This post contains a mini project that helped us learn how to shoot a music video. We shot our verse as a group and then created this post together. I (Chelsea) based the content of this post from my teammates (Audrey, Rara & Kalista) since I was absent during this day.
Our teacher gave each group a verse from the song "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. We had to plan a scene which included various camera work and edits. The goal was to learn how to properly shoot certain angles and edit them seamlessly together, this will allow us to prevent casualties happening when doing our actual final music video. This practice will also help us to become more comfortable with various filming techniques, lip sync and editing throughout the pre-production, production and post-production process.
The song "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles is a pop-rock song was not quite suitable for our chosen genre of our project (pop) and the song's overall vibe. However, because it was a well-known song where we all as a class could recognise, this song is chosen.
Song file (The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun (2019 Mix)):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17qlV2KReqxBMMYo7d6D3eAyaKKbNo0xz/view?usp=sharing
Instructions (from our Media Studies teacher): Choose a verse, create a storyboard (must have multiple shots, film from the end of the previous verse to the start of the next verse), choose a location & a star, film, edit (tip: sing it!)
PRE-PRODUCTION
- Lyrics & Rehearsal
Our Media Studies teacher assigned our group a short verse to shoot, which was then combined to create the song's entire music video (shown at the end of this blog post). Our group had gotten the second chorus of this song. The image above is the lyric sheet with some notes about the storyline and camerawork planning (apologies if it is was a little disorganised and difficult to read since it was a rough outline).
- Storyboard (made by Audrey)
Here we were also required to make a basic storyboard (The image above, drawn and annotated by Audrey but other teammates (Kalista & Rara) participated in discussion) in order to outline the camerawork's flow, mise-en-scene and other actions that would be captured in the scene. This made it easier for us to plan the shots and remember what we needed to capture. It was only rough outline for us because our teacher only gave us a few minutes to plan both of the lyrics sheet and storyboard.
PRODUCTION
- Behind the scenes images
Here is a Google Drive link of the raw video clips, including camera tests, shoot attempts and bloopers:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19OHN2Td7YwuSd0v_Fox0XdjzRIBKDHTg
(This part is written by Audrey since she was in charge with the editing)
I had edited the clips together and made sure that the song matches the scenes along with the lipsyncing of the actors. I utilised the application Capcut as it was a free, easy, and fast platform to edit videos. It only took a while to finish the project in one period of Media Studies class which was advantageous for the group. We were also familiar with the application which made it efficient.
Our idea was simple which does not include any special effects or color-grading as we decided to keep it natural. This was due to convenience and we wouldn't be applying this editing technique for our music video project as we want to create a visual appeal for the audience.
Here are the few steps that I did for editing:
1. Compile final shots
2. Add the song (download the audio from Mr Nick's file)
3. Cut, crop, and adjust the video clips according to the correct time frame
4. Make sure the lipsync matches the song
5. Turn down the audio volume of the clips
Below are the screenshots of the editing process:
FINAL VIDEO
Click the link here to view in case the video above does not work:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CLQ5K0B-wOZNOi7BB9NZjXxKIRmkrQhA/view?usp=sharing
Below is our REVIEW on how our group did after conducting the pre-, production and post production:
STRENGTHS
STRENGTHS
- Throughout the processes of production, there were no major or significant problems. Even when given a short amount of time (less than 20 minutes), we were all able to work together and communicate well to plan out all the pre-production details.
- Our initial plan was not precisely executed: In order to highlight the performance aspect of the chorus clip that we had previously recorded, we intended to make a quick cut to capture the character's face in another angle shot (POV) that featured the identical movement in a scene. Since this was one of our ideas for our final project later on, we first planned it out and decided to give it a go. However, this concept was not implemented well, making it odd and unprofessional if we were to include that shot. Moreover, the chorus's timing does not provide support to the use of cuts to show a different angle.
- Messy transition: Between the first scene (supporting character walking to the sink) and the second scene (main character washing her hand). Since Audrey edited this, she noticed this right away and wasn't happy with the outcome.
SOLUTION
- As we were only given a limited amount of time to finish everything, so we ran out of time to reshoot, so we left the transition as is. In the end, we discarded the idea of showcasing the performance from a different angle because it would not flow as effectively. Without the shoot, we believe it flows better.
- If we choose to shoot different angles we have to make sure that the timeline of each clip must flow well together with the lyric of the song
- To fit several quick cuts of different angles & other camerawork, duration should not be too short
- We must ensure that the scene is long enough in order for the quick cuts to look engaging while also making sure the last action shot we filmed is similar to the next action we are going to use at the beginning of the next scene. This guarantees that every clips flows well with the established narrative and that the transition will go well smoothly.
- If we decide to go for a more professional approach, we will need a proper equipment to ensure that audience can clearly see the result and that it produces a professional quality.
Finally, here is the final combined class video (by our Media Studies teacher)
View link here
Unfortunately I was absent that day since I was out of town hence I could not participate in the process. But I did actively asked my group what they had done, and I read through their pre-production, production and post-production processes from the screenshots, images, and videos they shared with me (in our group chat). In order to avoid past mistakes and to know what to do and not do, I think this practice will be beneficial for our upcoming project. Though I feel that it will be more difficult for me to implement because I have only read my teammates' reviews and have not experienced these mistakes in real life, I believe that they are common mistakes that are bound to occur in real life as well. I hope that knowing this information will also make me more aware of potential mistakes that may be made later on for our final project as well as knowing what to do to overcome or prevent these mistakes from occurring.
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