MV Reflection – Production in Review
In a short 7 weeks we have conceptualised, planned, produced, and edited a music video. It is interesting to see how the product we have made both reflects our growth as practitioners and reveals the areas in which we must still develop. I want to divert away from discussing whether it is what I imagined it to be. The final product, in my opinion, can never be the same as your original envisioning; one is rooted in imagination and the other firmly in the bounds of reality. I think that is one of the gifts of working in the creative industries in the first place. What we first imagine never comes to fruition, and if it does it takes a form distinctly different from what manifested in our heads. That being said I am glad that the final product doesn’t divert from the concept we pitched. The planning, the desired imagery, and the overall goal were all kept in tact. Whilst some aspects of our brainstorming were kept and others discarded the project never lost its shape. The product we promised, I believe, is the product we delivered. We never had to rely on improvisation, a clear reflection of a strong pre-production workflow. Instead the vast majority of changes made were creative decisions that strengthened the final product visually.
Whilst we managed to follow our plan very closely there were of course elements that evolved, shifted and were subject to refinement. The process of showing a rough cut and fine cut sought to sand down the rough edges that naturally occur when attempting to realise an idea and I was pleased that the majority of the feedback we received reflected that. The advice Rohan gave was sanding and polishing rather than a request fire up the chainsaw. Experiments like my kaleidoscope digital bloom and Tessa’s fire experiments fell to the wayside but they made room for our stronger concepts to shine through. We made the decision to focus on a smaller amount of visual elements and instead really define them and, looking at the final product, I know this was the right decision. It gives the work a more distinctive visual profile and doesn’t detract from the overall concept of the music video.
Already knowing each other helped a lot with the group dynamic for this project. We naturally fell into the roles of pre-production, production, and post-production. This was an immeasurable help to the project as we knew what we could ask of each other. We were able to highlight the strengths and minimise our weaknesses we have as individual creators to make something that was better than what each of us could produce alone. San got to stretch his muscles as a producer, organising the projects and doing his best to cover the cracks left behind by Tessa and my own creative explorations. Tessa got to use her skills with a camera to create some incredibly beautiful cinematography, and I got to do my best to showcase both of these efforts in a cohesive and clean final music video. I learnt a lot from my team throughout the course of the production and found myself motivated by their dedication to their respective positions. I think our growth is more than obvious in the final work as I am proud to be able to say that we have created a clean, professional looking music video.
Whilst there is plenty of room for growth, each element of pre-production, production, and post-production having room for further refinement, I believe the strengths of our production outweigh its shortcomings. More practice will definitely be necessary on my behalf to hone my editing skills to better blend with the music. Whilst the job I did was to the best of my current ability, I know I have a long way before I reach a stage of seamless editing. Nevertheless this it was a pleasure to work with two of my favourite people on a project we were all really passionate about. Watching our work get closer and closer to what I see in the industry is hugely rewarding and I look forward to seeing how my next project will challenge me, both technically, and creatively.
