How have I used digital technologies in the research, planning and creation of my products?

1. Evaluation task 4

2. When we created the storyboard for our music video, and incorporated in
numerous editing techniques to create effect, and we knew going forward
that this would expand once we started putting together the clips.
When editing our music video, there were inevitably a number of changes
that had to be made that would change the final product from what we
had originally planned our video to look like. Some shots, such as the one
of the girl in the guys eye, that we had planned to create in our video
weren't feasible and thus forced us to adapt according to what shots we
were able to work with. Limitations came from what shots we were able
to film on shooting day, and we had to alter according to this.

3. Due to the fact that our video was of a slower pace, with a more serious feel
to the narrative and lyrics, the cross fade was used to merge together almost
every shot throughout the video. I found this was the most effective and
fitting transition between clips as it allows for a constant flow, rather than a
fragmented jumpy collection, which is more likely to be found in faster paced,
up beat songs, usually used in the music videos of synthetic artists.
The use of a cross fade also enhances how professional our video appears to
our target audience, and draws similarities to music videos of artists such as
James Bay.
The effect is often used to slow the pace of the video, to subsequently match
the lyrics to the visuals, which is something we incorporated throughout our
video. Additionally, the transition creates a certain mood and enhances the
atmosphere of the narrative, the depressing nature of our video is therefore
made apparent when watching the video, which allows the audience to fully
grasp and understand the message behind the song which forces the audience
to think about the deeper meaning, ultimately leading to repeated
consumption.

4. Another way in which I used the cross fade was to convey a sense of
passing time. When we drew up our storyboard and animatic, we
decided on using what Carol Vernillis calls ‘discontinuity editing’
which allows for a wide range of shots in the video to not have the
linear timeline requirement of a film. That is to say the shots in our
video do not appear in a chronological sequence. The ability to cross
fade in between these shots allowed us to create a smooth
transition in between the different locations, as well as
performance element filmed in a studio. The use of this method
allows for a greater depth to the narrative as well as expanding our
use of shots, allowing us to cover a greater period of time, and thus
giving us a greater insight in to the narrative of the video.
Slow or incomplete cross-fades can also be used to create layered
video effects. This came in to play when I created a montage of
shots that I wanted to merge together, as well as when creating a
sequence of scenic shots. It allows this to occur without appearing
jumpy and unnatural.
Due to the fact that I was editing our video in Premire Pro and
Adobe After Effects, I was provided with multiple variations of the
cross-fade effect for various purposes, one example being the
additive dissolve.

5. In its simplest form, colour correction is used when editing to correct and
faultiness within the footage. However, after studying other music videos it
became clear to me that a factor greatly enhancing how professional the
picture came across was the colour correction used to create a more cinematic
effect.
There are a number of methods that can be used to achieve this look, via add
on packages or alternatively additional software with a specific goal to create a
more cinematic look. However, to mimic this I used the tools included in Adobe
After Effects including the Levels tool and the RGB Curves tool. After I put
together the entire sequence of our music video, I went back and started to toy
with the attributes of each piece of footage, which included colour correcting.
To ensure my video was kept realistic and to minimise the distractions from the
narrative its self, I used the same effects on all footage of the same type. So all
narrative strands followed their own theme in terms of colour correction, thus
keeping our video realistic, and being an organic artist ensures a professional
look without removing attention from the on screen action its self.
Additionally, the use of RGB Curves allowed me to tint the shade of the image to
fit and enhance the ideas of the narrative strand. I used the graph to create just
the right amount of warm or cold colouring for the shots accordingly, which
again helps the audience to grasp an understanding of the feel of the music
video, in our case, creating a depressing tone.

6. Slow motion is the technique through which time appears slowed down.
The slow-motion technique regularly used in cinema is the process of
“over-cranking” which entails a camera capturing an image at a rate faster
than it will be projected. It is often used in music videos for dramatic
effect; placing emphasis on a particular moment that the producer wants
to bring to the attention of the audience which is exactly the effect we
have aimed to produce in our video. For example, when Jack smashes the
bottle against the wall in the park, I cut the clip at the point where the
bottle hit the wall in order to slow the pace of the bottle smashing and
falling to the ground, this represents and places heavy emphasis on the
idea that the girls life is slowly falling apart. Furthermore, it is an
effective technique to portray emotion to the audience, forcing them to
sympathize with the girl.
To slow down the clips that I put in slow motion I used the speed duration
tool and reduced the speed from 100%, according to how fast/slow I
wished the clip to appear. Each clip that appears slowed down is slowed to
a different pace that I decided was fitting to that individual point. I also
ensured that the pace of the clip matched the speed of the song at that
point in time, this helps the video to flow and again gives it a more
professional finish.

7. One tool that came in particularly useful when editing our music
video was the chroma-key. The performance element of our video
was filmed in a studio in front of a green screen, so that we could
have the background black. The chroma-key allows you to select a
specific colour, and subsequently then remove it from the clip. In
the case of our music video, I made use of the "ultra-key" plugin
that comes standard with Adobe Premiere Pro as it allows for
greater control over what colours are removed, the range of that
specific colour is removed, how the object is highlighted, the
tolerance to specific shades of the colour and how much shadow is
removed from the object, etc. The removal of a green screen then
allows the editor to either place a background of their choosing
behind the clip, or place the clip over another for various effects,
in our case we simply wanted to remove the background entirely,
we did not want to insert another background to replace the
green.

8. However, whilst this worked for the majority of our shots, there were a number of clips
that required Adobe After Effects plug ins. This is because when we were filming we
didn’t pull the green screen curtain tight enough which created creases in the material,
as well as the lighting we used which created shadows that we were not able to remove
by simply using the ultra key. In order to fix these clips i followed this sequence of
actions:
1) Imported the clip from premiere into Adobe after effects
2) Applied a series of green screen effects that come with the red giant keying suite
3) First we applied a smooth screen which eliminated any creases from our green
screen
4) Added primate keyer sample the correct green colour which effectively removed the
green
5) Then we refined our Matte by first applying a spill killer which removed any green
colouring that reflected onto the face
6) Adobe after effects native spill suppresser
7) Added a matte choker- trimmed around edges
8) Added an edge blur and softened the edges and made it to work better in the scene
9) Hollywood keying standard
This effectively removed any creases, folds and shadows from the green screen curtain.

9. A final touch that I wanted to include in our music video is
the black bars that appear at the top and bottom of the
screen, changing the shape of the shot. This is something
seen in many music videos as well as movies that creates a
more professional finish and levels out all of the shots, to
ensure they all have the same scale.

10. After receiving some audience feedback following our first draft
we discovered that some of the handheld shots were too shakey
and therefore needed stabilizing. Namely on the shots of her
walking up the bridge. In order to do this i:
1.took the specific shot out of the timeline
2.stretched it out to its original size
3.applied the 'Nest' tool to it
4.then applied the stabilizer tool to it
Having done this i noticed a significant difference that enhanced
the overall quality of the video, and displays us adapting according
to audience feedback.