Editing

In order to edit our music video we used Premiere Pro CS4. Firstly, we had to import our footage into premiere pro after uploading it from the camera. This enabled us to see a list of our clips which we could then play in the preview window. Once we were satisfied with what clips we wanted to use, you drag the clip into the playing area. This will now be show in the right window which shows the actual music video. We decided it would be more efficient to drag all our clips down, rearrange them and then add transitions and effects after. This enables us to see any gaps that we would need to film again. This was made apparent to us. It was important to cut down a lot of clips as most of them were too long. We then imported the song the same way as the footage but dragged it down to the audio section. It was important to mute the sound from the footage so that you could hear the actual song. Once we had arranged a lot of the clips we decided to start adding effects and transitions. Our song is quite depressing and sad so we thought it would the footage would relate to the song if we decreased the brightness. We changed this by going on the tab colour and correction and then brightness and contrast. Another effect we used is changing the speed of the clip. The pace of our song is quite up and down, starting quite slow, then speeding up and at the end slowing down again. Therefore when it was slow paced we decreased the speed of the clip so it would make a slow motion style effect. For the fast paced music we increased the speed to make a lot of short, fast shots. This creacted hecticness and excitement. When deciding on transitions, wse found that we used a lot of similar transitions. This is because we found that a lot of them did not suit our music video. Using the same ones several times created continuity and looked more professional. The main transitions we used were dip to black, cross dissolve and additive dissolve. We especially liked additive dissolve because during the transition, the previous and next clip blend in together and when going to the next clip you still see the previous clip as the opacity decreases. When arranging our footage we realised that it would be a lot harder to fit three and half minutes than we previously thought. We refilmed numerous times and thought we had a lot of footageand then found that we still had gaps to fill. There was only one way to overcome this and this was by cutting sections of the song out. This was made possible because a lot of the song is repetitive. When the pace of the song slows down for the second time, shortly after the pace fastens up again. We wanted the end to finish with a slow pace so we cut it before the pace fastens up again. So that the song didnt end blunty we gradually quietened it down at the end. The song was still too long so we cut out other sections that were repeated. This was a very difficult process that required patience and perserverance. It was very hard to cut the section at the right point. Using the razor tool you select the start of the part of the song you don't want and then another mark up to where you want it. You then slect it and delete it. Another thing that proved to be difficult was matching up the footage with the right part of the song. This again was overcome by patience. The last thing we added was 'Pendulum - Watercolour' and 'New Media Solutions' in the left hand corner of the first clip of the music video. This made it apparent that it is a music video and is a common convention of existing music videos. We didn't want it to take emphasis away from the video so we decreased the opacity and made it dissolve away after a few seconds. By adding this convention we found that our music video looked more realistic and professional.

Location Analysis

These three images are of one of the main locations we will be using. This is the place where our main character will come after he sees his ex with somebody else. The dull tones of the scenery reflects his mood and the sombre theme that shows despair. This is shown with the natural wood colours and the dull green of the leaves. Also by the dull brickwork and the graffiti represents a run down area, which is where the character feels he belongs as a run down human being. The first picture is the most influential to show what sort of place this is and so will be used as an establishing shot. The others will show fast paced shots including smashing bottles to symbolise a choatic atmosphere to portray his chaotic emotions.
































These two locations reflect the same theme of despair with dull colours and their general appearence of nothing being appealing. We will use a very unsteady point of view shot of the main character running whilst he feels he is being followed, shown by similar shots from behind the protagonist. This is to symbolise him running away from his troubles and therefore running away from the places that reflect how he is feeling on the inside. This allows the audience to empathise with the character as everybody has felt the desire to escape problems, enabling them to become more involved in the narrative.

Filming Schedule

Scenes to film:
- Protaganist seeing ex in street
- Protaganist going crazy in street
- Protaganist meeting up with drug dealer
Equipment: Camera and tripod
Locations: Street in a residential area, discreet alleyway
Props: Hoodie, flour in a bag resembling cocaine
People needed: Media group - Lucy, Michelle, Miles. Actors - Pad (main character), Miles, James, Lucy
Estimated time: 2 hours

Monday 11th October

Scenes to film:
- Opening bedroom scenes, eg. reading text and destroying room
- More going crazy in streets including him smashing bottles in the tunnel underneath the bridge.
Equipment: Camera and tripod
Locations: A boy's bedroom, a pavement besides a busy street, tunnel
Props: Alcohol glass bottles, road signs, a bed, clothes, photo
People needed: Media group - Lucy, Michelle, Miles. Actors - Pad
Estimated time: 3 hours

Thursday 14th October

Scenes to film:
- Night scenes including fire scenes and point of view shots
- More inside scenes, eg. turning point
- Bath death scenes
Equipment: Camera, tripod, lighting
Locations: A field, a living room, a bathroom
Props: A large oil drum to have fire in, matches, paper and leaves to create fire, teddy bear to burn, alcohol bottles, flour representing cocaine, a bath, razor, mirror
People needed: Media group - Lucy, Michelle, Miles. Actors - Pad
Estimated time: 4 hours

Detailed Storyboard

Audience Feedback

Our questionnaire included open ended questions which made it far more suitable to be done on paper than just have multiple choice options on a blog. We asked mainly about what conventions we had used and how we can improve the parts that are not so conventional. We gave our questionnaire to 18 late teenagers, both female and male, our target audience. The most important thing for us was that the viewers engage with the narrative of the video. It was very hard illustrating the story without making the twist obvious. Results from our questionnaire showed that the majority of people understood it. This reassured us that our story wasn't too confusing. However, responses suggested to us that it would be clearer if we included more footage of the ex boyfriend. We were encouraged to hear that the way we portryed the intoxication of our main character was very convincing, this was very important to us as we wanted to ensure we conveyed the message that this is not what to do in this situation and we didnt want to glorify his actions. We wanted the effects we used to give a realistic account of the consequences of doing such things. When the music was slow we used a slow motion effect and when the music fastened up we increased the speed of the shot. People also commented on the transitions between the shots "which made the music video flow". A lot of people expressed how they liked the variation of shots as it maintained their attention and was very interesting to watch. Thankfully all criticism we recieved was constructive and we were able to build on such views to make our product more successful. This included ensuring that the pace of the editing matched that of the music. We were told this was key in order for it to be easy to follow the narrative without the pace of the music overpowering it, taking the attention away from what was going on in the video. It took time but we managed to maintain a good balance with the music and the editing.

Target Audience Analysis

This is an example of our target audience. Youthful males and females mostly at university studying more creative subjects. People that like to break the mould and do things a little different, for example going to the beach in winter clothes with a pinwheel. These are the type of people that will be interested in drum and bass music and their usual activities would include going out to clubs drinking frequently and therefore be able to connect with our song choice. These particular students are regulars at the Creamfields Festival which is know for dance, drum and bass genres etc. Therefore it is apparent the are familiar with the party scene. There dress sense differs from being out there and different to fitting in with the latest trends that would be sold in such shops as Topshop and All Saints for example. The Video would appeal to both men and women as the main focus is still the genre of music for those less emotionally involved (typically men) but also has a strong focus on the narrative which will appeal more to the women but there is something for everyone.

Storyboard of Final Idea