Today we filmed he last few shots we needed for our prelim task which involved getting a few members of our class to be our volunteers. This was very helpful of them because it allowed us to make our video as similar as possible and we even tried to make their outfits accurate too. This didnt take very long to film and once done we could import these last shots into our Adobe Premiere file and finalise our editing.
Today we filmed most of the shots for the 30 second section of the Little mix music video. We filmed some of it in a drama classroom and the other scene in the Diner. We used these locations instead of Primmer assembly hall because it was being used after school so to ensure we got our filming done we used the Diner instead. This worked just as well because it was a well lit large room with a similar colour flooring to in the original video. There is a lot of natural light streaming in through large windows behind the camera so we did not need to manipulate the lighting by carrying over some large lights which would be quite tricky anyway. Filming after school ensured that we would not disturb any classes with the song we had to play during filming and also we did not get lots of people walking into our shots.
Today we took photos of the locations we are going to use to film. There are three different locations in the 30 second section of the Little Mix video we are using (a library, bedroom and a large foyer part of a school).
We are going to use the Pimmer assembly hall in our school to film all of the scenes. The first shot of the book requires a wooden floor (Primmer is therefore suitable because the floor is wooden). For the shot of them looking down on the book and the camera is looking up at them, it does not need to be shot in a library because all we can see is the ceiling. The scene in the bedroom we are going to film at the back of the stage and throw a duvet over some chairs to look like a bed. We are going to use the back of the hall for the scene of them dressed up walking through the school because the floor is wooden, there is a large window and cream walls.
This is a short video showing two scenes from the little mix video which we have tried to copy.
This allows us to practice walking in time with each other, moving the way the band do and also getting the framing right.
These are their costumes for the first part of the video These are the costumes for the second part of the video
Below are is our comparison to the bands costumes for the second part of the video. It is important to get this accurate as it gives a higher chance or our video looking more believable and professional.
We created a storyboard of the 30 second section of the music video we are going to recreate. We screetshotted every different shot and put a short description and the duration of it underneath.
This gave us an idea as to just how many different shots go into just a small section of a pop music video. Most of the shots are about 2 seconds and there aren't any longer than 5 seconds so when filming we need to be very careful about sticking the to the timings and making the shots accurate because this will affect the lip syncing.
00:58
Get your boy on his knees and repeat me after me say Leigh-Anne (Bonnie)
Take a sip of my secret potion ALL
I'll make you fall in love ALL
For a spell that can't be broken Jade (Olivia)
One drop should be enough Perrie (lLcy)
Boy you belong to me Jesy (Sophie)
I got the recipe Leigh-Anne Bonnie)
And it’s called black magic (and it’s called black magic) ALL
Take a sip of my secret potion
One taste and you'll be mine
It's a spell that can't be broken
It'll keep you up all night
Boy you belong to me
I got the recipe
And it’s called black magic (and it’s called black magic)
If you're looking Jesy (Sophie)
For Mr. Right Jesy (Sophie)
Need that magic Jesy (Sophie)
To change him overnight Jesy (Sophie)
Here's the answer Jesy (Sophie)
Come and get it Jesy (Sophie)
While you still got time Jesy (Sophie)
Hey ALL
Get your boy on his knees and repeat me after me say Leigh-Anne (Bonnie) 01:58
These are the lyrics within the 30 seconds we are choosing to copy. Beside the lines I have written who in our group has to be seen mouthing the lyrics.
Today we started our prelim task which is to match a music video as close as possible for the first minute of the song. We were told our gorups and songs.
I am in a group with Sophie Frain, Lucy Harding and Bonnie Fitch. The song we were given is Black Magic by the girl band Little Mix:
This is good that we were given a girl band song with 4 members because we can be one of the girls each. I am going to be jade, Sophie is Jesy, Bonnie is Leigh-Anne and Lucy is Perrie. We gave each other these roles because we believe that it will look best as we are trying to make our video look as similar as possible. For example we each have a similar colour hair to the band member we are going to be.
This task involved choosing a music video and finding out how many different cuts there are in the first 30 seconds. I chose the song XO by Beyonce and I found 18 different cuts in the first 30 seconds.
There are mostly medium shots and close ups of beyonce (portraying star image). Also the fact that she is often framed centrally, to come across as the main attraction.
This is the music video by the band Dry the River to the song 'No Rest'
Today in class we listened to this song twice before watching the music video for it. In our groups we came up with ideas of what we thought the music video would be like.
We could tell it was a band because of the different voices and instruments being played.We thought the target audience would be people with a unique taste in music or people who are more mature and have an older taste in music. The pace of the song is slow but quickens up.
This is what we thought the video could potentially be like after just listening to the song: Potential narrative- a heterosexual couple in love, showing them arguing but the male is distraught at her leaving him Potential setting- band set up in a low lit setting (shots of them playing) and then jump cuts to the narrative shots Potential costume-dark clothing, maybe shirt or plain t-shirts and leather jackets Camera shots- medium shots/close ups of lead singer and the couple, wide angle shots of whole band Visuals to match lyrics- man and woman in love (jump cuts to romantic scenes, sweat on my brow (show him exhausted of fighting), carousel (flashback to good memories of the couple on a carousel) and shot of birds
I like this music video because it is minimalist/ simple but still portrays a lot of emotion and feeling.
Today we looked at a music video by Radiohead to the song 'Street Spirit'. It is an indie rock song and this can be identified in the video. We listened to the song for a minute without watching the video and then gave our feedback and analysis of it. We talked about what we thought of it as a class and said it was quite weird, slow, expressed a dark emotion and portrayed a star image of the lead singer Tom York.
Andrew Goodwin suggests relating the visuals to the lyrics in a music video. This has been done in this video because the lyrics are 'fading out' and there are fade transitions done through the editing stage. There are also overlaying of shots which makes it look eerie. There is strange artistic imagery in this video which has no obvious link to the music. This relates to the band because they see themselves as 'artists' in the creative sense not just in terms of being musicians. There is some performance but mostly narrative in this video but it is not ordered and is quite minimal.
The pace of the song and video is slow so there is not as many cuts as in mainstream pop videos. There is slow motion in a lot of this video and the camera lingers on some shots.
There are special effects in this video which all add to the atmosphere of the indie rock genre. These include slow motion, black and white, flashes, split screen, people jumping higher than natural and in one shot Tom York's arm has been edited off.
To comply with star image Tom York is positioned in the foreground to make him look bigger and he is also framed central. Camera angles in this video mostly include medium shots, close ups and long shots. The camera movement is quite still which makes the video feel even slower, especially on the shots using slow motion.
Mise en scene- They are wearing non-smart clothes with no colour (due to it being in black in white) and they have spiky/scruffy hair (not mainstream). This shows they care more about the message the art is portraying through their music and videos and less about self-image. The video is set in an isolated caravan park which looks like it is in America. Radiohead is a British band and being in the States portrays they are successful because they are international.
This is the band Radiohead. Only the lead singer Tom York can be identified in the music video. The other members of the band are featured in the video but only in the background so you cnnot tell who they are.
S Club 7- Don't Stop Movin'
This song reminds me of children's parties about ten years ago because this was a popular song at this time. The genre is pop and the video is very vibrant, colourful and joyful therefore relating to a younger target audience.
Star image is created because there are medium and close up shots of them.
It has a very fast pace which is good for children's parties because it is fun and gets people dancing.
Taylor Swift- Love Story
This song reminds me of being in year 6 because this was about the time when it was released and was very popular amongst the younger generation.
Clean Bandit- Stronger
This is a current song, released in 2015, which I really like because of its uplifting sound.
Genre- r&b/dance
vouyerism/male gaze- close ups on the female, made to look like a sexual object
The man is made to look a lot bigger than the female which portrays he is more powerful
At 1.06 there are fast cuts between shots which are in time to the music. This is an example of thought beats. His dancing is in time to the music which is also showing thought beats.
This video contains a mixture of performance and narrative.
Linking viduals to lyrics- at the begingin of the song when he says 'nothing on me' and he is not wearing any clothes. He also says 'its 100 degrees'. To portray it is hot, there is a fan on beside him.
Beyonce- Love on Top
This video is all about the performance.
There are a lot of thought beats- their movements are in time to the beats. (the song is quite fast paced and so is the dancing).
The lyrics match the visuals because when she says 'love in top' she points to the sky.
The genre of this music is a combination of pop, r&b and dance.
In an r&b music video you would expect to see female backing dancers but Beyonce wants to be seen as a powerful woman so therefore she has male backing dancers showing she is more powerful than them.
Martin Garrix ft. Usher- Dont Look Down
This music video contains all narrative and no performance except at some points the main character in the video mouths some of the lyrics in order to exaggerate his emotion. There is not star image portrayed in this video becasue there are no famous artists shown in it. It is set in a wealthy country club.
vouyerism/male gaze- close up of the woman's bottom as she is walking away. (this is an eyeline match of what the towel boy is seeing)
There are close ups, medium shots and wide shots.
There are lots of bright colours in this video which fits with the vibrancy and upbeat feel of the song.
Genre- Pop/dance
Linking visuals to lyrics- "cos you're driving me insane" and the towel boy is looking fed up with the guests, especially because they don't tip him and look down on him. The main chorus lyrics are "don't look down" and during this the towel boy seems inspired/motivated not to give up on what he wants (the attractive woman by the poolside).
Deigesis- The world created in this video seems quite unlike the real world becasue of all the bright colours and strange things featured in the video, like the large CGI seahorse the towel boy is ridding in the swimming pool and the fact he can dance on water.
Lady Gaga ft. Beyone- Telephone
This video shows star image by using close ups of lady Gaga and portraying her unique/quirky style in the video with her extravagant outfits and unusual settings. There is a combination of narrative and performance in this video. The narrative seems quite random- like going from a prison to a sandwich making TV show. There is not a specific storyline so the narrative is not traditional. There is a strong diegesis created of Lady Gaga's wacky interpretations of reality. there is a focus on the abstract things in the video (like spreading the butter on the bread, which is not expected in a song about a telephone.
The camera focuses on certain parts of her body (vouyerism). The backing dancers are seen as sex objects because they cannot be identified and they are not wearing much clothing. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (a telephone). The iconography for Lady Gaga is her wacky clothing choices.
There are thought beats and lots of different cuts done in the editing stage. This fits well because it is a fast paced song.
There is an intertextual reference to Kill Bill becuase the car featured in the video is similar to the car in the film. There is also the similar idea of the powerful/leading female role and being in prison.
1. Narrative
The video is a visual response to the music cuts in time and rhythm with the soundtrack. There is not always a balance between the narrative and performance
2. Editing
May match the musical phrases or the beat. Cuts are generally to the beat of the music
3. Camerawork
Extreme shot types are common (e.g. extreme close ups), also mid shots and close ups are used on the main artist to create star image
4. Diegesis
A world within the video is created and revealed slowly
1). Thought beats- where you 'see' the sound
3 steps: 1st- When you look into the music and interpret it by looking at verses/chorus 2nd- the 'voice within the song'- this is when the artists voice is extremely unique an can be recognised for their quality e.g. Adam Lavienge or Ellie Goulding 3rd- Where the artist is telling a story within thier songs and therefore generaes their reputation as a 'storyteller'. The music video is therefore created to emphasise the lyrics and the story within the song. ege. Adele is known to tell a story of heartbreak through many of her songs.
2). Narrative and performance
-Try to avoid common narative (you are making an advert not a film)
-The artist is acting as the narrator
-Lip synching and other actions increase realism (versimilitude).
3). The star image
An iconic star image can increase the audiences awareness of the artist and therefore can show a development of the star overtime which will increase the audiences interest in their videos
4). Relation of visuals to song 1: Illustrate 2: Amplify- exaggerating/ emphasising 3: Disjuncture- go against (contradict) e.g. Jessie J's video for price tag includes her singing in front of a money tree when singing 'its not about the money'
5). Technical aspects of a music video camera- movement/angles/composition sound- pace of the song, its pitch. (changes with different genres within the music idustry) e.g. rock/pop mise-en-scene- (to ensure it is believeable) location/costumes/make up editing- effects added to the clips of film in post production. This can change the pace of the film clip and ensures the audience remain interested in the visuals.
There are 6 conventions of his theory:
1. There needs to be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics. (A link). For example in Jessie J's music video for 'Price Tag' she is standing in front of money tree while singing about money.
2. Thought beats: seeing the sounds (the relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the music). e.g. choruses, verses, emphasised beats
3. Genre (type of music)-related style and iconography (props) must be present
4. Multiple close-ups (prevalence) of the main artist or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognisable brand image
5. Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females (vouyeristic angles of women)
6. Intertextual references to other media texts may be present, especially in humorous videos. (using things from other texts). For example, 'When i see you again' by Wiz Kalifa makes refrences to Fast and Furious 7 and in Micheal Buble's music video for 'Hollywood' he makes a reference to Justin Bieber
Today was our first A2 media lesson. We got a briefing of what we will be doing withing the course. We were told that we will be creating our own music video which i feel it quite a daunting thought because it is such a hard task but i am also very excited for it because i really enjoyed producing our film opening for AS media. I am looking forward to having input in the creative side of it like thinking of the costumes and designing of the merchandise and digipak. The topic of music video's were introduced to us and we had to identify features of a music video.
