Teenage Dirtbag Music Video Workshop Evaluation

What have you learnt from Friday’s workshop? (Making a music video or general media production)

From Friday’s workshop, I learnt a lot about the hard work involved in making a music video production as well as pre-production. I learnt that planning is a crucial part of the process in order to ensure everything has been thought about. One of the most important things in terms of organisation and planning is having a schedule or some sort of framework. Even if on the day it is followed completely it is still important to have a schedule to stray away from. From the workshop, I also learnt that props are very important in creating the right sort of mise-en-scene and in creating strong and identifiable characters. It is also important to have choices when it comes to props. As we were told to bring in any props we had for the shoot and then we chose the best of the choices we had on the day.

I learnt a lot about the actual production of music videos as well as general media production as well. The production process was long and tiring and I learnt the set up of music videos is very technical as it probably is for other media productions and so there are lots of people involved. Therefore, discipline is important and the process has to be taken seriously by everyone involved so that time is not wasted and everything gets done. Flexibility with time and the schedule is particularly important as things may run over schedule and plans may change according to for instance the weather. On the workshop, we had to consider changing plans because it was due to rain when we were to shoot outside. It is particularly important for those acting in the production to put all embarrassment aside in order to perform well. I learnt that the performance in a music video needs to be believable and is very important in making it effective. On the technical side of production, I learnt how important lighting is during production as a lot of lights were used. On one particular take on the staircase the lighting wasn’t right and so tracing paper had to be used to diffuse light coming through from a window as it was too bright. In terms of camerawork, I learnt that movement is crucial in enhancing the audience’s viewing experience and it is also important to have freedom with the camera. A lot of camera movement was used for the performance part of the video by the band in the gym. We had to do lots of takes of the same thing and this was important so that when it came to editing the video we would have loads of choices to choose from.

During the workshop, I learnt a lot about directing music videos from Jake Whynne who directed ours. He was very hands on and was completely involved throughout the production process. I learnt some of the language used between the director and the camera. For instance, Jake would use the term ‘background action’ to tell the background actors to begin acting and then he would tell the actors to begin acting.

What was the best bit?

I really enjoyed the whole day but my favourite part was jumping around to the chorus of ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ as this was a lot of fun! I also enjoyed actually helping with the set up of the camera work behind the scenes and learning about it from Jake and the others involved. I helped set up the tracks that the camera and the cameraman were wheeled around on when filming the performance part of the video. Apart from the chorus, I was also in the background of other takes as an extra and enjoyed this even though it did get tiring having to do a lot of takes.

How do you think the whole workshop (pre- and post- production included) will impact your coursework?

I think the whole workshop will have a great impact on my coursework as I learnt so much about all parts of the process. I learnt that pre-production and planning is a very important stage and therefore I will treat it as such when I make my music video and will spend more time on pre-production. I also learnt that organisation is crucial in making sure you get all the shots you want and so I will use a schedule. I learnt that movement is important in camerawork for music videos and so I will focus on that and will try to be ambitious and out there. I also learnt about the importance of lighting and how tricky it will be and so will prepare for that in advance when making my music video. One of the most important things I learnt was how important performance is in making a music video effective. Therefore, I will think carefully about this when picking actors for my video. The style and mise-en-scene (including any props) are also important and need to be thought about carefully before making a music video.