I'm quite excited to do this unit as it's taking photography into a different view and I'll have the experience of learning how making a video works so it can expand my portfolio.
As part of my research I have to look up 10 different styles of video/filming and make comments as to what I feel works for it and what I feel doesn't and then produce a storyboard of my idea as to what I will do for my video.
The first video that I have found in this one which relates to the theme of 'Time' I think what works well in this and what I like is at the start it's a blank screen and we hear sound. I like the slow motion going through the house. I like the close up of the clock and how there are 4 images put together. I like how the sound gets louder. I don't like the big pause at 0.53 or the background music however, it works because it is fast and upbeat suggesting that time moves on. I like the shots of the city however, I don't like how the speed of the clouds and the images.
This next video I have found relates to a 12 month time-lapse journey. I think this video works very well due to the background music being at a moderately fast speed meaning the changing of slides in the video kept time well. The movement and focus on the skies alone work well with the title as well.
My third video is
"Beautiful Lands" Jeep's 2015 Super Bowl Commercial " - I think this video works because it has a song relating to the scenery. The shots are well captured giving a small glimpse of the beautiful places to which the lyrics mention.
My fourth video is
"How Bad Do You Want It? (Success) HD"
I think this video works because as a person who does sport it is very motivational, even if you aren't a sport person I still think this video gets the point across not only due to the title but the narration in the video works, the soothing music and changes of slides in the video.
My fifth video is 'World's largest rope swing' I think this video works because it's about the fun in life, which comes across through the people in the video laughing and dancing etc in the video. I think the different shots are good because they mix it up with not just the scenery but also of the people. I also like the background music as its upbeat and goes well for the video.
This next video I think works because the lyrics relate to the movement in the video, there's a lot of capturing of different moment which relate to the song. I think it works when the song slows down, it captures just the singer. I like how it also includes speaking in it and think it works a treat with the end shot showing the title of the song.
This next video I think works because the songs come from a band called Chicago which is where the video is filmed. I think it gives a nice sentiment and the connection between the singers show how much they enjoy singing this song. I think the different shots work and I also like the clip at the end because it shows who they really are off screen from singing.
The next video I think works because there is a variety of shots in it including close ups. It captures snips of performance at concerts. It looks at depth of focus, lighting/composition and turning certain shots to black and white.
Following this research, I have decided what I wanted to record. I found a song on youtube by an unsigned artist and found the song had so much meaning and not only did it use the word 'Place' in it but also the music video showed a variety of different scenery. This immediately gave me the idea to take the opportunity to film down at my family estate at Heriot. I looked at music video several times working out how long each scene was and what shots were taking. From this it gave me the inspiration to try and make similar shots and working the timing out evenly. Here is the following music video from what I used as inspiration:
Shortly after watching the official music video, I found another video with official lyrics and found this one more suitable for me to work from.
I would say my first shoot on filming was successful, once I got the footage I was able to open up Movie Maker. Unfortunately I tried to use Adobe Premier but that wouldn't load my film. However, I have found using Movie Maker successful and quite easy. Looking at my different part of footage there are some clips which worked and ones which if I had the time and wanted to make it slightly different I would retake. I used my Nikon D3200 50-100mm lens to film the clips. I then recorded the second part which was the vocals/sound on my phone and then uploaded this to gmail and then downloaded onto movie premier. When editing my film I was looking at the time and which clips needed to be cut slightly because they lingered too much. The following below is a plan of action:
Story Board
Shot 1 : Title of film - Photo as background with title of film. Zoom In.
Shot 2: Credits - 'A short film by...' Zoom In.
Shot 3 - Filming of flowers -Automatic Pan and Zoom.
Shot 4 - shot of acorn - Pan up along left.
Shot 5 - Water/burn - Audio fade in/fade out.
Shot 6 - waterfall - No movement/recording of song in background
Shot 7 - Trees/hill - Automatic Pan and Zoom. Audio Fade In. Fade in from White.
Shot 8- Leaves - no movement, natural bird sounds
Shot 9 - Sky - Fade In from white
Shot 10 - River flow - Fade in from black
shot 11 - Flowers - Automatic Pan and Zoom
Shot 12- overall view - Pan up along right
Shot 13 - Lochan - Natural sounds, showing view with some movement.
shot 14- Trees- Pan up along left
shot 15 - Ripple of water
Shot 16 - Avenue - Zooming in
Shot 17 - Trees/Hill - some movement to show the hill off.
Shot 18 - Following river - some movement
Shot 19 - Bridge - Audio Fade Out
shot 20 - Water - no movement.
Shot 21 - mini waterfall - slight movement to show more
Shot 22 - Road - some movement to turn camera to show more off.
Shot 23 - Sign - no movement, few seconds to show sign.
Shot 24 - Credits - film by, title, vocals & sound.
Weekly Planning
31st March - Got given brief
7th April - Start research
14th April - brain storm ideas
21st April - Plan shots
28th April - Start Filming (Shot on one day)
5th May - Call my friend to arrange date for recording sound
12th May - Start recording voice with friend
19th May - Start Editing film
2nd June - Update blog
9th June - Finalise everything
Evaluation
I thoroughly enjoyed this unit because it allowed us to explore another side of photography. I've always wanted to put together a wee film and look at how to edit so that is something new which I've learnt. When I first found out how broad the theme was relating it to 'Place' I had several ideas, which the majority of them either weren't as realistic as which I had thought in my head or they fell through. After doing the research I found a song which I liked and from this saw music videos connected and thought the song and video worked perfect to this theme so I thought I'd put my own spin on it. When I started filming there was no problems although I wasn't exactly sure of what camera settings to have it on however the outcome seems to say I've done it correctly. I managed to make clips throughout the one day. My next step was to record the sound, I had to call my friend up and arrange a time to meet her. We recorded it at my family estate, we sat practicing it a few time and once we we're ready I used my phone to record it. I thought it was going to be a struggle to upload it to the computer however, I managed to gmail it and then download it that way so that was fairly simple. I then started added the different clips and putting them in an order. After this, I went through each clip and trimmed parts down etc if needed and added effects. I then added the sound to the film and had to go through each clip listening to find out which parts I wanted with the natural sounds e.g birds tweeting. I then ran the video all the way through with my music and finalised everything by making sure timing was correct etc. Overall I am happy with my final film and feel it has been a success. I feel this was a unit that has been helpful. Here is the following video I have created:
