A2 Portfolio: June 2014

What did you find the most challenging and why?
Throughout the process of recreating the music video to 'Out of the Woods' by Foals, I found several challenges mainly involving the camera work and editing, which were things that I was fairly new to. When filming shots I had difficulty grasping the proper technique to film movements such as tilts and pans. This was because the shot would often come out of focus making it look unprofessional and amateur, this is something I will have to work on before beginning my A2 coursework. I also found that doing certain editing techniques was particularly tricky, for example the cutaway shot. This is one of the more challenging techniques used due to the fast tempo, however when it is completed it looks very effective.

What will you do differently when you make your A2 product next year?
When i come to make my A2 product next year one of the major things that I will do differently is time keeping. I will plan ahead and make sure i have all the props and costume etc that I need at the time of filming. I will also choose more reliable actors who are consistent because as a result of this lacking, I had to take the main role. In addition to this I would also film larger amounts of footage than I may even need, to ensure that I've got what I need to create my product. I would also give myself a longer time to edit the final product because this is a large part of the process and in this task I don't believe I left enough time for this, which is possibly why it wasn't as polished as it could have been.

How has doing this task helped you and why? What have you taken away from this experience?
This task has helped me to develop skills which will be useful when I progress onto year 2 of the course. These skills include camera work and editing moving image. This is because prior to the task I had very little experience with these things however now I have some basic knowledge into these areas which I will apply to my work next year. The task also helped me to realise the scale of work which needs to be completed and to what standard it should be done, this will help me to achieve the best grade possible. In addition to this the task has also helped to realise how much time to spend on each of the steps, for example a lot more time should go into the filming. I would also say the task in general helped me to understand some of the conventions of music videos better allowing me to see what I should use in my own next year.

How successful was your product? Why do you think it was successful or unsuccessful?
I believe that the product I made was fairly successful because it looked as similar to the real video as we could get it. This is because we timed each shot perfectly so we knew exactly how long they were on for, we used the same camera techniques (such as pans, tilts, tracks etc) and we also used the same editing techniques (for example the cutaway shot and the flash transition effect). However there were a few things which made the product slightly unsuccessful, for example the mise en scene was very different at times. A major mistake being we filmed a long shot of a window with blinds from inside the house but then went to a close up shot of a net curtain which wasn't in the long shot frame. This consequently meant our video lacked continuity. In addition to some of the sets that we chose to use weren't very similar to the ones in the original video.

How do you feel about developing to A2 level now you have completed this task?
I feel a lot more confident about progressing onto year 2 now that I have completed this task as I have a better understanding of how to work with the camera equipment and editing software. I also feel like I have a better understanding of the conventions, etc which are often used in music videos, meaning that I can apply these to get a professional looking product. However I still have some worries regarding the creative aspects of the course.

What do you like the most/least about your final product?
The thing which I liked the most about my final product is the camera work because I believe it makes the product appear more sophisticated, whereas if the camera work wasn't done to a high standard my final product wouldn't have looked as professional. In addition to this I really liked some of the editing done, for example I particularly liked the cut away used because its memorable and entertaining. It also links with the beat of the song. The thing I liked the least about my final product was the lighting used because at times it was quite dark and not very clear what was going on, this is something which I would avoid when making my A2 product next year.

Location List

Flat Hallway:

We will be shooting the scenes located in a flat Hallway at Emily’s dad’s flat. This is because it is convenient and easy to access. Also the mise-en-scene here is very similar to that used in the video. The round lights which are used are the same and Emily’s dad lives in the number 6 flat, which is the flat featured in the video.

70’s Living Room:

We will possibly shoot these scenes in the green room located in college. This is because here we have access to a chair and table similar to the ones used in the original video. We can then print out pictures of similar wallpaper and stick them to the walls of the room, giving the scene verisimilitude.

Kitchen:

We will be shooting the scenes located in the kitchen at Jodie’s house because this is the only kitchen we have access to that looks similar (layout wise) to the one in the original video. It is also large enough to allow us to use the same shot types, etc used in the original.