Grading Tests

During the editing of the video we decided that the narrative parts of the video may appear more relective after changing the contrasts of the video. Appearing as reflective may be appropriate for our video because the live performance features a singer who also appears in the narrative. Having the singer appear in both the narrative and the live performance makes the narrative feel as though it might possibly be a memory that the singer is singing about. By making the contrasts of the video seem darker or possibly more vibrant then it can help emphasize the fact that the narrative is more of a memory than just a random narrative.

So far, the images above show the tests we have done on Katie's laptop. The first image depicts the narrative in a more black and white contrast. This would certainly indicate that the narrative is more of a memory which is the aim, however if I were to be picky then I would say that it may appear too dark, as in the fairly light hearted nature of the video would not link together with a more black and white image.

The second image is shows much more vibrant colours. The colours across the whole frame are exggerated to create a more dynamic elated effect. This may help foreshadow the drugs which will be taken later on in the video (at the point in the narrative the images are taken from, the characters are only just about to meet) however to be critical I would argue that the colours are possibly too vibrant which can make the narrative look unrealistic. In terms of when the characters actually take drugs then it perhaps may be useful to use but before the characters meet then I feel there is little point to it.

The third image I quite like, it is not fully black and white however it is dark enough to suggest that these parts of the video is a memory. The colours appear much more subtle and more in the background whilst the characters in the video seem much darker. This could help indicate an isolation aspect to the characters (a convention present in numerous alternative rock videos). In order to be critical then I would say that the characters are possibly too dark since the video was shot at roughly 1:00pm on a bright sunny day then it can seem to be an odd contrast with the characters being so dark. Also it may be hard to fully make out what the characters facial expressions are like which can differ the experience and understanding of the video greatly.

The fourth image has colours which blend much more noticeably, the colours are not vibrant and much more dark, representing the isolation of the characters at the beginning. However this image looks much more 'doom and gloom', not only is it dark but very grey imagery can create an atmosphere which we do not want to present. The final image appears to be more of a transition to the live performance using the effect 'luma key'. However this is not a transition and actually plays both the live performance segment and the narrative segment at the same time. This overall looks quite silly, the idea of showing the narrative and live performance at the exact same time is an interesting concept but using this effect I feel will decrease the experience from the audience. It will distract them from both the performance and the narrative since the audience will not know what to primarily focus on. Using this I feel would not be a very good idea. It has the potential to be more of a hindrance rather than a postive aspect of the video.

Overall I feel as though 1, 2 and 3 are the ones which have the most potential. 1 clearly identifies a memory but may appear too dark. 2 is vibrant and helps reflect the idea of drugs, however using this before the characters take drugs may seem very awkward and will not truly make sense. 3 is subtle and presents a memory but could still appear too dark in contrast to the video. All of these tests both have their positive aspects and negative aspects. I have attempted to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these images intentionally in order to show that using any of these may be a good idea in some respects and a negative idea in others. The final two I feel are too distracting, if 1 and 3 are potentially too dark then 4 almost certainly is too dark and grey. The final image would not make sense at all to use in the video. Perhaps when the characters take drugs it would be something interesting to use (as though they are being stripped from reality) but it still will most likely appear silly and the audience will not be able to understand what is happeneing or where to focus on.