Where To Publish My Music Video

When it comes to completing my music video, I would have to think of where I would possibly publish it to get the highest amount of viewers as possible to enable my artists to become well known and popular in relation to the Pop Punk genre or in relation to the music scene in general. I decided to do some research to find out where the majority of people would watch music videos or where they are most likely to see a music video which will be helpful to me as it will enable me to know where the best places are for me to be posting my music video to ensure that I will get as many people who enjoy listening to Pop Punk music, but also I will hopefully get other people who usually may not listen this genre of music, but they will hopefully see my music video and enjoy it, which will lead them onto liking my artist and hopefully following her in what she does musically, but maybe also personally.

When looking for popular websites that people frequently go on to watch videos or even specifically music video's, I decided to rely on Google to see what resources it was able to get. Once I had looked around on different websites for a while, I then found one which informed me on all of the different software and websites that people use to watch certain videos or even just to search for videos in relation to a specific feature they are looking for. On this website I was able to find a wide range of different software's and websites which are used to enable audiences to watch certain videos. Below I have presented an image which is in relation to viral videos. In this list many different factors have been taken into account including; popularity, ease of use, file size limitations, format flexibility and the option to download, post or podcast your video. Underneath you will be able to see the image I have taken from this website where I have also explained some of the websites that are presented in the images in more detail.

Viral Videos



The name 'Viral Videos' essentially means that these websites that have been presented above are sites which generally include videos which can quite often go viral and mass audiences are likely to watch them - meaning, they would be perfect for me to publish my music video on once it has been completed to ensure that as many people as possible will see my music video and want to know more about the artist in it. In the image above you can see that YouTube was obviously going to be the number one site which people would watch videos on and this is due to the fact that this is a free website where people are able to post any video they want and any audience will easily be able to watch any video they want. However, you are able to see that there are some limitations as the user is only able to upload a video which is a certain length and file size, but also it only has a certain amount of file formats which can be uploaded which isn't actually that bad due to the fact that the majority of people will only be using certain file formats - however, it often depends on what the videographer used to film their video as they may need to convert the file format. Overall, by looking at this image you are able to see that there are a range of different software's and websites which audiences can go onto to watch videos, but the best is probably YouTube - meaning, this will most likely be the first place that I will publish my music video as a range of individuals that are fans of the Pop Punk genre will easily be able to find and watch my music video, but also an array of different people may just come across my music video even if they don't like the Pop Punk genre and hopefully they will enjoy it and will want to watch more in relation to my artist.

This suggestion that YouTube is possibly the best website for individuals to upload videos and for audiences to watch videos in relation to what they like can be proved due to the fact that before I started to look at creating my music video I decided to construct a survey in which a wide range of people were able to vote and one of the questions I asked in this survey was 'Where do you usually watch music videos?' with the top answer being 'YouTube'. As I do not know how old the list I found on the website is, I cannot be certain if YouTube is still the number one websites for people to publish and watch videos on - however, I only created this survey in late 2016 - meaning, this survey is up-to-date and that people are more likely to watch and publish videos on YouTube than anywhere else as this is a popular website where individuals can easily find the videos they want, but can also find new ones which may interest them. Below is a screenshot of the question I asked and answers I received which had been presented on the survey I created.

Here is the screenshot I have taken:

Creation Of Props

As my music video isn't based on a genuine relationship it meant that the actor in my music video doesn't actually have memories with her 'boyfriend' and isn't really in a relationship with him, so this meant that I would need to create props myself to make it look as if the two individuals really were in a relationship, but also to make it believable for the audience. I used about four different props in my music video - however, only two of them were created myself as the others were real items that already existed, like the use of the guitar. The two different props that I created myself were the memories box and the photograph of the couple together - again, I needed these to create verisimilitude and to make the narrative seem real for the audience. Below I have demonstrated how I created these props and why I made them in a certain way.

Memories Box

The very first prop I decided to create was the memories box as this was going to be included in the first shoot I would be doing, so I needed to ensure that I had everything I needed. For this prop I wanted to create a box of memories which is seen as stereotypical for girls as they often like to keep everything that reminds them of what their relationship was about and to remind them of their partner. The use of the memory box enables the audience to see that the actor has had a lot of good memories with her boyfriend and they were once perfect for each other - however, it has all changed now and everything seems a lot darker as they are no longer happy with each other. Below is a slideshow I have created which presents how I created this prop:

In this slideshow you are able to see that I have made just a simple box into a memories box which is an important prop in my music video. When I decided to create a memories box I knew that I didn't want a bright and colourful box that would have a range of different decorations on it as this would not be conventional to the genre and wouldn't suit the actors personality, so this is why I decided to make a memories box myself and design it in the way I think it should look. 

Below is a presentation which demonstrates how I created this memories box:

Including this prop in my music video is very important as it helps the audience understand what the singer is going through in her relationship and presents everything good that she once had with her partner. The use of memories may present that she is still not over the relationship - however, when the audience see her throw the box away they will hopefully understand that she wants to get away from it all and wants to do what is best for her. I also think that the use of this memory box creates a narrative and enables the audience to understand what the whole story of the music video is, which is important from an artists perspective as they want their audience to understand their feelings so they will feel sympathy for them and will hopefully then become part of their fan base. 

Before I created my own memories box I did look at a range of others from google images which would hopefully inspire me as to when I began to create my own and I believe that they did inspire and help me in creating the memory box. Underneath are some of the images I looked at which helped me in creating my own memory box: 

Couple Photograph 

The other prop I needed to create was a photograph that in a way would look like a Polaroid, but again I needed this prop for the first shoot that I was doing, so had to make sure I had it ready when I would be filming my first shoot. This certain prop would mainly be used to address to the audience that the whole of the music video revolves around the boyfriend and is about what he has done to their relationship. This photograph will be seen inside of the memory box, so again presenting that it was one of the happy times that she spent with her boyfriend, but while sat on the bench the singer will take the photograph out of the box; will look at it and begin to rip it up which demonstrates to the audience that she has had enough with the relationship and knows that she will be able to do better elsewhere or it may present that she is still confused as what to do because of the situation she is in as she knows she is no longer getting enough from the relationship and doesn't know whether she should end it or not. 

Below are some images to present the process I went through to create this prop: 

The first thing I did when creating this prop was to actually get an image from Laura which I would be able to use and as I wanted an image that looked like Laura was in a relationship with someone, this is exactly what I asked her for and she presented me with the photograph that can be seen in the image above. I believe that this was a perfect photograph to use as both of the individuals look happy and are hugging each other which makes it look as if they are a happy couple, but also Laura is wearing dark clothes so it conforms to the genre and helps express the singer as an individual. Once Laura had provided me with this image I decided to print four copies off where I was able to fit two images on one side of A4 just in case I made any mistakes either when creating the prop or filming, which would enable me to start again without wasting any time. 

After getting all of the photos together I then got white card, a glue stick and a pair of scissors which would enable me to create the Polaroid and photographic look I want for the image. During this process the first thing I did was cut out the images from the A4 piece of paper they were attached to which I would then be able to put onto the white card. Once all of the images had been cut out, I then needed to fold the white card in half and put one image on the left side and another on the right side of the two pieces of card I had available to me. Once I thought I had the images in the centre, I then just had to glue all four images down onto the card which would then enable me to begin cutting out the card. Since I wanted to create a Polaroid look I needed to make sure there was a bigger gap of white at the bottom of the image as this is the way that Polaroids are portrayed - although I knew these images were too big to represent a stereotypical Polaroid, I still wanted to create this look but wanted the image to be big to ensure that the audience would be able to see it behind the screen. In addition, I decided to put the images on card as when the photograph is seen in the music video the audience would be able to tell that it is just on paper because it would look really floppy - however, if I put it on card then it wouldn't flop as much and would look more like a professional photograph as it would be hard and would look as if it couldn't break easily. Once I had measured out where I was going to cut, I then began to cut all of the images out from the white card and ended up with four different photographs which looked like a happy couple together. 

Again, this prop plays an essential part in my music video as it creates a narrative and enables the audience to understand why the singer is acting the way she is. The photograph allows the audience to know that all of the singers issues reside in her boyfriend and she is unclear on what to do with her life at that moment in time as she is not getting enough from her boyfriend, but doesn't know if she should end the relationship or not. Moreover, when the singer is seen ripping up the photograph, the audience will understand that she is angry at him and wants to get away from what she is trapped in. 

Camera Assistance

After completing an array of test shots and watching a range of different YouTube videos I was still unfamiliar on how to create the depth of field effect on the camera and I knew that important shots in my music video would require depth of field, so I needed to ask someone that was familiar with the camera to help me out and tell me how it works - so I decided to ask Liam, who is the person at college that provides everyone with all of the camera equipment and ensures that everyone knows what they are doing with it.

When I questioned Liam about this, he essentially said everything that was mentioned on all of the YouTube videos, which I clearly understood, but the issue was that whenever I tried to do what the videos on YouTube said, it never worked for me, so Liam actually showed me himself by using one of the cameras. He demonstrated that you are able to chose a manual or automatic mode, but suggested that automatic was the best. Once this had been selected it just meant that I would have to focus the camera on an object just by holding down the button that is used to take a photograph instead of actually moving the lens myself to focus it. By this time I knew that creating this effect was actually very simple and I was more confident in knowing how to create the depth of field effect. As it was obvious that the further away I am from the object I am trying to shoot, the better the depth of field would be and when I was talking to this about Liam, he suggested an application that I could get for free on my phone which would measure the depth of field and be more precise which would be beneficial for me as I would like my music video to look as best as it could. The application that Liam suggested to me was a depth of field calculator called 'SetMyCamera' and below are some images which present the process I went through to get this application on my phone:

When downloading this application, all I had to do was go onto the 'App Store' on my phone, type in 'depth of field calculator' and once I had done that a range of different applications appeared, but I chose the first one as this seemed to have everything that Liam explained was in the applications - once I knew this was the right one, I then began to download the application; when it had finished it then appeared on my phone and by that point I knew that the application was saved on my phone and I would be able to use it when I begin to film or want to practice trying to use the application. To actually use this, all you would have to do is open the application then select the camera that you would be using, in my case I would choose either 'Canon EOS 1200D or 1300D' as these are the cameras that are provided at college. Once that has been completed, I would then just have to input how far away I think I am from the object I want to film and the application would then tell me how blurry the depth of field would be, so the further I move away from the object, the blurrier the application will say the depth of field is and the closer I am to the object, the clearer the application will say the depth of field is. It is beneficial as you are able to choose the units you want to measure in as some people may be more precise when estimating 'feet' than when estimating in 'centermetres' - nonetheless, the application has been made to suit everyone's needs. 

I think using this application is really going to benefit me as it will help me in creating the depth of field effect that I want for certain scenes in my music video.When I begin to construct my music video, I think I will use this applications a few times, but after a while I will get used to the camera and will understand how it works so will no longer need to use the application. Nonetheless, I am glad that I came across this applications and if I didn't talk to Liam about my issue then I don't think I would be as confident as I am now with the camera because I now understand everything in relation to the camera and hopefully this means I will get the outcome I want for my music video. 

Song File Organisation

Since I know which song I am going to use for my music video, I need to ensure that I will have it available to me at all times so I can play it alongside filming to make sure that everything is filmed correctly in relation to the music. One of the most important factors to remember is that I need to ensure that I used the same file all the time because if I used a different song file every time, then the song could possibly be slightly slower or may have extra parts added to it which would make it extremely hard for me to edit as all of the different scenes in my video would have been shot using different versions of the same song. My chosen song again is 'Not Enough' by Avril Lavigne and I already knew I had this song, so I didn't need to do any downloading - however, I needed to ensure that the song would be available in all the locations I would need it in. Below I have presented the different areas I have saved this song and why I have saved it into those locations. 

The song I have saved can be found on iTunes on my laptop (which can be seen in the image below) and this means that I am able to listen to the song on my laptop whenever I want, but I will also be able to plug my phone into my laptop to be able to put the song on my phone as I own an iPhone 5S, which is part of the Apple company. On top of that, the original file for this song is not on iTunes as you will always have to have a saved copy of the song on your desktop in order for the song to work on iTunes. The original copy of the song is saved in a folder called 'Avril Lavigne Albums' which can be accessed by going through 'Music', 'My Music' and then 'Avril Lavigne'. The file type of all of the songs on all of the albums are mp3, which means they will work on any computer and the song can easily be transferred from one computer to another or can even be transferred onto another hard drive if need be. Having a physical mp3 file means I will be able to take the song anywhere I go, but also this is the file type I will be using when editing my music video on 'Adobe Premiere Pro CC'. 

My Phone

One of the first places I needed this song to be was on my phone - this was so I would be able to play the music out loud when filming so my actor would be able to mime along with the words, but also she would be able to know when she needs to do certain things in relation to the music. If I don't have the music on my phone then I would have no other way of playing the music as I wouldn't have my laptop available to me - meaning, my actor would have to guess when certain lyrics are said and the pace they are said in, so this is why it was vital that I have the song available to me on my phone. Below I have presented a quick slideshow which demonstrates how I was able to get my chosen song onto my phone. 

During this process the first thing I had to do was plug my phone into my laptop so I would be able to add the song to it. Once I had done this, I then went back onto iTunes and was able to see that my phone was connected to the laptop as on the left hand side of iTunes I was able to see a tab which said 'Rebecca's iPhone', which is the name I had given my phone - underneath this heading I was able to see other headings including; Music, Films, TV Programmes and many more. To get the song onto my phone all I had to do was select the song and then drag it into the section where it says 'Rebecca's iPhone' where the song had then be put onto my phone. To ensure that this had occurred, I then clicked on the heading that read 'Music' which was again located under 'Rebecca's iPhone' and I was able to scroll to see if the song I had just put onto my phone was actually there and it was. Even though iTunes said that the song was on my phone, I actually wanted to check myself by going on my phone and seeing if the song is there myself, so I just needed to go onto my music on my phone and then find the Avril Lavigne album which was called 'Goodbye Lullaby (Deluxe Edition)' - once I had done this and clicked on the album, I was then able to see that the song was there and it also worked properly when I clicked on it to make it play.

By having this song on my phone it meant that I would be able to play it when I am filming so my actor would be able to mime the words in time with the song, but it is also advantageous that the song is on my phone as my it is small and portable, so when I am filming I will be able to place my phone in my pocket and let the music play instead of me having to hold it and try to control the camera at the same time. In addition, by having the song on my phone I will be able to continuously listen to it and will be able to think of new ideas for the song or will be able to make any changes if I want to.

Memory Stick 

I also needed to ensure that I had the song available to me on my memory stick, so when it comes to editing my music video I will have the mp3 file of the song available to me at all times, but I also wanted to have this song on my memory stick just in case something may happen to the other song files that I already have on my laptop. I think I will most likely edit the majority of my music video on my own laptop rather than on the computers at college which means that having this song on my memory stick is not essential because I will have all of the song files on my laptop - however, I would like to have a file of the song saved on my memory stick just in case. Again, below is a quick slideshow to demonstrate how I put this song file onto my memory stick. 

When putting this song onto my memory stick, the first thing I had to do was make sure that my memory stick was actually connected to my laptop and to check this all I had to do was go onto my documents and as soon as I saw 'REBECCA 4' I knew that my memory stick was connected to my laptop as this is the name of my memory stick. To get the song onto my memory stick I again had to go back onto iTunes and find the song I would be using for my music video, once I had found the song I wanted I then had to click on it and drag it from iTunes and then into the folder which read 'REBECCA 4' which again is the name of my memory stick. Once I had done this, the song should then have saved onto my memory stick as an mp3 file and to check this all I had to do was click on the folder called 'REBECCA 4' which would then show all of the files that are on the memory stick and once I had clicked on this, I was able to see that the 'Not Enough' song had been saved as an mp3 file onto my memory stick where I would be able to access it on any computer my memory stick may be connected to. 

Again, I will most likely be doing the majority of the editing on my own laptop, which means I will already have the original song file saved onto my laptop, so do not necessarily need the extra file saved onto my memory stick, but I have saved it on here to make sure that I have an extra copy if anything goes wrong with the other files that I have on my laptop. I have also saved this as a file on my memory stick in the case that I actually want to edit while at college and will need to song with me, so instead of working without the song, I will be able to plug my memory stick into the computer at college and can add the song onto Premiere Pro with no issues. 

Rampant Designs

When I was watching videos about how to use Premiere Pro and what different effects are available, I came across a company called 'Rampant Designs' who have created a range of YouTube videos to demonstrate how to use their own effects, but they also stated that you can get some of their effects for free, so I decided it would be a great idea to get these effects as they will make my music video more professional and will also be more interesting and entertaining for the audience to watch. 

Here is a video I found which explains this company and the effects they provide:

When downloading the free effects, all I had to do was go onto 'RampantDesignTools.com' and scroll to the bottom of the page where I would see the 'FREE' sign and all I had to do was click on 'Sign Up'. Once I had done that, I was the taken to another page where I had to provide my name and email address. After that, I then clicked on the button to download the effects and was again taken to another page where I was able to choose the effects I wanted and could download them by clicking on the hyperlinks for the ones I wanted. When each file had downloaded, it was saved as a 'ZIP' file - meaning I would have to extract the file so I would be able to use it. Once I had done this, it then saved the files as '.mov' (QuickTime files) - however, when trying to input these files into Premiere Pro it stated that the file was neither audio of video, so to solve this I had to convert this file to an MP4 which then allowed me to add these files to Premiere Pro. There were a wide range of different effects available and I decided to download them all because I don't know which ones I would like to use until I need to start editing my video as I do not know which ones will go well with and complement the video. Overall, I have around 300 different effects from this company and I find this extremely convenient because I will be able to add a range of different effects to my video which could possibly be conventional of my genre and will appeal towards the target audience. Although I am unsure on what effects I am going to use, at the time of my editing I will try out all of the different ones I have available and see which would suit the situation the most. Below I have made a quick slideshow of the process I went through to get these effects.

Here is my slideshow:

Below I have recorded myself adding a few of these effects to Premiere Pro to allow you to see what they look like and how easy it is to add the effects to a video. At the time of recording my laptop began to lag, so some points in to video may seem quite slow. 

Here is my video:

Understanding Adobe Premiere Pro CC

When I have completed my filming I will obviously have to begin editing my music video and I will be doing this by using Adobe Premiere Pro CC. As this is a software I have never used before, I decided to watch some videos to understand how different features on the software are used and how they work. At this moment in time I know how to use this software quite well as this is the software I used to create my 30 second music videos, but before I had created them I had no idea how to use the software and so I watched a range of different YouTube videos to understand what everything on the software does and how you use certain things to get the outcome you want. 

Here are a few of the videos I have previously watched to help me understand this software:

Before watching any of these videos I had no idea how to use Premiere Pro and it all seemed very confusing to me, but now I feel I understand everything on the software and I am able to use almost all the features because I have watched a range of different videos which explain everything on the software. In my music video there will be a lot of editing as I would like to do a lot of blending of scenes and also I would like the video to have a dark and gloomy feeling which can't all just be done through the use of a camera, so I feel that watching different colour grading videos have allowed me to understand how the different colour tools work and how I can use them to get the effect I want. In my 30 second music videos I did over summer I did try to use the colour grading effect, but I was not certain on how they worked, so the outcome was not as good as it could have been - however, I created those videos just to practise and see what I would need to improve on for when I create my real music video. Overall, after watching these videos, I now know a lot more about the software and what I can do to make my music video look the way I want it to look. When I eventually come to editing my video I know I will look back at these videos and take my time to help get the effects I want. 

Knowing I will be using Premiere Pro a lot once I complete the majority of my filming, I decided to download the software so I would have it at home and would be able to work on it whenever I wanted instead of only being able to use it at college. I have now had this software for a while as I used it when I was creating my 30 second music videos. Having this software on my laptop is very useful because it means I am able to use the software at the time I want to use it, but also I will have it for as long as I want and will be able to use it in the future which is advantageous for me. When I downloaded this software I also got all of the other Adobe software's which is convenient for me because I do Computing as one of my courses which also uses some of the software's from the Adobe package. However, downloading this also meant that I have Photoshop available on my laptop which will come in handy for when I create my digipack and poster. 

The Music Video Process

When it comes to constructing a music video, a lot of time is put into making a video to ensure that it will be as good as it can possibly be. The majority of music video sets will include a wide range of different people that all have a specific job to ensure that the music video is going to be as perfect as it can be. As this is my music video, for my own A level, I will mostly be doing everything myself - however, if it comes to it and I need some assistance with some things then I could, for example, have people help me with filming if I may need more than one person to do something at once or I can ask for advice from others to ensure that my music video is the best it can possibly be. Even though I know I won't have a massive group of people behind me, helping create my video, I still decided to do some research and find out what type of people are involved in the creation of a music video and by doing this it will allow me to understand and plan out what things I will do because I will essentially be playing all of the roles. Here is a list I have created of the different jobs roles that are usually seen pre and post-production:

By looking at this list you can see that there are an array of different people that are included when creating a music video and as I previously said, I will not have all of these different people as I will be doing all of this myself - however, by knowing about all the different roles that are associated within a music video has helped me because it allows me to know if I am doing everything that everyone else would be doing in a professional and high end music video. The amount of people that are included in a video usually depends on what is occurring in the music video. For example, if the video was just going to be someone standing in a room then you wouldn't need choreographers or stunt performers and probably wouldn't need a lot of people on set either because the production will not be as big as others and won't need a lot of people to be involved. Nonetheless, some roles like cameramen, producers and actors/actresses are essential as they are what are needed to create the video. Regardless, all of the roles are important and will have a big part in the creation of a music video. I have the impression that making a production with a range of other people would be very interesting and enjoyable - however, for now I will be doing the mass bulk of everything on my own which will allow me to see what I am capable of doing when it comes to creating a music video.

Since I am making a music video I decided to watch some videos on how people actually create music videos and what tips they provide to people like me who are creating a music video for the first time and what I can do to make it look the best it can look. I feel as if I am at an advantage as I did create two short music videos clips over the summer which allowed me to understand this process a bit more as I knew how storyboarding would work, what my organisation skills need to be like and also what clothes and props will need to be used. Nonetheless, I have still watched a few different videos and two of those videos I have watched are shown below:

After watching these videos I feel as if I have gained a lot of knowledge and have a better understanding on how to make my video look the way I want it to look. There are a range of features in these videos like lighting and equipment which I already knew was essential to make a good music video, but there were features like different lens effects on the camera which I didn't previosuly know about and which I will use when I begin creating my music video. From the two videos I have shown above you are able to see that the majority of the work goes into the post-production - however, the filming stage is extremely important as this is what the audience will see, but when you are editing the video you can make it look the way you want it to look to appeal to the audience in the correct way. I personally enjoyed watching these videos because I am looking at working with cameras and media production in general at higher education and I find that knowing all these different techniques is very interesting as something so simple can be made into something that looks very complex when in facts it's not. I am going to use the tips from these videos and hopefully create a professional looking, interesting and appealing music video for my target audience which will hopefully also meet a larger mass audience.  

Creation Of Existing Music Videos

Since I am going to begin filming soon I decided to watch some behind the scene videos of existing music videos where I am able to see what happens behind the scenes of big and successful productions and I feel that by watching these, I have gained a greater understanding about what goes on behind the camera and everything that goes into making a music video look good and professional. I have watched a range of different behind the scene videos because I often like to watch these videos in relation to the artists I like myself which I think is useful because I am able to learn more about the camera and planning process as well as me being able to enjoy what I am watching. As I have watched so many of these kind of videos, I am not going to show all the videos I have seen because there would be a lot, but I am going to show just a few I have watched.

Here are some of the behind the scene videos I have watched:

Angels and Airwaves - Do It For Me Now 

Taylor Swift - Out Of The Woods

New Found Glory - One More Round 

I found that watching these type of videos were extremely useful because they allowed me to understand what goes on behind the camera in music videos. In addition, in one of these music videos I have shown the 'making of'' video for, I was uncertain on how some of the things were created because I knew that some of the features were not possible and were unrealistic, but after watching these 'making of ' videos they have explained and shown how they have done certain things and I think this will be helpful for me in the editing stage because I will be able to add effects or do certain things during the filming stage to ensure that I get the outcome I want and it will look good and also will be entertaining to watch because people will think about how certain things have been generated just like I used to think until I watched these videos. 

Test Shots

To get myself familiar with the type of camera I will be using and the different angles and shots I could possibly use, I decided to take some test shots. In this test shots I have not used the actor I will be using in my music video because she was unavailable at the time - however, I have used someone else just to present what these different angles and shots are and how they work. By testing out these different shots and angles I was able to practice using the camera for when it comes to me actually creating my video and this will help me become better with using the camera. Also, I will be able to find out what I know and don't know about the camera and what I may need to research about the camera if there is something I do not understand about how to use the camera. Not all of the shots I have tested are shots I will be using in my video, but I have tried a range of different shots out in the case that I may actually want to use some that I was not initially planning on using. The different shots and angles I have presented both come in the form of images and videos, but it depends on the type of shot that is being shown.

Here is the video which includes my test shots:

During my time filming and taking images I used a Canon 750D camera with a tripod, which was used to keep the camera stable at times I needed it to be. I am not very familiar with cameras because this is only my second time using this type of camera as my first time using something like this was during my AS course to take images for my music magazine, so these test shots meant I was trying out different shots, but at the same time was understanding how the camera works - because of this I was able to figure out what I was unsure about when it comes to using the camera and I would later be able to ensure that I found out about what I was unsure on by the time I start my filming for my music video. Below I have created a slideshow of images which where taken at the time of my filming to demonstrate me using the camera and also I have taken some images of the camera itself to present what the camera looked like, but also this allowed me to later look at the camera in more detail and understand what each button and control on the camera does and if I later wanted to watch some videos about how the camera works, then I can do that and then look back at these images and see how those videos relate to the camera I was using.

Here are the images I have put together:

After taking some of these shots I noticed that there was more I needed to learn about the camera and how it works - however, taking these shots did help me a lot and allowed me understand the camera more. I was accurate and confident with the majority of things I did and I knew what I was supposed to do, but the only real thing that I struggled with was how to create the depth of field effect as when I did it in my test shots I had to have the subject very close to the camera and in some shots for my music video I would like to have the subject a bit further away but for there to still be the depth of field effect. To solve this dilemma I decided to watch some YouTube videos on how to use the camera to help me understand what I was doing wrong and what I could do to improve. 

Here are some of the videos I have watched:

These are just some of the videos I watched about how a camera works and what to do to get the best outcome - these are not all of the videos I watched as I have watched quite a few because I began watching some over the summer holiday so I would at least know some things about the camera before I actually tried to use it. However, these videos have been extremely helpful and I now understand a lot more about the camera and how it works. In relation to the depth of field effect, I did know that it depended on the aperture and this is what I changed while I was doing my test shots - however, I was unsure on what the shutter speed and ISO did, but I feel as if after watching the last video I have shown, the image that is used in it allows me to understand what each of these features mean and what I need to do to get the outcome I want. After I had done the test shots, I then took some images of the cameras screen on 'AV' mode and I noticed that the aperture was set at F5.6 and the ISO was set at 400 - meaning there wasn't much noise and the camera lens was open a considerable amount, but to get a better depth of field effect I would have to open the lens more, possibly to a F1.4 and also I could set the ISO to perhaps a ISO 50. Another thing that I also learnt was that the longer the lens that is being used, then the blurrier the depth of field effect will be because you are able to create a smaller aperture. Again, watching these videos have been very useful and I will take into consideration everything I have watched and will use it what it comes to creating my music video. 

Production Plan

As I knew I was going to begin filming soon I needed to get in touch with my actor to find out when she would be available to film the video. This production plan I have created is only general ideas as some days I plan to film on may not work out or the weather may change, making it hard to film - meaning I would have to rearrange my plan and film on another day. So the plan I have created is not official as things may change during the process - however, this is the plan I would like to follow and if all goes well then I will have all the footage I need by the time I want it.

After creating my storyboard and animatic, I knew it was time to start thinking about filming and the first thing I had to do was communicate with my actor to plan filming days that we would be suitable for both me and her. On Monday 31st October, I was at home thinking about when I should begin filming my music video, so I decided to message my actor and talk about when we could possibly film and in what locations on what day. Below are some screenshots of the texts I had with my actor on this day which present how we have planned out our schedule:

   

As I had sent these messages to Laura on Monday 31st October, which was the day we returned back at college from half term, it meant that by this time I had my storyboard and plan completed - meaning I was finished in the planning stage and was ready to begin filming. In the text messages you can notice that me and Laura were available at the same times, which meant I would easily be able to film when I needed to - however, as I said before, some of the dates we have planned out may not go accordingly and we may have to rearrange what we are going to do if any problems occur. In the messages, Laura also asked about clothes she should wear, during this conversation I did have a brief chat with her about the costume ideas I had in mind, but we did not finalize anything and decided on the clothes the next day which has been mentioned in a different blog post. Below, I have provided a video which contains different headings that include the different days I intend to film on and what I will do on these days. 

Here is the video I have created: 

These are the three days I intend to film on which hopefully enable me to get all of my footage complete - however, as I have previously said, issues may arise and I may be unable to film on certain days I have selected, so I may have to reschedule. Nonetheless, I hope to get all of the footage I need before Christmas so I will be able to work on my music video with all its footage over the Christmas holiday and then make any changes that need to be made when I go back to college in the new year. On top of that, I am still trying to get myself familiar with the camera I will be using as I have begun to watch some videos on how the camera works, but I think when I eventually begin to use the camera in action to get my actual footage I may come across some problems as I will still be getting used to the camera, so I think filming in the Humber Bridge Country Park will take longer than expected and I may have to film there on more than one day - however, once I have got the first shoot over with I will hopefully be more familiar with the camera and will know exactly what I need to do to get the shot I need. 

Health and Safety Grid

During my time filming everyone that is around me will be susceptible to any kind of injury which is why it is important to ensure that I am prepared to begin filming and can ensure that everyone will be as safe as they can be and that I have done everything I can do to ensure everyone is in safe hands. During the production of a professional music video there will generally be a health and safety person around to help - however, I do not have that assistance, so I need to think about any problems that may arise while filming. I decided to make a list of any hazards that may emerge, who may be in danger because of it and what should be done if the problem occurs. This list includes all of the problems I could think of and by creating it I will know what to do if any one of these situations occur. 

Here is the list I have generated: 

Props

When creating my music video I knew that I would need to use props to create verisimilitude and to make everything occurring in the music video seem real to make it more emotional and realistic for the audience. When it came to thinking about the props I would need for my video it was quite simple because I already knew what I wanted to occur in the video - meaning I would easily be able to know what type of props I would use as they would just fit into the concept of the video. I will be using the various types of props in the different locations I have chosen to film in. Below I have created a presentation which includes the different props I will be using in my music video and I have also mentioned which locations I will be using them in.

Here is the presentation I created: 

Costumes

When it came to choosing the costumes I wanted my actor to wear I knew it was a very important choice as I would have to choose the clothes that would conform to the genre, so the audience would know what genre the music video is, but also I had to ensure that the right clothes were worn and the audience would expect my actor to wear those specific clothes because of the genre she is in. The choice of costume was very important for me because as part of my music video I will have the actor staring at her own silhouette and if the wrong type of costume is used in this scene, then the audience may not understand what it means and would just suggest that there are two of the same people which wouldn't make sense.When choosing what costumes to wear, both me and my actor knew what type of clothes people in this genre would wear and to our advantage, I dress in the way that people in this genre would, to a certain extend, which meant it was beneficial when choosing clothes for my actor to wear. The clothes we have decided have been taken from both my actors and my own wardrobe - meaning with have both combined our styles to create the perfect identity for my artist, but also to ensure that my actor conforms to the chosen genre and that the audience would understand why she is dressed the way she is. As I will be filming in three different locations I have decided to make three different subheadings, where underneath I will mention what costume my actor will be wearing in that certain location and why we both decided it would be a good costume to wear.

Woods

When I begin to film in the woods I will be filming both the actor as herself, but will also be filming the actor as a silhouette - meaning I would have to have my actor dress up in two different costumes to enable the audience to understand this and when they watch the music video they will know that these two characters will have a significant meaning behind it and it won't just be the same actor twice wearing different clothes. Underneath you will be able to see that I have provided images of the two outfits I will be getting my actor to wear while filming these different shots in the woods, but I have also explained why I have decided to use these outfits and how they conform to my chosen genre. 

Costume 1 - Ordinary Character

The first costume I decided to plan out was what my actor would be wearing the majority of the time during this music video - this costume is crucial as this is what the audience will see the majority of the time. I wanted to ensure that the Pop Punk genre had been portrayed through the use of these clothes, so I had to ensure that dark clothes wore worn. I was originally going to make the costume all black, but then I realized that if I did this, then the audience wouldn't be able to understand the meaning of the silhouette as the costume for this character will be all black, which is generally what a silhouette is. Moreover, I wanted to ensure that the clothes my actor would be wearing are casual as it would present that she had just come from her daily life and that being in a broken relationship is a normal thing that can occur to anyone and these casual clothes which present to the audience that the artist is just like an ordinary person too and has her own feelings. 

Here are the clothes I have chosen for this location with this specific character:

Below you will be able to see I have created a presentation where I have mentioned why I decided to use each of these clothing items for my actors outfit and how they conform to my chosen genre. 

Here is the presentation I have created:

Costume 2 - Silhouette 

The second costume my actor would be wearing while filming in the woods would be the costume for the silhouette. Again, to enable the audience to be able to tell and understand the difference between the normal character and the silhouette, I have decided to make the silhouette character wear all black because generally when someone sees a silhouette, they will see all black as it is essentially just a shadow, so I believe by wearing these type of clothes the audience will understand this message. As the silhouette is meant to represent the singer, but is essentially her inner self which has her inside thoughts, I still needed to ensure that the costume had a Pop Punk feel to it, so this factor was not so hard as the clothes that the silhouette would all be black anyway which conforms to the Pop Punk genre. Nonetheless, I have finally chosen the outfit I want to use for the silhouette character which I hope will enable the audience to understand what is occurring in the music video.

Here is the outfit I have chosen for the silhouette character:

Underneath you are able to see that I have created a presentation which demonstrates each of these clothing items in detail and I have also explained why I decided to use them and how they conform to my chosen genre.

Here is the presentation I have created:

Green Room

The second location I would be filming in is the green room and while in this location I knew that I would want my actor to be performing, so I wanted her to dress up a little more than what she would compared to when she would casually go out - however, I didn't want her to dress up too much as this is not a conventional feature to occur in a Pop Punk music video. Again, the clothes I wanted my actor to wear have to be dark so they would conform to the Pop Punk genre and this time it didn't matter is she wore all black because the audience will know that this is a different scene to when she will be seen running in the woods or being the silhouette in the woods. I do want my actor to appeal to the intended target audience and to hopefully make the audience be attracted to the way my actor looks and I think I have made this happen through the use of clothes I have decided to used, but I have still ensured that the clothes conform to the Pop Punk genre.

Here is the outfit my actor will be wearing when filming in the green room:

Below I have constructed a presentation which demonstrates why I have chosen these different clothes and how they conform to the Pop Punk genre, but also I have explained why they were suitable for the location I will be filming in.

Here is the presentation I have created:

Loft 

The last location I would be filming in is the loft in my house - again, while filming in this location I knew that I would be able to make my actor wear black clothes due to the fact that the audience would know that this is a completely different scene compared to when they will see the actor running through the woods and also portraying a silhouette. My actor would again be performing in this location, so I would need to ensure that she is appealing to my intended target audience and that they will be engaged and will want to watch her. In this location my actor will be playing the guitar, so the majority of her clothing will be covered up - however, I still need to make my artist wear suitable clothes because when I am filming, the camera may get in more into the frame than I intend and if my actor had no shoes on (for example) then it wouldn't seem professional when the audience see it and could be unappealing for some audiences. Again, I think by choosing these clothes I have conformed to the Pop Punk genre, but also will hopefully make the intended target audience be attracted by my actor.

Here is the outfit my actor will be wearing while filming in the loft:

Like I have previously done, I decided to create a presentation where I was able to talk about this chosen outfit in more detail. In this presentation you are able to see that I have mentioned why I have chosen these clothing items, how they create the meaning I want them to and how they conform to the Pop Punk genre.

Here is the presentation I have created:

Locations

I initially had five different location ideas - however, I had not seen any of them in person and I wanted to physically go to all the locations I had thought of before finally deciding where I would like to film my music video. After going location hunting, I eventually found all of the locations that I would like to film my music video at. Out of the five initial locations I had originally looked at, I have decided to use three of them and have also found specific areas I would like to go. When I went to these different locations I decided to take some pictures of the area - however, the images were taken on my iPhone - meaning the quality is not that good. Nonetheless, you are still able to see the location clearly and see everything in the image. Below, I have written a paragraph about each location I am going to film at and have also included some of the images I took on the day I went to visit that certain location. Also, I have described why I am wanting to film at these locations and why I chose to film at them.

Location 1 - Brick Wall In The Loft At My House

The first location that will appear in my music video is a brick wall. When looking for the right location to film at there were a range of different brick wall locations I could possibly film at, but I decided I would like my actor to be sat in front of the brick wall that is located in the loft of my house. I have decided to film at this specific brick wall because there is quite a dark and cold feeling in this location which I feel represents the song and also helps in presenting how the artist feels alone and locked away because she does not know what to do about her relationship. Also, this brick wall is quite dull and broken down which can again help in representing this. An advantage to this location is that it is only based 10 minutes away from my college which means my actor would easily be able to gain access whenever I need her to be available and it can be used even when the weather is bad as we will be located inside. Originally I decided to use a brick wall as my location because it is quite dark and gloomy which again represents this genre, but also it helps in presenting how the artist feels. Everything that will be filmed at this location will include the actor sitting in front of the brick wall while playing guitar and singing while either directly addressing the audience or looking away into the distance. I decided to take some images of the brick wall that I will be filming my actor in front of to present what it looked like and how it conforms to the genre of music I am doing.

Here are my images: 

In these images you are able to see that the brick wall is again quite dull and gloomy looking which is perfect for the mood of my music video. You may also notice that there are a range of different objects in the way - a lot of these objects were originally placed in front of the brick wall until I moved them - however, when it comes to filming in this location I will remove all of these objects away from the camera's view so they do not ruin the mise-en-scene or the concept of the music video. On top of that, I have shown some images of the light in the room - this is the only light source - meaning if I do not have that light switched on then the location will be pitch black - however, I can always cover up the light in some way to get the lighting I want and could get portable lights which I can place in the location I would like them to be. In addition, there are a few dangers when filming in this location as seen in the images - there are a range of wood blocks in the loft and also me and my actor would have to climb the ladder to get to this location - however, I will later make a health and safety grid stating what will be done when it comes to filming in this location and how we will be cautious when it comes to these dangers.

When in this location and taking images I noticed that the images where not as dark as I would like them to be and this had a lot to do with lighting, but I also remembered that when I begin to edit in post-production I will be able to edit the scenes and make them seem darker than they actually are. As I knew I was going to have the cuts darker I decided to take some of these images and edit them on Premiere Pro CC where I was able to make them darker in the way I would like them to be in my music video. Again, these images were taken on my iPhone, so the quality is not that good which also means the colour may not look that good - however, you are able to see how there is a big change in the colour and how it also makes the picture make interesting and appealing to look at - also conforming to the stereotypical conventions of this genre.

Here is a video of the images I edited on Premiere Pro CC:

Location 2 - Humber Bridge Country Park

The second location the audience will see is the woods that is located at the Humber Bridge Country Park. I originally chose to film in the woods because it helps represent the idea of the artist being lost and metaphorically being trapped by her boyfriend as she is unsure on whether it is time to leave the relationship or not because what she is getting out of the relationship is not enough. Again, there were an array of different wood locations I could film at, but this location stood out to me more than all of the other wood locations I have been to as this was mainly because of its size and how hidden the whole of the woods looked. This is very useful for my music video because the artist will be running throughout the whole of the video and if I was only in a small area than my artist wouldn't be able to run to many places and the audience would begin to notice that the artist is running in circles if they see the same scenes every time, so this location was perfect for me especially knowing the fact that it is only 15 minutes from my house so it is easily accessible and at anytime. Following on from that, as these cuts will be filmed outside I will have to keep my eye on the weather to ensure that I will be able to film on a certain day as I will not be able to film when the weather is rainy - however, having dull weather will come as an advantage to me because this is how I want my video video to appear to appeal to the target audience as it will help in portraying the artists emotions. In addition, because of this locations size, it means that when filming we will not easily run into someone else as there are so many different areas to go in the woods - this will also look go on any wide or long shots that I will do as the audience will be able to see that the actor is isolated and has no way out. Again, while I was at this location I decided to take some images so I would remember what the location was like and also to compare to other woods locations I considered filming at.

Here are the images I had taken:

Similar to the previous location I have mentioned, I would like there to be dark and gloomy lighting at this location and in these images you can see that the lighting is darker than what other images will often look like on a sunny day - which was beneficial for me. When I took these image the weather was perfect for me to film as it was quite dull, but there was enough light for me to film in, but also there was no rain. Furthermore, I will also again want to edit the scenes that will be filmed in this location as I will want the dark and gloomy effect and as I know how to do that after practicing on the brick wall images I am confident that I will get the scenes to look the way I want them to. Moreover, the majority of the woods in this location is enclosed which is exactly what I want to help present to the audience how the artist is trapped and alone, but at the end of the video I will want the actor to be free and in the open area - this will be presented in the locations that the images at the end of the slide show display as there is a lot of free space which represents the actors freedom and their decision to leave the relationship. The audience will also see the artist smiling and running away into the distance which will present how the artist is now happy and free in her life.

Location 3 - Green Room (Wyke Sixth Form College)

The last location I have decided to film at is the green room which is situated at my college - my initial idea was to film on a black or white background and I felt as if this was the perfect location to film this at as I had access to all the different lighting which will allow me to create a visual mood which also corresponds with the song. I wanted to film in front of a black/white background because I wanted to be in a simple setting where there would be nothing but the artist to allow the audience to see the artists emotions and understand how they are feeling - this means the audience will mainly be concentrating on the artist, whereas in the other scenes, the audience will be able to see things in the background which may be distracting and take the audiences eye of off the main attraction, which is the actor. This location is easily accessible which is an advantage as it in located inside my college in the media department - meaning I will be able to film any time of the day while I am at college when me, my actor and the green room are all free. The majority of shots that will be used in this room will be close ups, but there will also occasionally be some other shots that will be used to make the scene more interesting. Again, I have taken some images of the location to present what I will be working with when it comes to filming.

Here are the images I have taken of the green room:

In these images you can clearly identify the different lights I will be able to work with when I am filming. When taking these images I did try to change the lighting a bit to suit my needs - however, I was in a bit of a rush and was unable to to get the lighting perfect and in the way I would want it to be - also, the quality is not that good as the images were taken on my phone. Nonetheless, when it comes to filming in this location I know I will have a lot more time and can spend longer trying to figure out the correct lighting especially when I will have my actor there and in the position I want her to be placed in. When I was taking these images I asked one of my friends to stand in front of the white board and from this I was able to see what the lighting was like and how it reflected off of him. By going into this room and trying out the different lights I was able to get a better idea of what I will want the lighting to be like when I am filming, but it also allowed me to see what equipment I will have available to me at the time I will be filming. The main concept of filming in this location is to allow the audience to understand how the artist is feeling as there will be dark lighting to connote her sadness, but also it is a stereotypical convention of Pop Punk. Again, as I said previously, a range of close ups will be used - allowing the audience to see the emotion in the artists face and understand how she is feeling which creates more feeling and emotion for the audience.

Previous Initial Location Ideas

The two other locations I initially thought I could possibly film at is an alley way and a beach. I decided not to film at these locations because I did not want to film in an alleyway as I felt as if it isn't very conventional of Pop Punk as is more of a location that will be seen in a Rap music video. On top of that, I did not like the idea of the beach as I feel that it would not fit in with any of the other location scenes I will use in my music video and it seemed just out of the way compared to everything else. I did not take any images of any alleyways as I knew quite early on that this location would probably not be good for my music video - however, I did get some images of a beach. The beach I went to was in Hornsea which is only about 40 minutes away from my house - meaning if I did decide to film at this location I would have to plan ahead and look at the weather to ensure I would be able to film there instead of wasting 40 minutes to get to the location and finding out it would not be good to film there on that day. These images just present what areas of the beach I could have possibly filmed on if I decided to film there.

Here are the images I took on the beach at Hornsea: