Editing

Editing is the process of selecting, manipulating and joining together pieces of footage in order to create a new piece of film. There are several rules to follow as part of editing, such as match on action, however these rules don't apply to every type of film; for example, match on action isn't required to be used in a music video.

Match on action
Match on action is an editing technique in which one shot cuts to another shot, but the action is continued through both shots, and it matches up exactly. This technique is used to create an impression of continuity, and a fluid sequence helps maintain the viewer's attention, so it isn't drawn away by misplaced cuts.

Shrinking time
Shrinking time is the process of showing an amount of the plot within a shorter amount of screen time. For example, irrelevant shots could be removed from a sequence to make it go from a screen time of 30 seconds to a screen time of 10 seconds. The process of shrinking can be very effective, when  used in the correct scenario.

Expanding time
Expanding time is the complete opposite of shrinking time: showing an amount of the plot, but taking far longer to do it. There are many ways this can be done, either by decreasing the frame rate of the shot, or by adding more shots into the sequence. Although this could make a sequence boring, it can be used effectively, to build tension, or to match a rhythm in a music video.

Finding Rhythm
When it comes to creating a music video, the editor has to make a decision; whether to make cuts on or off beat. It can be dependent on the genre of the song, as fast, rock tracks will tend to cut on beat, whereas more mellow songs might not be so strict with making cuts on beat.

Main Task - Production - Shoot 1 (Performance)

Having finally managed to find a date that most of the team could do, we were ready to film. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I was unable to be there on shoot day, but this is the feedback I received from my production partner after film. Luckily, however, one of our friends was able to accompany my production partner on the shoot, and was in control of the second camera.

We were very fortunate in that the day we had chosen to film on was very sunny - something we were concerned about due to the fact that British weather is so unpredictable. If the weather had been bad, it wouldn't have matched the tone of the song, and therefore the entire music video wouldn't have fitted together with the audio.
The drummer of the band had a practice space at his house that he allowed us to use, which helped reflect the rustic, DIY nature of the indie band. The space itself was quite wooden, and therefore didn't look particularly interesting on camera. Fortunately, prior to the shoot day, myself and my production partner had collated a variety of props, such as patterned backdrops and fairy lights. The simple use of a colourful backdrop made the setting look a lot more exciting on screen. The only issue that my partner found with the practice space was that it was quite small, meaning she was unable to get any wide shots of the band from this location.

After filming at the performance space for roughly an hour, the drummer informed my partner about a forest area that was just across the road from his house. So, laden down with camera equipment, instruments and fairy lights, they all headed down to the forest area. This location fitted perfectly with the genre of the song, as indie music videos are often filmed in places very similar, due to the fact they are so easily accessible. 
After having set up in what they thought was a good location, my production partner realised it was far too bright, meaning that the shots were overexposed. Having moved somewhere slightly darker, the team continued to shoot, and managed to get a lot of footage, including some wide shots, in the time they had left. My production partner was very happy with the footage, due to the fact it was what we had envisioned when storyboarding prior to production.

Main Task - Props List

Main Task - Shot List

Main Task - Shoot 1 (Performance) - Storyboard

Main Task - Research and Planning - Lighting and Colour

Our chosen was a very upbeat, light-hearted track, so we knew that the lighting and colour of the music video would need to reflect this.
As we had planned to film in an outdoor location for most of our music video, we were going to be quite reliant on the weather being good. However, if the weather was good on the day of shooting, we hoped that the sun would pick out the greens and yellows of a forest as it goes into the autumn time.

Green has connotations of positivity and growth, and yellow has connotations of optimism and happiness, which fit well with the tone of the song. However, it is ironic that these colours and the tone of the song is quite optimistic, because the lyrics themselves are in a way quite negative, as the singer has lost the person they love.

Main Task - Research and Planning - Location

Performance Shoot
When it came to choosing the location of our music video, we had to think about the logistics of filming somewhere near the band. We knew that, due to the song having an upbeat tempo, we wanted to preferable film somewhere that was outside, and hopefully sunny. The only issue with this is that we would have to rely on the weather being good, and in September in England, 

that is very much 50/50.
After some correspondence with the band, Annie told us how her dad owned a warehouse, so we could have the great opportunity to film in there, and in the countryside surrounding it. However, as the date of production drew nearer, we were informed that there would be construction work happening on production day, so we would be unable to film in the original location.
With production day drawing nearer, we had to go back to the drawing board to try and find a new filming location. Fortunately, the drummer of the band offered for us to film in the practice studio in his house,and get some outside shots in the forest near his house. I was concerned that it would be a lot of work for my partner to do by herself, but luckily she found another person who could film on the second camera, and help with carrying the equipment between locations. The performance space itself was quite plain, so we used props such as fairy lights and patterned backdrops to make it look more interesting.

Narrative Shoot
When it came to shooting the narrative sections of the music video, we wanted to choose a location that would fit seamlessly with the performance sections, without having to go to the same location which was quite far away. I had watched a music video for 'Comes and Goes' by COVEY, and I liked the shots of people walking through leaves and trees. Therefore, we chose to film in another forest location that was close to both ourselves and the male cast member.