1. 1. Technical quality of final product (images, footage, use of sound,
editing, layout, composition)
For my final major project, I was assigned with the task of creating my own content
such as a magazine cover, advert, short film etc. I intended on a producing a
professional looking music video as I felt that due to my previous assignments of
creating a group music video my focus would be best suited there as I have
experience with this style of work, this could help me to improve on the mistakes that
I created in the first video. To begin I firstly decided to choose my song and after
much debate I decided to have the music video revolve around the song Hopeless
Wanderer by Mumford and Sons as I felt it best suited the techniques I was trying to
show in my script and storyboard that would then translate to my final production.
The way in which I chose to shoot my footage was very simple but complex shots
could still be achieved. I firstly began by using a Canon camera and mounting it onto
a tripod as I felt that this would give me the stillest shot and I would not have to re
shoot footage time and time again because of shakiness. I then began to apply my
photography knowledge to this assignment to further enhance the shots I was taking.
Techniques such as depth of field were used so that the focus would be upon the
artist/object and also I would then be able to block certain distractions from the
background like houses. This is to give a sense of immersion to the audience as they
feel like they are connecting with the singer. Other techniques such as rule of third
was used, this is where the footage should be imaged as divided into nine equals
and that the important compositional element should be placed along their
intersections. This technique is used to create more tension, energy and interested
in the whole composition rather than simply centring the subject. The two techniques
where utilized quite well as they contrasted against each other in order to show a
unlikeness and difference between each shot. I filmed my music video over a 2 day
period; however I found that a few shots of my footage were unusable due my
camera being slightly off angle or not being able to sync the song to the artists voice

2. This meant I had to slightly change my music video from the storyboard and use a
different sequence of shots. After all the footage was shot it was onto the editing
stage. For this I used Adobe Premier because it was the most efficient way to edit
my footage. I began by cutting down clips of my footage then piecing them into a
sequence that fit the storyboard and that I thought synergized well. I made sure I
position the more interesting shots throughout my music video so that I keep the
audience engaged. I manipulate the colours and brightness however I wanted; this
would allow me to keep shots consistent and some of the looks different as they
were shot later on in the day.
2. Production skills you have newly acquired and existing skills you have
further developed
I believe that the biggest production skill that I further developed in this process is
my camera techniques and the way I control the camera during production. This is
shown by the different angles and shots that can be seen throughout my music
video. This process allowed me to experiment with different techniques until I find
what I believed would benefit my music video to make it more professional. Using
software such as Abobe Premiere requires a lot of patience and practice. I took it
upon my self to get to grips with editing to a dead on point, this is because I
wanted to shorten the song I would be using but with out the audience ever
realising. I believe that the final result came out very well as the audience I tested
it on gave no indication towards the edit to the song. A new skill that I acquired
during this assignment was knowing the ins and outs of import,exporting and
setting up my projects. This allowed me to independently work without delay or
need for assistance. I could also help fellow students with problems making the
editing process go a lot more smoothly. I feel as though if I had the opportunity to
do this same assignment again I would focus more on expanding my camera angles
complexity and also looking in using after effects a more unique look to make it
stand out from other peoples products.
3. How closely does your final product matches your original intentions
(outlined in your Final Major Project proposal)
The biggest challenge I had to face was throughout the idea generation process
where I had to decide on the song I was going to pick. I firstly started off with
having the song I See Fire by Ed Sheeran, but as time went on and my final image

3. was coming to fruition I decided to swap to Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford and
Sons. You can clearly see this change from the idea generation slowly to the final
project. I felt as though this was a necessary change as the song fit with the
storyboard I had created. Although to make the song fit perfectly I decided to
shorten it so I could spend more time editing rather than getting pointless bits of
footage. For the rest of my assignment I know that it is consistent throughout
keeping with a consistent idea and meeting the briefs targets points. The way I
kept a consistent flow throughout my work was by coming up with a fixed idea that
would never be change such as it being a performance and what type of style it
would be like a performance or narrative type of video. These fixed points allowed
me to stay with one idea but being able to change the small details around it such
as camera angles and how many people were needed for the video. This
techniques worked out well for me because gave me rule and guidelines along side
the brief that I had to follow in order for my final major project to look as
professional and well put together as possible as it has revolved around key ideas.
4. Time management and problem solving (scheduling, practical
constraints and strategies you used to overcome constraints)
Time management was not problem as I kept to a schedule of what I was doing so
that each week I could have a set focus for one task and not get overwhelmed by
the many task that I must complete for this final project. As there wast enough
time in class to get from one task to the other, I took it upon myself to complete
smaller tasks such as storyboards and mood boards outside of class so that my main
focus could be on editing the project. I also advised my tutor for feedback on my
work so I knew that I was keeping on the right track. I fee; as though time
management is key to any project as if you don’t make time for everything at
some point in the project then the more important things wont be that important
any more. This leads to stress which would impact my work drastically because I
would be rushing. One problem I faced during this process was acquiring the
people I needed to be in the music video. On the day of filming my lead role in the
music video rung me to say that he was in hospital and there would be no way of
him getting down for the shoot. So put me in a predicament where I ended up
being in the music video as the lead role. I would do this by telling the person
behind the camera the shot I wanted and setting it up like a template and then me
actually performing it. This was a hard challenge to overcome because I doubted
my ability to act naturally in the video, as I knew specifically what I wanted to do
therefore I would move in certain ways that would achieve the shot but not look
naturally fluid to the audience .
5. Reaching your target audience (audience response, your reactions to
positive and negative criticism with reference to audience feedback you
have gathered)

4. The reaction I got from my target audience was great, comments such as “Great,
Well edited and The editing matches the song and the mise en scene in the
shots does go well with the genre of music video you chose.” this show that I hit
my target audience quite well and the way the music video is trying to portray a
performance style in a indie genre. I felt as though the mixture of camera angles
kept the audience intrigued throughout music video this is backed up by the
audience as most of the positive feedback is towards the camera angles I used and
how they were edited well together. Overall I believe that I hit the brief as my
final major project is suitable for the target audience I have chosen and has been
put together enough to a professional standard that the audience are engaged
throughout of the video. As you can see by the image below a steady rate of
people stayed tuned to throughout the video until the very end proving that the
video can hold up and audience.
6. Summary conclusion of how you would respond to your project
brief if you were to do it again
Overall from the feedback I got I believe that my final major project was success.
In my own eyes I deem it to be to a professional enough quality that it can engage
an audience right from the get go. I don' believe I could have changed anything in
the way I edited my footage or the complexity of the camera angles chose. There
would not specifically be an area I would revisit if I had the chance to re-do this
assignment. I would look to make each individual area more efficient leaving me
more time get prepared or look back on any mistake I may have made. Also I would
look into making sure the actors/actresses I get for my project are prepared and
know the dates in advance so that they do not have an excuse not to be there.