This post, contains the methods I used for my file organization to make editing easier and less time consuming.
In the main folder, It is divided into the different days of recording, this way it is easy for me to remember what scenes are in which folders.
Inside the day folders, I organize the names of each recordings with the same format, first is the scene (b for beach and s for store then est for establishing shot) then there are the variations of the shots (A, B, C) so that it would be easier for me to remember which shot works the best in the edit. And for some of the shots with similar locations such as in the store.
Reflection
Doing this actually helped me a lot for editing most of it because I have scrapped and reedited the drafts completely from scratch 3 times, and with each time it was easier for me to remember and sort the scenes together.
In this blog you can find the work I did on how to edit with multiple cameras. My group filmed the footage, but I edited it myself. My teacher provided a template for the blog post.
What is Multicam Editing?
Multicam editing is the process of editing footage of a single scene or subject recorded from different cameras and angles. Showing the same scene or subject from different angles helps make the video more dynamic and visually captivating for your audience
Shooting
Our subject , a classmate, stood in the centre of the room and did a short performance. My group stood around the subject to record the performance from different angles. You can also see members from other groups because we did this lesson as a class. To make it easier to synchronise our cameras, the teacher clapped at the start of the scene. This allowed us to line up the video in the editing process and ensure that the transitions would be smooth. Without this simple action it would have taken a lot longer to sync the videos.
Reflection: This project was very hard as my laptop does not have the capability to run an editing software as I often edit with my computer, to solve this I thought I might borrow my friend's stronger laptop and run a lighter editing software like CapCut instead of my usual DaVinci resolve, but it did not solve the problem as from what can be seen in the final product and in the screenshot, I could not sync the video up as the audio and the visual preview was delayed. I used a laptop because I am more familiar with desktop editing software but in this case I think that if I used my phone it would've run faster but I would've had a larger learning curve.
This post contains the mini project we did in class in order to hone in our skills on making a music video, especially the performance aspect. For this mini project, I did the camera work.
Lesson Description: My teacher gave each group a verse from THE BEATLES - Here Comes the Sun. We had to plan a scene which included various camera work and edits. The goal was to improve our lip syncing skills, which it later on will be use for our bigger Music video project.
the verse we were assigned:
[Verse 3]
Little darling
I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been clear
Below are the photos we took behind the scenes during production and post production:
What we did:
We were tasked tasked to create a scene of our actor(s) performing the verse we were given, we were given 15 minutes to create a short storyboard before getting into recording the scene, after 30 minutes of recording, we were given until the end of the lesson to edit and polish the video through post production.
Problems we had:
- The weather did not fit the theme of the song (it was raining)
- I was not used to using iPhone camera so there was a learning curve trying to get the movements, handling and focusing right.
- Limited time, there was limited time to create the storyboard & in the end we had to improvise instead as the storyboard was written when we didn't expect the rain, therefore taking some of our recording time to think of ideas.
Solutions:
- Bad weather meant we just had to improvise the recording
Reflection: By making doing the screen test as a whole class, it really saved us some time as we could find people with good chemistry like Haresha & Me who I thought worked well on screen. However I don't think it was that satisfactory of a screen test because I didn't really get much of it as everyone might've been too shy or awkward to perform to the best of their abilities. But at least in the end I got to find potential actors for the music video along with some ideas on how to present the actor on screen. n
Our group has decided on creating a music video in the genre of some R&B & indie mixed music videos. Here is the research I've made into the conventions of our genre
What conventions does it conform to?
- Long cuts
- Scenes are simple & there is no narrative
- Simple camera movements, no crane needed
- Reappearing Locations (limited amount)
- There is a focus on the atmosphere which has a similar feel to feel and emotion with the song.
What conventions does it subvert?
- Often times Indie music videos include diverse casting as they would cast family or friends but in this case they were a not wide variety of Indonesians
- It uses a quite bright Sam Kolder color grading type look to emphasize the sunny happy feel but this contrasts with usually bluer & darker indie music videos
What representations are there? (people/places/events)
- The band, they are represented as people who can break the 4th wall & performing while others seem indifferent to their activities almost.
- Young Indonesians: They are seen as cheery, happy going people who are enjoying the 'sunny day'
- Indonesia: The band has many scenes in a villa, representing only a clean & somewhat luxurious place. There were also scenes with the road but not much of it was shown, only a few trees and lots of leaves on the small empty road.
What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
1. Camera:
- Wide angles in most of the scenes with people in order to show the scenery & how sunny it is, reinforcing the "sunny" narrative of the music video.
- Medium angle shots in some scenes where there is somebody as the subject, this helps put the focus on them & their happy go lucky expressions and movements, all the while keeping the background still in frame.
2. Mise en Scene:
- It is shot on sunny days where it seems bright, paired up with happy looking actors having fun, this would leave an impression to the viewer that sunny days are filled with joy.
- The music video often changes between aspect ratios, closeups are shown with the full 16:9 screen, while more cinematic shots or shots where the band isn't performing have a more 4:3 aspect ratio to make the video seem somewhat dated.
- The color palette of the costumes and props are very bright and flashy, reflecting the themes of the song and helps the viewer further immerse themselves into a bright and playful, sunny world.
3. Edit
- The band cuts between their parts where they're performing and their more narrative scenes to provide a more dynamic experience that blends together to make the music flow while still having that "happy" narrative emphasized.
- Pacing is quite slow and most shots linger for a while, 8-10 seconds on average per shot, this longer cutting helps create a chill environment as it doesn't leave the viewer constantly readjusting to different shots.
4. Sound
- The lipsyncing in the performance scenes make it feel as if a person experiencing the sunny day is talking and somewhat promoting the feel and positivity of it.
Genre / Sub genre:
- Indie rock / Alternative rock
What conventions does it conform to?
- Having a Performance element in the song
- Using live show type scenes where the band is performing
- A vintage look to keep camera costs low by not needing super high quality shots
What conventions does it subvert?
- An abstract story telling, it doesn't use a linear story telling method to emphasize its message of nostalgia
- Cuts are not synced with the music, this further emphasizes the abstract feeling & atmosphere of the video.
What representations are there? (people/places/events)
- The band, they're represented here as performers in classic rock attire, reinforcing the 'nostalgic' meaning.
- The stage, the stage and its lights shows the audience that the video is supposed to be set in the past before concert venues had big bright screens behind the stage, instead having a few light fixtures instead
What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
1. Camera:
- Close ups are used not only to focus on the singer's acting, but it also is a kind of a callback to how camera operators in old rock live music videos used to zoom in on to the singer, the angle of the shot is also especially reminiscent of this as it would make sense for a live camera to be operating from where the shot is taken from.
- Tracking, some scenes have the camera follow the band member to engage and put the audience's focus on that particular member, this is also somewhat reminiscent of how live show cameras were operated then.
2. Mise en Scene:
- The shots were mostly dark, this has the effect of emphasizing that live performance feel, furthermore the lighting was set up to be not like modern ones, its larger and it puts the focus on performing members.
- Color pallette was a nostalgic and vintage look where the white balance was more orange and green for most of it however it changes depending on the scene, like blue when theyre on the tv and black and white on one of the drumming shots - They used the set design which evocative to 60s and 70s rock performance venues.
3. Edit
- There were many different length cuts used during the video, making the rhythm of how it cuts more in flow with the speed and tempo of the song, although they often do not cut in sync always
- Usage of grain and low clarity on the video makes it feel nostalgic as it feels like dated footage.
4. Sound
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Small Research
1. Leave the Door Open - Silk Sonic (2021)
Target audience & how they're appealed to. Teen to adults of both genders (15-35) who enjoy R&B or soul music and who like music with a romantic narrative that comes with the lyrics. It also attracts viewers who are interested in retro styles. The video shows a band performing and this helps attract that retro viewer base, along with the warm tones, the instruments & outfits which wouldn't look out of place from the past, it helps catch the attention of those interested in that retro vibe that silk sonic has.
What would I like to use from this for my music video? I really liked how the band performed, because there was no narrative, to convey the emotions and message of the song, the band acted with facial expressions & their body language as they perform. I was greatly inspired of how important that kind of small acting is as it really helped with the romantic atmosphere even though there were no narrative scenes.
What would I like to avoid from this for my music video? Although it is unique to have all the scenes taken in one area and without a narrative, I think that it really makes the music video seem like a secondary thing to the actual song and not a complementary thing which I would like to emphasize.
2. Snooze - SZA (2023)
Target audience & how they're appealed to. Young adults of both genders (18-30), listeners to modern R&B or more relaxed hip hop, or listeners looking for the romantic and caring themes present in the song and video. The video shows different interactions between different kinds of couples, this can help relate the viewer to the content being displayed as they might feel like they were in a similar situation.
What would I like to use from this for my music video? The cinematography was very simple but effective at highlighting how provocative the video was. The shots themselves were also very good looking, with soft edges, glowing highlights, subtle chromatic aberration outlining the subjects the lens distortion vignetting the shots.
What would I like to avoid from this for my music video? Nearing the end, there is a sudden change in tone as the song also changes up, the transition of this is not done in a way which makes the second part seem like a conclusion to the video and more like the video being created specifically to emphasize the atmosphere of that part of the song, might leave viewers confused or thinking the song has already ended and changed to a different one.
3. Romantic Homicide - d4vd (2022)
Target audience & how they're appealed to. Young adults of both genders (18-30), Indie listeners or people who are seeking a more somber song which they can align their emotions with. The music video appeals to these people by having the themes of longing for a past relationship, this is shown through black and white flashbacks, and it further adds the lonely and sad feeling through mise en scene like having the actor seeming tired, back bent or lying on the floor, other aspects such as the inclusion of rain and how the actor is almost always seen acting alone can further stress the loneliness.
What would I like to use from this for my music video? How the actor/singer covers their eyes really helps him focus more on acting through his actions and by relying on more cinematography rather than stressing all his emotions through facial expressions only, this helps sell the feeling to me and I think the inclusion of something to limit the actor might help them act better.
What would I like to avoid from this for my music video? The first scene where the singer begins to sing and perform is a little too sudden as the shot before was more of a cinematic and background focused shot, I would like my music video to flow more easily and I think a way to avoid this is to have the scene begin a little before the actor starts singing or performing.
4. Die For You - Joji (2023)
Target audience & how they're appealed to. Teens to young adults (16-25), This video appeals to a younger audience who likes indie and slower music with more of a somber tone. The video somewhat reflects this although it is not clear as for the message because the usage of seemingly random footage, however it would work for a younger audience as the videos are interesting and short, it would work on appealing and retaining their attention as the average attention span nowadays is very low due to short form content, so constantly having random interesting short footage playing is a smart move
What would I like to use from this for my music video? The usage of bodycam shots really immersed the feeling that the singer is trying to convey as it feels like you are them and the song might be what they're feeling during the scene, using something similar with a POV or a over the shoulder shot for my music video might be good
What would I like to avoid from this for my music video? There were no direct narrative themes and the video would definitely not work without the song because of it, I think using random footage like this is very indie but it needs to be done with more of a narrative, like showing shots of something in relation to the lyrics.
5. EARFQUAKE - Tyler, The Creator (2019)
Target audience & how they're appealed to. Teens to young adults (16-25), by using very eye catching visuals reminiscent of the 80s & 90s with all the flashy mise en scene and it also includes almost absurd and random narrative where the venue starts burning and some foreshadowing in the intro, even having the cameraman fall down in the fire, this randomness might humor the younger generation as we often find random things amusing.
What would I like to use from this for my music video? The diegetic audio/dialogue from the intro really helped set up the amusing and interesting atmosphere which is carried through throughout the video, the inclusion of an intro to set up the music video really helps ease how we can convey our atmosphere as using the diegetic audio gives us many more methods.
What would I like to avoid from this for my music video? The lady who foreshadows the cigarette speaks again in the middle of the video and it might work for others I think its a little disruptive and having her act would be much better as it wouldn't take my focus off the song.
6. My Love Mine All Mine (2023)
Target audience & how they're appealed to. Young adults (18-25) who are looking for a romantic song with a somber tone. The music video captures this audience by using cool blue tones to emphasize the somberness all the while using a more square 4:3 ratio to make the video seem more filmic, furthermore the addition of film damage can help this, using a film look would help with the romance aspect as film has been romanticized recently due to being more richer and having that aesthetic which seems more fleeting and fragile.
What would I like to use from this for my music video? I would like to try & use various different aspect ratios for my music video to highlight different things, it would also help with shot composition as some shots may be easier to line up with either a wider or a narrower aspect ratio.
What would I like to avoid from this for my music video? The setting is too same and although it works very well for a short song 2minutes aprox. it might not work for longer songs as the scenery might get dull overtime.
Additional research I got to help me with ideas on how to create a music video
Production Company: Sony Music Entertainment Introduction : A branch of the Sony Company focused on the music and music video content.
Other content they produce: • Pop (ABBA, Adele, Backstreet boys) • Rock (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice in Chains) • Metal (Annihilator) • Jazz (Frank Sinatra) • Blues • R&B (Celine Dion) • Folk • Country Typical audience: • From teens to adults and older audiences 12-70 • Both male and female audiences • English speaking country citizen Psychographics: • Depends on the genre Company size and age: • 11,100 • Made in 1929 Most successful product: • We Are One (Ole Ola) [The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Song] (Olodum Mix)
