Risk Assessment

It is important to consider risks before our group begins filming, as health and safety is our priority; making sure everyone remains unharmed by the end of filming, otherwise we run the risk of filming and not being completed due to an accident occurring. A risk assessment is carried out in order to reduce the chance of injury happening. As a group we had to assess our locations for potential risks and consider a plan to reduce the risk and document the process. An example being, the risk of theft by surrounding people in rough areas such as Camden and Brick Lane. The way in which we would handle this risk is to wear the safety straps on at all time, so that the equipment is attached to one of the group members, which also in fact reduces the risk of dropping the equipment causing damage.

A risk assessment will assist me when filming as the chance of either myself, Georgia, Drew, Rhianna or any additional characters from becoming injured during the filming process. Obviously being the people filming, we not only have to look out for ourselves and the team, but we are also liable for general public's safety, eg. not leaving equipment out for anyone to trip over. The risk assessment is also clarification that you cannot be held responsible for any accidents if all have been analysed, unless one risk has not been. 

The only additional risks encountered during filming was in the forest, with branches randomly placed on the fall, increasing the risk of Georgia tripping whilst performing. Another being, during Georgia's performance when seen sitting on an unstable fence. In order to avoid both risks, we had to make sure her walking path was clear of anything that could potentially cause her harm, as well as test the if the fence could support Georgia's weight when sitting on it. If we did not test this risk then there was a big possibility the fence could collapse and Georgia may have fallen into the lake. Luckily everything went to plan and all group members remained unharmed.

Description of Hazard	Prevention of Hazard
Falling in between the gap at a train station, when stepping from the platform onto the train.	Ensure all group members stand behind the yellow line on the platform at all times. Also, make sure that the group are aware of surrounding people whether the platforms busy or quiet and the people getting on and off the train.
Risk of falling into the canal.	Make sure Georgia and Drew walk slowly and carefully when   approaching the canal. Ensure that when position themselves they do not step too near to the edge.
Being hit by motor vehicles when crossing the roads.	Ensure that Georgia and Drew cross the roads safely by either looking both ways repeatedly when crossing or to cross at traffic lights if available.
Damage inflicted to the camera.	Make sure all the safety straps are securely fastened onto my wrist at all times during filming. If the camera is placed onto the tripod, ensure that the tripod itself is held to prevent it being knocked over.
Risk caused by the surrounding diverse people, with the possible risk of theft.	Make sure all equipment is kept at a close distance and are kept safe by all group members, particularly me being the cameraman, reducing the risk of theft. Another prevention is so wear safety straps on at all times.
Risk of team members or surrounding people tripping over the equipment eg. The tripod.	Make sure everyone stays out of the equipment zone. This will require extra team members helping to direct the general public around the equipment ensuring everyone remains safe and unharmed.
Health risk to Georgia and Drew when smoking.	Make sure the characters are not to inhale the smoke too much and are not around it for too long. We could always use an E-cigarette as an alternative, however would not have the same effect.

Storyboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the purpose of a storyboard?

 

The story board itself has a effect role in ordering the shots which we aim to cover. The story board for any media film plans the footage from start to finish and allows the crew members to be organized and know what needs to be filmed and how long for. The storyboard covers what actors are in what shots, how long the frame lasts and also the type of editing needed. As a group we were made away of how to execute the shot with precision and knew what we wanted the outcome to appear like. The production process is made more efficient by using the story boards and therefore is a useful tool to use when producing a music video. Our ideas were put onto paper, and then the storyboard is a final over view before we take our ideas to be filmed. The story boards additional purpose was also to change and improve our original ideas as a group and see what will look the best and make our video more successful for our target audience.

 

How did you use your primary and secondary research that you carried out, to plan your music video?

Overall our research contacted was mainly focused on what our target audience would find aesthetically pleasing. We wanted to include as many aspects as we could that our target audience would want to see and what they liked based on the findings from our vox pops and questionnaires. The findings of our research was therefore heavily influential when creating our storyboards as we aimed to create a specific style to our music video The content within the video was found enjoyable by our target audience and we used this when creating our story board. The performance was also covered in the story boards as we knew that the audience of 13 to 24 year olds would be extremely interested in the visual performance as well as the narrative. We incorporated this into the story board and aimed to build a relationship between the lyrics being sung and the on screen visuals.

 

 

How did you and your group storyboard your music video?

 

Creating the storyboard together allowed all of us to have a say in how we wanted our music video to appear. We kept in mind specific aspects of our video from the research and tried to include ideas from all group members. We wanted a variety of shots, and knew that to include the instrument would mean we were appealing to the indie music genre convention. We wanted to throughly plan our video before we took it too filming, and we also had a discussion of how and when we would film each piece to insure our time was most effective. Overall the message from all group members was that we wanted to put what the public said into our video, convey to genres and also keep in mind the visual and artist relationship which we of course wanted to be strong.

 

 

How did you share the responsibility?

 

We were each assigned a role and created specific parts of the story boards in pairs. This made the discussion regarding what and when we wanted to film more intimate, and we could spend our time more efficiently whilst taking in turns to create each frame. I drew the images whilst other group members talked and dictated what should go when. We already had an idea of what we wanted, therefore sharing the responsibility was easily as we had a common goal of what we wanted and knew how we wanted the video to look and what would appeal to our target audience and the indie/pop music genre.  This uniformed process ensured that we were all happy with the storyboards.

 

Did you follow your storyboards, or did you make changes?

 

We pretty much followed the storyboard, yet in the editing process some footage was swapped around simply because it fit better and would look more visually pleasing. We all shared the same vision of how we wanted the video to appear. The storyboards allowed us to stay focused and we knew we could always refer back to it. We planned the time well, and didn't change how long we wanted each clip to play for. The story board for the performance was particularly helpful and we kept to our plan as it was well thought through. We did make some changes, for example in the apple tree panning shots we picked more footage up in Camden so inserted it alongside the pub sign. This was done so we could build a stronger link with the audience and also incorporate more of an indie alternative edge into the video. In conclusion we mostly did conform to our plan however the narrative did evolve slightly and was improved which overall made our video more conventional to the indie genre and was more of a success.

Rough Cut

A rough cut is important to consider as it allows you to understand what direction the music video is going in, therefore allowing you to make a clear judgement and understand what the strengths and weaknesses are of the music video. It is a good idea to share a rough cut with audiences so that you can gain audience feedback. This is helpful to understand what parts of the music video audiences enjoy and can relate to. Likewise, you can gain an understanding of what parts of the music video need improving.

We recieved feedback by uploading our music video to youtube. I then promoted this by sharing the youtube link on facebook:

I chose to post the video on facebook as facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites, therefore by doing this our video would be presented to a wider audience and gain more feedback. I recieved very positive comments on this link and also many likes.

I did recieve some constructive critisim also, such as: "Perhaps you could alter the contrast/colour within the death scene to make it look more tense and proffesional". This is definitely something I will take into consideration as I would like the death scene to be as powerful as possible. Somebody also suggested altering the titles to make it look more proffesional. Again this is something I will take into consideration as I wanted to music video to look as proffesional as possible, however I would like to keep the large 'Georgia Ray' title as this style of title is very modern as tends to appear alot in recent music videos.

From watching the rough cut, I would personally like to make some alterations to the final sequence after the bonfire section. Rather than showing clips of drugs and alcohol, I think it would be nicer to show memories of the artist and her boyfriend when they were together. I think that showing drugs and alcohol after the boyfriend has died is irrelevant and unessessary and would be more effective to show previous clips of the relationship (good times or bad) to represent and reflect on the artist's state of mind.

Other than these alterations I am very pleased with our music video and it seems as though public audiences do too. Creating a rough cut is definitely a productive way to allow yourself and audiences to view your product and work out what could be improved, consequently making the best of your product.

Digipak Analysis

The purpose of a digipak is to engage the audience and persuade them to buy the product. A  digipak is different to a CD as it contains more slides therefore provides the audience with more information about the artist and the album.

The following image is a digipak of Mumford and Sons' album "Sigh No More". Much like Nina Nesbitt's tour advertisement, Mumford and Sons use very light and naturalistic colours. This represent their music as it conveys their light and acoustic sound. It is noticable that the shop that they are standing in is painted white whereas the ones next door are darker, this is so that they stand out as a band and are immediately spotted.

The design/layout is very well thought out. The use of an old and distressed street/shop adds an edginess to the digipak, presenting the band as unique, much like the use of a distressed brick wall in the Nina Nesbitt avertisement. The fact that the band are holding their musical instruments represents their performing and songwriting ability. This is conventional to the indie genre as it presents them as music artists rather than a star or image, and therefore realtes to an indie audience. I think that the layout is also very poignant. The band themselves are placed slightly off center and are displayed in a small window, so therefore aren't necessarily the main focus point. I think that the first thing you notice when you look at the digipak is the name "Mumford and Sons" with the album name underneath, as the title is actually bigger than the image of the band. This is conventional the indie genre as it is promoting the album name and the band's music, rather than promoting the band as an image, which goes against Dyer's Theory. This represents the band as songwriter's with a musical talent and informs the audience that their intention is to make music, rather than sell themselves as a product. This would interest an indie audience.  The font used for the title is quite formal and authentic. This represents the band's music and shows that their songs and sound holds a lot of authenticity and realism.

Magazine Advert Analysis

The purpose of magazine advertising is to inform audiences, to sell a product and to build the name recognition. Within the following tour advertisement, Nina Nesbitt is represented as a pop artist, however is specifically edging towards the indie genre. This representation is evident because of the choice of colours, images, design and typography.

Lighter colours are used throughout this advert, such as green, light blue and cream. These light colours are conventional to Nina Nesbitt as an artist as her music is very light-hearted and acoustic. The choice of image is very poignant and is a great representation of the artist. The image shows Nesbitt standing neutrally with her hands by her sides looking at the camera. However, she isn't posing. This presents Nesbitt as a very naturalistic artist. It also presents her as an indie artist as it shows the audience that she isn't trying to sell herself as a star or an image, she is selling herself as an ordinary person and more importantly selling her music. The layout of the advertisement is appropriate as the typography doesn't overlap the artist, therefore makes the artist the focus point as the typography almost outlines her. This layout could be used to explain to the audience that her albums and performances are all about her, in the sense that she writes her own songs, accompanies herself by playing her own instruments etc. Therefore the fact that the layout makes her the focus point proves that not only is she the performer, but she is also very much behind the scenes writing her own music also. I believe that the typography also helps represent her as a songwriter as well as a singer. To me, the font used to present her name almost looks like handwriting. This is conventional to Nina as an artist as it could be used to portray her song writing skills. As opposed to a bold, computer-generated font, I think that the font used in this advertisement definitely relates to Nina Nesbitt as an artist.


The naturalistic style to this advertisement definitely promotes and represents the music and the artist. The use of natural colours, typography, images and layout, Nina Nesbitt is presented as a talented person rather than a star or an image. This consequently gives the audience an idea of what sort of music and performances that she would produce. Her natural and ordinary style gives audiences the correct impression that she would produce more acoustic-based music and would most probably write her own songs. I think that her naturalistic representation would attract a younger audience, possibly more female-based as young women would look up to her and see her as a role model.

Planning Lighting and Colour

Lighting is very important within the music video production. Every lighting set-up provides a specific mood, emotion, atmosphere, and aesthetics to the overall film viewing experience. Without light, it is not possible to see anything, and it is not possible to shoot a film. For example, a horror movie uses light to make the scene look sinister or eerie, whereas the lighting and colour in a children's movie would be very vibrant and colourful.

To follow the conventions of the indie genre we would like to use naturalistic lighting throughout specfic sections of the music video. During the performance section we want to film at around 2 o'clock in the afternoon so that the sun will still be up. On screen this will make the lighting look very high key which is what we want for this segment of the music video. Naturalistic lighting is something that you would tend to find within an indie music video as the indie genre likes to present a natural artist with natural surroundings. This naturalism is also relatable to the majority of audiences.

Throughout the first chorus our music video we will be displaying footage of the artist and her boyfriend, however we want to make this footage look like its a good memory from early on in the relationship that the artist is thinking about. To do this we will film at around midday so that the sun is at its highest, giving the footage a warm feel to it. We will then alter the colour in the editing process to make the footage look aged and bright, portraying happiness and positivity.

Within the second chorus, we will again be showing footage of the artist and her boyfriend, hoever this time we want the footage to look darker to connote how the relationship is turning bad. To create this feel we will be filming in the evening, to give a darker and more dangerous feel to the footage. This will contrast well with the previous sections as they will consist of lighter and more sepia toned colours, whereas this section will have low-key lighting and consist of darker colours, including the colours of our clothing and our surroundings. This decision in lighting and colour will challenge the conventions of the indie genre, as it will give off a more grungy vibe rather than indie. Thiswill hopefully give our music video a unique and original feel with an indie song contrasting with grungy visuals. However I think that this will work with the song and it's message and will still follow indie in the sense that the message of the song is being promoted rather than the artist.

The lighting and colour of a music video must be planned out very well because it contributes to the atmosphere of the music video. The lighting and colour must match the genre and your intentions on he music videos' mood, otherwise it would break the music video and won't be relatable to your target audience.

Planning Editing

Editing plays a big part with the music video production. The editing process consists of taking all of the filmed footage and placing it in a specific order by cutting the footage and using transitions. The editing style of a music video is very important as it brings your footage to life and gives it a certain atmosphere, for example: an action sequence would consist of fast pace editing and straight cuts, whereas a romantic scene would consist of slow pace editing and possibly cross-dissolve transitions. By using specific editing styles and following certain codes and conventions, you can make your product relatable to your chosen genre/target audience.

Our footage with an 'Aged' and 'Mask' effect.

To edit our music video we will be using Final Cut Pro X. I want our music video to look edgy in order to challenge the conventions of indie, therefore I will be using a lot of effects and tints when editing. During the music video there will be sections that show previous events of the artist and her boyfriend, which I will edit to look as though these are memories that the artist is thinking about. To make this evident I will use an aged effect to differentiate between the present and the memories. I will also like to use an effect called 'mask' which creates a black, feathered border. This gives the footage a 'polaroid' feel to it, implying that the footage is a memory.

Our footage with a fast-motion effect.

Another editing effect I would like to use is a fast motion effect. I think that presenting footage in fast motion (such as traffic) could portray the fast-moving relationship between the artist and her boyfriend. This effect represents the message within the song and therefore promotes the music, which is conventional to the indie genre.

Our footage with colour tints and
a cross-dissolve transition to show a
gradation in colour.

I would also like to use colour tints and cross-dissolve transitions. The bridge in the song 'The Apple Tree' is a lot slower. For this section of the song I was thinking that we could take our footage and cut it into two. The first section would have a very vivid and colourful tint, whereas the section section would have a black and white tint. I would then like to link these sections with a cross-dissolve so that it looks like the colour is being drained and taken away. This would represent the end of the relationship. This brings the lyrics of the song to life, essentially promoting the music which is conventional to indie.

I believe that it is important to plan your editing styles or at least have an idea of your editing styles since the editing process is such an important part of a music video production. It is also a very time consuming task therefore it is best to be organised.