Task 12: Audience Feedback

MID-PRODUCTION 

In order to ensure that I was a product that was going to be received well, halfway through editing I asked peers to view my video and criticise and praise it for things I had done well on and things that could be improved. To do this I asked them to watch the video and then asked them three questions: "Did you enjoy the video (so far)?", "What do you think I have done well?" and "What could I do to improve?". The responses I got were all telling me the same points and opinions. I found out that most of my peers were enjoying the video and for the few that weren't they said that it was due to the song itself not being something they like. They said that I showed forms and conventions of music videos well in terms of editing and the range of shots.

At the point in editing when I showed them, I hadn't actually properly showed that the male in the relationship had died and so they said that I should try and make that clearer which I did by adding more flashbacks and more shots of the church or with my actress walking beside graves. Few also said that by adding two black bars to my video at the top and bottom, a more professional and realistic video would be produced. I decided to take their criticisms on board and add a black bar to my video to give it this more professional look. By completing the editing of the video I was also able to make the storyline clearer and add in more flashbacks and links to the male's death.

END OF PRODUCTION

After completing my editing I asked the same peers again to comment on my editing, the range of shots I included, the narrative of the video, my print artefacts and what I could improve in my music video. 

Most people said that the repetitive use of my dissolve fade fitted the music video and this genre well as it wasn't sharp and so it connected well to the theme of song and the video. They also commented that when I did edit differently, for example when I made sharp cuts when the two characters are specking to each other on the phone, it created pace and was realistic for how that situation would actually happen.

I also discovered that people thought I used a good range of shots within the music video and commented on how the POV shot of the female character(camera) looking at the male helped to show the relationship between the two. It was drawn to my attention that some people would have liked to see more shots of nature or more establishing shots within the video. As when I asked my peers mid-production, they commented on the narrative and how I portrayed the two characters on screen. However this time a lot more stated that they understood that this was a romantic relationship due to shots of them holding hands, kissing and arguing.

Creative Journal

Week commencing 10/10/16

I will begin to research into existing media products such as music videos similar to the one I hope to make and also research into print products used for successful artists.

Week commencing 17/10/16

I will start to begin planning my music video by creating mind maps to suggest what my music video could entail, I will also begin audience research to find out what the target audience of my music video will be. I can do this by looking into target audiences of existing music videos and artists.

• I began thinking about my music video and what genre I would like it to be.  I did this by creating mind maps. I think I would like to create a music video that connotes the feeling of melancholy and use a song that also does that. I think I have decided on Lea Michele's 'If You Say So' as I am a big fan of her work and I feel a personal connection to the song.
• I started researching successful music videos and how they convey messages. In class we looked at Lady Gaga and Beyoncé and how they showed messages subtly through different shots.
• I also needed to plan where I think a song like this would be suitable to film (locations). I have decided on filming in one of my actor's houses and in a graveyard near his house.

Week commencing 24/10/17

I will arrange my video ideas into a storyboard so I have a visual reference when creating my music video. I will also begin thinking about how an audience would like to see a song like mine portrayed in a video.

Weeks commencing 31/10/17 and 07/11/16

I have annotated lyrics to 'If You Say So' to draw literal interpretation and meaning from the song itself. I have begun to film some performance elements of my music video as well as one narrative section with only Becky. I have also made posts on both my cast and a production schedule.

Weeks commencing 05/12/16

I have started to brainstorm initial ideas for my print artefacts as well as write a post about my video locations. I will also explore the meaning behind the song in a post.

Week commencing 12/12/16 to week ending 22/01/17

In these weeks I plan to both complete filming and have done the majority of my editing to the music video. I will have filmed with both Becky and Alex and this time frame will also leave time for any mistakes that may need to be refilmed. I will also start to crop and edit my shots in order to combine them into a music video

Week commencing 23/01/17 to week ending 19/02/17

I will complete my editing process as well as take images that will be used for my print products, I will then complete my print products and put them onto my blog, as well as my final edit of my music video.

Music Video - Locations

As the song is based on a person's death I thought filming in a graveyard would be a great idea as it is a direct reference to the narrative of the song and music video. We filmed in two graveyards due to transport issues to the initial graveyard we filmed in. As only few shots were chosen from the initial filming session, the two graveyards be seen to be only one graveyard in the video.

One of the graveyards, the first one we filmed in, was alongside a church and so we could also film nearby the church and have it in the background. The graveyard attached to the church is in Tamworth Town Centre and the other one we filmed at was in Belgrave.

The other location we filmed within was at one of the actor's house so we could film the more intimate scenes and the actual narrative. This house was also located in Belgrave and so we could film the indoor scenes and the Belgrave graveyard scenes on the same day. I wanted to have some scenes inside of a house to show sides of the relationship that you wouldn't typically see outside such as romantic scenes and arguing scenes.

Behind the Song

The reason behind the song, which is well known (especially for fans of Lea Michele) is due to the death of her fiancé who she had been with for a couple of years as well as working with for over four years on Glee. Cory Monteith  (Lea's fiancé) died on July 13th 2013 in  Vancouver. The coroners report stated that Cory had "died from "a mixed drug toxicity" consisting of heroin and alcohol, and that his death appeared to have been accidental".


Michele had already completed her first solo album at the time which she has said that Monteith had often made notes on to help Michele. She then decided to postpone the album's release date, which was supposed to be very shortly after Monteith's death, and instead included songs that were tribute to Monteith's death - 'Cannonball' and 'If You Say So'.


Michele has spoke about the songs few times but in one of her videos for her YouTube channel where she described each track on the album, she said this about 'If You Say So':


"What it's about is sort of personal to me. I think that there will be a time where I'm happy to be talking in detail about it but for now I think, why I wrote it with her (Sia) was because when you lose someone, you know, one of the scariest parts of the process is being so afraid that you're going to forget. I'm 27 and I hopefully have many years ahead of me in my life and to think that I would have had a time in my life with someone and what if over time I forget things? So, I sat down with her to write this song about my relationship and we ended up writing about the last conversation I had with my boyfriend and how thankful I am to have had our last words be 'I love you'. So, it really is sort of self-explanatory when you listen to it, it's very personal to me, but this album is personal and it wouldn't be 'me' if I didn't let people in like that."

Permission

In order to use the audio of Lea Michele's If You Say So, I first had to obtain the copyright for the song from the record label she works for. In this case that is Sony Music within Columbia Records, of whom also has artists signed, specifically in the Americas, such as Adele, Beyoncé and the late David Bowie.

I used their website to find a email address in which to contact someone from Columbia Records to say how and why I would like to use 'If You Say So'. Here is a copy of the email that I sent to them to try and obtain their permission:

To whom it may concern, 
I am currently studying Media Studies at Landau Forte Academy Tamworth Sixth Form and am required to film and edit a music video for my A Level coursework. For this, I have chosen Lea Michele's 'If You Say So' and would like to produce a music video based on the song's narration. The use of this audio would be for educational purposes only and credit will be given to Lea Michele and her team.
Many regards, Victoria Oakes

'If You Say So' - Lyric Annotations

It's been seven whole days, seven whole days     
Since you paralyzed me.
Seven whole days, seven whole days
Since you lost your fight*                                              
And I can't get the last words that you said,                      
Can't get those *words out of my head.                            
Seven whole days, seven whole days                              
And *four words.

And I can't get away from the burning pain,                 
I lie awake.                                                                      
And the fallen hero**haunts my thoughts,                       
How could you leave me this way?***

[Chorus]                                                                        
It's been seven whole days                                                
Without your embrace.                                                     
I want to see your face,                                                     
I got some things to say.
Was just a week ago,                                                    
You said, "I love you girl." *                                            
I said, "I love you more."                                                
Then a breath, a pause, you said,                                     
If you say so.                                                                    
If you say so.
If you say so.
If you say so.    

It's been seven whole days, seven whole days
Since I heard the phone ring.
Seven whole days, seven whole days
Since I heard your voice.
And I can't get the last words that you said,
Can't get those words out of my head.
It's been seven whole days, seven whole days
Of pure hurt.

And I can't get away from the burning pain,
I lie awake.
And the fallen hero haunts my thoughts,
How could you leave me this way?

[Chorus]
It's been seven whole days
Without your embrace.
I want to see your face,
I got some things to say.
Was just a week ago,
You said, "I love you girl."
I said, "I love you more."
Then a breath, a pause, you said,
If you say so.
If you say so.
If you say so.
If you say so.

I can't believe it's true,
I keep looking for you,
I check my phone and wait
To hear from you.
In the crowded room
The joker is so cruel.

And now I'll never know,
If all I've been told
Is just a lie so bold,
I thought we would grow old.*
Mirrors in the smoke
Left me here to choke.*

[Chorus]
It's been seven whole days
Without your embrace.
I want to see your face,
I got some things to say.
Was just a week ago,
You said, "I love you girl."
I said, "I love you more."
Then a breath, a pause, you said,
If you say so.
If you say so.
If you say so.
If you say so.



*"fight" indicates that the cause of death was something to do with an illness, suggests a battle of some sort, something you have to overcome.

**"hero" suggests that the person meant a lot to her and that perhaps she looked up to them.

***This line is where the idea that the person  has died is properly introduced as by stating that they have 'left' her as well as saying they 'lost their fight' suggests death.

*The repetition of 'words' suggests that she was told something by that person that made an impact on her and that they were the last words that were said to her by that person and that means a lot to her.

*By stating that the person who has left her said "I love you girl" we can assume that she is talking to a partner and that this moment is very precious to her, especially now that they have passed.

*'thought' suggests that the person was quite young when they died and she is stating that she thought they would grow old, indicating that that is not what happened.

*'choke' suggests that she feels unable to cope at this point in time and that she can't function properly without him-that she is suffocating or indeed 'choking' without him there.


Overall, the song immensely suggests the feeling of loss and the immediate reaction of having someone taken away from you.

Task 10: Filming

Production Schedule

• Filming will take place on the 9th, 16th and 21st of December, as well as the 7th of January
• For both the 16th and 21st of December, I will need both Becky and Alex, however on the 9th of December I will only need Alex to shoot scenes in which I can pretend to be Becky and on the 7th of January I will only need Becky for performance shots.
• 16th + 21st of December - filming performance aspects of video as well as narrative sections including scenes where both actors need to be in the same shot together.
• Technical Equipment I will need: the HD Camera I will be using to film with, a tripod, Alex's computer and my phone to play the song with (in order for Becky to perform to it)
• Props I will need: a cushion, a games console controller, Alex's snake
• Shots I will be filming mostly with Alex will be medium shots however I will need more close up shots of Becky as well as pan shots of her walking.

Editing

• I will start editing towards the end of December and continue it through January and into the beginning of February.

Permission for Filming

Copy of email sent to Tamworth Borough Council

'To whom it may concern, 

I am a Year 13 Sixth Form student at Lnadau Forte Academy Tamworth Sixth Form. I am writing to ask permission to film some of my Year 13 Media Studies coursework (music video) at the town's church graveyard as it shows relevance to the narrative and therefore would be shot quietly and respectfully. I have a small crew of three and so would not cause any disturbance to the area.

Kind regards, 
Victoria Oakes'

Risk Assessment

Risks that have been identified:

• Wet ground (outside-due to rain)
• Stairs/steps (outside)
• Camera equipment: either tripping over it, running into it or breaking it
• Sharp objects on set, for example: equipment

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These risks are hazardous to all members of the cast and crew and so the methods below to control these risks apply to everyone.

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Ways to control these risks:

• Walk around sensibly and ensure that all cast are wearing suitable shoes for the weather in which we are filming in. If possible, film on a day when it will not be raining.
• Take care when using steps around the town centre as again it may be slippery due to rain, making sure to wear sensible footwear for the wet steps as it may cause a trip
• Make sure that all camera equipment is only placed in areas where only the person filming will be and keep it away from cast and members of the public. Make sure all wires are tapped down as to avoid tripping
• Check all equipment for sharp edges or fragility, also be prepared by having a first aid on set

People involved: Victoria Oakes, Alex Dean and Becky Utting