2. What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks?

Audition Video

audition video

audition video

The main thing that I learned when making the audition video was how to lip sync properly. I didn't know before that you had to actually sing to make it look real. Also, before we shot the audition video, I was nervous about performing in front of the camera, but after the first few minutes I began to realise it was easier if you just pretended no one would ever see it and forgot about other people. This helped with my confidence, which was useful when it came to the rehearsals and real shoot.

When we edited our audition videos, I also learned about editing music videos and matching up the audio with the visual. I found an easier way to do this was to create a performance bed and cut the other footage on top rather than cutting each individual shot. This was good practice for editing the remake.

Learning and practicing the performance
Although the audition video boosted my confidence, initially it decreased again when I attended the performance rehearsals because we were directed to move in specific ways copying the real music video which at first I found difficult, like this:

I worried that I looked too awkward and wouldn't be able to do it on the real shoot.

However, the second rehearsal was better. We were given more guidance on how to move properly and I got better at it. The rehearsals helped improve my performance significantly, which I was very thankful for on the shoot day.

I also had the experience of being on set and being directed. This was good because it meant that on the shoot day when we were under pressure, it was not a new experience.

The rehearsals also gave me the experience of having a performance instructor and being taught how to perform something. This was a good experience because I realised that I was capable of more than I thought, and I wouldn't have been able to figure this out on my own.

Helping to plan and organise my costume

I was surprised to find I enjoyed this part of the prelim quite a lot. I had to aim for a rock chick kind of look, inspired by the girl in the real video (except I would actually be wearing clothes). Some parts of the costume I already had but other parts I found quite cheaply, and ended up dressed like this:

(black leather skirt, black boots, black vest top, silver jewelry, black and gold belt)

It was fun dressing up in a way I normally don't, and I learnt how much costume can help you get into character - it was easier to perform more confidently when I was dressed up.

My costume also included hair and make-up. One of the make-up artists experimented with make-up for me on one of the rehearsal days. It was strange because it was only the second time that I've ever really worn make-up, and I had never had on this much. I didn't like the way it looked on that day because I wasn't wearing my costume and it looked out of place. On the shoot day, though, it was different.

When I was wearing my costume and had my hair curled, I thought the make-up looked really good. I even had false eyelashes. It was very strange, but it was fun.

From participating in this task, I learnt to feel comfortable and even excited by the idea of dressing up in a way that I'm not used to, and that it can really benefit the performance.  

The Shoot
The shoot day gave me an idea of what it's like to be on set and in a production. I realised how much goes on behind the camera - it isn't just the performers, director and the director of photography who are active during filming - there is so much organisation going on at the same time. I became more aware of the different roles on a set, like the person controlling the lighting and the first AD. I also learnt how important the runners are in ensuring that the production keeps running smoothly, for example, by quickly setting up for different set ups.

The shoot also gave me the experience of performing in front of a camera and I learnt that this is something I actually have the potential to enjoy.

The Edit

From the edit I learnt how precise you have to be when editing a music video in order to make it look professional. The lip sync needs to match the performance exactly, and while editing the audition video taught me how to do this, I found this time it was more difficult and much more time-consuming.

I also learned that a remake has its own challenges - we were concerned about trying to match each shot to the original as accurately as possible.

This part was difficult because Vivian walked off too quickly and we had to decide whether to make her come in later than we had wanted or for her to walk off earlier.

I worked on the edit in a pair with Brandon. I already knew this is a good way to edit because we work well together and it makes editing easier because we can split the responsibility between us. Editing the remake, I found this was also helpful because Brandon has some technical knowledge that I don't have and is better at some aspects of editing, so I could benefit from his strengths.

The edit taught me how to use Adobe Premier Pro to do things that before I didn't know how to do, like the camera flashes in the photography scenes:

Also, because I could see the details of the video when editing and had to watch parts of it over and over, I became more aware of the conventions of music videos that are present in Girls. For example:

These gifs demonstrate visuals matching the music rhythmically:

The footage cuts in time with the music