Today my media teacher watched what we had done with our music video so far. She gave us very useful feedback:
Because our music video is narrative and no lip synching whatsoever, she told us that our idea was very good at intriguing the audience. We just had to make sure that we carried on this way.
When we are further into the editing process, we will have to edit the shots to fit in with the rise and fall of the music.
We have to find a way of incorporating our digipak, website and music video together so that they look like they are branding the same band. Because we don't have any lip synching we need to find a way of showing that all these elements are promoting the same band.
She also advised us to watch Watchtower by Devlin and Ed Sheeran because this is what we should try to aim to do with our music video. Engage & intrigue our audience, and make them want to watch it again
What went well? We were efficient with our filming. We got started as soon as we arrived at each location, setting up our equipment and planning the shots we had to do and how much time we had to do it. We shared out the filming between all four of us. And we all got a chance at each role that contributed to our music video - director, set designer, setting up equipment, and filming. We chose our actor really well. At the beginning I was a bit uncertain if he would suit the role because, to me, he looked too innocent to play such an emotionally unstable character, but when we started filming he switched it on and became the socially awkward character that we needed. He was really good at switching moods and emotions quickly, as we had shots of the character being happy, anxious, angry and sad. We agreed on most camera angles, and even when we did disagree we all listened to each other and chose the best shot that would suit the music video. But in most cases we filmed all of our ideas of the shot and then chose the right one in editing. As we only made one cake, the shots involving the character and the cake could only be filmed once which was quite daunting, however we gained all the shots we wanted and even experimented with different angles. For example low-angle and high angle as well as Point Of View and Mid-Shot. What We Could Have Improved On? On day of shooting we filmed according to our story board. I think this might disadvantage us with our range of shots as well as disadvantaging the amount of footage we have for post-production editing. Filming took a lot of time because each shot had to be done precisely so that it would fit in with what we had planned in our pre-production story board. We should have planned our time and the time of each shot more carefully. We should have also taken more care with our mise en scene because there were a few shots that we filmed where we didn't realise that a tripod or camera case was in the background so we had to refilm.
Bombay Bicycle Club are an indie rock band which is highlighted in their digipak cover for 'Shuffle'. It is a very unique and different style of cover, and doesn't show the band, which is quite typical for artists of the indie rock genre. The font is quite simple and the bands logo is in the right bottom corner while the title of the album is in the left bottom corner. The pastel colours are very effective in creating a mellow but bright feel to the album.
The picture of the feet link to the name of the song 'Shuffle', and the images and colours coming out from the feet are used in most of the band's digipak covers. It has become their trademark. The image also suggests that the band like to be individual and creative with their covers.
The imagery is identified with the artist, thus making it easier for the viewer to associate their digipak covers with them and their songs.
Today we did another digipak interpretation but using Corel Draw this time. we had to recreate Franz Ferdinand's cover 'Do You Want To'
First thing I did was use Corel Draw to make the background. I drew a rectangle box and filled it green. Then drew smaller boxes, and laid them out in a similar way to the original, and filled them in black. After this I got an image from google of a man in a suit. I used Corel Photo Paint to use colour transformations, where I fiddled with the contrast and brightness of the picture. I then used the magic wand tool to select the man's shirt and collar and filled it red, and used the magic wand again to remove the background that this picture had. After that I placed it onto Corel Draw and drew a triangle and typed the band name and the album title.
Ke$ha is an artist of the pop/dance genre, which is highlighted in her digipak cover for 'Animal'. The close up of Ke$ha takes up most of the cover, and links to the theory of E. AKaplan andLaura Mulvey's theory of scopophilia - imploring people to look. Close ups are very typical in the pop genre. The plain black background makes the titles stand out, and the glitter that they are written in links to Ke$ha's personality as she usually covers herself in glitter for live performances. Her glittery makeup is a way of portraying her party girl image and shows that she is all about having fun and being crazy, but her serious expression shows that she is feisty.
The font is also very edgy and links with Ke$ha's rebellious nature as well as it also being fun. Apart from the colours and font, the layout of the digipak cover is pretty simple (artist name, picture, album title). But the gold colour font suggests glamour.
This cover has given me a lot to think about for when I create my digipak cover. Where will the titles go? Will I want them to be as eye-catching as Ke$ha's or more discreet? As we have not used "the band" in our music video we cannot use the artist for the main picture, so what will I use?
We’ve already started editing and we are now using the
razor tool to cut each shot and to separate shots with the dolls and shots of
the boy. Now we are making the narrativeslink and later we will add
transitions and the music.
So far the narratives link in the following ways:
When the little girl is setting the dolls table, our boy actor is setting the table for his date
When the boy doll plays with the girl dolls hair, our boy actor "strokes" the hair of the picture of his date
Mise en scene is very important in a music video, and ours is no exception. Mise en scene refers to everything that appears before the camera. For example set, costume, props, actors. The use of all of the these elements may be helpful to create verisimilitude or to create an effect or meaning. So for our mise en scene we have highlighted main propsand are filming in two locations. One location is a girls bedroom, so the mise en scene has to be believable and we also want to use the props to create an image that is twisted and unexpected with the norms of a little girl. Our second location is in a teenage boys house, in a number of settings; kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. We are using these sets to create verisimilitude and to paint a picture of this boys lifestyle to somehow evoke an emotion of sympathy towards him. For the date scenes we have decided to have the boy making a cake, so of course we need a few of the same cake for all the different shots and takes that we will have to do on the day of filming. We will also need the ingredients for the cake so that the boy can actually make it and we can film it. We also need barbie dolls for the little girl to play with and convincing props for around her room. We have (in our heads) an image of a pinky, girly room, with lots of teddy's and dolls, fairies etc. We want to conform to the stereotypes of a girly girl and then go against these stereotypes with her actions.
For use at Location 1
For use at Location 2
For use at Location 2
We are filming on Sunday 21st October (this weekend) and planning is going really well. We have all sort of decided what takes and shots we individually want to be in charge of - with filming and editing. This will make it easier on day of filming and also give us a chance to explain thoroughly on our blogs what we contributed to the group and music video.
Our idea for our music video is to not have lip synching but instead to have two narratives that link in an unobvious way. One narrative is of a girl playing with two dolls and the other narrative is a boy getting ready for a date. The actions with the dolls will symbolise the progression of the boys date. We want the shots of the dolls to reflect an Avant Garde film style. We will use editingpost-filming to create the cuts between narratives effectively. The first shot is medium close-up to close-up shot of the back of the dolls head. This is the introduction shot and sets an "innocent" mood to the video. The second shot is a mid-shot of the boy looking at his wall, and on the wall is a sort of shrine to the girl he is going on a date with. We see that there are post it notes around a large picture of this girl. The third shot goes back to the little girl but she is just playing with the boy doll. This is to symbolise the boy getting ready for the date. The fourth and firth shot are shots of a significant prop. It is a clock showing the date and time and then zooming into a close-up of the time changing. This sets the pace for the music video and we also go back to the clock later on in the music video. Shots 6-12 are quick closeup shots of the post it notes. They show little facts about the girl that the boy has found out during their course of talking. There will also be shots of their Facebook chats which shows that they've never met and they have been communicating via Facebook. The twelfth shot shows the last post it note with the time and date of the date. These post it notes seem to be cute and sweet as if he knows so much about her but they are also creepy. The shots after are him getting ready for the date and also cutting back to the girl playing with the dolls and acting out (between the dolls) what the boy wishes to happen. So we see at shots 20-21 and 24-29 the boy is making a cake whilst time is ticking by and the date draws nearer. Shot 22 is a shot of the girl playing with the dolls and making them sit down to enjoy a toy cake. Shots 30-33 show that time has passed and he is still waiting for the girl. He repeatedly texts her but no reply. During these shots we will cut back to the little girl playing with her dolls and getting more violent and aggressive. At the end of the video we will see a smashed cake and a smashed doll house.
Equipment
– The use of cameras and
lighting might lead to any danger with breaking or damaging the equipment.
The use of lighting might lead to fire or
overheating the equipment.
We will look after the equipment carefully
which is expressed by us transporting the camera and the rest of the gear
from the school to the location by car.
On location, we will brief each other about
safely using the equipment and making sure that all the equipment is turned
off when not in use.
Location
– Houses
The houses in use are close to each other and
therefore reduces the use of pubic travel and road crossings.
By using houses as a location opposed to open
and public spaces, it means that we will be filming in safe places with no
immediate dangerous items.
We will also be supervised at all times.
Travel
– Car
We will transport the equipment by car to
prevent any damages or losing the equipment.
By using cars to transport, it will mean that
we will reduce the chance of losing equipment.
To make our music video convincing we need the mise en scene to be realistic and to also conform to stereotypes of what people would expect to see when they think of that particular person. We asked three questions based on the characters and ideas we had already for our music video. 1) When you imagine a male geek character, what do you imagine him wearing? This question would allow us to dress our character in a certain way to portray to the audience that perhaps he is socially awkward. It may also get a reaction of sympathy, from the audience, to him. 2) What props would you associate with a little girls' bedroom? Again this question allows us to conform to stereotypes of a typical little girl and what people expect to see in her bedroom. It may also give us an opportunity to contrast her personality or actions with the mise en scene. We could have an innocent little girls bedroom but her actions may deviate the stereotypes of her representation. 3) Do you think endings are better when told or left on a cliffhanger to make your own interpretation? We asked this question of a way of maybe trying to make our music video different. To evaluate the idea of leaving our music video in a sort of cliffhanger so that the ending could be seen different by different people.
For our market research we asked two questions. 1) Do you prefer music video styles of low or high budget We asked this question as a way of analysing people's responses to the contrasting music videos of today. We have such a difference between high budget music videos, such as Next 2 You by Chris Brown and Justin Bieber and low budget music videos, such as Down With The Trumpets by Rizzle Kicks and this question with the answers help us to see whether the budget of the music video actually affects the portrayal of the messages from the music video. 2) Which narratives do you prefer in music video? For example relationships, sports, fighting, violence, videos of the artist performing the song or teenage narratives. This question was again asked to analyse people's interpretations of the vast range of music videos we have today. We have such diversity of narrative in music videos nowadays that one music video can be perceived in many different ways. For example Proud by JLS. This music video can be seen as a tribute to the athletes and their families as it was released during the build up of the Olympics, or it can be seen as a personal message from JLS to their families. This question was also a way of seeing preferences.
The answer to the first question was very useful. He said that the budget depends on the artist, which is very much true with music videos today. If it is known for an artist to have a really "out-there" music video (some sort of trademark perhaps), like Lady Gaga or Beyonce, then for them to release a low budget music video would be uncharacteristic for them and may not attract as many views as their previous music videos have. He also said that a low budget music video could also be really good to highlight the actual narrative of the music video itself. Because of the lack of fancy costumes, extravagant location, choreography, makeup etc. it will not distract the audience from the actual message or narrative of the music video. For example A-Team by Ed Sheeran. The answers to the second question were once again highly useful. He answered in context of target audience; what would appeal to the artist's audience and get their music video a lot of views. An example of a music video appealing to a particular audience would be Live While We're Young by One Direction. One Direction appeal to teenage girls and the use of a teenage "party" goofing around lifestyle would draw in the views and would also show off the band members' personalities. This would make the music video seem like an intimate video between the band and their fans. He also answered in context of sales of the product. He said that if the music video appeals to the target audience they are more likely to by the product, which is very true. He said that looking at music videos now, teenage narratives are a lot more common.
The music video I am analysing is I Don’t Love You by My
Chemical Romance, which Marc Webb directed. My Chemical Romance is an
alternative rock group so their music videos follow the normal conventions of a
music video of this genre:
- Dark colours – reflecting the mood of the song
- Close ups of the band member
- Close ups to also show emotions
- Performance from the band
- Some use of special effects
The lyrics, to me, have a narrative of a boy who finds
himself difficult to be loved. The lyrics ‘better get out, while you can’ show
this. This narrative is shown through the actual video however there is no
close reflection of lyrics. Therefore this video is an amplification of the
lyrics, which the enhancement of a concept.
The video is in a colour format to stimulate the colour
contrast between the two characters. The boy is in black to show that there is
something dark about him and neither him nor the girl smile in the whole video
showing that maybe their love/relationship is strenuous, but they love each
other too much to let go. The girl is the complete opposite of him; physically
she is all in white but the connotation of white is showing that she is pure
and vulnerable. From the lyrics we get the sense that he is somewhat poisoning
her perfect image ‘sometimes I cry so hard from pleading’ pleading for her to
leave him as he is no good. This is reflected in the video as when he touches
her back at 1:56 he leaves ‘scars’. He eventually realises that no matter what
he says to this girl she will never leave him and he knows that he is no good
for her, so he must leave her. ‘I don’t love you like I loved you yesterday’ he
say this to her and leaves, breaking them both completely (shown at 3:10). The
last time he sees her he looks guilty and pained to be doing what he is doing
but he knows he must leave her (shown at 2:36) and slowly goes whilst she looks
confused.
At 3:24 when the drum comes back in after a softer
moment, the guitars start to explode which could also symbolise the love the
boy and girl had breaking. The black rain dripping down on her at 3:29 could be
showing another way that he is marking her. Through leaving her he has broken
her heart and the single black tear falling from her eye at 3:50 also
symbolises this.
The first shot of the video is a wide shot, showing the
location – appears to be hillside – the character and the season – appears to
be autumn as leaves are falling. Then there is a clean cut to a medium close up
so that the audience becomes more familiar with the girl. As the instrumental
introduction of the drums start there is a cut to the drummer. We see that the
band’s location is very different to the narrative’s location. The narrative is
set outside in an open, light coloured location, but the band are playing in a
closed off black room. Interestingly, when there are close ups of the main
singer lip synching to the song; he appears to be in the same location as the
narrative, showing maybe how the band and the narrative are emerging together.
The climax of the song is when the band is playing their instrumental.
The heavy guitar solo is somehow reflecting the story, the dramatic end to a
relationship. And after the instrumental the singer is alone singing softly
while the girl is standing alone. The video changes pace with the music. At the
beginning it is up beat (contrast with lyrics) and this is reflected with the
story and the cuts between shots are fast. And after the instrumental
everything is slower and then it picks up pace again with the reintroduction of
the drums
There are close ups of the main singer and the band
members – E. A. Kaplan’s theory. There is also a trademark of the main signer
where he dyes his hair a different colour to reflect the mood of the bands
songs at that time. Here his hair is black, reflecting on the sombre and darker
mood of this song.
Themise en scene of the video is very typical of a
romance. The tree at the beginning is reflecting how in films couples carve
their initials in love hearts into trees. The couple also have a picnic, which
is another typical thing couples do. It shows the innocence of their love and
maybe that their relationship is new and stereotypical on the outside but deeper
and more meaningful on the inside.
In conclusion this video is an amplification of the
lyrics and it is mainly narrative based but has performance and concept behind
it. The concept is about a ‘forbidden love’ and how opposites attract which is
shown through the colouring contrast.
Using KwikSurveys, we made a survey about music videos in general, to uncover people's likes and dislikes and what is becoming boring in music videos. We had five questions.
1) Male or Female?
I think it's important to know what gender our interviewee was. This would show if there was a distinction between what girls like and dislike in music videos, and if gender actually changed people's ideas about what looks good in a music video.
2) Which of these features in a music video do you think are becoming boring?
This was the main idea behind our survey. We did not want our music video idea to be predictable, boring or unoriginal. So by asking what people found boring gives us an understanding of what not to do. Our options were; Dancing, Romantic Storylines, Sexualised Imagery, Dark Storylines, Special Effects. Romantic Storylines was seen as most boring, followed by Dancing, then Sexualised Imagery, then Dark Storylines and last was Special Effects. This order doesn't surprise me considering the music videos that are made and released nowadays. They are mainly focused on dancing and sexualised imagery
3) What would you like to see more of in music videos?
Our options were the same as the question before: Dancing, Romantic Storylines, Sexualised Imagery, Dark Storylines, Special Effects. This question would again show us maybe what path to go down for our music video, it would definitely make us think outside the box. Our results showed that people would like to see more Dark Storylines, then Dancing, then Sexualised Imagery, then Special Effects and last Romantic Storylines. This result surprised me because of the assumption that girls would want more romantic story lines, but it seems that both boys and girls want darker story lines portrayed in music videos.
4) What is your favourite genre of music?
Our options for this question were: Pop, Rock, Rap, R&B, Indie, Dance, House. It was important for us to see what our interviewees listened to and what genre they were basing their answers on. Because there is a massive difference between typical conventions of an R&B video and the typical conventions of a Rock video. Most of our interviewees' favourite genre was Pop, then Indie, then R&B, then Rock, then House and last were Dance and Rap. This result doesn't surprise me because of the sudden surge of indie music in the pop charts.
5) Rank these prolific music videos in order of preference
We compiled a list of iconic music videos, ranging in genre and whether they were storyline or dancing. The list was: Frozen - Madonna, Telephone - Lady Gaga Ft. Beyonce, Single Ladies - Beyonce, Billie Jean - Michael Jackson, Thriller - Michael Jackson, Stan - Eminem, Take On Me - aHa. These music videos to us are really iconic and most people will have seen them. Our results show that the most iconic music video to our interviewees was Thriller, then Telephone, then Single Ladies, then Billie Jean, then Stan, then Take On Me, then Frozen.
