Not allowed to edit my own music video?

I'd recently encountered something peculiar, which I don't understand and could very well put a stop to my music video and it's finalisation.

On the last week of term in one of my lessons, I went to edit my music video (obviously). To open this, I need to locate the scratch disk named "The Gospel Of John Hurt" on the Mac. This then directs me to FinalCutPro and editing can begin once my film has loaded. Without a scratch disk, a film can't be made/saved/editors (you get the idea - no disk, no film). Anyways, as I clicked on my specific scratch disk "The Gospel Of John Hurt", I was greeted with something I wasn't necessarily predicting.

"You dot have the right to open this file/view this file" (probably isn't a 100% direct quote of what was displayed, but I'm 99% positive).

I don't have the right to view this work? Huh? This is MY work. I created this. Without me, there wouldn't be this stupid message coming from the scratch disk that I myself created.

I clicked and I clicked and I clicked and the same message greeted me every time. So what now? I can't edit my music video, that's what. Even worse, what if my music video isn't there anymore? It may just be me being an absolute donkey and a pleb and not clicking on something initially which allows me the right into FinalCutPro and my video, or that I'm just clicking the wrong thing or any other stupidity factor that can happen to someone who was too tired to concentrate at that moment in time.

Considering the deadline for the draft was Christmas, I'm having a crisis...as you can see...no film. As its only a draft which is needed, I'm hoping that my teacher (being the goddess that she is) can allow me that little extra week or so to resolve this, or in the worst possible case...to re-film and comprise it into a music video ASAP. I'm hoping it doesn't have to come to that because as I said, it may have just been me doing something idiotic and not selecting the right thing (which is probably the case).

Only time will tell when I go back to sixth form at the beginning of January and see if I can revive my music video from the deepest depths of a Mac...

If not, I could always just take some selfies and put them together as a collage. That always works.

My Chosen Ancillary Task

Ancillary tasks: digi-pack, website, magazine adverts

For my ancillary task, I have chosen to make a website for the promotion and marketing of the band that my song 'The Gospel Of John Hurt' is by. alt-J.

Websites (features and conventions)

• Band logo at the top and large
• Links to other ages on the website (Home, About/Bio, Gigs Videos, Photo/Gallery, Store Forum, Sign In/Login)
• Main feature - large photo or video clip
• Strong design that might be minimalistic
• The home page would be predominantly catered around a new single/album
• The use of still advertisements, videos and links
• The key is home page need to be simple, and eye catching, so fans are not swamped with information they don't want and can easily navigate their way around the webiste

Filming: Completed

Just a little notice to say that filming was completed on Thursday 4/2/14.

As predicted, I complete all principal filming in that one day, and I don't think that any more footage is needed for the music video. The day went incredibly smoothly, and myself and Jake (my actor in the music video) managed to accomplish the filming very efficiently. Apart from...the dreaded field...

Basically, before we had actually begun filming anything, we went to one of the selected locations that I had chosen for the music video. Seeing as this was field, I obviously had to drive my car onto this field (as I'm too paranoid to leave it just sitting on the side of the road). Fear not, there was footpath-type lane with tracks down which was suitable for vehicles so without hesitation, I went for it. Little did I know, that the slower I drove down this path, the chance of me getting stuck increased.

(If you're wondering by now if I actually did get stuck...yes. Yes I got stuck. Stuck with a capital M for mud).

Anyway, long story short, myself and Jake spent a good chunky 2 hours trying to push my car out of the mud (which can I point out was extremely think and clumpy due to the rain that graced us on that day and the day before), trying to rev the car out as Jake pushed it, even putting cloths under the tyres to give the car that last hope of grip and chance of getting out, but did any of these work? Not one bit.

We resulted in calling for the farmer's aid. Luckily however, Jake was good friend with the daughter of the farmer, so she was much obliged in giving us a helping hand, as was her father. Although they came to our rescue with open arms, me and Jake still felt like school children being sent to the headmaster's office ready for a once over of how to behave. The best thing however, was that this very kind gentleman just rocked up in his tractor, I gave him my towing bar and he pulled me out to the warm embrace of solid tarmac, so few 100 meters away. With a handshake here and continuous thank you's there, me and Jake headed back home to A) wash my car B) think of a new plan of action and C) have a cup of tea.

We decided a new location needed to be made. Considering (as previously stated in earlier blogs) that I'm surrounded by fields where I live, it wasn't exactly rocket science in choosing somewhere to film. After deciding on this new location, we headed off out to finally conquer this music video.

Filming was quick, easy and painless. At this point, we were losing light so we had no option other than to crack it fast. What made it easier was the preparation. I had the shot list down on paper beside me, so I could cross off everything as we went along, after I parked up we took all of the mise en scene elements with us up the field so everything was with us, and we had already decided on the spots we would use so we wouldn't be faffing around choosing. Time is money, kids. Time is money.

All of my desired shots were brilliant, and they came out precisely how I pictured them which was great. Besides from the shots collected in the fields, the topless clips with the purple cross on Jake's torso were filmed in an area of my back garden. It started to drizzle a bit when we out filming in the previous location, so I didn't want him to get topless in the middle of an open field, it start raining, and then us having to run back to my car. By shooting it in my garden, it was close to warmth, and it was more efficient in throwing water over him and quickly chucking him a towel afterwards.

Bottom line, filming was successful and everything I wanted was achieved. Life experiences learnt? Don't drive in fields. They're deadly.

Death Grips Music Video Influence

I've recently been on a binge of Death Grips, an instrumental hip-hop trio who have also been labelled as 'noise'.

Their music videos have specifically recently inspired the way I now want to edit my music video. Still conforming to the theme of slow motion, I want to make the video very distorted, and almost "cheaply made"...if that makes sense. Take 'Guillotine' for example. The music video is extremely cheap (no offence given, it's one of my all time favourite music videos) but simultaneously has an incredibly simple yet powerful and hard-hitting vibe. MC Ride sitting in a passenger seat of a car screaming his riddled-lyrics as he looks like he's got no idea where he is with static and strange feedback which is present where the colour grey is. It's not professionally edited, and looks like it was bundled together in about 5 minutes.

The video quality for 'Guillotine' isn't exactly top-dollar either, with the highest format available being 480p and even then it looks a bit grainy and home-made (which presumably it is). This feature of the music video has inspired me to not use ultra-HD 1080p saw-your-face-off definition as a means for making my video any better. I've found myself being drawn into the more grainy, gutsy and grunge look and how much more effective they can look over videos which are filmed with the world's highest quality cameras.

Repetition is also a key feature in this specific video, with the chorus of "it goes it goes it goes it goes it goes it goes it goes it goes guillotine" having the same recorded video over it, and a momentary slow-motion sequence whenever the screaming synth noise is heard. I want to take on board this theme of repetition, and use some of the same clips that I have recorded in my music vid

This has inspired the way I now want my music video to look. I've decided to make the colour of my music video black and white, and I've made the decision to not bother with any optical flow or high quality editing when it comes to the slow motion. Just like Guilltoine's simplicity, the simplicity I have always wanted for my music video can just as easily be emulated through this new inspiration.

The video to 'Guillotine' is below:

Below are some more Death Grips music videos where the features and styles I have described in relation are 'Guillotine' are present in their other works: