These 4 screenshots are from the video I posted on facebook. It shows that 19 people have 'liked' it in the few days that it has been online. There are also many comments on the video from other Yale College students, teachers and ex-students and some younger schoolchildren. This feedback is extremely positive and I am very pleased with the comments people have made.
************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************
'Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin:
The subject matter of the video is bang on the money this year with the 70th anniversary of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain etc. I am glad it wasn’t given the Hollywood big tears and broken hearts treatment which would have detracted from the simplicity of the story.
The locations for the outdoor sequences were obviously chosen for effect and the railway sequences did extremely well not to take the easy route of going all Brief Encounter. The use of sepia/washed out colour in these scenes to contrast with the more vivid colour of the happier times section was good in that it subconsciously resets the mood.
Costumes wise, only a grumpy ex military giffer would notice the chap wearing an Artillery Officers Cap with a RAF Greatcoat!!!!!
The outdoor sequences of the singer at 0:44, 1:51 and 2:28 don’t fit with me at all I am afraid. The singer has been ‘narrating’ from a retrospective position all through the movie, so to take the singer into the live action seems wrong. Same thing at 3:04 - though that does provide something of a link into the next section which I take is meant to show the passing of the soldier by fading him out?
The montage at the end is very good perhaps it could have been a bit longer as it does finish very abruptly, maybe that is a problem of the upload though? An arty fade out, perhaps into poppy fields a la Blackadder would leave the viewer with a more powerful image to glue the work into the mind as a remarkable, not just a good video.
The only big criticism is the lighting of the singer. The constant shift in and out got quite irritating after a while. I got the impression the light shifts was meant to mimic air raid searchlights? Thinner pencil beams against a screen in the background would be better and leave the singers face constantly lit to stop the distraction.
Overall this is a cracking effort and one which could teach the professionals a thing or two about story boarding and how a film can be lit and coloured to enhance effect.
I claim my invite to the MTV awards ceremony now please!
Graham'
This is an email from a family member of mine. He makes some valid points and offers good criticism. He is the only person that has noticed (as far as I know) that Andy is wearing an RAF coat and an Army hat, and as he says, this may only be because he is ex-military himself. The performances he talks about did have a point to them, but maybe that didn't come across as we wanted; the performances that took place in the narrative spaces, ie. the canal, were there to show Miss Mercy returning to the places of her memories alone. I'm pleased that Graham picked up on the fading out of the soldier to represent his death :)
I completely agree with what he says about the lighting. It was, as he says, to mimic searchlights, however we did not actually want the lighting to be done the way it was. All of the group agreed that we wanted the performer to be lit throughout the song. It was a teacher that made us do it the way we did.
************************************************************************************
This is an email off Rich Brady from Denbigh Army Surplus; who is the man that allowed us to borrow the greatcoats and boots, who I am extremely greatful to!
************************************************************************************
I'm no expert on modern music videos. I find them to be nothing more than a four minute "aren't we wonderful" shout out for groups that neither have talent nor taste. This however is very refreshing in a variety of ways.
I viewed it first without the sound (for no other reason than my husband was watching TV and I was eager to view it) and the storyline came through loud and clear...well done! I loved the idea of the steam train and the costume drama mixed with the modern shots. The production is excellent and there are several sections with fantastic perspective views which, photographically, are visually appealing. Close-ups of the singer with the dark background and dry ice (?) link with the platform scenes well. I was therefore eager to view it again with the sound and wasn't disappointed that the lyrics did fit my perception of the story from the visuals.
Congratulations, you've produced something that would hold its own against many of the modern music videos that I've seen. The production, photography and editing are all excellent.
I viewed it first without the sound (for no other reason than my husband was watching TV and I was eager to view it) and the storyline came through loud and clear...well done! I loved the idea of the steam train and the costume drama mixed with the modern shots. The production is excellent and there are several sections with fantastic perspective views which, photographically, are visually appealing. Close-ups of the singer with the dark background and dry ice (?) link with the platform scenes well. I was therefore eager to view it again with the sound and wasn't disappointed that the lyrics did fit my perception of the story from the visuals.
Congratulations, you've produced something that would hold its own against many of the modern music videos that I've seen. The production, photography and editing are all excellent.
Again, another very positive email, this time off one of my Mum's friends.
I'm really proud of our music video and am thrilled with our feedback!
Jeni
After asking both my friends and family what they thought of our music video the feedback has been really good. They said that the narrative was very clear and easy to follow throughtout the video and that the lip-syncing was on the money. They especially liked the train footage which we filmed in Llangollen and the war footage where Andy was writing a letter to Meredith.
Kenny
