Evaluation of Preliminary task

For my preliminary task I had to work with a group to create a music video for Annie Lennox's A whiter shade of pale. This was part of a 2 day workshop that we undertook at school so that we could learn the basics of videography and how to properly construct a music video with all of the technical elements as well. This would mean that our preliminary task could have more focus and we could learn more from it, rather than attempting to make a video that although would teach us about the technical elements of using the camera, composing the shot, lighting etc. It would be lacking in context when trying to evaluate what we had learned and applying it to a music video, which is a very niche area with several key components.


before we created our video, we were taught the key areas which often always appear in music videos, they are:

• a link between the lyrics and visuals
• a link between the music and visuals
• genre specific iconography
• close ups of the artist(s)
• voyeurism
• intertextuality

Our group spent the first day brainstorming ideas, creating a treatment, then story-boarding the video, as well as creating a list of necessary locations and props. the remainder of the day was spent beginning the filming. On the second day we finished filming and then began editing our video.


I found the 2 days very useful. The knowledge we gained about the theory of music videos was and will be invaluable in creating an authentic music video and my group paid close attention to this, making sure we got all of the elements into the video. 


Working in a group was useful also, i had not previously thought about making a music video on my own when i had heard that this would be the coursework, however after the preliminary task, i found that it would nigh on impossible and the benefits offered by working in a group, far outweigh the cost of doing this alone. When working in a cohesive sensible group allows for increased organisation and a greater pool of ideas from which to choose from, thus giving better creative and technical freedoms. it also means that more than one thing can be done at once and giving more momentum to your work, getting it done to the same quality but faster. However this relies heavily on a group that can work together and get along without clashing of egos and having the ability to be able to compromise. 


I have also learnt about the technical side of videography, about framing a shot, lighting and how sometimes we have to deviate from the story board sometimes, either because the shot doesn't look good, is not possible, or because we have thought of something else to add/alter while on location/set. Labeling your tapes is also a crucial thing that i have learnt and then leaving them somewhere safe so that none of your footage is lost in the time between finishing filming and downloading al of your footage onto the iMac.


As well as learning about the cameras, i also learnt about Final Cut, the program that we will be using to edit our footage. i have already used an iMac so that was not a problem, but Final Cut was important to understand, i feel that i very quickly picked up how to edit the clips in a way i wanted them. however adding effects to clips, such as making them Black and White (B&W) is something i need more practice on, and if necaesary i will ask someone with more knowledge than myself to help me. 

Overall I felt that I have learnt a lot from the preliminary task, but I still have much more to learn and improve, thus improving my work too.