Today (Wednesday 4th January), I started with the process of finishing the editing stages of the green screen, the scene which involved a news broadcast. However, things did not proceed as planned, and during the editing in After Effects, I encountered a problem when it came to applying the news backdrop to the footage, that the camera was not positioned correctly, and therefore Sid (the main character) was moving from one side of the set to the other. This meant that the visual representation of him being shown on a TV was not real and that the news backdrop was clearly animated.
However before all of this, I had to upload the video to After Effects, then apply the "colour key" effect to the clip and reduce the green background to nothing. However, again, I encountered a problem because the programme could not fully take away every single bit of green, because if I was to do this, it would result in the neck, and parts of the t-shirt being lost. Therefore, we had to settle with having only small parts of green showing, which do not really show on the final product. The next step was to then export the file so that it can then be imported into Premiere.
Once it was exported, I imported it into Premiere, and then placed it within the timeline to fit in with the music video, making sure to cut off the unnecessary bits from the beginning and the end to make sure that the lip-sync flow with the song. The next item on the list was to make the background look more like a news broadcast, therefore we added some text to try make it look like a convincing new broadcast. This was another green screen segment completed.
Written By Tyrone.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Construction: 5th Day Of Editing
In our last lesson before the christmas holidays - Wednesday 14th December - I decided to carry on the editing process. Due to Tyrone's absence on this day, I, Jack, decided that it would be fair if I were to do the editing whilst Sid and Elliott worked on other blog posts and done some planning for future filming days.
In this editing session, I decided to use the time available to me to wrap up the green screening part of the video - previously, Tyrone done the first green screen section, but we have decided to use it on another occasion later on in the video. As a group, we decided that it would be relevant to use a green-screen for the lyrics "maybe i'll get famous as the man who can't be moved, maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news" - using a news screen as the background, and text that says something along the lines of "Breaking News!", we'd be able to show how the man has claimed fame, and is known on a large scale for his refusal to move from the place at which he is waiting for his ex-lover to appear.
The software I used in this part of the editing was Adobe After Effects, and the tools I used to do so are as follows:
- colour key: this tool was used to get rid of the green background on the original footage. Because there are a lot of individual shades of green, I had to use the colour key to select this each time.
- feather: Once I had selected a shade of green (see above), I reduced the size/amount of feathering in order to get rid of all segments of that particular shade of green.
- resize: I used the resize tool (indicated by the four small squares at the edges of an object) to resize the footage so that it fitted onto the screen of the background to make it look realistic.
- edge: I used this to adjust the size of the edges around the footage, which reduced the amount of green to a minimal level.
The whole lesson was used up on the green screening, as it is a very precise procedure, and the accuracy of the footage on the background is crucial in order for it to look as realistic is possible. However, due to previous use of the software in the preliminary stages of the coursework project, I was familiar with the software and knew how to use it to a sufficient level - because of this, no problems were encountered during the editing. The only thing, although it is extremely minor, is that I didn't get it finished, and will have to devote time in the first lesson back to get it done.
Written by Jack.
In this editing session, I decided to use the time available to me to wrap up the green screening part of the video - previously, Tyrone done the first green screen section, but we have decided to use it on another occasion later on in the video. As a group, we decided that it would be relevant to use a green-screen for the lyrics "maybe i'll get famous as the man who can't be moved, maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news" - using a news screen as the background, and text that says something along the lines of "Breaking News!", we'd be able to show how the man has claimed fame, and is known on a large scale for his refusal to move from the place at which he is waiting for his ex-lover to appear.
The software I used in this part of the editing was Adobe After Effects, and the tools I used to do so are as follows:
- colour key: this tool was used to get rid of the green background on the original footage. Because there are a lot of individual shades of green, I had to use the colour key to select this each time.
- feather: Once I had selected a shade of green (see above), I reduced the size/amount of feathering in order to get rid of all segments of that particular shade of green.
- resize: I used the resize tool (indicated by the four small squares at the edges of an object) to resize the footage so that it fitted onto the screen of the background to make it look realistic.
- edge: I used this to adjust the size of the edges around the footage, which reduced the amount of green to a minimal level.
The whole lesson was used up on the green screening, as it is a very precise procedure, and the accuracy of the footage on the background is crucial in order for it to look as realistic is possible. However, due to previous use of the software in the preliminary stages of the coursework project, I was familiar with the software and knew how to use it to a sufficient level - because of this, no problems were encountered during the editing. The only thing, although it is extremely minor, is that I didn't get it finished, and will have to devote time in the first lesson back to get it done.
Written by Jack.
Construction: 5th Day Of Filming
This Sunday just passed (22nd January), we as a group completed our 5th and final day of filming our music video. Due to prior arrangements of the other members of our group, only me and Jack were available. This didn't complicate matters however because as I am the actor in the video and Jack the director, it wasn't vital that the other two members of our group were present. Over the course of the filming session we managed to re film a couple of scenes which were not up to the standard we felt required for a decent video. Furthermore we were able to complete successfully the filming of the last chorus and the twenty five second ending. The scene which we needed to re film was a clip of about fifteen seconds. The scene was of myself sitting on the floor looking despondent and downbeat with a signboard resting on my leg asking people to help me. The reason this scene needed to be re filmed was because previously when we had filmed you could see the shadow of one of our friends in the background dancing. This we felt was too unprofessional to leave in, so needed to be re filmed. We did and it now looks more realistic, which fits into the continuity of the video.
Furthermore as well as re filming, we had to complete all clips needed for our video. We therefore had to film three more scenes, pivotal to the success of our video. The three scenes were a scene where i am being told by a policeman that i am not allowed to sit in the spot that i am. This scene shows me on the bench and the policeman standing up next to me. We had the policeman standing up and myself sitting down to really capture the sense of pain that the character felt at not being able to find his girl. The policeman standing up is key as it shows that he obviously is the man in control of the situation. A scene where i am miming the last chorus. This scene shows me finally leaving the bench, looking despondent and making my way towards the exit. The final scene we filmed was of me finally leaving the place where i 'couldn't be moved'. To symbolise the fact that i had given up hope, i had a look of despondence on my face and i closed the gate in the park were we had been filming. We thought the closing of the gate was a good idea, as it symbolised the fact that when the girl turned up in the next scene, she was too late and it epitomises the sense of disparity we were looking to encapsulate in the penultimate scene.
After we had filmed in Monday's lesson all that was needed to complete the practical side of our project was to upload the clips taken and edit them correctly and fluidly into our music video. This was completed early in this mornings lesson which is excellent as it has meant we have kept to our deadline date of this Friday.
One major problem was encountered in this filming session. The severity of the wind meant that the tripod was, at one point, completely knocked over with the camera on it. The tripod appeared to be broken, although the camera still worked, so we resumed with the filming, but Jack had to do so without a tripod - however, luckily, for the scenes we had left to film, we had actually planned to do so without a tripod, and instead have Jack following me with the camera. The tripod was later fixed, and is still able to be used. Other than this, and a very minor weather issue (strong winds), no problems were encountered.
Written by Sid.
Furthermore as well as re filming, we had to complete all clips needed for our video. We therefore had to film three more scenes, pivotal to the success of our video. The three scenes were a scene where i am being told by a policeman that i am not allowed to sit in the spot that i am. This scene shows me on the bench and the policeman standing up next to me. We had the policeman standing up and myself sitting down to really capture the sense of pain that the character felt at not being able to find his girl. The policeman standing up is key as it shows that he obviously is the man in control of the situation. A scene where i am miming the last chorus. This scene shows me finally leaving the bench, looking despondent and making my way towards the exit. The final scene we filmed was of me finally leaving the place where i 'couldn't be moved'. To symbolise the fact that i had given up hope, i had a look of despondence on my face and i closed the gate in the park were we had been filming. We thought the closing of the gate was a good idea, as it symbolised the fact that when the girl turned up in the next scene, she was too late and it epitomises the sense of disparity we were looking to encapsulate in the penultimate scene.
After we had filmed in Monday's lesson all that was needed to complete the practical side of our project was to upload the clips taken and edit them correctly and fluidly into our music video. This was completed early in this mornings lesson which is excellent as it has meant we have kept to our deadline date of this Friday.
One major problem was encountered in this filming session. The severity of the wind meant that the tripod was, at one point, completely knocked over with the camera on it. The tripod appeared to be broken, although the camera still worked, so we resumed with the filming, but Jack had to do so without a tripod - however, luckily, for the scenes we had left to film, we had actually planned to do so without a tripod, and instead have Jack following me with the camera. The tripod was later fixed, and is still able to be used. Other than this, and a very minor weather issue (strong winds), no problems were encountered.
Written by Sid.
Construction: 4th Day Of Editing
Today, Friday 9th of December, our lesson was cut shorter due to events that occurred in school which meant all sixth form lessons were prolonged. This meant that the time we had to edit the video was reduced but, luckily, most of the footage we had was already edited.
In this brief editing session, we reviewed the footage we already had, and found areas that could be improved. One very minor problem we discovered was a slight jolt of the camera in the chorus, and to fix this, we decided to add a cross dissolve to the different parts of the chorus. Also, using the dissolve made the video flow easier and added a bit of variety to it.
Written by Jack.
Construction: 4th Day Of Filming
Thursday 5th January
Last Thursday after our lesson, me and the rest of my group met up to film another important section of our music video. We all rendezvoused in the school foyer and as planned beforehand we went to the local Central park, where we had planned to film. The idea was that before we finished for the day, we would have a number of key scenes pivotal to the positivity of the video filmed. The filming ran smoothly for up to half an hour with me and Lauren (the actress starring in our music video) being able to complete up to ten second clips with relative ease. Both clips were showing flashbacks of a relationship me and lauren had shared, and that this is what I (the man who is refusing to be moved) is feeling nostalgic about/is missing. To show that the footage was in the past, black and white montage was put on the background of the footage. As aforementioned we had planned to film up to five scenes, but after we had filmed the two scenes we were meet with an interruption due to the unforeseeable weather conditions. It looked like we would have to organise to film the majority of the other clips at a later date, but luckily the weather was only a passing shower and after ten minutes the weather had passed and we were able to continue as planned. In fact the weather actually helped continuity wise because the first time we had filmed, it had been sunny after a rain shower and the weather on Thursday mirrored that. In the next hour after the weather had passed we managed to get the remaining clips filmed. We drafted in a few of our friends to help with a certain scene were they had to walk pass myself sitting on the floor and point with a look of confusion. That scene went surprisingly well, seeing as we had only drafted them last minute and they had had minimal acting experience in the past. The other clips involved myself looking mournful and depressed due to the fact that I'd lost my girlfriend (Lauren). The film is of me holding an old picture of Lauren and reminiscing of old times. The clip was looking to encapsulate that sense of grief and I felt the camera work by our director Jack helped. We now are halfway through getting the three minutes of edited footage needed for our music video's completion and we have planned ahead in the upcoming week to make sure that the filming occurs and we near the Video's completion stage. If we stick to our plans made at the start of our course; To meet up regularly and complete what needs to be done on time, then we should complete all parts of our coursework to schedule.
On this day, myself and Tyrone acted in the video, whilst Jack filmed and directed it. Other than the aforementioned change in weather, no problems were encountered and the filming session ran smoothly and went well, as we were able to get quite a bit filmed.
Written by Sid
Last Thursday after our lesson, me and the rest of my group met up to film another important section of our music video. We all rendezvoused in the school foyer and as planned beforehand we went to the local Central park, where we had planned to film. The idea was that before we finished for the day, we would have a number of key scenes pivotal to the positivity of the video filmed. The filming ran smoothly for up to half an hour with me and Lauren (the actress starring in our music video) being able to complete up to ten second clips with relative ease. Both clips were showing flashbacks of a relationship me and lauren had shared, and that this is what I (the man who is refusing to be moved) is feeling nostalgic about/is missing. To show that the footage was in the past, black and white montage was put on the background of the footage. As aforementioned we had planned to film up to five scenes, but after we had filmed the two scenes we were meet with an interruption due to the unforeseeable weather conditions. It looked like we would have to organise to film the majority of the other clips at a later date, but luckily the weather was only a passing shower and after ten minutes the weather had passed and we were able to continue as planned. In fact the weather actually helped continuity wise because the first time we had filmed, it had been sunny after a rain shower and the weather on Thursday mirrored that. In the next hour after the weather had passed we managed to get the remaining clips filmed. We drafted in a few of our friends to help with a certain scene were they had to walk pass myself sitting on the floor and point with a look of confusion. That scene went surprisingly well, seeing as we had only drafted them last minute and they had had minimal acting experience in the past. The other clips involved myself looking mournful and depressed due to the fact that I'd lost my girlfriend (Lauren). The film is of me holding an old picture of Lauren and reminiscing of old times. The clip was looking to encapsulate that sense of grief and I felt the camera work by our director Jack helped. We now are halfway through getting the three minutes of edited footage needed for our music video's completion and we have planned ahead in the upcoming week to make sure that the filming occurs and we near the Video's completion stage. If we stick to our plans made at the start of our course; To meet up regularly and complete what needs to be done on time, then we should complete all parts of our coursework to schedule.
On this day, myself and Tyrone acted in the video, whilst Jack filmed and directed it. Other than the aforementioned change in weather, no problems were encountered and the filming session ran smoothly and went well, as we were able to get quite a bit filmed.
Written by Sid
Construction: 2nd & 3rd Days Of Editing
Today (Friday 2nd December, and Tuesday 6th) during my media lesson, I continued in the editing process. Today I began working on the green screen clips that the rest of the group where filming earlier in the week. First I had to make sure that it was a .mpeg file so that After Effects (the adobe special effects software) is able to recognise it when it is imported. This is due to the camera writing the file as a .mov rather than a .mpeg. There is nothing wrong with this, but its a tedious task to stay changing the files, especially when there are more than 20 files to convert.
Once the files where converted, I opened up the software and then imported the files into After Effects. To be able to change the file and experiment, the file that I wanted had to be dragged down into the timeline. This will show you a frame by frame motion of the file, so that I can precisely change the file at certain frames. But where the camera was left running, there are still out takes on the same file, therefore I had to search through the file looking for the specific point in the clip where Sid began lip-syncing. Once I was able to identify where the lip-syncing began, I went to Youtube, and looked for a rain back drop to put into the background of the clip. This will fit in with the song where he sings "whether it rains or snows", therefore by adding a rain back drop it will make the over all clip fit in with the song. Once I found an appropriate file from Youtube, I downloaded it, and then imported it to After Effects.
The next step was to start working on the original file, and begin on getting rid of the green background. To do this, I had to go to the preset options, then go to "Keying" and then "Colour Key". To apply this to the file, drag it and then drop it onto the center (where the image is actually previewed). Then once it has been applied a side panel opens up on the left hand side of the screen, by going there i was able to change the settings. But first I had to select the preppet and then click on the back ground green. This will then tell the software that this is the colour I wish to get rid of. By experimenting with the setting I was able to get most of the green background out of the file, leaving Sid in the middle. However, I also found out that by feathering the green will help to not pixelate Sid. However after experimenting with the settings there where still green pixels left. So by applying the "Colour Key" again, it will open up on the side tab as "Colour Key 2", again, selecting the preppet and selecting the green left over, I was able to get rid of most of the green. I kept repeating this process until all of the green was gone and none was left over.
Once all that was left was Sid in the middle of the screen, and the background was clear, I then dragged the "Rain" file into the timeline, stretched it out to fit the screen, and then selected where on the timeline it was to start and finish. After all was completed, the only thing left was to export the file, save it under an appropriate name and then import it onto Premiere, and place the file in its correct space upon the timeline.
Written By Tyrone.
Once the files where converted, I opened up the software and then imported the files into After Effects. To be able to change the file and experiment, the file that I wanted had to be dragged down into the timeline. This will show you a frame by frame motion of the file, so that I can precisely change the file at certain frames. But where the camera was left running, there are still out takes on the same file, therefore I had to search through the file looking for the specific point in the clip where Sid began lip-syncing. Once I was able to identify where the lip-syncing began, I went to Youtube, and looked for a rain back drop to put into the background of the clip. This will fit in with the song where he sings "whether it rains or snows", therefore by adding a rain back drop it will make the over all clip fit in with the song. Once I found an appropriate file from Youtube, I downloaded it, and then imported it to After Effects.
The next step was to start working on the original file, and begin on getting rid of the green background. To do this, I had to go to the preset options, then go to "Keying" and then "Colour Key". To apply this to the file, drag it and then drop it onto the center (where the image is actually previewed). Then once it has been applied a side panel opens up on the left hand side of the screen, by going there i was able to change the settings. But first I had to select the preppet and then click on the back ground green. This will then tell the software that this is the colour I wish to get rid of. By experimenting with the setting I was able to get most of the green background out of the file, leaving Sid in the middle. However, I also found out that by feathering the green will help to not pixelate Sid. However after experimenting with the settings there where still green pixels left. So by applying the "Colour Key" again, it will open up on the side tab as "Colour Key 2", again, selecting the preppet and selecting the green left over, I was able to get rid of most of the green. I kept repeating this process until all of the green was gone and none was left over.
Once all that was left was Sid in the middle of the screen, and the background was clear, I then dragged the "Rain" file into the timeline, stretched it out to fit the screen, and then selected where on the timeline it was to start and finish. After all was completed, the only thing left was to export the file, save it under an appropriate name and then import it onto Premiere, and place the file in its correct space upon the timeline.
Written By Tyrone.
Construction: 3rd Day Of Filming
In todays lesson, Tuesday 29th November, we filmed the green screen parts of our music video. Only 2 people were required for this part - the actor, and the cameraman, so myself (cameraman) and Sid (actor) decided to use the lesson time to get this part of the filming process out of the way whilst Tyrone continued to edit and Elliott continued with some project planning.
The filming took place in the drama studio in our school, as this is where the greenscreening facility is located. We were limited to the time we could use the drama studio fior, as it was only free for use whilst the rest of the school was on break from 11.00 - 11.20. Because of this, we had to make sure we were quick with the filming and finished it in the 20 minutes we had to do it. However, because the greenscreen parts of our music video are only roughly 30 seconds long each, we successfully filmed them, and spent about 10 minutes filming them altogether
We did encounter a few problems in this filming session - firstly, there was quite a bit of interruption from people coming into the room, and noise being made by the people that were already in the room at the time. Although the noise doesn't matter, as it is to be edited out at a later stage, it was still distracting for Sid, and we therefore had to retake the clips a few times. However, these are only minor issues and didn't have a massive impact as we were still able to get the filming done - due to our greenscreen practice in the preliminary stages of the project, we knew what we had to do and didn't have to spend ages trying different things, or having to seek help from our teacher.
Written by Jack.
The filming took place in the drama studio in our school, as this is where the greenscreening facility is located. We were limited to the time we could use the drama studio fior, as it was only free for use whilst the rest of the school was on break from 11.00 - 11.20. Because of this, we had to make sure we were quick with the filming and finished it in the 20 minutes we had to do it. However, because the greenscreen parts of our music video are only roughly 30 seconds long each, we successfully filmed them, and spent about 10 minutes filming them altogether
We did encounter a few problems in this filming session - firstly, there was quite a bit of interruption from people coming into the room, and noise being made by the people that were already in the room at the time. Although the noise doesn't matter, as it is to be edited out at a later stage, it was still distracting for Sid, and we therefore had to retake the clips a few times. However, these are only minor issues and didn't have a massive impact as we were still able to get the filming done - due to our greenscreen practice in the preliminary stages of the project, we knew what we had to do and didn't have to spend ages trying different things, or having to seek help from our teacher.
Written by Jack.
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