P3

Producer

The producer is the person who allows for everything to happen. Finding shooting locations and making sure they are available, getting equipment, finding people, everything necessary to actually make the music video in the first place. Without someone doing the work of a producer, you wouldn't have a shooting location, you wouldn't have equipment when you need it, you wouldn't be able to film anything from the beginning. They also coordinate the efforts of the rest of the team to make sure they are functioning properly and efficiently. Requires Written communication, Verbal communication, Practical production

• Finding shooting locations
• Getting equipment
• Finding people
• Coordinating the cast

Production Designer

The production designer works closely with the director and the producer in order to create the visual design of the production. The style of the music video is created by them, through lighting, sets, graphics, and costumes. They are responsible for making the music video look good and consistent. Whilst the producer organises the set and the actors, the production designer brings it all together to create the design of the music video itself. They are involved in the production and pre-production stage of the music video. Requires Creativity, Written communication, Practical production.

• Plan where to film
• Design the sets
• Controlling the lighting
• Organising the costumes

Cinematographer

The cinematographer oversees the exact filming of the music video. Cameras, lighting, colour, those aspects of a production are controlled by them. If the director asks for a dutch tilt or a trolley shot, then the cinematographer is responsible for creating those shots with their camera and equipment. They have the final say on the precise angle and perspective of each shot type, taking the director's instructions and making them into video. They are involved in the production stage of the music video. Requires Practical production, creativity, verbal communication.

• Deciding exactly how each shot should look
• Controlling the movement of the camera
• Filming the footage

Director

The director supervises all elements of a production, and directs everyone in the group in a way that best brings out the cast's own skills whilst also creating something unique to that group. They explain the shot types, create the storyboards, insure the design of the production is up to standard, instruct everyone in the group in order to actually create the final music video. They decide how the cast acts, and the cast carries out their instructions. They are involved in all stages of the production. Requires Creativity, Verbal communication, Practical production.

• Directing the actors
• Directing the camera crew
• Directing the set designers 
• Making decisions about the visual style

My Role

I tried to take on the production designer role for the music video production. Through the treatment, I designed the basic look and breakdown of the music video we wanted to create, and explained the meaning behind each choice, making sure that it matched both the meaning of the lyrics and the tone of the song. During filming, I helped choose which locations we would use for filming, and for the lighting in the opening section of the video I put forward ideas for which colours we should use specifically. 

Strengths

a) Written Communication

Planning set designs, organising treatments and pitches, planning where to film.

When our team wasn't meeting in person, we would exchange ideas through Microsoft Teams and the documents we made regarding the music video (such as treatments and pitches). We chose to use one of my treatments as the basis of the music video (setting the video in an arcade), although we had to heavily alter it later because of restrictions due to COVID-19. 

The only other time so far that my written communications skills have come in useful was during Unit-17, when we wrote scripts. The scripts themselves were individual, but we also compared scripts and exchanged feedback in groups of three. Receiving feedback and figuring out how to collaboratively improve each other's work was an interesting experience, and I think we all managed to improve our scripts because of it. 

b) Verbal Communication

Organising the costumes, planning the video structure, responding to feedback.

We discussed most of our ideas in class, most notably when we worked on the storyboard, treatments, and practice edits. There were also moments when we would come up with new ideas as we re-filmed footage. After we received feedback on our basic draft, reworking the treatment was a little difficult whilst keeping it working with the song's meaning, but I think the result we arrived at worked well (especially considering the limitations we had to work under). 

Although I prefer to communicate my ideas through written work, I have also worked in groups where communicating verbally is easier, such as Unit-20, where we created a podcast. In that unit, discussing and organising the role of the guests of the podcast was entertaining, and I think the final product (a podcast starring one guest along with the host for the entire run time) worked really well. 

c) Practical Production

Setting up shots, establishing the tone for the video.

Particularly in the final lesson of filming, we all came up with several ideas for shots that would fit our own particular edits. I think in this lesson I contributed the most to choosing which locations to shoot and how to present each moment of the video (mostly the sections where we filmed outside).

I have worked with cameras a bit in the past, mostly for Unit-31 where we created zines filled with our own photos. Finding and taking the right photos for this zine took a lot of practice and planning. I learnt a little about how a DSLR camera works at the time, and it was interesting to play around with the different settings. 

d) Creativity 

Creating treatments, coming up with solutions to problems.

I think creativity and planning are my strongest skills on display in this unit. Elements such as the treatment and pitch were my biggest contributions aside from the music video edit itself, although I did put a lot of effort into the practical factors as well. In the edit, I think the various effects (i.e. the glitch effect) and the overall pacing and structure turned out well because of the amount of interesting ideas and planning I did before hand. 

I believe I have also shown off my creativity in Unit-14, where we designed a film poster. Whilst most people decided to use photographs to construct their posters, I ended up illustrating most of mine because I believe it gave me more creative freedom. In the end, I think the more abstract look to my poster massively benefited it. 

Weaknesses

I think personally my verbal communication (b) and practical production (c) skills held me back. I don't have enough experience with lighting equipment and cameras to know exactly how the production should be set up in order to keep everything running smoothly. Additionally, the areas we worked in stayed mostly the same due to COVID-19 restrictions, so I don't feel like I contributed enough to the design of the music video (with the exception of the sections in the photography studio). In terms of verbal communication, I spent too much time thinking on my own about the video rather than discussing ideas with members of my team. I feel I should have been more open and collaborative with my teammates in this unit. 

Improvement

Short Term

In order to improve my practical skills, I need to learn more about the equipment. The best solution would be to watch YouTube videos from experts in order to learn the necessary skills. So far I've looked at Jared Polin and Matti Haapoja. I particularly want to learn more about how to use F-stops in order to improve my photos and video. For my verbal skills, I want to exchange contact information with my teammates so that I can easily inform them of any new ideas I have for our media projects.

Medium Term

The best way to develop my communication skills, I need to be more talkative with my teammates about ideas I have regarding whatever project we work on. In terms of my practical skills, I should try to take up the production designer role more often in any more group projects in media so that I can get more hands-on experience with the equipment. 

Long Term

I have applied for a media production course at Anglia Ruskin University. I think continuing to hone my skills in media through the course will be a massive help in boosting my practical knowledge. For my verbal skills, I think I need to spend more time hanging out with friends and being more open with them so that I find it easier to communicate with people in the future.