Music Video - Big Time Rush Video and CCR

For my music video, I wanted it to be very simple and fun. I got 4 friends who have great chemistry to jump round and have fun. I think this gave  a very realistic and authentic vibe to the video. This was a lot easier to film than the commercial. I think my skills had progressed a little at this point. I was really excited for this video because the band was a big part of my childhood and I knew that recreating their song would bring back memories. This was my favorite filming experience because it was so fun.

Editing Blog for Music Video

I filmed all of my footage on my phone. I did this because I liked how easy it was and the quality of the video better than the camera. It was also a lot easier to dump my footage because my computer and phone are synced. I created a folder on my desktop named "Music Video - BTR". I then went into my photos app and moved the videos to the folder. I opened iMovie and dumped my footage. I moved my raw footage into the editing bar and watched it all together to see what to cut. Because of my filming style, my editing process was very simple. I cut up the two separate videos by verses and chorus. By the end of this, I had about 8 or 9 clips. However, there were duplicates so I had to decide which clips I would put in the final video.

I decided that the clip we filmed outside was much better than the one inside. So, I used more of the outside footage in my final video. I added no transitions in the video. I did this because when I watched the other Big Time Rush videos, they did not have any fancy transitions, just cuts. I added a fade in at the beginning to make it more dramatic. I also put the intro music during the fade to make it sound nicer. I am considering a fade out at the end so it can reflect the introduction. I really like how the transitions flow with the video. Because the video is due in 4 days, I can still touch up my video. However, I think for now it is very nice.

Adding the music to the background was also really easy. I had to go on YouTube to find the song. I then had to find an mp3 converter and paste the link into the site. The song downloaded to my computer as an mp3 and I uploaded it to my GarageBand app on my computer. I cut and changed the song so it could fit the timing and lip-syncing in my footage. I then downloaded the music again and imported it to my music video. I detached the audio from the footage and deleted it. I moved the song audio around until I got it to be perfectly in sync with the footage and then watched the video to make sure there were no mess ups. I had to trim a lot of clips for them to blend together between verses and chorus. In the end my video was about 1:14, which is right on time.

Filming Blog for Music Video: Actual Filming

Because I was on vacation for a week, we could not film our music video over the break. We had to wait until the day I got back and filmed all day yesterday. Some issues did come up with trying to get together. There was a lot of traffic, causing some of the actors to be almost 2 hours late. However, we made up for lost time by being efficient. My idea for filming was to film the same clip three times in three locations. However, this did not work because we got rid of the car scene. I wanted to have the actors coming out of the windows and singing. I decided against this because of safety concerns and not wanting to promote unsafe driving habits. So, we ended up filming in two locations: inside and outside.

I dressed the boys in a specific wardrobe as well. I wanted them to have a certain mid-2000s, grungy vibe. I made them wear jeans and v-neck t-shirts. We decided that for the two scenes, wearing shoes would be unnatural, so they wore socks. As for props, we were unable to get any. We wanted to use some pool toys, floats, and water shooters, but could not find the time to get them. We also planned on having a stage scene. This was transformed into the indoors scene where the boys are on the couch. I decided to do this because it would make the video more my own. One really good thing is that despite the setbacks, we are right on schedule.

We began inside, having the boys act natural and laidback. This gave the video an organic feeling, making it more realistic. The boys sat on the couch for the first two verses, and then began jumping around during the chorus. We had to film this a couple times to get the timing and lyrics right, but they learned very fast. We then moved outside. For this, I decided to make the boys start on opposite sides of the pool and cross over into different positions. I did not want to do choreography because I did not know to what extent they could dance. I really enjoyed filming this video because it seemed like the boys were having fun and enjoying themselves. This makes the video so much better because it does not look fabricated. Our filming process during this time was very simple and stress-free. I am very excited to edit and see how the final video turns out.

Filming Blog for Music Video: What Went Wrong?

Unfortunately, we could not film this past week. This is an issue seeing as how our music video is due December 6. I have been out of town since November 22 and will be gone until December 1. This means that we will have to complete all of our filming on that day and possibly after school. I cannot even have my partner film because he is part of the music video and needs me to film. We also do not have our location and actors secured. We have to make sure that everyone is free to film on December  1. We also have to work on securing locations. This may be an issue depending on how many opportunities we have to film. We might have to use only one or two of the locations. This all depends on when the locations are available. Once we get these aspects secured, we can move forward. The next step is to teach the boys the song. In the time that we cannot film, this is when the boys will learn the lyrics to the song. Our music video can only be around 1 minute long, so it should not be hard. Overall, the issue with filming is easily solved.

Our plan right now for filming next week is to get it all done in one day. After writing my storyboard,  I realized that it would be difficult to obtain the stage location. Because of this, we may have to get rid of that part. We still have the car and pool scenes. An issue that may arise with the car idea is safety. We want to make sure that we are promoting safety, meaning that we cannot be driving around recklessly. We may want to just cut down our video to the pool. We can also add an interior shot of a house with the actors hanging out. I hope that by Friday we can have a sure plan. This means secure actors and locations. Considering we only have 5 days to edit, we have to move fast. This means that we have to film in 2 days at most. This leaves us with 3 days to edit and make our video perfect. I am a little worried that we will not have enough time. However, the faster we film, the faster we will finish.

Storyboard Blog for Music Video

Planning Blog for Music Video

Location: The locations we include should promote a fun, safe atmosphere. We are going to be filming an upbeat video and these locations should reflect that. We are going to be filming in 3 different locations. The first will be at a pool/outdoor party. The second will be at a stage if we can get access to one outside of school. This may not be possible. The third location will be in a car/golf cart.

Health and safety: For health reasons, we will make sure that if we have any food or drink in the video, none of the actors are allergic. We will also not promote the use of any substances such as drugs or alcohol. For safety, we will make sure that no one is acting wild around the pool to ensure no one slips or drowns. We will also make sure everyone has permission from their parents to be filmed. It is imperative that everyone wears seatbelts during the scene with the car. We do not want to promote reckless driving or texting while driving.

Props: Our props will consist of many items that align with our locations. Our first location (pool) will have pool toys, floats, water guns, pool chairs, and of course a pool. Our second location (stage) will need speakers, a stage, microphones, chais, lights, and an audience. Our third location (car) will require the car and anything else we can think of at the time. We will also need some makeup for the actors. Since they are boys, they do not need much, just concealer and powder.

Costumes: The typical costumes for a music video like this is going to be early 2000s, preppy, boy clothing. This includes black skinny jeans and a button up or v neck shirt. On top of this is usually a vest, blazer, or leather jacket. Usually they wore black sneakers. Extras can include a matching tie, skinny black belts, and beanies/snapback hats.

Schedule: Our first deadline is November 14 where we have to blog our song choice, genre conventions, and research of our song. Our second blog is due November 20 where we have to talk about our planning for the music video. This includes location list, props, and costumes. Also due is our storyboard. Our third deadline is November 25 where we talk about our filming process. We also have another filming blog due December 2. Our finished music video is due December 6. Our final deadline is December 11, where we turn in our CCR questions.

Research for New Project - Music Video for Til I Forget About You (BTR)

In our last project, the commercial, we used common conventions. These included the typical style for a food and drink commercial. We also researched typical camera angles and movements for a commercial like Dunkin' Donuts. We did not focus on how our product engages with audiences and how we represent groups and issues. For this project, I want to target these aspects more. These are important in making a commercial attractive to viewers considering that the more representation we have, the more people are engaged. Now that my production skills and knowledge of technology have improved, this music video will be more professional-looking than the commercial. The editing process of the commercial helped me get better at working certain editing and production applications. 

The song that I will be doing is Til I Forget About You by the band Big Time Rush. Originally, Big Time Rush was a TV show on Nickelodeon running from 2009 to 2013. The theme song was adapted into a full length song which then appeared on their debut album titled "BTR", which was released in 2010. The band went on to produce two more albums in 2011 and 2013. The song Til I Forget About You is considered a staple in American childhoods for our generation. This song came out when we were all around 7-10 years old, the perfect time for the accompanying show to come out. 

The genre for Til I Forget About You is pop and the band is a typical boy band. The typical costumes for a music video like this is going to be early 2000s, preppy, boy clothing. This includes black skinny jeans, button up or v neck shirts paired with a vest or blazer/leather jacket, a matching tie, and black sneakers. Extras can include skinny belts and beanies or snapback hats. Typical lighting for this video would be bright, white lights and natural lighting. The acting in a music video has to match the mood and setting portrayed. If a song is sad, the actors cannot be happy and vice versa. For this video, the acting has to be very upbeat and happy. The makeup has to be very minimal, considering they are all boys that do not regularly wear heavy makeup. However, in order to make it perfect, the actors mays have to wear some foundation to cover any blemishes and powder to avoid appearing shiny. The props would include microphones for a performing scene, pool toys for an outdoor scene, and a car for a driving scene. The props and setting should reflect an easygoing, fun attitude. The setting will be different for a few scenes. One will be at a pool/outdoor party, another at a "performance," and another in the car. The editing will include a lot of cutaways. My idea is to show the boys at different places (the ones previously stated) while singing the song. I want the transitions to be sharp, meaning very little fade or dissolve effects. There will be quite a few low angle, high angle, and eye level shots depending on the location. A typical camera movement includes a pan, tracking shot, and zoom. I plan on filming with a phone camera as I liked the way those clips turned out in my commercial project. For sound, I'm going to remove all of the sound from filming and add the music from the song. The boys will be lip-syncing.