JB: Experimentation with After Effects - Fuision 8.1. Progress 7/11/2016

In this experimentation, I found a clip with a relatively still frame and chose an area to manipulate, (in this case the box) with after effects.

In preparation for the editing I am going to be doing on After Effects, I thought that it would be important that I had had an experiment with the software before putting it together on the 'main stage' so to speak. For this I used two random clips which would need to work for the effect i was aiming to create.

Firstly, the outside frame which would act as the border frame for the photo montage would need to be relatively still and so that I could corner pin the track onto a feature of the video, (in this case the brown cardboard box) and so that the software would be able to track it with ease and without wiggling around manically. In order to achieve this I had to change the clip speed to make the transaction smoother.

Secondly, I chose a clip I used last year which shows the beginning of a conversation scene. I used colour grading in this clip to attempt to make it look old fashioned and as if it was a memory. I experimented with scales and proportions to try and pin point the frame exactly onto the box in an attempt to make the edit look seamless, natural and smooth.

Writing from 17/11/2016

After experimenting with both Adobe After Effects and Fusion 8.1, I came to the conclusion that the process of having to scale and plot each corner pin in a video would in fact be unrealistic and sheerly due to the amount of time this process would take, have decided to use a different form of software. Instead I am now editing on After Effects and instead of using two video layers and having to plot one video onto another and trying to get the first layer to track with the second. I am now using a simply photograph as this will reduce the complexities of trying to track a moving object. Hopefully this will speed up the process and make it less complex. As we want the montage to still look realistic and as if it is being filmed on a train, I have learn how to apply effects to the zooms and rotations of the scope on after effects and am planning on applying a changing range of zoom and cuts and also adding a 'wiggle' technique to rationalize the movements.

Group: Digipak Mock-up

Our mock up for 'Loyle Carner - Mufasa'

• With the creation of this Digipak, we took inspiration from the disjointed and traditional themed J Dilla album 'DillaDog'.
• We wanted to reinforce the traditional typeface of the 'blocky' hip hop writing to connote a traditional but reinventing attitude for the rapper.
• Although much of Loyle Carner's traditional print work is performance based and lots of meat shots are used, since the beginning of this campaign we have been adamant to change this stereotype by obtaining a new abstract distinction. We have still used a traditional meat shot, although we thought about using simply a light pattern but we thought this associated much more with dance music which wouldn't comply with the conventions of the sub genre. Instead, we distorted the face to create a more dehumanizing and almost distant, criminal theme which could be associated with Hip Hop.

The J Dilla Digipak cover we took inspiration from.

LH: Progress Update

On Monday the 17th there were a number of things that I undertook within the lesson, for example:

• After completing our pitch the previous Wednesday we had some work to do with our feedback in order for us to complete the best production possible. I began by confirming the locations of our choice, in this case the graveyard, where I showed the location in more depth and discussed what types of shots would be most effective.
• After this we began as a group to try and get to a conclusion on our print work and our own digipak where we came to the idea to take similar styles from his inspirations, for example similar to that of J Dilla and take a more old school approach with a retro feel to it.
• Finally, I began to storyboard six frames in the graveyard location, my colleagues are storyboarding the other two locations.

JB: Clarification on Digipak Mock-up Ideas

Digipak Mock-up

From the beginning of this production we have been clear on the fact that with this piece we want to reinvent, innovate and maneuver Loyle Carner's meta-narrative into perhaps a more mature, almost Jazz/Funk styled Hip Hop as opposed to his traditional 'British normal sort-of guy persona'. One of the main reasons we want to do this is not because we dislike this persona he currently tries to create with very close-to-home relatable topics of everyday life such as family and money struggle, but instead to show that his music has essentially reached a benchmark.

Loyle Carner has already been called the 'nations greatest up and coming home' and 'a star for the future' by NME so we wanted to reinforce this by a new styled Digipak.

Our Initial ideas for the Digipak were based somewhat on related artists and their interpretations of the hip hop genre they would try and recreate by the design on their digipaks.

• Loyle Carner often speaks of his inspiration from Old Skool hip hop stars of the past such as J Dilla and Slum Village, often the backbeat in his songs is to an extent resembling of his obvious influences. Due to this we decided to use this as a metaphor for the theme of his Digipak, the backbeat similarities could amount to a similar theme or style on the Digipak.

Examples of J Dilla's Digipaks:

• Largely base colours with a lack of extreme colours - creates a sense of 'traditional hip hop', and 'purity'.
• Some are abstract which is a convention that would comply with parts of our production in term that it is straying away from conventional performance based videos by Loyle Carner.
• Old School typefont to emphasise post-modernism and the roots of the HipHop genre.

LH: Reflection on Pitch - Graveyard recce

• Above we have a selection of shots that allow us to get the full effect of the graveyard location, shots used above will be useful to show the emotive side to the song.
• We plan to use the gravestones as a way to show emotion between the character in the music video and the the father who isn't going to be shown, except in the flashbacks. The gravestones will signify the death of the father, which links closely with Loyle Carner's metanarrative. 
• The shots of the girl seated above, are going to be replicated in a different style, they will convey a deeper message, where the character shown to be the dead mans son, is looking to the distance at a point of loss.
• Challenges we could face at this location, could be the weather, it isn't particularly sheltered so rain could damage camera equipment. As well as this the surfaces could become slippery on the stone, which is already uneven and could prove to be a tripping hazard. to overcome these problems we will have to be prepared for poor weather by bringing umbrellas to keep the camera dry and safe, as well as these we will have to take high amounts of care where we step.

JB: Questionnaire Analysis

JB: Reflection on Pitch - Lines of action

Lines of Action for our production

The feedback from our pitch expressed that there was some confusion from the lines of action point of view. This needs to be very clear before we can continue to plan the rest of our video. If the audience does not understand the concept and the fact that the lines of action are not all happening in the present then our actual music video will be difficult to understand and unclear to the audience.

There will 3 lines of action with the ratio of
(Graveyard) - 40%
(Train sequence) - 40%
(Polaroid photo montage) - 20%

During the Polaroid photographs sequence, we are planning to use around 4 or 5 different photos which will be represented as the main character on the train flicking through memories of him and his father. These photographs will be conventional photographs, probably meat shots of activities such as a Father and his son playing football in the garden ect, all happy memories. These photos will cut in between the two other parallel lines of action and start once the track has completed its first verse.
These shots will come to life from the Polaroid canvas for example:

• The football shot will go from a still to a short clip perhaps 2-3 seconds long of them playing football. An example of this technique is used in 'The Streets - Fit but you know it'.

The Graveyard scene will consist of much darker colours, so we are partly reliant on bad weather, this line of action will cut between the photos line and the train sequence. This sequence will be longer than the photos sequence and will juxtapose many of the happy moods shown in the photographs section. Lots of this shots will be from behind and longshots will be used to show the tranquility and isolation of the graveyard. We hope to use the track and crab and the jib in this sequence as it will be the segment with a slower cutting rate and we will have more space to experiment with different angles and shots.

Shots will include:

• Long shots of the main character sitting facing away from the camera looking at a grave to connote his fathers passing.
• Close ups of crushed beer cans on the ground to connote depression and addiction, longshots of smoke rising to connote a sinister tone. Shots of church and graveyard prevalent to make it clear what is happening.

The train sequence again will consist of darker sepia colours so that the yellow of trains will be darkened so the mood will be created as solemn. These shots will consist of the main characters face, shots of what he sees from the train and shots of the train itself. No acting or narrative will commence in this part of the sequence as he is shown to be 'motionless' and deep in thought. 

• Many different angles will be used on the train to show a variability of camerawork.
• A higher percentage of these shots will be meat shots to connote the actors sunken and depressed expression.

We will plan on working some lip-syncing shots into a multitude of these locations. We aim to use lipsyncing in both urban and rural locations to show a vast selection of shots. We plan to either film in a wood or a park, and will use more tracking shots in more urban locations, (because of ease of use with track and dolly), in a train station or main road.

Group: Pitch

Response to the Pitch:

O.C- My role in the pitch was to breakdown the locations we are going to use with the type of environment they bring with them either rural or urban. Also through accessing these locations the challenges we may encounter from using them.  I also wrote about the logistics with the problems of money from travelling up to London. I also spoke about the cast and crew and the roles each of us will play in the making of the video.

L.H- In the pitch I contributed the Band Image within this I talked about Loyle Carner’s meta narrative and how he emphasised this for example through filming in black and white. We want to replicate Loyle Carner in the fact that his work is very abstract also. In the pitch I also focused on the artists and Homeland opening sequence that inspired us. I also wrote up the treatment in our pitch.

J.B- Within the pitch I talked about the storyboard with visuals of similar shots to the ones we want to replicate on there. I also talked about the lyrics to the song and the image Loyle Carner is trying to present with them. Loyle Carners meta narrative is something that I spoke about with this playing an important role into where we are filming our music video

Strengths of pitch:

·         Treatment, there was an appropriate overall idea for the track, with links to lyrics evident, carefully considered interpretation of themes and mood of the track

·         Consideration of artist’s metanarrative

·         Range of visual ideas with clear links to the videos from the group research

·         Evidence of test shots on location

·         Visual ideas such as record player as the opening and closing, black and white filming, use of filters and effects have real potential

Group: Media film short

• Taking part in this process has proved very useful. A new editing software we have been using has taken a little time to adapt to, since moving from Adobe Premiere to Di Vinci Resolve, I think that this preliminary shooting has enabled us to understand the new software with more confidence. At the beginning of using this software we had some technical difficulties where the graphics card in the computer was not able to open the footage that we had taken. It was useful for it to happen on the preliminary task to Brighton as it enabled us to work with the problems that were encountered, so we can improve for the main production.
• We found the camera that we used for this task (Olympus E-PM1) caused too many problems with the shooting and editing process, this meant that the preliminary task was useful as it enabled us to decide at an early stage to use a different camera supplied by the school. The quality of footage was not compatible with the Di Vinci editing software and obstructed us from reaching the best quality of shot.
• This trip also gave us an opportunity to work with the song of our choice, allowing us to work with a narrative line in this case not linking to the song, but it gave us an idea of how to shoot the main production task.

Group 3: Questionairre - Loyle Carner 'Mufasa'

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