Finalising The Video

 

Changing It To MP4

Once our final cut was complete, we had to save our video as a 'Quick Time Movie'. To upload it to the blog the file (.mov) then had to be opened in a program called MPEG Streamclip. The video was then converted to a MP4 so that blogger would enable it to be played. To do this once the video was open in MPEG we clicked on 'Export To MP4' which converted the .mov file into a compatible MP4. After converting the video to an MP4 we then uploaded it to vimeo.com so we could broadcast our video to our target audience.




Video On Vimeo

Here is the video once it has been uploaded to the video sharing website vimeo. We opted to share our video on vimeo then embed it to the blog as this way offers higher image quality than uploading it straight to Blogger.

Final Stages Of Editing

Once the video was near completion we decided to add a MTV Rocks logo to make the video seem more genuine. We opted to use this logo as we felt it suits the song, as the song is part of the Alt Rock genre. We also had to choose a design with a transparent background as this is what the channel uses, Matt found an image from Wikipedia for our logo (here). The image was then opened in Final Cut and it was then seen in the browser box, it was then dragged onto the timeline. Once the image was in Final Cut Matt then made the image smaller so it was placed in the top left corner of the screen, we chose this as other videos also have the logo on the top left, this gives our video a more professional look as it follows others. However changing the size of the image also changed the size of the footage, to fix this Matt had to key frame the image. This meant the image could be selected, re-sized and moved to fit the screen without affecting the footage.

Screen Grab From MTV

 

We also wanted to add a small rectangle which indicated to the audience which song was being played and by whom. Matt began by going onto the MTV Rocks section of the website, and screen grabbing a rectangle area of the green used. As a group we thought green was appropriate as the colour is seen on all of MTV Rocks logos. The image was then opened on Final Cut and dragged onto the timeline. The rectange was then key framed and re-sized so that it would appear over the footage in the bottom left of the screen when the video played.

Adding Text

Finished Song Caption

We then had to add some text to go above the green rectangle which showed the artist name and song title. To do this the user has to select effects, there was then a folder called video generators which had the text option within. Once this screen was up we simply added the text Noel Gallagher - What A Life using a simple font called Lucida Grande. Once the text was created it was re-sized to fit the rectangle and then placed over it on the tracks. Matt then decided to add a fade to the song caption, this was so that it appeared and disappeared subtley, and did not just pop up on the screen. To do this the images were selected, then a fade was added to the highlighted images; these being the rectangle and text.

Further Editing

Fades

During our video we wanted to add a number of fades so a noticeable time difference is evident. This is so that when our location changes during different shots the audience can see how the artist is traveling the city. We added a fade by selecting the clip, then 'effects', 'video transitions', 'dissolve' and finally 'fade in fade out dissolve' as shown in the image to the right. We also wanted to have fades at the beginning and end of video as the music slowly builds up and decreases at the end, this we believe fit into the video effectively, as the audio and visual both gradually build up at the start and fade out towards the end of the video. 

Speed

During our video we have a small amount of shots that will be faster and slower than normal time. We wanted to have these shots under-cranked so that it will show time passing by, as our artist is traveling across London through-out the day. We began by selecting the desired clip, then chose "modify" on the top tool bar, and then the option "speed...", this enables the user to either speed up (under-crank) or slow down (over-crank) the piece of footage chosen. In order to speed up we had to change the percentage speed of the clip, the usual time makes it 100%, and to speed up the  footage we changed the percentage to more than 100%. To finish the video we also over-cranked a shot of Glenn walking out of the tunnel, as the audio also slows down as does the visual of Glenn leaving his performance location; which is the tunnel.

During the editing stages of the video the group found that when a certain piece of footage is dragged into the timeline any footage on it already will move and cause the video to be out of sync with the lyrics. This problem was solved by locking the footage, this essentially holds the selected track in place so that when another piece of footage is added it does not move the whole track. Locking the track however, means that when the track is locked the user cannot edit it, unless it is then unlocked. To lock a track the user has to select the padlock symbol which is on the left hand side, or start of the track. 

We also had footage on numerous tracks, this meant we could have more than one image or piece of footage showing at a time. This came in usefel when we wanted to use transitions such as dissolves and when we would eventually add a song title and artist label to the video. If we had the footage on one single track we wouldn't be able use any text over the footage, as it would play one shot after the other; this would therefore effect the continuity of the song as it would be very basic and bland if it was just one shot at a time. 

Final Cut Basic Editing

 The image on the right is the viewer box, this is on the right hand side of the screen when Final Cut is running. It shows a preview of the final video with the added effects and transitions, this photo has the MTV Rocks logo, a song title box and a widescreen effect, which when played is black and not white. Having this preview screen is useful for when making a video as it allows the user to quickly view how the video will look with the effects, and therefore editing the video is easier with this tool as you can edit the video in stages.

Mark In/Out

This is the video upload section or browser on Final Cut. It shows a list of all footage captured and uploaded from the camera to Final Cut, so therefore the footage can be viewed in the left screen of the program. The list on the image is the different clips we had from filming with Glenn, and from there the user drags the clip to left hand screen so that particular shots can be selected for use in the video. Once the desired shot is on the left canvas, you then select the clip by clicking the letter 'I' (mark in) and 'O' (mark out) to choose where the shot starts and ends. The image above on the right's blue lines illustrate what footage is selected.

Once the desired shot has been selected by using the 'I' and 'O' keys the clip is then dragged to the main track with the rest of the video and audio track. This is then seen on the middle box on the screen, which is called the viewer, this is used to view the footage and select parts for the actual video. Once the desired clip has been selected it will look like the image on the right; a blue rectangle with a thumbnail image of the shot on the main track.

Audio Track

The music video also needed an audio clip of the actual song, the process of adding this to the video was simple. Matt simply opened the file of the song we wanted, then dragged it to the time line. The audio is noticed through the green bar, this makes it easy to differentiate between audio and video. Once the audio and video clips have been opened on Final Cut the screen will look like the image below, with both tracks being together on the timeline.

During the construction stages the editing had to be cut to a certain lyric or beat of the song, this meant detailed scaling of each clip so that it fitted the song. To make this easier we made the track a larger size, this was done by selecting a tab on the bottom left of the Final Cut screen, seen on the right. We simply selected a larger box out of the choices, which made the whole track larger so editing was easier as we could see the small gaps which had to be filled. 

Getting To Grips With Final Cut Express

The main piece of software needed to create the storyboard and music video was Final Cut Express. This software is used across the film making and editing industry which meant we had the best technology available in making our own short animated video. The program allows the user to add clips of film or still photos and create a video. It also gives the availability of adding transitions such as cuts and fades to the video made, this can give a more professional look when making the music video, and a clearer view of what our video will look like on our storyboard.

Here is the interface of Final Cut Express. When first opening the program it looks a confusing piece of software. However after watching numerous videos on the internet (here, here and here) and we finally got our heads round the concept of Final Cut Express, however Matt seemed most comfortable so we decided he should be the main editor. The right hand side screen is a preview of the final clip which will be created, and the left hand side screen is the editing screen. This means when editing transitions or adding effects the left screen shows how the editing and the right the final clip once you have finished editing the clip or photo.

The lines shown at the bottom of the image above are the guides of long the song is, this allows the user place an image in this case for a set amount of time before cutting to the next shot. There is also a vertical gray line which runs across the horizontal bars, this line shows where the song is relative to the shots. This enables us to set the shot we want with the correct lyrics easily, as well as plan where certain fades will be evident in the final video.