MEST4 Preliminary exercise: evaluation

MEST4 Preliminary exercise: evaluation

1)

The 'Vince Staples - Norf Norf' video was selected as the subject of our recreation not only because of the common genre that it shares with the linked production piece that I plan to create, but also since it's a head-on take on the issue of police brutality itself which again, is something the piece is entirely based on.  

2)

Difficulties faced in the actual production of this video ranged all the way from the more technical side of things to casting among a few others. So things like a camera battery not being fully charged and not having people to fit things like the ethnicity of each of the actors in the original video had a negative impact on it. Also things like not being 100% familiar with the setting of the recreation prior to filming sprung up another challenge in the production front.

3)

One of the strengths of the production was the editing. With the original video wholly consisting of straight cuts from scene-to-scene in time with every kick and bass drop of the audio track, precision was needed in terms of editing. The recreation seems to more or less hold up to this, with no video clip overstaying its welcome at any point. Another strength is the lip syncing implementation in the later parts of the video with it for the most part, matching up to the lyrics of Norf Norf. 

4)

An aspect to improve is to start planning for a video shoot as early as possible. Rushing to get scenes completed only means you're missing out on the real quality that you could potentially be attaining for a video. Not only this, but you may end 'under-filming' in general and not have that much to play around with when editing. Another aspect to improve is making sure acting is at the level that it needs to be. Setting and lighting alone can only do so much in getting across a certain atmosphere and really what you need to really cement it is solid acting as well. While the quality of acting in the video was reasonable, it could've been better than what it was.

5)

Lessons:

• Start recording as soon possible - provides the opportunity for re-recording if it's required
• Plan thoroughly - detailed shot lists and location briefs
• Take a more experimental approach in terms of camera shots and angles
• Apply a considerable amount of thought to the casting process

6)

The linked production will be a music video either for track 'Hands Up' or another song based on the issue of police brutality. Having already formulated a quick plan as to things that could be in the video ranging from settings to portrayals of historical figures like Huey Newton, I'm extremely confident in delivering what I've proposed.