After a week of filming I was able to create the first prototype of my final music video. This video incorporates my response to the feedback from my target audience when they analysed my test shots. (Ends at 1.30.)
Whilst editing this video, I found it was very difficult to religiously stick to the chronological order of my storyboard. Inputting cut away shots, and disregarding shots that didn't fit the theme of my video, meant that I was forced to adapt the storyboard in order to establish a good flow that wouldn’t overcomplicate and obfuscate the linear narrative.
I have used iMovie to edit my music video.
Synchronising:
I had to synchronize my drumming clips to the beats of the song so that it looked like that I was playing the song on drums. This establishes authenticity and my music talent was a crucial reason behind why I am the main star in the music video. In order to synchronize the clip to the music I initially had to drag it onto the media tray. From there I zoomed in on iMovie, which enlarged the music track so I could see where the snare drums hits were. I was able to identify these hits as they occurred during the parts of the song where the volume increased significantly. So, I then organised the clips into a position where it was close to the snare drum beat. After that all I had to do was cut out any excess part of the clip that I didn’t need by splitting the clip. This was quite a long process to as It needed to be very accurate in order for it to work properly. I plan to use this editing technique in all of the choruses and again later in my video as I have found it useful and effective in conveying my intended connotations.
Reversing:
Another editing technique that I have used to modify my shoot was the reverse function. I selected the clip that I wanted to reverse then clicked the speed modifier and checked the reverse box. This made the clip play in reverse. The reversed sequence is used during the chorus’ of the song. I recorded a candle being blown out then reversed the footage to create an aesthetically appealing visual that links with the lyrics of the song and how the artists wishes that he could turn back time. The candle acts as a metaphor for the artist as he is currently exhausted and stressed out from overwork, and is therefore “extinguished”. He wishes to turn back to a time where he still had hopes and dreams, when his passion was “ignited.” By revising the clip of the candle these connotations are created and add a deeper layer of meaning to my music video thereby, strengthening the narrative. I plan to use this editing technique in all of the choruses and again later in my video as I have found it useful and effective in conveying my intended connotations.
Cutting on beat + Pacing:
I decided to have the opening of the song clips cut on the beat of the music in order to establish a fast pace. This means the narrative will be conveyed quickly and concisely. This in turn means that the audience won’t have to have a long attention span in order to understand the narrative. Moreover, another benefit of cutting on beat is that the audience is supplied with new visuals and therefore do not get bored by watching overly long video clips. By doing this my video retains the audiences attention which is vital if they are to understand the narrative of the video. However, there are parts of the song where it slows down. So to follow this slower pace, I have increased the length of the clips to enhance the self-reflection segments of the video (Where nature becomes prevalent). The audience will be able to relate to wanting to go back in time to when days were easier and the slower pace will create a melancholy tone. The relatability will make the audience feel compassionate towards the artist. The compassion and relatability combine to create a close, personal relationship between the musician and the audience, thereby strengthening the bond between the two. This will help develop a dedicated passionate fanbase for the artist, as they will feel like there is a connection between them. This may help boost revenues received from merchandise. I plan to continue cutting on beat throughout the song to make sure that the narrative is conveyed in a fast pace. To cut the clip on beat I had to identify where the drummer hits the snare drum. I did this by looking at the music track and seeing where the volume became much louder. When I found this point I would split the clip so that it ended when the hit occurred, creating a quick jump cut from one scene to the next.
Fade to white transitions:
I used fade to white transitions during the nature sequence of my music video, as it is a soft transition. This in turn slows the pacing of the music video down allowing ample time for reflection, which was the purpose for the nature cut aways as water is commonly used as a symbol for reflection in modern videography. Moreover, the colour white has connotations of purity and which could be associated with nature, so the two coincide naturally. The purity of the colour white also gives the audience a break from the dark tones and themes explored in the music video. To implement these transitions, I went to the transition section of iMovie and dragged it onto the media tray. I then placed it between the two clips that I wanted to transition between. I plan to use this editing technique again later in my video as I have found it useful and effective in conveying my intended connotations.
Speed up clips:
I decided to speed the drum kit establishing shot up as its purpose was to reveal the location for the next sequence of the music video and to intensify the build up to the chorus. So, this segment had some significance but not enough to last for 10 seconds. I changed the speed of the clip be selecting the clip that I wanted to speed up, then I clicked on the speed modifier and clicked custom speed. I was then able to speed up the clip by whatever per cent I wanted to. The original clip lasted for 10 seconds which is too long as it would cause the audience to lose interest in the narrative and the music video altogether. Moreover, the length of the clip made the pan really slow which didn’t work when applied to the song as the song has a fast pace with a beat that cuts sharply. So, in order to fix these issues, I quadrupled the speed of the clip, reducing the clip’s length to 1.3 seconds, however this was way too quick as the speed made the pan and pull focus look disorientating. Furthermore, the clip was nowhere near the sharp cut which occurs when the drummer hits the snare after the long pause with no drumming. So instead I doubled the speed of the clip increasing its length to 3.2 seconds but once again this was too fast as it had the same disorientating effect. In the end, I set a custom speed, increasing the speed of the clip by 110% making the clip last for 6.1 seconds, which created a nice transition and provided ample time to establish the new location. The length of the clip also fitted well with the slower pace of the song without dragging on. Furthermore, the pull focus and pan were no longer disorientating due to the slower pace of the clip. So I was able to achieve the clip’s intended effect without compromising the object of conveying the narrative in a fast enough pace so that the audience doesn’t lose interest. I plan to use this editing technique again later in my video as I found it useful and effective in conveying my intended connotations.
Audience Feedback:
My target audience liked the video overall, however they did mention some things that I could improve. Some of them liked the pacing of the video and how I consistently cut on beat. However, others thought that I overused it to the point where it became boring and repetitive. To combat this I plan to adjust the video so that it features different transitions like fading to white and cross dissolving to make the video more captivating. However, the song has sharp beats that are repeated throughout the song, meaning that the jump cut will remain as the transition that is used primarily.
Moreover, they also suggested that some of the clips were way too long and tended to drag on a bit, meaning that they began to lose interest. My response to this will be to shorten these clips to increase the pace of the video in order to retain the audience’s attention.
Additionally, my target audience thought that adding in a few cut away shots would benefit the flow of the music video and would aid in the video’s ability to captivate the audience. My response will be to add in some cut away shots to establish new sequence locations and to slow down the pacing of some parts of the song for dramatic effect.
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