Rough Cut Analysis

We received a lot of responses from our media teachers for our rough cut video including a lot of positive feedback. The choice of location for the performance was greatly admired by the majority of viewers as they thought it appeared grand and majestic while still being suitable in terms of relating to the lyrics of the song due to the fact the majority is indoors.
The range of angles was also positively commented on along with the use of effects which were applied when editing. This was enhanced by the fact that we applied the rule of thirds on a number of occasions. These made our rough cut video appear professional.
The plot narrative was clear and simple to understand for the viewers and we learnt that the entire video was generally very competent when put together.

However, we also received a lot of constructive criticism and realised we had things which we needed to improve upon. We are required to film the majority of the footage again in order to ensure it is all high quality. We believe it will be better quality if we film again as we are more organised now and realise what we can do to improve upon the previous footage. Choosing a day when the weather is appropriate is a vital aspect to relate to the 'dream' sequence of the plot as well as ensuring that lighting is suitable, we apply the rule of thirds and make sure that it is all in perfect focus. Therefore, we will film most of the footage again.
The lighting on some of our shots appears relatively dark and dull due to the unfortunate weather on the day of filming meaning it would look better if we applied a bright filter to the shots taken outside.
The zoom into the photographs turns pixelated as it moved closer towards the photograph. This is due to the fact that we used a zoomed transition between the two shots. However, we now understand that it will be of a higher quality if we use a manual zoom on the camera when we film so we are required to film this section again.

In terms of acting, there is not really an evident change in facial expression between the shots taken inside and outside whereas the concept of the video states that she should look happy when outside and unhappy when inside. We know that the actress is capable of achieving this so we will simply film some more shots and impose them into the video to show a change in emotions at the different locations. The performance actress also needs to improve in terms of her guitar playing. It is obvious that she is not really playing the guitar as she is not able to do this, however, this makes it look very unrealistic. Therefore, we will re-film the performance of the video when she will make an effort to make it look more realistic. Furthermore, we will ask someone who is able to play the guitar properly to do so and we will shoot some close-ups of her hands as she does this to make it appear more realistic.

Interviews

We have conducted a number of interviews amongst members of our target audience in order to discover what appealed to them, and what requires improvement within the rough cut of our music video. In order to present their responses, we have produced a short video with their answers to our questions.

Rough Cut Questionnaire Feedback

We presented our video to a focus group of members from within our target market in our media class and asked them to fill out a questionnaire in response to the video. Beneath are the questions we asked and the answers which we found more appropriate in terms praise and helping us improve out video.

What would you rate our video out of 10 and why?
9- Very good performance and lighting is good.
7- There is a wide variety of shots, locations, camera angles etc.
8- Strong narrative, needs a stronger performance.
8- really good idea that matches the song.
7- some really good parts. The narrative actress is good.
8- Good narrative. The zoom into picture shots look very good.
9- for a rough cut it is really well done and could pull off a final version due to lack of mistakes or clear problems.

Was the narrative understandable?
Everyone answered yes.

Did the ratio of performance to narrative work in the video?
- I think there should be more cuts to the performer as it would help define the artist.
- Yes, 50/50
- A little bit more performance would have been nice.
- Yes, really well!
- I think you need a stronger performance. It is currently 90/10 but needs to be 70/30.
- Yes, a good balance with slightly more narrative.

Was the mise-en-scene appropriate for the folk/pop genre?
- Yes, I thought it was quite modern with the house scenes.
- The outfits were very fitting to the genre.
- Yes, the performance was so good, love the setting, however, the wellies look a bit odd.
- Yes, I loved the use of locations and the performer looked simple.
- Yes but it was a bit too dark, lighter outdoors would look better.
- Most, apart from the house scenes. It looks a bit local and ammature, perhaps shoot somewhere a bit less residential to show loneliness.
-Yes, acoustic/indie.

For the final video, what changes should be made? Are there any sections you think need filming again?
- I think the performer should be in an open space somewhere that fits with the feel of the song/genre.
- Some performance didn't really match up with the lyrics.
- The beach, it is a bit grim. Film again on a sunny day.
- The singer should sing more dramatically and have more eye contact with the camera.
- Some of the shots are quite shaky instead of being still. I also think the shots in the house should be done again because the lighting looks a bit yellow.
- Have a stronger performance.
- Loved the time lapse and the zooming in of the pictures but possibly have better acting to convey emotions.

Overall, we will take into account most of the constructive criticism in order to improve our video.

Rough Cut Feedback Questionnaire

After finishing the rough cut of our video we need to get feedback from our target audience to see what changes should be made before the final cut of the video. So in preparation for showing our video to our class tomorrow we have put together this feedback form that will help us develop the music video and make improvements. 

Rough Cut Feedback Questionnaire

Out On My Own

What is your age? ________________________

What is your gender?

Male     

Female

What would you rate our video out of 10 and why? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Was the narrative understandable?    YES/NO

Did the ratio of performance to narrative work in the video?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Was the mise-en-scene appropriate for the folk/pop genre?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For the final video what changes should be made? Are there any sections you think need filming again?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

Rough Cut Video

Today was the deadline for the rough cut of our video, here it is. 

Rough Cut Editing

This week we have been focussing on editing the footage we have collected over the past few weeks. We had around an hours worth of footage and so our real task has been selecting the very best clips and making sure everything flows well. We've been using the editing programme Premier to put together the video and we've looking at different effects and transitions that can be applied to our video to create an overall more professional vibe.

Editing: Speed Alterations

When editing the music video we discovered that some of the footage appeared relatively slow to watch and we wanted to alter the speed to make it more exciting and dynamic for the audience to watch. Therefore, we used the programme, Adobe Premier, and increased the speed of a number of our clips, for example the boat clips. We also needed to edit the speed during the town segment of the video to create the time lapse by speeding up the clip.