Digipak Editing

We handed our final cut of the music video in on Wednesday so the next thing our group needed to create was a digipak (cardboard cd package), we completed the photo shoot a month ago so all we needed to do was decide which images we were going to use and how we were going to set it out. Because we used pink and original coloured leopard print through the shoot we decided that one side of the package should be an original leopard print theme and the other side pink, this would mean that two photos from each section would be included either side with the original backgrounds in the middle, also because we used these patterns throughout our music video it linked in well and shows that we thought about how we could link in all of our products together because we hopefully will keep the theme running through the advert and any other promo marketing we create.

Because I rarely buy cd's anymore I was unsure about what a digipak looked like, however after I familiarised myself with the layout the plans came together quickly. After downloading a template me and Sophie attempted to put each image into each box however because we had taken some of the images portrait they would have to be cropped down to fit into the box perfectly, this was unexpected because we didn't realise that the set out would be all landscape so instead of cropping the full image down we just shrunk them and added another version of the background to the cover to make sure when we rubbed out the original image there was something behind it. This wasn't what we had hoped the digipak would look like but because we had a "plan b" it all came together. In our last lesson of Media before Christmas break we got every background section put into place and one image shrinked and positioned correctly but we know exactly what our objectives and aims are for when we return. I believe because our digipak includes elements from the music video it shows we have considered a variety of marketing prospects but also popularity of the video because if this was a real pop star scenario they want to make videos that sell and any extra creations will go on top of that and I hope if we stick to our plans the final outcome will be special.

Music Video - First Final

Above is the final of our music video. It took us around a month to film extra scenes again due to the first ones not being suitable and also all of the editing because there are a lot of cuts throughout the song and we needed to match the clip with the beat to make sure it had relevance which was quite time consuming but worth it once you watch the final product.

Today we spent adding the final touches, new filters onto the leopard costume scene to make it stand out just as much as the other clips, we also had to change one of the clips in the middle of the video as it cut from one place where the male actor had no glasses on and then the next time it flashed on he was wearing glasses, so this was only a fault of our own and if we kept it there it would look like we hadn't thought it through and would look very out of place and unprofessional. This is one thing we didn't want viewers to feel because we have put a lot of time and effort into filming and editing this video that we wanted everything we have filmed to look perfect in a sequence, there will always be some elements of the video we would change if we could re shoot parts again but with the time and clips we already had we used them to the best of our abilities.

The final part of the video we had to amend was close to the end, it consisted of one really long clip without any speeding up or cuts which just looked out of place with our up beat song choice, so we had to look through all the clips we had filmed over the month and decided on which ones we could use in the small space we had left to speed up and make it look freaky. It came down to using the tea party scene because this is when the main character does a lot of different body and arm movements as its the "transformation" scene where she turns from a normal human into a cannibal and we thought using a variety of them speed ed up together in a row would work really well and will also be something that the audience wouldn't be expecting which is another element we have thought about because the audience is the biggest critic and putting in extra surprises they wouldn't have thought about makes our music video a unique piece which I am so proud of.

Putting Final Clips Into Place

After we filmed the tea party scene in Tuesdays lesson all we had left to do was look through each of the clips and decide which ones would fit into the spaces perfectly. this was a long process because it's the first time we have just carried on filming without stopping the video camera which meant there was parts which included just the full group talking discussing how we can make it better e.t.c, that is the only reason they took so long to watch but we finally knew what needed to go where.

But because the song has a lot of different beats we knew that the clips we use needed to be cut when a new beat started so it flowed well and had relevance of being there. Emily inserted the first section of clips into Final Cut however because they hadn't been exported as DV files before hand lines where appearing on the screen which made them look unprofessional and you could tell clearly comparing them to the other sections of video. Although this may have disheartened Emily because she copied the clips into the program and they had to be removed we tried to re enter the clips like she had them but just speed the clips up a lot more and also add in more of a range of cuts because the first reel of them was a continuous play in the same angle which doesn't fit in with the style of the song so that was the only part that we needed to change.

When focusing on the last chorus we knew exactly where to find the clips because we only needed to do a few takes because everyone included in the video was performing arts students they knew to get straight on with there characters and it would be over quickly but they all seemed to enjoy it as well which is a good thing. When we got each of the clips from the last chorus in place we realised that they went on for too long and viewers would start to get bored as no angles are different which meant we needed to re look through all of the clips to swap with parts of the existing ones to make it look more fast paced and also speeding parts up and slowing parts down when needed added a unique touch but also still meant they where lip syncing in the correct way.

All that is left to do to our video now is change one clip close to the beginning of the video as there is a continuity error as in one flash one of the males at the tea party scene is wearing glasses and the next he isn't which doesn't look right so we need to just swap it with another clip. The last thing is add some extra editing techniques in like extra flashing lights for some scenes but lighting is an awkward thing to change because it then means it could be bright in one part of the clip and dark the next it's hard to find a balance so we are best leaving it with what we have got. However some more super imposing might work well for it especially if we cross over scenes of our main character in all the different scenarios together like a montage and if we speed parts up it could look quite scary. We have a few more lessons left but because we have put everything into place and have already captured our digipak images we have time to play about with effects before handing in the final copy of the music video in Wednesday's lesson.

Discussion for Last Chorus

As you can see in the screen grab above there is a large space which consists of the last chorus and as a group we needed to come up with some idea that would relate into our storyline/plot perfectly. Also every little small part of footage that has been cut in the image above is from a separate clip so it shows how much time needs to go into finishing just one verse/chorus. It was really tricky because we didn't just want to fill the space with ideas that haven't been thought about properly. Thinking about a totally new location and scenario we knew would work as it's the theory we have used to get us through most of the video and the outcome has been successful, so creating a brand new scene but having the story line in someway link back to the original is the best thing we can do, we did already have a selection of different videos which would of made our music video complete however due to health and safety regulations they where not allowed to be used.

We have collected inspiration from a range of different music videos throughout filming our own which had the same type of story line or plot that we hope to capture for example Rihanna's Disturbia video, that is very intense and includes alot of horror style dance moves which could make viewers feel uncomfortable but that affect is what we wanted to give off. The set up of Jessie J's Nobody's Perfect is the closest inspiration I believe we could have to our idea as the shot is full with props and actors but also you can see that only the main singer/character is in control of everything which is exactly what we hope to capture from our variety of shots as she will be controlling the "dead bodies" which she attacked throughout the video.



After figuring out how we would set up a tea party scene we needed to think about a location and we knew that the studio that can be provided for us by college would be the best option as it's a blank canvas and the most important thing, it contains tables and chairs which are vital for our scene because if we want on location say an abandoned forest the effect would be lost as no transportation services could take tables and chairs from college just for us students to use, so for this point we thought logically. It was then onto costume and we asked the boys that were included in the beginning of the video to return but this time where smart shirts with a tie because the tea party would be formal, which made it easy to figure out that Emily (main character) would be wearing something formal too and we thought a cute pastel colour dress would contradict what she is (cannibal) and contrast well with the story line, make up would be left simple except from the black lips which is an element we got from the Lady Gaga - Paparazzi video because I believe it just shows a slight amount of bad while she is still looking really angelic.




The hardest element we needed to think about was the actual storyline of this scene and how it would link in well with the verse and chorus of the song. For the verse that starts "I Eat Boys Up, Breakfast & Lunch" we plan to film the main character and the male actors all sitting around a table full of different props which you would associate with a tea party, she will then go on to pouring out "tea" (blood) into each of the male actors cups, who are at this point dead. This process will be filmed very slowly however we will speed it up in the editing stages to make it look more creepy and have some relevance to the idea we have gone with throughout this music video. After pouring the drinks she takes the cups to each of them as well as doing a signature move on each of them which shows she cares for them but she is still the boss so she shows her emotion through anger because she can't help but thrive off the fact she could be drinking their blood. A range of close up medium and long shots will be captured so a lot of cuts can be added to our video showing the main characters facial expressions and the male actors aswell as the full set.


When it gets onto the last chorus we knew instantly because it sounds like more than one person singing it in the original song it would be silly not to have all of the male actors alertly jolt up from the "dead" and start miming the words in sync which will almost look like they are zombies because of the facial expressions they pull, while they are perusing this the main character will position herself in the middle of the table and it's a sort of transformation scene as she is coming out as a cannibal so a lot of jolty body movements which we can speed up again can be captured. When the chorus kicks in and the beats get faster a new idea needed to be brought in so we thought if the male actors are seated when miming the beginning of the chorus they could all jump up from their seats and start walking as if they are still half dead towards the camera and making their bodies disjointed which may make viewers feel uncomfortable but the whole part of the video is horror related. When they are all lined up infront of the table and the main character is now knelt on top of the table the fun part will happen, when the first fast beat kicks in the group will automatically start reciting the macarena which should ease viewers into the video and also make them laugh, this will be done very precisely and body movement will be in sync but also really strong.

We decided that the " oh oh oh oh oh" part of the song will be the "having fun" part of the video where our main character does various different moves which will make people laugh and also have no relevance to the video. So while we have this great set all created we thought taking a few parts of that will work and finish off that full section nicely, because she is surrounded by props we hopefully will get her to throw them towards the camera whilst miming but also making sure she keeps into character which could be difficult but because she is so professional it will work.

Filming Difficulties

Throughout the process of creating the music video we have been inspired through different videos and our own ideas, however, some of the content in which we wanted to be contained in the video went against the health and safety regulations. Due to this we have had to rethink ideas for various chorus's of the song. This has proven to be difficult as through the video's genre, in which we have set, we would like the content to be disturbing and creepy, however there is also guidelines in which we need to follow.
In order to overcome this problem we decided to analyze various ways in which we could portray the creepy effect without it becoming too overpowering. Through studying performing arts I worked on a dance choreographer called Bob Fosse. This particular choreographer focused on the body and movements in order to make the dancer look distorted, this inspired me and gave me the idea of including a short dance routine within the video focusing on Bob Fosse's particular body movements to allow the creepy genre to come in. Through including the dance routine we will also be sticking to the stereotypical elements found in music videos as nearly all female videos contain a dance sequence.
The problem that came to mind when filming the dance routine is that it would not suit the rest of the video and look out of place in comparison to the other footage. In order to solve this we decided that the dance routine would not be fully choreographed as dance and that instead we would show the routine as if the actress was transforming into the cannibal, using gestures such as head turns and flinging the arms around, these gestures could also be sped up so that more fast paced editing is included (as through the peer assessment they said including this will give the video a better effect).
Through looking at the dance routine as a transformation this inspired me furthermore to make the scene more disturbing. The idea in which came to mind was focusing the attention on the actress and instead of her lip syncing to the music, include the actors from the bridge section and have them mime to the song. This allowed the disturbing genre to fit in, as the actors from the bridge section were portrayed as dead, and by having them stay in the position they were and just move their mouths it gives off an unsettling feeling which could shock the audience as the idea of the undead is a scary thought to most.