Centre name: The Henley College

Centre number: 62441

Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

Evaluation
For my final major project on the UAL Creative media production course I decided to create a
music video for the song “Amazing Day” by Coldplay, this is because my specialism is the
combination of live action and animation. For this production I worked with the Underground
Music Video Festival. The reason I chose this festival was because they are a small and not
as popular as other festivals, this give me a greater chance of winning. The festival is also
based only around music videos, this is important as I am creating a music video therefore it
can be entered.
My aim throughout this production was to create a music video which includes live action and
animation. The music video will need to be a unique idea which raises awareness of heart
disease. This is important as my brief states that I need to create a music video with a narrative
which promotes heart disease. The live action and animation would need to be creative and
follow to rules of animation which I have previously learnt in my research. I also intended to
create a realistic blend between live action and animation, this can be done through different
animation technique. I feel that I have met these specification throughout the music video.
This is because the music video is narrative based with no performances with an emotional
and creative storyline. I think that the narrative drove the idea of raising awareness for heart
disease as it shows how he has dealt with the fact he has heart disease and how it effects
family around him. This was one of the responses I received when carrying out target audience
feedback. I feel that the animation looked professional as I used a different technique to track
the heart onto the protagonist. This worked well as it looked connected with the protagonist
and pushed the narrative further and allowed the audience to understand clearly what the
heart represented and the reflections of the emotion of the protagonist. Even though my
specialism was live action and animation I tried to improve and show off my cinematography
throughout the music video with creative shots which reflected the narrative and emotions of
the characters in the music video.
I received feedback from primary research I have felt that I have used
feedback given to myself and used it to improve my music video
throughout. I first received feedback from my specialism and my initial
idea, from asking peers they said that they all enjoyed the fact that I am
raising awareness for heart disease. My peers also stated that they
thought I should show how the heart disease effects the protagonists
family and people around him, I took this feedback and improved my
storyline to include a beginning scene showing how it effects his parents.
I think this was more effective because it adds more layers to the narrative
and shows the audience why the protagonist decided to go on a journey.
Peers also stated that they liked how I was focusing on the positives, this
is important to myself personally as my cousin suffers with heart disease
therefor it made me more careful to make sure the music video was not
offensive as I knew that people with heart disease would watch it and
young children would be watching. After I knew what the idea would be, I
then went onto finding out feedback about my genre and target audience.
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

I found out that 67% of people I interviewed said that they listened to
pop rock and 60% of them being between the ages of 18-25. By finding
this out I knew who my target audience was and then how I can appeal
the music video to them. Because I found out this information I knew
that I needed to use techniques to appeal to them, I did this by using a
teenager as my protagonist. I did this for 2 reasons, the first, to relate to
the target audience as that age is relatable as it would have been that
age or have siblings of a similar age. The second as I wanted to use a
young person as the protagonist as it would make the narrative more
emotional as a young person is being effected by the disease. I feel that
I have succeeded in this as from gathering feedback from tutors and
peers after the final production they said that they thought the narrative
was clear and effective. After I presented my pitch I then asked for
feedback for my character design. This is one of the most important
aspects to my music video as it would be the focus of my animation and
have a big role in the narrative. After asking about which style/ design
they thought fitted my narrative and looked the best. I found out that they
liked a realistic heart shape instead of one that represented love as the
narrative is all about heart disease and not love. I agreed with this feedback and made my
character design look like a realistic heart. Another key response I received in my feedback
was that they thought the heart should have a plaster in it to show how the heart was damaged
and not normal. I used this feedback and added it to my final design. After this I created rough

drafts of character designs and then create a final design and coloured it. I then received
feedback from my teacher, he said that he thought that the plaster should not be on the eye
as that is not realistic. As I was going for a realistic look I changed the plaster to be on the
cheek. I think this change was key to my success as it changes the look of the characters to
being unrealistic and armature to look more professional. The final piece of feedback I
received was my editing. I only received minor feedback and small changes, one of them was
to make it clearer that the protagonist had heart disease. To overcome this I added in a shot
of a letter on the table from the British Heart
Foundation, this made it clear to the audience that the
protagonist had heart disease and why the parents
was arguing. This change made the narrative
stronger and easier to understand there for proving
that I am following my brief.
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

I gathered feedback in several different ways, this gave me a wide range of results therefor I
didn’t have any biased or inaccurate response. I gathered responses through focus groups,
face to face interviews, surveys and questionnaires. I feel that by having a range of ways I can
receive feedback allowed me to gather the most information and accurate information I needed
to create a professional production which fitted my brief. I think that the most useful way of
gathering information was face to face
interviews, this was because when I sent out
surveys online I did not receive as precise or
serious responses I needed. I overcame this
by sending out the survey to more people so
that I can receive a wider range of results and
have less of a chance of getting negative
results.
Throughout the production I practiced
animating the character onto the body of the
protagonist, this was useful and key to my
success as it would have to look professional
and realistic in order for myself to follow my
brief. By testing different techniques I learnt
different ways of tracking the heart to make it look smooth and professional.
I think that I have been successful in this production. This is because the production that I
have produced filled the brief specification and achieved the goal to raise awareness on heart
disease and to create a narrative based music video. I feel that I could improve on my time
management as I have left some parts of the production to the last minute leaving myself with
less time and more pressure to complete them. This effected the quality of the overall
production which may affect my overall grade. From gathering feedback from teachers and
peers the production was a success as I have used the knowledge that I had learnt from my
research, planning booklet and brief to form a music video with appropriate animation and a
narrative that captures a positive message about heart disease. I have filled all improvements
that have been given to myself by teachers and peers, including changes to character design,
editing and shots. These included shots being too long to adding in shots that would improve
the narrative of the production. My research has in depth analysis with several examples of
types of research primary and secondary and physical. These gave myself time to test and
perfect certain techniques that I could not have done without. This improved the quality of my
production overall as I have known how to carry out certain techniques before shooting
allowing more time and effort to be put into creating the final product.
I decided to enter my music video into the Underground Music Video Festival, this meant that
I would need to follow the rules given to myself and to follow the rules given to me from the
UAL exam board. If I did not follow the rules I might not be eligible to be entered therefor failing
the brief and what I set out to do. The rules in the festival are as follows:
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

 They accept music videos, dance films from all nationalities

 Each category requires its entry fee
 My work has to be independent
 My music video may be a music video intended for a band, but also a music video you
edited with existing footage or existing music
 My work must be under 10 minutes
 They don’t accept documentaries about music
 My work may include some dialog parts, if these are not preeminent in the final edit
 If there is a long and a short edit of my work, please submit with the short one
 Works in progress are not accepted
 They only accept online digital submissions
 They accept any form of media, live action, animation, stop motion, as long as it is a
music video
 The festival is the one and only to choose which award category you may fit in.
 Entry fees are non- refundable
 The festival organizers may refuse any illegal, non-artistic, fake, false, incomplete
entries
 The festival do not take care of travel nor accommodation expenses. They can give
the addresses of hotels in walking distances of the festival.
These rules state that the music video has to be independent. I think that I have followed these
rules as I did not require any help in the editing or production as I filmed and edited the
production myself. The rules also state that the music video must be under 10 minutes, this
was not a problem as the song was under 5. The rules also state that the music video can be
all forms of media and they encourage being creative, this was a key rule that I looked at as
my specialism was the combination of live action and animation. This was a way of standing
out and being unique in the music video competition as my music video would be its own niche
genre. On top of these rules I had rules from the exam board I had to follow, these were as
followed:

 There will be no reference to drugs, no swearing and no nudity within your

productions
 All practical work must be your own
 Only 10% of your production can be found footage (downloaded) and only if you are
producing a factual programme
 No footage or written work from previous units may be used or resubmitted for
your final project
 All written work must be your own and any sourced work must be Harvard
referenced properly
 The work submitted must follow the brief created at the beginning of your Final
project

I feel that I have followed these rules as my music video is not offensive, my own work, Harvard
reference and follows my brief. The project was aimed to suit a wide range of ages from young
to old, therefor I felt that I could not make the production offensive. The
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

production was also to raise awareness for heart disease therefor I would have to be sensitive
as it can be a sensitive topic for some people. I have included some shots that are not my
own, these were the drone shots over Stonehenge and London. I included these shots as I
thought it would drive the narrative as it shows the transition between locations. In the rules it
states that I can use 10% of found footage, this means that I follow the rules given to myself
from the exam board.
I think that my production would be considered for an entry, this is because my production
follows the exam board rules and follows the rules given to myself by the festival. The one rule
that maybe an issue would be that I used 2 shots of drone footage. The rules state that I must
be independent, however I interpret that as creating the production on my own without having
a crew with myself or helping me. This means that I feel that I would qualify for the music video
festival. I think that my music video is unique and would stand out from others as it includes
live action and animation. From looking back at previous winners from the festival, they
typically do not include animation and if so it was not in the same style as myself. This means
that I can stand out and have a better chance of being noticed and nominated. My music video
is also not just to promote a band or song but a charity, this is also unique as no other previous
winners are shown to promote a charity. I also think that my narrative is positive and not
offensive, this means it can be shown to a wide audience and not cause any offence therefor
allowing judges to appreciate it.
I felt that I have worked well with the festival as I have met the deadline to upload my
production and I have followed the rules that was given to me. The production fitted the
medium as the festival encouraged all different mediums and unique ways of creating music
videos, this meant that my production would be looked up upon as I used a unique was of
storytelling with the combination of live action and animation. My music video is under the 10
minute requirement and would therefore be eligible to win and be entered into the best of the
best competition. The festival also do not accept music videos that are half finished and
incomplete entries. This would be no problem for myself as I had finished the production with
the animation and editing finished. I have kept in communication with the music video festival
as I have contacted them enquiring about the prizes that could be won and the categories.
This was useful and key to my success as I know exactly what I am entering and what is at
stake which I can win. The communication with the festival was easily accessible and the
replies were quick.
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

Throughout the production I feel that I followed the codes and conventions of a music video
with live action and animation. This is because I have a clear narrative with effective use of
animation to show the emotions and narrative. The character follows the narrative by being a
realistic heart shape and including bandages to show damage and the fact that he has heart
disease. The heart follows the codes and conventions as the colour is bright and friendly and
shows the emotions of the character by the use of red and blue. After researching I found out
that blue represents sadness as it is a cold colour, this can represent how he has a cold heart
as he has heart disease and is upset with his parents. The red shows that he is loved and
represents the change in his opinion of heart disease and how he is positive thinking. This
idea was liked by peers as I gather positive feedback through my questionnaire after my pitch.
The music video followed the codes and conventions of a narrative based music video as it
showed a beginning middle and end. This showed a basic and clear structure in my music
video which follows the conventions of a narrative based music video. From receiving
feedback after finishing my music video I found out that my peers enjoyed the narrative of my
music video as they liked the positive message being shared which was listed in my brief. The
four key rules of combining live action and animation are eye line, physical interaction, camera
movement and shadows. I feel that I have followed these rules in order to create a professional
looking project. I have followed the eye line as I animated the heart looking around and
directing his eyes at certain places and points of interest. This clearly showed the interaction
between the character and live action therefore create a realistic and professional piece. I
included physical interaction throughout the music video by using mirror as an example of how
the heart is in the real world. I did
this by flipping the heart to make it
realistic to what a real actor would
look like. I included camera
movement throughout the video by
panning up and down the body of
the character and using tracking to
make the heart seem to be
connected to the body of the
protagonist. I did have to use shadows as the character was connected to the protagonist in
the music video therefor whatever shadow the protagonist would cast so would the heart.
After researching techniques used in the music videos 1-800 and Let You Down I found out
different camera angles and techniques to make my music video look professional. The first
music video is split into three scenes the first is Nate drowning which represents not being
able to rise to the top and struggling to live up to the
expectations of the father. The second scenes
shows the emotional stress and turmoil and how a
relationship is falling about with his father. And the
last is how the father has lost his son and realised
how important he is to him and how he has lost an
important person in his life. The second music video
on the other hand is a simple narrative which follows
Todorov's narrative theory, this is because it starts
with the protagonist not coming out as
gay,
then
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

follows to a disruption of equilibrium with his father

finding men's magazines and finding out he had slept
with another boy. Then restoration of equilibrium with his
father accepting who he is and supporting him once
again. Both narratives share themes of death and
sadness, I plan to include some film making techniques
from each of these music videos with lighting and camera
angles. However in my music video I did not focus on the
negatives to create an emotional production but to focus
on the positives. I achieved this by following Todorov's
narrative theory structure as there was an equilibrium
then disruption and then a journey to reinstate equilibrium and then equilibrium restored, this
is a basic narrative structure and helped the audience understand the message that I wish to
portray throughout. This is simple and easy to follow so therefor allowing the audience to
understand what the story is and the message and lesson being told in the music video. Using
certain camera angles are important in making a strong narrative, this is because certain shots
have meanings and emotions behind them which would
add further detail and information about a certain
character or narrative. From looking at this, I used low
angles to show hierarchy and the emotions of each
character and lighting techniques to show emotions of
the protagonist and revelations of how the protagonist
overcome these feelings. I also looked at Sam Kolder’s
travel vlogs, these influenced how I edited the music
video with the scenery and locations. I learnt different
transitions which were effective as they showed
transitions between locations. After looking at the music
video King by GRADES I was influenced by the
animation style and how the cannon was tracked on the
protagonist’s arm. I replicated this by animating on the
protagonists chest. I decided to animate on the chest as I would not have to create a 3D model
unlike the cannon, this saved me time however still
looked professional. The lighting throughout the
music video was overall good because I shot mainly
outside therefor I relied on natural lighting. However I
felt that one shot was not as professional as the others
as it was dark and therefor lost some quality. I tried to
shot the same lighting as of in 1-800 to create emotion
and to focus the eye of the audience onto certain
areas to show the emotions of the characters. I feel
that I did not achieve this however as the lighting does
not have any meaning and was rushed therefore did
not show any meaning or emotion.
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

Throughout my production I came across many problems, however I have managed to

overcome these. One of these problems that I have faced was the hyper lapse. The hyper
lapse looked shaky and unprofessional, I overcame this by editing the hyper lapse in
Photoshop and stabilizing the footage, this meant that the footage was slightly zoomed in
however looked more professional therefor making my music video seem more professional.
When filming I encountered an issue, this was the weather being extremely windy. The wind
cause the tripod shots to become shaky and there was a
lot of wind noise. I overcame this problem by using the
shoulder mount and holding the tripod whilst filming, this
allowed the shots to be stable and look to a professional
standard giving me more of a chance to win the festival I
have entered to. After this I went to shoot in London. This
had more problems than shooting in the other locations.
This was because most of the shots were going to be
improvised on the day to capture the most
interesting and culturally appropriate activities
on that day. Therefor I encountered problems
that I did not plan for. One of them was the
traffic on the roads in Camden, this meant that
traffic was blocking some shots that I wanted
to film. I overcame this by shooting other
shots around the location and taking the best
opportunity to film when it was less busy.
Filming in London overall was a success as
the sites that I filmed in were not as busy as they would be if filming in the holidays, therefor
allowing my shots look more professional. I encountered several problems whilst editing. The
first was the computer I was at had an error whilst editing. This problem was overcome by
screenshotting the error message and sending it to the IT services in college. This was good
because it allowed me to continue editing and hopefully hit the deadline. The second problem
I had was tracking the heart to the body. One thing that I wished that I had done before
shooting was to include tracking points to the clothing that the actor was wearing. This would
have allowed for precise and an easy path for the photo to follow. This create some problems
as during some of the clips the heart would not track. I overcame this by tracking the heart
manually frame by frame. This technique was successful as it tracked the heart onto the body,
however did take longer to complete leaving me less time to complete other work.
After I finished my final draft I asked for feedback from peers and teachers, this was important
as I can find out what I need to do next time to
improve. From gathering feedback I found out that
my peers thought that some editing techniques
looked wrong. An example of this was what Elliott
said, he stated that he thought some of the shots
that were stabilised in premier pro looked unnatural
and too warped. To improve this next time I will not
rely on the stabiliser in premier pro but to try to get a stable shot on location. Another editing
Centre name: The Henley College
Centre number: 62441
Candidate name: Matthew Carter
Candidate number: 970836

technique that my peers said to improve on was that there was a blue dot in a couple of shots,
this was due to the rendering process as the file was rendered and compressed leaving a blue
like dot. To improve next time I plan on exporting to the correct type of file and making sure
that it does not compress any footage. The last piece of feedback I received was that I should
carry out all the shots myself instead of using other peoples. This was a good point to make
as I wanted to create all of the production by myself however I had a lack of funding and
equipment to create the shots I wanted to drive the narrative. Next time I will hire out the
correct equipment to suit the narrative and genre. I also feel that my time planning was not as
professional as it should have been. This meant
that I gave myself less time to focus on certain parts
of the production leaving myself stressed and not
being able to perform at my fullest potential. Next
time I will keep to my production plan as it is a
useful document which would save me a lot of
stress allowing myself to perform to my fullest
throughout the course and production.