Proposal 

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The process of writing the proposal for my final major project has been both helpful and effective. It enabled me to flesh out ideas and the more I discussed or thought about them, the more I could see whether they could be realized or not. The short film I created benefitted from focusing on different aspects like the narrative, how the project will be developed and the film's target audience. Following the initial thought process, I ended up with 3 strong ideas that could become the media product of a short film. My three Ideas were an entirely animated experimental music video about the afterlife, a music video about an angel that falls from heaven and in her exploration of the human world meets a man who is actually the devil who attempts to corrupt her and my final idea was a psychological horror music video which features a long trip sequence to music and aims to educate the audience on the dangers of taking acid. I ended up choosing the final idea a as I wanted to experiment more with using after effects and I also felt that it had the most concrete aims due to the message behind it. I was inspired to make a music video on the dangers of psychedelics after reading a recent article about a young man who died after taking LSD and as I know a lot of people my age who have used psychedelics recreationally I felt that it was important for their to be more media coverage on the psychological effects. The chosen subject also allowed me to focus on aspects that needed more development, including the narrative theories that I would apply, the target audience and the job role that I would focus on to develop my own personal skills. I could have made the proposal more effective by going into more detail about the music video's plot, so when writing my shot list I would have had a clearer idea of what I was trying to achieve. 

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Skills/Techniques Required:

 

In the rationale, I thought about the types of skills that would be needed to create the film, which I then highlighted in the skills sheet. I also applied various skills used in past projects, which included script and storyboard writing, editing, foley sound, colour grading, cinematography, camera work (angles and movements) and time management. I then looked at how I could develop them further. In my last project, I focused on editing and learned a range of techniques by following professional guides which have given me more confidence working with my editing skills particularly with using after effects as this is something I've really struggled with in the past. 

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Concept development:

 

Having a clear view of what I had to create and the skills I would need, I moved on to how the concept would be developed. This included the product objective, development of the project, mood board, themes and genre. This would be followed by a stylistic approach, character development, the theories that I would apply & narrative structure. I would then look at the target audience, the resources I might need for the project, problems I expect to face & influences and inspiration. With all these in hand, I could then look at the production timetable and how the project would be evaluated. I found these exercises effective, as I then knew what needed to be developed in the subject area of the proposal and in the research and production stages of my FMP. I felt the most productive part of the proposal was the influences and inspirations of horror films, particularly the 2018 film ‘Climax’ because it gave me ideas on how to utilize camera work and lighting to create a sense of fear. There were no problems to overcome as I knew what needed to be developed before filming began. To improve, I could have given more examples of ways to develop the concepts and gone into specific detail about what is required for each category and researched more into music videos in the horror category as I think this would have helped me with understanding the structure of a horror/narrative music video.

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Research:

 

After completing the concept development stage, I started to do research for the project. This was achieved by breaking the story ideas down into three different parts to cover all aspects needed for the research, including influences and inspiration, action and target audience. I set mini-deadlines to complete each research segment. Breaking the research down helped me to complete the research in time for the deadline. This helped my understanding of what was needed and prevented me from becoming overwhelmed by what I needed to do. I began with researching the drug LSD itself so I had my facts straight so I could make my music video as realistic as possible. Then I made a survey and asked people I knew who had done lsd before to fill it out. This survey looked at psychedelic trips in movies and I asked them to rate which ones were the most realistic and explain why. I also asked about areas of psychedelics that they felt weren't represented enough. I then began action research exploring how to create the visual effects that were most highly rated on my survey i.e. the bulging eye effect in Bandersnatch, I used lots of different YouTube tutorials to help me with this and I was happy I put so much time into this area of research as it helped me so much with editing as I already had all the knowledge I needed to create my desired effects. I then researched more into the structure of my video, I focused this research on the 2018 film 'Climax' as this was one of my main inspirations for the music video. I watched the film for a second time as part of my research and I also watched interviews and video essays on YouTube about how the film is able to horrify the audience and make you really feel like you are there. I made notes and mindmaps about this which helped me organise my ideas and look at the different parts and see how I could relate them to the story I wanted to create. I found this research so helpful but I do think that my research predominately into film was a big reason of why my script was too long so I wish I had looked into the structure of some narrative music videos to give me a better idea of how long to make certain segments. I then built out my characters using research into character archetypes and discussions with the cast. I was glad I did this as it really helped me think about how different characters would act in different situations and gave me more confidence in my role as a director. I then researched into the cinematography, looking at different camera angles and lighting and how lighting, camera angles and camera movements could be use in a horror. I supported this with action research, testing out my equipment to create different shots. I was happy with my research but I did feel I neglected the camera movements a bit which shows in my final production. If I was going to create this video again I would want to research into using different types of camera movements especially for transitioning between shots as I feel this could have added a lot to my music video and made it much more engaging.

An additional area I felt I could have improved in was audience research. I feel could have researched more in-depth the film's secondary audience more by creating a second questionnaire as it would have given me a clear knowledge of who my target audience is.

 

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Production Stages:

 

Pre-Production:

 

I began preproduction by drafting a rough shot list which I bulked out later into the process. This enabled me to create a draft script and it helped me understand what I would need to prepare for the other stages of production. I started with a list of production documents that I would need to be signed before filming and looked at past projects that I have worked on so that I could use them as a reference for documents needed for filming. These included a location recce, a production schedule, a full shot list, a call sheet, a  release form and a risk assessment.

 

 

 

Whilst completing the forms, I could then act on any problems that arose before filming. Two of these forms highlighted issues, the risk assessment and the call sheet. when writing the risk assessment I realised that the shots with blood on the floor whilst not posing any risks to the cast or crew did come with the risk of staining or damaging the floors which the owner of the house was not ok with . As a result, I made adjustments to the script and shot list changing the death to jumping out of a window, therefore keeping to the narrative and message of the music video whilst still avoiding this issue. When writing out the call sheet and contacting actors the actress playing Faith informed me that she would only be available until 7pm on the first day of filming, this was a big issue as my production is set at night. I resolved this issue by creating black out blinds using black a4 card so all the scenes in the basement could be filmed earlier into the day, I didn't have to change the script or the shotist luckily as their were no scenes with her character outside so I was able to combat this issue by just marking out on a printed copy of the call sheet which shots her character was in an filming all of these first. 

 

To improve, I could have added more detail to the call sheet for each day instead of a general one, so people had more of an understanding of what they needed to bring and more general information for the cast and crew as whilst I did communicate this over WhatsApp I think it would have been good to have this all on one document that people could read easily. However, I feel the pre-production stage went well and the problems that arose being solved effectively. Now, with all forms completed and problems resolved, I was ready to film.

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Production:

 

The production stage that involved the actual filming of the FMP ran smoothly. The only technical issue that arose was on the first day of filming when my camera ran out of battery because I forgot to charge it however I learnt from this mistake and charged it for the second day of filming and luckily the camera did not take too long to charge so it did not pose to much of an issue and myself and the cast used the time to eat hydrate and rest. The cast and crew were punctual for all  both days of filming. The cast and crew worked well together and when someone had an idea, it was discussed and sometimes incorporated into filming, an example being when the actor playing ‘Freddie’ suggested using the lamp I had to create shadows in the dance scene.

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In the production stage of filming, I was able to work in the job role that I wanted, in order to improve my skills as a camera operator. I followed the script and storyboard shot descriptions of angle movements and framing suggestions - including tracking shots, over-the-shoulder shots, pan shots and close-ups while changing some aspects that I felt could be filmed from another angle. In the script and storyboard, I had planned to film the scene where the group is discussing taking the lsd to be a static long shot moving from character to character, however, when filming this I felt it didn’t capture  the characters enough and made the scene feel confusing. I decided intead to film this scene using different cuts with head shot and midshots for different characters, this worked well, improving the narrative, thanks to being able to focus on the actors facial expressions. It also worked well as I was able to make the shot type relate to the emotion of the line being said, for example using a low angle shot when Freddie is asking Eden if she has ever done acid before to show that she feels intimidated by this question. I also felt that having a variety of camera angles and shots worked well and meant the footage didn’t have the same recurring angle or movement which would have made it boring for an audience to watch. When it came to the performance, I asked the actors in the production stage to use the scripted dialogue as a guide and not recite it word for word, this enabled the dialogue to flow more easily and be more naturalistic, including the scene aforementioned and also the scene the scene where Maggie is asking Wendy about why she left the basement and went outside, I felt that this made both scenes feel more genuine and naturalistic.

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Overall, I feel the filming days went well and we managed to shoot all of the footage needed in time and without going over schedule. I had no emotional management problems when filming. The cast and crew worked well together and the pre-production documents organised the shoot and made sure everything was ready. To improve, I feel I could have used more variations of movement shots to get more varied material, including whip pan shots to create smoother transitions, in particular, the sequence which shows what all the different characters are doing when Eden is at the window contemplating jumping, as I had to add the movement in this sequence in post production and it would have saved me time and made it look cleaner if I had filmed these scenes with movement and I also think the speed of a whip pan would have added more urgency and been more interesting for the viewing audience.

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When filming was completed I messaged the whatsapp group chat I had with my actors to  their opinions on working as a team, if there were any problems, if I gave clear instructions when filming, was there enough guidance, was there was a clear outline of the job, did they feel supported and how effective my management style was. This was their feedback:

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“If a problem occurred when filming you came up with solutions to make sure it worked in the narrative, particularly when the lighting was wrong in the scene, so you changed it in the script to make sure it made sense in the story. For example when you added the scene of the lamp being turned off to make the room darker"

 

"In the first shoot you didn't check all the footage during the filming process but I noticed in the second shoot you were careful to check all the footage before moving on to the next shot which made sure all the footage filmed could be used in editing." 

 

You were very clear on what was required from each scene but I think you could have explained in more detail what type of shot it was so we knew how to better position ourselves and rehearse the movements more as well as the lines to make sure we understand what is being filmed."

 

"You were a very organized director when it came to general time management and knowing how long each scene would take but we could have saved time by you being more prepared and remembering to charge all the equipment in the first shoot but I appreciate that you solved this issue in the second shoot."

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Having this feedback has taught me how to improve and informed me what went well on the film. In the next project, I intend to rehearse more with the actors and explain to them what types of shots will be filmed, so they understand clearly what is taking place before filming. I feel confident the production stage went well, as problems were solved on site and we filmed all the footage needed on each date.

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Post-Production:

 

The final stage of the project was post-production. I feel this stage went very well. I began post production after my first day of filming when I put together a rough cut to see which shots needed re shooting, this was helpful as I was also able to see which shots I needed to cut as the final video ended up being 7 minutes long which was way over the limit for a music video. I decided to cut out a lot of the introduction scenes at the start as I felt it wasn't necessary to introduce every single character as it didn't add much to the story or the message. After reshooting all the shots I needed to I added these in to the rough cut I had created. This process involved trimming and matching the videos, using the software Premier Pro to make sure that the final edit ran smoothly and timing the cuts to the music. After I had all the shots in the order that I wanted I began editing in more depth. I used editing techniques that I had learnt in my research such as turbulent displace and echo on adobe after effects and experimented with different transitions such as film dissolve and lightleak to create a smoother look to the music video. I also added in the red animation I had made on krita in my research and created a pink one to overlay over the characters skin in close up shots. I was satisfied with the final look of the music video so far but I still needed to edit sound. I used room tone effect in premier pro remix for the majority of the talking scenes as I liked the sound quality. I also adjusted the audio of clips where the cut changes during a speaking scene to make it slightly overlayed to make the clips flow smoother. A scene where I was most happy with my use of audio editing was the scene where the character Wendy is freaking out because she thinks everyone is laughing at her. I liked how I edited this scene as I felt I was really able to create a scary ambience through my use of audio editing. I use large room ambience on the audio of people laughing and set the amount to 10.0, I liked this preset as the echo and reverb made it sound very distorted.  I used room ambience with reverb on the audio clip of Maggie asking Wendy if she's ok I then slowed this audio and reduced the pitch to make it sound even more distorted. I also used keying with the volume effect on this segment of the music to make it dip in volume as the laughing gets louder which I felt really help amplify the fear in this scene. I also used a video I found on youtube of a doorbell sound effect as I don't have a doorbell to add in to the doorbell scene which worked really well. With the visuals and audio completed, I could finally move on to color grading. I just did this by eye seeing what looked best for the first half of the movie and then for the shots after the drug takes effect I used lumetri color's  creative section to change the tints of the shadows and highlights to blue and pink tones to create a dreamy atmosphere. After I created my first draft of the music video I presented it to an audience. My main feedback was that I needed more visual effects and patterns as well as adding a more defined intro to the start of the music video. This was a point in the process here I was really proud of my time management skills as I had left myself enough time to fulfil all of these demands. I created 4 more animated patterns using krita as well of adding more of the pink pattern I had already created. I also created an animated intro on krita to show the title of the music video. I also added more turbulent displace in scenes that didn't have it to make the video look more surreal and also to increase the fear in the high intensity scenes. I was very happy with my work here as I felt I really met all the requirements.

 

There were a few technical problems when putting together the final edit with the lighting which I had to fix with editing. As in certain scenes the light was to bright and washed out the characters skin. Stylistically, I wanted a naturalistic, darker colour grade so needed to reduce the amount of light, however, this created difficulties as I wanted the background to keep the same brightness to keep continuity. For example in the shot where Faith is telling Eden she will enjoy the LSD the lighting really washed out her features, to fix this issue I used the unsharp mask as well as using to masks on her arm and shoulder to decrease the brightness. This technique solved the problem and also helped me enhance the features of characters in shots which helped show their emotion more. I also used the unsharp mask for blurry scenes to create a similar effect which I taught myself how to use by watching a youtube video

 

After overcoming the issues that arose, I am happy with the rest of the post-production stage as the edited footage flows well together. The dialogue between the group discussing taking the LSD is one of  favourite moments, as I am happy with the various angles edited together. It allows the audience to see the actor's expressions and feelings whilst keeping to a rhythm, where the cuts seem less obvious. To improve, I will focus on colour grading and add a colour correction to the footage as some of the scenes didn't look as profesional as I would have liked but this could also have been an issue with production as some of the shots looked a little blurry. I am happy with the final edit and kept to my planned time frame, giving me time to address any problems that arose and giving me confidence in the final product.

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What I have learnt:

 

Working on this project, I have developed skills in camera work, especially as a camera operator, learning angles, movements and when it is best to use them. I have planned and made call sheets, shot lists and scripts and further developed my skills in post-production and editing particularly with using adobe after effects which I felt very unconfident in using before this project. For example I learnt how to use turbulent displace to distort faces and I learnt ho to use layering and luminosity to create colorful outlines/ shading. I also feel that I really mastered using keying so much when I was using effects like bulge to make it look seamless. These are all skills which I think will help me so much with future projects. Through experiencing problems and overcoming them throughout the project, ranging from last minute changes with actors, forgetting to charge equipment, lighting issues and time management, I feel that I have become a better music video director and learned ways to acknowledge and overcome difficulties for future projects. In addition to this i also feel like I have really improved my animation skills as I would have never been able to create complex animations like the ones I created for this project in the past, especially my blue complex animation that I created after feedback as it had seperate moving parts which I created using layering, this is something that I don't think I would have ever been able to do in the past as I had very little experience with using layering in Krita before this project. 

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Did I meet the brief:

 

Looking at the brief, I am happy that I have met the description of creating a final product, that showcases my ideas and incorporates all of the skills I have learned in the past two years of studying on the course. I have focused on my camera skills and am confident that I have developed this. I have presented to a high standard all of the skills shown on the skill sheet in my proposal, which includes editing, camera work, time management, script writing, animation, colour grading and cinematography in all of the production stages. By focusing on the editing, I have found that this is a skill that I am keen to develop further and perhaps work on in the future. I have also have gained knowledge in types of camera angles and movements, tracking mid shots, pan long shots, when they are best to use - how to create them. Looking at the work of Gapar Noe who is known for his captivating camera work. I have also met the brief on problem-solving, where I have anticipated difficulties within a shooting schedule and taught myself how to overcome them. Overall, looking at the final edit of the project, I feel I have met the brief and am proud of what I have worked on.

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Conclusion:

 

In conclusion, I feel my project has met the original concept idea and the brief given for the FMP. Research and practice have given me the tools to take with me and improve on future projects. I am confident that I have achieved what I set out to do and when watching my film, I have explored the effects of LSD and I feel that my music video is able to demonstrate what could go wrong and offer guidance to a young audience.

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