Post 50: Feedback on our Rough Cut

FEEDBACK ON OUR ROUGH CUT

To get some feedback on our rough cut, I showed the rough cut of our music video to lots of people - friends, family, peers - to see what their opinions were on it and whether they had any advice on what we could do to change it/make it better. As a class, we watched through it around three times so people could pick up the pros and cons of what they thought, because when an individual sees it only once, they may miss things (e.g. a specific shot etc.). Then, we received verbal feedback from them on what we did well and what they liked but also to see if there were any noticeable things, however big or small, which we could make better. Next, I showed a range of people to get a range of different age groups to see whether it changed between younger and older generations, but mostly so we could identify our target audience's improvements. Overall, the feedback was generally positive, people seemed to enjoy the concept and thought it worked well. 

Steve (52): He said that the filming was "very natural" and "didn't look staged". This was something that we were concerned about because it can affect the video if it doesn’t look natural. He understood that the two girls were sister’s due to how the old photograph was shown in the music video, reflecting on how close they are now. He stated that it was a "good idea we put that shot in because it makes it tell a story." 

Jayne (50): I showed my mum the rough cut of our music video. She cried because she thought the connection between the two characters looked really strong and you could identify that they had a lot of time for each other. Also, she explained how certain clips like being on the bridge on top of the dual carriage way looked really good. "The video was lovely, and I thought it looked really professional !! For improvements, I loved the close-ups, so maybe more of those?"

Tazmin (23): “I really enjoyed it, I think it was a really lovely idea and it fits with the music well. The actors obviously had chemistry as sisters which really added to the authenticity of the narrative. I think the camera work was very strong and the shots really captured what they needed to. I think that to improve, maybe try and experiment with framing because for some reason it looks really big and it doesn't fit with the style you're going for."

- ADDED:

Charles (15): "I really liked the shot of the sisters when they were younger in that picture. I think, to improve, more of those shots could be included because it gives a sense of nostalgia and understanding of their relationships."

- taken into account:

Edward (19): "I really like the music video because its different to others, and it doesn't have a performance or lip-syncing. I think thats too common in some music videos nowadays and it can become very boring so it refreshing to see something new. I also really liked the shots of the setting and locations that weren't of the girls but still set the scene and made it look really pretty."

Jack (17): ‘”I thought it was really enjoyable and very natural with no script or storyline. It felt very improvised and original with amazing shots and beautiful locations to make the music video seem more professional. I noticed how the framing of it could be made smaller to make it look more “like a music video”." 

Sharon (81): "I loved this music video because it was wonderfully unique and excellently executed. The shots and angles were lovely and fitted really well with the idea. I also think that the relationship between the two girls really came across because it was an uncomplicated story and a simple idea."

Megan (18): “I think the video is beautifully shot, it captures the relationship between the two sisters, the video is perfectly candid and obviously not staged, this made you believe in the video more as you felt you weren’t watching a staged performance. The song is also a perfect fit. I like that it didn't have a performance because it makes it more unique and yet the video you have made is still clearly a music video.”

Luke (32): “I really like how the connection between the two characters is shown through the use of filming, like the close ups of the girls holding hands is very good and how the girls are on the bridge on top of the dual carriage. That is my favourite part of the video. Sounds weird but you also can't see any of the editing because it runs so smoothly, which can be really hard to!” 

Noah (30): He was impressed with how the filming didn’t involve any technology. Not one point there was any sign of phones in the music video and he thought that, that was very clever to keep it so it can't outdate. Also, it means that the girls actually want to spend time with each other without going on their phones - which in this day and age - is rare! I have no improvements because I can see in the video what you wanted to achieve, and you did!"

Ruby (11): Although she loved the story, 'I really like music videos with singing and dancing in so I can sing along and know the lyrics so could you maybe add the band in?'. ((because Ruby isn't in our target age group, and the other critics liked the narrative without the performance i.e. Edward and Megan, so we won't be act on this but it remains good criticism))

TO SUMMARISE:

The advice we were given after showing people our music video rough cut was very positive which showed that our research and planning stages were thoroughly completed, especially our audience research. As a result of a rethink between us three, the audience feedback, and some experimentation, we have decided to change the framing of the video to square. We felt that this would make it look more like a modern music video and it 'fitted' in with the age range it was aimed at and the style we want. We also agree to a certain extent that we want some more close-up shots but we are also happy with the order of the footage we have and we aren't looking to change that. Furthermore, we want to include and add a couple more shots of the pictures of the sisters when they were younger. We are extremely happy with the feedback we got as criticism is constructive so we now know what we need to do to produce our final cut. 

To add, when looking at our audience feedback and in turn, editing our final cut into the framing we were advised and thought best to go for, we saw an interesting concept. Due to our decision to keep technology out of the music, you can't see any phones used during the 3-4 minutes. Nowadays, it's incredibly rare to not look at/use your phone when with someone for a whole couple of days, especially at our age (17-18 year olds) and so, it reinforces their want to spend time with each other and the strength of their relationship. This idea contrasts the framing decision of making the video into a square because one of the most popular social media platforms is instagram, which is actually set in a square. We thought it was funny how this disparity occurred.   

AG & LR