Plan: We will be filming at my house. It will be the same where in the beginning of the music video, there is a fade in into a wide shot of our dance sequence. Every action by the characters are going to be matched by the lyrics of the song. So, the next scene will be a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Then, there will be a jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). Next, there will be a jump cut to a medium shot of someone holding a hair comb then putting it down (Lyric: "No, I ain't gonna comb my hair cause I ain't going anywhere" as they lip sync it). After this, there will be a line of five people with signs reading "No" (Lyric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooo). In the last "No" there will be a zoom in to a character's eye, then a zoom out in a different location and costume. Following this will be a zoom out from the character's eye to the living room and dressed in a birthday suit. They'll be strutting around and dropping some part of the birthday suit (Lyric: "I'll just strut in my birthday suit. And let everything hang loose"). Then, we will have another wide shot of our dance sequence (Lyric: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"). Next, there will be a pan shot of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller (Lyric: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything"). Then, there will be a repetition from before where there is a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Along with, the jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). The second to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all, nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video."

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Intro to New Project Blog

      Recently, I filmed and edited a Starbucks commercial. I did enjoy filming it, and the outcome was not too substandard. Although, I do feel it could have been better. I submitted the commercial earlier this week. I believe that the commercial would have been better if my partner and I were more comfortable with each other, and if my group consisted of more than just my partner and I. Additionally, my partner and I did not quite get along well, therefore I decided to work with a new group for this new project. My new project is to make a music video. I feel prepared this time around with filming, but I am still a bit rocky when it come to editing on Pinnacle Studios. While filming my commercial, I learned how to do different camera movements, shots and angles. I learne how to do a long shot, high angle, medium shot, two-shot, zoom, and how to add score. In this new  music video project, I will make sure to keep in mind the techniques I learned since the commercial to effectively apply them.
      The song my group and I chose was "The Lazy Song", by Bruno Mars. It will be a clean version of the song so it is school appropriate. I recommended this song to my group and they all agreed. We will start from 1:57 into the music video and end at 3:03. This is because the minimum is 1:05 seconds and the maximum is 1:15 seconds. One good thing about this song is that it has lyrics that are easy to act out. This limits confusion on what to do in specific parts of the song. This song is a fun, upbeat song that highlights how many people feel when they are tired and do not want to do anything. The fact that the song relates to the audience makes the song more interesting. I am super excited to film this music video!

      A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The artistic nature of music means that these classifications are often subjective and controversial, and some genres may overlap. The camera angle we would use in the music video will be a high angle. The camera shots and movements would include pans, tilts, variants of medium to close up shots, wide shots, and long shots. The sound would be a score and sound bridge. The editing process would include fade in and out, insert, and cross cutting. 1. Costumes: Birthday suit but formal clothing. 2. Lightning: Dim, to set the mood of being lazy. 3. Actors: Everyone in our group (Lesly, Jazmin, and Brit). 4. Makeup: None. 5. Props: Phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. 6. Setting: In a house.