Ancillary Task and Video Feedback

In order to gain an idea of what needed to be improved on my draft ancillary tasks and music video, my teacher sent emails with feedback.

Feeback for draft music video:

Well done for meeting the deadline early & for working so hard & single-mindedly on this.

You have some nice ‘arty’ shots & some good ideas in this video & there are some good performances from your star performer.

To improve: in general all of the takes are too long.

The tree silhouette shots are nice as are the silhouette shot of you & the star but they are too long.
The ice cube melting works well but is too far away; I suggest a re-shoot in CU/XCU from the side, level with the cube & insert it sporadically into the video. You could also use a candle & melting wax (ref. the title), perhaps feathers floating about?
Not really sure about the external shots in the countryside, everything looks nice & is shot proficiently, but I just don’t get it.
There is a confusing discontinuity between the shots of you both singing (together & alone); sometimes the mics are there, sometimes not, you are on the star’s left (screen right), then when he is singing he has a brick wall next to him
Only one shot (too long) of the star playing the keyboard in what is an electronic track – can you make any more of the instrument(s)?
Overall this first draft lacks the pace & dynamism that it should have, which could be rectified by editing & some re-shooting, perhaps using more inserts?  
Work-in-progress = Level 2, 23/D

After taking these comments into consideration I have planned to take new shots and edit most of the video in order to make it better.

Feedback for ancillary tasks:

Digipak individual panels must be uploaded, so cannot see the detail to grade;

Advert works well, strong, stylish image, good font & conventions applied (itunes logo?), should the bottom black band be smaller? 8

Similarly, I have taken this feedback into consideration and have planned to make changes and improvements to my ancillary tasks.

Permission Letter (to use track)

Here is a copy of the letter I recieved in order to gain the permission to use the track "Icarus" by the band "Death & Taxis" written and produced by my father Ian Clarke.

Shooting Schedule & Camera Angle Planning

Shooting Schedule

As most of our shots are on locations that are not close to home, we must wait untill the weekend in order to travel and spend an entire day shooting.

Friday 30th September - all day shooting road shots
Saturday 1st October - all day shooting field shots
Sunday 2nd October - all day shooting indoor/misc shots

Camera Angle Planning

I plan to have multiple different shots from various angles of the singer performing live in a studio, which means I can have a different shot for each line of the song but in the same location. I feel this will create continuity and allow the piece to look interesting.

Similarly, I plan to have different shots from various angles outdoors (in the field and the country road) as the band member plays his guitar and often when performing some vocals. This creates narrative in the piece and some continuity as I do not want the visuals to become too complicated but some differentiation will make the video interesting.

Storyboard

The opening shot will be of a sunset, and the title of the track and band will slowly fade in.

Following this will be a sped up clip of an ice cube melting on a table, this is to represent the breakdown of the current climate change.

This will be a clip of the band memeber playing the keyboard in time to the music. I feel this presents authenticity.

This is a close up shot of a flower, I'd like it to be blowing in the wind and preferably red.

This is a long shot of my father holding his guitar looking toward the camera. I am yet to decide whether he would be static or slowly walking forward.

This is a close up of the lead singer stood in a studio looking into his microphone.

Tracking left, following the singer walking through a field.

Tracking left, close up of the singer's face as he walks through the field.

Tracking left, close up of the singer's guitar as he walks through the field.

**VOCALS BEGIN**

BV's mid shot of the male vocalist lip syncing.

Female singer first introduced, singing BV's into the camera stood in front of the brick wall.

Male singer stood in a studio lip syncing into a microphone.

Both singers stood sideways against the brick wall, the female slightly closer to the camera. Both lip syncing.

Close up of the male singer playing his guitar.

Long shot of the male singer playing his guitar in the middle of a field.

Very slowly tracking left up toward the sun.

Male character stood with his back to the camera looking up toward the sun, slowly raising his hand to cover the light.

A scrunch up piece of paper is pushed through a letter box and falls to the floor.

When it hits the floor it sets on fire and burns.

Female character writes her line "for you" up against a wall.

Empty shot of the road.

Empty shot of the field.

Male character notices paper at the front door and bends down to pick it up.

He slowly opens the paper but the camera cannot see what is written on it.








The paper is lay out on the table to reveal the words "Sieze the day"