TK – Advanced Production

Taran Knight – 0095 – Final Production and Evaluation

FINAL PRODUCTS

Music Video

Digipak

frontandback — Back and Front Covers of Digipak

Advetisement for AP Magazine

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altpressmag — Mockup inside Alt Press Magazine

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EVALUATION

Question 1 – “In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?”

Question 2 – “How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?”
(both in video below)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwfT165WIafUMVZady1zUmF1Zm8

Question 3 – “What have you learned from your audience feedback?”
(+Video Response from Focus Group embedded in presentation)

Question 4 – “How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?”

Click Here For Post

POSTS

RESEARCH

[Group] Synaesthesia Pitch – The Getaway – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Digipak Production Task
Goodwin Analysis: Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
Music Video Ideas
Digipak Cover Analysis – Vampire Weekend – Contra
Track Ideas
Moodboard – Metanarrative of Young The Giant
Analysis of Promo Package – Two Door Cinema Club – Are We Ready? (Wreck)
Music Video Technical Analysis – Vance Joy, “Riptide”
[Group] Audience Research

PLANNING

[Group] Concept Development – Initial Ideas
[Group] Track Choice Treatment
[Group] Call Sheet + Shot List – Brighton Recce
[Group] Camera Movement & Close Ups
[Group] Print Work Treatment
[Group] Location Recces
[Group] Pitch
[Group] Animatic
Individual Storyboarding

PROGRESS UPDATES AND REFLECTIONS

LOGISTICS & PRODUCTION

[Group] Brighton Recce Film Short
[Group] Brighton Recce Production Log
[Group] Research/Development Update Podcast
[Group] Logistical Planning (Beach)
[Group] Logistical Planning (London)
[Group] Logistical Planning (Tunbridge Wells)
[Group] MASTER DOCUMENT: LYRIC BREAKDOWN, SHOT DETAILS, STORYBOARD, RISK ASSESSMENT & MORE

POST PRODUCTION

[Group] Rough Cut Comparisons
[Group] FINAL PRODUCTS

TK: Evaluation Q4

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Google Suites

The most prominent piece of software we used in our group was definitely the use of zn0tq53e Google office suites. Google Docs, Slides and Forms were all incredibly important to us during the planning, production and post-production stages, and enabled us to collaborate ideas through word processing, tables, and the general sharing of knowledge and concepts of what we might do for our production. On Docs, we started sharing basic concepts of what we could base our music video on, and combined ideas together to reach our final plan. We created a crucial table which compiled our lyrics, relevant information, storyboarding and any other important details in one place, easy to find. On Slides, we created our pitch presentation, and all other presentations we needed throughout the production process. We also used it to create a basic draft of our printwork digipak, and eventually it is what we used to produce our answer to Question 3 of the evaluation. The mobile apps for both of these programs helped me complete work whilst on the go. Google Forms was our primary means of gathering audience research during early stages of planning and production, and was our main means of gathering feedback and critique after production and post was complete.

WordPress

The WordPress blog easily replaced the Blogger system we had used at AS Level, and was intuitive to learn and collaborate with. All of our planning, production and evaluation work was posted there, and it allowed Jon and myself to easily compare each other’s work, and give feedback and critique to raise our marks. Group posts could easily be drafted and collaborated on. A mobile app was also available for WordPress, and again it was incredibly helpful in productivity, for example, I could start an evaluation post in class, and then
finish and upload it on mobile.

Cameras

We made use of several cameras, as we wanted to have the best quality footage for our music video, and the best stills for printwork. The Canon 5D Mk III was only used on two of the shoots as it was loaned from an associate, however it garnered some incredible shots. The optical zoom feature on the lens proved useful at the time to produce shots that were later perfected in Premiere. Much of our final printwork was shot on this camera which
gave them incredible fidelity, detail and high resolution. It was used to capture the all-important panorama that formed the interior of our pack. Even so, we could have been better equipped to use it had we had more time to practice using it. The Canon 700D was our primary shooting camera for all of our other dates, and although it captured in slightly less detail, our greater deal of experience in using it made us snapchat-1882459647 more familiar with how powerful it could be. Jon’s array of lenses meant that this camera was rather versatile and suited a lot of the various shots we needed to capture. On our preliminary in Brighton, we experimented with another loaner camera, the DJI Osmo, with an auto-stabilising feature. We did not end up utilising it for the final production, however it was useful in determining that we should not shoot our video in 4K due to the issues it would bring up in post concerning file sizes, and the Osmo’s battery life was awfully inefficient, at only around 45 minutes maximum. We briefly also used an iPhone 6s to capture a slow motion shot at 120 frames per second, to replace a 50 fps shot recorded initially on the 700D at only 720p.

Equipment

We used a tripod throughout our principal photography for steady shooting and well framed shots. It proved vital in the outdoor and Calverly shoot to position shots higher than we could physically reach, for the sake of the visual style we were attempting to emulate. The track and dolly were used sparingly, and most prominently in the indoor house shoot where the shots needed to be steady, smooth and well focused.

Adobe Suites

A lot of Adobe products were our main methods of post-production in all areas. Premiere Pro CC2016/17 was our tool for editing and cutting together our video. Since we had greater experience using it, we opted to continue with Premiere rather than switching to DaVinci Resolve, as it was something we were personally more comfortable using. We used it to perfect the slow gradual zooming shots using the software scaling tools, and reduce the playback speed of 120 fps footage to achieve the slow motion effect we wanted. We used Lumetri grading to darken several shots to appear darker, and as if they took place in the evening and Lumetri was also what we used to give our music video the tinted red grading. Photoshop CC2017 was what we used to make edits to our printwork and digipak panes. All of the final printwork was put through here to experiment with colouring and layout, using enhancement layers to make major gradient changes, and colour curves to make fine tuning adjustments to the shades and pigments we were using. Late into production, we purchased and downloaded some online templates into Photoshop, which enabled us to see exactly how our final digipak would look in a physical format. Adobe Lightroom 2015.8 allowed us to collate all of our static shots together in one place for comparison and review after shooting dates. We could overlay enhancement layers over multiple shots and compare their merits side by side, making it much easier for us to decide which shots would best suit our printwork. After Effects CC2017 was used sparingly in the final products. It was used to digitally perfect a select few shots, one for example was the final shot, where the pole centered mid-frame had an outlying shape removed in order to make the framing even more appealing to the eyes. Finally, Audition CC2017 was briefly used after the Brighton shoot, shortening our song choice to two minutes in order to better fit the footage we captured.

TK: Progress Update (30/11/16)

We completed some minor work on our edit on the Monday of this week, and on the Wednesday we have taken the final steps to planning our last shoot at Elliot’s house. We have each taken half of the list of props and split the responsibility of gathering them, and at this stage we are ready to film them.

As of Wednesday, we have completed the shoot at Elliot’s house and got our final footage. In class we will be continuing to add these to the timeline as well as reviewing the progress of our print work and the state it’s currently at.

TK: Progress Update (25/11/16)

By this date we have completed our new rough cut of the video, combining our new footage from the forest shoot in Knole Park, and performing more test grades.

We updated our print work development, and have begun to experiment with new ideas concerning colour and style in order to develop our final concept further.

Finally, we worked towards planning our shoot in Calverly park on Saturday morning, where we would be capturing the last shots with Rachel, and leaving only one more shoot date to complete the video.

TK: Progress Update (18/11/16)

Yesterday we pitched our print work presentation to the class and collected some feedback, ideas and criticisms of our images.

I did some work on our photography, using colour curved and hue and saturation to add darker and a more de saturated look to the landscapes, and a much more vibrant blue hue to the sea and water.

When Jon was back in the lesson, we continued to work on our rough cut, taking out some of the shots we disliked and reviewing our footage back to see what we could replace it with. Overall we’re pleased with the progress we’re making in terms of our cut.

TK: Progress Update (15/11/16)

So far this week, we have worked into some of our print work campaign, and created starting point mock-ups in order to help us develop to the final designs. Jon and I worked together on his laptop to select and edit several of the images taken from our Broadstairs shoot, and give them some basic alterations. We also reviewed the panorama we took on the beach, and have started to plan out how it will form the main background and cover image for all of the panes of our digipak.

ameriakale — A slide from our print mock-up presentation.

I prepared this with a pitch presentation, featuring some of the images we are planning on using and experimenting with, in order to gain audience feedback for the look and feel of our print work. I created a quick mock-up of our panorama in order to illustrate how it would look and play out as a digipak image.

In our lesson today, together we reviewed some of the footage we took at Knole over the weekend, and began to stitch together a more complete and polished cut. We used a test grade over the footage, and it brought out the colours beautifully and gave them a richness that has given us a lot of confidence in the footage. We also managed to polish off one of our most complex shots, a zoom on Rachel’s character.

TK: Reflection on Shoot – Knole Park

Knole Park served as a surprisingly fitting location.

On Sunday the 13th of November, myself, Jon and Rachel made our way to Knole Park in Sevenoaks to complete our third shoot. The weather was very cooperative, and the location easy to access and travel to, making the logistics of the shoot very forgiving.

My Role

I was in the position of a main actor once again on this shoot. Jon and I discussed as we filmed how we could develop shots further than simply what we had storyboarded. When we were capturing footage that did not include me, I was there to advise and exchange ideas with Jon about different types of shots and subjects we could capture as filler footage.

What Went Well?

We had captured all of the footage we planned for in under an hour, and as the light was still consistent we spent another hour experimenting with different kinds of shots we hadn’t planned for. We were happy at this, because not only had we stayed very ahead of schedule, but we had a wider bank of footage to choose from going forth with the project. We captured a good variety of shots too, having taken a lot of handicam tracking and panning shots that followed my character, we attempted other shots such as zooms, whip pans and more vague, long scenery shots. The location also fit our concept a lot more than I thought it would upon previous discussion, and I was very happy with the look of it.

What Could Have Been Done Better?
Perhaps with further planning we could have filmed in another location other than Knole on the same day, however Rachel’s schedule and our need to gather props and plan other locations meant that was difficult to organise.

TK: Progress Update (11/11/16)

For this week we have completed a variety of tasks. We completed our shoot in London on Sunday, and have reviewed the footage we collected. From this, we’ve found it to be of a high quality, and it fits well with the cut we already had. We still have shoots to complete, however we are confident that we will finish those to a high standard.

From my storyboards, we have completed the animatic, and will shortly be uploading it to the blog. We are happy with how this will help our project’s development and help us to shoot exactly what we need.

Today on Friday, we have completed a (very) rough cut of our music video. There are a lot of gaps in the footage which is something we acknowledge and will be remedying soon. Continuity is also a concern, however this rough cut is at the very first stages of development and there is a huge amount of room for changes, refinement and improvement. We will be showing this rough cut to the group, and collecting feedback.

TK: Reflection on Shoot – London

Jon and I filmed on the Emirates Air Line.

For our second shoot in London, on November 6th Jon and myself took the train up from Sevenoaks to London, shooting between 1pm and 4:30pm. This is the second of three main planned shoots that need to be completed for our video, alongside the other minor footage that needs to be completed.

My Role

Like in the previous shoot, I took on the performance role primarily during production. However here, since we captured enough shots of my character earlier in the schedule, I was able to better discuss and pull off creative landscape and scenery shots with Jon. We worked again from my storyboards, and some of the shots were ideas and developments I had on location, which we then captured. These were mostly purposefully framed mid, close up and zoom shots, along with more handicam travelling shots and scenic views.

What Went Well?

I was very happy with all of the footage we captured. It looked clean and professional, and continued to fit the aesthetic we are aiming for. We also managed time very effectively, and shot all that we needed, despite having a relatively small window of time to do so. Completing the shoot overall gave us a lot of confidence in our future shoots, and helped me personally to put the production we had completed so far into perspective.

What Could Have Been Better?

Although we completed all we needed, if Jon’s schedule had allowed us to start earlier, there would have been more free time for us to potentially experiment and play with less constrained shots. Another slight issue was rain, which began just as we were coming to the end of the shoot, so it did not negatively affect us dramatically.

TK: Reflection on Shoot – Botany & Herne Bay

For our first shoot, on October 25th, myself, Jon and our lead actress Rachel, drove down to Broadstairs on the
East coast to shoot footage at the seaside and waterfront, and at the pier at Herne Bay.

My Role

I featured as the main actor in our video, and as a result spent most of the day behind the camera. I had to perform and work in the part of the character I had created, and I had a strong familiarity with the concept and the overview of the shots we would need to get.

What Went Well?

I was very pleased with the majority of the footage we captured. I was particularly pleased with how we could adapt the jetty-based scene we had planned to fit the Herne Bay location we shot at. I also felt very happy with the still shots we took at the various locations, and I thought that they fit very well with the overall concept and linked to the visuals of the video.

What Could Have Been Better?

At times I was displeased with my own performance upon reviewing the footage, however I did not think this would impact too much on the final product or detract from the concept too much.I also got very battered on the beach shoot, and absolutely wrecked my footwear, which would prove to be an issue for coming shoots.