Music Video Day 2015

I'll gather all relevant materials in this post to keep it simple and easy to find.
Below, a vodcast which features clips from all the past Music Video Day productions but also contains numbered points to consider.

THIS POST CONTAINS [its TBC!]:

• Vodcast looking at past examples and themes/issues from these
• General points on blogging
• Note on homework/independent learning
• Full list of required blog posts
• Lesson by lesson schedule for summer terms
• 'Looking Ahead' - how you can make early progress on other A2 tasks

Coming soon, a list of blog posts you should have completed by the time your video has been pitched, planned, shot, edited and reviewed.

COMPLETE LIST OF ASSOCIATED BLOG POSTS
General points to remember on blogging ...

• Learn from the AS; timely, near-contemporaneous blogging is much easier than retrospectively blogging
• When leaving posts incomplete, add notes at the top on what you've still to do - useful for me as well as you
• Don't assume that long paragraphs are best; bullet points are often better
• Try to highlight terminology as I do: pink, bold
• Highlight quotes as I do (purple, bold, Trebuchet, indented)
• Always provide source/s
• There should always be some multimedia in a post: image/s, video/s, link/s, document/s ...
• Break longer posts down with clear sub-headings ... as I do!

HOMEWORK/INDEPENDENT LEARNING AND BLOGGING
As you'll see from the lesson by lesson schedule below, you will have considerable lesson time to work on blogging. Nonetheless, much of this will need to be done after and outwith lessons, and needs to be kept up to date with the stage you're at.

You'll see that I've included some numbered posts, e.g. FCPX1, New Media Techs1. These should be added to, and numbered, throughout the A2, and will be crucial for part of your Evaluation. When you customise aspects like titles (for the vodcast), do a short post on the settings so that YOU can easily find and recreate these again. When I've previously done this I've noted settings on bits of paper - not the best way to keep track and quickly recreate good design touches!

You should start links lists straight away, and update these as you blog.

As always, you can delegate tasks amongst yourselves, part of the reason I've provided this full list and schedule up front - if you do, include a blog post detailing who will do which posts.

Main editing can, up to a point, be divided; you should both do some work on the main video (and can certainly opt to do your own edit), with one of you primarily responsible for putting together a summative vodcast.

FULL LIST OF BLOG POSTS, and SCHEDULE
As I'll discuss below, if you make swift progress through this you should consider getting ahead on researching codes and conventions - not least by reflecting on what you can learn from my vodcast (and the blog post which backs it up, with a multitude of further links within it, plus the YouTube playlist which has all 20 videos in order plus many more - a good 'random' selection for looking at general conventions/issues with the format of the music video, before getting stuck into genre research).

Posts 1-6 should be on your blogs, using the titles provided, by the START of Friday's pitch lesson (19th) 
Posts 7-11 should be on your blogs, using the titles provided, by the START of the lesson on TuesdayA 23rd (P5) 
Posts 12-19 should be on your blogs, using the titles provided, by the START of the lesson on MondayB 29th (P4), with any additions/edits as required before Thursday's shoot.
'Planning update' posts should be added with BRIEF summaries/updates of progress after each lesson.
Posts 20-21 should be started in the lesson on FridayB 3rd, using the titles provided, and completed by the START of the first lesson on MondayA 6th (P3) 
ALL posts (bar 24) should be on your blogs, using the titles provided, by the START of the lesson on MondayA 20th July (P5); add numbered posts on FCPX tools [FCPX1: denote tool/s or aspect] as you go, and we'll review (applying assessment criteria) and gather audience feedback for the final post (24) in those last 3 lessons

1. The Brief and Assessment Criteria [embed the document emailed; copy/paste in the Brief above this]
2. Applying Assessment Criteria to Past Coursework: Doors, Gaga [see post]
3. MVDay: Initial Idea/s [use 'MVDay' as a prefix to denote each post on this project; titles should always be brief]
4. MVDay: The Concept and Points on Pitching [explain what you think the project is, and note points on what to do for/include in the pitch]
5. MVDay: Resources for Pitch [simply gather videos, links, images you want to use; no text needed; IF a very long post, add a 'read more' break]
6. MVDay: My finalised Idea - Key Points [bullet the main points to explain your idea; include a 1 or 2 sentence synopsis at the top]
7. MVDay: My Pitch - footage, feedback, reflection [we'll film these and the discussion; summarise main points of feedback; sum up with your thoughts - don't go overboard, see next post]
8. MVDay: The Agreed Idea - Key Points [if its not your idea, embed the footage of the successful pitch]
9. MVDay Planning: Initial Schedule of Tasks [consider using Google Calendar; good for Eval and R+P marks, and is basically useful!]
10. MVDay Planning: Update1 [basically, following each planning lesson, briefly update on progress before the following lesson. For your main production, this might be as podcasts]
11. MVDay Planning: Timed Lyric Sheet [a key document to start working out how many locations used, actual number of unique shots etc - see examples and template]
12. MVDay Planning: Locations [make comparisons with actual/existing example/s clear]
13. MVDay Planning: Cast/Characters, Costume, Props
14. MVDay Planning: Dance Sequences
15. MVDay Planning: AV equipment for the day [ipads or equivalent? 'ghetto blaster'? just relying on a phone? You'll need the track and at times will probably want to show the cast some video sequences - or just remind yourselves of framing etc. You'll need the mp3 and perhaps a ripped video too - don't rely on broadband ...]
16. MVDay Planning: Contingencies and Plan B [what will you do if its raining, if time runs out ...]
17. MVDay Planning: Call Sheets [an absolute must, and a habit you need to get into]
18. MVDay Planning: Storyboards [ditto!]
19. MVDay Planning: Health and Safety Issues, Permissions [no joke, needs serious thought. Plan as if I'm not there: do you know who the First Aiders are, where they are? Are there any elements of the video that could cause accidents if people mess about? Have you checked students' permission to be filmed, and, if relevant, be off timetable? Embed any sample permission letter, and bullet any H+S issues and notes]
20. MVDay: Initial Reflections on the Shoot [before the following lesson; basically, what went well, what went wrong, what lessons have been learnt? We could discuss some live streaming of footage/behind-the-scenes if you're interested, perhaps footage to play on school screens]
21. MVDay: Editing Schedule [discuss and agree who will do what and when. If sharing main video editing, its vital you use blog and/or a notebook to make brief notes for the next person editing]
22. FCPX1: denote tool/s or aspect [ie, each time you do something specific with FCPX which is fairly new, blog on it; useful for Eval Q4 but also simply as an easy-to-find reminder for each other on how-to achieve some things. Don't use 'MVDay' in these titles]
23. New Media Techs1: denote tool/s or aspect [you should find you're using a wide range of new media, which is what Q4 asks you to discuss. Keep blogging on every specific use - again, don't use the MVDay prefix here. You could simply create a holding post for each site/tool and add to it as you go, e.g. Instagram. You'll need links lists to find these of course...]
24. MVDay: Final Cut and Audience Feedback [you could keep aud feedback for vodcast, see next post; gather as much as you can tho, and get practice in thinking through how to do this, what formats to use, age ranges, using new media, etc - again, this is one of the Eval Qs]
25. MVDay: Behind the Scenes Vodcast [using some filmed footage from the day, and some filmed footage of you editing, discussing, reflecting afterwards, and maybe some audience feedback too, this should sum up the whole process and overview what you've done. You'll be able to use much of this in Eval Qs!]