Self-Analysis and explanation
As I have stated before, my initial thoughts behind this music video was to film the hidden beauty in nature and life. I attempted to portray this by taking a closer look at everything around me, a look at the type of things most people would miss on an everyday basis. I wanted a blend of both natural and man-made constructs, both in isolation from one another, and simultaneously existing side by side.
I used the same recording at the beginning of the music video and the end. I reversed the clip at the end of the music video to create an atmosphere of continuity. I used the clips in this way in an attempt to symbolise the cycle of life and death; the music video could replay again and again in a loop of hidden beauty, similar to the repetition of life.
As a whole I attempted to make the music video feel like a journey the viewer is able to follow. I did this by making each clip relate to the one before it, for example at 0:42 I used a clip I took when in a moving vehicle to portray the changing of setting from the beach. The clips immediately proceeding it are in a different setting and create a whole other atmosphere in itself.
I used many slow-paced pan shots, such as 1:00, to allow to viewer to take in the beauty I was attempting to portray, in addition to this I believe these type of pans builds up anticipation from the viewer, furthering their interest in the music video. This was one of many attempts to keep the viewer entertained; due to the abnormal length of the music video (5:05) I was worried about the viewer getting distracted and uninterested when watching the music video. To resolve this issue I attempted to make the music video as entertaining as possible, which remaining true to my intentions for it.
I used the clip at 1:14 to introduce more natural movement within the music video. The contrast between the child and his mother resurfaces the concept of life and death. At the end of the clip the camera sways off shot as I turn off the record function of the camera. This way unintentional, however I decided to keep it in, in an attempt to convey a more 'human-feel' to the clip.
The original clip at 1:20 was too fast, It was recommended by those around me to reduce the clips speed. I responded to this by reducing the clips speed to 75% of the original; I believe the clip looks better now and suits the calm atmosphere the rest of the music video creates.
Whilst editing the music video I went out of my way to make the music video 'flow' when clips change. An example of this is between 1:33 and 1:54; I decided to put these clips by each other not only to show a change in location but because of the similar movement in shots. Both clips pan slowly from left to right and because of it I believe they create an appealing transition.
The opposite, however, was done between 1:56 and 2:14; this is because I believe the change in direction is somewhat unexpected and would draw the viewers attention back towards the video if necessary, the change in direction also made more sense to me logistically due to the limited length of the plant.
The opposite, however, was done between 1:56 and 2:14; this is because I believe the change in direction is somewhat unexpected and would draw the viewers attention back towards the video if necessary, the change in direction also made more sense to me logistically due to the limited length of the plant.
The clip at 2:29 was slowed down to 50% because the blades of the fan were originally moving too fast and was difficult to see.
The transition between 2:44 and 2:48 was made with the use of the 'cross dissolve' transition. It creates smooth blend of the blue and pink colours from the sky and in-turn, makes the change of clips much more visually appealing.
I reversed the clip at 3:05 so it begins at the building and moves into the tree. I did this to portray the visual shift from man-made constructs back to nature. This is why nearly every clip from here on is purely nature with little-to-no human interference.
At 3:22 I was using a stabilizer lens in which I had to manually focus each shot. I used this to my advantage and with the 'rule of thirds' in mind I created a focus pull of the uprooted trunk of a tree. This is one of the skills I learned when making this music video and will be using in future.
I attempted to make the transition of clips at 4:33 as smooth as possible. I chose the butterfly clip to succeed the previous clip because of the blur the clip begins in and the previous clip ends in. At 4:38 a hand can be seen in the top right of the clip; this was a detail I intentionally kept in my music video. I did this in an attempt to portray mankind's naturally negative effect on nature and the hidden beauty that comes with it.
When filming the clip at 4:40 I noticed the natural lines on the beach which had been created by the waves. I used this to my advantage by following the lines with the camera when filming, this naturally draws the viewer's attention towards them and in-turn peaks their attention and interest in the next clip.
I used the clip at 4:53 to further emphasise mankind's mankind's naturally negative effect on nature.
I decided to use the clip at 4:56 near the end of the music video to foreshadow the end. I used the clip of the sun setting because of it's association with completion and it's symbolism of the hidden beauty in nature and life.
At the end of the music video I made the final clip slowly fade into darkness and the audio to gradually fade out, this is to once again let the viewer know the music video is coming to an end.