First Draft- Music Video

This is the first draft of our music video to Jack Johnson's "Better Together." We have left three gaps within the sequence, for all of which we have discussed what we would like to see in there and how we can get hold of this footage. Across the three gaps we would like to use footage from childhood. For this we would like to include some old fashioned video tapes of children playing. Because we have explored adult relationships, we see the need for some footage of the younger age group. We also thought about getting some footage over Christmas. This will be good because it will be lots of family together, enjoying themselves and spending quality time together which perfectly encompasses our theme. We will get as much footage as we can between us and then see which sections fit best in the gaps, alongside the lyrics and music. We are also going to include a montage of lots of different couples right at the end. For this we will split the screen into sections and present lots of people spending time together. We feel this will bring everything together and finish off the video nicely.
We asked Miss Dolby for some feedback a few days ago to see if there were any last changes or improvements that we could do and she suggested the following;
- Move the sunset footage to the instrumental
- Disgard some footage of the artist in the alley as it was unclear and we couldn't see him very well.
- Lighten some of the clips so the colours were more crisp.
We made these changes. We are happy with our first draft and have spent a lot of time on it and feel, at this time, it is the best it can be.

Progress Update- 12/12/14

Today we have had a productive day. We had two lessons today; the first we used to make some good progress in terms of editing. We hope to submit a draft by the end of Monday so getting this finalised enabled us to see where the gaps were and what needed to be done. We were very critical about our music video and looked very specifically at each shot, making sure the lengths, transitions and flow of the video is consistent and works. We found that we have a lot of focus on couples that are adults and so we need to get some footage of younger relationships. This weekend we will all try and get some footage which we will insert on Monday. In the second lesson we took the time to have a look at other music videos so on Monday when we're making final touches we know what needs to be done in order to get the highest grades. We acted as a teacher almost and marked the videos which helped us see what was needed to secure a place in each band. It allowed us to be objective about our piece because we could be critical and see where improvements needed to be made.

Progress Update 5/12/14

Today I have worked a lot on my website and it's beginning to come together nicely.
I struggled initially with all the elements that I needed to include as it was a bit overhwhelming looking at a blank screen. But I have made progress and it's snowballed and starting to look a bit like a website.
We have all sat and watched the video and feel it is really starting to coming together, but we have discussed some things we would like to do ready for our deadline.
We have decided that towards the end we are going to use build ups of all the couples in a split screen with Ben performing in the middle. We feel this will bring everything together and really end the sequence in a wholesome and heartwarming way.
We have slowed down a few of the clips so it works better with the pace of our piece and looks more in time with the other clips.

Progress Update- 4/12/14

Today we have continued to work more spearately. To give each other enough time to work on our ancillaries we have taken it in turns who edits and who will work individually on their digipaks and websites. Today I worked on my webpage and made progress in terms of that.
From beginning to edit my site I have quickly realised that I am going to need some more photos, not of the artist but some lanscape shots.
We have also watched the editing and have decided that if possible it would be good to get some more footage of Ben in the evening time which will help with the continuity of our video.

My Chosen Webpage

MY CHOSEN TEMPLATE
I have chosen this one because I absolutely love the colour scheme and the theme of the page. I have got lots of ideas about what I can do with this website. I know it is very different being a photography page but I can really envision what I want to do with it and I feel this template is the best for what I want.

Website Planning- Jack Johnson's Webpage

I thought it would be useful to have a look at Jack Johsons website to see the themes he used and portrayed. His webpage is definitely along the same lines as the ones I have been looking at and wish to create. I will take inspiration from some things he has done and possibly do something similar within my own one.

Webpage Research

I found a website last year which helps create webpages. It has lots of templates and you can then go on to edit that page to make it what you want. This can be changing the writing, pictures, layout, but it just helps to have that initial template to base ideas on. I have gone onto WIX and had a look at a lot of templates which I feel will work with the message and artist I am trying to portray. There are problems with each one, but the elements I don't like I will change. 

 I really like this design as it is simple and really portrays the acoustic nature that I am going for. I think it is simple but classy and not too overwhelming but has enough on it. The thing that concerns me with this page is that the colours are quite dull and since I'm trying to sell a positive, upbeat tune, this might not be appropriate. What I would have to do is ajdust the colours and use photos that get that message across instead.

 This is another template I like as again I feel it really gets across the acoustic nature to Jack Johnson. The images I have of Ben also work really well within this because they are extremely similar to the ones that have been used here. The problem is that audiences might find it hard as with this webpage there is a lack of continuity. The colours don't corespond, nor do the images. To solve this I would have to remove the image they have used and replace it with one of my own as the train track in this one holds no relevence to our sequence. 

I like this template as its simple but effective. The colours are generic and will help bring our the tones of the images we have of the artist. The pictures we have are from the woods. The autumnal colours of the leaves, when adjusted, will be rich when placed next to the gray.

This is one of my favourite templates as I think the colours not only make it quite fun, but also tie in with our colour scheme. Because the template is quite plane there is lots of room for me to play around with layout. I also have done a lot of research into quotes wich will fit perfectly within this template!

This template is so lovely, I absolutely love the blending of the different colours and feel they work so well with out colour scheme. But a big worry I have is that the images aren't particularly relevent and I don't know how I would be able to insert my own images. So I'll have to have a play around and see what can be done, and if the images do work.
 I like this template because it will help me get across a message and theme which I feel is very dominant. I feel the image here gets across that rawness; the connotations of this are that he does a lot of the stuff himself. It's not a big chain and an industry which is guiding him to be a certain way based on audiences, but instead he is staying true to himself and doing what he loves.

 I like this template because it draws on a dominant theme within our piece- lanterns. Although now we have to use fireworks instead. But I have had a play and I can insert pictures in here. I like that it's night time and means we can use the fireworks which is the conclusion of our video therefore continuity wise it works really well. I also like the idea of having a profile of him on the front page.

This template is another one of my favourites. I love the colours used and the vintage, rustic vibe it gives off. It fits well with the song and Johnson as artist. The only concern I have is that the template  isn't for a musician so I would have to change quite a few elements to make it for a singer rather than a photographer.



Within the templates I have looked at I have got a lot of inspiration and ideas for my own webpage. Some of the templates aren't remotely similar to the one I wish to create but there elements from every template which I love and will try to use in my own one.

Planning- Ancillary (Jack Johnson Quotes)

"Don't let your dreams be dreams"- Jack Johnson
"I do not feel grown up but I'm doing what I want to do when I'm grown up" Jack Johnson
"It's as simple as something that nobody knows" Jack Johnson
"Can I be a sloppy perfectionist" Jack Johnson
"Jack Johnson is the worlds mellowest superstar" Rolling Stones
"You can imagine that couples across the world have said those words" Pop Matters 
"Refreshingly realistic" The Guardian 
"Super mellow vibes" Music Times
"The whole thing goes down as easily as ice-cold soda on a hot summer day"  All Music Guide 

Progress Update 28/11/14

This week has been extremely busy and therefore I have struggled to do a lot.
I've tried to work on my ancillary at home; I've created a mood board, begun to take and select specific images and look at website templates. I also took the time to look up some quotes about Jack Johnson which I thought I could include within the digipak or on the website.
We have also made quite a lot of progress with our video and editing is coming along nicely. I looked at timings today and we tried to put the clips in the places that we wanted them to be. We decided that to have a sense of continuity we wanted the clips from day time and night time separate. We initially put it all in a random order but we felt it looked too broken up so decided the put the night scenes at the end. From this we were able to see where there were gaps and therefore where we need to get more footage. Whilst we have a lot we feel a lot of it is quite repetitive and we want to make sure the video has enough variation.
I would really like to get some clips of a bonfire and marshmallows.
We have had a discussion about what footage each of us can get, for example Holli has a cadet ball coming up where she can get some footage.
We've also had an idea that since things are becoming very Christmassy we could take some film that incorporates this which will mean it links more with "Love Actually."
This weekend I would like to make some significant progress in terms of my ancillary. I will aim to get the website completed and then I can do my digipak next week when I can get on the software.

Production~ Mood Board

I decided to crerate a mood board for my digipak and website. I did this because I wanted to have a clear idea of what I wanted my digipak and website to look like. It gives me a clear direction to follow. And now I can see what images I need to get myself and can arrange that.

Production~ Photoshoot

Holli went out with Ben and took lots of photos. Before the shoot, we sat down and had a discussion about the types of shots we all wanted and where we thought the photoshoot should take place. We decided, since our video was set in Autumn, having him in a wood surrounded by all the autumnal colours would be ideal and would allow audiences to make the link. 

I decided I wanted some shots of Ben from the back with the guitar draped over his shoulder. The images that Holli took were absolutely perfect and exactly what I wanted. Because there are so many, there is plenty of choice so when it comes to creating the final digipak and website, I will have plenty to choose from. 

I particularly love the richness of the colours and how it truly portrays autumn. 

Production~ Photoshoot Images