THE END

I am very happy to say that I have finished my music video. The post production process has been completed, and I now have a finished media product that I am very proud of.

It has not been easy to get to this point as I have encountered several problems from commitment to the computer freezing and deleting any progress.

Looking at the finished product I have to say that it may seem a little repetitive, but this is purely because I had to use what I had since it was so difficult to find the time to film my actors. The original storyline was scrapped, and I then had to create a new one using the footage I had.

I held a focus group today in which 15 students attended a screening of the video. I gained a lot of praise for the use of camera angels and movement throughout the video, but the audience did find it difficult to create a straightforward narrative for the video. However the many different interpretations suggested, did prove that the video created a sense of excitement and that the audience were intrigued by the mysteriousness of the characters. I then showed the video for a second time, and the audience were able to put together the narrative.

Though this coursework proved to be a lot of hard work, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I am happy with the outcome. If I had to do it all over again, then I would certainly make clear to the actors involved about the level of commitment needed in order for things to run smoothly. I would also maybe try to think of a less complicated narrative, so that could have a clearer understanding. However I do believe that the complexity of the narrative is what makes the video interesting to watch.

I hope that you enjoy the final product, and are just as pleased with the outcome that I am.

LAST AND FINAL FILMING

Today I shot the outdoor sequence with Jermaine, and thankfully the weather has been good all week, so Carmen's filming was a success as well.

The outdoor sequence with Carmen takes place at the start of the video, in which she is walking into the school gates and does not notice Jermaine standing there. This is the only shot in which both actors feature together. I originally wanted more shots of them together, but the whole situation with finding the right time and date came in the way. I used tracking shots to follow her walking into the dance studio, and various low angles and mid-shots to highlight the power of her character.

Jermaine's ethnicity plays a vital role in the narrative, as some of the shots disguise his facial features, and show merely an outline due to his dark skin tone. However this was the affect that I wanted to create so that the audience are slightly challenged and unaware of his identity, or characteristics. This is the complete opposite for the female character, as the audience really gets a sense of her personality through her dancing and appearance. This highlights the male character's inability to get close and personal with her, which brings up the idea of her existence.

The hidden identity of the male character may also question his existence, and the fact that he is really controlling the female character, and his walking could metaphorically symbolise him walking through her mind while she dances.

The many different interpretations of the narrative, I believe creates excitement and appeal, as people would want to watch the video over and over again to try and figure out the narrative.

UPDATE

I did not get the final filming done before the term was over, since both actors were still busy, I instead focused on perfecting the editing of the footage I had so far. This gave me a chance to really try and construct the video, so that I could plan exactly what shots I would need to create a narrative that works.

I spoke to Carmen during the holidays, and have organised and finalised to shoot her tomorrow. Since it is an outdoor shoot, I have to rely upon the weather being good, as if it rains we cannot shoot, and this is the only time that I will be able to.

In order to stick to the deadline, I will be editing after I film Carmen and staying after school the following day to finish her putting together her piece.

I will be filming Jermaine on Thursday morning, and will spend any free time editing and constructing the whole piece together, as this will be the last of the filming.

PROGRESS

It seems that I am encountering one too many problems of commitment within this coursework. I spoke to Jermaine-the male actor-a few days ago, and he also has the issue of commitment to this project. He said that he does not have any extra time to show up to the dates, that he confirmed he was free on.

Again, after speaking to him I told him that I would need him for one more day only. He did agree, but I am worried that he may not show up on that day. I will just have to keep reminding him and hope all goes well.

Due to this problem, it seems that I have to change my original narrative of the music video. Since I cannot secure a date and time with the actors for the drama hall sequence, I will just have to do with what I have got.

The chase sequence will no longer take place, and Carmen's character will now be the mysterious figure controlling Jermaine. Jermaine will now be walking around trying to look for Carmen, as she remains in her own world of fantasy as a dancer. The question of her existence will take place in Jermaine and the audience's mind.

The fact that the female character is more dominate out of the two, subverts conventions of the male authority. This will hopefully create excitement and challenge the audience into questioning the existence of the characters.

NO SHOW

I was hoping to film Carmen today, but she did not show up. After speaking to her later, she told me that she had other commitments. It was perfectly understandable as she too had exams and other priorities. And she was not gaining anything out of helping me, I understood that she would rather focus on other things.

However at the beginning of this process I made it clear that she should commit to any filming taking place, and that I would work around her schedule as well. At the time she was more than willing to compromise, but I think the stress and workload of an A Level student got to her.

This problem made me realise more about the real world of filming and production. And that these sort of problems come with the job. Ans since she is not a professional paid actress, this was bound to happen. The best that I could do was persuade her to do one last day of filming, as none of the outdoor sequence with Carmen was done. With the rest of the filming I was just willing to work my way around it.

EDITING

Today I dedicated my time to editing and piecing together the footage that I already have.

It gave me a chance to see if the shots I have taken work with the song. And after roughly piecing the footage together, I saw that the music worked well with the shots taken.

The opening shot will be zooming out of a sun and then a worms eye view of trees going by. This will establish the isolated outdoor setting. It will quickly cut to a close-up of Jermaine followed by a close-up of Carmen. This will establish all the main characters at the beginning and give the viewer a hint of what the video may be about.

I am currently working on adding transitions to get the action synchronous to the music.

FILMING

Today I filmed the male actor, Jermaine.

Unfortunately I did not have a lot of time as he showed up late, and therefore I had to rush some of my shots. As I was shooting outside, I was worried that it might rain, but thankfully it didn't so I was able to use the tracking equipment so get various different walking shots of Jermaine.

I will however still need to film the chase scene with Carmen, and she is busy herself at the moment, I will be arranging in the coming week.