Evaluation

Looking back on our Prelim production there are a few things that could be improved. First of all there are several issues which lower the overall quality of the piece. This mistakes can be learned from to ensure a higher quality actual music video.

• Issue: Some synchronisation problems were only spotted after uploading to YouTube. Although this may be human error, I have heard of such problems before.
• Solution: To avoid this from appearing in my music video I need to allow extra time for re-upload should any technical problems occur.

• Issue: If being picky then the guitar motion at 0:01 is slightly out of sync, the hand lingers on the single chord longer than it needs to be. This shot was taken several times in one continuous long take. Due to the short segment of the track we were creating visuals for, it was not possible for us to keep this sound going more than a few times whilst Aaron was stringing the guitar. This considered he did well. It also took a while to sync this up in editing and I feel that I may only be picking this out due to having seen the segment many times.
• Solution: To combat this more planing and preparation is needed. A problematic segment of the track needs to be indentified before filming and perhaps a loops could be created on a handheld device for the benefit of the actor(s).

• Issue: Aaron's close-up beginning at 0:09 is definately one of the better shots during the video and we took a lot of time framing it during filming. There is a small syncing issue here. Only during editing did we realise that only a red close-up of Aaron was shot and that we had never shot a white one. This meant that the close-up of our lead singer could not be used as often. Here the song could only be loosely a fire reference, however in Aaron and mine's edit we have mostly stuck to our original plan of red for fire.
• Solution: A more detailed shot count needs to be produced to ensure nothing is missed out and to speed the filming process up. Although we were able to work around this, it could also be very easily avoided.

• Issue: The shot beginning at 0:28 is the biggest and most notable lip syncing error, as well as being very unflattering.
• Solution: To check the video through more carefully before upload. Also pay more attention to framing.

• Issue: The shot beginning at 0:57, although features good acting, also has some syncing issues.
• Solution: The same precautionary measures must be taken.

• Issue: The red lights can be seen poking into frame very slighting in the top left and right hand corners on the long shots taken in the red.
• Solution: To be more careful when checking the framing.

Overall, I feel that the video turned out a lot better than I initially thought. The whole video is in focus and lit well, thanks to the help of the Floor Manager at Giltbrook. I also feel that the simplicity of our costumes worked well on screen and despite initially being apprehensive about the red shots I feel that they made the piece more visually exciting. None of us were actors and due to the piece being all about the song performance instead of narrative, it was not too obvious.

To further add to the video, fades to and from black could have been added at the beginning and end of the track to create a smoother transition as opposed to the cut off our video currently has. Black bars could also have been added to the top and bottom like a professional music video. I will take these into consideration when creating my final piece.

Preliminary Task Music Video Final



Editing

Unfortunately Chiska was unable to make it to the group editing session on 27th June, so Aaron and I shared out the editing.

 

The editing software we used was Abode Premier Pro CS4, and this was then uploaded to YouTube.
 

 

The first step after transferring all the files to the computer was to view all of the footage to differentiate the usable and unusable takes and then the best versions of these. These were all renamed to make the rest of the editing process a lot easier.

 

We then imported the 'Burning Down the House' track and cut this to the required length. This would act as an anchor throughout the editing process as the visuals were flexible but the soundtrack had to be left unabridged in order to cause complication later on.

 

Another anchoring element during the editing process were the two master shots, one in a monochrome colour scheme:

 

 

And the other with red lighting and costume accents (Glasses, Tie, Shoes, Lipstick):

 

 

Multiple takes were shot of both of these set-ups and so we watched them through and selected the best ones. These were then inserted into two separate tracks. As there was no audio on the visuals at all, we had to sync the moving picture to the sound track visually. This took some time but once achieved made the rest of the process easier.

We then started selecting our inserts, starting with the close-up of Aaron stringing an electric guitar. This particular insert took a lot of time to sync with the music, but fortunately we had many different takes to try out and work with.

 

We sequenced the inserts to always be flicking through different types of shots, to add variety. On the close-up shots of Chiska and I singing, we inversed the images at points so we were looking in different directions. This added a bit of change to the visuals. At one point we also split the screen so that Chiska and I were next to each other. We thought this worked quite well as we were taking on the same role of the female singer.

 

All the transitions between different shots were just simple straight cuts. We thought this worked best and added a fast paced feel to the video. This was enhanced by our 'jumps' from the monochrome master shots to our red ones.

 

One thing we noticed during editing was that we shot no close-ups of Aaron singing in our monochrome colour scheme. This initially caused some problems, as the red accent scenes were meant to be for the fire references only, but we managed to work our way around this.

Filming

(Insert Images)

Planning

After conducting my research I realised that avoiding a narrative would fit the song a lot better and would be simpler to create, especially when being offered a studio space.

 

Following on from this idea of simple I thought that a black and white dress code would fit nicely. It could add an element of professionalism, add no connotations and the contrast between the lead singer and backing singers could be emphasised if each one was given a colour each. Black and white are also a classic combination, not restricting our music video to a particular era, as the track itself is from the late 90s. In the already existing music video, and monotone costume theme is also used, further strengthening my idea.

 

Due to receiving the brief during post-exam holidays, any planning that needed to be done before the day of the shoot could not be done in person. Instead we utilised the social mediums Twitter and Facebook to discuss plans.
 

 

After some discussion with Chiska via Twitter, she informed and asked Aaron via Facebook, and it was decided that going for a black and white mixed costume was a more viable option for everyone. I also proposed the idea of shooting some of the takes using some red costume items and then edit this at the post production stage to match with the fire references in the song. This was also possible for everybody and adds some colour to our so far safe costumes. It would add some imagery visually that is already present in the song lyrics without being too literal. We decided on a tie, a pair of shoes and a pair of sunglasses.

 

Due to the lack of narrative, we wanted something else to contrast with the 'singing' shots and to make the video more visually engaging. It was suggested that we incorporate instruments to use as props to fill some of the instrumental gaps in the track. Giltbrook Studios was contacted to see if this was possible and if they housed the instruments we wanted: Keyboard, Drum Kit and Guitar.
 

 

For make-up Chiska and I were debating over either having very bright make-up to contrast the monotone costumes, or a darker smokier look to blend in with the black and white theme. We decided in the end to go with a darker smoky eye and apply a red lip when shooting the red accent takes to fit the fire references.

 

Once we had arrived at Giltbrook, seen the space and introduced to our lighting options we were all given more planning time. I had previously seen the space and therefore keen on using the infinity cove. We all agreed that we would like to keep the setting simple and not over complicate our project via the use of a green screen.

We had a couple of shot types in mind before filming. First we wanted to make sure that we had master shots of the whole song taken as a long shot with both the monochrome and red accent costumes. We wanted to get these done first, so that the camera could be in the same place and to ensure we definately had footage for the whole segment should we run out of time. After this we could then concentrate on creating cut-aways. This included close-ups of each of us and close-ups of the instruments being played. Chiska also suggested we use the black curtains to create a half black and half white frame and with the lead sing on one side with the the backing singers on the other-however we ran out of time to be able to do this. 

We also figured out our lighting options and decided on using the (Sky lights? Space lights? [Drum shaped]) with additions back lighting and (Front? Key lighting?) for the monochrome shots. This provided a bright white light, enhanced and bounced around by the infinity cove. For our 'fire' shots we decided on a red backlighting during our red takes. This was to be achieved using (Side lights? Stage lights?) with a few layers of (red film? Plastic film?) attatched via clips in front.

Research

Our group has been given a segment (0:00-1:16) of Tom Jones and The Cardigans' 1999 cover of 'Burning Down the House', originally released by Talking Heads in 1983 on their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues. [1]

 

After listening to the track I decided to do so again but with the lyrics in front of me in order the gain a better understanding of the song. I specifically seeked the Tom Jones and The Cradigan's cover of the song as the track has been popular with many cover artists. Here is the lyrics to the segment our group need to re-imagine and re-create [2]:

 

Fightin' fire with fire

Watch out
You might get what you're after
Cool babies
Strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house

Hold tight
Wait till the party's over
Hold tight
We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house

Here's your ticket
Pack your bags
Time for jumpin' overboard
The transportation is here
Close enough but not too far
Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire

All wet
Hey you might need a raincoat
Shakedown
Dreams walking in broad daylight
Three hundred six-ty five degrees
Burning down the house

 

I then listening again, this time picking out the male and female parts in the song. This gave me an idea of how many lines each member of the group had and was a starting point for different types of shots. For example, if a line belongs to only one singer, this could be an opportunity for a close up shot.

•  O  Male (Lead)
•  O  Female (Backing)
•  O  Both

 

Now I went to see the already existing music videos for inspiration and to put the lyrics into context. First the Tom Jones and The Cardigans' cover from 1999 (0:00-1:17), although the video itself is reversed [3]:

 

 

Followed by the original by Talking Heads from 1983 [4]:

 

 

From my own knowledge I am aware that music videos sometimes have a narrative or instead use concepts. So far the track that we had been given seemed to have no narrative, or much meaning. To double check this I searched for the song's meaning:

 

"To form the lyrics, they picked words that fit the rhythms, which is why the words don't make a lot of sense. This is common practice in the world of Funk..." [5]

 

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Down_the_House
2. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/cardigans/burningdownthehouse.html
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBjuoMy9FUU
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNnAvTTaJjM
5. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=13385

Preliminary Task Brief

For the preliminary task we have been divided into groups and were sent the following brief:
 

 

I will be working in a production team with Chiska and Aaron.

 

We have been given the chance to go to Giltbrook Studios on 26th June to utilise the space to refine ideas and shoot our music video segments. It will also hopefully give us all a greater insight into the equipment used in bigger scale projects, and inspiring our final pieces.