Today we had to upload all of the footage from our 2 days of shooting as well as all the photos we took on set. It took ages to upload everything from the SD cards but now we have completed this we have divided all our footage into actual footage, behind the scenes footage, and photographs, this way we can easily access what we need.
Now we have done this we can get onto uploading the film into Final Cut and begin editing!
Thursday 6 December 2012
Wednesday 5 December 2012
FILMING DAY 2
Yesterday (Tuesday 4th December) we filmed all of the parts of the music video that would feature Malory (the star of the video) alone, with various interesting shots of her singing in front of different backgrounds and with different outfits. These would be the parts of the music video in which we would really need to use lip synching, so if we can edit well, hopefully it will look very good!
Again, we all worked well together as we all had the same images in our heads of what we wanted the footage to look like. Similarly to Sunday's filming, we took additional shots that we thought of once we had reached the location (her house).
Different backgrounds we included:
-window
-plain white wall
-different coloured patterns
-zebra print blanket
We still have once scene to shoot but we think we may do this after the Christmas holidays as we do not necessarily need it at the moment. I personally feel that we have achieved a lot and have really got a big load of work under our belt and now we can get on with editing. I feel very comfortable that we are on target and now we can dedicate our time to editing as well as possible and designing creative album artwork.
Again, we all worked well together as we all had the same images in our heads of what we wanted the footage to look like. Similarly to Sunday's filming, we took additional shots that we thought of once we had reached the location (her house).
Different backgrounds we included:
-window
-plain white wall
-different coloured patterns
-zebra print blanket
We still have once scene to shoot but we think we may do this after the Christmas holidays as we do not necessarily need it at the moment. I personally feel that we have achieved a lot and have really got a big load of work under our belt and now we can get on with editing. I feel very comfortable that we are on target and now we can dedicate our time to editing as well as possible and designing creative album artwork.
FILMING DAY 1
On Sunday 2nd of December we managed to stick to our plan and were able to shoot the main parts of our music video.
Ella drove us and our actors to Richmond Park where we were for a good few hours, filming what we had storyboarded as well as shooting anything that inspired us on the day. We had originally planned to film by the river in Kingston however in Richmond Park we spotted a nearby pond which was ideal for the look of our video so we decided to just use the pond instead.
After this we travelled to Kingston town centre were the Christmas Markets are and shot our footage there. Again, we also took extra shots of things that were available to us at the locations. Also, we were lucky in that a few unexpected things happened which we hope to put in the actual video if we can fit it in. For example, at the Christmas markets one of the men refused to give Malory a brownie until she played something on her ukelele, so she did and we filmed it. Because this was real and not acted we feel that it will add to the authenticity of the video if we use it and will contribute to the happy and fun vibe we wish to achieve with our video.
In my opinion, the day went smoothly and more efficiently than I had expected. Our actors Malory and Matt were brilliant and did as we asked them as well as positively contributing to discussion of what they should do. They worked excellently together (they weren't awkward or shy with each other) and we believe this is reflected in the footage as it looks very natural.
We were incredibly lucky that on our choice of day of filming the natural lighting was beautiful. Bright clear skies with the sun shining was perfect for shooting and looks great on screen. I am so thankful for the wonderful weather we had as if it had been a dull dreary day, our footage would look miserable which is the complete opposite image we are hoping to achieve.
We were incredibly lucky that on our choice of day of filming the natural lighting was beautiful. Bright clear skies with the sun shining was perfect for shooting and looks great on screen. I am so thankful for the wonderful weather we had as if it had been a dull dreary day, our footage would look miserable which is the complete opposite image we are hoping to achieve.
The purpose of all the filming was for the narrative side of our video and we have yet to film the close ups of Malory singing with different backgrounds. We plan to film all non-narrative parts of the video on Tuesday at Malory's house.
Below are some photographs I took of the day.
Thursday 22 November 2012
Group meeting 20/11/12
Today we dissected the lyrics of our song and discussed what we wanted each line to look like on film and what shots we would do. We strategically went through the lyrics and made annotations of our ideas of what we envisage each verse and chorus to look like. I was very pleased with the work we got done as I feel a lot more confident of exactly what we want the video to look like and exactly what we will film on the shooting days and now we have begun to storyboard. Now it is very clear what we want to achieve.
Monday 19 November 2012
Sunday 18 November 2012
Fake band activity
In lessons we have been discussing all the possible ways to promote a band, and as it will be part of our coursework to make a website for our artist we did a preliminary exercise which was to create a promotional website for a fake band (an artist that does not exist).
Click here to see the wix I made for the fake band The Dynobots:
Dynobots wix
Click here to see the wix I made for the fake band The Dynobots:
Dynobots wix
Genre Research
Our chosen song is 'Life Happens' by surfer duo Brandon and Leah. The two have been friends since children and have been brought up in the sunny and 'beachy' location of Malibu. The duo quit the busy lifestyle that Hollywood demands in order for a relaxing and chilled life on the majestic beaches of Malibu. The pair's music reflects their happy and calm lifestyle and their music videos further enforce this and display their love of nature and their surroundings. The mood of their songs is light and fun. Brandon says that "Everything is groove based. We like things with a positive, beach vibe. If our songs don’t make you want bob your head, then we haven’t done our job." This tells us that their aim isn't to rock the world or to put across a political message or to express the negativity of the world through their music, but their aim is to represent that their is happiness in life and that nature is beautiful and that we should enjoy life and do what makes us happy. Their free-spirited vibe is infectious and fans can't help but smile when hearing their tunes.
Brandon and Leah themselves have stated that Bob Marley is one of their biggest influences. Bob Marley is one of the most recognised artists on earth and is one of the biggest icons ever. In particular to Brandon and Leah, I think that his reggae and laid back rhythmic sound to his music is what influenced them. Some of his most famous songs such as 'Three Little Birds' and 'Dont Worry, Be Happy' express as happy message and offer stress-free spirited vibes for listeners. Additionally songs such as 'Trenchtown Rock' he sings about the magic of music and how it can make one feel good.
Poppy/folky/surfer music isn't a mainstream music scene and artists who produce this genre of music tend to provide for a very niche market and rarely achieve worldwide fame, however they do their job of producing happy and upbeat music in which a specific type of person, such as a surfer, or somebody who enjoyes melodic, happy music, will appreciate. I don't think Brandon and Leah desperately want to achieve large amounts of fame, I think their sole aim is to provide art for their audiences and continue to portray their laid back and exotic lifestyle in the hopes that they can transport their fans their care-free life through their music.
It is hard to label their music with a concrete genre such as rock, pop, or indie. However I personally would say their music is a combination of surfer, folky pop as their music is light-hearted and upbeat which would class it as pop, but the use of ukuleles and acoustic guitars gives them their added surfer-hippy vibe.
The origin of this type of music comes from artists such as Joni Mitchell, who's folk music was hugely influential to many other artists. Her distinctive vocals, poetic lyrics and guitar style as well as her harmonic piano skill gave her an image of one of the most iconic folk musicians. I believe if it wasn't for artists like Joni Mitchell there would not be people like Brandon and Leah making their music today.
Brandon and Leah themselves have stated that Bob Marley is one of their biggest influences. Bob Marley is one of the most recognised artists on earth and is one of the biggest icons ever. In particular to Brandon and Leah, I think that his reggae and laid back rhythmic sound to his music is what influenced them. Some of his most famous songs such as 'Three Little Birds' and 'Dont Worry, Be Happy' express as happy message and offer stress-free spirited vibes for listeners. Additionally songs such as 'Trenchtown Rock' he sings about the magic of music and how it can make one feel good.
Again, I think this is what Brandon and Leah aim to achieve in their music, they want to offer upbeat and optimistic escapism for their listeners.
Another band who I think created 'beachy, folky'/ 'Surf rock' type music are the Beach Boys. They are known for their sound and lyrics that reflected a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. Some of their most famous numbers such as 'Good Vibrations', 'Fun Fun Fun' and 'Surfer Girl' express as 'beachy' free spirited feel that has remained influential to this day. Their songs such as 'Don't Worry Baby' offer comforting lyrics and remind listeners that everything in their life will be just fine. Everyone associates the Beach Boys with the sea, surfing, beaches, relaxing and having fun, they achieved this through the sound of their music and their vocal harmonies, and I think this is exactly what Brandon and Leah want to achieve through their own music.
Poppy/folky/surfer music isn't a mainstream music scene and artists who produce this genre of music tend to provide for a very niche market and rarely achieve worldwide fame, however they do their job of producing happy and upbeat music in which a specific type of person, such as a surfer, or somebody who enjoyes melodic, happy music, will appreciate. I don't think Brandon and Leah desperately want to achieve large amounts of fame, I think their sole aim is to provide art for their audiences and continue to portray their laid back and exotic lifestyle in the hopes that they can transport their fans their care-free life through their music.
Thursday 15 November 2012
Casting
Our friend Malory Torr has agreed to star in our video. We specifically wanted Malory as she is known for her love of music and performing, she has all the attributes that a producer would want for a music video; she is charismatic, bubbly, funny and looks good on camera. We know that she won't be shy in front of the camera which could run the risk of ruining the look of the video as it simply wouldn't look professional, but with Malory, this will not be a problem. She also has the look that we want our star to have. Malory herself is a singer/songwriter and tries to market her own music by creating her own music videos and playing at various events and venues, so we know that she understands what it takes to make a music video, as well as what looks good and what doesn't. Ironically, Malory probably has more experience in the planning, production and editing of music videos than my group and I do!
Alongside Malory, our friend Matt is going to play the part of her boyfriend. Malory is certainly the star of the whole video, but Matt's role is important for portraying our narrative. Matt also does drama and we know he can act. He is also good fun and easy going as we know that he will be a positive attribute to our group and will do all he can to help.
We feel very assured and pleased about our cast!
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Group Meeting 13/12/12
In today's sessions Ella, Madihah and I were further discussing what exactly we want our video to look like, we looked at some music videos that had the sort of look that we want to enhance in our music video. We were also discussing when we plan to shoot our film. Next week in our local area the Christmas lights are to be switched on and so we plan to do some filming then as we want to capture the togetherness and festivity of Christmas which will contribute to the happy and feel good vibe that we wish to achieve. We hope to have all our filming done within the next 3 weeks in order to have our rough cut done before the Christmas holiday.
Thursday 8 November 2012
My Chemical Romance 'Na Na Na' Music Video Analysis
My Chemical Romance's Na Na Na music video released in 2010 is jam-packed full of excitement, action and comedy. The video is a parody with a combination of western/badlands and comic-book style which is made apparent through the extravagant mise-en-scene. The video is very high-concept and narrative based as the video tells part of a story that merges with all the other music videos from their Danger Days album to tell the whole story of the album. The premsis is that the band member are a gang named the Killjoys and they are being hunted by a sinister character and his vampire-masked henchmen. It is unclear as to why they are enemies but it is made very explicit that they are rivals. The Killjoys have a young girl in their gang who the sinister characters are out to get. Again, we are unsure why he is after her. The video uses many referenced to pulp fiction as there are car chases, shoot-outs and a Mexican standoff at the end which results in the sinister character capturing the young girl and telling the Killjoys to "keep running". The video is very dramatic and action filled with elements of mystery as there are some parts to the narrative that are confusing and unclear, however this is what adds to the excitement and intrigue of the music video, as though it was a real action film.
There are also references to other media texts that inspired the idea of the music video, such as the films Easy Rider, Blade Runner, Terminator 2 and the Mad Max franchise.
The video has a very sinister and violent theme and perhaps is making an inexplicit statement about reality as the lyrics say "Drugs gimme drugs" which could be talking about peoples dependence on drugs or other substances. Overall I think the song/video has a political message as it talks about people ruling the world and everyone just follows - "You run the company, na na na na na na na, fuck like a Kennedy" - this could be a reference to the way the country is run or how it was run by president JF Kennedy. Also, the song is about revolution and peoples desire to take over - "Everybody wants to change the world, but no one, no one wants to die". The visuals that we see on screen certainly amplify the lyrics as everything about the video is open to interpretation.
Every album that My Chemical Romance have released, they have had a slightly different look accordingly. Danger Days is the bands 4th album and they transported their image from emo to more pop-arty, comic style for the album. I think a reason that many artists constantly change their image is so that they don't become boring and predictable and to keep fans interested and guessing about what they will do next.
Throughout the video many mid-close up shots are used to clearly show who the characters and more importantly, who the band are. The video also follows the conventions of a normal music video as it shows the lead singer, Gerard Way, the most in order to inform the audience that he basically is the main figure in the band (and music video).
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Smashing Pumpkins '1979' Music Video Analysis
The music video is almost like a home-movie or video diary as we view 5 teenagers life's in mundane suburbia. It’s nostalgic. It generates feelings of events that happened in the past from your subconscious, and the video for the song captured that perfectly. There was this sense of familiarity within the narrative, despite the fact that it was depicting things you had never necessarily done. The whole music video displays to us different scenes of the characters searching for fun in the wrong places and feeling trapped by their current life. The sense of distain for their environment/life is shown repeatedly throughout the video for example at 1.10 where one of the characters looks down on his town and sticks his middle finger up, at this point we really feel the teenage angst within them.
A number of interesting camera shots are used perhaps to exemplify the teenagers imaginations, for example at the beginning when one of the boys is rolling down a hill in a tyre and the camera is rolling too. This shot also makes us feel as though we are there too and makes this image a lot more meaningful to us. Another similar shot is at 0.25 where we get a 360 degree camera turn that shows us all of the characters in the car. Additionally, at 1.30 when the video cuts to a new location (the party) an ariel shot is used to give an overview of the party and gives the chance to show of the band performing.
Many close up shots of the lead singer Billy Corgan are used throughout the whole video as this creates intimacy between him and the listeners/viewers, it also makes us empathise with him as we feel as though he is also one of the teenage characters in the video, it also implies that the lyrics he is singing are related to himself and his personal experiences.
The use of mise-en-scene is used to build upon the theme of disconnected/bored teenagers, for example the sticker on the car at 0.53 that reads 'Proud parents of a 'D' student', this satirical comment implies that the characters feel as though they are a let down to their parents, and this is something a lot of the bands fans can reason with as many teenagers experience this feeling. Additionally the characters body language and facial expressions amplify the sense of mundaneness.
The editing pace of the video is relatively smooth during the video, however when the song pace speeds up at 2.35 the editing gets much quicker and this builds tension as the video (and the story it is telling) is drawing to a close. The speedier pace also represents the teenagers angst building up within them.
The use of different locations such as the mountain/hill, the 7/11, the party all create the image of life in suburbia. Showing the characters cause havoc at the 7/11 and at the party (when they cover the tree with toilet paper) represents both their freedom in their youth but alternatively, their bordem and feeling of entrapment in their lives.
In my opinion this music video is excellent as it presents so many feelings and experiences that many teenagers experience in their lives. What was so great about this video is how it glamorizes teenage boredom, making it seem rather epic. Smashing Pumpkins generated a video that they knew the masses could connect with. They basically showed us the joys and tribulations of being young and opened our eyes to realize that the things that teenagers complain about so much would be what they long for later in life. The video opens our eyes, and this is what art is supposed to do.
Group Meeting:Complete change of idea!
In todays lesson my group and I had a revelation as we thought that our original pitch for 'Hey Mickey' was getting far to complex and was going to be very difficult to actually get all the characters together to film and perform, as well as edit all the footage.
I personally always thought our original idea would have looked really good if it was made properly, but unfortunately we do not have the time/money/expertice/resources to produce it to the standard that would have been worth our while.
We have decided to make a music video for a completely unknown musical due named Brandon and Leah, and their song named 'Life Happens'. The song is very upbeat and happy, with a folk feel and I believe we can produce something very artistic and interesting to look at with a variety of locations and shots etc...I think this idea is far less cheesy and far less restricted, it gives us more opportunity to be creative and let our artistic ideas flow!
I will soon post a new moodboard on my blog in accordance with our new song choice, as well as further details to do with our planning.
I personally always thought our original idea would have looked really good if it was made properly, but unfortunately we do not have the time/money/expertice/resources to produce it to the standard that would have been worth our while.
We have decided to make a music video for a completely unknown musical due named Brandon and Leah, and their song named 'Life Happens'. The song is very upbeat and happy, with a folk feel and I believe we can produce something very artistic and interesting to look at with a variety of locations and shots etc...I think this idea is far less cheesy and far less restricted, it gives us more opportunity to be creative and let our artistic ideas flow!
I will soon post a new moodboard on my blog in accordance with our new song choice, as well as further details to do with our planning.
Thursday 25 October 2012
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Music Video Director - Spike Jonze
Jonze has been directing music videos for over 20 years now and has worked with an eclectic range of artists including; The Beastie Boys, Weezer, R.E.M, Bjork, Sonic Youth, Daft Punk, Puff Daddy, Biggie Smalls, Fatboy Slim and Kanye West.
Da Funk is a dance track and because it has no lyrics it may be hard for the audience to create an image of the music and therefore cannot connect with it, however Jonze has created meaning for the audience through the use of dialogue and narrative in the music video. The video is very unique as we rarely see a human dog used as the protagonist of any media text and because of this the audience is likely to remember the band/song. Therefore Jonze has successfully done his job of promoting the band.
Jonze also uses a lot of intertextuality in his work, for example Buddy Holly by Weezer and Sabotage by Beastie Boys. Although narrative is a major element of his work, he sometimes challenges conventions of genre through postmodernism and parody. For example in Flashing Lights by Kanye West although there is the use of voyeurism with the half naked women, she is not objectified and she holds the real power and dominance in this video as she opens the boot of a car to reveal Kanye tied up who she then kills. Similarly in Drop by The Parcyde, the video appears to be going forward when actually is it going backwards. This rejection of meta-narrative and rejection to follow a normal pattern shows Spike Jonze's videos are postmodern and have conventions of their own.
Jonze's work is inspirational to me as it is creative and daring, and often the main premises of his videos are very simple but made/performed with unique style and individuality. He also displays that a massive budget and a conventional narrative is not necessarily required to make an interesting piece that promotes and sells the artist.
Thursday 18 October 2012
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Lip Sync Activity
In order to understand how lip syncing works we had to film ourselves singing a minutes worth of a song, then take out the audio and put in the music track. I did mine using iMovie on my home mac. Getting the timing as exact as I could took a while and made me realise just how hard but necessary perfect lip syncing is.
Here is me lip syncing to Buddy Holly's song 'Everyday'
Here is me lip syncing to Buddy Holly's song 'Everyday'
Lolly - Artist Profile
Preliminary Audience Research
In today's lesson we explored the demographics of our population and learnt that audiences are tremendously more complex than simply gender or age. When studying audience and deciding exactly who our target audience is and how to appeal to them, we must consider social-class, race, employment status, background, location, lifestyle and obviously age and gender. The reason demographics are vital in analysing audiences is because what may seem as 2 very similar social groups may actually have complete opposite tastes. For example 2 women who are both in their 40's but one may be a housewife whereas the other could be a successful businesswoman, and due to their different lifestyles, their taste in music is likely differ greatly.
Conducting audience research is key to finding out what appeals to their individual tastes and what they personally think looks and sounds good. In our lesson we each asked each other a series of questions of find out about their music tastes and music consumption habits. My questionnaire looked like this:
Audience Questionnaire
Our project is to make a music video and in order to do so successfully it is vital to understand how different audiences perceive different types of music and music videos. Please take a few moments to complete the questionnaire so we can interpret your opinions to make a good music video!
1) What is your gender?
Male Female
2) What is your age range?
14-16 17-19 20-25 25+
3)What is your occupation?
Student Employed Unemployed
4)Which is your favourite genre of music out of the following:
Pop Indie Rock Hip-Hop RnB
5)How often do you watch music television?
Everyday 1xWeek Fortnightly Other (please state)..................
6)If you do watch music channels regularly, which ones do you prefer?
Smash Hits Kiss MTV Rocks Kerrang Other (please state).....................
7)In you opinion do you think a music video necessarily needs narrative to make it interesting?
Yes No
8)If you have stated no please explain why ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
9)Name some of your favourite music videos
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Because we only had the opportunity to ask fellow classmates these questions, their opinions were fairly similar, although not everyone likes the same genres of music. In order to broaden the depth of audience research as a group we will have to ask a much wider range of people from different demographics. This can be achieved by asking our parents/teachers, siblings and students in lower years. Doing this will provide my group with qualitative and quantitative data that we can use to guide us when planning the details of our music video.
Conducting audience research is key to finding out what appeals to their individual tastes and what they personally think looks and sounds good. In our lesson we each asked each other a series of questions of find out about their music tastes and music consumption habits. My questionnaire looked like this:
Audience Questionnaire
Our project is to make a music video and in order to do so successfully it is vital to understand how different audiences perceive different types of music and music videos. Please take a few moments to complete the questionnaire so we can interpret your opinions to make a good music video!
1) What is your gender?
Male Female
2) What is your age range?
14-16 17-19 20-25 25+
3)What is your occupation?
Student Employed Unemployed
4)Which is your favourite genre of music out of the following:
Pop Indie Rock Hip-Hop RnB
5)How often do you watch music television?
Everyday 1xWeek Fortnightly Other (please state)..................
6)If you do watch music channels regularly, which ones do you prefer?
Smash Hits Kiss MTV Rocks Kerrang Other (please state).....................
7)In you opinion do you think a music video necessarily needs narrative to make it interesting?
Yes No
8)If you have stated no please explain why ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
9)Name some of your favourite music videos
......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Because we only had the opportunity to ask fellow classmates these questions, their opinions were fairly similar, although not everyone likes the same genres of music. In order to broaden the depth of audience research as a group we will have to ask a much wider range of people from different demographics. This can be achieved by asking our parents/teachers, siblings and students in lower years. Doing this will provide my group with qualitative and quantitative data that we can use to guide us when planning the details of our music video.
Friday 12 October 2012
Thursday 11 October 2012
Placebo - 'This Picture' - Goodwin Analysis
'This Picture' by Placebo was released in 2003 and its music video director was Howard Greenhalgh. Howard Greenhalgh has directed numerous videos from a variety of artists and genres, such as Iron Maiden, The Pet Shop Boys, The Sugababes, Puff Daddy and the Spice Girls, as well as Placebo. Placebo's genre is alternative rock/pop punk, their music is not particularly happy or upbeat and consequently their music videos tend to be quite dark and gloomy. Placebo have the image of being fiesty and provocative, especially the lead vocalist and guitarist Brain Molko who is known for his androgynous appearance.
The lyrics of the song is about a relationship involving sadomasochism but it is the female who is abusive and dominant. The "Ashtray Girl" is used to refer to a woman who uses men as "emotional ashtrays". The visuals amplify the lyrics as the audiences sees there is a story about the girl in the picture however it is not explicitly exactly what the narrative is.
The video is in timing with the beat of the music. For example this clip from the beginning of the video shows how the editing cuts on every beat of the drum cymbal:
The videos pace is relatively smooth throughout and doesn't fluctuate a lot throughout the video, however in the middle of the song the timing gets faster which means that the editing gets faster. This clip shows that the camera movement gets fast in the performance part to match the fast pace of the music:
Close ups of the artist creates intimacy between the video and the audience. It also verifies recognition of the star image. The audience is clearly shown Brian Molko's style when we see close ups of his eye makeup and this is recognisable to Placebo's fans as they are already aware of his bisexuality and interest in cross-dressing, and for those who do not know Placebo already, this will grab their attention as it is something different to what they might expect and they then on have this image of the band in their memories.
The camerawork and editing focuses a lot on the band itself, ensuring many close ups of them playing their instruments and performing as this presents them as a talented band. This clips displays this:
Voyeurism is used to an extent in this video as we see the girl being portrayed as a sexualised object due to her almost being naked and connotations of bondage.
However this has a more sinister impact rather than 'sexy'. Placebo's music videos tend to be quite disturbing and dark and again this motif if shown in this video. Voyeurism is used in a more artistic and symbolic way rather than trying to establish a 'sexy' music video. Additionally, we only see short shots of the girl which doesn't allow the audience enough time to see the woman in full. This teases the audience in a sense and engages them with the video as they want to get another look at this mysterious character. We only eventually see a close up of her face at the very end of the video.
Saturday 6 October 2012
Brainstorming/Planning
Now everyone's groups are sorted out, and I am very pleased with who I am working with, we have begun to think of as many ideas we can for our piece. Firstly, deciding on a song was surprisingly easy, we all agreed that we absolutely wanted to do a fun and upbeat song, most of this decision came from seeing what was successful the previous year, those who had done faster song's videos tended to be more interesting whereas slow love songs were very tedious. We have selected Lolly's version of Toni Basil's cult classic 'Hey Mickey'.
We have begun to discuss what the overall narrative of the video will be, but also how we can break it up and edit it so that it is a fast paced music video, not a film. Our main idea is for the overall concept to be the star of the video (Lolly) to be a fun, charismatic and silly girl, who is getting ready for a school disco. Throughout this we cut to shots of her going on various dates in different settings such as a park, a diner, a boat trip etc... with different boys, however to her, they are all Mickey. We thought that the obvious story for the video would be to have one Mickey and show his relationship with the star. We thought this would be predictable and a bit unimaginative, therefore we decided that rather than have her heartbroken and cheated on by Mickey, we would have her as the 'player' and have her be playing all these different boy, who to her are all the same (all Mickey). This would all build up to a dance scene at the disco where she would be seen dancing with all the Mickeys and then have to choose who she wanted to be with, and then pick none of them and walk off leaving them all behind.
Throughout this, we would have shots of her performing this song and her band members would be played by all the Mickeys.
We want the video to ultimately be fun and enjoyable for the audience.
-So far our planning is going well and everyone in the group seems to be on the same wavelength which is a positive start!
We have begun to discuss what the overall narrative of the video will be, but also how we can break it up and edit it so that it is a fast paced music video, not a film. Our main idea is for the overall concept to be the star of the video (Lolly) to be a fun, charismatic and silly girl, who is getting ready for a school disco. Throughout this we cut to shots of her going on various dates in different settings such as a park, a diner, a boat trip etc... with different boys, however to her, they are all Mickey. We thought that the obvious story for the video would be to have one Mickey and show his relationship with the star. We thought this would be predictable and a bit unimaginative, therefore we decided that rather than have her heartbroken and cheated on by Mickey, we would have her as the 'player' and have her be playing all these different boy, who to her are all the same (all Mickey). This would all build up to a dance scene at the disco where she would be seen dancing with all the Mickeys and then have to choose who she wanted to be with, and then pick none of them and walk off leaving them all behind.
Throughout this, we would have shots of her performing this song and her band members would be played by all the Mickeys.
We want the video to ultimately be fun and enjoyable for the audience.
-So far our planning is going well and everyone in the group seems to be on the same wavelength which is a positive start!
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Intertextuality and Voyeurism
Intertextuality
Is when music videos draw upon exsisting media texts in order to spark recognition in the audience.
Intertextuality is all about visual reference and this can come from a number of sources: -Cinema
-Fashion
-Art/Photography
"Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing" is essentially the essence of intertextuality. Intertextuality is most explicitly evident in music videos. However intertextuality is subjective to the audience, meaning that each viewer might have a slightly different association with the video, and some viewers may not recognise the references at all!
Here are some examples of music videos that use intertextuality:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers use the form of a video game in their music video for their song 'Californication'. This specific use of a video game format could be to appeal to their archetypal fan base (Young males and females).
Another example of intertextuality in a music video is A-Ha!'s 'Take On Me'.
A-Ha! Take on a comic book style video to display the narrative of the love story that is taking place in the video. The ending scene is based on 1980's movie 'Altered States'. This means that the band have referenced 2 types of media text in their video, making this a good example of intertextuality.
Here is another example of a music video that fully incorporates intertextuality:
The song itself is named 'Buddy Holly' therefore the 1950's style of the music video related to the context of the song. The video is an imitation of famous American 1970's show Happy Days which is set in the 1950's-60's. However the only lyrics that is linked to the visuals is the repeated line 'I look like Buddy Holly' whereas the rest of the video is not particularly related to the song. Perhaps the band used intertextuality of Happy Days in the hopes that the audience will associate the popularity of that Sit-com with their song and makes the audience feel as though they are watching an actual episode of the programme. The references to 'Happy Days' and the 50's is shown by the use of location (typical 50's diner) the costumes and mise-en-scene, the use of choreography and the cameo appearance from Happy Days cast member Al Molinaro as well as the use of film of the character 'The Fonz' entering the diner to dance. The video also follows the conventions of a 50's music video in that is it performance based and is very successful as it sparks recognition to its audience.
Voyeurism
Is the pleasure of watching the star of the video. Voyeurism is also known as scopophillia. Goodwin states that female performers are sexually objectified by camera work and editing with fragmented body shots emphasising a sexualised image of the performer. The goal of voyeurism is to help sell the product and the star, and create interest in the audience.
Here are some examples of music videos that use voyeurism:
Britney Spears - 'Slave 4 U'. Spears is known for her sexualised image and therefore provocative music videos. Artists similar to Britney Spears use voyeurism in their videos in order to create interest for the viewers and because their images are risqué they need to live up to this expectation in their videos.
Another example is Christina Aquilera - 'Dirty'
Again, Christina Aquilera is another performer who's image is based on being revealing and provocative, therefore she needs to deliver this in her music videos. Videos such as these are aimed to appeal to both males and females. Males because they will find the star attractive and will gain pleasure from looking at their bodies. Females may feel envious of their bodies and therefore take inspiration from the way these female artists look.
An example of a music video that uses both Intertextuality and Voyeurism is Pink's 'Trouble' Music Video
The narrative of this music video is based on American Western-style movies, as Pink portrays a fugitive galloping on a horse into a small town. We can tell the music video genre is western due to the mis-en-scene. We see the saloon bar, and horses as transport, also the character of the sheriff indicates the western theme. Voyeurism is introduced through Pink's revealing costume and her burlesque dance routine as surrounded by other revealing women. Close up shots are used at the beginning to draw attention to her red lips and dark eyes. Additionally, the flirtatious communication between Pink and the sheriff adds to the videos' provocative nature.
Is when music videos draw upon exsisting media texts in order to spark recognition in the audience.
Intertextuality is all about visual reference and this can come from a number of sources: -Cinema
-Fashion
-Art/Photography
"Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing" is essentially the essence of intertextuality. Intertextuality is most explicitly evident in music videos. However intertextuality is subjective to the audience, meaning that each viewer might have a slightly different association with the video, and some viewers may not recognise the references at all!
Here are some examples of music videos that use intertextuality:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers use the form of a video game in their music video for their song 'Californication'. This specific use of a video game format could be to appeal to their archetypal fan base (Young males and females).
Another example of intertextuality in a music video is A-Ha!'s 'Take On Me'.
A-Ha! Take on a comic book style video to display the narrative of the love story that is taking place in the video. The ending scene is based on 1980's movie 'Altered States'. This means that the band have referenced 2 types of media text in their video, making this a good example of intertextuality.
Here is another example of a music video that fully incorporates intertextuality:
The song itself is named 'Buddy Holly' therefore the 1950's style of the music video related to the context of the song. The video is an imitation of famous American 1970's show Happy Days which is set in the 1950's-60's. However the only lyrics that is linked to the visuals is the repeated line 'I look like Buddy Holly' whereas the rest of the video is not particularly related to the song. Perhaps the band used intertextuality of Happy Days in the hopes that the audience will associate the popularity of that Sit-com with their song and makes the audience feel as though they are watching an actual episode of the programme. The references to 'Happy Days' and the 50's is shown by the use of location (typical 50's diner) the costumes and mise-en-scene, the use of choreography and the cameo appearance from Happy Days cast member Al Molinaro as well as the use of film of the character 'The Fonz' entering the diner to dance. The video also follows the conventions of a 50's music video in that is it performance based and is very successful as it sparks recognition to its audience.
Voyeurism
Is the pleasure of watching the star of the video. Voyeurism is also known as scopophillia. Goodwin states that female performers are sexually objectified by camera work and editing with fragmented body shots emphasising a sexualised image of the performer. The goal of voyeurism is to help sell the product and the star, and create interest in the audience.
Here are some examples of music videos that use voyeurism:
Britney Spears - 'Slave 4 U'. Spears is known for her sexualised image and therefore provocative music videos. Artists similar to Britney Spears use voyeurism in their videos in order to create interest for the viewers and because their images are risqué they need to live up to this expectation in their videos.
Another example is Christina Aquilera - 'Dirty'
Again, Christina Aquilera is another performer who's image is based on being revealing and provocative, therefore she needs to deliver this in her music videos. Videos such as these are aimed to appeal to both males and females. Males because they will find the star attractive and will gain pleasure from looking at their bodies. Females may feel envious of their bodies and therefore take inspiration from the way these female artists look.
An example of a music video that uses both Intertextuality and Voyeurism is Pink's 'Trouble' Music Video
The narrative of this music video is based on American Western-style movies, as Pink portrays a fugitive galloping on a horse into a small town. We can tell the music video genre is western due to the mis-en-scene. We see the saloon bar, and horses as transport, also the character of the sheriff indicates the western theme. Voyeurism is introduced through Pink's revealing costume and her burlesque dance routine as surrounded by other revealing women. Close up shots are used at the beginning to draw attention to her red lips and dark eyes. Additionally, the flirtatious communication between Pink and the sheriff adds to the videos' provocative nature.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Evaluating Foundation Production
Looking back at my previous work is diffcult because it is never as good as you expect or hope it to be when you originally plan to do it.
Overall my groups opening sequence is OK and is definitely not the worst work produced by the year, however it was by no means in the group of top videos, a lot of the other openings were just generally a lot better than ours.
As a group of 3 we worked very well and didn't dispute and always came to compromises if need be, so this definitely worked to our advantage as it made us work efficiently. I also think that the mise en scene and colours were good in the video and relevant to the storyline and setting. In my opinion we were worthy of some marks for that!
There were several things that went wrong unfortunately, including the soundtrack. It took us 5 hours on garageband to produce a very mediocre and cheesy song to play throughout the opening. We had to make sure all the timing was on point which took a long time to get right. The soundtrack we produced wasn't something I am proud of producing, however due to lack of time we had to settle for it and I suppose it suits the theme of the video and it was therefore acceptable.
We also had a lack of shots, most of the style of shots were the same throughout the film, which we only realised when editing. This shows our lack of planning (which was also something we probably did not do as thoroughly as we should have).
We hardly had a storyboard! We had a rough idea of how we wanted it to look however we left all the decisions of shots to the actual day of filming. I now have learnt that storyboards are vital to help you when it comes to filming. I know they are very important when planning music videos especially because every shot needs to be clearly thought out.
If I was to completely re-do the opening scene I would not limit my filming to one day. I would make a note of all the extra shots and footage we need and then go back again and film it, rather than leave it due to laziness and cope with the limited footage we have. This is something I will try to do when filming he music video! If I could do it again I would also try and make a better soundtrack as I feel that the one we made added to the cheapness and lowered the quality of our film.
One positive of all the problems we faced was that I feel I have a better sense of reality of what is needed to make a good video and hopefully I can use the lessons I have learnt to make a music video I am proud of and avoid silly problems that lessen the quality of it.
Overall I think that our video is fine and worthy of a laugh. The grade we got for it was fair. I think the grade fits the amount of effort we put in. It was also a valuable experience as I have picked up some tips on what to do and what not to do which will hopefully come in handy when making the music video. I hope that making a music video will be much more my forte as I feel they are more creative as they are less restricted than opening scenes as they do not necessarily need to make sense!
Overall my groups opening sequence is OK and is definitely not the worst work produced by the year, however it was by no means in the group of top videos, a lot of the other openings were just generally a lot better than ours.
As a group of 3 we worked very well and didn't dispute and always came to compromises if need be, so this definitely worked to our advantage as it made us work efficiently. I also think that the mise en scene and colours were good in the video and relevant to the storyline and setting. In my opinion we were worthy of some marks for that!
There were several things that went wrong unfortunately, including the soundtrack. It took us 5 hours on garageband to produce a very mediocre and cheesy song to play throughout the opening. We had to make sure all the timing was on point which took a long time to get right. The soundtrack we produced wasn't something I am proud of producing, however due to lack of time we had to settle for it and I suppose it suits the theme of the video and it was therefore acceptable.
We also had a lack of shots, most of the style of shots were the same throughout the film, which we only realised when editing. This shows our lack of planning (which was also something we probably did not do as thoroughly as we should have).
We hardly had a storyboard! We had a rough idea of how we wanted it to look however we left all the decisions of shots to the actual day of filming. I now have learnt that storyboards are vital to help you when it comes to filming. I know they are very important when planning music videos especially because every shot needs to be clearly thought out.
If I was to completely re-do the opening scene I would not limit my filming to one day. I would make a note of all the extra shots and footage we need and then go back again and film it, rather than leave it due to laziness and cope with the limited footage we have. This is something I will try to do when filming he music video! If I could do it again I would also try and make a better soundtrack as I feel that the one we made added to the cheapness and lowered the quality of our film.
One positive of all the problems we faced was that I feel I have a better sense of reality of what is needed to make a good video and hopefully I can use the lessons I have learnt to make a music video I am proud of and avoid silly problems that lessen the quality of it.
Overall I think that our video is fine and worthy of a laugh. The grade we got for it was fair. I think the grade fits the amount of effort we put in. It was also a valuable experience as I have picked up some tips on what to do and what not to do which will hopefully come in handy when making the music video. I hope that making a music video will be much more my forte as I feel they are more creative as they are less restricted than opening scenes as they do not necessarily need to make sense!
Sunday 24 June 2012
Review of Previous Year's Work
On Wednesday and Fridays lessons in class we had a look at some of the music videos made by the year above us who had just finished. It was interesting to see what they thought looked good and what they thought was an exciting video. Some of the videos produced were pretty good considering the lack of technical equipment, budget and time. Despite their lack of resources they made fun and bubbly videos that matched the mood of their chosen song. One video in particular was brillant and looked like a real music video!
On the other hand, other videos, usually ones made for slow and 'depressing' or 'romantic' songs were quite boring and uninteresting and simply not enjoyable to watch, however from a technical perspective most of the videos had a variety of shots and good mise en scene. But from a commercial view, they were the type of videos you would 'flick past' when going through music channels on TV.
As a mini evaluation I have gathered a few notes and ideas of what to do and what not to do when making my own music video. For example; the mise en scene, location and editing must be relevant to the mood/style of the song. The 'star' or character of the video must be aesthetically pleasing to look at and must be charismatic as this is the key into capturing viewers attention. The music itself must be in sync otherwise the video will not look good. Choreography is another thing to consider, most of the videos we watched did not use dancing which is odd as dancing is usually the main aspect of a music video, therefore it is definitely something to think about when planning my own video (depending on whether it's relevant to the song of course!).
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