This past weekend, my group and I had the opportunity to film some of our scenes. However, we decided to film this week and this weekend instead for a couple of reasons. For one reason, in our original schedule, we planned on filming on November 26th because our entire group is involved in our school’s band program. There was a field trip this weekend to Orlando and one of our members happened to be going on the band trip so we knew we couldn’t film without her. It was an annual football game called the Florida Classic. The event consists of a battle of the bands and the football match. Another issue we ran into is an injury. While competing in a soccer match, I sprained my ankle severely. I’m now on crutches for a week so we wanted to wait until I was more comfortable on them. This way i could still be in the video just on crutches.
The plan is to film on Wednesday or any other time this weekend. Originally, we were going to film on Tuesday however, my parents weren’t able to pick us up from school. We will still be filming at my house for the living room scene on Wednesday. We will still also be filming in the car on the way to the Sawgrass Mall and at the mall. We had an idea to possibly film just in the car and at the mall on Wednesday so we don’t have to deal with the amount of people shopping for the holidays on the weekend and so we can focus on one thing at a time. However, we think it’s a better idea to try and film in one day so we can have time to edit accordingly. Since I have finished explaining what is happening with our schedule, I would like to go into more depth with the overall music video layout. The music video will start in either my room or living room which is where we will be meeting. In this scene we are listening and speaking about the song. Then, there will be a shift to where we change clothes.
We will then begin filming outside to show us dancing around and lip syncing to the car. Next, we will film in the car where the song will continue and we will continue to dance and sing. After this, we will reach our final destination of the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Here, all of the store scenes will be filmed. We are aiming for it to get somewhat dark while filming so the Christmas decorations at the mall will show. Although I need to run this idea by my partners, I thought maybe the video could go back and forth between daylight and night time. The only issue with this is that the video would no longer make chronological sense. I do believe it would look cool if the videos shots went back and forth though. Overall we are prepared to film and can’t wait for how the video is going to turn out. Hopefully, we can top our commercial project!
Monday, November 25, 2019
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Storyboard Blog: Music Video
My group and I decided to designate two class periods to create our storyboard. Our plan fills up almost three pages of a storyboard sheet that has 6 boxes on each. Our music video is expected to be about 1:18 long. The purpose of this blog is to explain what is going on in our storyboard before recording the physical video. The video begins with the four of us sitting in my living room with the song stating faintly in the background. My group member, Jahrvia, and I will begin singing the beginning of the song as the other two have a conversation about it. Then it will switch to a three shot of 3 out of the four girls talking about how good the song is. Then, the song will become louder and the title will appear with us dancing next to the speakers. When the actual first verse begins, the screen will be split in four and show each one of our outfit changes to go to the mall. Next, we will use a tracking shot to show us walking one to get into the car and drive to the Sawgrass Mall.
Then the camera will switch to a POV shot of either the passenger in the front or the passengers in the back of us driving down the street towards the mall. The camera will then cut to a wide shot of us dancing across the crosswalk to go towards the mall entrance. Next, the camera will shoot us from behind walking into the doors of the mall. Then, the camera will cut to us using a shopping cart and singing and dancing to the music as the cart comes towards the camera and then passes. For the rest of the scenes, except for the last one, a store will be featured where we will be shopping for clothes, shoes, etc. These stores include Hot Topic, Zumiez, Foot Locker, the food court, and In The Game. The final scene features us in the outdoor portion of the mall and ends with us jumping from the fountain outside In The Game. The screen will then go black and the song will end.
Then the camera will switch to a POV shot of either the passenger in the front or the passengers in the back of us driving down the street towards the mall. The camera will then cut to a wide shot of us dancing across the crosswalk to go towards the mall entrance. Next, the camera will shoot us from behind walking into the doors of the mall. Then, the camera will cut to us using a shopping cart and singing and dancing to the music as the cart comes towards the camera and then passes. For the rest of the scenes, except for the last one, a store will be featured where we will be shopping for clothes, shoes, etc. These stores include Hot Topic, Zumiez, Foot Locker, the food court, and In The Game. The final scene features us in the outdoor portion of the mall and ends with us jumping from the fountain outside In The Game. The screen will then go black and the song will end.
Planning Blog: Music Video
Today, we began the planning process for our music video. We first started with the location and what will be happening in each location. We decided we wanted the video to start at someone's house then transition to driving and then to the mall. We will be using my living room at the first setting, then drive down Sunrise Boulevard in Sunrise, Florida, and finally end up at Sawgrass Mills Mall to film the remaining time in the music video. The majority of the music video will be spent around the mall and in stores. We even have a scene in the outdoor portion of the shopping mall and in the food court. We also had to take into account what we would do in terms of health and safety when filming. At all times, there will be a responsible parent watching to make sure we don’t danger ourselves. Especially for the car scene since none of us have a license, only permits. We will also all be securely fastened in the car with seatbelts. When we film our scene on the crosswalk at the mall, we will make sure there are no oncoming cars or other traffic as we take our shots. There are also security guards at stations all around if we are in need of assistance.
For props, we plan on using a variety of things. One thing we plan on using are speakers to show that we are listening to the song at the beginning of the video. Another thing we are using as a prop is the car that we are driving to the mall in. We will also be using a variety of other props found at the mall like clothes, shoes, and a shopping cart. We also considered using a "Chucky" doll from the 7- series movie titled "Child's Play" because it was used in the real video. However, we aren't 100% sure about this yet because we want to put our own spin on the video instead of doing the same thing. Next, we decided on costumes. Since most videos in this genre of music usually feature their videos at something like a party, we decided not to go crazy on the costuming. Instead, we will be wearing casual, "trendy" outfits to fit the idea that we are just going to the mall to have fun. The overall feeling of the video is supposed to be fun and relaxed.
As for our schedule, we will be going through the entire film making process from November 18th to December 9th. On November 18th, we began to do our storyboard and on the 20th we completely finished it. On November 22nd, we will continue to go over the plans in regards to filming. On November 26th, we will all meet at my house where we will film the beginning scenes. However, we aren't sure if we will be able to film all on that day so we may do the mall on a separate day. From November 27th to December 4th, we will continue to film if needed. On December 5th, we will begin to edit and make sure the sound of the music matches our lips. December 9th is that day we will turn in the music video and then complete some analysis questions. Overall, this process is going to be tons of fun and I already believe it's going to be even better than making the commercial.
For props, we plan on using a variety of things. One thing we plan on using are speakers to show that we are listening to the song at the beginning of the video. Another thing we are using as a prop is the car that we are driving to the mall in. We will also be using a variety of other props found at the mall like clothes, shoes, and a shopping cart. We also considered using a "Chucky" doll from the 7- series movie titled "Child's Play" because it was used in the real video. However, we aren't 100% sure about this yet because we want to put our own spin on the video instead of doing the same thing. Next, we decided on costumes. Since most videos in this genre of music usually feature their videos at something like a party, we decided not to go crazy on the costuming. Instead, we will be wearing casual, "trendy" outfits to fit the idea that we are just going to the mall to have fun. The overall feeling of the video is supposed to be fun and relaxed.
As for our schedule, we will be going through the entire film making process from November 18th to December 9th. On November 18th, we began to do our storyboard and on the 20th we completely finished it. On November 22nd, we will continue to go over the plans in regards to filming. On November 26th, we will all meet at my house where we will film the beginning scenes. However, we aren't sure if we will be able to film all on that day so we may do the mall on a separate day. From November 27th to December 4th, we will continue to film if needed. On December 5th, we will begin to edit and make sure the sound of the music matches our lips. December 9th is that day we will turn in the music video and then complete some analysis questions. Overall, this process is going to be tons of fun and I already believe it's going to be even better than making the commercial.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Intro to New Project: Music Video
A few days ago, we finished our commercial project on Happy Meals. That experience has improved my editing, filming, and many other production skills. During that process, we were able to figure out what worked for us and what didn't. For this new project, we plan on using iMovie for editing instead of Pinnacle studio because it was too slow. The most enjoyable part of the entire process was filming. Not only was it fun to interact and actually follow the storyboard in person, but I learned how to set up each camera angle and see the camera movements. In my opinion the least enjoyed stage of the whole process was editing. Our group faced many problems with the computer and editing software we used and this caused us to get behind. For this project, my group and I decided to do a song by a local rapper, Ski Mask the Slump God. He grew up in Broward County, Florida just like us and we wanted to express that.
The song we are doing is called "Catch Me Outside" and was released in 2017. We choose this song not only to show that he's a local artist for us but because he happens to be a favorite for the majority of our group since middle school. This song and the music video are both fun and upbeat which should make the process even more fun. The music video features some really cool editing and colors that make it seem really urban and almost imitates graffiti. It also features a Chucky doll throughout the video which I thought was a fun way to add a frightening feel to the video while still having fun. The shots include many tracking shots and close ups on Ski Mask's face and also pan shots and low angles. I would consider his genre to be rap, however, in modern day a genre called a sound cloud rapper has been created. In this genre the videos are usually at night and at a party. Just like the "Catch Me Outside" video, they are usually filled with cool editing and colors.
1. The costuming consists of casual clothes, usually trending clothes. Since these videos are supposed to just be fun and party like, it would be unusual to wear big, extravagant costumes.
2. The lighting usually features party lights. If not, it is dark and at night with maybe city lights from buildings.
3. Again, the acting in the videos is usually very casual and party-like. It doesn't seem like there is any kind of script.
4. The props in this genre include things like cars, money, jewelry, etc. It's usually to show wealth.
5. The scenery is usually in a city or at a house party or club.
The song we are doing is called "Catch Me Outside" and was released in 2017. We choose this song not only to show that he's a local artist for us but because he happens to be a favorite for the majority of our group since middle school. This song and the music video are both fun and upbeat which should make the process even more fun. The music video features some really cool editing and colors that make it seem really urban and almost imitates graffiti. It also features a Chucky doll throughout the video which I thought was a fun way to add a frightening feel to the video while still having fun. The shots include many tracking shots and close ups on Ski Mask's face and also pan shots and low angles. I would consider his genre to be rap, however, in modern day a genre called a sound cloud rapper has been created. In this genre the videos are usually at night and at a party. Just like the "Catch Me Outside" video, they are usually filled with cool editing and colors.
1. The costuming consists of casual clothes, usually trending clothes. Since these videos are supposed to just be fun and party like, it would be unusual to wear big, extravagant costumes.
2. The lighting usually features party lights. If not, it is dark and at night with maybe city lights from buildings.
3. Again, the acting in the videos is usually very casual and party-like. It doesn't seem like there is any kind of script.
4. The props in this genre include things like cars, money, jewelry, etc. It's usually to show wealth.
5. The scenery is usually in a city or at a house party or club.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Final Blog: Commercial Project
Today, we started to finish up our editing completely. However, on both days we were scheduled to edit, we ran into two technical difficulties. The first one is that our editing software, Pinnacle Studio, was very slow so it was hard to cut videos according to what was needed. The second problem we faced was that the people who used our assigned computer before us didn’t plug it in after they used it. In those two days of editing, our computer ran out of battery three times. Besides these two issues, the editing process wasn’t too terrible. We did need help when creating different editing styles like a split screen, so that’s not quite done yet. Even though the project may seem pretty much finished, we still have to cut our video down to the 30 second time limit. We also have to add in our sounds. This includes the Barbie theme song and the McDonalds jingle voiceover. We should be completely finished by next class.
There were quite a few things we had to change from our storyboard because the clips we took were too long. For example, the scene where we are walking to the table and talking about what we wanna be when we grow up had to be cut. We chose this clip because it was already repetitive with the previous clip of us walking. We also weren’t able to film an establishing shot of McDonalds because we filmed on school property only. We changed the scene were you see what’s in our happy meal to just two trunk shots of the children on a split screen. Although we had our storyboard planned out and all, we did go off track a little just in case we didn’t have enough footage. However, we definitely filmed more than needed and will probably just cut everything to match the storyboard exactly, except for the changes stated before. Some of the extra footage we recorded would definitely add to the storyline but since it’s just a commercial it’s not necessary. For example, we shot a clip were the two girls show each other what Barbies they received and then go to a bench to play and y’all about them, however this clip was way too lengthy. Another example is of a clip where the girls turn to the camera and say the Barbie motto but we aren’t sure if we wanna keep this clip or not.
Overall, this project was a great first experience at the filming process. It showed how people in the film industry go through the process of creating media. This project was super fun, I definitely enjoyed learning and creating. This makes me super excited for the next projects to come as the year progresses leading up to the final movie project. Since film is the industry I would like to work in in the future, this class and these projects are great ways to increase my knowledge so I am prepared. In future projects, I would like to improve on the editing and try new and more advanced features. Also, I would like to be able to film and dump a lot quicker so that we have time to complete other aspects of the project. Lastly, my final thing I would like to improve on is my blogs. I would like to be able to go into more detail about what I did during each step. In conclusion, this project wasn’t perfect but enjoyable and interesting.
There were quite a few things we had to change from our storyboard because the clips we took were too long. For example, the scene where we are walking to the table and talking about what we wanna be when we grow up had to be cut. We chose this clip because it was already repetitive with the previous clip of us walking. We also weren’t able to film an establishing shot of McDonalds because we filmed on school property only. We changed the scene were you see what’s in our happy meal to just two trunk shots of the children on a split screen. Although we had our storyboard planned out and all, we did go off track a little just in case we didn’t have enough footage. However, we definitely filmed more than needed and will probably just cut everything to match the storyboard exactly, except for the changes stated before. Some of the extra footage we recorded would definitely add to the storyline but since it’s just a commercial it’s not necessary. For example, we shot a clip were the two girls show each other what Barbies they received and then go to a bench to play and y’all about them, however this clip was way too lengthy. Another example is of a clip where the girls turn to the camera and say the Barbie motto but we aren’t sure if we wanna keep this clip or not.
Overall, this project was a great first experience at the filming process. It showed how people in the film industry go through the process of creating media. This project was super fun, I definitely enjoyed learning and creating. This makes me super excited for the next projects to come as the year progresses leading up to the final movie project. Since film is the industry I would like to work in in the future, this class and these projects are great ways to increase my knowledge so I am prepared. In future projects, I would like to improve on the editing and try new and more advanced features. Also, I would like to be able to film and dump a lot quicker so that we have time to complete other aspects of the project. Lastly, my final thing I would like to improve on is my blogs. I would like to be able to go into more detail about what I did during each step. In conclusion, this project wasn’t perfect but enjoyable and interesting.
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