Editing decisions explained...

I have finally finished my editing and I am please how my previous date of filming came out on final cut...
I had left space to place the new lip syncing footage at certain parts of the video to boost the performance element.

I used the 'opacity' tool on final cut to allow the performance shots to sit on top of the 'flashback' footage of the couple, to explore the emotions being performed both visually and expressed through the song. I used this quite often as I thought it worked really well and accentuated the soft atmosphere of the piece.

The transitions at the beginning of my piece are cut to the 'clicks' which are heard in the song. As the vocals develop the transitions are more of a dissolving type to accentuate the soft, floaty feel of the video.

An on going theme throughout my music video is the idea of rural living. There are various shots containing trees, animals, stables etc. When the couple are in the treehouse, there is a pervious shot showing the main character climbing up the tree. I wanted this shot to appear almost 'home video' like due to the close camera angles in contrast to the other shots used in my piece. The home video idea would be a reflection of the flashbacks and memories that are included within the narrative of the peice.

Christmas Filming

Over the past week I have thankfully finished my filming! Of course whilst editing the footage I will know for sure if this is the case, but I am confident I have some great performance shots which is what I set out to do.

I managed to capture some gorgeous performance shots in a field, it sounds basic but it looks really powerful due to the lighting and background; really accentuates the ongoing rural type theme. Originally, I had planned to get some performance shots in a petite 'wendy house' type location however I went off this idea as I felt it might break the theme of the video and appear a bit to random. My music video very much has the same flow throughout and would really like to accentuate this as much as I can.

We filmed late afternoon jut before the sunset so the lighting was really atmospheric and looked a bit like this...

I am excited to edit and see how all the footage looks together...

Symbolism

There a various visual metaphors used in my piece, one of which is the symbolism of the horses used throughout my music video symbolising the urgency and passion within their relationship. Horse riding is clearly a hobbie of the main character's, this becomes clear when she is horse riding on her own but also when her love is leading the horse for her.

Another visual metaphor is the use of the flower. Instead of questioning her love for this man by peeling of the petals of the flower in a 'love me, love me not' motion, the petal picking is in reverse and so gives the idea of a content, complete love.

The use of the wheel borrow presents a comical lift to the video exploring the laughter and joy within their relationship.

Ideas for my final filming over christmas..

I would like to have many more performance shots that can just be slotted in where need be here are some of my ideas...
-Retreating to a shed where she is reflecting on her emotions
- More intimate, close up shots to put in between the visual, metaphorical shots
- Possibly more close ups of the male gazing at his love
- Shot locations: under a tree, on a swing.

Editing Process..

I have been editing for a while and have structured my video by reviewing the footage and referring to my storyboard. Although set out nicely, my footage does have a few spaces that can be filled with more performance based shots. My actress lives in Wales and therefore is not around to film on demand, I am determined to film the last few shots over Christmas when she is home and by that point I will have edited  to the point that I can just slip the performance shots in.

Editing Decisions...

I need to decide whether to have my flashbacks in black and white and the est of the footage in colour... or if I have the flashbacks in colour (signifying joy and happiness) and the footage in black and white.
Here is an example of a shot of my footage both in black and white...

Reviewing Footage

After uploading my footage, I realised I had more than I had anticipated.
All the shots have great lighting and I am really pleased with the colours, I had imagined either the 'flashback's or the performance sections in black or white, I am yet to experiment and decide which will work best.
Due to the late change of actress, I imagined I would have to do film on several more occasions for performance shots, but this was by no means the case.
I would however like to do a few more metaphorical shots to give my piece depth and meaning.
I am hoping to do this this weekend, however I no longer have access to my actress as she is abroad...
My footage so far is promising, I just need to get as much material as I can incase I need to fill any time in my video.