Putting It All Together

 Once all the scenes were aligned in the order they needed to be, I had to make sure the timing was right. This included making sure that our transitions from scene to scene lined up with the music. I also made sure transitions between scenes were smooth and seamless. For example, in the 6th scene, I zoomed in on my group member Ben's head to create a black screen. this would transition into our 7th scene. Our 7th scene would fade in from a black screen so that the transition looked smooth. Another example of a transition that I used would be from the first scene to the second. I used a wipe transition from us walking up to the ticket booth to Ben getting his skates. During the editing process, we mostly used jump cuts. But for the scenes of us skating, I used a fading transition. For the last two scenes, it faded out from Lily and Addison waving goodbye to the camera to a screen that said "The end". It was originally planned that for the scene of us tying our ice skates on we would do a split screen of all of us tying our shoes. But I could not figure out how to do it so instead, we did very short mini-scenes. Jumping from person to person putting their skates on. During the editing process, all our clips together went over the maximum time we were allowed. So I speed up the scenes of my group members and me writing our letters I was asking for a good media studies grade. This allowed us to be in the minute and 15-second requirement of the assignment. Without having to delete any scenes. I also decided to add in the video that I shot of the mall Santa. But because I was working with such a short amount of time I had to cut it to a shorter length. All I had to do now was to make sure the timing was right. Although not all scenes that were shot were included in the music video, I was able to achieve a music video with a time of one minute and 15 seconds. I made this video by using Imovie.

Mall Santa

 Once I finished filming at the ice-skating rink my group members and I went to the Galleria mall. When creating the storyboard, I remembered that the Galleria mall during the holiday season was very festive, they would put up trees and decorations all throughout the mall. Making this the perfect location to film a Christmas music video. I did not have a ride to the mall so Addison’s dad gave a ride to all my group members including myself. I tell my group where the letter-writing station to Santa was in the mall to film our 7th scene. I tell my group that it would be a good idea to write on the postcards to Santa asking him for a good grade in media studies as a joke. Once the filming was done we were onto our 8th scene. To include as many camera angles and movements as possible I suggest that we do an extreme closeup of the mailbox as we're dropping the letters inside. Once the scene was over with my group and I walk around the mall looking for good places to film. I see that they have a Santa seated in the center of the mall and I try recording him. But a worker told me I wasn't allowed to film the mall Santa without waiting in line and paying. I did not have the time nor the funds to do this so my group and I continue looking for places to film. While walking towards the end of the mall I see that there is a giant tree set up with a bench in front of it. Almost as if it were a photo op. So since I was not able to film our 9th, 10th, and 11th scenes as I originally intended we improvised. I filmed Lily and Addison skipping towards the giant tree and sitting on the bench in front of it. Then I thought about our 11th scene where it was supposed to be the characters waving at the camera as the camera slowly zooms out. Since we were not able to see the Santa, I improvised. I had Addison and Lily sit on the bench as I zoomed in and out of them waving goodbye to the camera. Ben was not able to be in the last few scenes because he had to go home early but my group and I adapted to this and continued filming anyways.

A Day at the Ice Skating Rink

 So, I begin my day by meeting my group at the ice rink. Once all group members have arrived, my group and I go get our skates because we all eagerly wanted to begin skating. So much so that we forgot to film the first four scenes of our music video. Once I realized this I was already on the ice. I suggested that we film all the scenes that required us to be on the ice first to save time. So instead of getting off the ice rink, taking off of our skates, filming the shots, then putting our ice skates back on, and getting back on the ice then filming the scenes that required the ice skating, we would just film these skating clips first. The first scene that I acted out was our fifth one where all characters except the camera person would enter the skating rink and follow the skaters. I suggested that this shot be a tracking shot. Then came the filming of our group member, Ben, slipping and falling on the ice. That's when my group member Addison and I would skate over to him and look worried. Just in case the scenes were not long enough to reach the minute and 15-second mark, I created a backup plan. Since I would not be able to return due to the tight schedule that I had. My group members and I decided to film extra shots of us skating around the rink to use. These shots consisted of me and Addison. Both of us would be skating around the rink hand in hand. Then we moved on to the scenes that we forgot to do in the beginning. My group member Ben believed that his skates were too big for him and wanted to exchange skates so I took this opportunity to shoot our 3rd and 4th scene of us renting and tying our skates on. I filmed Ben as he grabbed his skates from the booth. It was originally planned that three of us would be in the shot but instead, I ended up only shooting Ben. Soon after my group and I took off our skates once again and re-tied them so that I could film our 4th scene. As I was about to leave I remembered that we needed to film our first scene of us walking up to the ticket booth and buying our tickets. Lily stood inside the building filming as Ben, Addison, and I walked in and to the ticket booth. Our film production did not go as we first planned. Our second shot of us walking to the ice skating rink with an over-the-shoulder shot was moved to right before our 5th scene of us entering the skating rink. I changed this because we thought it was more logical and better suited the storyline.

 

A Rough Start

 On Sunday, the 5th of December I started filming with my group. We were not able to start our filming process until early December due to too many bumps in the road. During my school's Thanksgiving break, one of my group members contracted the coronavirus. So, in order to not spread this virus, we waited until he got better. Once his time for quarantine had ended, he went to go get another COVID test. This test came back positive. Once again delaying our filming process. Once my group member Ben was no longer infected with the coronavirus, we were ready to start filming. We spent a few days etching out the final details of our music video. For example, what part of the song we were going to do our music video too. I suggested that we use the first minute and 15 seconds of the song because it perfectly faded out as our film would end. It wasn't until another one of our group members, Lily, got hurt playing a sport. While playing soccer Lily had hurt her hip and was unable to move without pain for a few days. And since our music video required ice skating, we had to wait till she felt a bit better. So, by Friday, December 3rd, everyone was feeling better. And felt ready to begin the filming process. The night before we were to begin filming, we went over the plan of what was to happen and what was to get done on Sunday. We decided to film on my phone due to my peers’ lack of storage on their phones. And Addison was going to bring a Santa hat while we filmed since it was Christmas-themed. We also decided to wear Christmas-themed attire while we skated. We all met up at the glacier ice skating rink on December 5th in Pompano Beach Florida.

The Storyboard for the video

Storyboard Blog

• Scene 1: Our music video starts out with all the characters walking up to a ticket booth. The ticket booth of an ice skating rink. The characters hand the ticket booth worker money and buy their tickets. This will be a medium-long shot.

• Scene 2: There is a wipe transition to characters walking to the rink. They head over to the ice skates place. This will be an over-the-shoulder shot.

• Scene 3: There is a jump cut. They then purchase their ice skates. Everyone now grabs their ice skates in a medium-long shot.

• Scene 4: This scene starts out with a split-screen of characters putting on their ice skates. Tying their laces. It beings with a fade-in.

• Scene 5: Our characters walk onto the ice. We are using a tracking shot to follow them around the ice skating rink. 

• Scene 6: One of our characters is focused on. They are ice skating as well. This character slips and falls on the ice. We then use a quick zoom into our characters' heads for a transition into our next scene.

• Scene 7: Starting out with a high angle, we zoom out from the transition to see our characters sitting on the ground writing letters to Santa. 

• Scene 8: The camera cuts to an extreme close-up of all of the characters putting their letters into the mailbox. We will do this by using a jump cut.

• Scene 9: Using a point of view shot we follow our characters to walk up and meet Santa.

• Scene 10: The camera then cuts to one our the characters sitting on Santa's lap. This will be achieved using a jump cut. The character then whispers a secret into Santa’s ear. This will all be a medium-long shot

• Scene 11: The camera slowly zooms out to see all of the characters plus Santa waving goodbye to the camera. The video slowly fades out into the next scene.

• Scene 12: “The End” fades into a black screen while the music continues to play over the shot.

Our Road Map to Success

Since my group and I decided to do “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by John Legend, sung by Idina Menzel, we planned to do everything Holiday themed. Our main props are anything Christmas/holiday-themed. Such as candy canes and Christmas lights. In our commercial, we plan to have every group member participate. Our actors would wear Christmas clothes. Such as Christmas sweaters, Santa hats, and reindeer ears. We would also be wearing winter clothes, and look festive. Such as mittens, hats, and scarves. The girls could also braid their hair and put it up to fit the theme of winter. On 11/15/21 we will create the storyboard for the music video. We will also establish the props, costumes. On 11/21/21-11/22/21, we will film shots that include ice-skating at the Glacier Ice Rink. On 11/24/21 we will finish up the editing for the music video. We plan to get the filming and editing finished around the same time. We will also film at the Galleria mall showcasing the Christmas decoration. Our main location is the Glacier Ice-rink. At the Ice-rink, we will show four group members ice-skating and holding hands. Just showing how much fun we're having at the rink. Then, we will be at the mall meeting Santa and looking at the decorations. If for whatever reason the Ice-rink and the mall do not work out, we will just go to the beach and walk around the shops in Lauderdale-by-the-sea. Our costumes and props will remain the same. We would cut from place to place, to show differences in the setting. Our music video will show the holiday spirit.

Props:

Since my group decided to do “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, a Christmas-themed song, our props will include Christmas/holiday-themed things, such as candy canes, Christmas lights, Christmas clothing, Christmas trees, etc. 

Schedule:

11/15/21- Create the storyboard for the music video

11/21/21-11/22/21- Film shots that include ice-skating, looking at lights, creating a sandman, looking at Christmas trees, walking at the mall, etc. 

11/24/21- Edit the music video

Location List:

Our main location is the Glacier Ice-rink. At the Ice-rink, we will show four group members ice-skating and holding hands. Just showing how much fun the rink is during holiday time.

We will film at the Galleria mall showcasing the Christmas decorations that are put up there to show the holiday spirit that is in public places. We will film meeting Santa Claus because he is a big staple of Christmas.

We will go to the beach and film making a sandman. Even though there is no snow, the Christmas spirit can still be shown in tropical climates. 

Backup Plan:

If the beach does not work out due to rain, which there is a lot of in Florida unexpectedly, we will still film at all the other locations and include a scene in a lot where they sell Christmas trees. These places usually have a cover so rain would not affect this scene. This would show another example of holiday spirit because of how strongly Christmas trees represent it. 

Our Research

My group is using the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside '' by John Legend, sung by Idina Menze. In the genre of Holiday music, according to my research, using “Last Christmas” by Wham! and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. The music video must include:

• Snow
• Bright Lighting
• Costumes relating to the holiday such as:
• Santa hats
• Reindeer Horns
• Etc.
• Camera Angles and Movements such as
• Zoom (To emphasis a person place or thing)
• Pan (To show scenery)
• Camera shots such as:
• Wide shot (to show environment)
• Long shot (to show the characters dancing or running around)
• Close-ups (to show facial expressions or reactions)
• Tracking shot (to emphasize what a person is doing during the shot)
• Many two-shots and three-shots (or as many people as there are in the frame)
• Fade out shots (to show how one scene relates and transitions to the next)

Since I am filming a music video, music will be playing over the video. In videos such as these, there are many props such as fake snow, ice skates, costumes, etc. Since we live in a Tropical region, it doesn't snow here in the winter. We decided to use a skating rink for some of the shots to showcase the “winter” aspect of Christmas. We would also show the Christmas trees and lights that are being put up currently.