health and safety

for my animated promotional video, it is important for me to make sure the animator i hire knows about  health and safety in the studio such as:

- process safety

- life saving rules

- working at height

- confined space

- emergency procedures 

- fire exits

studio hazards are wide ranging from high temperatures from computers and falling over wires that may be around. the key is avoiding the release of these so they dont come into contact with people which could result in a bad injury of even killing somebody. process safety is therefor a very important pillar of safety.

when working in a studio, it is important that the animator knows where the fire exits are and the emergency procedures incase of a fire accident. 

if needed to work at height, the animator should be careful as to not fall and to concentrate on what they are doing. also to make sure no big objects are in the way so they don't fall and hit their head on something.

with the music that plays in the background of the animation, it is important to avoid copyright. the way to do this is to either create an own piece of music or to use a free piece of music. it is key to make sure we have permission to use protected music in a licensed production as we need to make sure that legal protection is available on both sides. 

history of editing

in 1924, the moviola was invented by Iwan Serrurier and was the only editing system throughout until the sixties. it allows the film editor to view a film while editing and was the first machine for motion picture editing. 

the company moviola is loacted in hollywood. it allowed editors to study individual shots in their cutting rooms, to determine more precisely the best place to cut the shot. 

the vertical oriented moviola's were the standard for film editing in the US until the 1970s when horizontal flatbed editor systems became more common.

this is the flatbed editing system used to edit film for a motion picture. the most common brands is steenback and K-E-M, both of which were invented in germany in the 1930s. 

the picture is shot on film while the sound is recorded separately. when the editor finds a point to cut from one shot into another, he marks it on both picture and sound rolls, then makes the cut and splices in the next shot.

linear editing is the process of making cuts and edits on film. it must be done sequentially in order to create a final film print of an edited piece. it is necessary for the film format and had been the only way to edit until computers came into prominence for post production. 

non-linear editing is a non-destructive editing process. it is achieved by loading the material into the computer from analogue or digital tapes. the editing process creates a new 'tape' by storing all the commands entered by the operator. 

during the 1970s, CMX systems were a huge boost within the editing industry. it gave editors more freedom in how they edit. 

from 199, new editing softwares allowed people to edit their own films from home such as Adobe. since then, higher quality softwares have been introduced such as Final cut pro , purchased by apple in 1999.
 

                                           

music video and evaluation

 silver soul -beach house

evaluation

my plan for my music video was to create something experimental and innovative which I think I achieved well. I used mainly a lens distort effect on most of my clips. I really like the way it instantly changes the whole music video. I used a range of different clips which I think work well together, all of which are bright and vibrant. To help the music video flow, I used a cross dissolve effect between each clip. This really helped the video to transition smoothly. I think the video fits well with the song as its quite dreamy and chill. My initial aim was to create something that was unique and dream-like and that captured the audience attention throughout. 

I chose experimental because I felt like it was best to fit the song as it doesn't have much of a narrative. The reason I used multiple clips and blended them together was to create something different that not many people have seen or have done. The music video i created is very abstract which i think fits well with the song. it also helps the audience to focus on not only the video but also the song. 

With the editing, i tried using new techniques such as blending and experimenting with the opacity. I tried to edit to the music, changing to a new clip on the beat. I definitely could've experimented with more techniques with the editing so if i was to do this again, i would focus on the editing more.

If i was to do this again, I would definitely try using more and different effects to make it less repetitive. I think i also would try sticking to a certain theme such as neon or a certain colour scheme. i think that would make the video flow better.  

Overall, I am happy with the final product, however, i could've maybe made it slightly longer and used different effects to make it less repetitive.

premiere pro timeline:

planning music video and timeline

silver soul -beach house 

for my music video, I am planning on going down the experimental route using different effects and editing styles. Because I have chosen to go do experimental, my planning is not in the traditional sense as I don't have a narrative to plan, I'll be planning by experimenting. I plan to create quite a dreamy and hazy atmosphere using overlays and distortions. the song I have chosen to do is five minutes long but I am going to cut it down to about two minutes instead. 

in this video, I experimented with overlays. I used two different clips and adjusted the opacity in order to see both clips playing at the same time. I increased the exposure which I think created a nice effect as well as adding a lens distort that slightly stretched the overlay to create a fish lens type look. overall I really like the way this effect turned out and will definitely use it in my final music video. 

in this video, I decided to experiment with the lens distortion again along with the replicate effect which duplicated the video multiple times. my aim was to create a prism reflection effect. I also used an overlay and decreased the opacity. the overlay creates more colour that makes this video more interesting and unique. I really like the effect the overlay creates. I think this would've worked better with a different clip for the background as I didn't achieve the effect I wanted. however I think the replicate effect could work well in my final music video. 

in this video, I used a lens distort to create this trippy and unique effect. I adjusted it slightly to make it more distorted. I really like the way this turned out and I think it would work well in my final music video using different clips. this will add to the dreamy and hazy look that I want to try and create in my video. I think this effect could also work well with some kind of overlay. 

timeline:

week one- i started by choosing the song i wanted to use followed by going out and filming some random clips to experiment with as part of my planning. i opened premiere pro and started to use the clips i filmed and experimented with different types of effects as shown above. 

week two- after experimenting with effects, i began to source footage to potentially use in my music video. i tried to look for clips i knew would fit well with the song i chose. 

week three- i then imported the clips into premiere pro and started to organise them and edit them along with the music. 

music video analysis

 

glass animals- dreamland

dreamland is a slow indie song. it is about being in a dream like state, and almost feeling like you don't even exist. it came out in the year 2020 during the midst of a global pandemic which definitely made making music videos more difficult. however lead singer, Dave Bayley came up with an artistic and creative way to produce the perfect music video for dreamland. 

the video starts with a vibrant, neon background with Bayley sitting in the centre. as soon as the video begins, there is already a dreamy atmosphere. there is also a projector that shows different videos presumably from his childhood as the song dreamland goes through moments of his life as he grows up. 

the song as well as the music video is wanting us to explore our own past, Bayley sings, "pulling down backstreets deep in your head, slipping through dreamland like a tourist." dreams are where peoples fantasies run wild, they are a safe place for imagination and creativity which is portrayed in this music video. 

as Bayley moves with the camera, he takes us through his own dream where different objects from his childhood sit around him and also hang from the ceiling. halfway through the music video, it switches up to where we see him setting up the backdrop and cameras for the video. we see that this dreamy music video was put together all by himself during quarantine. there is only one mid shot used in the beginning of the music video but once it switches many different shots and angles are used as we watch a behind the scenes of him creating the actually video. it is a very visually stimulating music video to watch as we see Bayley go on a lone journey through his past, creating a hazy and colourful daydream.  

usher- burn

in this song, usher sings about breaking up with his girlfriend which he later regrets. he feels like he is burning without her. it is a slow, r&b ballad.

in the music video, there are multiple close up shots.

these close up shots make the video more intimate and shows the romance story happening.

close up shots help to show peoples emotions as well as making the video more personal. in the song we can tell that he is in pain after breaking his girlfriends heart.

the lyrics link to the visuals quite often in the music video. when usher sings "let it burn" the swimming pool that the girl jumps into turns from water into fire. 

this reoccurs again when he sings the word "burn" and his bed starts burning.  when usher sings "you know that its over. you know that its through, he breaks up with her but he finds her sad because of what happened to their relationship. he says she accept the truth. however when usher sings "its been fifty-eleven days / umpteen hours / ill be burnin / till you return", the direction changes when he realises he made a mistake and wants her back. 

usher reminisces about times spent with her, where we see them on the bed together as well as other flashbacks later on in the video. 

there are examples of looking and voyeurism in the music video. the female wears lingerie throughout the video which gives a voyeuristic view of the female body, used to gain attention of male viewers. notion of looking is also portrayed when usher is standing at his window, looking out of the frame.

fleetwood mac- seven wonders

in this 1987 pop-rock song, lead vocalist Stevie Nicks remembers a love affair from her past. she sings seeing the seven wonders of the world would not compare to the beauty of that relationship. 

the music video takes place in one setting, with the band all gathered behind Nicks as she stands in the front centre. throughout the music video, sketches of seven wonders are pictured in the background such as the roman colosseum, the Taj Mahal and the sphinx. in the video, greek pillars are also placed around the stage. 

close ups again are used specifically on Nicks whenever she is singing. at the beginning of the video, blue lighting is used however when the music starts the lighting turns more of a pink/red. there is also use of smoke machines at the start along with silhouettes. the music video is cut along with the beat of the song especially at the beginning with the hi-hats. a slow motion shot is used just before the synth begins playing. the editing is quite fast paced because of the upbeat song. Nicks also changes outfit halfway through the song. smooth transitions are used that switches between the two dresses, one black and one white. 

andrew goodwin

goodwin theory states that there are five key aspects to a music video:

relationship between lyrics and visuals 

- illustrating (meaning of lyrics to song)

- amplifying (to boost the lyrics)

- contradicting (lyrics to visuals)

music videos demonstrate genre characteristics 

- stadium performance

- studio performance

- location 

- narrative

- conceptual/experimental

several close ups of artists. some record companies require that the artist is featured within the video

- artist branding

- artistic portrayal 

- celebrity culture

- implications on looking good

star iconography that each artist will develop in their music videos

- branding

- style

- brand values/unique selling points

within music videos there is the concept of voyeurism

- nudity/revealing clothes

- exhibitionism

- an intimate location

- frame within a frame

the 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. focuses on presenting things that appeal to men

intertextuality 

references to

- other music videos

- films

- tv shows 

how to analyse music video

- through beats, when you 'see' in the sound

look at the music itself, structure of the song

voice of the song

- narrative and performance

tend to get a gist of the meaning behind the song then tend to make up our own idea of what is being told

music video should coherent repeatability 

- the star image

meta narrative

- relation of visuals to song

- technical aspects of a music video

speed, camera movement, editing, mise-en-scene, beats

carol vernallis

carol vernallis is an editing theorist. in her work 'The kindest cut', she explores how editing in film and in music videos differ from each other. she talks about meaning, sound and visuals, editing as a whole, continuity and the star image.

she talks about four main categories: 

• camera - close ups are very common shots used in music videos to show the importance of the parts the band or artist is playing and the way that they look. establishing shots are also commonly used to show the location. the camera sometimes may move in time with the beat of the song. vernallis also argues that framing in music videos is very distinctive 

• editing - music videos tend to usually break the rules of continuity. an editing technique used in music videos is jump cuts, as music videos usually go straight from one thing to the next. the frames are mostly cut to the beat of the music

• narrative - the narrative is a visual response to the song as well as what the artist or band wants the meaning to be presented as. vernallis argues that the ending of a music video is not always clear which allows the audience create their own interpretation. sometimes music videos can be seen as disjointed or disconnected

• diegesis - the 'world' created within the music video. the diegesis is something that is slowly revealed throughout the music video. vernallis argues that music videos are sometimes left 'uncompleted', making the audience want to know what happens next