Editing Process- Louis Gibbons Lip Syncing

After reviewing my footage of Louis Gibbons lip syncing, i was very pleased, although it was not what i had originally envisioned. Again the editing process was simple, because from where i had cut oit the previous lip-syncing, it was easy to just slot in the new parts with Louis. After completing the new video, I asked my class for a review. They were generally happy with the finish product, however, not everyone enjoyed Louis playing the main roll. It was commented that he did not match the mise en scene and that it looked rushed. He was lacking in star image. Due to this, I decided not to rush again, and wait for Luke to come to London again, and re-shoot him.

Filming- Lip Syncing Louis Gibbons

On Saturday 22nd November, I met up with my back up lip singer, Louis Gibbons. We managed to set up a very light and bright set in my house of a white wall with some corner lighting involved. The rise en scene made Louis look incredible angelic and light. We managed to complete the recordings in just over 2 hours, and shot from 3 different angles. The shoot was a success, although Louis was not as confident in front of the camera as previous actor, Luke Blewett. On Monday 24th November, I edited Louis' parts into the music video and asked my class for feedback, everyone was very pleased with my overall video, however a large majority said that the artist miss en scene seemed rushed and as if it was added last minuet. They also stated that the artists star image did not match the music. I took this information on board and decided to re-film my artist lip syncing again, but this time with previous artist, Luke Blewett, due to everyone preferring him.

Plans For New Filming and Developments

In regards to my new lip singing, I want my mise en scene to be relatively simple in comparison to the nature shots and shots of Caitlin. I have spoken to my Media teacher and he suggested to use a plain white background. I will aim to use a white wall in my living room, and keep the set as clean as possible. I think the use of a plain background will work well with Louis Gibbons, as he has very bright ginger hair. I think this will bring out that element of him, and look highly aesthetic.

Editing Process- Luke Lip Syncing #1

After filming Luke's lip-syncing, I went to the editing studios and began to edit. The process of editing was relatively simple and i found it easy to sync the music properly after the lip syncing tutorial. I matched up the wavelengths to prominent points on the video. I also used a relatively loud sound system when recording the lip syncing, so identifying the matching parts of footage was simple. However, after completing the editing, i realised that in the background of the footage, someone had left a jumper in the middle of the hall. I did not realise this when filming. This destroyed the mise en scene completely, so I decided to re-film the artist parts. Unfortunately Luke will not be down from Luton anytime soon, so i will have to use my back up artist, Louis Gibbons.

Filming- Lip Syncing Luke Blewett

On the 20th October 2014, I met up with Luke Blewett, who would be playing the role of my main artist in the music video. I had arranged with a music teacher in my school that i would use a plain wall in his music studio and a microphone to shoot Luke's part. Unfortunately the music teacher never showed up, so i had to resort to using my schools hall, and their piano. The shoot was successful and Luke was incredible and lip singing. However, after returning to the editing studios and reviewing the footage, i realised that there were some distracting images in the background of the hall and the general Mise en Scene was all wrong. Despite Lukes great efforts I would have to re-film his lip-syncing. Unfortunately Luke lives in Luton, so it is not so easy to arrange meeting with him as he has a part time job and is in full time education. Due to this i will have to use my back up artist, Louis Gibbons.

Lip Syncing Tutorial

In today's lesson we were given a brief tutorial on how to synchronise the soundtrack to our artists lip singing. We were told to find focal points in the tracks wavelengths by zooming into the track as well as the footage in order to Iink them. 

We were given an instruction sheet, which gave us a step by step guide on how to sync an example piece of music to an example music video. 

We then placed markers on the wavelengths so we could line them up more easily and this helped speed up the matching of the lips to the track.

Star Image

The genre for my song is acoustic/romantic, however it still has a slight alternative edge to it. I wanted the image of my artist to reflect this genre. To do this, I have created a collection of images to portray the style of my artist and the female extra in the music video. 

For the female I want the colour palette to be quite limited to monochrome (black, greys, white) with the addition of a pair of Dr. Martins to show nationality. The purpose of this is to keep the dress code of the female simple and dark. simple- so the audience focus on her emotions and surroundings, dark- to illustrate her lost emotions. It will also be done to make her stick out less, to clarify that she is not the artist and is just an extra in the video. Her makeup is to be simplistic by still girly, the use of a shiny or glittery eye shadow will be encouraged.

For the artist in the video, I want him to look very clean and well kept. He has to have an edge about him. He will have to encompass more colour to his outfit, and will be on a plain background so more attention will be on him. I want the artist to look 'cool'.

I put together collages of attire for my ideas of the kind of clothing the artist could wear.

Feedback
I left a piece of paper in front of my monitor and asked anyone who passed to write down what they liked and did not like. Overall for the female part, it was a success and all feedback was positive. Although, they all did state that her hair would have to be down and slightly wavey to complete the image. I agree with this and will make sure to curl my female actors hair.

As for the male, the majority of people agreed that the aztec shirt would be too complicated, even on a plain background. They also said that it looked too 'teenage boy' to be part of a celebrity image. They all agreed that I should be using the jumpers with shoulder pads. Burgundy was recommended. 

Equipment Booking

I will not have to book equipment through my school as I will be using my own camera.
My camera is a Canon E0S 1100d

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

ALL EQUIPMENT USED IS MY OWN

DATE OF FILMING- Monday 27th October 2014

1 - Risk Assessment of Camera

• Make sure that the camera is fully loaded with charged batteries
• Make sure that there are no current mechanical issues with the camera or its wires,etc.
• Make sure that the tripod is working with no damage or breakages which may cause it to fall/break.
• When filming, make sure that the camera is securely fastened to the tripod
• When filming, make sure that the camera and tripod are not left alone or away from your presence
• When filming, make sure that the camera and tripod are put away correctly when moving from destinations

2- Risk Assessment of Singers/Actors

• Ensure that the singers and actors are not put in any danger in any locations
• Make sure locations are safe
• Make sure actors have agreed to take part in all situations

Filming- Location

For my music video, I have a clear idea of it being set in an interesting environment. The song I have used is very gentle and clearly a love song. I want my environment to portray the feeling that the song gives. On Sunday 5th October, I went out to look for the perfect location.

First location
I started my search at St. Judes Church, Hampstead Garden Suburb. This location has been used in many high quality productions before, such as 'Salmon Fishing In The Yemen', Starring Ewan McGregor, and 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part One', Starring Daniel Radcliffe.

I liked the neat, angular lines that the plants and trees were planted in. I felt like this created a sense of perfection. However, it did not satisfy my want for a woodland feel. I liked the contrast of the nature with the red bricked buildings. The tall church gave an almost haunted feel, that i thought could work with the mysterious, angelic image I wanted to create.



Second Location
I then continued my journey to Hampstead Heath. Hampstead Heath has large plains of empty fields that could create a good feel of icolantion, which could contrast to the lyrics of love and unity in the song. However, I felt the location lacked individuality. So I decided to consider other locations, but I still documented the pictures I took. I then carried on through the fields and found an area of Hampstead Heath called 'Sand Heath', here I found a lake with algae on the top of the lake that looked perfect for the woodland visualisation for my music video.


Third Location
After visiting Hampstead Heath, I went to Golders Hill Park, where I came across the perfect location for my music video. Ivenforth House in the back of Golders Hill Park will be the main location of my music video. I love the combination of old buildings, with wild ivy and uncut greenery. The location gave off a secret garden feel. The grounds of the house are very large, and have much potential due to the versatility of the area.

End Decision
By the end of my location search I decided to use all 3 locations but a main focus on the third location in Golders Hill Park.

Filming Nature Shots and Caitlin

On Sunday 5th October, I went out to look at potential locations my music video. When doing this I filmed all nature shots that would be involved in my video. This was incredibly easy as I did not need to rely on anyone else, all I had to check was the weather. I had no complications when filming this day, apart from the mild disturbances that the public caused, i.e. walking in front of the camera.

A week later, I met with my friend Caitlin Godwin, who was playing the female lead in my music video. We went back to the same locations and recorded her parts. Again, this process was easy, and Caitlin is incredibly cooperative and simple to work with. We managed to complete the shoot in under 3 hours and obtained all shots necessary. I do not expect to need to re-film any of Caitlin's parts. The day could not have gone anymore perfectly.

Editing Nature shots and Caitlin

I was incredibly happy with the amount of footage I had obtained. All of the nature shots were perfect and did not require refilling or extra filming. These parts were incredibly easy to edit to the music as they only had to follow a simple bit. I inserted all of the nature shots first, and perfected them before starting to edit in my lip-syncing. After placing all of my nature shots correctly. I then slotted in the images of Caitlin walking around the 'secret garden'. This was again simple, but i had more shots that i needed, so i had to remove some nature shots to allow more room for Caitlin's part. I came across no challenges when editing the nature shots and the shots of Caitlin.

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Target Audience Profile

Ideal target audience for a female:

• 18-25 years of age
• Student/art student----> colourful hair
• Interested in alternative and acoustic music
• Interested in health foods and healthy living
• Drinks a lot of tea
• Ambitions-----> Film director/part time artist
• Fashion-----> Dr. Martins, skinny jeans, naggy tops, denim jacket

Ideal target audience for a male:

• 18-25 years of age
• English student/music student
• Interested in soft music/jazz/acoustic music
• Interested in health foods and healthy living
• Drinks a lot of tea
• Ambitions-----> writer/poet
• Fashion----> British Ralph Lauren preppy wear

Casting

The song I am using for my music video is a love song with a very soft tone. For my music video I want to visualise the gentle facade of the song. I shall do this by incorporating scenes of nature and purity as well as using a female character with soft features.

I started my casting by looking for people with 'elven-like' features. I narrowed down my search to two females. For both my female and male actor, confidence is the most important thing i am looking for. If my actors are not confident the video will not look realistic and therefore will not be plausible. Confidence is key.

My Potential Actors

My first potential actor is Caitlin. She is a 17 year old girl from Barnet. Caitlin is a bassist in a local band called 'The Episodes' so is used to being on stage and in front of the camera. She is a huge fan of the song that I am using for my music video, so has a good understanding of the visualisation i am trying to achieve. Caitlin is also an avid actor who partakes in many plays and productions that are held both inside, and outside of college. She is also currently trying to obtain a place at a drama university and is very passionate about the subject. When I approached her about the opportunity of taking part in the music video she seemed very keen and liked the storyboards I showed her. She also contributed a few ideas that could improve my idea that much further.

My second potential actor is Sarah. Sarah is 18 years old and attends the same college as Caitlin. Sarah is also a passionate actor who aspires to being apart of the industry one day. Sarah regularly attends theatre productions and is a confident pianist. She is also a fan of Josh Record, so was very excited when I told her my music video was going to be paired with his song, 'For Your Love'. Both Sarah and Caitlin's blue eyes will look visually aesthetic on film, and will add to the woodland purity I am trying to achieve. 

Following my brief meeting with both Sarah and Caitlin, I informed them that I would want to use both of them and then chose the best film afterwards. They said that this was fine. I then contacted them to get their permission in writing.

After a long time of decision making, i finally decided to use caitlin as my female actor. After this I continued my search to find the male actor who would be singing Josh Records song. The male actor will also be the artist who I am trying to sell, so therefore it is vital for the character to look the part.
Again I was able to narrow my search down to two finalists.

Potential Male Actors

 My first potential male actor is Luke. He is a 18 year old boy from Luton. Luke is a Singer in a local band called 'The Episodes' so is used to being on stage and in front of the camera. He is also a huge fan of the song that I am using for my music video, so will be able to perform the song believably. Due to Luke being the lead singer of a band, he is completely comfortable with being overly confident and also has experience in shooting music videos for his band. Luke is also a model scouted by Next Models, so is at home infant of the camera.When I approached him about the opportunity of taking part in the music video he seemed very excited about acting in it.

My second potential male actor is Louis Gibbons. Louis is also 18 years old, and lives in barnet. Louis encompasses a completely different style to Luke as he is more smarty dressed but more rugged in the sense of his beard. Louis comes across as looking much older than Luke, and for this fact I feel as if Louis will not work in the video, because his older facade may not appeal to out target audience. 

I have decided to use Luke as my male Actor as i feel as if he will have more natural stage presence and will appeal to my target audience more.