Music Video remake workshop: Evaluation - Little Mix - Wings

Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?

The workshop day was a completely new experience for me. It was fascinating to see how a professional shoot worked and it surprised me how busy I was even when not performing in front of the camera. There were always various jobs that needed doing, therefore for the majority of the day, being a runner and helping especially with costume and make-up kept me busy. It was also important that while we kept busy and learnt about the different filming processes and roles, we also encouraged the performers and generally kept spirits up.

The different job roles on set were particularly interesting as everyone's tasks were so different. There was no overlap and everyone knew clearly what they were meant to be doing. The role of Director particularly engages me, as this means creative control. Our director Harrison was very clear in his instructions, and I learnt that excellent communication is essential to make a shoot run smoothly and successfully. For my A2 media project, I plan to have more creative control as I will not be following a template. This will allow me to explore the conventions I already know and also break them and experiment with new things.

I very much enjoyed the preparation for the shoot i.e. costume, hair, make up. Experimenting with the way things looked on camera proved challenging but also rewarding to get the image we wanted. Furthermore, trying to perfect the aesthetics along with Harrison and the camera crew working on framing and composition meant that teamwork was crucial. This has inspired me to try different looks for my own video, as it is something I enjoy.

What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim task?

Analyse a music video
The key features of a music video were completely alien to me. Having always focused on continuity editing, watching a discontinuous piece seemed abstract and difficult to create. However, after analysing a video, I realised that the overall effect created was engaging and appealing to the audience. Similarly, continuous editing of someone for example, singing a song, would become boring and repetitive. Therefore, mixing up shots makes for better viewing.

Audition video



I filmed and edited my audition video alone. Going solo meant that I could go as crazy as I wanted without feeling embarrassed  It was surprisingly difficult to keep up the energy though, and after a while, it felt like I was repeating the same sorts of movements for each lyric and the music. This taught me that improvising was more difficult than I'd originally thought, especially after playing the same song multiple times. Editing was quite fun as I was free to do it however I wanted, without considering continuity too much. On the other hand, sometimes I found that there was not enough footage to edit how I wanted so compromise had to be made. For my own music video, I know that I have to give more than I think I'll need as the footage usually seems like less.

Learn your performance
Learning the dance routine was one of the most fun parts. It was hilarious to see people who you'd thought were sensible and shy to let loose and really go for it. The dance itself was more challenging than it has been in previous years, but we were all up for the challenge. I enjoyed learning and working with other students to practice the routine and commit it to memory. We all became used to the idea of dancing in front of each other. It showed me that enthusiasm and effort is key in producing a good piece of work. Moreover, working closely with others contributes to the on- screen aesthetics and chemistry. Also helping the main cats with their movements was crucial. It becomes tedious and quite difficult to keep moving for an entire song, therefore enthusiasm and energy was key.

Plan/organise costume
This part took much organisation. Systematic wardrobe-checks and bringing clothes back and forth to and from media meant that things could easily be misplaced. With clothes everywhere, we had to trust each other with our belongings, and also be accepting of others. We learnt also to make the most of what we had, and work with whatever was available. Costume was important, thus had to looks similar to the actual video. At the same time, we accepted that not everything would be exactly the same, so we learnt to improvise and nicely fix what we had. Without organisation, we would not have had the correct things required, therefore the whole remake would have been affected.

The one-day workshop
This day was completely packed with new things to learn. Shadowing the crew proved informative and having a go at for example, cable-bashing, scared me a little bit before, but now seems normal. Being a runner meant that I was up on my feet and doing things. I had to understand that people would constantly be asking for something, and I asked them if they needed anything too. Working closely with Olivia for hair and make-up was a different experience, especially making up the boys. They were surprisingly accommodating  which displayed the trust and willingness required to perform to our best abilities, and to create a wonderful final product.

Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?

The footage is of high quality and the performances are realistic, match the actual video, and very convincing. The actors are attractive and all perform to a high standard. All the cast together work well and I am very happy with the video overall. There was enough footage for each and every shot, and we had a choice of which to choose. At points, there may have been one or two hard to find or seemingly missing, but we were able to resolve such issues. and the piece is an accurate but also very personal re-make.

I thought that it would be difficult to edit the jump-cuts and the effects e.g. the slow-mo and split screens, but eventually after editing them in, the finished product looks good.The sets look fantastic, sometimes even better than the actual video, in my opinion. This was the same for the costumes, and the girls, though in real life, were VERY made up, on screen look glamorous. It also shocked me how good the group scenes were; I was not expecting it to be so close to the real video. 

How do you think your prelim exercise will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?

From this prelim, I've learnt that pre- and post-production, as well as the actual shoot are equally important. Without careful planning, the shoot will not be successful. Each aspect including actual camera/filming, but also performers, costume, props and shot lists and schedules etc. all takes very careful and critical planning. It is important to know what you're doing and when in order to save time and maximise possible usable footage. Therefore, I will try my best to be as organised and efficient as I can for my own music video.

In regard to performing, learning the moves and song by heart were crucial. Confidence will come across on camera, therefore we had to know what we were doing. Also, every detail that will be visible on screen must be planned in advance. This saves time and gives everyone else an idea of what you want to achieve. This may include the mise-en-scene of a shot, or the actual actor.

During the shoot-day, we must stay focused on the task, and remain in role throughout. Practising over the day helps memory and builds confidence. I realised that we had to be very supportive of each other and help out wherever we could. This could be doing odd jobs that need doing, encouraging the main cast, or even helping other less confident dancers to rehearse the routine. Working well with my team with excellent communication and teamwork skills would mean the music video result would go as planned, and produce a good result.

In post-production, sometimes it can be difficult to get enough editing time, especially when in large groups as we were. In this case I've learnt the importance of asserting myself so that I can get a go. Similarly, it is important to acknowledge that not everyone is as confident in this particular part of the process, thus may need longer to adjust and/or take longer. For this, we have to stay supportive and understand that everyone needs the opportunity to edit. In future, I will try to organise an editing schedule better so that everyone has equal opportunities to edit.

Altogether, I have learnt that people may be strong in one or more of these aspects, and that we have to be accepting of this. It is not appropriate or useful to lose focus during any of these, and/or not co-operate with the team. Having seen that it can be difficult to communicate with the group, especially regarding editing, I will make every effort to in future, so that I actually get a chance, and my team knows that I want or need to.Working well as a team results in a very worthwhile product, therefore I am motivated to work hard throughout my coursework next year, both creatively and technically.