Lip Sync Task

 

What did you do to prepare?

I prepared for the shoot by learning the lyrics and thinking about what shots might look good by watching the original video and similar videos. However I did not know what sort of set we would be dealing with so had to prepare the shots that may be used against a simple blank wall. 

What did you do in the studio?

In the studio I thought about Dyer's star theory and how the acts should be shown and what sort of audience would listen to the song. Therefore we all portrayed a happy and smiley image by dancing energetically and singing directly to the camera, similar to what Taylor Swift does.  

What did you learn?

I learnt that confidence in front of the camera is key and for an act to be believable they have to be sure how they are going to perform to convey the message they want to an audience. In addition I learnt how to use a camera on tracks and the techniques to get a steady shot such as keeping the actors eyes in the top 3rd of the screen and always look at the camera screen. I also learnt that on a clapper board the reading at the end are frames as we recorded at 25fps.  

What did you do in the editing suite, what steps did you take to cut the video?

We first brought the clips onto the timeline that we wanted to use/were interested in using and matched them up to the clapper bored programme we used so the video we filmed was in sync with our lips. We then chose the clip we wanted to appear at the beginning of the video and dragged the other clips back so they were ready to be used next. Following this we chose our second clip and continued to drag the other clips further back keeping them in order and still sync-able to the music. We repeated this step and cut at every beat/place we felt was the most appropriate and interesting to cut. 

What did you learn about editing a music video?

I learnt that it is absolutely crucial to get the mouths to sync up with the music otherwise the video will look fake and unprofessional. In addition, I learnt that a good moment to edit is on a beat/at the end of a phrase otherwise the video may become jumpy and disorientating for the audience.

Did you make any mistakes on the day? How could you shoot or cut the video more effectively next time?

The main mistake we made was not knowing what the set was going to be/look like as we could have planned choreography around the small set areas to look more professional. In addition we could have had more experience with the cameras we were using as one I had never used before and therefore was unsure how to gain a premium focus for the camera. This would have led to a quicker and more efficient shoot which I can bring next time.