Preliminary- Evaluation

Pre production:

The first thing that we did as group was split the music video into a minute sections between pairs, to ensure we had an even coverage of the video overall. My pair had the first minute, so I created a storyboard outlining the different shots within the first 30 seconds of the music video- Four Five Seconds. As a group we decided to only film the first minute because we believed that had the more effective shots and was more achievable. I made sure I correctly identified the different timings and shots involved in the video, allowing me to easily identify how to re-create the video. The skills that I acquired from completing the storyboard was how to correctly find out the amount of seconds in each shot and how to create an account of what shots go into the music video. To develop the skill of identifying the amount of seconds each shot is, I would need to complete each one more carefully and double check the timings to ensure they are correct. This would then make it easier to film and edit each shot in the exact amount of seconds the original video is, which would make the video better quality.

The next process that we completed was a prop list outlining all of the items that my group will utilise in the video (e.g. denim jacket) or items that will help make the video (e.g. camera). From completing the prop list I have acquired the skill of being more organised and thinking ahead of producing the music video, to ensure that we could make a quality re-creation of the original music video. The skill that I need to develop from doing the prop list is being more chronological by listing the props in order of use. This should ensure that when filming, it is not difficult to forget to utilise an essential prop.

Completing these pre production methods I have learnt that these processes are just as vital as the filming and editing of a video, because they ensure that production goes smoothly and overall contribute massively to the finished quality video. By doing these processes it has given me experience and has allowed me to identify skills that will need to be improved to ensure a quality music video- this knowledge will massively help when I produce my own music video.

Production:

From completing the pre production stage we decided on who should be Rihanna, Kayne West and Paul McCartney when filming the music video. We chose Tegan (who is a member of our group) as Rihanna because she had the confidence and appearance to pull of the role perfectly. For the role of Kayne West and Paul McCartney; we chose two boys who take drama because that guaranteed confidence and a quality representation of these artists, due to them having experience in acting on a daily basis.

We filmed as a group and all helped out where ever needed-we didn't assign particular roles. To start off, we decided to film the male clips first because they were shorter and relatively simpler than the Rihanna shots. To film the video we used a Panasonic HC-V700 camera. During filming we focused massively on the lighting because that was a big factor in making the video identical to the original. To produce the silhouetted shots, we used the light box to create a harsh background with studio lights, which then we switched to just studio lighting when filming the more grey looking shots. I acquired many skills when using the different lighting tools, one important one being how to use the lights correctly and how to create different effects from using them in more unique ways. Skills relating to filming with the lighting would be to make sure we had an equal coverage, to avoid getting a circular shape of light in certain shots.

To create the different shots e.g. close up, medium close up, we physically moved the camera to the position by using the tripod. This was an acquired skill because we had to keep making sure the tripod was level and in the correct shot position- the story board helped with this. After we filmed the male parts, we then moved onto filming Rihanna, which was the bulk of the video. When filming we concentrated on her costume, makeup and hair to ensure it was identical to Rihanna's. This part of filming took longer than expected because we had to do many re-takes, due to Rihanna doing many different actions with her hands and head. This became quite difficult to re-create perfectly in time to the music. The skills that we gained from filming with a camera was achieving the different shots to look identical to the real original video. This skill will need some practise because it was difficult to match it completely, due to us not having a depth of knowledge on how to utilise the camera to its full potential.

Throughout filming our video, we followed the music video conventions to ensure the video was similar to the original. If I was to complete this task again, then I would have better time management because none of our group realised how long it takes to film even the smallest clip to get it to the quality wanted. When doing my own video I would improve this by setting out a schedule of how long certain clips will take to film, to ensure I use every minute productively.

Post production:

As a group we decided to edit our own version in pairs. The first thing me and my pair did was to look through the clips off the SD card, to see which ones we wanted to use in our video and which ones we will discard. After doing this we then transferred our favourites over onto a Mac computer. We then opened them all up into IMovie, where we started to trim the parts which were not relevant to the video. This rough editing was a skill that I acquired, which made it easier when it came to editing in more detail. We then decided to put the music track over the top which I downloaded off YouTube. This was handy way to cut the clips so they were in time with the music, which then assured the lips to be synced correctly. This was very difficult and very time consuming because it was hard to identify how to fix the clips when they were only slightly out of sync. To improve this I would have done more research into how to do this professionally, because it would have enabled me to do this process quicker.

After getting the clips in time and synced with the music, we then muted the video clips to give the music a clear sound over the video. Whilst doing this editing, I learnt the skill of watching the video over and over again to make sure that I was identifying all the faults and altering them. My story board was very helpful during the editing of the clips to the music, because it allowed me to know the timings of each shot in accordance to the story board. 

Now that the video was in the correct timing to the music, we decided to work on the black and white aspect of the original Four Five Seconds video. We completed this by firstly putting a standard black and white filter over each individual clip, which was found on IMovie. However we realised that the original video was further edited in detail to make certain clips more harsh black and white and others more grey tones. To match this, we took each individual clip and changed the contrast and saturation of the video, making it almost identical in shadows and highlights to the original video. This was a very important skill that I developed because it allowed my video to be even more of an identical copy of the original video. To improve this skill further, I would do some extra research into how e.g. the contrast changes the clip, to make it more precise rather then me just playing around with the buttons. I then swapped to another editor called Shotcut to edit the video into the same sized square as the original Four Five Seconds. I did this by cropping a certain percentage of each side of the video to get it into a square with the two borders either side. 

Overall,  I believe that our music video is very effective for a first try at all the different processes. I think it is a very successful copy of the original Four Five Seconds music video, due to the professional use of lighting and camera work. Also the actors and actresses make the video even more recognisable as the Four Five Seconds video because they look and act identically to the stars in the real music video.