Evaluation Q2: What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks 1,2,3, and 5?

Task 1: Complete an Audition Video
In order to complete the audition video I had to learn how to successfully lip-sync so that it looked believable. To do this we learnt that we had to sing along so that the full facial and throat movement looked authentic. I found it hard to perform in front of the camera as well as keeping looking directly into the camera as I am not used to performing. I think doing the video with friends was what made it more enjoyable. We took a variety of shots so that when the video was edited with had a lot of options and we could chose what worked best.

If I were to do the audition video again I would try to relax more and let go a bit and I would also look into the camera when lip-syncing so that the audience is directly addressed. Below is my audition video.

Task 2: Learn and Practice Your Performance

We had many rehearsal sessions over the course of two weeks. This included whole cast as well as smaller groups of people. 

My role in the video did include some lip-sync so I had to make sure I knew the lyrics well. After a small meeting with our performance director Jasmine we decided that the main thing for me to be able to do was convey the emotion and the story behind the song. To do this I did a lot of research into the band and Sydney herself as well as trying to visualise each line of the song as we found that my expressions were more believable when I could imagine what I was feeling. 

I also had small sessions with Jasmine and Sian (Band Sydney) so that we could work on performing more. This worked well as we felt a lot more comfortable singing and performing in front of each other. In rehearsals we would sing along with each other to relax and get into the performance. I also practiced doing the walk as a band with Laith, Jack and Ray. This was useful as we all had to walk at the same time and in the same rhythm as well as remain in character.

Working with Jasmine and Sian

At the end of the video there is a small dance scene which we practiced as a whole group. To do this we all thought of one move and we would go down the middle of two rows performing this move whilst the rest of the class cheered and supported the person performing. This not only helped to build confidence but also made the atmosphere more enjoyable which made it easier for me to perform. 

Task 3: Help to Plan and Organise Your Costume
As part of the shoot preparation we had to plan our costumes. The costume I needed consisted of a floral top and skirt along with white boots and a white overcoat.

Our first decision was whether to find a top and skirt or to use a dress instead. Additionally as no-one had white boots we decided to use black boots instead. We eventually decided on a navy blue, white and pink dress. This also worked well with the pink coat we had instead of a white one. As boots looked to bulky with the dress we decided to use black wedge sandals instead. Below is a photo of my final costume that I wore for the shoot.

Me in my full costume

From planning and organising my costume I learnt how costumes can reflect the identity of a character and helps to connote their personality. Also it helped to improve my attention to detail as we looked to replicate the original in subtle ways such has having the flowers on the dress or the buttons on the overcoat. This also taught me how important all aspects of styling (costume, make-up and hair) are when creating a music video in order to represent the artist in a way you want.

Task 5: Complete the Remake Edit
For the edit I worked with Sian. The process consisted of watching and renaming all the takes, putting the shots on the timeline and cutting them so they matched with the original, editing the speed for the slow motion shots and then finally grading all of the shots. I found the process quite time consuming as looking through the takes to choose the one that looked closest to the original was a long process. In addition to this putting all of the shots on the timeline was also time consuming as this music video is consisted of a lot of quick cuts and short shots.

Me editing our music video

The grading process was a lot longer as well than our last project as there were a lot more shots to grade. However to speed the process up with graded one shot and then copy and pasted it for all of the shots of the same take. The tool we used when grading was ProCamp. I was pleased with the way we graded our shots as it we made the majority of them look almost like the original. Below are some before and after pictures of a few shots we graded.

Grading to show match to the original

Grading to show colour pop

From completing the remake edit I learnt that when editing a music video you break the rules of continuity so that the audience remains engaged through the use of quick cuts and inserts. Additionally the editing has helped me to develop and improve my existing skills in Premiere in particular my grading.