Enyinna Ezebuiro

Evaluation Q4:

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

The video recorder and tripod was used in recording the audience profiling of the Voxpox for our A2 media production. But importantly of all it was essential in order to actually record and capture the necessary footage that would be needed for the music video. High resolution cameras were also necessary as the footage needed to look as professional and up to standards as possible. Arguably the video recorder is the most essential tool of all as without this device there would be no way at all in actually gaining the required filming and variety of shots that were efficient for the music video. And with this the tripod was also needed in order to assist the video recorder, and equally just as important in collecting footage through several different angles and therefore constructing different shots, due to the possible adjustments that can be made to the tripod. Perhaps most important of all was the capabilities provided of holding the camera steady at all times, therefore we will not have to get any shaky shots or framing issues that could potentially ruin the footage.

Camcorder and Tripod

The photo camera was used to take still photographs of the performers that would be used within our music video in order to construct a detailed, attributed profile for them. This would then allow us to also visually analyse pros and cons to them that would be significantly considered for whether they fit the conventional requirements needed for the video production. Photographs were also of a huge and drastic importance towards the ancillary tasks, as they were needed of the performer to be on the designs.

And alike the feature of the video recorder, great attention was paid towards shot angles and shot distances, where there are mixtures of close ups to signify our performer’s importance and long shots to let us fully observe the performer along with the scenery he is residing within (the brick wall on the back CD cover is important as it is conventional towards the grime genre).

Camera

Mobile phone device was used to record audio from audience feedback, and therefore we were capable of re-listening to it in order to remember what our aims were and what we needed to achieve. This turned out to be very useful, as without this it would have been considerably likely that we would have forgotten to respond or inaccurately responded to certain criticisms, which could have potentially been a serious setback to us.

Mobile Phone Audio Recorder

With the Tricaster, we were able to shoot our performers in front of a green light (to create a green screen), and therefore we would be allowed to edit the background however we liked once the footage was transferred onto Adobe Premiere Pro. When filming scenes with this equipment, we were also able to split our group into two, where one half would be in a booth recording and occasionally transitioning the cameras if there was more than one in use at the time. The other half of the group would be with the performer(s), positioning the cameras and lighting to the desired angles. Both halves of our group were able to communicate via microphones to ensure our delegation was as efficient and fluid as possible, minimising any errors that could be made.

Tricaster

Through the internet used to stream and research other existing music videos and this allowed our group to build various ideas of how we could construct our own music video production. Search engine sites such as ‘Google’ became a major resource to my research and planning in order to provide sources or links to other sources for me to collect vital pieces of information from, based on the background the artist Wretch 32’s career. Therefore this gave us an insightful understanding upon the artist’s background, status to see if he is unsigned and thus available for use, a greater perceptive behind the Grime genre on a whole to give us multitudes of levels of information for various codes and conventions that the genre possesses.

The Internet

With the provision of the internet, key websites such as Youtube, Dailymotion, Vimeo etc was available to us to be explored and through this I was capable of finding a numerous amount of videos that would be of great influence and inspiration towards my group’s own music video.

A key example of this was with the existent music video by American artist Common ‘Come Close’, in which we streamed off of Youtube to analyse and therefore become capable of paying homage to the video as we imitated the romantic code of large cards to illustrate what the artist was saying, which was also very appropriate to our video because the song we used possessed many romantic factors towards it.  

Music Streaming Websites

Youtube was also essential to our group in order to make sure that we could upload our productions of the Voxpox qualitative researching and the actual music video itself. First we needed to convert the footage from AVI to MP4, and then this would allow us to be capable of transferring the footage onto Youtube, which would then give us the capabilities of putting the video on our blogs as well for evaluating. Without websites such as Youtube, we would lack the function of transporting and relocating the videos to other internet sites and actually uploading it efficiently.

Uploading onto the Internet

The internet also gave us the capabilities of using resourceful websites such as Blogger.com to easily blog and record any progress made with our media production. This allowed for easy organisation and tracking upon the developments, advancements and growth of our work and became of immense use to me so that I knew where I was at the moment and what my next objective was to be. Without websites such as these I would’ve found it difficult to keep track of our work efficiently, and therefore mistakes and errors could have been brought forth because of this.

Blogger

Slideshare and Slideboom

Other websites such as Slideshare.com and Slideboom.com also allowed us to transfer presentations onto the internet and therefore render it capable of being transferred onto our blogs. Through this it was able to present the slideshows very professionally and sophisticatedly. Without this we wouldn’t have been able to present our development work and my research work on the slideshows that were made to explain what we did when producing work such as the ancillary tasks and the data I had collected through questionnaires.

Hotmail is also accessible to us because of the provision of the internet, and therefore this allowed our group to communicate and share ideas with one another when we weren’t in physical reach of each other. We could also share work created for the group by sending it to each other’s emails, which was essential to make sure that every member in the group was up to speed and well aware with what we are doing. This would also therefore ensure that all of our work was consistent with one another as well, and that if there were any mistakes or errors that had been made the group could consult with one another and find ways of resolving them.

Email (Hotmail)

This was, as a few of the other resources listed, a piece of technology I was very familiar with and it allowed me to store all types of constructional and contributing work towards the media productions. It also allowed me to transfer intangible items such as designs and research that would benefit our group on a whole, and thus allow myself to share it all among them and this working visa-versa as well. This also allowed us to transfer the track we were using onto a USB and compatible device that the song could be stored within. This allowed our media group to use the track, performed by artist Wretch 32, ‘Me and You’ to a more efficient level as we were able to send it to our performer to allow him to understand the structure and composition of the lyrics more clearly and competently. It also allowed us to store it on a mobile phone device to allow us to constantly play the song in order for our performer to lip sync proficiently to it, and allowed us to also transfer it officially onto our music video on Adobe Premiere Pro so that there is an actual track playing clearly and co-operate with all the edited footage.

USB

Adobe Premiere Pro was a very crucial piece of technology that benefited us greatly within the construction of our Media Advanced production. With this software, we were able to successfully produce the music video and the Voxpox by being able to use this technology towards editing all of the footage we had collected towards the video, and also the interviews that would be put on the Voxpox. It gave us the capabilities of adding many aesthetical and visual effects, transitional effects, subtle sound effects and refinements towards the footage that would allow us to create the music video as appealing as possible.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Firstly, in order to actually edit and do anything with all of the footage we had to upload it onto the programme. This was done via Firewire cables and also CD discs which contained the footage on it, which would allow us to capture our footage and transfer it onto the programme on our computers.

To further allow us to compose and organise our footage appropriately was with ‘Project Management’ within the programme. This gave us the ability to selectively arrange all of the files of footages the way we liked, and we were able to transport it all onto the timeline within the sequences in the order we wished. In thorough combination to this we were also able to arrange the footage into a variety of different sequences. Therefore we were able to edit or render certain footage selectively, and work on and apply things onto specific clips in the meantime and leave other desired clips for later.

Organising the footage onto the Programme

In order to select the best and desired footage that our group wanted to place within the video, we had to go through the process of cutting away the unneeded and unnecessary chunks of footage that had built up over time. This either being due to errors made because of certain variables, therefore requiring retaking of certain shots and re-shooting. The Razor tool was very important to us when video clips were too long and therefore we could take out only the needed footage from it. It was also beneficial at times where footage would have been extremely difficult to near impossible to actually re-shoot, due to variables beyond our control. Therefore with the razor tool we were able to efficiently collect the best shots from multiple clips and seamlessly put them together. This provided us with reassurance instead of worry when not getting a certain clip shot completely right and perfect, as we could just work around many clips and get the best bits from each to attain that desirable scene. Therefore with this the razor tool had to be used to immense and great effect in order to gradually and effectively build up enough successful footage clips that the video could consist of.

‘Razor’ Tool

On many occasions using the mouse on certain footage onto the specific, desired location within the song to make sure the lip-syncing was accurate did not work as efficiently as was hoped. Therefore using tools such as ‘Time Remapping’ allowed us to apply a much more considerable level of concentration upon making sure the lip-syncing was as accurate as possible, by selecting a desired part in the timeline sequence that wished to match towards the speed of the lyrics in the song. Therefore we were able to speed up or slow down the footage desirably, to make sure the performer’s lips matched the lyrics within the song flawlessly.

This function was also used for less compulsory features within the song. By the beginning of the video where the female performer appears to be breaking up with the main artist, it is also used for visual but meaningful effects when we see her hand slowly drift away from his hand. This highlights the departure upon the couple within the relationship, and emphasizes upon the dramatic atmosphere and emotion within the scene.

‘Time Remapping’

Using Adobe Premiere Pro allowed us to make the footage seem as conventional, believable and dynamic as possible. Therefore using tools and implementations of borders, controlling Brightness and Contrast, and Chroma Key allowed the video to appear more professional, as these are usually implemented upon a numerous amount of real, existing music videos.

The borders help to endorse an overall high quality and cinematic feel upon the video that we believed could create a dynamic tone, which would be of subtle attraction towards our viewers.

Common Visual Effects

Borders

Due to certain weather problems and lighting issues when shooting, the brightness of certain scenes could often appear very dark and dim of lighting; therefore the footage was exceedingly difficult for anybody to view. With the capability of controlling the brightness and contrast however, we were capable of making it easier to observe and vision. Using contrast also allowed us to add intensity upon the overall colour of certain footage that seemed to have a washed-out look and colour palette, due to the bad lighting.

Brightness and Contrast

Chroma Key was used upon the green-screened, tricaster sections of footage and the tool allowed us to convert the original green background within the performance shots, into a white background. This as a result helped the performance shots and the music video on a whole look more proficient, and comparable towards actual professional music videos.

Chroma Key

Occasionally, due to the borders added to the video some of the footage needed to be resized, and also repositioned within the screen. This was in order to make sure crucial mistakes weren’t made, mainly being of the artist’s head being cut off from the screen. Resizing and repositioning the image was subsequently a vital necessity in order to make sure such an error wasn’t made, and therefore make sure that our performer was centred and framed as efficiently as possible on the screen.

This technique also allowed us to create other visual and artistic effects, where we have split-screen being used presenting multiple angles of the artist performing at once. It is also used during the chorus for a close-up split screen on the artist and main female performer facing each other; highlighting upon the significance they have for one another

Resizing and Repositioning

Adobe Premiere Pro also profited us in making us capable of providing aesthetically pleasing, innovative and conceptual effects towards our video, which we believed could add upon the quality of the production. These visual effects weren’t only used purely for aesthetical gratification, but they were also implemented for certain meanings and visual codes to be highlighted greater.

The Black and White effect was used within certain sections in the video for both a greater density in quality of presentation and meaning. This approach allowed us to highlight efficiently certain sections that were flashbacks, certain sections that are supposed to give a sense of gloominess and sadness (such as the scene after Wretch’s girlfriend breaks up with him, we see him alone looking into the distance), and certain scenes that are to help build the visual and conceptual style of the video. Using black and white was also beneficial in allowing us to appear more conventional towards the Grime genre, as many known videos within this type of music feature that effect.

Stylised Visual Effects

Black and White

Towards the end of the video another effect used was ‘Leave Colour’, also known as Colour Isolation. Similar to the ‘Black and White’ effect previously mentioned, this makes the images appear in no colour, however it doesn’t do so entirely as one desired colour is kept intact and therefore allows the item its on to stand out significantly. This was great in allowing us to build upon our conceptual theme and appear more conventional towards the Grime genre. This is due to our artist’s trademark hat; being chosen for the colour to be left and therefore it signifies the visual code of the conventional beanie hat to partially represent the character’s identity. Consequently this accordingly endorses the street culture he has kept intact. The colour of the hat being blue also allows us to strengthen the thematic colour identity of our artist’s representation, and the strong tone of blue builds upon the consistency of our media productions. It as a result, also further relates it back to the very conventional dark blue colours that are usually of affiliation towards grime and the ‘underground’ scene.

Colour Isolation

Screenshot of example from video of the effect needs to be added here.

Using Title Sequences, we were able to add typography upon the video and give it a greater sense of relation towards other existing videos of nowadays that happen to be Post-modernistic. Through the use of text we are able to present the video in a more gratifying way, adding towards the dynamic feel on it. It also enables us to apply greater emphasis upon the artist’s lyrics, in assistance with the footage, making them appear more significant, and have more substance and flare.

Therefore although effects like these are not necessarily compulsory to be applied to any video, they were still greatly effective in producing one that was attractive and meaningful as possible.

Text and Title Sequences

Screenshot of text within the chorus needs to be added here.

Transitional effects were key in making the footage combine well and seamlessly with each other, and making sure the video flows as smoothly as possible. Many of the transitional effects provided through Adobe Premiere Pro did not happen to feel conventional and appropriate towards our video, therefore we mainly focused on using dissolves; ranging from ‘Dip to White’, ‘Cross Dissolve’, and ‘Dip to Black’ the most. The other effects also happened to stray away from being seamless, to being very noticeable and ‘in your face’. So we believed it would again be unsuitable to use these as they would be off-putting distract the viewer away from the actual content of the video.

However we did still intend to mix it up occasionally by using other, less traditional transitions such as a ‘Zoom in/Zoom out’ transition. And also the use of many other flamboyant transitions upon the pop-ins of the text within the performance scenes.

Transitional Effects

Adobe Photoshop was of immense and important usage towards the ancillary productions, in which we were tasked with designing the promotional poster for the artist and also the CD covers and inlay cards for the digipak.

Using Photoshop allowed us to transform various images into designs that would be useful in promoting the artist’s album and endorsing his identity to the target audience.

Adobe Photoshop

With Photoshop I was able to use guides and rulers in order to make sure the composition of certain features within the design were organised and structured well. This was important when doing things such as lining up the text to the rest of the image, and creating the borders surrounding the design as well.

Guides

Considerably important tools within the programme also range from the image filter effects, as they allowed me to apply a variety of visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing stylisations upon the image. Within the CD covers, it allowed us to create a cartoon-like effect using ‘Cutout’ on the artist, which was efficient in making the artist appear less intimidating than a stereotypical grime artist may do. On the back cover various of other effects were also incorporated in co-operation with this, specifically one being ‘Glowing Edges’, and this allowed the artist to appear even more conventional to Grime. It also made him appear associable to a retro-like style; even if the colour palette is still dominated by the important thematic colour of blue.

Filter Effects

The ‘Magnetic lasso’ tool and ‘Magic Wand’ was key in order to crop out certain features from an image or photograph, and incorporate it into another design. With this we were able to highlight desirable areas and apply whatever effect we like, whether we are resizing, repositioning or re-colouring it etc, without having to worry about the rest of the image getting affected. This was crucial in order of applying a number of techniques to increase the aesthetical quality.

Cropping

One technique that was achievable with this was Black and White, and this enabled us to create a design that could signify the Grime genre, as in many Grime productions the effect is greatly used to create a darker and mellow tone. Along with that, colour isolations could also be adapted into the designs. Through this we left certain features in a colour, usually blue in order to strengthen the artist’s trademark identity and endorse a colour that is instantly reflective towards the Grime genre. If the colour that had been left was not initially in blue, we could also use ‘Hue/ Saturation’ in order to convert the colour into the desirable shade of blue we wished. This all therefore allowed us to make our ancillary productions very fluent and recognisable when combined with our music video, therefore our concepts remained clear and strong.

Screenshot of the ‘colour isolation’ technique within the music video should be placed here.

Black and White / Colour Isolation

Another technique we accomplished was the ability to apply things such as blurs and motion blurs upon one feature, whilst leaving another feature completely crisp and visible. With this the visual appearance was increased in style and quality, and therefore a more original, conceptual and unique design that would only be of instant recognition towards our artist solely, could be accomplished.

Motion blurs used on artist

Blur used on backgrounds

Blurs

The brightness and contrast was also of capability to us to make the images be adjusted to a level that was appropriate. The contrast was able to increase colours to make sure it remained very vivid, vibrant and colourful, which would therefore reflect more of the subversive positivity within the song we used, ‘Me and You’, and less of the stereotypical negativity that is greatly affiliated within other grime tunes.

Brightness and Contrast

Layers and layer effects were incredibly important to our group in order to create a sophisticated, advanced and attractive design. By duplicating layers, different effects could be transferred onto each and therefore things such as motion blurs and such stand out more and to the extent that is most appreciated, when the right adjustments to each layer have been considered. With particular notice to the typography within the productions, layer effects allowed us to apply strokes to create an outline to make the text stand out more. Also other effects were used such as ‘Bevel and Emboss’ were able to make it look even more attractive and professional.

 

Layers and effects