The Busted Video Evaluation

PRE-PRODUCTION

In the pre production of busted we firstly had to watch the original version of the video and establish if we had all the necessary equipment to recreate every scene. Once we knew it was possible we storyboarded each individual scene and every cut; this included drawing a rough sketch of the frame taking note of the positioning of characters and props, angle of camera and movement of camera. We also had to note down the precise timing of the shot, relevant  audio running parallel with the footage and duration of scene. The main diificulties we faced with this task included making sure we didn't accidentally miss the scenes that were sometimes less than a second long, determining the exact point in the lyrics the scenes were cut and drawing the scenes accurately enough for future reference during filming. We storyboarded the original video up until one minute fourteen.

Once we knew the exact scenes we would be filming we then had to establish the outfits and props we would require e.g. guitars,ties, blazers, projector. We had to decide who would be acting each part and the locations in which we would shoot the video, this also affected the suitable days we could shoot as well, since exterior shots relied on good weather for filming.

PRODUCTION

In the production of the Busted video we firstly had to decide which scenes would be filmed first and then accurately replicate the set-up and framing of shots to be as true to the original as possible. This meant having the correct props, characters, costumes and music for each scene. We relied on our storyboard to get the right characters in each shot and recall the shots length and movement. It was important during filming for us to repeat most shots a few times to guarantee the desired look, and to also shoot more of the shot then we needed, so we had leeway when editing. When using the camera it had to be positioned correctly within the room and the use of zoom and panning was used accordingly. Lighting also had to be considered and altered for each scene, as some were intentionally in a low lit room. Skills we acquired included focusing on detail and trying to maintain continuity and watch out for unwanted things in the frame. We need to improve greatly on time management, as many of the initial shots took far longer than expected and so direction of our team and decision making could have been more

efficient.

POST PRODUCTION

Once we had gathered all our required footage we then had to upload it to the computer and import it into an editing programme called Adobe Premiere Elements. Once we were ready with all our footage we had to choose the order of the shots, we relied on our story board for this, and found it challenging sometimes to identity the relevant section from the clip thumbnails. Also some scenes were actually part of many separate shots and so had to be split and cut accurately. We had to have the correct length for each shot and the lip syncing and dancing had to match up and be chronological to the song. We also didn't use all of the footage and so had to decide upon the best version of each clip and sometimes manipulate individual clips to improve them, such as increasing the zoom, adjusting brightness and sometimes speed of shot. Once this was organised we used some overlapping of shots to fade them together and make the transitions smoother. Then the video was ready to be uploaded to YouTube. The key skills I learnt during this task was how to use the software and perform simple actions, as I had never used it before. This was challenging as even if I knew what I wanted to do it wasn't always clear how. I believe I now have a better understanding of how to put a video together and have far more consideration for the various elements involved..