Cancelled Plan on filming Tomorrow, Tuesday 29th

As I do not have much filming left to do till the production of my music video is finished, I am planning on filming tomorrow of the shots of just my main character in it before filming all my characters together for the rest of my music video. I was going to film my main character walking on the path in the park for the first verse, also for one of the choruses, I would need to film her alone in a field and of her spinning around. However, I have spoken to Ellie about tomorrow and she has said that she would not be available for tomorrow's filming session as she would be busy. I have asked her if she could do filming on Sunday 4th December and she said that she is free. I have left filming for Sunday as me and Ellie would be busy for the whole of this week and also Sunday is when we would have more time and could start early on filming to get more done. There are only few more parts of the music video where Ellie as my main character is on her own in a shot and it is at the start and end of my music video. These shots are of her sitting down on a chair with the spotlight shining on would be easier to film in the Drama Hall as Ellie is always in after school and the Hall is free to use after school. I am hoping to film these shots in the Drama Hall next week and after filming this footage, I would only need the filming of all my characters together to finish my filming of my music video.

Yesterday's Filming

Yesterday, I went filming in 6th lesson in school time and have now finished filming one of the choruses of the song. I filmed my main character on the bench and like my other filming, I filmed each shot of Ellie lip syncing twice and filmed 20 seconds of her without lip syncing. This would give me a variety of shots to edit with. For the shots of the bench, I filmed Ellie from standing behind the bench and then sitting on the middle, left and right of the bench. I decided to film it like this as for the chorus I am planning to edit these different shots together so the audience would see my main character moving and cutting from different positions around the bench, making the video more intersting. I also filmed each shot without Ellie lip syncing so it gives me extra footage and also I might use the footage in other parts of my music video. I also filmed her on the the left side of the bench and then the right side, giving me a variety of different angles in my video. I am planning to edit this part of the video so it cuts from different shots and positions of Ellie on the bench. I have not filmed using camera movements for the chorus as I am planning on using them for the verses of the song so it shows that contrast of the quick cuts of the editing of the chorus to the slow moving feel of the verse.

I also had some more filming to do for the shots of the swings for the end lyrics of the chorus, 'I got to let it go And just enjoy the show'. I am having my main character letting go of the swing so it reflects the lyrics and also having an empty swing swinging. I also filmed these shots yesterday and did it twice. I have already pictured how it might look like as I am thinkign of having these shots in black and white so it shows the change of mood. I am planning to add many effects when editing to make my video bright and colourful, giving it that contrast to the chorus and making my music video more interesting.

Planning filming Today in 6th lesson

I am going to film with Ellie again in the park but of the shots of her on the bench and also some more filming with the swings. As it is cloudy today, it would show a continuity in my filming as it was also cloudy on Tuesday, the day we filmed. However, further in my music video, I would need it to be sunny so it reflects the lyrics of my song when it says 'The sun is hot in the sky just like a giant spotlight' and also for the rest of my video to create that care free and happy mood of the song. However, with the shots of the bench and on the swings, I can have it quite dark as it reflects the artist's fear and vulnerability in the song. I could also add effects if I want to make it lighter. I have decided to do filming in 6th lesson today as I am free and Ellie is free too and it also gives us more time to film as after 6th lesson we finish school. I have permission to leave school in 6th lesson from my media teacher so it would be all right to do filming outer school. After today's filming, I would finish filming one of my choruses of the song in my music video and hopefully I would finish filming my music video before the Christmas holidays as there is not much more filming left to do.

Uploading footage onto the Macs

From the footage that I filmed of Ellie on the swings on Tuesday, I have now uploaded it onto the Macs and have 12 minutes 50 seconds worth of footage from 29 shots. This shows that I have plenty of filming that I could edit with when it comes to the actual editing of my video. As I have filmed using a variety of shots, it would make my music video more interesting and engaging to watch.

Filming shots of Main Character on the swings

I have finally made a start on filming today as I was quite worried that the weather would get worse but it cleared and was light enough for me and Ellie to go filming in the park. We started filming at 3:15pm and having Ellie get change in school helped us with time. To save us more time, I already figured and knew what different shots to film which benefited me as it would take longer ot think of the shots and also to film it. For that start, I filmed Ellie using a long shot of her swinging on the swings and lip sycning. I then did it again so I would have two shots the same but I would be able to pick which one was the better shot to help me with the editing. It gives me a variety to pick from where as if it was just the one shot and it was not that good, I would have to just use it in my editing or film it again which would waste more time. I then filmed the same long shot of her on the swings but not lip syncing so it gives me more shots to edit with. With every shot of Ellie lip syncing on the swings, I did it twice and for those without the lip syncing, I filmed it for 20 seconds. This would give me more extra footage to edit with to help make my final music video more interesting and enjoyable.

I then filmed close-ups of Ellie from the front and on the side. It was quite difficult as there were people around in the park and Ellie was sometimes distracted while filming. However, filming shots twice came in handy as there were different shots where they were good and would be able to cut out bits from different shots and edit it together. I then sat on the swing next to her and filmed her from the side of her looking ahead and also into the camera. This would give me more variety and different in my footage. To get more different shots, I filmed behind her which worked quite well and was easy as Ellie did not need to lip sync as you would not able to see her face. I also filmed from high angle and low angle just to add that variety in my filming. The things that was difficult was her swinging and keeping that consistent subtleness in her swing, but Ellie was really patient and helpful in the filming today. Overall, we had about an hour of filming which was successful as I have quite a lot of footage that I can use to edit with.

I am going to upload this footage on Thursday as it is the day where I have quite a lot of frees so I can wait till it uploads onto the Macs. On that Thursday, I am also going to film after school where I have only a little bit more to film of the shots of the swings and I am also filming my main character on the bench. I have already asked Ellie if she could do Thursdays and she is available after school so hopefully I can get more filming done.

Generating my Personalised Barcode

I have now generated my own barcode so I would be able to use it on the back cover of my actual CD Digipak. This would make it more unique and creative by making your own barcode than getting an image of a barcode off the internet. This also makes it more professional and adds finishing touches to the CD Digipak.

I used this website to create my barcode:
http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php

I added my name and my candidate number to make it more personalised and unique so it would be different to other peoples' barcode and would make my CD Digipak more exclusive and original.

Filming on

Hopefully today after school, I would be able to film as I have my camera and tripod and also Ellie has her clothes and shoes, everything we need for today's filming. The thing that I am worried about and could help cancel my filming is the weather and also time. Today it is looking a bit foggy and cloudy which could affect the filming but could be light enough to film and when it comes to editing, I could add lighter and colourful effects over the footage. With time, I would need to end early about 4pm as Ellie would need to go as she would be busy then and also it gets quite dark at that time. I am hoping that I would have enough time to film the footage I need for today.

Post-poning Filming

I have asked Ellie about filming today just reminding her but she has told me that she is be busy today so I would not be able to film. However, I have asked her if she could film tomorrow after school and Thursday after school and she said that she would be able to. She has said that she can only do filming till 4pm on both days which is all right as it gets quite dark around that time and I would not be able to continue filming anyway. Hopefully, I could make a start on filming this week if not I would have to start next week as I am determined to get some filming done so it is a start.

Informing Ellie about Tomorrow's Filming, Monday 21st

I have now infomed Ellie about filming tomorrow after school and reminded her to bring her clothes and shoes with her tomorrow into school, as right after school we are going straight to the park to film. I have also asked her to fully charge are phone so that we could film whilst playing the song so she could lip sync to it so the phone would not run out of battery. When we have finished school, Ellie would need to get changed in the school toilets so that we can go straight to the park, giving us more time to film as it gets dark really early. I would need to bring in the camera and tripod to school so to get some filming done and also would save time rather than going back home to get the equipment then going to the park. I am planning on just filming my main character on the swings as I have limited time, but it would also be easier to just concentrate on filming on one scene of the video as I would take more time in filming and get more variety of shots. I also would be able to get the filming done quickly and easily as I have already figured out on what differents shots to film so when we get to the park, I can just direct Ellie on what to do.

Trouble with filming on Saturday 19th

Yesterday I had trouble with starting to film as me and Ellie had many problems. As I really wanted to make a start on filming, I aimed to start early on filming and we got to the park at 12:30pm after I met her at her house to see how she would look like in my video and I was pleased with the look. When we got to the park, it was quite busy as it was a Saturday so we waited around for people to go as they were on the swings and around the area. When we got to the swings, I set up my tripod and camera and asked Ellie to put the song on using YouTube as I could not put the song on my phone. However, Ellie could not get any signal so could not get the song playing. We decided to pack up and go back to Ellie's house to try and put the song on her phone. It was good that her house was near the park so it was easier and quicker to travel back and forth to the park from her house. We quickly put the song onto her phone using iTunes however we had many dificulties and problems with putting it onto the phone as the song was not syncing into her phone. After many attempts, we finally put the song on the phone and we hurried back to the park to try and make a start on the filmning as it was getting quite late. When we got to the park, we found some people on the swings again so we had to wait till they went but by that time it was getting late so we had to call it a day and agreed to film another time.

After this hectic day, we were tired and gutted that we did not get any filming done but at least we tried to start. However, I have learnt about different problems in filming in a park as it is an access to the public and would be busy. Also we had a feel of what it is like to try and film on a Saturday and I have decided not to film on a Saturday as it is too busy. However we had some benefits after this day and that was that we got the song playing and can now move forwards in starting to film. Also now that we know how difficult it is, me and Ellie would try and get some filming done so when we have made a start, it would become much easier in further filming process as we would get the idea and would get the filming done quicker.

As I have not made a start, I am planning to film in the week after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday to try and get some filming done. The filming sessions would only be 1 hour or 1 hour 30 mins long as I am worried that it would get really dark early. I did not just want to leave filming to the weekend as I wanted Ellie to get the jist of the filming process and I also want her to have fun and enjoy the filming, making her more interested and willing to help more with the filming. However, the one thing that I am worried about is how busy the park would get in the week as it is near a school and if the children would come to the park after school. If this is the case, I would still go ahead with the filming as it might add and emphasize the filming of portraying that care free personality and also enhance the image of the little girl in the song. The filming could be cancelled depending on the weather but hopefully filming should be successful this time.

Problems with putting the song on my phone

Today, I have tried to put the song on my phone so when it comes to filming tomorrow, I can play the song while filming so Ellie could lip sync to it. However, I have problems with putting it on my phone as I can't connect my phone to the computer and can't download it on. This means I would need to rely on Ellie and use her phone to play the song in filming. I have used her phone and when playing the song on her phone, it is loud enough to hear so when it comes to filming she would be able to hear it and lip sync to the song. Hopefully, she could play the song on her phone either by having it on her phone or playing it on YouTube.

Reminding Ellie about filming in the weekend

I have now reminded Ellie about filming in the weekend on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th. However, she has told that she would be busy on Sunday but is free on Saturday to film. I am planning to film the shots of my main character on the swings and on the bench as it is only the one day of filming so I do not want to rush all my filming. The shots that I am planning to film was scheduled to be filmed last week which means that I would be one week behind, however I have figured out that I would have more than enough time to film all the footage I needed even after the dates of my filming schedule. I am planning to take it slow and get as much variety of shots in my filming so it gives me more choice of different shots when it comes to my filming.

Learning more about Photoshop Elements on potraits

Today, we had another session on learning and practicing more on using Photoshop Elements with the help of Mrs Craddock. This time we concentrated on photoshopping portraits as this would help when we are creating our music magazine advertisment and also our CD Digipak as people might want an image of their artist on their Digiapk and music magazine advert. To practice photoshopping portraits, I got an image of my artist, lenka and used the lasso tool and also the magnetic lasso tool to cut around the portrait, leaving the background. Before, cutting and pasting the portrait, we softened the edges so the edges were not be hard and would blend in with the background. After pasting the image of a new background, we used a soft eraser to smooth the edges and also soften them. Me and Hannah worked on the Photoshop and edited the portrait by changing and enhancing the contrast, colour and lighting levels and also blurring the portrait. We then got a background of the sun to reflect the happy mood of the song. However, we had to flip the portrait so that the lighting from the sun is shining on the right side of my portrait so it looked more realistic. We then added text to see how it would look like for a CD Digipak cover. I really like the composition of the image and I am thinking of using a similar composition when it comes to creating my CD Digipak cover.

Before
The portrait I started with.

After
This is when I cut the portrait out using the lasso tool, also softening the edges and added a background. I also flipped the portrait so the image made sense so the light is shining on the right side.

With text

I then added text to make it more professional and make it look like a front cover of a CD Digipak. This would then give me an idea and feel of how my front cover of my actual CD Digipak might look like.

I really like the outcome of the Photoshop image as the composition of the image looks really interesting and intriguing. This has made me think of using a similar composition for my final front cover of my CD Digipak. After having these Photoshop Elements sessions, it has really helped me when creating my final CD Digipak as it is easier now that I know how to use different tools like the lasso tool to help make it more professional and to add finishing touches.

Filming cancelled on Sunday 13th

I would now need to cancel my filming on Sunday as I would be busy tomorrow due to the work I have been set on Friday. I have now contacted Ellie and informed her about the filming being cancelled. I have also told her that we would be making a start on filming next weekend. I feel as though I am quite behind on schedule and need to make a start on filming. Next weekend would be a busy weekend for filming as I am planning to film everything I scheduled last weekend and also next weekend done and updated. This would keep me on track on the filming schedule. Hopefully Ellie would be free next weekend, if not I would need to do some filming after school to get some extra footage filmed.

Booking out the camera for the filming on Sunday 13th

Today, I have booked out the camera and tripod so I could start filming on Sunday 13th. As Ellie is going to be busy on Saturday 12th, I am planning to film everything on Sunday that was scheduled to be filmed on both days in the weekend. Hopefully, I would be able to film all the footage that I wanted so I would not be behind schedule and also I would want to film extra footage again and again and also different angles and movements.                                                  

Reminding my Main Character, Ellie about filming in the weekend

I reminded Ellie about filming in the weekend on both days, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. However, when I reminded her, she forgotten that she was going to busy on Saturday but she would be free to film on Sunday. I am now only going to film on Sunday and will try and film all the shots I have aimed to film on both days in the weekend. I am thinking of starting my filming session at 12pm and finishing about 3pm so it would give me 3 hours to film. This would give me enough time to film different shots over and over again, giving me a variety of shots to edit with, and also I would be able to film extra footage.

Learning and Practicing Photoshop Elements

Today, I learnt more about Photoshop elements and how to create a composition using a range of images. This would help me when it comes to actually creating my music magazine advertisement and also my CD digipak on my artist, Lenka. In the lesson, we had an introduction about Photoshop elements by Mrs Craddock and learnt about different tools that can help us create our images. We also learnt about the basics like creating text and adding images on top by using the shape tool. I practiced creating an advertisement on Lenka and used images from the internet of flowers and abstract designs to include in my composition of advertisement. The thing that I really like about the advertisements that I created is the the effects that I added and also the pattern I created with the daisy flowers, making it look like a daisy chain. I am thinking of using images of daisy flowers and also adding different effects on top when creating my actual music magazine advertisements and CD Digipak.

Here is the image that I have created using Photoshop Elements:

Ready to start filming

I believe that I am ready to start filming as I have my official cast, locations and also the mise-en-scene of my music video. I also feel that I have completed all my filming research and is ready to start filming.

Due to my filming schedule, I am going to start my filming this weekend on both days, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th November. I would only need Ellie as my main character during this filming as I am aiming to film parts of my chorus and for this, I would only need the main character for these shots. This would make it easier for me to film as there are less people and would only need to communicate to one person and direct them on what they need to do in these shots. Having less people is so much easier to film whereas if you had lots of people as from my experience of filming, more people is harder to direct and would make more mistakes than just one person being filmed. I would also need to film shots over and over again, so it would give me more footage to choose from when editing and I would also need to do extra filming. I am glad that Ellie can play my main character in my music video as she is easy to co-operate with, meaning that filming over and over again would not be a problem. I am also really glad that she can play the part is that she knows the song and lyrics really well, meaning that I have saved time as she would not need to practise on learning the lyrics or the lip syncing as she was really good at it the first time she practised it.

However, the weather this week has been quite bad as it has been raining and also quite dark. This means that if this happens on the weekend, I would have to cancel the filming as it would not benefit my music video as my video needs to be light and quite sunny.

Ancillary Task: CD Digipak

For the introduction of the CD Digipak, we had to research:

• the history of the CD Digipak
• the different forms they can take
• the conventions of a CD Digipak

After researching all these aspects, we then would have to analyse 2 CD Digipak by artists with same genre as our artist. In my case, the genre would be folk-pop as my artist, Lenka is folk-pop.

About the CD Digipak

The CD DigiPak is modern and stylish. It is an alternative to the standard CD Jewel Case. CD Digipaks are a printed card packaging that can hold one or more CDs placed in CD flexitrays which are glued into the digipak.

CD Digipaks give a product an expensive professional look and feel – especially when well designed CD artwork is combined with the use of specialist print finishing.


History of the CD Digipak

IMPAC Group, Inc. originally owned the Digipak trademark. That company was acquired by MeadWestvaco (MWV) in 2000 and folded into its AGI Media division. Following this acquisition, the Digipak name and designs were licensed to manufacturers around the world. MWV sold AGI Media to Atlas Holdings in 2010.

CD Digipaks were originally only seen as limited edition or specialist CD products. When improvements were made in the CD production and CD packaging printing techniques, it meant that the CD packaging is now available at much lower quantities and at much lower prices.

Different forms they can take

The most common CD Digipaks is the 4 panel Digipak which opens like a book. There are also the 6 panel Digipak which are also very popular, giving a larger canvas CD artwork and information about the CD. There are also 8 panel and 10 panel CD Digipaks available.

Here are some example of different CD Digipak templates:

 4 Panel 1 Tray CD DigiPak Template

4 Panel 1 Tray CD DigiPak with Inner Mooncut Pocket Template

 4 Panel 1 Tray CD DigiPak with Outer Walled Pocket Template

  6 Panel 1 Tray CD DigiPak Gatefold Template

6 Panel 1 Tray CD DigiPak Rollfold Template

8 Panel 4 Tray CD DigiPak Rollfold Template

Conventions of a CD Digipak

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.

These are the conventions of a CD Digipak:

·    Artist’s name and title of the album displayed on the front cover of the album

·    An image on the front maybe of the band or the band logo or something that relates to the album.

·    The spine of the CD Digipak will include the artist’s name, album title and also the record label.

·    On the back cover, it will have the complete track listing, barcode and also the record label.

·    Digipak’s are often made out of cardboard

·    There might be sometimes a feature CD or bonus content such as an extra CD

·    There also might be an image on the back cover that is similar to the image on the front.

·    Some  images on the back of the album are completely different to the front but relates to the album content

·    Inside the CD Digipak, it usually has different artwork on each panel that relate to the album content or an image of the artist

·    Also inside the CD Digipak, it usually includes an insert where it provides information maybe about the artist and their songs
 It is typical that the outer of the CD Digipak has a matt finish, giving it a professional look to it