Editing Process & Constructing the Narrative

     I decided not to follow the Shot List for Planned Shots word for word, but instead used it as a guide and inspiration for the shots that were staged and not candid. Therefore, after gathering all materials, I realised that most of my shots were rather spontaneous, not planned. Even if at the beginning I've said that I would mix planned and unplanned, I notice I've leaned more towards unplanned ones, which is okay, as it sustains the theme and would just help with the nostalgic appeal, and would still appeal to the audience.  Some shots still remained staged, such as looking through vinyls in a store and walking shots. 

    Overall the editing is simple, as I didn't want to alter these videos in terms of visual effects, reason for which, I chose not to include illustrations, as it would disrupt the natural and realistic narrative. The previously mentioned idea of adding illustrations ( in the research & planning stage) would've fit better with a more dynamic song & imagery, therefore I decided it doesn't align with my visual concept anymore.

    This editing approach also reflects Steve Neale’s theory of repetition and difference. While the video does include recurring visual motifs such as walking and handheld footage, each scene presents a slightly different moment or environment, keeping the narrative visually engaging

    For the editing of the music video itself, I used CapCut. I started off by transferring the videos from the handycam to my laptop, created a folder for them in order to keep them organised, and imported them to Capcut, in order to have them in my workspace. I then added them one by one, working my way along the song while choosing the right cut and video for it. I chose the videos either based on the ambient and imagery, or based on their correlation to the song lyrics. Therefore, some videos that may be filmed in a darker and warmer ambient may be consecutive, and the ones that are in an ambient with much colder or lighter appeal may follow one another. Some videos follow the lyrics of the song; in the chorus, where a party is mentioned, the imagery reflects the lyrics by showing my birthday party. 

     A simple principle I followed when deciding where to cut the video recordings was on the quality of the video and how well the star image looks, and then furthermore adjusted the length based on the lyrics and intonation.

The Nostalgic Appeal

    The nostalgic appeal was created through imagery that was filmed on an old handycam, with may shots that are handheld and not necessarily very high resolution videos, which support the album appeal/ personal journal, that people may have growing up. This is associated with themes of authenticity, nostalgia and childhood. The video has a non-linear story that is fragmented, just like memories are. Authenticity is enhanced by the natural and non-staged videos, which may suggest imperfection, but this truly reflects human nature and casual interactions in our day-to-day lives. Some parts feature a black screen, which enhances how memories are fragmented and resembles the process of blinking, as it is sometimes repetitive, especially at the chorus. 

The Narrative

    The video has a non-linear narrative that is fragmented, similar to memories, which supports the nostalgic appeal of the music video. However, the narrative of the video is circular as well, meaning that it ends the same way it begins, with a figure in the dark, walking towards the camera. This detail encapsulates the memories almost as a story in itself adressing subject of childhood and memories. The narrative follows the main character, sometimes from an observant perspective, sometimes from a direct one.