Storyboards - Final Production

Once my group and I felt confident with the idea for our final production I felt that we were able to begin to create a storyboard. The images below show the full story board for my final production however, my group and I are planning to include a variety of abstract shots within the piece and at this time we were unsure of where they would fit best so I decided not to draw them into the storyboards as we are still undecided. The storyboard follows the chronological order of my final production and includes a range of establishing shots as well as the main scenes of my main character. 

Having completed the storyboards will benefit my group and I as it will enable us to visual the desired outcome of the final product. Creating a detailed storyboard also helped my group and I to ensure that we were on the same page and knew exactly what shots we want to achieve when filming. Storyboards are also helpful during the filming process as they help to make sure that we stay on track and achieve what is required.  

Shot list

Storyboards are a crucial part of any production, however when it comes to drawing them I do not create them shot by shot. Although drawing the storyboards shot by shot would be an effective way to visualize my production I prefer to draw them generally following along the scene and then create a shot list in text in order to show more detail of the shots and angels that I want to include. I find that a scene break down paired with a storyboard and shot list is an effective way to make sure that all shots are able to be planned for. It is also a good way of identifying any gaps as well as providing the opportunity to easily fix/prevent problems showing up in production.

Ø  Shot list

Ø  Insert shots to be inserted as appropriate during the editing process

1.      Traffic and street life

-        WS of moving cars and traffic

LA establishing shot of buildings

-        LA close up of street lights

-        WS of many moving people walking across the street

2.      Establishing main character

-        LS of crowd and movement, character shown emerging from crowd

-        MS of character walking in to shot and walking towards camera

-        Upwards tilt of camera towards the sky

3.      Beginning of initial summer scene

-        From sky downwards tilt in to natural open environment

-        ES shot of scenery (grass/tops of trees)

-        CU of flowers

-        MS of couple sat/laid on grass

-        MS of couple walking together in to shot

-        LA close up of hand holding

-        CU of male facial expression

-        CU of female facial expression

-        SRS

4.      Back to main character in city environment

-        LS of back of character stat on a bench

-        CU on her expression

-        OTS shot to show bracelet

5.      Cross fade into same bracelet shot

-        LS of couple looking into water

CU

-        MS boy giving girl the bracelet

-        CU hugging

-        LS walking together

6.      Back to city environment

-        MS girl moving location

-        CU sign post

-        LS arriving at train station

-        LA shot of girl looking over rails

-        Panning shot following her walking into train station

Scene break down

In order to become more clear with what each scene of my final product is going to include, with my group we planned out a rough break down of each scene. Doing this allowed use each to visuals what needs to be done in order to achieve our desired out come. Working form a scene break also makes it much easier to storyboard and it can also make filming run much smoother as knowing what needs to be done is a massive time saver. 

Ø  Scene break down

1.      Traffic and street life

-        Movement time lapsed

-        (busy movement)

-        Cars driving on the road

-        People walking through the streets

-        Establishing shots in between (street lamp, sign post, traffic lights etc.)

2.      Girl walking towards camera

-        Establish her as main character

-        Tilt camera upwards revealing the sky

-        From sky tilt back down to a new environment beginning initial flash back scene

3.      couple sat/laid on grass (setting scene)

-        Establishing new summer surroundings to the audience

4.      Make clear they are in a romantic relationship shot on the two holding hands and walking together

5.      Close up on them both (happy/laughing)

6.      Cut back to city environment to show girl sat on bench watching people walk by with sad expression

-        Focus on isolation and being alone

-        View her in the distance make her look small and separate

7.      Pulls up sleeve to reveal item of significance (bracelet)

-  close up on bracelet to show it is a significant object   

-        (cut back to the summer location)

8.      Comes out of the shot of the watch and bracelet to reveal that we are back to the summer location ie. Flashback   

-        Showing them together

9.      Being playful

-        Hiding/chasing

10.   Main character moving through crowd

- walking to new location (train station)

11.   Arriving at train station

-        waiting outside looking around

-        walking in to station

Ø  Abstract insert shots

-        Locket being closed

-        Jigsaw pieces coming together

-        Candle being lit and blow out (in reverse)

-        Close up of eye closed to open

-        Time lapse of clouds passing

-        Times lapse of clock face

Music Video History

In a previous blog post I have spoke about choosing the brief in which I will create a music video for my final product. From this I have began researching a variety of music videos and a part of this research includes music video history. 

The following link showcases a timeline of how music and imagery came together and how they developed over time. 

History of the music video.

The time line shows the first example of a illustrated song which was titled 'Little Lost Child'. This can be perceived as one of the first music videos created due to the still images that were shown simultaneously as the music was played to audiences at a live screening. This took place in 1894 and the images were designed to help communicate the story of the original musical piece. This accompaniment was able to provoke emotions within the audience and help create depth whilst introducing an extra element which was new and exciting during this time period. This event arguable inspired other musical and visual parings such as the arrival of the talkies in 1926. These were much more focused on entertaining the audience but still heavily consisted of the visual interpretation of the music. 

This trend still follows in the present day as many music videos are made as a way to show how the music/song could be interpreted. This format is popular as it can allow the audience to connect to the piece further, it may challenge or reinforce the way that they originally felt about the song. 

The arrival of MTV in 1981 gave the music video a brand new platform in which they were the main focus, there was no channel of its kind around and it was able to change the way audience viewed music videos as well as how music video were being made. Music videos soon became just as relevant as their musical counterparts, MTV provided creative freedom for artist and fewer 'rules' that other channels, this soon made music videos rise in popularity. 

When considering my own production I feel that it is important to take in the historical events. Factors such as creativity and interpretation is what made the music video to become so popular and I will take this into consideration when planning my production. 

The Song

As I have disused in previous posts I have decided to make a music video as a part of my final production. After making this choice I felt that I was important to secure a song choice for the future video. Having a genre in mind helped me when creating my initial production pitch however now I feel that selecting a specific song will benefit me as I will be able to focus my ideas more effectively and build them according to my chosen song. 

When trying to choose a song my group and I wanted to make an appropriate choice that would accompany our ideas well. We decided to have a production meeting and mind map ideas and concepts that our song should be able to match. 

After completing this we all felt that we were on the same page and began sampling a range of songs with a similar vibe, eventually we all came to a consensus and agreed a song title 'Sol' by an independent band called Mausi. 

As well as being very enjoyable to listen to, I feel the song is varied in tempo, upbeat and allows for multiple interpretations which is perfect for my production. 

The link below will send you to a sound cloud page were you will be able to listen to our chosen song.

Mausi - Sol

I am aware that permission must be asked before I am able to use any music as part of my final production and this will be my next area of focus. 

Colbie Caillat - I Do (Recreation Task)

The video below shows the final out come for the short clip recreation task that my group and I were set.

We were very pleased with final outcome and feel that the we executed the task well. On completion we decided to obtain some audience feed to help us identify ways in which we could improve for future products. We found that the initial pan at the start was too long and should have ended still on the subject rather that continuing to move past, this continuous movement gave the audience the impression that another subject of importance was going to enter the frame from the right and when this did not happen it slightly distracted the audience from being fully engaged in the video. 

Another area of construct raised was that our framing could have been better in the scene in which the girl is creating the frowning pattern with the yellow flower petals. When filming every this in the frame is important and the large void of empty space to the left of the action showed to be another distraction. 

The most positive aspects of the final products include the scene in which the camera pans through the yellow flowers. It was noted that the this specific scene created a vibrant contrast in colors and kept our clip visually appeal to those who watched. The mix of angles were also able to maintain attention and keep the audience interested through out. 

I feel that I was able to keep the clip similar to the original as well as including our own ideas and trying out different hings such as the final scene of the green post-it note. From this task my group and I were able to get a good feel for where we would like to take our final production and ideas and techniques that we would like to include in it. 

If i were to carry out this task again I would pay more attention to the smaller details and check shots more frequently as this will help to create a more professional product and I will certainly carry this out in future filming.

Next I will continue final production planning and continue with my product research. 

Recreation Task Storyboard

Before my group and I can begin filming for our recreation task we first need to begin making a plan of what we need to achieve by the end of production. The best way to organize our ideas is through story boarding. Below is the images of our story board for our future product. 

Creating a detailed story board benefits the groups as it able to provide us with some structure whilst we are filming. Having the images whilst on set is a good reference for what we need to complete in order to achieve our desired out come. 

Having visuals are the best way for my group and to check if we are on the right track and they also help us to ensure that we all know what we are aiming for.

When working in a group it can sometimes become unclear if we are all on the same page but story boards allow us to make sure that we all have the same image in mind 







Now that I have completed the planning stages I am now prepared to go ahead with production. Having this structured plan will give the chance to gather the props and actors needed as well as secure an appropriate location to film in. 

Recreation Task

My group and I were set the task to find a clip that related to our brief and recreate it. We decided to choose a clip that inspired us and matched the overall tone of what we intend to create for our final product. After a group discussion we decided that 'I Do' by Colbie Caillat would be the best choice for this task. 

We decided that we would focus on the first minute of this video rather than the whole piece as the beginning demonstrates certain conventions that we would like to include in our final product. I was drawn to the creative and interpretive aspects of this clip such as the inanimate objects resembling human emotions. This feature is effective as is it is able to emphasize and mirror the feel and transmit the overall tone of the music video to the audience. Recreating this clip will help me with my final product as it will give me the opportunity to experiment and try out new techniques which I can use when I begin my own production. This clip is not overly challenging in terms of technical execution however it will allows an element of creative freedom. When recreating this clip my group and I will aim to follow the structure of the music video above as well as try to incorporate our own ideas as.  

Next I will begin planning for the production of this recreation, I will do this by story boarding and confirming ideas with my group. 

Production Time Table

Currently I am in the early stages of production, during this time I will need to complete my product research before I am able to start pre production for my final video. The chart below is designed to help me with my time management and keep me on track for what needs to be completed by when.

From AS I have learned that time management is very important when it comes to production. Being able to refer to this chart will help me to effectively set and meet deadlines, I will aim to stick to the time allocated in order to avoid running out of time further towards the end of production.