L04: Evidence of a focus group

 Here are photos from my focus group on my final short film, I have chosen to get an opinion from my mother and sister as they have both spent a lot of time around musicians and film makers, it was the best decision I could have made for wanting feedback on the yellow tape. However them not being specific target audience members didn't change anything as they have spent time around things like this which worked perfectly in my favour for strengths and improvements.


While my mother and sister were watching the short film they were instantly praising the VHS look and asked where I managed to get a VHS camera from, meaning the effects I applied worked perfectly as it wasn't shot on a VHS camera. I asked both of them what they liked about the film and they both replied "the effects were brilliant" which was a huge factor for me. I decided to choose family for my focus group because I grew up constantly being told to experiment with things rather than following what others were doing, so whenever I would create something I would be told my strengths then instantly onto improvements into experimentations so that I could make it different to everything else that's happening. Doing this also helped with not getting bias

information from them as they always liked to tell me where to improve and rather than just praising it because it was made by me, they also instantly gave me feedback.









Once both of them had finished the short film they gave me feedback on where to improve, they told me I could have added more on the artist rather than his surroundings, however it was made to make him be spontaneous and discreet is also made sense and it was a short film about Yusuf Yellow yet he is hardly seen much throughout. They praised the effects and the simplicity in the videos transitions and the narrative, I was told it was a very easy laidback watch and was very comfortable to watch rather than being uneasy and didn't leave the viewer to think after the film.

L03: Linking audio visuals ad applying audio effects.

Here is the layout of the intro from the short film, here is where I have made the audio play at the same time as the artist arrives in the shot so that he makes a real entry. Having this done helps me as this makes the short film follow the simplest conventions of all short films made in this style. Along the timeline of this screenshot you can see how all the videos line up perfectly with the audio, this means that when the artist is talking his mouth is moving in the same time rather than being out of time and looking unprofessional

Here is an example of where I had to turn down the volume gain on the documentary, I have done this because the song playing at this moment in the film was much louder than all the other audio, the gain from the music was clipping, meaning that it was too loud and started to distort. Bringing it down to the same level as the other audio shows I am following basic conventions of short films. However I had used this tool with bringing up other audio levels by adding slightly more gain to make sure that the audio ran smoothly throughout.

L03: Applying appropriate visual effects and transitions.

This is where I made the into using the typewriter font, I used this because I could create the effect of an actual typewriter, each letter appearing after the other till it reads out the production title. I have done this as it still has the cheap production look we are going for while also looking retro and keeping it all similar through the vintage 90s aesthetic.

Here are the steps I have made into adding the warp line effect, this is an effect that has a line running down the screen like when recorded on VHS. I have done this as it allows me to get the closest to a VHS compact camera recording effect, the adjustment layer on the top of the clips (pink bar) is where I can add al my effects to, this helps when rendering the clips and exporting as it is all in one file, this also helps keep everything organised if I choose to change the effects further down the line while editing. The reason I have decided to apply all these effects, such as the tape warp line, the VHS scratches and the grain is so that it makes the production look as cheap as possible. This is exactly how films on music and music videos were recorded for old school hip hop in the 90s, this also links to the genre I have been looking at as it has small clips recorded on a cheap camera.

This is where I have changed the adjustments of the colours in the colour panel bar, this allowed me to change the actual video to yellow, I am really pleased with how the yellow has come out as it looks really soft rather than sharp, this makes the video look friendly rather than intimidating to the viewers. I have done this because the video is titled 'The Yellow Tape' for Yusuf Yellow, it is a short film/documentary about the artist and his new album that is released soon. I have decided to change the colour into yellow as it all has a connection together and will also make the artist instantly recognisable for his distinctive image towards his name.

Here is the intro to 'The Yellow Tape' where the artist Yusuf Yellow spoke a bit about himself and how he started his journey as a musician before he is physically introduced so that he can be seen by the viewer, I took this audio segment from the interview I did with him and applied visuals from around his apartment and the entrance to the building while he spoke about himself so I could use it as a voice over. I had the audio playing on the audio channel while the VFX and clips were played, I unlinked the video of the artist talking so that I was only left with the audio from the clip which allowed me to create this introduction with other clips.

Here are the very simple steps I took while creating and adding my VFX to my short film/documentary and the tools that I used to make it possible, the first step I made was adding an adjustment layer from the start of the video and dragging it to the end so that it plays from start to end a long with the video. An adjustment layer allows me to add as many effects to it as I want, so here I added the dust & scratches along with the colour adjustments so that I had the grainy tone along with the soft yellow colour throughout the duration of the short film. I also added a warp to the adjustment layer which added a small line that warped throughout the production, this helped me create the closest effect towards a cheap production look as possible, I was aiming for a home made short film look on no budget as this gave the grittiest look as possible.






Here I downloaded an MP4 file that was a VHS glitch video on green screen, I had to use the ultra key tool to remove the green from the video so that I was left with the VHS glitch effect alone, this helped me get as close as possible to having a real VHS camera looking effect as the glitch is the main part of the footage when recorded on cheap compact camera. I am really happy with how this turned out because I have saved a lot of time and money doing it this way without investing in a VHS camera but still getting it to look like I have.

Now it is time to export The Yellow Tape so that this Premiere Pro project becomes a compressed video file ready to be uploaded to YouTube. The first step is to go to file down to export and then media, this then gives you an option on file types you can export the video in, I chose to export the video as H.264 because this is good for video quality when it comes to compressing the the project. I have exported the video with the normal measurements for every device, this means that the video size on different devices won't crop or change shape, this allows viewers on all devices to comfortably view the short film.











During 'The Yellow Tape' I added a few songs from the artists album, during this I played clips of the artist, his friends and them skating. I used the simple transition cuts to my advantage to make the transitions cut in time to the beat of the song, this is a technique that has been used in music videos for years and without the viewer realising it also makes the short film/documentary easier to watch, it is a comfortable way to transition during a song.




During the editing process of 'The Yellow Tape' I only used one other software, being the text on the intro, after I finished the text visual effect I exported the file and added it to the Premiere Pro project for the short film/documentary. I kept the editing to a minimum so that the final film didn't look to professional, hence the relationship I have made with the cheap production aesthetic. I have only used a few layers to build up the short film, music, audio, adjustment layer, play text and the VHS effect. the adjustment layer help a few effects but also kept the file size small when rendering and exporting.

L03: Producing and reviewing an offline edit

Here is my offline edit, a short 30 second video of where I am currently at. This is the intro of the Yellow Tape documentary, showing clips of the artists house and whereabouts to show where he started all of this. I have applied no effects so far, it is all just raw clips as I am getting my basic layout of the short film and how I want it to look before any effects are applied.

L03: Logging rushes and creating edit decision list

L02: Footage in the style & conventions of the chosen genre

This is the same style of genre I was aiming to have when the video was finished, not exactly the same throughout but I definitely took inspiration from certain clips like the grittier VHS side of clips in this short film. This short film was made for Archy Marshalls album 'A New Place 2 Drown' that he made in his house with his friends but mainly his brother. This was an electronic, alternative hip-hop album, the visuals sat perfectly with the music and meaning of the short film, having short interviews and clips of the artists surroundings and what he gets up to. It instantly gave me ideas and inspiration towards my short film and how I could take my own turn with it all.

The top clip is part of the short film by Archy Marshall and the bottom is my short film, this was my first part of inspiration while following the conventions of this genre, this footage instantly follows the style of this short film as the artist is being interviewed while not looking directly into the camera, he is constantly focused elsewhere with life, music and art constantly being on the artists mind even while being interviewed about it. This makes the artist look laid back and very cool in a way through not paying much attention.

This is another part of my short film where I have followed the style and conventions of my chosen genre, as simple as basic throwaway footage of nothing, this is just a short part of 'The Yellow Tape' where there is a few seconds of passing traffic which just shows the artists whereabouts and what they're up to in their spare time. Theres nothing to delve too deep into with meanings, its just as simple as having passing cars for a short segment of the film.

L02: Following production processes

L02: Following safe work practices

This is proof of me following safe work practices, I have set up all my equipment without wires and also having a strong well built/stable tripod so that there is no chance of the actor tripping up over the wires or the camera being broken as it is set up safely.

L02: Setting up appropriate equipment

This is my proof of setting up the appropriate equipment, this is me setting up the tripod and the camera before filming. Running tests of making sure the equipment works is good because it helps me pick up on anything that could go wrong before the filming. E.G. Broken tripod or camera bottom not fitting on the tripod down to being the wrong equipment. This saves a lot of time and helps the recording process run smoothly if I have made sure everything is working correctly.

L02: Following Script & Storyboard

Here I have followed the script through explaining the shot type and actual shot, being Yusuf Yellow in the lift while the doors open. I have also added the VHS 'PLAY' in the top right corner as I wanted it to look as closest to the VHS look as possible.




Here is the shot I followed on the storyboard through showing Yusuf Yellow making a cup of tea at a medium close up, I have followed this clip as Yusuf Yellow is very well known for his love of drinking tea so what better way to follow it than to have a clip of him making his favourite drink.



Here is another shot I have followed from the storyboard, this is a medium shot of Yusuf Yellow sat up answering his questions with the lighting from the ceiling, also having the VHS 'PLAY' in the top corner for effect as well.





             



This is a close up shot of Yusuf Yellow playing his keyboard in his home studio, he is playing a short sloppy/messy version of one of his new songs as a teaser version to give off the cool laid
back vibe.





This is the ending of both the storyboard and short film 'The Yellow Tape'. This is a medium shot of Yusuf Yellow walking out of his apartment doors to show that he is a spontaneous character ready to go drift through the night time of the city, leaving without saying goodbye, just a subtle edit out the door.

L01: Storyboard

L01: Shooting schedule

L01: Call Sheet