Final Cut Pro Practice - Yagmur and Safwana

Once final cut pro was installed on the Macs, we decided to start experimenting with different tools and just practiced using it in general so it would be easier for us once we actually started editing. As The Neighbourhood videos have a letterbox/widescreen aspect ratio, we decided to see how it would look with our shots and it actually looked better than the original full screen aspect. We first tried to crop the actual footage but we found that it cropped out the majority of what we want to show to the audience. We searched further and found the letterbox option which made it easier.

We also started to experiment with different filters. We tried a lot of filters and we stuck to black and white. The neighbourhood videos tend to have a grey tone to them rather than a regular black and white which can have a really high exposure and dark contrast which can sometimes look quite strong and sharp, whereas we're going for a more faded look.

We haven't quite decided whether we want our entire video to be black and white with the letterbox frame, or if we want it to be full screen with coloured filters like more green/yellow tones or purple/blue tones with a grainy effect over it to give it a more nostalgic feel. We think that both effects can make our video look nostalgic. With the black and white, it expresses the darkness and depressing theme of the video a lot more, and with the coloured filters it can still show the dark theme behind it because the old film effect can bring memories of the past (in our case, the death of the friend). We will experiment further with the different footage to see if these effects suit the entire video, but first we need to make sure that all of our videos are in order and in place.

Pitch/Class presentation - Safwana and Yagmur

Song comments from Youtube - Yagmur

Example of our music video - Yagmur and Safwana

We used the footage we already filmed and decided to make a quick trailer/montage of some of our shots together. Our actual music video is going to be black and white so we decided this will give a an accurate representation of the official music video because we're going to be using the same shots. We will be experimenting with a lot more editing techniques such as slow motion, speeding shots up, quicker cuts etc. This briefly gives a glimpse of the entire 3-4 minute video.

Inspiration from existing magazines - Yagmur

This is just some research for when we start designing a CD cover and print ad.

Annotated lyrics and shots - Yagmur and Safwana

 

We decided to print out the lyrics of the song as not only is it part of our brief, it's also very helpful for us to be able to visualize the video with the lyrics, and also see what shots go where. We listened to the song over and over again and at the same time we discussed where we can place our shots.

 

 

We made this list of the shots that we didn't think about before and we jotted down whatever we thought sounded good and was suitable. For example, the close up of the girl throwing flowers at the graveyard didn't come into our mind before but we came up with it whilst we were discussing different shots and techniques and thought it would be a good edition to our existing shots. This is also helpful for us on the day of filming as we can quickly take the list out to see if we forgot anything and then we can film it.

Filming schedule - Yagmur and Safwana

The first two schedules are from when we already filmed. We first planned out where we wanted to film and we decided to film at home and also at Liverpool St Station. We found these suitable as at home, the protagonist of the video (Yagmur) is isolated without her friend and is getting on with her artwork/photography without her. At Liverpool St, we can also see she's lonely as she's doing the same. We also have some deliberately 'random' shots as our video is going to be in the style of a montage (blurry lights, feet walking, the streets, buildings etc).

The last four schedules are what we're going to film with both the protagonist and Selcan who is the friend. The shots will be similar to what we filmed before but this time we will obviously have the two friends together, and the protagonist will look more cheerful. In terms of the costumes, it will be less dull than the casual clothing the protagonist wore before to show the contrast of how dull she is when she's lonely, versus how happy she is when she's with her friend. We're also going to be filming outside most of the time in the same type of locations (the streets, near Liverpool St station etc) to show that's where they went together.