Editing Diary- Video Development

chorus section from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

In todays lesson, we focused again on a smaller section of the video. I am happy with the outcome and believe that so far this is the best edited part of the video so far. For instance, the cuts sync perfectly with the beat of the song. The video above shows the small section of the video and we think that the quick cuts would aid the build up to the chorus and add tempo to the song. In addition to this section, we placed some of the clips later in the video to give us a clearer idea of the crosscutting between the two characters in our narrative. We have placed the car scenes in different sections of the video and will surround these clips with other narrative and performance clips. 

Editing Diary

editing example (chorus build up) from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

In todays lesson we focused on the middle section of our video. We added more narrative clips and focused on editing to the beat of the music. The clip above shows our first attempts on a minor section of the video. I like the constant crosscut between the two parts of the narrative as it helps to build tension of the other character catching up with him. We have discovered that this can be rather time consuming, but we have worked out the timings of the beat which makes it a lot easier to place and the clips well. Due to the large size of the file, we cannot upload the full video but we have started to place the narrative clips above the already placed performance and it is beginning to look like a semi-structured music video. We will improve the positioning of the clips section by section so each part is of a high quality.

Potential Digipak Design

I think I may use this design for one of my rear panels. It keeps the photography theme and it would offer some variety with my grayscale design. However, I will have to be careful and wary that it does not stick out too much. I could also place the design in black and white if this helps to keep the digipak consistent and looking like one product. I will trial and create an alternative panel design incase it does not fit well.

Digipak (Front Cover) Development

I wanted to give my main image some wear so it did not stand out too much on the cover. I used ripped paper as the template for the torn edges on the digipak. I used the magnetic lasso tool and inverse selected the selected area, deleting the overlapping image. I then narrowed down the tear, placing over the main image, this give the tear effect on the image.

I used the opacity eraser to blend the two image together for a seamless tear. This made the image look damaged instead of two images placed on to of on another. This can been seen in the image below. I also wore the image by leaving some of the un erased lines from the ripped paper template to further age and distort the image. I think this improves the digipak dramatically as the images seem to have blended together well and look like a real product.

Here are two versions of my cover at the moment. I have inserted the new logo on the PSD document to give me a clearer idea of my final product. As a front cover, I think the panel has potential as the text can be clearly read and the worn effect look realistic. I am yet decided on whether to include my actor in colour or in black and white. I am favouring the coloured artist as it shows that he is significant and of primary importance of the front cover.

Logo Alteration

As I have developed my digipak, I feel that my logo may be out of place and lacks similarities with my overall digipak design. I would like a more worn look (Using torn paper) I think this could look simple but clear for my audience to read while keeping the brand consistent.

On this version I have added a lens flare. I feel this may be over the top and not suit the rest of the digipak but I will trial with the outcome and decide. Here is the logo in place with my current digipak front cover construction-

I have also made the logo without the lens flare, as this may look better considering the stylistic features already used in the digipak design. At the moment, I prefer this version and think that i could develop it further using the filter gallery and editing the opacity and fill. Here is the logo unedited-

I prefer the simplicity of this design as it remains consistent with the rest of the background and is clear to read from a distance. I also think the logo has the advantage of being visible on multiple backgrounds. For example, the black torn paper works as a border for the text so the 'ryan tyler' always has clarity. This means i do not have to worry about using other effects which may damage the clarity and view of the text. This structure could similarly be used for the album title- which i am currently considering (font and name)

Digipak Photoshoot

After failing to capture any good footage for our video, we decided to stay and take many photos for our digipak, above are a variety of the photos which we took. I understand that many will be omitted and may have several issues- such as focus- but I thought it was best to take as many as possible when I was lucky to have the actor present. Unfortunately, the lighting was not fantastic for the shoot but this did not harbour or damage any of my photos selected as my digipak will be majorly in black and white- meaning the vibrant lighting will not be seen or needed from my images. As my digipak will contain my solo artist, I think it is important for my digipak to have a sole focus on one character, as he is the face of the brand as well as the music. The location for our shoot was several beach, as the bridge and sea can be rather scenic but there are also elements of the seafront which look run down and urban such s the barbed wire and danger signs. I am yet to decide a name for my Artist but I am going to consider what I have captured and use this for inspiration to create an appropriate album title.

Below are some of the images took in the shoot, I will practice using several of the images and trial which particular one will look best on each panel. This will depend o other elements such as text also-

Editing Diary

In todays lesson, we continued to edit the beginning of the video. As previously stated, the amount of cuts (around 60) makes it incredibly difficult to edit. We our taking our time on this section as we feel that if we can nail the precision of the editing it will look incredibly good and make the most of an instrumental start. As the image shows, we continued to swap clips and place them to the beat as much as possible. In our previous attempt, we actually duplicated footage, we removed these clips and hope the clip is now developing well. This should be the most tedious part of the editing, as I feel other elements with be simpler as we can just place narrative over the performance footage. The clip shows the improved edition-

NEXT STEP-  Add Narrative Clips (Beginning)

Wall Of Glass- 3rd Cut (Narrative Section developed) from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Editing Diary- 3rd Cut

Our plan for the first 20 seconds of instrumental was to crosscutting constantly on the beat between the narrative and performance. The pace of this section was extremely fast paced so we thought that if we executed the editing well the video would look very professional. We counted (using a clicker counter app) that the 22 secs has a total of 64 constant beats, therefore needing 64 cuts. This would work out as 32 cuts for each the narrative and performance. Additionally, we timed the space between each beat- 0.3 seconds- meaning each clip we placed would have to be this long for the editing to work well on the beat.

Here is the app we used to keep track of the beats and help us count how many cuts were needed-

Below is our attempted crosscut. We do know that there are slight timing issues and several clips seem to be repeated but we think it is a very good start for quite a advanced piece of editing.-

I decided the best way to keep a constant 0.3 second gap was using a green screen cutaway- which was copy and pasted when the performance was wanted- as we placed the narrative footage above the rest.

Wall Of Glass- 3rd Cut (Narrative Section) from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Editing Diary- 2nd Cut

Wall Of Glass- 2nd Cut (all performance) from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

With all of our footage filmed, our attention has swiftly turned to the editing process of the video. We have already created the first cut which simply includes long cuts from our performance footage to get an idea of how easily matching the videos to the song are and what it generally looked like. In today's double period, we decided to advance our original cut further by splitting up the long clips and introducing a variety of shots. This was important because we need to include as many shots as possible to follow the tempo of the song. This lesson went well because we were both suggesting ideas and places for new clips to go and they could be easily inserted without ruining the lip syncing by simply putting the clip on top of the original timeline. This works because the video highest on the timeline takes priority and thus made the editing process much easier. Below is a screenshot of how this works and an updated version of our video and I believe that it is starting to come together and will look professional with the footage that we filmed yesterday incorporated. Our next focus is sorting out the first section of the video where we are quickly cross-cutting between two long takes, Ryan walking into the studio and Tom walking towards the water edge. This is crucial in the success of our video because it takes place for a long part of the song, it needs to be cut on the beat and it needs to be engaging and hook the viewer. Therefore, editing this to a high standard may take a couple of lessons to get right.

Filming Diary (Narrative 19th November)

We finally filmed our narrative section of the music video today after multiple attempts. We arrived at our filming location at 8:30 am and this was perfect because the sun was up and the lighting was sufficient. As expected, however, we did come across lots of dog walkers because of the nice weather but this didn't really affect our filming because we just waited a few seconds for them to pass. During our filming session that we finished earlier than expected, we filmed much more footage than we needed and included elements that were not on our storyboard and this was effective because this could be included in areas where we are lacking footage. One issue that we experienced today was that our camera would not focus on a phone screen and this was a crucial part of our narrative. Consequently, we resulted back to filming on our iPhones just for this shot and this was much more effective because it picked up the screen a lot better. Below is a video of the footage that I obtained on my phone-

Filming Schedule (Narrative 19th)

As displayed in this screenshot, the weather for Sunday is overcast with very little chance of rain. We are going to film at eight o'clock in the morning because Tom has other commitments in the afternoon, we want to avoid any chance of the public interfering with our filming and the lighting should be at its best at this time. Taking these three elements into account, we should be able to film all of our narrative section well and at a high quality with no issues.

Photoshop Tutorials

Here are some YouTube videos which I used to help me develop and offer me potential ideas. These will make my digipak look a lot better as the outcome can often look very professional and less amateur.

Digipak Development

This digipak panel attempt took longer than my previous attempt, as I seriously tried to show the darkroom photography effect, however did not want to much of an abrupt colour/contrast change. I also gave the background of the main image a worn and stained effect, giving the image more of a realistic and less perfect look. I scanned a piece of paper with hand written numbers, removing the background using the magic eraser, to make the image look less precise and digital. I created a new layer with the actor in colour, rather than back and white. This could alternatively work well as my artist would stand out from the location and setting, signifying his importance from the rest of the image. To smoothen the edge, I have adjusted the hardness of the eraser, getting rid of the straight lines.

CD (digipak) Development

These are my first attempts of practising the darkroom photography manipulation in photoshop. I was happy with the style and look it gave the digipak. I used the lasso tool, then inverse selecting, and changing the colour levels. I have also added 'despeckle' and 'noise' to give the photo a retro look. For practice purposes, I played with proximity of the logo. I did like placing the logo in the lower section of the panel. This gave a symmetrical and modern look. When I develop my pictures, I will change the white background, including some handwritten text and showing some wear and imperfections on the background.

I will gradually lighten or darken the contrast on the image to show the darkroom effect. This is not so clear on these images but I would, for the final product, show a clear distinction. I would like to develop my photoshop skills as I practice potential designs, to give my final product the best quality effects.

Performance Footage (1st Cut)

Wall Of Glass- 1st Attempt from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Above is my first edited video. I am happy about the outcome as I found is relatively easy to match lip syncing to the visuals, which will be a good building block for the rest of our video. The cuts are very long and the video in parts may seem very laboured (particularly the first 20 seconds) as this will later be quickly edited on the beat of the music with our narrative footage. In addition, several times the camera is out of focus and the shots are shaky. As we captured so much footage, it has taken me a while to discover which will work best in our final video. The majority of the video above has been taken from one SD Card, so the video will become much faster and the variety of angles should improve dramatically by the next cut.

Checklist/Aims for next cut-

• Faster/shorter cuts
• Remove poor quality footage
• Add some narrative
• Wider range of angles- take from other SD Card

Footage from 2nd Narrative Shoot (16th Nov)

Weds Nov 17th Footage from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Here is some raw footage from our shortened trip to film yesterday. Some of the footage is practice shots, which we reshot straight after, however it will help us show what shots may need more time invested in than others. We are happy with what we captured and will recreate the shots as similar as possible when we refilm,We have looked at the weather forecast and decided that Sunday Morning is the closest possible date that we are available to film. Hopefully, the lighting we be a lot brighter and the footage will not be ruined again.

Filming Diary (16th November)

Unfortunately, we travelled to our location and were mid way through shooting and we had to call the trip off. We began filming with good lighting, with the sky clear, however about half an hour later the lighting was terrible and the weather turned for the worst. We decided, despite having all the equipment and actors, that is was not worth continuing as the footage would be poor quality. Another minor setback we faced was that our previous narrative actor, Joe, decided he no longer wanted to be part of our project. This was incredibly frustrating as all of our previous footage was now useless. We decided that I would step in and try our best to get good footage, which will work when we decide to re-shoot on Sunday 19th November.

This is a screenshot of our lost shot. It is clear that the lighting was too poor to continue, the character can barely be seen and we were worried about damaging the Camera (which is not ours) as it is not waterproof. Next time we shoot, we are going as early as possible, so the lighting should be improved and the location should not be overly busy.

Practice Shots (at Pirate Studios)

Practice Shots (Pirate Studios) from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Learning Comment

Before we started capturing our main footage we practised in several ways to avoid errors and affecting the quality of our videos. For example, we looked out for-

• Auto Focus/Camera Setting issues
• Dust on the lens
• Lighting Issues
• Quality of our actors lip syncing (offer advice if possible)

The majority of our clips have no major issues. We slightly adjusted camera setting to improve the lighting but the studio was very well lit so little change was needed. Our actor was also very competent and confident as an actor which sped up the process of tuning minor issues.We adjusted the camera focus settings throughout the shoot (using manual focus as well as also select).

Filming Diary (November 11th) @ Pirate Studios

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Today we filmed for the second, this time at a indoor studio location for the performance side of the video. We booked the studio 1-4 and found this the perfect amount of time needed to set the equipment up and film carefully and considerably. I think that we captured a range of good footage, not facing any major issues along the way. We used two cameras (each equipped with tripods) to gain more footage which will without a doubt improve the outcome of our final product. The only minor issue we had at the shoot was a technical one. One of the camera SD Cards corrupted but all of the footage was saved on the laptop so for the last hour of the shoot we were limited to one camera. We got all of the song lip synced and filmed- on tripod completely and also the majority handheld in separate clips. This should give us plenty of adequate footage to work with. Please see the images above to show the equipment we used and how we set up for filming on the day.

Location Visit (Pirate Studio)

Task 24- Photo Shoot Planning

The majority of my images will include my performance actor (Ryan) as he will front the brand as a solo artist. I will stress the importance and significance of his role as a solo artist by using a range of close ups and mid shots, with the focus of the Digipak being him. When taking shots, I will try to include some location shots, showing a slightly edgier and urban side. For example, an image like this (captured at our location visit):

On the photoshoot, I would like to capture the images at our video location for the narrative, I feel this would link the artist to the song. In addition, I think that outside would be better for the photos as the lighting is natural and more likely to look to a professional standard. However, I will take my opportunity at the studio to take a picture(s) of:

Close Up of the artist

Over the shoulder 

Long Shot

Mid shot (leaning to one side) to allow for text on the digipak

Mid shot from the back and front (link this to the rear and back cover)

In the studio I will also adjust the LED Lighting, this would give this effect:

Main Plan- Out of Studio

Panel One- Front Cover

 On the front panel, I will need to show my artist. I think a medium shot would be appropriate for this, as my location would also be aesthetically pleasing and suit the genre. From my research, this is the rather conventional so I think it will add realism to the cover. However, I could also use a close up, but I feel this may be too close and the image would not offer me much option to manipulate.
Costume- Indie styled clothing, predominately blacks and possibly a coloured track top (which is used in the video)
Location- Out of studio- likely to be severn beach with a graffiti background
Angle- I will take with no angle and a slight low angle to see which would look the best.

Panel Two-

This panel would be positioned inside the main digipak. From my research, I have seen that these often just contain the artist in a more relaxed/natural location. I would like to picture my artist sat on an amp and looking down in a medium/wide shot. This is likely to be taken inside as moving an ampifilier which I do not own to an outside location may not be the easiest to gain permission for.
Costume- Same as panel one- indie styled clothing
Location- In a Studio
Angle- likely to be flat, low angle will be taken just incase this looks more suitable
Props- Drum kit, Amp

Panel Three- (Back Cover)

As this would contain text, the image needs to be clear in places so it can easily be seen etc. I would like this panel to contain either a item (possibly bottle) or the artist leaning to one side- allowing space for the text. The shot is likely to be a long shot to allow this space, with the performance actor positioned to the right
Costume- Same as the other panels (Indie styled clothing)
Location- for item (on the street floor) for actor (leaning a the wall)

Angle- no angle

Panel Four- CD Panel

I have already practiced this panel (see below) and would like to include the cracked CD in my design. Behind the CD, I may include a location shot (from severn beach or studio) to fill the edges which the CD does not cover.
Costume- N/A
Location- Severn Beach or Studio
Angle- High angle for location wide shot
Props- Broken CD

Panel Five-

I would like to have one panel of the digipak purely of an location shot. Like the image at the top of this post, I would like to use a sightly urban shot to convey the Indie genre. I will take a selection of shots to decide which is most suitable.
Costume-N/A
Location- Severn Beach
Angle- will test with a variety of angles including Low angle/High/POV

Props- N/A

Panel Six-

I will reverse the previous mid shot and show the character from behind. This will show his looking into the distance. As Severn Beach contains may rocks and a seafront, I could also use an over the shoulder shot of him looking into the distance. I have seen in previous digipaks that a character jumping and moving dynamically can also look good. Therefore, this panel will be trialled and I will decide at a latter date, one i have a variety of shots, which one I would like to select
Costume- Indie styled
Location- Severn Beach, may also test some in studio
Angle- test a variety
Props- If in studio, may use mic and stand

Digipak Inspiration (Darkroom Photography)

I would like to my digipak to have a clear theme and design as it will make the product look more inclusive than separate images placed together. To do this, I would like to use stylistic features like darkroom photography strips in every panel. I think the grayscale design fits the genre, while showing my ability to manipulate images on photoshop and conventions of a digipak. Here are some examples of Darkroom Photography-

I think this would look very good on a CD Cover. I would take my photos and layer then up in photoshop (adding texture filter) and changing the opacity and colour levels. I would also use the border to look like a vintage photograph, possibly placing that on the spine of the digipak. I also like the handwritten text. I could use DaFont for a written styled font or instead free hand on some paper and then scan. I would remove the background using the magic eraser, therefore leaving the writing to place over the photo. On the rear cover, which would contain the track listing, I could use the same technique to keep the cover consistent.

I have trialled the technique briefly to see if the style could work-

I quickly created this document and could already see the technique working well for my final product, I haven't done the strips but this gives a clear idea of what I wish to include on my digipak.

Reviewing First Shoot (Changing Narrative)

1st Attempt- Footage from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Having looked back on the footage we have noticed some fundamental issues.

• Firstly, the narrative lacks a structure and is not very engaging. The character does very little and we feel this brings the quality of the footage down. To achieve a grade we would like, we need to improve the narrative and show more of a story 
• The lighting is very drab and dull. We initially wanted this, however, with the studio footage (which is likely to be a lot brighter, the contrast may be dramatically different and not fit well together.
• Variety of shots. Many of our shots have been taken from the same angle and our actor is positioned centrally which is not aesthetically pleasing for viewers. In addition, we use too many mid shots which are very repetitive and this affects the outcome of the video.
• Shaky Footage. We definitely need to use a tripod more on our second shot. Some of our shots could have looked very clean cut, inside they look poorly positioned as there is a constant wobble. Next shoot we will consider this and not rush the shots.

Plan of action-

We have since created a narrative with more substance and interest. We have decided to base the narrative using more inspiration from the lyrics. For example, the new narrative will start with the character stealing an item. In the song, there is a constant reference to 'Karma' and a 'fall from grace' which we would like to include in our video. We would need another actor to play a character who will confront the protagonist. We feel that this would give the video a much clear equilibrium and disruption to engage our viewers. Furthermore, we will use a wider variety of shots  (at the same location) to improve the quality of the video (using the appropriate equipment e.g. tripod).

Brief Notes on newer Narrative-