Question 2: What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks?

Task 1-The Audition Video

The audition video prepared me for the lipsynching in the actual video. Be rehearsing in front of the mirror I was able to gain confidence to act in front of the camera. The edit took longer than I expected it to as we needed to intersperse the set ups to make the performance more energetic. This was my first time editing the footage to music as opposed to adding music as background. We had to synch the movement to the original audio by going through it frame-by-frame. We also learnt that we could layer the synched large clip and then use the razor tool to remove the footage we didn't need. This revealed footage from the tracks below.

Task 2- Learning and Practicing my performance

Our performance director is explaining how my posture should be.

During the performance rehearsals, we did exercises that improved our body language, facial expressions and co-ordination. I have learnt that these performance sessions are necessary for the actors in music videos who are usually the artists or models and may not be used to acting in front of the camera. A performance director and choreographer are vital for a music video shoot. The rehearsals before the shoots enables the actors to prepare their roles well so less time is wasted on set explaining the director's outlook.

Task 3- Helping to plan and organise my costume

A range of cosmetics are needed such as foundation,
mascara masks, lipstick, etc.

We had to discuss the practicalities of the costume as our remake had some different scenes to the original video. My hair and make up had to be done differently to the model.

We had a make up trial before the actual shoot to make sure the style actually worked. I learnt that costumes can be filed together with hangers and hole-punched nametags so there isn't confusion.

I learnt that having discussions with the actor about their costume enables them to feel comfortable and thus act well in the shoot and that also they find suitable clothes to wear. Costume needs to be thought of in huge detail as it determines the artist's brand identity.

Task 4: The Shoot

On the shoot I was able to learn about lighting. On set there were lighting shields (seen left) that caused the light to be spread more evenly and dim the glare that they usually cause.  

I was able to visit the lighting desk and be given a tutorial on lighting set ups and the colours that change.

The screen was out of reach so the original view finder is used

Learning to be a convincing dead person

I also learnt how to change lenses by matching the red dots on the camera and lens corner. 

I learnt to change the position of the barn doors of the lights above the set using a pole to hook the doors.

Task 5: The Edit

We had one week to edit the remake video. We found this a very tight deadline as the lipsynching was difficult to synch with the original music track. We learn to layer the best set ups and edit by set up. We had to shift the footage frame by frame. When the music was stopped and started in the middle of a take, the rest of the clip that we had synched would be out of synch so we used the input monitor to mark in and out points exactly for the parts we needed to minimise the adjusted on the crowded timeline.

For grading, we used Procamp, Three way colour corrector (as seen right) and Brightness and Contrast. I think I have improved in my grading skills. We learnt to copy over the effects and finely adjust them for similar set ups. To make the background white we generally had to increase contrast by about 10% but only increase brightness by a small number.

Question 3: Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?

I was generally pleased with the footage as many of the actors had studied their roles in detail and replicated them very well in the remake footage. During the shoot is was very helpful when Tasha modelled what we had to do. This allowed actors to mimic her movements so the acting was convincing. Although, it was difficult to exactly mimic the co-ordination of the band with the exact co-ordination of the 1975.

Being able to view the footage on the screen as it was being recorded, allowed us to notice any problems and correct them quickly on set. The very close resemblance in clothes, props and makeup made it easier to edit the footage. 

Due to some technical limitations it was difficult to exactly replicate the lighting set-up so when it came down to grading, we found that we had to experiment to find the effects that made it look good. Our final video hence had some mis-matching set-ups.

I think some of the scenes worked out better than I thought they would. However I thought it was inconvenient that we placed the original video in the bottom rightcorner as the dragging off actions are hidden.

Question 4: How do you think your prelim experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?

During the change over of light set ups.

During the prelim, I learnt plenty of technical and theoretical things concerning music videos and the industry.

I think I will be better at lipsynching since I have had practice. I think I will be better at acting since we were taught tips on improving performances during the performance rehearsals. I was inspired by some of the lighting set ups so I may use those.

We will organise the shoot with documentation (such as that seen to the left). I think our group will arrange rehearsals for our actors so they feel confident enough in front of the camera. 

When it comes to organising costume, I will discuss the ideas with the actors so they will feel comfortable and so their requirements can be matched more easily. We will also have back up costumes incase something goes wrong on the day of the shoot.

The make up for the shoot will be tested in advance so there isn't a delay during the day. The props will be organised before the rehearsals incase the actors need to interact with them e.g. the actors had to sit on the bike so we had the bike in the rehearsals.

The experience on set was especially very useful to learn about lighting set ups and the general organisation of the set.

I will be better at being a runner as I now know what their roles are on set. 

I think I will find grading easier as this project worked as practice for me.

Kill Your Darlings - Tracking of Marketing - Week 4

Example 1:

This is a twitter competition that is above the line, as the distributor would pay for the prizes. The needs of participation are fulfilled with the concept of the competition. The audience have a service provided which is the potential poster that they could win. This encourages viral marketing as the entry for the competition is a tweet. The tweets are also involved with a hashtag. This particularly appeals to Radcliffe fans and generally appeals to twitter users.

Have YOU seen #KillYourDarlings yet? Tweet us 5 word reviews for a chance to win a poster signed by #DanielRadcliffe! pic.twitter.com/csvxg9wzlg
— Kill Your Darlings (@KYDFilmUK) December 8, 2013

Example 2:

This review is from empire magazine website. This is a below the line source as it is reportive of the film. It is a trust worthy source for film fans since it is a critical review.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug - Tracking of Marketing - Week 4

Example 1:

I found this post from a page on facebook that posts photos of unusual landscapes. This is below the line marketing as it has been shared by members of the public. This reaches an audience who are interested in photography and captured landscapes who  would generally be 15- 24 year olds.

Example 2:

At Enfield cineworldcinema there are displays of the Hobbit. This is above the line marketing as it has been financed by the distributors. This is eye catching and it reaches people who go to the cinema. This would generally be 15-24 year olds who are the biggest cinema demographic.

Upstairs covers the whole wall

There were two of these next to eachother outside the girls toilets

Example 3:

This is above the line marketing but is cheaper as it is on an online platform. This reaches an audience who are computer literate. This platform has connectivity as when clicked on, it directs the audience straight to purchase tickets. This may be suitable for over 18s as they will have their own credit cards.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug - Tracking of Marketing - Week 3

Example 1:

This is sourced from twitter. This is a below the line promotion for an above the line event. The plane has an image of Smaug. It landing in the UK raises awareness of the film as the passengers and airport workers see this as unusual. People are likely to notice this and pay attention to further platforms of the marketing campaign. This tweet targets audience that regularly use twitter.

#Smaug touches down in the UK! @airnzuk's amazing plane landed in Heathrow this morning. #TheHobbit pic.twitter.com/F5l5KG0gNs
— The Hobbit Movies UK (@HobbitMoviesUK) December 7, 2013

Example 2:

This review is from the telegraph website which is a UK newspaper. This is below the line marketing. From this website, it is possible to understand that this review is the second most viewed article today. Although the review takes a slightly negative tone, the audience may still want to view the film to see if it is as described. This targets right wing 30 to 50 year olds who are interested in reading the telegraph.

Example 3:

I also saw bus adverts for the film however I couldn't take a picture as the rain blurred the phone camera. This is an example of above the line marketing. This bus was at Edmonton Green bus station at around 4 o'clock on thursday. This targets teenagers and school children who take public transport. I wasn't able to notice what the route of the bus was.


Example 4:

This is also sourced from twitter. This is above the line marketing. It is promotion for a Q and A session that encourages the audience to be involved in the campaign. The tweets sent via the hash tags and mentions may trend and attract the attention of other twitter users. This also targets fans of the actors as they can ask questions and hence be involved in the campaign. This takes the form of viral marketing.

We're with @TheRealLukevans ready to kick off our live #AskBard Q&A! Tweet your questions in now pic.twitter.com/svDeyyCkFv
— The Hobbit Movies UK (@HobbitMoviesUK) December 6, 2013

Kill Your Darlings - Tracking of Marketing - Week 3

Example 1:

The is a below the line feature on Front Row, a radio show on BBC Iplayer. It was originally aired on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 5th December 2013 at 7:15pm. At the beginning of the programme a snippet of the trailer is aired 00:27 to 00:47 and 22:19 to 28:35. This review reaches intellectual viewers of radio four and arts fans.

Example 2:

This post by glamour magazine is below the line marketing for kill your darlings. This targets 16-25 year old audience which is skewed to girls. The main reason for this is because this audience is from the Harry Potter generation and therefore would be interested in the film because of Daniel Radcliffe's role. The video enables the audience to feel as if they have exclusive information about the film.

Example 3:

These tweets reach an online audience via viral marketing which is below the line. These are from non-distributor sources. This is because they benefit from the promotion of this focus on the star name, Daniel Radcliffe. This reaches fans of the star and the arts.

Daniel Radcliffe "pleased and proud" of his performance as poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings. http://t.co/xfPIm6fKv8
— BBC Ents News Team (@BBCEntsTeam) December 5, 2013

In London? Dan will be personally attending this evening's 8:45pm screening of @KYDFilmUK @CineHaymarket
— DanRadcliffe.com (@danradcliffecom) December 7, 2013

Example 4:

This facebook post is an example of below the line marketing. However what is seen in the image is above the line marketing as the council is paid for the quotations to go on the posts. This reaches the common passerby and intrigues the audience. The hash tag is a reference so the audience can be keen to find out what KYD means.