Video & Sound Production - Porject 2

24.05.2024 - 28.06.2024  / week 5 - week 10

Velicia Raquel Dewi Setiawan | 0369188 | Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Video & Sound Production

JUMPLINK:

1. Lecture
• Week 5 
• Week 6 
• Week 7 
• Week 8 
2. Instruction
3. Project 2B - TikTok
• Rationale
• Shooting 
• Editing 
• Final Result
4. Project 2A - Trailer
• Grouping and Production Shoot Trial
• Production Shoot
• Trailer Editing
• Final Result
5. Reflection

1. LECTURE

Week 1 - F2F (May 26, 2024)

1. MODULE BRIEFING

PROJECT 2

Video shooting & Editing

• Insta/ TikTok video
• Example
• Example
• Example
• Example
• Example
• Example
• Example

• Production Shoot
• Example
• Example

• Software required: Adobe Premiere Pro

Week 5 - F2F (May 24, 2024)

1. GROUPING AND PRODUCTION SHOOT TRIAL

We got a brief on how to shoot certain shots and angles. Along with lighting with soft/room light and hard light. Split into teams and do a production trial.

Week 6 - F2F (May 31, 2024)

1. PRODUCTION SHOOT

we got a brief on how to shoot certain shots and angles. Along with lighting with soft/room light and hard light. Split into teams and do a production trial.

Week 7 - F2F (June 7, 2024)

1. COLOR CORRECTION V.S. COLOR GRADING

• Establishing picture profile: Technical process to make the footage look natural and realistic.
• Color correction: Adds atmosphere and emotion to shots.
• Basic color terms: Hue, saturation, brightness (HSB).
• Hue: Color itself, saturation: Intensity of color, brightness: Lightness or darkness.
• HSB color theory is used to create mood and color schemes.
• Saturation: Colors "pop" or "muddy" depending on grey information.
• Pure white or black adds darker or lighter brightness value.

Fig 1.1 Premiere Pro Colour Correction 2024.pdf, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Mr explained a bit about the workspaces, panels, and the basic use of Premiere Pro. Mr guided us through a couple of color grading and color correction techniques, and then from the video shoot we were to make a trailer. We need to explore and use all of the color grading presets available.

2. Week 7 Asynchronous Class Materials

Color Process Basics

• Reading

1. Video Color Intro

Fig 1.1 Hue, saturation, and brightness (HSB) explained, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

The process of digital video coloring involves three interconnected tasks: establishing a picture profile, correcting the footage, and color grading the footage. 

• Color Correction Process
• • Fixes color issues.
• • Enhances footage's natural appearance.
• • Clean, real-world color perception.

• Color Grading Overview
• • More creative process.
• • Adds atmosphere and emotion to shots.
• • Colors footage in unnatural ways.

2. Understand Color Hue

• Hue, the difference between red and blue, is fundamental to video image color.
• Hues can be altered by saturation and brightness, known as "HSB."
• Hues can be darkened to create different skin tones.

3. Grasp Color Saturation

• • Defines color intensity based on grey content.
• • Can make colors "pop" or "muddy" depending on the amount of grey.

4. Learn Color Brightness

• Brightness refers to the level of light in a color.
• Burgundy and candy apple have the same hue, but different saturation levels.
• High brightness and intense saturation can evoke energy, while low brightness can evoke dread.

5. Study Coloring Tools

• Adobe Premiere is a non-linear editing platform with a robust menu of color tools.
• DaVinci Resolve is a specialized color program with editing features.

• Key Tools for Color Correction
• White Balance: Describes the color temperature of the image.
• Scopes: Provide extra-value color info. 

Fig 5.1 How to understand scopes, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Curves: Helps in precise color correction and grading.
• Color Match: Allows for the selection of a reference image to be applied to the target

Fig 5.2 Color match, as demonstrated in Adobe Premiere, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Three-Way Corrector: Balances shadows, midtones, and highlights of an image using color wheels.
• Color Qualifiers: Allows to change a particular color or range of colors without changing the rest of the picture.
• Color Masks: Work similarly to masks in Adobe Photoshop.

Color Process Steps

1. Determine Picture Profile

• RAW format offers control over image characteristics but consumes significant storage due to unprocessed, uncompressed images.
• If not working in RAW, a flat picture profile or Log profile is recommended for better color and enhancing footage.
• The picture profile is baked into the footage, making it impossible to change.
• A "flat" profile allows for extra dynamic range.
• "Log" profiles, specifically "C-Log" (Canon) or "S-Log" (Sony), are neutral but not RAW, giving controllable images.

2. Color Correct

• Definition and Purpose of Color Correction
• Color correction is a process of adjusting white and black levels, exposure, contrast, and white balance to create accurate, unprocessed-seeming colors.
• It ensures precision in color adjustments and creates visual consistency for footage and scenes.
• Color correction eliminates visual inconsistencies and is essential for cutting together footage that may not look exactly the same but needs to be used in the same scene.

• Micro Steps of Color Correction
• Applying the input LUT: This LUT shifts the colors in your footage to the standard values of HD broadcast television.

Fig 2.1 Log vs. Rec. 709 explained, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Fig 2.2 Color grading a variety of footage in Adobe Premiere: RAW, Log, and Rec. 709, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Choose a "home base" clip: This clip should have average exposure and levels compared to the rest of your footage.
• Adjusting white and black: Use scopes to adjust the colors and levels to find true black or true white.

Fig 2.3 How to get a cinematic look, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Adjusting overall gamma: This involves adjusting each section of your image, including highlights, shadows, and midtones.

Fig 2.4 Video gamma explained, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Basic secondary correction: This involves isolating specific parts of the image or objects within the video frame and correcting only those.

Fig 2.5 Secondary color correction in Adobe Premiere PRO CC, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

3. Color Grade

• Color grading refers to the stylized color scheme of footage, ranging from extreme to subtle.
• It stylizes the color scheme of the footage, evoking specific emotions from the viewer.
• Color grading is adding color information to existing color values.
• It's similar to adding more color to art on the walls in a museum.

Fig 3.1 How to use color like director Denis Villeneuve, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Creative Output Levels (LUTs) can be used to apply the entire color grade with a single click.
• Professionals should consider color grading before setting foot on set, with some creative latitude in post-production.
• Creating a custom color grade can be exported as an export LUT and applied to the rest of the scene.

Video Color Examples

1. Color Correction Examples

Fig 1.1 Color management is the key to matching colors from multiple cameras, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

2. Color Grade Examples

Fig 2.1 Black Hawk Down LUT in full effect, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• "Black Hawk Down" Look
• High saturation of blue.
• Reduced brightness and highlights.
• Ideal for sci-fi or David Fincher noir.

Fig 2.2 Color grading examples from The Martian, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

• Ridley Scott's "The Martian"
• Darker sand and sky saturation resemble Mars.
• Sky loses blue, and browns, but reds and oranges pop out.
• Lack of color contrast doesn't harm the image.

3. Color Palette Examples

Fig 3.1 Create a color palette like Akira Kurosawa, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Week 8 - F2F (June 14, 2024)

1. INDEPENDENT WEEK

FREE WEEK!!

2. INSTRUCTION

Requirements 

• Adobe Premiere Pro

Submission 

• Eportfolio

3. Project 2B - TikTok

Project 2B

Week 4

Week 4 PPT 

Show us 3 of your favorite video trends in TikTok/ Insta with a simple explanation of why/what you like about them.

1. Never Back Down, Never What? 

• Trend: Posting a video to this sound with a funny text overlay describing a situation where you would give someone a pep talk about never backing down.

• I think it's funny and wholesome how this trend is just for people in some crises or another and giving themselves pep talks to keep going.

2. Seeing Life Cinematically

• Trend: Film everyday activities with a cinematic touch. Turn mundane tasks into visually appealing short films by focusing on details, using slow motion, and adding a cinematic score.

• I like how it chooses to see the ordinary and mundane life in a more beautiful light, feels like showing that a simple life is enough to be happy you know.

3. Mood Videos

• Trend: Create mood videos on TikTok to evoke specific emotions such as tranquility, excitement, or nostalgia. Experiment with music, color grading, and visual effects to enhance the mood and atmosphere, immersing viewers in different emotional experiences.

• I just like watching eye candy like that, a series of aesthetic clips along with narration to make you feel something.

If one of the ideas/themes/trends is chosen, how do you make it better and unique? 

Never Back Down, Never What? Trend. I want to film a sequence of a student struggling with a project/assignment/deadline, finding one of these TikTok trends, and in their mind imagining themselves doing whatever the person in the TikTok is doing, this is to visualize that they got the message/inspired from the TikTok. Then get back to working on the assignments with renewed motivation. 

Idea Description

In the video, a student is shown struggling with a daunting project, surrounded by papers and books, visibly stressed with the deadline. To get away from the stress, scrolls through TikTok and stumbles upon the "Never Back Down, Never What?" trend. They watch the video and get Inspired, and then the students get the motivation; the lighting changes to, warmer tones as they get back to their desks with renewed determination.

Chosen music

The Highlight Music: https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7255817840909290245?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Moodboard

Fig 1.1 Moodboard, Week 4 (17/05/2024)

Fig 1.2 Moodboard, Week 4 (17/05/2024)

Fig 1.3 Moodboard, Week 4 (17/05/2024)

Fig 1.4 Moodboard, Week 4 (17/05/2024)

Storyboard

Fig 1.5 Storyboard, Week 4 (17/05/2024)

One would think that someone majoring in creative media would know how to draw right? Um, yeah, not really. Well tried my best.

Week 10 Shooting 

This is the table and chair in the room that I'm going to shoot on. It's a bit messy i did tidy things up before shooting.

Fig 1.1 Shooting Progress, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

I have this small hanging light on the ceiling right above the table and wanted to use it as lighting, but when I tried to do it in varying brightness due to the light being from above it just cast a shadow on my face. So I abandoned the idea and instead used the lighting from the laptop.

Fig 1.2 Shooting Progress, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

Halfway through this shooting, I realized that I needed another phone to shoot with, but it was already so late at night, so I compromised with a calculator. I definitely should have thought this through first.

The tripod that I bought is a bit shaky and one of the position adjustments is not firm enough, so multiple times during the shoot my phone would just fall over.

Fig 1.3 Shooting Progress, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

I should have taken the shooting process more seriously, as I didn't realize at the time that the quality of my videos in the dark was so bad and grainy. Should I have known this I would have shot it with the light on. Only after the video was done that I realize that I can increase the video quality on my phone. Then again im not someone who takes pictures or videos everywhere I go, it's no excuse though, I should still have done research to maximize the quality of the video.

Also paying attention to what props I needed to do the shoot, I could have bought another small light on my desk to light me up and another prop phone. 

Week 10 Editing 

I complexly forgot that we could do this in Capcut, sigh. why do I make things harder for myself? it would have been way easier there than on Premiere Pro, but what's done is done, I should have read the instructions more carefully.

During the editing process in Premiere Pro, I chose a soundtrack that fits the vibe and started to cut up the clips.  

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Adding static and notification sound, then giving them transition.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Then lastly I did the color correction and grading with an adjustment layer, to give the same clips that cut up the same correction.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Then for the clip of me playing badminton, I added some animation following my movement. Here also I noticed that when zoomed in the quality turned from okay to bad, lost details, and overall just really grainy. Same thing with the screen record of TikTok too, for the screen record I have no idea why. But for my phone, I could have adjusted the quality first before shooting.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

then it's just the final touches with the title and the quotes on the bottom. (truly reflects on what I felt during that time)

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

I should have made a more detailed storyboard for this and not just winging it. I could do that with the trailer because it doesn't have to be cohesive or have continuity. But for this? I should have put more effort into this. 

Especially after watching my friend's results, all of them have really good quality. I can tell one of them really planned the shots with many different angles the video uses, while is not the most cinematic or have animation or color grading to correct like I was going for, you could say it's just mostly clips put together, it selling point was the comedy and the story and its absolutely excels at it. I think it looked way better than mine did.

This is probably the worst project I have ever done, I was feeling really burned out physically and mentally so it's definitely in line with the TikTok I made but it still no excuse for it. I'm going to have to think ahead and manage my time better next time.

Week 10 Final Result 

Final Result(Tiktok): https://www.tiktok.com/@veliciaraqueldewisetiaw0/video/7386279644670020865?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7359125447638058503

Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WB_3KMjiwSRUkTQAEmaIGQ46Mf8dTNpL?usp=drive_link

Project 2A

Week 5

Week 5 Grouping and Production Shoot Trial

For next week we were given the task to do a recreation of a scene from "Everywhere Anywhere All at Once". This week we split up into teams, to learn how to work together as a production crew. In this trial production, we were taught how to use professional cameras and lighting. Then our team divided the roles, props, and costumes to bring next week, my role was as the boom operator.

Fig 1.1 Scene Production Trial, Week 5 (24/05/2024)

Fig 1.2 Scene Production Trial, Week 5 (24/05/2024)

Fig 1.3 Scene Production Trial, Week 5 (24/05/2024)

Week 6

Week 6 Production Shoot

For this week we are going to do a recreation of a couple of scenes from "Everywhere Anywhere All at Once". We're gonna be using camera equipment that can go up and down smoothly like a dolly cart. 

My role is the boom operator, holding up the mic which is mounted on a long pole and used to capture dialogue and other sounds; and sound location, monitor audio levels, and adjust settings as necessary to ensure clear and consistent sound. Me and another teammate switch every so often so we get to experience both roles.

A couple of observations during the shoot:

• Mr said that we need to plan out our shots so we can be as time-efficient as possible.
• Due to us sharing the room with another team, we need to declare when we are going to start shooting.
• I gotta communicate with the cameraman when holding the mic to ensure the mic does not get into the frame.
• I don't need to hold up the mic the entire time, only during the recording and I can position the mic to not waste much of my energy.
• As for the sound location, I adjust the volume to the correct decibel and communicate when the actor's sound is too small and when the ambiance is too loud.
• Then relisten the recording to ensure everything sounds clear, in one of the scenes the actor's voice is rivaled by the creaking sound of the door and the switch is too loud, nothing we can do with that one though.

Fig 1.1 Scene Production, Week 6 (31/05/2024)

Fig 1.2 Scene Production, Week 6 (31/05/2024)

Fig 1.3 Scene Production, Week 6 (31/05/2024)

Fig 1.4 Scene Production, Week 6 (31/05/2024)

Fig 1.5 Scene Production, Week 6 (31/05/2024)

Week 7

Week 7 Quiz

Week 7 Trailer Editing

During class, Mr gave us a brief guide on how to color grade our production shoot with an example footage. This is my attempt on it as I follow along.

Fig 1.1 Class Tutorial, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

The first thing I want to do is establish the sequence of clips I want to use, what clip comes first? Do I need to cut them up? Do I want to use a clip multiple times?

But alas even after watching YouTube tutorials on trailer examples and how to make a trailer I still can't decide what I want to do with the clips, There are too many variations in my head and no solid foundation I can base it on, and even if want to make a trailer according to the original movie plot it would make sense as it's lacking important scenes from the original movie. 

But what I know is that want to make it trailer have a mystery and action vibe. So I searched for a fitting soundtrack first, even though according to the tutorial on YouTube I should arrange the clips first and the sound design follows after so I can fit it into the clips. And I think that's a good choice because I know sound design would be so tedious to do, finding every sound effect for every transition. No, I rather not.

Fig 1.2 Scene Production, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

So I find a soundtrack suitable to my preference and cut up the clip according to the soundtrack, trying to make the transitions in beat with the drop, adding a couple of graphics here and there, and a bunch of animation for transitioning each scene to the next, some don't need it tho. 

Fig 1.3 Scene Production, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Fig 1.4 Scene Production, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

even though Mr. said that we could make the trailer, however, we wanted it, it should still have some continuity, so I cut up 1 scene into multiple clips and put other scenes between them to hold on to some sense of continuity. Another interesting transition that I used is that during the shoot of one of the scenes, the camera bumped into the back of the walls so the video shook a bit. But instead of throwing that clip away, it ends as one of the transitions for the trailer, from the fight scene where Waymond's actor punches the guard to the shaking video, transitioning the impact of the guard falling down to the next clip.

Then finally I put in the needed color grading, also adding to the continuity I kept the same color grading in the scenes even though they're cut up and cut in a different order.

Fig 1.5 Scene Production, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Fig 1.6 Scene Production Final Timeline, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Overall I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, the quality is not optimal don't know why that is, whether it was the original video did I do something, or the program can't support that much.

Week 7 Final Result

Fig 1.7 Final Result, Week 7 (07/06/2024)

Week 8

FREE WEEK!

Week 9

Week 9 Task

• Stop Motion Trial Shooting
• Prepare all materials below for week 10 shooting. For the paper cut, please have all the characters, and props ready for the shooting. 
• Each group has ⅘ members, and only attends ONE hour of class time: VSP APL24 final project trial shoot
• All group members are obliged to support the group leader in preparing stop-motion materials. All group members must share the expenses.
• Venue: Photo Studio, E1.01.
• Clay: The Cost of the Call 1st scene: 00:04-00:13
• Paper cut: Adopt Don't Shop 2nd scene: 00:19-00:43

• Project 2 Exercise 2 Sound Shaping (15%)
• Do Project 2: Sound Shaping.  A step-by-step workflow in Adobe Audition is provided in the slides.

• Record your own voice for 5 seconds for Exercise 2 submission.
• Voice of phone call.
• Voice coming from inside of the closet.
• Voice of toilet/bathroom.
• Underground cave.
• Alien/ Orc voice
• Submission date: 11:59pm, 30th June 2024. Please submit to your Google Drive’s Project 2 folder, as well as upload your blog.

• Finish shooting/editing your TikTok/Insta video for week 10 final viewing.

Week 9 Stop Motion Trial Shooting

For the Stop Motion Trial Shooting my group divvied up our roles and stuff we needed to bring to the production and verified it with Mr. We also made a WhatsApp group to communicate with each other. I am not Assigned to bring any props and I'm quite thankful as I have my hands full with other assignments right now. 

Fig 1.1 Stop Motion Trial Shooting Checklist, Week 9 (21/06/2024)

Fig 1.2 Stop Motion Trial Shooting Checklist, Week 9 (21/06/2024)

Week 9 Exercise 2 Sound Shaping

Voice of phone call.

For the phone call, I use the parametric equalizer, then following the class tutorial adjust the bass, treble, and mid-range.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

The voice came from inside of the closet.

For the closet, I did the same thing to make the muffled sound coming from the closet.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Voice of toilet/bathroom.

For the bathroom, I used reverb, with the pumping reverb preset to give the echo effect from the bathroom walls. 

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Underground cave.

Same with the underground cave, I used reverb, with an ethereal preset as it gives a big echo as if you're in a big empty room.  

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Alien/ Orc voice

For the alien voice, I used a pitch shifter and flanger. Pitch shifter to change the nature of my voice, I chose the dark lord preset as it sounds the most menacing.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

There are a lot of presets with the flanger, I tried them out and most of them would suffice but I liked the tonal sadness preset because it gives the synthetic robotic voice but you could still hear the words, like how the alien somehow copied the English language.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Entire Multitrack

I mute other clips and export each of the clips with different adjustments, rather than make different multitrack to save storage.

Fig 1.1 Editing Progress, Week 10 (30/06/2024)

Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14vMnvJJrs_oDD4RI7dXvnMl5TWP6mHIj?usp=drive_link

Week 10

Week 10 Task

• Stop Motion Trial Shooting
• Activity: Shooting stop-motion frame by frame to prepare students for their final project.
• Objectives: Understand stop-motion shooting workflow
• Venue: E1.01 Photo studio
• Duration: 1 hour per team.
• Slides: VSP24 Stop-motion trial shoot checklist (Team leader please provide name list to me before Sunday)
• Team leaders will organize the shoot, and all members are requested to support the team leader in preparing the materials, tripod, installing stop-motion apps, etc.
• Any student who fails to provide support to the team will not be allowed to participate in the week 10 shooting class and will be marked absent.
• Be punctual! Don't be late! Please have all puppets, and props ready before the shoot. 
• Each team has 1 hr only!

Week 10 Stop Motion Trial Shooting

During the shoot I didn't quite get to do much there, besides holding a light, 1 person animating usually enough and if I moved into the space, it would block the light, making inconsistent lighting, I did get to animate a little bit during the end. I also fixed up the clay character, due to the clay being dried up and can't move flexibly for the second shoot. 

Fig 1.1 Stop Motion Trial Clay, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

Fig 1.2 Stop Motion Trial Paper, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

Fig 1.3 Stop Motion Trial Progress, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

Fig 1.4 Stop Motion Trial Progress, Week 10 (28/06/2024)

Week 11 Stop Motion Trial Shooting

Mr taught us how to compile the pictures into After Effects or Premiere Pro, just in case we decided not to use the stop motion app or use the professional camera. I had some problems because the images were not the correct type, such as PNG or JPG. Besides that if the images are not named in the order, After Effects or Premiere Pro can't make it into stop motion. So its be careful if you want to delete certain images from the file.

Fig 1.5 Final Result, Week 11 (05/07/2024)

4. Reflection

1. Experience

This project was both challenging and eye-opening. The goal was to show a student finding motivation from the "Never Back Down, Never What?" TikTok trend and using that to tackle a tough assignment. Filming turned out to be harder than I expected, especially with lighting problems and a lack of proper gear. I even had to use a calculator as a prop and deal with a shaky tripod, which added to the stress. Looking back, better planning and preparation could have made things smoother. 

2. Observation

I noticed that even with a solid idea, executing it requires a lot of attention to detail. The poor lighting led to grainy, low-quality videos that were difficult to fix during editing. I also realized that using Premiere Pro, while powerful, wasn’t the best choice for a quick edit. Capcut would have been easier to use. Watching my classmates’ videos made me see that sometimes simplicity and humor are more effective than complex effects—story and presentation can matter more than technical perfection.

3. Findings

This project taught me the importance of better time management and planning. I learned that experimenting with tools and understanding their limits is crucial before starting. I should have optimized the video quality from the beginning, which would have saved a lot of trouble later. Also, I realized that having a detailed storyboard is key to telling a cohesive story—improvising doesn’t always work, especially when continuity is important. Comparing my work with others showed me that content and creativity often outweigh technical skills.

Overall, this project was a humbling experience that taught me valuable lessons in planning, execution, and the importance of focusing on the story, not just the technical aspects.