New Softwares

To achieve the quality that I want for every part of my project, I have to use proper softwares that offer everything I need. What's changed about this year compared to last year is that my project has more components. Instead of only film, I have to worry about other components like photography and a website. Below are the five softwares I will be using to edit my entire project. 

Video

Adobe Premier Pro CC 2019

Used by professionals in the industry such as: 

Julian Clarke: Deadpool 

James Cameron, John Refoua, Stephen E. Rivkin: Avatar

Adobe has been my preferred editing software for the past few years. It offers everything I need from color correcting tools to audio tools. It has a simple interface and exports in any type of file I need. What makes Adobe Premier different from other softwares like we video or iMovie is that Premier gives you more freedom over what you can do to your footage. Compared to iMovie, Premier has more color correction options as well as sound mixing options. 

Adobe After Effects 2020 

I have very little experience with adobe after effects. It is known as a big mountain to climb as an editor and I am still learning to use it. After Effects will not play a large role in my project. However I plan to use this software to create simple titles that I would not be able to make in Premier. 

Photography

Adobe Photoshop 2019

Photoshop is what I'm going to use to create my digipak. This is a really useful software because I can create and apply any effect I want. This gives me a lot of freedom to change anything when designing the digipak. 

Adobe Lightroom 

Adobe Lightroom will be my main color correction software for all photography in this project. This is a really good software for the equipment that I use because it can edit RAW files. This is a really useful software that offers everything I need.

Website

Wix

I have very little experience in creating websites. I looked at multiple website creation softwares like go daddy and weekly, but wix was the easiest to use in my opinion. Wix also allows me to lay out pictures however I want. 

Overall each of these softwares has a purpose in completing my project. They are all extremely useful, providing me with every tool I need to complete the project exactly the way I want to. 

Website!

With everyone in self quarantine and my production schedule being pushed back. I decided to put more of my attention toward my website.

I looked into a few different websites:

-Go Daddy

-Wix

-Weebly

After taking a look at how to use each of these websites I decided Wix is the easiest to use for me. My website would rely heavily on the visuals of my photoshoots and my music video for its color scheme and background. Since I am not able to shoot yet I decided to look into how my website should be laid out.

My plan so far was to split my website into four different sections, those being: A home page, an 'about' tab, a 'content' tab, and a 'contact' tab.

Two artists websites that I can use as reference are:

-Tyler the Creator: GOLF WANG https://golfwang.com

Tyler uses his website to sell merchandise, announce tour dates, as well as to post photoshoots with his clothing. The website doesn't reveal much about Tyler himself but rather works as an extension of his work.

- Mac DeMarco https://www.mac-demarco.com

Mac DeMarco's website is used to update fans on Mac Demarco's status, post videos, sell merchandise and announce tour dates. This website is more focused on keeping fans updated and connected to Mac DeMarco. Rather than making it a showcase like Tyler the Creator's website, Mac Demarco's is much more engaging.

After taking a look at these websites I decided it is best to take out the 'about' tab, I want the website to serve as an extension of Alan. Although it is not as engaging with his fans, it does make it seem more exclusive which is the route I want to take with Alan's persona.

My website will consist of 3 tabs

- Home page: This will be what you first see when you open the website. This is going to include a visual that matches the color scheme and catches the visitors eye. This section will always have a link to his newest piece of work wether it be a song or video.

- Content page- This will have all of Alan's released work attached. It will include every platform that Alan is on with a link to his page. This includes social media such as instagram and snapchat as well as music platforms like Soundcloud and Spotify. The goal of this section is to make Alan's work easily accessible to all of his fans or anyone who is visiting the site.

- Contact page- As a local artist it is very important that Alan gets booked as much as possible to gain recognition. To make the process of booking Alan for a show or event easier, this tab includes all of the information needed to do so. An email for booking would be provided as well as a survey for what type of event someone is looking to book Alan for. Another section of this page would be the email section. Fans would be able to enter their emails and receive updates about Alan's shows or new music.

I believe this is a simple layout that will look good and will be easy to navigate.

I think these are both feasible options. I will have to get in contact with Alan and everyone in my crew to see if they would be willing to shoot. If not I'll ask them to film themselves and make something out of the footage I receive. 

Coronavirus!

What a week! But not in a good way :(

The world practically shut down in a matter of a week. Schools are closed until April 15 and everyone is social distancing. This definitely has had an effect on my entire project. 

With everybody in self quarantine, the schedule for the production of No GTA as well as my digipak photoshoots has been thrown off severely. My entire project relies on the photoshoots and productions that Alan and I can put together. To tackle this problem I thought of two feasible routes that I can take to finish this project. 

1. Contactless shooting

This would consist of going on location with the least amount of people as possible. Only the necessary cast and crew would be involved and we would take every necessary precaution to avoid contamination of any sort. Cinematography style would be somewhat different from my original plan, however that's the easiest part for me to accommodate to. I would have to use longer lenses to shoot from farther away while still having a tight shot.  

This route is very risky. We would have a short timeframe for production, however it is the only way I can have footage that I really like and know I can use. 

2.  Use other peoples footage

This would consist of asking my cast to film themselves. I would ask Alan to film himself rapping and dancing along to No GTA, as well as to take some pictures in an exterior location. Taking this route would significantly reduce the quality of my production. The quality of my work definitely matters to me and it's something I don't want to put at risk. I know that if I use my equipment and if I have full control over what I shoot I will achieve what I want. However this is the safer route to take in regards to Covid-19 and the prevention of contamination. 

I think these are both feasible options. I will have to get in contact with Alan and everyone in my crew to see if they would be willing to shoot. If not I'll ask them to film themselves and make something out of the footage I receive. 

Final Production Plan

       I have not been completely following my original project schedule. Throughout March 1-14, I had planned to shoot my music video and do my digipak photoshoot. 

     I have yet to do any of these. I planned to do Alan's photoshoot on March 10th,  and shoot this coming weekend and the weekend after. This would give me slightly less time to edit, but it's nothing that I can't handle. 

This is my final overview of everything I need going into production:

Equipment:

Canon 7D Mk 2

35 MM Prime Lens

16-35 MM Zoom Lens

DJI Ronin S

Neewer Monitor

Manfrotto Tripod

DJI Mavic Pro

Shooting Schedule:

Digipak Photoshoot

Date:Tuesday, March 10. 

Locations: Tomas’ house, US-27 Highway

Time Frame: 2 hours

Music Video

Weekend 1

Date: Saturday March 14

Locations: US 27, Tomas’ house, Miami

Shots needed: 

• Alan performing song
• B roll of Alan
• Garage scene
• B roll Miami

Weekend 2

Date: Saturday March 21st

Locations: Tomas’ house

Shora needed:

• Party B roll
• Alan performing with friends at party
• B roll Alan at party

Cast and crew:

• Tomas Quilaqueo
• Alan Trujillo
• Caleb Singer
• Brandon Garcia
• Isaiah Quinteros.
• Alex Greenberg
• Trey Fernandez
• Sophie Solarana
• Chris Pfeil

I’m nervous but very excited to start production. I think I have planned this well enough that I can make everything work well together. Even if it doesn’t look perfectly planned, I know that I have my specific vision for it at the end of the day. Whether it is perfectly explained or not I have an understanding of what type of piece will result from all this.

Digipack

The digipak portion of this project is the portion that I am newest to. I haven’t seen a digipak since I was a little kid. The last CD that I had was when I was around eight years old. When looking for inspiration for my digipack pictures and layout, I had to  turn to artists that I knew used this method of distribution frequently.

A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory

The Weeknd- After Hours

I only found a few, however I still had pictures from the digipaks that Mrs. Stoklosa showed me in class. 

These different digipaks helped me decide that I want a simplistic digipak. Rather than crowding it with pictures or words I would use one picture in each panel. At least two of those panels will have Alan in them and the rest will include pictures of money and cars.

It is important for me to understand the layout that I will be working with for my digipack so I know how many pictures I need to take. I decided I’m going to use the 6 panel layout with the cd on the right panel for my digipak. This requires me to take 6 different pictures, as well as a seventh one to put on the actual CD. 

I decided that my entire campaign will use the miami vice theme, so the pictures that I take will include the proper elements to follow the theme. These elements include lighting, set design, and clothing design as well.

Color Scheme

After receiving advice from my classmates that I should use a color scheme, I decided to look deeper into this topic. Color schemes are extremely useful in film to help develop theme and emotion through the use of different colors. After developing my final plan for my music video, I decided that I am going to use two different color schemes. Since my music video is split into two different worlds, I need two color schemes that will noticeably differentiate one world from another. I also need these colors to evoke the feeling of each world. For this music video I am looking to use brighter, more saturated colors in Alan’s world, and flatter, more dull colors in the real world. 

I began looking for different color schemes that I could use. I used this video as my guide to color schemes. It helped me in deciding what colors I should use and the purpose that these colors give to my video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th9pG9Q6Kuo&t=278s

I decided that my color scheme will be driven by the desire to be authentic to the environment (that being Miami). By giving Alan’s world brighter and more saturated colors, I can really make it seem like it is part of the video game. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is based around the Miami Vice theme. By following the color palette on the left, I can give Alan’s world a Miami Vice feeling. This fits perfectly with the cars and parties that my video originally revolved around. 

My second color palette needs to be something very dull and flat. This color palette is driven more by the emotion that I want to give off. While I don’t want the real world to look extremely boring and terrible, I still want the Miami Vice part of my video to look more intriguing and entertaining. 

Pulp Fiction (1994)

The set design and color scheme of Pulp Fiction Helps emphasize Lance’s lazy personality and his messy home. This is what I want to get across in my opening scene with the two people playing GTA. For this scene I'm choosing to stick to a yellow and orange color scheme with some blues. 

This color scheme will help properly deliver the emotion that is intended for the viewer to feel.

I plan to make Alans entire campaign for No GTA Miami vice themed. This includes the video, digipak, and website. 

Class Discussion continued

On Monday we continued the group discussion from my previous post. During this I was able to tell everybody my ideas and receive valuable input for my project. 

Problems:

1. How to not make Alan look like a show off in the video.

In No GTA, Alan raps about different things like girls and money. My main conflict with all of this was to not make Alan look like a show off. I felt that by doing this my video would deliver a different message overall as well as give Alan a more envious image. 

2. How to show his character

Rap has always been a genre of personality. Whether you started in the 80’s or are just starting now like Alan, your career will be guided by two things: personality and lyricism, or personality or lyricism. 

Cardi B serves as an example of artists that lead their career through personality. Although her music is heard on the radio, it’s not too frequently talked about. She makes appearances on talk shows and has achieved more success through the development of her personality than through her music. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPVjHxXvJM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWIJfhfLKLE

Eminem serves as an example of artists who lead their career through both of these aspects. Eminem established himself as one of the best lyricists rap has seen. Although it is not the same now, young Eminem developed a crazy, all in your face personality through which he showed freedom of thought and action, and in which he showed his determination. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNPnbI1arSE

J Cole serves as an example of  artists who lead their career through lyricism rather than personality. Out of his five studio albums, his last two have gone platinum and a third went double platinum with no features. He works to inspire the future generation of rappers through his lyrics rather than a wealthy lifestyle or crazy personality.  Apart from touring after every new album, J Cole does not appear on talk shows or interviews unless they are self produced. He keeps his life very private and strives to build on his name and reputation through his lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5slZHLSnow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNlQU-7y9Fo

My main problem is that I don’t think Alan’s personality matches his lyrics. This makes it difficult for me to understand how to portray him in the video and question whether extra elements need to be brought in. 

3. How to not make it repetitive. 

At the moment my video consists mainly of two things: Cars and a party. My problem with this is that the music video will look too repetitive.To fix this I was planning on adding different scenes and locations. 

Advice/Solutions:

1. Showing off is alright (to an extent). Alan is a rapper, showing off through his lyrics doesn’t go completely off the tracks regarding genre conventions. Having received this advice I realized the advantages of taking that style for the video. By “showing off” I can be more creative with my cinematography to really show the lifestyle that Alan tries to portray through his lyrics. 

2. I find that Alan focuses on his lyricism and his personality. Although his lyricism is solid, he hasn't been able to fully develop his personality. To fix this my classmates said to add different elements to the video. This includes things like a color scheme, extra actors, or developing a storyline. 

I do not like storylines in music videos so I decided to scratch that. I really like the idea of following a specific color scheme. This concept aids in developing my theme as well as in cinematography. Knowing what the primary colors of my video will be can help me in figuring out lighting and other elements. (I will make a blog post about choosing the color scheme for No GTA’s video, website, and digipak.)

3. My video needs to have some sort of purpose. Once I completely understand the purpose of this video I will have a better idea of the shots I have to get as well as the elements that have to be brought in. One of my classmates said that I should include the actual GTA video game in the music video. I really liked this idea and put more thought into it. I would add a scene at the beginning of the video in which two people are playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I would establish that Alan is in the game. This helps establish what is really happening and gives me more reason to show off in the video.

This was a very helpful discussion. I now understand what I have to do to have a complete understanding of the direction my project is taking. 

Class Discussion

Following the discussion we had in class on Thursday, I decided to take everything my classmates were saying into consideration regarding my project. I received input for my music video more than anything else mainly because everyone else is doing film or documentary projects. These are the main things I kept in mind after this discussion:

Mise En Scene elements

Elements like lighting and proper set design are very important. After hearing about this I found a few things I had not taken into consideration when previously planning. 

• The lighting in the Art Basel at LIV video is a part of why parties like that look so intriguing. To make the party scenes in my music video just as intriguing I have to figure out how to set up proper lighting around the house and what colors work best. 
• I need to properly design my set to fit the rap genre’s conventions. Music videos like DaBaby’s Bop include many extras rather than only DaBaby. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28hYUZMufDg

DaBaby - Bop

Although the party scene of this video includes many people at a party, I’m thinking about bringing Alan’s closest friends into the car scenes whether it be inside the car or stationary shots.

Inspiration

During the discussion some people recommended different shows or documentaries to watch. This made me dig deeper into music videos of the genre. I decided to look into new and old rap music videos:
A Tribe Called Quest - Buggin Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxN4nKk2cfk

This is a very playful music video that uses lighting and colors to enhance the fun energy that it has. This video constantly uses closeups to capture the Phife Dawg and Q-Tip’s funny faces. Although I would not make Alan look funny in his music video I could use close ups and his facial expressions to aid in how his rapper persona is portrayed. 

Arcangel- Me acostumbre & The Pharcyde- Drop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqVsfGQ_1SU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKKeqlBQ3Js

Both of these videos show how rap music videos have evolved. Many shots in Me Acostumbre rely on steadicam/gimbal operation while Drop was shot entirely on a steadicam. Having seen these two music videos I decided that most of my video will consist of gimbal shots.

Having seen these videos I came to the conclusion that I can blend these elements together to fit the conventions of the entire rap genre and not just a part of it.