Music Video CCR

Hi Gems. It's that lovely time again. Reflection blog. Seeing what I've done or didn't do to learn from it. So let's get right into this.

1. The most common convention seemed to be the actor (in most cases the singer) lip-syncing to the lyrics during all or most of the music video. However for us lip-syncing did not align with the section of the song we chose to use. We also told a story which is a consistent convention within the genre, majority of these have ambiguous endings, similar to our video. This was because the major event had happened. What was filmed was one piece of the puzzle. What followed was left to the viewer as the question 'are we still friends' was proposed. If was the resolution of the video even though it did tie up all the loose ends. This allows the views to form their own conclusions about the relationship of the friends after the music video has ended. I would not say the video deals with a major social issue but friends murdering each other because of actions made is not an uncommon situation. The problem doesn't fall into a social category, but rather an issue within itself. Murder we know is wrong, a chargeable offense and against the law. Cheating, on the other hand, is a moral issue, even though it is frowned upon, someone cannot be charged for doing it, at least not legally. The music video was playing on the fact that everyone has friends and how we would react in that situation. The video covers less of the action and more on the reaction to build on that fact. 
2. The video contains content appealing to a teen audience. However all ages may relate to activities or actions done. For instance, being on their phones while being with friends by showing them the video or photo they just viewed. There is a level of relatability in the music video. Also people are just intrigued with murder and scandal. Adding that to the video would grab the attention of potential viewers by giving them something to be interested in. I also believe with the ending being left to the viewer it will draw re-watches and allow more people to discover an ending for themselves. As they need to connect the dots and conclude their own aftermath. If this was a real music video it would be published on YouTube with Vevo to increase the quality and the range of the music video. Working with Vevo the video would be pushed to a wider audience. As the company’s purpose is to provide the music to a wider audience in a higher quality. Also it would be eligible for award nominations some of which being MTV's VMA, an award center around music-songs with music videos. The music video would also be released on Spotify and Apple Music for those who do not use YouTube to grow the numbers of the individuals to receive it. Also clips would be posted on TikTok and Instagram as teasers to gauge viewership, as done by many creators trying to push their content. 
3. Problem solving was definitely a skill that was developed during this project. I had a hairstyle change mid way through filming. However I did not lose my mind, rather I found a way to hide the change, wearing a beanie on the video as you saw. Another problem of all of us being in the scene and no one to film. Using my bag and a chair we created a DIY phone stand that allowed us to be in two places at once. And my personal favorite, as you know from the many blogs we were filming on the beach, so for our last scene being in the water, not having a swimsuit is no fun. So instead of adding the ocean's salt level with my tears I simply rolled on my leggings to minimize the wetness as I had to be in the next scene, you know not drenched. This was also my first time filming for something of this degree. The only filming I’ve done was on Snapchat and TikTok and it was only for my enjoyment so the quality was not the best. I didn’t let this stop me; I applied my limited skills to the different shots and angles used in the music video. I also think my creativity level along with my group members were tested. We were asked to create a story based on someone else’s work, that matched the lyrics but wasn’t the same. We came up with this idea of cheating, friends and murder over one meal and we stuck with it until the very end. How's that for food for thought? 
4. We filmed using a phone because it was most convenient. The majority of the editing was done on the phone as well using Capcut. To us  it made the most sense to have easy access to the shots taken, so we could edit the clips to confirm the length of each. Also we could easily use a phone rather than rely on one person to bring a camera or buy one as it is lighter and more convenient. Everyone always had their phones with them making it the most accessible tool to film with and the videos could easily be shared through the group and to the editing software. We also didn't require a tutorial on how to work a phone camera, it was a very well known area to work with. Plus it's very user friendly unlike many cameras. Capcut was used because it was user friendly and already pre-downloaded. It was not a new skill to learn, rather a very comfortable one due to our last project. We've all used Capcut before, all about me video, so it made the most sense to edit on something everyone was comfortable with. Another reason Capcut was used is it has a PC version so we can edit at any time and anywhere. In addition Capcut allows multiple people to edit one project at a time. So there would not be too many cooks in the kitchen. 

Well Gems that's all for today I'll see you in the next one. A new project coming soon. Keep shining and perhaps do some reflecting of your own.

Sincerely,

Makenna Jewels  <3

https://docs.google.com/document/d/141Ixzs68hqTTowHJV65Df4PLyQlo3IpCA7XIl4fosww/edit?usp=sharing