Music Video Remake Evaluation: "Wings" - Little Mix

1) Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?

I found the workshop day unlike anything I had experienced before; all the cast and crew were buzzing with excitement, the sets looked amazing and all the equipment looked so expensive and high-tech! The main thing that surprised me on the day was the camera; it was a Canon 5D Mark III, an updated model of one of the cameras 'The Avengers' was shot on.

The camera (ft. water bottles and clipboard)

Personally, the best part of the day for me was the final shot, where everyone joined in (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS8XXYJw8Lg). This was the best bit of the day for me because it meant we had finished everything, and it felt as though we had accomplished something really impressive and professional; something to be proud of. (It was also really great to see everyone having a good time and letting go of all the stress that had built up on the day.) Another part of the day that I enjoyed was the dance scene where the cast and dancers performed the routine. I felt as though this built up a really friendly and exciting atmosphere, which enabled the dancers to feel more confident and to not shy away from the camera. I also found myself interacting with people I don't usually talk to, so it was really nice to have that opportunity. The main positive of the day was the fact that it was generally quite relaxed, and I didn't feel as though I was being judged on my (terrible, terrible) dancing.

Josh and Lewi - Cameramen Extraordinaires

2) What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks?

Task 1 - I chose the 'Time Bomb' music video to analyse, as it has been one of my personal favourites for a long time, I feel that it has just the right balance between narrative and performance, and I love the style of it; the apocalyptic feel caused by the dark grading. This task showed me how despite their almost chaotic nature, music videos still tend to follow a set of "rules" or features. I also learned the importance of styling and mise-en-scene; costume, props and lighting should never be overlooked, as they can genuinely completely change the meaning of something.

Task 2 - When we were given the task of shooting and editing our own lip syncing music video, I was beyond excited. I think that's the main reason why I put so much dedication and time into the project. However, one of the main challenges for me was actually singing along with the music; this was because we shot in a classroom and I was nervous that everyone could hear, however I think I overcame this on the day of the actual shoot day, as I sang along with almost every take in order to support the main four girls.

Task 3 - Learning the routine was one of the most daunting parts of the project; I have never been much of a dancer, and gaining the confidence to perform in front of a big group of people is perhaps one of the most valuable things that I have taken away from this experience. It was also fascinating to see how our moves translated on screen, and I learned that the camera really does pick up everything, so the performance needed to be energetic and flawless (one of the most useful pieces of advice I received: "If you forget the moves, just pretend like you know what you're doing and look confident and no-one will care.")

Task 4 - Unfortunately, I have a very different style to the girls in the music video so I didn't have any of the relevant costume pieces, however I did own a black trilby which was used in the final shoot and I had to take responsibility to bring it in on time. This process also taught me that organisation and planning is very important, and forward thinking is the key to a successful shoot.

"This is my moment to shine" - Mila's trilby, 2013

Task 5 - On the day of the shoot, I was surprised at how quickly we had to get the shots done; the allocated time on the call sheet for the background shots of the girls was about 5 minutes per set up. At the time that seemed like hardly anything, as each take went through the whole song, so that we would have a variety of shots to use when editing. However, we did run over on time at one point in the day, and Charley, the 1st AD, had to tell everyone to get on with what they were doing because in the real media industry, time means money. This showed me just how fragile a shoot can be, and how timekeeping is incredibly important to the success of a shoot. I also learned how everyone has their own role on set, and while some jobs may cross over, the key is to ultimately do your job to the best of your ability and not tread on anyone else's territory. One of the highlights for me was seeing the crew behind the camera supporting the dancers, especially Charley, Olivia and Tasha who were doing the routine with us, which really helped me to relax and just go for it.

Task 6 - Editing is arguably my favourite part of creating something, so I really enjoyed this part of the prelim. However, it was very difficult to match some of our shots to their respective original shots, as most of the time, the girls were doing the right moves but singing another part of the song or vice versa. Also, due to the tracking on some of the shots, the distances were not quite right and so for some of the shots we had to zoom in to get the correct framing. This challenge taught me how to improvise with the software, however I doubt that I will need it next year as we will be doing an original music video and the distances do not have to be too meticulous.

Our timeline - we don't like having too many tracks, it looks too messy!

3) Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?

I am delighted with our final edit, as it looks so professional, and the colours and styling look very similar to the original! I did not expect it to look as good as it did, and I think that the grading and lighting are the main reasons for that. Also, I think the effects (such as the radial blurs and the split screen shots) also look really well done and professional, and the majority of the moves that the girls do match their original counterparts.

A screenshot of a split screen effect from our remake

I also fixed the intensity on the radial blurs, which made them look very similar to how they did in the original music video.

Fixing the amount of intensity from 10.0 to 5.7, so it looked more like the original

One of the main problems that our group had to deal with however, was the size of our group, as there were 7 people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and each wanting a substantial edit time. I felt that we overcame this issue and that in the end, everyone was happy with the edit time that they received, as we were all very generous and shared out the time in chunks (ie. editing 20 minutes each in a double lesson). Almost all of us came in when we had free periods and edited, so that we could maximise our possible editing time.

Our final edit schedule

4) How do you think your prelim experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?

Initially, I had planned to create a narrative or concept video which would have been quirky and original, however after doing this project I am now hoping to produce a video that is a hybrid of narrative/performance or concept/performance, because I think that my confidence has grown and I would like to try out being in front of the camera as well as behind it. I would also like the chance to wear different costumes and makeup, and achieve an overall look which is new and refreshing, completely dissimilar to the boring genericness of our current popular music industry.

I have also learnt that a high-budget shoot does not equate to a high-quality music video; sometimes, editing technique and style can be enough to create a professional looking video at just a fraction of the price.

Overall, the main thing I have taken away from this project is confidence and just general excitement for next year!