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Using the internet for research
We logged on to our macs and used the internet to research conventions of music videos, especially memorable music videos or videos we enjoyed. In particular we used Youtube. This is very useful as we can watch and listen to the music videos, and there are thousands. The downside however, is that the internet can sometimes be slow, and videos may not load, and there is so much on the internet that you can easily become distracted. -
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Music video timeline
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Choosing our track
We decided on the best track based on things like performance, narrative, and abstract. We decided on using 'Paradise Lost' by Hollywood Undead, because we had the most ideas for it and they were better than our ideas for all of the other songs we had thought about. We used video2mp3, an online converter site to take the song off of youtube for use with our video, and researched the conventions of our genre.
One downside however, video2mp3 is of questionable legality. -
Researching our bands Website
for our ancillary texts, we need to make a webpage and digipak for our band, and create our own brand identity for them. We started by using the internet to research the band's website, thinking about the conventions they used, how successful we think it is in promoting the bands brand identity, and target audience. -
Audience Profile
We used survey monkey to find out what our target audience was. We then used the results to make a general audience profile, so we knew who we were aiming our video at. We used wordle (pictured) to show a more interesting view of our results. -
Paper design for our homepage
We created a rough idea of what we wanted our band homepages to look like on paper. We also did a mood board on paper for ideas. -
Logo Design
We drafted ideas for music company logo's on paper. -
Final logo design
Now that we had our company logos on paper we were ready to make them digital. As I was so happy with my paper design, I uploaded it straight into the mac via the iCam, a handy built in webcam. I then opened the image in a new software known as Gimp. (funny, i know) This software is great for editing images, and its free! A downside however, it is hard to get used to. (Including the name) -
Getting ideas
after researching the band, and genre, we had some rough ideas. So we laid them out on a paper brainstorm, and we then used powerpoint to create a moodboard, which we uploaded to ScribD, so we could easily upload it into our blog. This is a very good way of keeping things safe, because it is much easier to damage or lose a paper copy than a saved/uploaded file. -
model release forms
we had to make model release forms for the people appearing in our video, as they were children. Although they were wearing masks we still thought it best to get consent, just incase a problem arose. We use microsoft word to create the form. -
Purchasing props
we purchased masks from Amazon, an online shop. This is a very good way to find cheap, yet useful things, and it worked for us. We purchased around 30 masks, although they were very cheap. One downside of purchasing over the internet is postage. Thankfully ours came in time and we were all set to start filming, after getting our actors. -
First day of filming
We arranged to meet up with a year 7 class in the morning, and we briefed them on what we would be doing. We then had to choose which person would be our main character, luckily one of the children fit the role perfectly. We gave them their masks and set off to film using the HDV camera. The HDV is a very good camera, and shoots very good footage. The only disadvantage is that it is quite large and heavy. -
Second day of filming
We had more footage to film, so we regrouped and thought about what we needed. We got our main character back and this time we were using a small handheld camera known as the handycam. This made filming slightly easier, as it is highly portable, light, and can be maneuvered easily, allowing for more dynamic shots. The downside however is that the footage shot with the handycam isn't nearly of as high quality as the HDV. Also, with handycam, footage may be shaky, without a tripod. -
Uploading footage into final cut!
With the help of our media teacher we uploaded the footage we shot into a programme called Final Cut Express. This is where the editing begins. The programme is really useful, and full of effects, and it's pretty simply to use. However, these effects (such as the earthquake effect) can excite some people, and may be overused. Another downside is that the HDV footage made the program skip, sometimes... Most times. -
Paper Digipak Design
We created our Digipak designs on paper and then took a picture using the iCam -
Updating our blogs.
Throughout the whole media course we have been using an online blog site called blogger. It is a very valuable asset to us as media students, as it means that as and when we finish doing anything of importance, we can update our blog quickly and easily. It saves frequently as you type, saving as a draft, so as to not lose unfinished posts. Images, videos, and other cool things can be uploaded into it too, and the best thing is, its free! -
iWeb
We were creating our webpages in iWeb. This software allows us to easily put together a website bit by bit. The good thing about this is it is really easy to put in new pages and links. The downside is that despite it not really being hard to use, things would often go wrong. I had alignment issues with the menu bar and images, embedded videos wouldnt play, and a couple of times my work didnt save correctly. However using technology is obviously the only way to make a website. -
Finishing final edit and adding final touches.
After the chronological edit, and all the main stuff done, a few tweaks here and there and we would be done. We added a title, including the band name, song, album and year, with a cool little banner thing. We made this in LiveType, a program for making titles with cool little banner things. It was animated too. Sweeet. This program helped make our music video look more professional. A downside is that it is a seperate program though, It would be easier to have these abilities inside final cut. -
Exporting our video.
We exported the finished product to be uploaded onto Youtube, a useful video sharing site. This has its advantages and disadvantages however. The advantages, are being able to easily embed or link the video into a webpage, blog post, or even just to send around. But, the videos may also run the risk of having their audio stripped due to copyright laws. Luckily, ours did not. -
Using timetoast!
After having our video uploaded and ofcourse praised by many, we were given the task to evaluate it using some sort of technology other than just plain typing it up. After some brainstorming and googling, I found this handy website, timetoast, for making interactive timelines. A downside however, is that the text box is limited, and videos cannot be embedded.
