Entry 10: Evaluation

Overall evaluation:

The beginning of this assignment was a success as we paired ourselves with a client who was reliable to begin with and the communication from both sides was good and we were discussing potential ideas for the music videos, where as in the stages where we should have been initiating an idea and coming together with times and dates to film I felt like we were let down and our client didn't have the requirements that we needed such as a final recording of the song. This held us back massively and we ended up losing contact with our client and having to suffice with creating a whole new music video with the same concept but a different song and different subject to film.

Improvements:

A big improvement that we could have picked on earlier on in the project was communication, communication between our client and between group members. I feel like if our communication was a lot more dedicated we would have ended up with a better outcome. We had a Facebook group chat set up with our client and all group members involved, this was a good way to communicate to begin with but when it came down to deciding important business to do with filming, we really needed another meeting with all persons involved so we could discuss our ideas in person, its a much better an reliable way of dealing with important decisions. I feel like communication could have been better int he group as well, personally I feel like I should have tried more to reach out and organise a meeting as i felt like it would benefit everyone involved, I should have spoken up about it and maybe the communication would have improved just a little.

What went well?

I feel like our ideas and concepts that we came up with were a really big strong point for us, we had so many ideas that were working so well and we were all very enthusiastic about exchanging ideas we were all very engaged with each others opinions, I think this was our strongest asset. 

What didn't go well?

During the end of our project I was unable to film due to absence, leaving my group to film which was something we discussed for a while and decided that it was okay that I was absent during filming as I could create my own version through editing when I was back. Because of my absence this left my group one member down, when it comes to filming I feel like it's essential to have all member present, tit was not possible for me to be there at all and if we had not left filming so late I could have been there to film as I aimed to film before I left. Of course my absence didn't help but it wasn't anyones fault as we were behind on our filming schedule and our client really let us down. This caused our group to split in a way as I was left on my own to edit my own version of the music video as this was the fairest way to do it without scrapping the project entirely which wouldn't have been possible as we had no time left and very little options, especially after i came back.

Reviews

I showed my music video to several people who answered a questionnaire. Through my findings I found that the attributes that I liked the most about my music video other people also liked, out of the 15  people that filled out my questionnaire I found that 10 people picked up on the overlying technique that I used and that they thought it was really effective, something that I also thought was an effective technique. 

Another 3 in 15 people thought that there were parts that could have been improved, such as the lack of narration, 1 person specifically commented that lip-synching could have been a nice addition to the music video, and I also agree with this statement and I feel as though this could have improved my music video massively. 

10 in 15 people stated that they liked the music and that they thought it fitted well to suit the mood and the style of the footage.

2 out of 15 people thought the location could have been a bit more varied, they stated that the location seemed a bit repetitive. I really liked the location but i still agree with this statement, a few more locations included would have made the video a little more interesting. 

Entry 9: Recording The Song

Whilst discussing the aspects of our music video we were too busy to recognise that our client hadn't officially recorded her song properly. This was a huge constraint as we can't record the video until we have the song recorded, we debated filming the video with the rough version of the song but much we couldn't afford to risk committing to the rough version of the song and then messing up when it came to synching everything up with the polished version of the song. We arranged a meeting with our client so she could record the song, however due to communication issues we didn't meet up with her and the song didn't get recorded. (something that is very crucial for us right now)

Our client then decided she would record the song by herself with help from other people outside our college. I have requested her to tell us when she's recorded the song and if she can upload it to soundcloud straight away so we can hear it for ourselves and only after then can we proceed with creating the actual music video.

Entry 8: Creating the Proposal

We are at the stage where we are ready to present and pitch our idea to our demographic. Writing the proposal has started out really well, I have completed my part, I'm now just waiting for the rest of my group to complete it and add their contribution and then it's ready to present. Breaking each aspect of the video down for the proposal was an easy process, I wrote about location, inspiration, genre and target audience, these are all things I am so far confident in especially target audience because I've done the primary research I have a lot of information on our target audience which is crucial information to have at this point.

Entry 7: Constraints

One of the biggest constraints for this project especially at the moment would be time, this as been something that we have tried our very best to work around but have still always found it difficult to keep up with all the different aspects of this project. It would have helped if we arranged a meeting with Alicia earlier, as it would put our ideas into place a lot earlier on in the project giving us more time and freedom to film/edit. We are now in a position where time is limiting us and making us make decisions that we need more time to think about, for example the concept of the video is something we really need to think about as a group and decide whats best/what will work, this is why meeting Alicia earlier on in the production would of made things easier for both sides.

Another constraint is communication, as I see Alice and Ellie almost every day it's easy to talk to each other about how the process is going, however our client lives far away from us making it difficult to meet in person again (which would be really useful as our first meeting went so well) and discuss all the important aspects that we need to know in order to keep up with the pace of the project which has ben going well for us so far. Our only way of communicating with everyone involved is through a Facebook group chat we've all set up which is helpful, but when it comes to filming it would help to know who is going to be there as we discussed actors being involved and we can only contact them through Alicia, which again doesn't help as she's not in easy place to reach when we need her.

One other constraint is finding an idea to settle on, whilst creating the mind map i realised we have so many ideas which is great because it gives us options but on the other hand we don't have time to ponder on too many different ideas because at this point where time is already a constraint we need to pick one idea and stick with it as we're running out of time and the last thing we want is to get near the filming stage and still not have a clue what we want to do, to fix this we will need to talk to each other and settle on on definite idea that everyone is happy with, the sooner we do this the quicker we can get the filming side done which is our priority at the moment.

Entry 6: First Formal Meeting

Today we had our first formal meeting with Alicia, for a first meeting it was very successful. There were no problems with getting to the location of the meeting which was our only concern, everything went relatively smoothly. In the meeting we discussed everything that covers the storyboard as this was our best way of breaking up the different aspects, from setting to wardrobe we talked about all the possible outcomes and there was very good communication between everyone involved in the meeting.

The first thing we needed to decide was the song, we listened to the her new uploads on soundcloud whilst we were there so we could discuss on the spot. After much debate we've decided to go for the song 'Yellow Brick Road" we came up with a few possible locations to film as well, they all include an outdoor type scenery, so we came up with a woodland type scene and possibly Brighton Beach.

It's exciting to know that we have ideas being put into place already, talking to Alicia and hearing what she wanted for this project really helped as well and we are keen to put together a final idea and get ready to film.

Entry 5: Arranging a meeting

Yesterday myself and Alicia were emailing each other back and forth to finally organise a formal meeting where we could all sit and discuss our ideas in person, something that has been needing to happen for a while. We've decided on meeting in a coffee shop quite local to all of us, making it easier to meet halfway. I'm happy we've finally arranged to meet as this gives us an easier opportunity to put our ideas and opinions out in the open without having to wait for a response.

Entry 4: Waiting for a response

It's been about a week since we last heard from our client, the last thing we heard was confirmation that she was going to send us some of her original songs the next day, as we haven't heard back from her we can't continue with the pre-production work as it involves a lot of visual planning, something we are unable to do without a proper taste of her music. Personally it's a little worrying that we haven't had a reply as our worst situation would be to have an unreliable client. I've emailed her back inquiring if she would be up for a formal meeting where we can exchange ideas in person and get a feel of what working with each other is like.

Entry 3: Response From Client

Today we were pleased to find out that Alicia got back to us on the email and is more than happy to co-orporate with us on the music video. She was keen to send us more of her original songs which we are looking forward to hearing. Personally I feel very relieved that we officially have someone to work with, it really sets the rest of the project in stone and helps us with whatever the next step may be.

I now just have to work on the mind map which; after listening to our clients music should be easier than originally anticipated as I can think about aspects such as genre and potential style of music video, something I couldn't complete with too much confidence before as we didn't have a client to rely on to give us this sort of information and ideas.

Entry 2: Contacting the client

Today myself and Alice listened to an artist from ACM named Alicia Hutchinson. After listening to a cover of the popular song 'Stay With Me' and an original song entitled 'You Really Think' we really approve of this artist in terms of genre and style. We decided to contact Alicia and get in touch to exchange ideas about the project. We are now just waiting for an email back and are eager to hear from her.

I'm personally very happy we have found someone to contact with for now, it gives us that first step into making real progress. I'm personally eager to work with her after listening to her music because it sounds very promising and something I think we, as a group can work with.

Entry 1: Initiating the project

This project is all about creating a music video for a given band/artist and working with said artist to create a piece that illustrates and strings together something both sides working on the project are happy with. So far in the process we have initiated our groups and have decided to work in different groups than we did for the practice assignment this was due to too many group members being in the group which made it harder to communicate and divide up tasks meaning the end result wasn't what we anticipated nor was it what we aimed for. This time however we are in a smaller group which will make it easier to make decisions and come together to communicate. Our next step is to look for an artist and song to work with, after we complete that step we can start discussing ideas and concepts, this will make the process move along a lot smoother and easier, all we need to focus on now, however is to find a band that covers a certain style that we are comfortable with in terms of genre.