Music Video – Module code CDCFP – Programme Code AFAA11X09

The brief was to produce a linear work of our own choice. I decided to to do a music video using my own music. I have never previously composed a piece of music. I do not play any instrument. I was told to produce the video for this project with the music to follow in a later project.

I have included the drum tack with the video. This was essential to get the timing right. It was produced using LMMS which is a free open source music production program. There are two beats – one at 50bpm mainly on the bass drums and tom toms – the other at 100 bpm mainly on the hihat. I have used samples from a drum kit. I want it to sound like a human drummer playing a real set of drums. The two beats were mixed using Audacity. It is inspired by the drums on Miles Davis’s On the Corner.

The video shows how Pascal’s triangle is constructed. I wanted to do somthing abstract and mathematical without it being like a school lesson. This is what Pascal’s triangle looks like:

This is how it is constructed:

The outer numbers on each line are 1. The interior numbers are obtained by adding the 2 numbers above. Further information about the theory behind Pascal’s triangle can be found here.

The individual slides wre produced using Gimp. They were sequenced using Windows Photostory3.

The video shows the first five rows of the triangle being constructed. I show number 1 being added for 1 measure of the drum pattern, number 2 for 2 measures, etc. This is to give an audio demonstration of the process.

The background pattern was chosen from 3. They are all altered versions for Gimp patterns.

The colour scheme was taken from the Dulux paint catalogue. Here are some of the colours I considered:

I chose mellow mocha:

raspberry bellini:

and teal tension:

The cover for the CD box was inspired by Blue Note album sleeves. I used a colour transparency over black and white.

Here is the finished video:

Here is the drum track.

Challenge 4 – Interview

I edited the following Youtube clips of Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley for the interview challenge:
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
<a href="“>

<a href="“>
<a href="“>

Here is my finished video:
<a href="“>

Challenge 5 – Stop Motion Animation

These two water towers are well known landmarks in the docks at Goole. I have made a stop motion animation called “A Goole Nightmare”which has an artist’s mannequin knocking them down. two water towers in Goole docks.

The manequin’s moves were based on Emma Peel from The Avengers.

 <a href="“>
Here is my finished video:

<a href="“>

Challenge 3 – Not the News

Challenge 3 was to make a fake news story. I chose to make one about the recently announced £3bn cuts to the defence budget.
Here is my film:
<a href="“>
 It was assembled from 10 unrelated clips taken from Youtube. I have used Soviet Montage editing techniques. Each clip lasts for 3 seconds to represent £3bn. There is a 3 syllable comment to each clip. The audio pans right - centre – left during the clip. Here are the 10 Youtube clips (in order):
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
Stick Fight
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
<a href="“>
<a href="“>

Challenge 2 – Voiceover/Foley

Challenge 2 was to produce a voiceover for an existing video.
I chose this clip from Youtube of trams in Mannheim, Germany:

There are 5 distinct trams so I made 5 distinct sounds. There is plenty of movement across the screen which gave opportunities for stereo panning.

For inspiration I listened to Jimi Hendrix especially Third Stone From the Sun and I Don’t Live Today.

The 5 sounds came from 2 original sound samples – both from an electric sewing machine. The first had the pedal partially pressed giving an electronic buzz before the motor fully starts. The second had the motor running. I also recorded but did not use the fridge, a spoon scraped across a serated knife blade and the dog panting after his chest had been rubbed hard. I recorded in mono on a digital voice recorder.

I used Audacity for sound manipulation. I used reverse, change speed, change pitch and large ammounts of echo and wahwah. Echo and wahwah were repeated up to 3 times on some tracks. The tracks were finished when I liked the result. The same results could not be achieved twice.

I cut sections out of the original film where the filming was done from inside a moving tram. There was nothing interesting happening in these sections.

I assembled the soundtrack in Audacity. I converted from mono to stereo by duplicating the track and making one track the left channel and the other the right. Stereo panning was achieved using the envelope tool. I layered tracks when there was more than one tram on screen.

Here is my video:

Challenge 1 – Cat Food and Webcams

As a group exercise we had to make a commercial using only a sachet of catfood and the webcams.

We decided the product would be People Repellent. Dan would be sitting at his computer trying to get on with his work. The rest of the group would disrupt him. When he had finally had enough he would take out his sachet of People Repellent which worked.

It was filmed on two cameras in black and white as a compromise. The adventurous suggestion was one camera in negative and the other in thermal. The boring suggestion was normal colour. I think the camera should show things you can’t already see.

Here is the finished video: