******COMPATIBILITY ISSUE******

After looking through the clips we had achieved yesterday, we tried to begin the editing process. When trying to import the clips into Final Cut Pro we found that the file type that the camera had converted the videos into was not compatible with Final Cut Pro which shocked us both as we initially thought that we would have to re-film everything. At first, we tried to get a solution from the IT technician who was too 'busy' at the time to help. However, we thought that there had to be a way around this issue and set about searching the internet for a solution. We found a video on YouTube which instructed us to download a third party application called "HandBrake" in order to convert the format of the clips from a ".MTS" to a ".MP4" for the clips to be compatible with Final Cut Pro. After downloading the software on a personal laptop and testing the effectiveness of how it converted the videos, we decided that the end quality was of a high enough standard to use in our final video which meant I had to individually convert each clip we did which was very time consuming and delayed the editing process. Even though there has been a slight decrease in video quality, which is very barely noticeable, we hope this issue does not have a detrimental impact on our final product. A positive we can draw from this experience would be how it highlights our resilience and shows how we handle unexpected issues under pressure to resolve them as quickly as possible in order to continue the project to meet the set deadline.

Filming Day

Yesterday was our filming day and to be honest we believe it went really well. Originally we wanted to be at the location for 16:30 to give us sufficient time to set up and finish filming before Derry had to go to bed. However we didn’t actually get there until 18:30 as we had to pick up members of the band and there was a problem fitting all of the equipment into one car, therefore we had to get another car to help carry the equipment. Once everything was set up the location actually looked quite professional, with the stand light focusing on the two main members of the band (Derry and Greg) and the drummer (Harry) slightly in the shadows.

Loaded car

Setting up

Band Shot

We underestimated the time it would take us to film each individual shot that we needed as at times the band members where messing around and not fully concentrating. However once everyone started concentrating and engaging with the video it was easier to get the shots we wanted. We took regular breaks during filming to ensure that everybody stayed concentrated throughout the process. We achieved a variety of shots such as close ups, mid shots, long shots and different angled shots. Towards the end when we were finishing getting the final shots the camera ran out of battery and we didn’t have the charger, this could be quite detrimental to our video and therefore we will most probably go back to the location in order to get the finishing shots we need. However it was a very enjoyable, successful day and we are pleased with the majority of the shots we captured. If another filming day is required we will update the blog with the new date etc. 

RE-FILMING PLAN OF ACTION: Thursday 21st November

THURSDAY 21st NOVEMBER 

We are planning to re-film our entire video on Thursday as the last 'attempt' was very poor resulting in a  much lower than standard final product. This time we are planning the shoot a lot more to ensure we have every shot that we need to fill the video. We have found a location with a mise en scene that is much more appropriate to our genre with blank white walls to give a much more simplistic and minimalistic feel to our video.

Previously, we had very limited shots which had to be re-used countless times which made the video monotonous, boring and repetitive. To overcome this, we our planning to follow the story board a lot more thoroughly which will means we will have a higher variation of shots which will make the entire video more interesting and will mean we will be able to main the audiences attention for longer.

The equipment will remain the same apart from the lighting as we have acquired several stand lights that will be used to make the band stand out and look more vibrant. This lighting combined with the new mise en scene should result in a overall more professional final video. 

THE EVERYTHING HOLDFAST ALBUM PROMOTION- TWITTER

Draft Video: Teacher Feedback

As expected, our first video draft got a Level 1, however we were expecting a low level because the song wasn’t fully filmed and we had limited locations and an abysmal mise en scene to work with. However we have some significant feedback to take into consideration when filming/editing our final video.

To begin with we were told to ‘lose the smoking shots’ because they ‘add nothing’ to the draft. At first they were simply used to fill up some space and add emphasis on a boy being lonely (lyrics and visual connections) however this evidently doesn’t have the effect we thought it would and therefore we will most likely delete these shots and find more creative ideas in order to add this effect. Secondly, we were advised to take off the covers on the drum set we used. This was something we wanted to do originally however the house we where filming at was our peers dads band practice room, because of this he didn’t want the covers touching (he is very protective over his drum kit) and therefore we couldn’t do this, which clearly had a detrimental affect on the video. We also had some negative feedback on our mise en scene used for the draft. Like previously mentioned it was our friends dads band practice room. He plays rock music and therefore has a few rock posters nailed into the wall, which unfortunately couldn’t be removed for the purpose of our draft. Luckily we managed to cover up a Simpsons  ‘spider pig’ poster, this would have caused the mise en scene even worse. Furthermore during a couple of shots we had the door of the room and a room heater involved in the scene. This unfortunately added an unprofessional look for the draft, which we couldn’t prevent in any way given the size of the room and the vast mirror positioned in the centre. For are main location we are considering using an empty room was white walls which is more spacious and will allow creativity while maintaining simplicity.

On the other hand we did surprising receive a positive comment on our guitar shots. Because Greg can actually play the guitar and we mainly used close up shots no real mise en scene was involved which allowed focus on just the playing of the instrument, which actually looked realistic and professional. Furthermore the equipment we had was high standard equipment, for example we used Marshall amps and fender guitars. Along with this the clothing items our band wore suited our genre effectively and this gave us some clarity to be proud of and take into our final cover.

To conclude we both understand that the whole video definitely needs to be re filmed in a new set location. And also a lot more time needs to be put into editing and filming to complete a high standard video to our full potential. 

Final Digipak/Poster

This is my final digipak and poster. I have made small adjustments and alterations in order to hopefully gain full potential marks. To begin with I have changed the title of my album to ‘Parallel Lines’ from ‘Troubled Town’. A change in name was suggested by my teacher in order to have the pattern of the two lines (~) to connate with my album name and portray a sense of meaning between the two. Doing this allowed me to keep a simplistic look and the audience could still relate to both pieces. Furthermore I decided to stick to the colour scheme of teal, white and black. Like previously mentioned the colours work well and the white/teal font stand out effectively on the plain black background.

On my digipak I have made a lot of adjustments. Firstly in my feedback there was a suggestion to remove the band logo from the inside cover and involve something else. Therefore I decided to use the parallel lines on the cover, adhering to the colour scheme still. I believe that this looks a lot more suited to the digipak and adds a sense of interest and professionalism. 

Final Poster and Digipak Design

Alternative Poster Design

DIGIPAK: Back Cover and Inside Left Cover Improvements and Adjustments

After receiving feedback from my teacher I was made aware of the fact that my digipak needed various improvements including the back cover and the inside left panel. With the back cover, the legal information was far too big and consumed too much space on the panel making the digipak appear unrealistic and unprofessional. I went about editing this, making it smaller, and moving around the record label logo, barcode and website address to ensure they are all aligned and spaced equally apart. To do this, I took inspiration from the back cover of Holy Fire by Foals and saw the conventions adhered to by the cover and tried to recreate them on my back cover. I have aligned the barcode with the top of the website and the bottom of the legal information to give a professional and realistic look whilst the record label logo is centred between them both.

 Original 

Adjusted 

Another adjustment I made was to remove The Everything logo from the inside left cover making the panel fit in with the rest of the digipak and makes the entire digipak more simplistic and minimal. The logo did not fit in with other panels or images so i thought the digipak would benefit from the removal of the logo completely. 

Original 

Adjusted 

Final Adjusted Digipak 

A2 Media Draft Video

Due to very unfortunate unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to film the entirety of our video to the best quality achievable. The camera we were planning on using was sent in for repair and various other non academic commitments led to the band members being changed last minute resulting in filming being of worse quality than first expected. The location we were planning on using was otherwise engaged and we had to resort to a friends band practice room in order to produce some footage for the draft. This resulted in the miss en scene not corresponding to our chosen genre and therefore making the video look abysmal. We all now well informed that our location will be available for us to use to film the final edit of our music video along with our original camera and band members. Ultimately, this should lead to the video being of the standard we first expected.