The process of creating this project was rather interesting, to say the least. Of course, we were cursed with a bad omen on day one, being left with a group member who was notorious for not doing their side of the work and quite frankly abandoning their past members when it came to responding to even the most simple questions. By a completely expected turn of fate, they did just that. A group of four rapidly became a group of three as we all soon realised what was happening.
Of course, that isn't to discredit what our lacklustre group member did contribute on the first day. They helped immensely with our case studies, researching existing bands holding a similar concept to our own under Columbia Records, as well as brainstorming what our music video should be about. The case studies were easy, they were knocked out in practically no time. It was the process of coming up with our music video that had us stumped.
You see, I felt a personal duty to this bit of the project. I've always had a wild imagination, ideas running rampant and battling constantly and forevermore with my limited attention span. Coming up with ideas was my strong suit, as well as anything on the creative/artsy side of production. I had an idea--only one, however. Drawing inspiration from popular Korean pop and Indie acts I follow, I had felt inspired to create a cultish theme.
I pitched the idea to my group, confident that they'd shoot it down and claim it was too ambitious. However, I was shocked to find that they actually liked the idea. They thought it was hilarious, having such dark themes pollute the music video to an otherwise bright and happy song. We went ahead with the idea, fleshing it out into a cohesive story; a girl collects grim objects relating to some sort of demonic ritual, even going to the lengths of collecting a dead body. She summons the monster, and just as it offers her a deal, she kills it and inherits it's power.
We were buzzing with excitement, practically impatient to fully get started. However, a day passed and soon our bad luck began to hit. The aforementioned barely-contributing member left us in the dust for whatever arbitrary reason, leaving a small group of three to put together and produce and entire presentation.
We persevered as best we could, rewriting storyboards and redistributing parts within our music video. We did what we could to salvage the parts our disappointing group member left behind, breaking up graphic design work amongst the two that were most skilled with it. Alas, I am not one of those two. We had decided to stick with our strong suits for this project, so I was completely in charge of the filming and post-production. for our "Liminal Valentines" music video.
I'd like to say that I handled the role rather well, directing my fellow group members as best I could without seeming too pushy and also fighting for what was my initial vision of how the music video would turn out. Naturally, I was left to edit the music video as well. With what bits of footage I had, I turned out something that I am simultaneously proud and embarrassed by.
I guess that statement can encapsulate the project as a whole. Of course, take my words with a grain of salt; humans are their harshest critics after all. I went into this project with so much excitement and passion, similar to all my other group mates, yet left feeling like my creative conscious was battered and bruised. What went wrong? Did something go wrong? I can't exactly tell.
While I was busy editing our music video, my remaining group members were working hard to put together our presentation. I feel as if that was our strong suit, where we could really effectively lay out our ideas compared to the other aspects of the projects, such as case studies or storyboards. While both were vital to the presentation in varying ways, the presentation itself was key.
They worked so hard, and I am eternally grateful for it. Editing is somewhat of a talent for me, a skill that comes easy. Needless to say, the post-production of our music video was a breeze for me. I haven't the slightest clue on how the finalisation of our presentation went, though I imagine it was at least challenging. I wish I had more of a hand in it, being able to help more than lend a couple ideas and take on the bulk of a music video that was essentially a walk in the park.
I guess this project was just a culmination of missed opportunities, though that itself can be a learning lesson. A single thought permeated my mind throughout; I just wish I could have done this by myself. Even though I probably would have produced a project I was much more content with, personal satisfaction isn't exactly the goal.
I need to get better at social interactions, especially when it comes to producing group projects. It's for the betterment of my future, as well as the betterment of my present grade. I can do better, I will do better. I won't let myself get down about a project not reaching my obscenely high standard. I will learn, and I will grow beyond my shortcomings showcased in this mediocre project.
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