NEA Task

The mini-NEA has been a huge learning curve for me. Since beginning the project, I have found which areas of production I enjoy the most and where I need to pay particular attention in my real NEA. I have found that where my strengths lie are in the research and planning stages but not so much in the technical areas so I know that while I have developed ideas about lighting and camera shots this is where I’m, going to hone my skills over the summer. I have also found the performance workshops useful in terms of giving me the confidence to know I can perform in my own NEA project in September, rather than essentially hiding behind the camera!

The first thing I did was extensively researching music videos. This was a fairly unfamiliar territory for me, particularly the dance genre. I really enjoyed learning such niche codes and conventions, for example, how editing works for specific artists, the EDM ‘look’ and narrative style for these kinds of videos. Planning the styling makeup and hair for my persona allowed me to think about the overall look of my video. I found the editing was the part I really enjoyed the most, I like the way continuity rules apply differently for music videos and allowed me a lot of creative freedom, experimenting with slow motion, fast motion, grading and pace. I made a detailed shoot board with visuals, camera angles and shots and this helped me think about what really goes into a music video and how meticulous my planning for September will be. I took part in lip syncing and performing workshops to build my confidence, dance skills and knowledge of performance. We also took a detailed tour of the studio, cameras, lighting and other equipment.

I have honed an enjoyment of editing/styling in particular and am fully on board to carry on with the music video brief for my A level coursework. I will make changes to details like the song and artist persona I created, but will likely continue with the studio setup and mise en scene used this time round. I can appreciate the paired back and colourful backdrop that is typical of lots of dance music videos, as I have found from my research. I’m going to utilise my time over summer to make creative decisions regarding my project so I am ready to start fresh in September. I will definitely continue with the same process in terms of doing things in a set chronological order and working my way from research to planning to styling to making a shoot board etc. as I feel this was really beneficial and helped me organise my ideas this time round. In September I will be shooting all new material so this will need to be planned soon so I am ready to go on more or less the first day back. I’m going to create an extensive shoot board detailing around 6-8 set ups that I will use in my final edit. I’m also going to reccie locations outside of the studio and think about promo shots that I can use on my website.