L3 CMPT Final Major Project
WEEKLY REFLECTIONS
This is where you think about your FMP learning journey and development.
Dont simply describe what you did - consider what you have learnt and how this has benefitted your project.
Week 1 / 2
How has writing a concept / proposal
helped you with finalising your idea?
How did the feedback help you adapt
your idea what did you change after
feedback?
How has the research for your target
audience helped you understand your
production more fully?
How did your primary research help
you?
Reflective Entries
This week you worked on your initial ideas and started your FMP
concept
This week was key when developing and creating the idea for my final
major project. I knew I wanted to do a music video so I started with this. I
have always wanted to do something that is slightly different from the
average music video but also wanted to have interesting visuals. This was
very important to me. I think writing the idea down on a piece of paper
helped me to see all my ideas in front of me. This then enabled me to
develop it via exploring all the different things I initially wanted from it. . It
helped me to finalise my idea because rather than having it as just ideas
in my head it was put on to paper and I could refer to it so that I was
certain of what I was doing and where I needed to head too.
I was giving feedback on my idea from my teachers. They liked the idea
and what it stood for however they didnt want my narrative to get lost in
the use of all the different and out there visuals I wanted to include.
Although there wasnt that much criticism, I appreciate where they were
coming from as the theme is a bit mature and I dont want that lost in the
visuals. They also said that I needed to be careful with this area as I dont
want to over step the mark and also to be sensitive of everyone who may
see or be in the video. From all this feedback I didnt really change much
apart from ensuring that the narrative was strong and structured so that
the viewers could easily follow it and not get lost, but at the same time
need to keep the interesting visuals but rather than dulling them out,
keeping the few ideas I have for them and making them the best they can
be.
This week you worked on your initial ideas and started your FMP
Research
Researching the target audience helped me to understand my production
more because once I had obtained all the research I knew what my target
audience wanted from a production like mine. It became clear that they
liked a video to have a lot of interesting visuals that were complimented
by a variety of shot types, costumes and props and exciting locations. I
also understood who I was creating this production for therefore I knew
what content I could include so that it would appeal to the people I am
making it for rather than ignoring the research and trying to create
something that I wanted rather than what the viewers would want. This
therefore helped me to see what direction I want my video to go in and
what I need to do to get there.
In this week I created two surveys. The first survey was to understand
what people knew about music videos, what they would expect to see in
them and how often they themselves view them. From this, I understood
that people expect the video to be interesting by having a large variety of
shots types, this may include long shots, mid shots, pans etc. The overall
consensus from the survey was that the wanted it to be interesting.
Whether it be due to a lot of interesting and cool visuals or just a
stimulating narrative. The second survey was more about who would be
viewing my video and their personal interactions with music videos. For
example, they age and gender. Also how often they view them and what
on etc. From this primary research I know understood my target
demographic (16-22) and what they want from a music video like mine.

How has researching the conventions
of your chosen genre helped you
understand what is required from you
in order to meet a distinction grade?
How has including a variety of
sources (primary and secondary)
helped with your understanding of
your medium / genre?
High Grade Tips
Research
Thorough research - include plenty of sources and detailed analysis of this information
relevant & coherent make sure your research sources are not just the same as the Media product you
hope to make - and talk about how they inform your planning
sustained continue your research throughout the eleven-week project and dont just limit it to the first
two weeks
accomplished & considered all of the above referred to in your daily/weekly reflections
Week 2 / 3
What did you learn from your
research?
How will this be useful to your
planning?
This meant now that I can work towards this and refer back to the
infographics I made for the results therefor meaning I know what I need to
do to meet the needs and wants.
I think that researching the conventions will help me to get the grade I
want because I can now see what works well for videos likes mine and
how they have done certain things to compliment the genre. I now also
understand that there are certain conventions that work better than others
and this should be considered especially because my idea is quite
different to the norm of my genre. Therefore I dont want to produce
something that is so disconnected from the actual song and style because
it wont be professional and wont have the appeal.
Including a variety of primary and secondary research has really helped
me to understand my medium and genre because with secondary
research, that is more what people have already found and researched
therefore it is more of a wider view. These facts have already been
established and it is a larger understanding of the genre and medium.
However with the primary research it was sought after by me so there is a
smaller demographic that it has reached and is almost more personal. It
was sent out to my target demographic aswell so all the results gained
were relevant and this meant that I just had to understand it and decide
how I was going to use to help my FMP.
This week you will start your planning
From the research I learnt that my target demographic is a mixture of both
boys and girls but between the age of 16-22. I dont really want to limit it
to this as there are mature themes in the video so I do feel it can be
appreaciated by an older demographic. It was also a mutual consensus
between most people that for a video of my genre, visuals should be a
priority as its interesting and helps to compliment a structured narrative,
which was another thing that the people taking the surveys said was
needed from a video. I also had a look at other videos that are similar to
the one I want to do and are done by similar/the same artists. I explored
why they had done it and what its overall impact was. I also did some
research into the platforms I could air it on. I think if this was done ten
years ago the results would be very different to the ones I have
concluded. Considering YouTube is the largest video sharing platform
today it would be silly not to use it at my main platform for airing. There
are billions of views on it a day and even billions of people using it.
The research helped me to look at what was already on the market and
what works and what doesnt. This with the research really helped me to
get an understand of where I want to go with my video and how doing
different things will enhance it. Like what aesthetics to include in the video
and how they are already working with other videos and songs. I used the
research I got to adapt the idea I already have because now I know what
the people want therefore Im going to work towards this giving this within
 my idea rather than ignoring it or trying to give them everything. This will
all be useful to planning because now Im not just going with my idea but
im taking in to consideration everything so that I can give the target
demographic what they want and would like from a video but at the same
time still considering what I know works from the research of other music
videos.

What sources of information did you
look at that were different from your
proposed project
I looked at another pop video called Gangnam Style. This was a hit when
it first came out and reached over a billions views on YouTube. Although
it is the same genre as mine it is very different to other pop videos
especially the one that im aiming to make. There isnt much of a narrative
at all but the visuals are strong and varied. This worked well clearly as it
gained a lot of attention from so many different demographics that include
different ages, sexes and even nationalities. From this I took away that
visuals can really have an impact on the overall video and its something
that attracts people to a video. The fact that there was a lack of narrative
didnt matter as the visuals were so interesting. I will have a narrative in
mine, but this isnt extraordinary for pop videos. Its just another popular
structure to music videos. The video was also fast pace and had a lot
happening with the mis-en-scene. I like this because it looks professional
and that it took a lot of effect. From the go I wanted a lot of different mis-
en-scene, now seeing that it works Im more encourage to do so.

What did you learn from your planning I learnt that when it comes to visuals, you need to know what you want
this week from it first so that when it will come to filming its not all over the place
and its not just an idea, its a plan. Also seeing how it worked in other
videos helped me to really go for it, not to be shy because as long as your
narrative is clear and structured, I can be as adventurous as I want with
this visuals. I have more confidence because before I thought the visuals
wouldnt be enough but now I know that if they have the wow factor and a
lot of effort is put into it will enhance the FMP and they arent just visuals.
They add to the overall look.

What issues did you encounter and
how did you over come them?
I didnt encounter that many issues but one was with all the visuals I
wanted to include. I couldnt find the time and resources I needed to
obtain all the footage I wanted for the visuals. Rather than trying to do a
lot but at a satisfactory standard, I cut them down to about 5 and really
went for everything in these shots I.E costume, location, body language
etc. I think this may have helped me in the end dedicated all the time
needed to get the best out of it. Another issue was that I couldnt see how
it was all going to pan out once I did all the filming. Doing a story board
and shooting script really helped me and gave me the confidence that I
knew exactly what was happening when and going where.

High Grade Tips

Planning & Production

effective planning, organisation your FMP Workbook will explain what you need to do in the next few
weeks to make sure all of your planning is completed, and also how this will help you
efficient production against timescales your FMP Proposal will clearly identify how you intend to
create your project before the deadline in May
commitment & subject engagement all of the above referred to in your daily/weekly reflections

Week 3 This week was the start of your production process

What practical work have you done
this week - and how helpful was your
earlier planning
How will this be useful to you as your
production process continues
Pictures from the filming.
What issues did you encounter and
how did you over come them?
High Grade Tips
This week was the beginning of filming. I started with one of my first
scenes that include the main character and Taneceia (one of my
actresses). We started by filming at her house and then moved on to
filming in a field with her dog. Im happy with how this footage turned out,
its how imagined it. I think the planning did help because there wasnt
any confusing over what I needed to do, I just referred back to the plan
and I knew exactly what needed to be done. I also filmed the hot tube
scene, kitchen scene and outside wooded area scene. This all just
included the main actress so was easy to just get done. They were all
kind of near each other location wise so costume and prop change wasnt
an issue. The planning helped with this again because when I was getting
ready to do the hot tube scene, I saw in planning that the kitchen scene
and wooded area scene were all near so I didnt have to worry or stress
about costumes, power sources etc. It was quite easy and smooth to film.
The planning really meant that I could put my all in to getting the best out
of the shot rather than worrying about what needs to be done.
I think this will help in the production process because as I have already
seen first-hand, planning enables you to get on with what youre doing
and helps to organise what needs to be done where. No time was really
wasted.
There were some issues. When it came to filming the first scene there
was a lack of communication between the actress and me. We had to
postpone the filming as I couldnt get a hold of her but it was fine as we
did it on the following day when the lighting was as desired (Midday). Also
filming the other scene, it started to rain when it came to filming outside
but like it said in my contingency plan, I went to filming the indoor scenes
and waited for the weather to improve. Whilst doing so I also charge the
camera and prepared the actress for the other scenes. The contingency
plan really helped me to overcome my issues and not take away from any
of the filming time. There was already things in place to do when things
went wrong.
Practical Skills & Presentation
Considered and capable demonstration of processes very detailed documentation of your
production process - such as still images, and annotated Screenshots of your specific production and
editing process including what and why, not just how
skills and knowledge used to develop alternative ideas evidence of different ideas developed for
more than one version of your Media product

Week 4 This week was the second week of your practical production

What did you learn in your sessions
this week
This week I learnt to focus more on the angles I was getting. For example,
some of the shots in the kitchen were just of the actress sat there. There
were long shots, mid shots and close ups but I needed more. I tried doing
longer footage were I would move the camera around the subject while
they did there thing. This meant that I got a lot more shots of the actress
and even some pans. It really looks cools and professional on camera in
the pool table scene. I also learnt to keep the motivation going, especially
with the main actress as she has already been filming with me for a while.
It was quite hard to give directions also, not because of the people
helping but because I struggle to get whats in my head across. It became
easier when I had worked behind the camera last week and knew what I
wanted from each shot.

Have you tried anything new this
week - if so, was it a success
I tried pan shots more rather than still shot because I saw it worked with
one scene and I like how it was fast pace like the song its self. The
mixture of shots types and paces has given me a variety. I think it was a
success because now my video wont all be in one style, there will be
depth to it. I also tried keeping the camera rolling for a long time so that
when it comes to editing there may be shots I can use for bridges etc.

What feedback did you find most
useful verbal or written
I wasnt given written feedback but I did find the verbal helpful. It was
more about the techniques I was using and thinking about what I was
doing and how it would look in the final production. I would take a step
back and think is this what I need to give me the most effective footage
when editing. They also said try not to lose the narrative.

How will this be useful to you as your
production process comes to a
conclusion
I did find this helpful because I was concentrating on the visuals a lot as I
wanted them perfect but then I would remember that the narrative bits
need to be clear so that the audience could perceive it the way I want. I
also tried to focus on my filming and directing techniques. I was more
engaging with the people in my production so that they knew the story
and what I wanted from it rather than it being a guessing game. It became
clear that communication between (the director) and the subject was key.

What issues did you encounter and
how did you over come them?
There wasnt many issues when it came to filming this week. One was
when it came to the dark outside scene. I needed to start filming at dusk
but as filming overrun at the other scene it was a bit darker than I would
have liked. The strobe I had did help and most of the footage was usable
but some I cant use. This wasnt a massive issue as the footage I did get
will be more for bridges and jumpy editing.

High Grade Tips

Practical Skills & Presentation

Considered and capable demonstration of processes very detailed, annotated Screenshots of your
specific production and editing process including what and why, not just how
skills and knowledge used to develop alternative ideas evidence of different ideas developed, and
more than one version of your Media product
Week 5
What feedback did you find most
useful verbal or written
What did you learn in your sessions
this week
How has this helped you meet your
targets - see FMP Workbook
How helpful did you find the pitch
what feedback did you get?
How did your peer feedback help
What issues did you encounter and
how did you over come them?
High Grade Tips
Evaluation & Reflection
reasoned decisions and inform the development of ideas both your evaluation and the weekly
reflections above will clearly show both how and why your ideas developed throughout the project
demonstrating clarity in thinking all of the above plus very clear links between your research,
This week was your finishing off week - for both your edits an
written work
I found the verbal feedback I got helpful not just in the editing process but
throughout. It has always come back to not letting the narrative get lost
amongst the visuals. I thought this was key too, as the narrative
compliments the song so if it was off it would be disconnected. I was also
told to take my time when syncing the lip sync up because if it is of it can
really hinder it and make it look unprofessional.
I learnt to focus on the narrative first and then use the visual clips to
bridge and compliment it. It was also good to use the visual clips and the
editing to compliment the song. In some bits the beat gets fast and I
reflected this with the editing. I learnt some new editing from a friend in
my class, he taught me how to cut clips and place them on top of another
clip to get that jumpy feel. Also changing the speed of the clips helped to
make the editing more interesting. Ive used it before in the past but I
havent explored it and Im glad it did. It looks interesting and really
enhances the footage itself.
I think this has helped me to reach my targets because Ive tried taking
more time on the editing rather than being quick and not taking into
consideration how it will look and flow with the rest of the editing, footage
and song. I think that I also took the time to ensure the narrative was
strong and that the relationship I wanted to be shown was and in the right
way. I wanted there to be a clear love triangle almost, as long as people
could recognise there was a theme of loneliness and love. I really didnt
want to lose the meaning that I had envisioned for this video. I think the
story is what makes this video as it does go deeper than some visuals.
I thought that the pitch was helpful. It was nice seeing everything I had
done laid out. The teacher said that he likes the story and it was clear
what was happening. Im so happy with this feedback because throughout
all of this I didnt want the story to be lost and was so cautious of this the
whole process especially because I think it could have been easy to have
lost it through all the visuals. He also said that he liked the fast pace
editing. I was pleased with this also because I really wanted the fast pace
editing to match the song. Also, I didnt want the new editing I had done to
of been lost amongst the jumping editing or to not of been recognised at
all.
They said that they like the structure and narrative, also that it compliment
the song. This helped to me reaffirm what I had done was fine and it was
exactly the vibe I was going for. They also said that the genre fitted the
style of editing and also the characters in it. It was also said the fast
paced visuals mimicked the contemporary style. Other people said they
liked the costumes and the shots, coming hand in hand. Im happy with
this because I did try for this to happen and Im glad it translated. As I was
done with editing and the majority of feedback was positive, I dont think
there was anything to change.
When it came to editing, I started but then the software scraped what I
had done. I didnt actually mind this because I want happy with where it
was going and this gave me the fresh start. I also had a few other tech
problems with premier pro but my class mates and teachers helped me to
sort them out. For example with some editing features like cutting clips
and then also problems with the actual software playing up.
planning, idea development and the production of your poster and film trailer