We used straight cut transitions
mainly between the shots when editing as we were keen to keep the professional
and contemporary image we were searching for. When completing our research and
planning we noticed all of our favourite and most desirable/entertaining promo
videos used straight cuts and were very popular with the consumer audience we
were targeting. The transitions have all been adjusted to meet further the
common codes and conventions by ensuring the shot change was perfectly timed to
change at the tempo of the song.
Many technical aspects were used
throughout the film such as the projected image on the sheet at the beginning
of the product (this was completed in after affects using Sony Vegas) However,
the majority of technical aspects within the production were achieved by the
cinematography team when the shots were filmed such as focus changes,
horizontal pans and depth of field which was a key tool we used to add a higher
dimension to our piece and further distinguish it from similar products. Over
the course of the Production we believe we have all developed and progressed
our skills immensely especially in the area in which we specialised.
We challenged the convention of
including a star character in our product to again help our product stand out
from similar pieces. This was also beneficial to our production due to the
difficulties in arranging to meet the star who makes the song as the demand
would be very high and non-achievable within our budget. In the similar products
we researched back at the beginning of our production we found that nearly all
of the promo videos we analysed did contain a star; this information we found
made us all agree we would in fact like a star within the video but also agreed
that it was not viable.
We have met the conventions of the
Titles that we have analysed in our similar products. All of the products we
researched all contained simple but effective titles that tended to be only at
the beginning or end of the promo video. The titles font, colour and text size
was a key aspect of the conventions of titles within a promo video as all of
them were fluent and used throughout the website and digipak also; this created
a strong link between the main product and the ancillary tasks that we made
(following closely the conventions of the similar product we analysed)
Our initial opening shot veers off the path of conformity and we have decided
to take a more symbolic approach. Instead of the universally accepted extreme long
shot (establishing shot) we have decided to go for a medium shot of the main
characters which creates enigma for the audience/viewer while also igniting the
storyline without wasting any time. Our opening shot therefore is unique as we
have purposefully challenged music videos codes and conventions in order to
make our product stand out from the crowd. We have included other types of
media techniques in this first shot also to add a whole new layer of interest
which is reflected in the projected images. We believed our level of technical
ability was at a sufficient standard to push the boundaries and venture into
different types of media, this allowed us to experiment with different filming
and editing techniques. The progression from AS to A2 flowed smoothly with
steady progression of our overall skill sets and knowledge on producing a music
video. All these skills and techniques helped in the creation of our
product.
While creating a storyboard of intended shots we had to factor in certain shots
which visually represented the link between image and lyric. This lyric-image
cohesion was very easy to accomplish as there were many different scenarios
where we could directly link the lyrics to some aspect of visual reduplication.
We did settle on a clear idea which slotted into places correlating with our
storyline perfectly. Other factors had to be considered also, the main one
being the timing as the shot consisted of Isaac (main character) writing the
words ‘You look like a thousand suns’ on a piece of paper in the exact time in
which Neon Trees sings the lyrics. This didn’t become problematic as with a few
jumpy straight cuts we were able to create the desired effect and our audience
feedback seemed to like the final shot.
In terms of storyline and actors, we
had to directly design and cast everything in accordance to our target audience
and genre. We wanted to create a sense of emotional connection in which
teenagers could relate to our video. This consequently creates enigma and makes
the video more entertaining. As our video was aimed at teenagers it only seemed
fit to cast teenagers for the part. Originally, we had planned on paying
semi-professional actors who were looking for acting experience to play the
main characters, but after much deliberation, we came to the conclusion it
would be both time and financially more efficient to cast our friends in the
roles. This relates to costume also as we had to use contemporary attire to
make them look more fashionable and more universally accepted. Also, on a more
psychological level, we decided to set our whole video in summer, as most
teenagers enjoy the summery weather the subconscious link of positive feelings
and emotions will rub off onto our video which will affect the viewer’s mindset
and make our video more appealing.
We challenged many of the conventions
that we researched originally when completing the analysis into similar
products. We took great deliberation when discussing the shots we were going to
use and the order in which we would use them; we took so much of out time on
this as we were selecting which the conventions we would keep to and which we
would challenge.
We challenged some conventions so that
we created a product that could differentiate itself from other products in the
same category. This tactic helps our product to distinguish itself and make the
audience remember our product.
However, we did stick closely to some
of the main conventions to ensure the product was successful and popular with
the target audience and genre we have selected. This was our safety backup if
the conventions we decide to challenge were not popular with the audience.
Sticking to some of the main conventions helps the audience to recognize the
media format we desired to create.
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