Preliminary Task Finished Video

This is our finished video for our Preliminary Task. Overall I am disappointed with the outcome of this video. We failed to check that the camera was set up correctly and as a result we were left with extremely poor quality footage and with no extra time left to film we had no choice but to stick with it. We hadn't successfully planned out how to execute our moving tracking shot and this meant that camera was very wobbly as we had it balanced on an office chair which turned out to be an extremely poor decision as it had a huge impact on the quality of our footage. Not only this but the lighting within the video is also very poor and sometimes very overpowering. Finally the photo's at the beginning of the video look extremely unprofessional. 

Having said all this, we have been able to learn a lot from our mistakes and since making them we feel we are more prepared and In a better position for when It comes to creating our own music video later in the coursework. 

Preliminary Task Finished Digipack

FRONT

BACK

INLAY

Preliminary Task Filming Update

Today we successfully managed to film our preliminary task, the re-creation of the opening minute of Ed Sheeran Small Bump. We arrived at the surgery at 1:15pm and positioned all our equipment accordingly, the surgery was empty which made filming much easier. However we were unable to obtain any public extras or a doctor so we used Will as an extra in the background of the video and filmed without a Doctor however this didn't effect our filming too much. Myself and Jack took it un turns to capture the footage. We finished filming within thirty minutes after taking a number of takes as well as photographs for the video. Overall we felt filming went well, however we did encounter some issues regarding the steadiness of certain shots and lighting, both of which I will evaluate in a later post about the success of our finished Preliminary Task.

Preliminary Task Inlays

For our Inlay or inside cover we wanted to continue theme of destruction and death. We drew up the outline of a grenade as we felt the was a symbol of war representing both death and destruction that most people would recognise. We then decided to shade sections of the grenade with our blood red to give the grenade even more of a destructive feel. We also added a personal message and an "trademark" art signature to portray a more personal relation ship between artist and audience member however by inserting the text "rest in blood" we remained the inlays destructive nature. 

Here is our alternative Inlay design. Once again we felt that the grey, white and black colour scheme wasn't as effective. We also decided to make the grenade taller and thinner, again we decided our chosen design was more realistic and was overall a better choice for the image we were trying to create. Having said this I personally do prefer the "rest in peace " text style compared to that of our chosen design as I actually believe that It would have been a better choice of design to incorporate.

Preliminary Task Digipack Back Covers

For our back cover we once again wanted to design something that incorporated as much of our research into it as possible. We designed an image of a gravestone and then placed the songlist within it, we feel this gives our back cover the symbolism of death which we were looking for as it is a huge trend within Thrash Metal Digipacks not only this but It was to reference our front cover of a skeleton solider as death is a big part of war and fighting. We also chose a gory text style to compliment the feel of the back cover and the convention of death and suffering commonly found within Thrash Metal Digipacks, this was further enforced by the use of a blood red dripping from the message "Thank You" we felt that this would add sense of horror and once again a reference to death and destruction which ultimately was the image we were trying to portray. We also included a website, record label and a barcode three pieces of information that are usually found on most back covers. 

Here is our alternative design. We decided against having a grey, white and black colour scheme as we felt It wasn't as effective especially without the blood red dripping from the "Thank You message"

Preliminary Task Digipack Front Covers

For the front cover we decided we wanted to really enforce some of the conventions we had found during our research into Thrash Metal Digipacks. We wanted to include a text or font style that was distinctive as well as easily recognisable, we also wanted to give our cover a more destructive and deathly feel. We decided to place an image of a skull on the front cover as we felt it was perfect for the type or imagery we wanted to portray. We blurred our image to add a sense of mystery and fear. The reason behind giving our skull a military look by giving him a helmet was to both compliment our chosen artist name but also to give the front cover a sense of destruction and death something the military is linked to through war and it's consequences. Finally we also decided to give the eyes a sense of hidden identity. In war or battle you want to give the impression of great strength and dominance and we felt that a blood red would do this effectively. We also added some blood red to some of the text also.

We decided on a black background rather than a white as we felt It gave the album cover more of a dark or destructive feel. We also felt that having the title of the album worked better underneath the skull and the the artist name was better situated within the helmet. Not only this but we felt that the grey, white and black colour scheme wouldn't be as effective and was simply to dull to have as our album cover. Finally we also felt that the blur effect worked better than a blood stained hand as it  was more effective In portraying the image for the cover that we wanted. Here are our two alternative deigns:

Preliminary Task Digipack Designs

After more research and continued development, here are our finished Preliminary Task Digipack designs. Once our research into Thrash Metal Digipacks was complete we decided we would develop our original ideas further and as a result of this we have come up with a series of designs for a front cover as well as an inlay and a back cover. We have only drawn up our designs, we now plan to scan them into Photoshop and edit them effectively create a Digipack we feel will compliment the Thrash Metal genre. Here are our designs: 

We believe as a group that our research helped us greatly when It came to the design of these images for our Digipack. It helped us to choose and create a set of designs that would be believable and authentic for our Digipack. As a result of this we feel we have a greater chance of obtaining high marks.

Preliminary Task Digipack Songlist

For our Digipack we have decided to create a list of 12 songs. After some brief research we decided that the majority of songs symbolised true Thrash Metal inspired clearly by aggression as well as destruction and violent related inspiration. They consisted of mainly one to three words in length and were usually quite brutal. Here is the list of the 12 tracks that will be included on the back cover our or Digipack:

Hostile Takeover
Grave of Death
Fear
No Mercy
Cannibalism
Hopeless
We Force Hostility
Forgotten
Forgotten Pt. II
Broken Glass
The Unknown
Ripped Apart

Preliminary Task Digipack Fonts

As a result of previous Thrash Metal Digipack analysis I knew that almost every album had it's own distinctive or signature text as a result of this I decided to create a selection of fonts that fit this criteria to give us a variety of choices for when it comes to finalising our Digipack. 

Preliminary Task Digipack Album Name

Following on from our research into Thrash Metal artist names, we have done some extended research into Thrash Metal album names and as a result of this have decided to name our album No Mercy. The research we carried out provided us with the knowledge that most Thrash Album names consist of some form of relation to once again death and destruction. Having carried out previous research Into Thrash Metal Digipacks it was obvious that the album name would have some form of aggression within in it.

Here is a list of album names we rejected:

Unforgiven
Stabbed
Hatred
Trapped
Wounded
Gravestone
Fear
Anxiety

Carrying out the research we did helped us to choose a name that was both appropriate for the Thrash Metal genre and relastic which will help us to create a more believable and professional Digipack.

Preliminary Task Digipack Artist Name

After researching a number of Trash Metal artist names, as a group we have decided that our Digipack artist will be called Hostile Forces. Many of the Thrash Metal artists we researched such as Megadeth and Slayer have names that compliment the genre, including the classic conventional elements such as death and destruction, we also found that Thrash Metal artist names are usually between one and two words. Hostile Forces, incorporates both these elements, hostile representing hostility and destruction and forces representing the military and destruction.

Here is a list of other potential artist names we rejected: 

Forceable Hostility 

Military Force 

Corruption 

Denied 

Venomous Sin 

Blood Bath 

No Mercy 

Killers Revenge 

Slain 

Merciful 

Researching potential artist names was very useful when it came to choosing Hostile Forces as it helped us with our understanding of Thrash Metal artist names and help us to choose an appropriate and meaningful name. 

Filming Schedule For Preliminary Task

For Wednesday July 4th.

Meet in common room - 13:00
Obtain relevant costume and equipment - 13:05
Walk to location - 13:10
Film - 13:20
Walk back to school - 13:50

We decided to draw up a filming schedule as we felt this would be an effective way of making the most of the available filming time and to ensure we were punctual on location.

Preliminary Task Script

For the re-creation of Small Bump the script is merely that of Ed's lyrics so here are the lyrics to the opening minute.

You're just a small bump unborn in four months you're brought to life
You might be left with my hair but you'll have your mother's eyes
I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can
But for now you're just a scan of my unmade plans 
A small bump in four months your brought to life 

And I'll whisper quietly and give you nothing but truth
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you 

It is important to have a sense of direction and scripture when it comes to filming our preliminary task as it will help to re-create the original video as best we can.

Preliminary Task Risk Assessment

I decided to draw up a quick risk assessment for the filming of our preliminary task.

Location - Walking to and from the surgery

Risk - Being run over or involved in an accident.

What we can do to reduce the risk - Remain safe when crossing both roads and walking along pathways. Always have someone on standby with a mobile phone in case of an emergency.

Location - Surgery

Risk - Tripping over steps upon entrance to the surgery.

What we can do to reduce the risk - Take extra caution when approaching the steps at the entrance to the surgery. Not only this but as the surgery is a medical practice, should we need any assistance help won't be too far away.

Location - Surgery

Risk - Tripping or falling over within surgery.

What we can do to reduce the risk - Once again we can take extra caution when inside the surgery as not to fall or trip over anything. As mentioned previous, should be do so help will be mere seconds away.

Location - Surgery

Risk - Fire

What we can do to reduce the risk - Always have someone on standby incase of an emergency. Leave the building accordingly if risk of fire and wait for further instructions from the staff at the surgery.

Personally I believe that it is very important be wary of any risks involved when filming. As a result of this, I believe this risk assessment will be very useful when it comes to remaining safe while on site.

Preliminary Task Costumes

It is important In any video for the mise en scene to be appropriate and correct. It is for this reason we have tried to dress the actor for our Preliminary Task in near to identical clothes to those worn in the actual video by Ed. This includes, stone washed jeans, a blue hoodie and a pair of nike trainers. We will also be dressing any extras In our video In basic and simple clothing as also seen in the video.

Preliminary Task Actors

Actors are important In any music video. We have chosen to use Dan Rock as the actor for our Preliminary Task.

We chose to use Dan because he looks very similar to Ed and has experience in both drama and music related performance. In order to create the best video possible we decided he would be a perfect choice. We may also use Will Tickle (http://willticklemedia.blogspot.co.uk) as an extra in the background of the video if needed. 

Preliminary Task Weather Report

Usually when filming for either a Preliminary Task or actual coursework video I always believe It is important to check the weather report for the day of filming as It can be extremely useful. For example If we were planning to shoot on a sunny day and It was raining we wouldn't be able to film. However as we are filming purely inside, we don't have to worry about the weather or a weather report.

Preliminary Task Equipment

For our Preliminary Task we plan to use a three pieces of equipment and one piece of software. We plan to use a tripod to help film some of our shots, we intend to use a HD Cannon camcorder to record our footage and we plan to use an Apple iMac with Final Cut Express to edit our video. 

Preliminary Task Props

During our preliminary task we plan to use a variety of props to help better our re-creation of the opening minute of Small Bump. These props include trainers such as Ed Sheeran is seen wearing in the video and an X-Ray which we printed out and asked to use at the surgery for one of the shots needed in the opening minute. 

Some of the props we plan to use for our preliminary

We believe that with these props we can better our chances of being successful with this preliminary task given the limited resources available to us.

Preliminary Task Location Permission

In order to film at our desired location of the local doctors surgery, we had to gain permission from the doctors to gain access to film within the premises. We have been given permission to use the surgery to film between 1-2pm on the July 4th. 

Conformation that we have permission to use the surgery to film