Critically observing my project, I believe I have made best use of my skill set and resources available to me thought its production. It’s also of important hat I emphasise how deeply the Coronavirus pandemic has inhibited my initial idea after reaching the halfway point whilst writing my feature and shooting for my short film. There was only so much I could do with the footage I had and my inexperience in using Lightroom and Premier pro. This could have been avoided should I have been given the opportunity to start my project at the same time as the other students on my course as opposed to 4 weeks later. – I believe this is relevant to my reflection as there is much emphasis on the importance of cultivating initial ideas, and spending time researching said idea which I had very little time to do, on top of the short time frame in producing the entirety of this project, and the restrictions endured, I feel this has had an impact on the quality of my Moving image specifically. However, I also acknowledge that, tight deadlines, quick turnaround times, and hurdles such as the ones I’ve faced are likely to be experienced in the working environment.

 

However, accepting and adapting my project in the face of both these hurdles, I’m pleased that I have managed to produce a project that I believe effectively conveys the impact of Covid-19 across the music industry and taken this further in considering why this impact is so important – largely through my Moving image that addresses what music means to people.

 

I believe my written through feature is the strongest element of my project as I am familiar with the process of executing a written feature. I have confidence in my writing style and believe the participants selected for the feature provided me with much helpful insight in shaping the rest of my project. 

 

I am also content with the photographs produced and thoroughly enjoyed the process of experimenting with abstract photography and would only take the techniques and ideas further should I have had the time and without a lockdown. 

 

Objectivity – I have presented a story for an audience that highlights the impacts of covid-10 on live music venues and aspiring musicians. The objectivity in my project is depicted from the reality of the COVID-19 crisis my article focuses on, that we are all living through as a nation, that has halted the entire industry and this links to the concept of power evident in my project. The objective approach stems from the reality these musicians have faced, that my participant’s present as fact for themselves. - Their stories are their objective reality.   Whether this is positive (for the likes of Fred ) or negative, these subjective stories are told and It is inescapable to consider the fact that Covid-19 has evidenced its power in altering the ways we can access, perform and dance to music In such a way that this is limited and entirely unexpected. I feel this is conveyed in all aspects of my project.

 

An example of how subjectivity is evident throughout my project can be found in the story told by Fred. In my article and moving image, Fred presents his thoughts and feelings as to why music is so important to him, and how he has managed to stay connected to music when he can’t express himself in the way he normally does due to the pandemic– on the dance floor. Subjectivley nostalgic for those who can relate to his thoughts and feelings.

 

Audiences will care about this story as presenting it through my participants different subjective experiences brings an element of humanity to what would otherwise be a factual, potentially perceived as academic account which is generally less engaging for my target audience (18-50) and unfitting for the brief.

 

 

My initial idea for my written through feature considers the impact of Covid-19 on the future of live music events and aspiring artists across the UK. I feel the process of my feature went rather well, however there were some issues I had to combat.  As I began to research venues and contact people for interviews, it became evident that attempting to tell a UK-Wide story was going to be challenging within the time constraints I had. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many people are away from office and not replying to emails associated with the venues as they have been closed and unstaffed due to the pandemic. As I have no personal connections to potential participants outside of London, this shifted the direction of my feature which is now centred around music venues and musicians in London. – This has also narrowed my target audience to an extent. If I was given the same task in the same timeframe again, I would consider London initially and give more thought to the resources available to me, as my initial idea, and failed attempts at contacting venue owners took up a lot of time and left me waiting for a few days hindering the process of my feature.
 
 The interview process for this feature was essential in considering the angle for my article, as I learned not only the literal, physical and financial impacts of covid-19 on the future of the music industry but why music means so much to the participants- in turn shaping the rest of my project. People really love talking about music – keeping these conversations focused was easily done.

 

The title of my article is inspired from the famous song ‘My generation’ by The Who, and I feel is appropriate in considering the contents of my feature- being about the music industry. This plays to the older end of my target audience (50yrs) who will know this song well, perhaps even sing it as they read, and the younger spectrum of my target audience (18yrs) that (may also know the song but) are concerned for the future of their generation following the pandemic. Furthermore, more subjectively, the article features stories told from participants, of the author’s (my) generation – the upcoming generation of musicians and artists.

 

Objectively, these are real world experiences endured by the participants. Furthermore, the article includes objective facts that emphasise the destruction taking place within the music industry and for the future of aspiring musicians. The impact of Covid-19 on their musical outlets is subjective to the individual, but maintains power in that they are true stories, the pandemic has re-shaped the lives of musicians and their abilities to create, produce and share musical experiences- all potentially relatable experiences for the target audience addressed.

 

In considering my still images taken for my project, I feel I have successfully achieved what I initially set out to do- that is capture creative energy and the movement of music into the home following lockdowns.  Moreover, considering the limited time frame given to conceptualise my idea, practice shooting techniques, and successfully convey my theme through the eyes of a lens- something I’ve never physically had the opportunity to do before- I’m pleased with how the photos have turned out and I feel only need to be tweaked slightly in the postproduction stage. It’s of my intention to photograph the music equipment in an abstract way as I believe this leave more room for subjective speculations from audiences that encourage engagement with the photographs. This is achieved through the use of close-up shots, and the zoom burst technique I taught myself specifically for this collection of photographs. I did consider using a ‘lubricated lense’ but I found this was much less forgiving and lost too much of the object in the photograph. My inspiration stems from the likes of (Sven Pfrommer and Richard Heeps – see photos of inspiration on padlet) that photograph music accessories and instruments without identifying each specific object. For example- photo one of my research provokes questions from me such as “what genre(s) of music are those records, what are the individual records? Is it a home collection? Is it situated in a record shop?” etc I feel some of my photos and they manner in which they have been photographed provoke similar ideas. 

 

Editing in lightroom: The main tools used during the postproduction stage was the temperature control, tone, highlights, shadows and whites tool. -My images are intentionally abstract and in the editing process I am mainly concerned with enhancing the brightness of the lights and increasing the shadows to make these stand out further. 

 

Shooting: 

 

The shot types used include extreme close up shot, close up shots and mid-shots. The extreme close-up shots (photos 2 & 4 in padlet) are used with purpose in capturing a distorted image of music equipment with emphasis on lights. Specifically photo 4 I believe is effective in presenting movement of music as the lights featured and method of capturing the photo has resulted in what I believe resembles a hospital heart rate monitor and signifies the ‘alive’ creative energies working to sustain the music industry. I have included mid-shots that take a step back at looking at the equipment as I want to present this notion as taking place in a makeshift, home environment and not a professional studio. I believe the zoom burst technique used also presents a reach toward the audience and draws in the eye of the spectator.

 

Lighting was something I had to keep in mind whilst shooting. My photographs were taken with natural light (or lack therof) - underground, and above ground at night-time. This is a deliberate choice as I am attempting to depict the movement of music, through the lighting and found a darker background is better for the contrast and the slow shutter speed used to capture the images.

 

 

Additionally, the idea of movement in music, as highlighted through the manipulation of the lighting from the equipment is not only significant of literal movement of music production into homes- due to studios being closed and the halting of use of creative spaces, but the source of creative ideas that stem from the human mind are built and worked upon in that space, through that equipment. It’s almost electrical energy. Objectively these images are identifiable as music equipment, but the manner in which they have been captured highlights their power in keeping the production of new music alive at a time where the industry is massively suffering.  I have attempted to translate this idea into the final few photos- in terms of encapsulating another aspect of music and nightlife that depict (again abstractly) music stages and the idea of dance that goes hand in hand with music as also being moved into the home. The objective idea here is that the mirror and surrounding lights acts as a home stage for the dancer.

 

My still images link to my written feature, as they encapsulate very much, what working or studying at home looks like for musicians that are now confined to the 4 walls of their home. – My feature focuses on how the pandemic has impacted the lives and creative drive of musicians. Should I get the opportunity to re-shoot these photographs, I largely wouldn’t do anything substantially different in terms of my method. However I would potentially attempt to photograph a number of different home studios – as the photos of the equipment were all taken in one setting- however due to the Coronavirus pandemic in London, and the re-entering into lockdown shortly after these photos were taken, organising and gaining access to willing participants was not possible. Especially with the limited time frame in which I had access to a camera.

 

 

The simple lay out of my feature and content means this is easily viewable on smaller devices and plays to the strength of my target audience (Music lovers aged 18-50). Simple to view, but eye-catching and engaging through additional visual elements included in its presentation. Additionally, buttons that share to social media have been provided, and are likely to be used by my target audience.

 

My initial idea for my 90 second short film has undergone a number of changes I have been consistently demanded to adapt to the position of society due to the coronavirus pandemic. Choosing to shoot a film about live music venues where access is near on impossible was potentially not the best idea and I’m not entirely happy with the execution of my film as I’m about to make evident. 

 

When initially shooting for the film, music venues were open under social distancing regulations and I had potential access to a number of venues through my personal contacts. However, due to limited accessibility of equipment because of the pandemic, it was difficult to find suitable times to gain access to shoot – venues needed much more warning than in ‘normal’ circumstances. I then faced further difficulty as the country entered a second national lockdown meaning that I had to almost entirely re-conceptualise the idea for my film, after spending much time shooting exterior shots of buildings and interviews with a number of willing participants. The interview shooting went -in my opinion rather well- I did not seem to run into many technical issues aside from reshooting one interview due to an audio glitch. However, reaching the postproduction stage and editing my film realised this interview footage and exterior shots was not enough to convey my initial narrative. (See treatment). In order to adapt to this, I had no other choice -with no access to venues or the previous equipment- but to use more archival footage than initially planned.

 

Another change evident in my 90-sec short compared to my initial idea was featuring only 1 of many participants I interviewed. This I put down to lack of experience behind a camera and recording interviews. It became very evident to myself very quickly I was trying to cram a lot of opinions into the 90 seconds I have which did not work for the new narrative (Fred’s story) I was now rolling with. Should I have been able to execute my initial idea, this would have worked as I wanted to produce something more up tempo and experimental than my final piece.

 

I decided to use the diegetic sound from the interview conducted with Fred in my piece as this provides continuity in the telling of the narrative through Fred’s own words. I took parts of the 15-minute interview and edited them appropriately in order tell a chronological story. The additional sound (of the music) has been taken from archival footage (not visibly featured in the short film), adjusted, edited and looped to provide the background music to the film without concern of copyright infringements. This is ‘live’ music from a ‘live’ music event previously attended and supports the narrative better than a selected recorded track. 
 
 

My film features a completion of various shots types. Most notably, the close up, centred shot of Fred in the opening and second half, - this anchor the voice overs to the main character, Fred. Keeping Fred central to these shots signifies him as the centre of the narrative being told on screen. I also shot with the rule of thirds in mind for the first part of the interview, situating Fred on the right-hand side to the camera to ensure the participant was not looking directly off the camera. The film was shot at eye level not only to make the participant feel comfortable, but also to conform to the documentary style of storytelling in mind when planning my short film.

 

The tone of my film presents a subjectively nostalgic perspective of the music industry and the hopes for its future.