During our previous lessons, we have looked at creativity and giving it our own definition to explore what we think it means whilst working on creative processes.
My definition of creativity is:
An on going process where your inspirations form to make up your own imagination that you express through actions and has no limits and no rules.
This was very useful to me and I started to think more about creativity and really bringing out my imagination for my music video.
In one of your classes, we did a creative task where we looked at lyrics to a song before hearing the music and tried to think of a music video idea based only on the lyrics. We first thought about the genre, representation, narrative (whether it'd have a storyline) and then the mise-en-scene. After hearing the music we had to re-think and adapt or change some of our ideas to fit the music. We then had to think about what had influenced these ideas and talk about what effect all those influences had on the final idea such as the target audience etc...
I feel that this was helpful in thinking about the creative process whilst thinking about our music videos.
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Monday, 25 June 2012
Other songs by Cover Drive
Before I decided to do the song Bajan Style, I had a look at the other songs I could possibly do by the band. I first thought this song Can't Live In A World would be a good choice.
However after listening to it over and thinking of possible ideas for the video, I felt that as it is a much slower song it would be harder to catch the viewers attention and interest and thinking location spots would be difficult.
Another song I had in mind was Headphones
After thinking about this song, I thought that this kind of song would be best filmed on a beach like a beach party but not really on a British beach and also with a lot of people in the mise-en-scene so I decided not to go with this song as it would not be possible to go with the ideas I had.
I then thought of the song Explode
However it was announced a week later that they were working on a music video for it so I had to use another song therefore resulted in using Bajan Style.
However after listening to it over and thinking of possible ideas for the video, I felt that as it is a much slower song it would be harder to catch the viewers attention and interest and thinking location spots would be difficult.
Another song I had in mind was Headphones
After thinking about this song, I thought that this kind of song would be best filmed on a beach like a beach party but not really on a British beach and also with a lot of people in the mise-en-scene so I decided not to go with this song as it would not be possible to go with the ideas I had.
I then thought of the song Explode
However it was announced a week later that they were working on a music video for it so I had to use another song therefore resulted in using Bajan Style.
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Chosen artist
After trying to find another artist to use for my music video, I decided to have a go at the band Cover Drive, however I will be using the main singer as a female solo and use an actress to play the role. I chose Cover Drive because I feel that their music is very different and unique, especially to the British public and I feel that more people should be aware of this different music genre. The song I will be using by Cover Drive for my music video is the song Bajan Style, which is a track off their debut album 'Bajan Style'. I feel this is a fun, upbeat, feel-good song and would be great fun to make and introducing the world to Bajan culture. I have already asked permission from the band to use their music for my music video this year, which I had asked them on Tumblr.
About the band:
There are 4 members to the band who are:
About the band:
There are 4 members to the band who are:
- Amanda Reifer - lead singer
- T-Ray Armstrong - drummer/vocalist
- Barry Hill - guitarist/pianist
- Jamar Harding - bassist
The band are from Barbados and are now currently located in London signed to Polydor records. Their first gig was in Barbados opening for the famous singer Rihanna, which was also her first gig in Barbados since she had been signed. The band were mentored by the popular 80's singer Eddy Grant in Barbados to help them get to where they are today. Before they got signed they used to sing covers of popular chart songs and put their Caribbean twist on it showing their uniqueness in their music and putting them up on YouTube.
Cover Drive are quite popular in the UK right now as well as Barbados. Their first single was called 'Lick Ya Down' released August 2011, second single 'Twilight' released early 2012, which reached to no.1 on the charts and a third single 'Sparks'. Cover Drive are mainly well known in the mainstream pop genre however not very well known over the country overall. They have performed at many places including being the opening act for the Dappy tour (2011), Summer time ball (2012), T4 on the beach (2012) and many more.
Here is a interview of Cover Drive in Germany describing their music style.
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Research & Planning: Spike Jonze
One of the greatest and most popular music video directors, Spike Jonze who is well known for directing videos for the Beastie Boys and Weezer.
One of his most famous videos he has made is Fatboy Slim - Praise You (1999)
from what MTV says:
"Gather a group of mediocre, middle-aged dancers and ask them to interpret Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” and what you’re left with is music video gold. With boombox in tow, Jonze did just that with his dance troupe who (without permission) busted their moves in front of a California movie theater. While most onlookers didn’t seem to be the biggest fans, the heart-warming clip earned three MTV Video Music Awards: Best Choreography, Best Direction and Breakthrough Video of the Year."
This shows the directors creativity and uniqueness as people would not expect this video to be one of the most famous music videos.
Jonze ranges in genres, he has directed videos for Kanye & Jay-Z.
Here is the video of Otis by Kanye & Jay-Z, this video also shows Jonze's creativity and uniqueness with the American flag background and the car that gets customised.
Judging by this Otis music videos, it is quite simple but yet very effective as this videos is set in one main locations whilst having a few props. The idea of the props are quite complex but because of the locations and how the props are being used, it sets a simplicity to it making it look very effective.
Searching for artists
My first idea for my music video would be to use the song Losing Control by Genevieve Jackson, the niece of the legendary Michael Jackson. The song is not very well known but is recognised in the Jackson fan-base. I thought of using this song as it is a typical teenage, party style of song and asking for her permission would not have been any trouble. However, after listening to the song a few times over, I felt that this song did not have enough energy to create a music video for it as it is a simple recording she had done in her free time for fun and I felt that the audience would lose interest after the first 2 minutes.
Research & Planning: 'How to study music videos'
After looking through Media Magazine, I found an article giving 5 main points of the study of music videos.
1. 'Thought Beats' or seeing the sound in your head
The basis for visualising images comes from a psychological process called synaesthesia, where you picture sounds in your mind’s eye. This idea is absolutely central to understanding music video as they build on the soundtrack’s visual associations in order to connect with the audience and provide that additional pleasure.
To use this approach you need to start with the music, sorting out the way the song works, taking into account the way it has been stacked up with sound. To begin, lyrics don’t need to be analysed word for word like a poem but rather considered for the way they introduce a general feeling or mood. Very rarely do song lyrics have a coherent meaning that can be simply read off; but they are important in at least creating a sense of subject matter. So key phrases or lines (and especially those repeated in the chorus) will have a part to play in the kind of visuals associated with the song.
If songs are stories, then the singer is the storyteller and this obviously makes music videos stand out on TV, as they feature a first person mode of address rather than the invisible ‘fourth wall’ of television narration. Generally we can look at key sounds, like the tempo (or speed of the song) and structure of the song in terms of verse and chorus. To give an example of how instruments can create visual associations, the slow twang of the steel guitar could create geographically-based visual associations from the Deep South of the US – a desert plain, a small town, one road out, men chewing tobacco
2. Narrative and performance
Songs rarely tell complete narratives. An important reason why music videos should avoid a classic realist narrative, and that is their role in advertising. Music videos need to have repeatability built in to them. We need to be able to watch them repeatedly in a more casual way, with a looser approach to their storytelling. Often, music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band. Additionally, a carefully choreographed dance might be a part of the artist’s performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the ‘repeatability’ factor. Sometimes, the artist (especially the singer) will be a part of the story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time. But it is the lip-sync close-up and the mimed playing of instruments that remains at the heart of music videos, as if to assure us that the band really can kick it.
3. The star image
The music business relies on the relatively few big name stars to fund its activities; it usually fails to connect with popular audiences – only about one in ten acts put out by the industry actually makes any money.
4. Three ways in which music videos relate visuals to the song
These are illustration, amplification and disjuncture.
1. 'Thought Beats' or seeing the sound in your head
The basis for visualising images comes from a psychological process called synaesthesia, where you picture sounds in your mind’s eye. This idea is absolutely central to understanding music video as they build on the soundtrack’s visual associations in order to connect with the audience and provide that additional pleasure.
To use this approach you need to start with the music, sorting out the way the song works, taking into account the way it has been stacked up with sound. To begin, lyrics don’t need to be analysed word for word like a poem but rather considered for the way they introduce a general feeling or mood. Very rarely do song lyrics have a coherent meaning that can be simply read off; but they are important in at least creating a sense of subject matter. So key phrases or lines (and especially those repeated in the chorus) will have a part to play in the kind of visuals associated with the song.
If songs are stories, then the singer is the storyteller and this obviously makes music videos stand out on TV, as they feature a first person mode of address rather than the invisible ‘fourth wall’ of television narration. Generally we can look at key sounds, like the tempo (or speed of the song) and structure of the song in terms of verse and chorus. To give an example of how instruments can create visual associations, the slow twang of the steel guitar could create geographically-based visual associations from the Deep South of the US – a desert plain, a small town, one road out, men chewing tobacco
2. Narrative and performance
Songs rarely tell complete narratives. An important reason why music videos should avoid a classic realist narrative, and that is their role in advertising. Music videos need to have repeatability built in to them. We need to be able to watch them repeatedly in a more casual way, with a looser approach to their storytelling. Often, music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band. Additionally, a carefully choreographed dance might be a part of the artist’s performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the ‘repeatability’ factor. Sometimes, the artist (especially the singer) will be a part of the story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time. But it is the lip-sync close-up and the mimed playing of instruments that remains at the heart of music videos, as if to assure us that the band really can kick it.
3. The star image
The music business relies on the relatively few big name stars to fund its activities; it usually fails to connect with popular audiences – only about one in ten acts put out by the industry actually makes any money.
4. Three ways in which music videos relate visuals to the song
These are illustration, amplification and disjuncture.
- Music videos can illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre, providing a sometimes over literal set of images. Here, then, is the most straightforward technique and the classic example of visualisation, with everything in the music video based on the source of the pop song.
- Amplification is seen as the mark of the true music video Auteur, the director as artist, and an increasingly common way to view music video creatives. Crucially, though, and what separates it from disjuncture, is the fact that amplification music videos retain a link with the song and work to enhance or develop ideas, rather than fundamentally changing them.
- Disjuncture is a term used to describe those music videos that (normally intentionally) seem to work by ignoring the original song and creating a whole new set of meanings. This is quite a radical technique and used by arty bands in order to assert their difference and originality. Usually, disjuncture videos of this type don’t make a lot of sense and may be based on abstract imagery.
5. Technical aspects of music video
Camerawork, movement and angle, mise-en-scène, editing, and sound.
- Speed is visualised by camera movement, fast editing (montage) and digital effects.
– Camera movement is often motivated by running, dancing and walking performers.
– Fast-cutting and montage editing creates a visually decentred experience necessary for music video consumption, with the images occasionally moving so fast that they are impossible to understand on first viewing and thus need to be viewed several times (repeatability).
– Post-production digital effects – a staple of music video where images can be colorized, multiple split screens appear, and so on, all to complicate and intrigue, providing pleasure again and again. - The meat of most music videos is the cut to the close-up of the singer’s face. This is because the voice is seen as the most important part of pop music.
- Often, the video will try and represent the music through the use of the cut to go with the beat or key rhythm.
- Lighting and colour may also be used to emphasise key moments in the song, using methods from lighting live performances for dramatic effect. Colour may be used to show a development in the song, going from colour to black and white or vice versa when the chorus comes in. Equally, any change in the mise-en-scène or camerawork can signal the same type of thing.
- Mise-en-scène – obviously the setting for music videos is important, often to guarantee the authenticity of the clip rather than anything else. So mise-en-scène for many music videos is the concert hall or rehearsal room to emphasise the realness of the performance or the grit and practice that goes into attaining star quality. Increasingly, CGI is used, especially for dance songs, which don’t rely so much on being ‘real’ like rock, soul and rap acts.
Friday, 22 June 2012
Research & Planning - Popular music videos right now
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Research & Planning: Music Magazines
There is a vast variety of music magazines coming across all genres of music. Some magazines are very specific in which genre of music they like to show in their magazines making it quite a niche targeted audience whereas some magazine like to show different genres of music in one magazine to get a wider audience. By the front cover designs, it is easy to know and understand whether the magazine is a niche targeted magazine or a wider audience targeted by the music artists/bands they put on the front and the headlines.
 |
| Vibe |
 |
| Billboard |
 |
| XXL |
 |
| Q |
Monday, 18 June 2012
Research & Planning: Another top ten tips for filming a music video in A Level...
(Also found on Media Magazine)
Step 1 Research
You need to watch a lot of music videos – and tape a lot too – so you can really analyse the language of the genre. A student video can never be entirely like a real video. They have budgets of thousands of pounds, you have some borrowed equipment and enough for a round of sandwiches – but you do need to consider exactly what you are planning to deliver before you start the whole process.
The video, as a look at any real example will show, has got to sell both the music and the artist, and be worthy of plenty of replays. Different music genres will have different conventions – some feature musicianship, others dance routines; some will have stories and some will concentrate on atmosphere; some will be comic and some will be serious. It’s up to you to start examining how they work and have examples to draw upon, both for your production ideas and for your eventual write-up.
Step 2 Getting in a group
Who you work with on any project is a crucial decision. Sometimes it is good to work with your mates, but sometimes it might be best to avoid them, as having a good time might get in the way of the work.
Step 3 Choosing a track
If there is a choice, narrow it down not on the basis of your personal tastes but in terms of which music or lyrics stimulate ideas. Consider the genre for each and what a video for that kind of music is likely to entail. Think about possible locations, performers, even shots which might be evoked on initial listenings.
Step 4 The pitch
Even if your teachers haven’t set it, you should be prepared to ‘pitch’ for the track you have chosen. This should involve a single page of ideas, simply expressed, which would enable anyone reading or hearing it to envisage the potential finished video. In the real industry, this ‘treatment’ would be presented to the record company, often in competition with treatments from other potential directors. If it is to work, it needs to stand out, with a ‘hook’ in the first paragraph, a clear idea of location, narrative (if any) and something which will make it stand out from the crowd.
If asked questions about it, you must be clear as a group exactly what you are intending and how and why you are going to do it. The key word here is: simplicity. Your ideas need to be clear and simple and your process needs to be simple. The more complications you set yourselves (with location, actors, narrative detail, etc.) the more can go wrong.
The pitch is part of your planning and will count towards your marks. It will also form a useful document to look back on when it comes to the writing and reflecting upon what has – and hasn’t – changed and why.
Step 5 Look at previous student work
A look at any professional work will identify conventions but you need to look at material from a similar context to your own to see what can be achieved and also what can go wrong …hopefully your teachers will have examples you can look at, but, if not, then take a look at the work on our website at www.longroadmedia.com. There are over 50 music promos from 2003 on view, as well as many from previous years. You can leave a comment about any that you look at – indeed, this will be welcomed.
Step 6 Planning and shooting
Timescale is crucial here. In the real world of the music industry it is very likely that a director would have no more than six weeks from being given a brief, or first hearing a track, to plan, shoot and edit the video, then deliver it ready for the record company to despatch to MTV. Quite possibly he or she would be working on other projects at the same time (maybe shooting one in the same week as planning a second, then shooting the second while editing is being done on the first). If you have significantly longer to work on your project it may not be a good thing. Often the most professional-looking work is achieved by students working under pressure to strict time constraints, so you should not complain that you haven’t got long enough. Use your deadlines and time constraints to focus your thinking and working practices.
Storyboard as much as you can. Plan ahead all your use of props, costumes and locations; double-check that your performers are available and know where to meet for the shoot. Keep written records and sketches of everything so that nothing is forgotten. Don’t just have performers wearing their normal clothes but get them to have some costume changes so you can add variety to the video.
Check that the tape is in the camera, that it is the right tape, that you know all the basic controls of the camera and that you have a working tripod before you go off to shoot. Make sure batteries are charged; that you have adequate lighting (remember if you shoot in the dark your footage will be impossible to see), and that you can switch date and time off the camera! Whatever happens, don’t forget the CD! If the performers have to mime from memory, the speed will be all wrong, and harder to put right in the editing.
On the shoot, make sure you have a CD player which is audible for the performer to use for miming and for you to hear when you come to edit, as you’ll need to match up their performance with the original and this is harder to do if you only have lips to look at and no audio record. Shoot the performance all the way through at least three times from different angles to ensure you have coverage. Cutaways can be inserted much more easily from such a starting point.Shoot more than you need and more than storyboarded both for cutaways and because sometimes the most interesting shots are just spontaneous bits!
Step 7 Editing
Loading your footage into the edit program needs to be done sensibly. If you just leave the computer capturing everything you’ll find it harder to work with when you start the edit, so break it down into chunks or load some footage then chop away what you definitely don’t want before loading more. No-one wants the computer full of useless footage, so start to edit straight away. Be a good housekeeper – name your files so you can find them and make sure everything is filed in your folder. If in doubt, ask for help from teachers!
Use effects sparingly and in a planned fashion. Occasionally it may be for disguise purposes, but you can’t produce a whole project on that basis. Generally my advice would be cut and cut again. Sometimes you can extend the ‘natural life’ of a shot to make it more gripping, but only if your footage and performance is really good.
Your first step once you have got rid of the most obviously ‘excess’ footage is to line up your material for lipsyncing. In some programs, such as Premiere, it is possible to magnify the audio tracks and match up sound waves by going in as close as a single frame, but, in others, such as iMovie, it is more of a mathematical process of counting frames and substituting bits of black with matched up vocals. It can be very time consuming, but is crucial to the effectiveness of a finished piece.
Once you have achieved lipsync you can then start choosing which bits of the material will go into the finished video. This can be very difficult if you have lots of material of which you are quite proud or which took a lot of work, but sometimes you have to be ruthless with yourselves in order to get a finished result. Cutaways can be inserted in awkward bits where the miming has gone wrong or the camera is out of focus, as well as in planned moments which you had designed to go with the lyrics. Expect to make compromises – if you have planned well, you will recognise most of it, but some things just have to be done to make the final product ‘work’!
You may need to apply some filters to even up the lighting or just to soften the effect overall and you will need to consider your transitions – you may need more than just cuts, but, whatever you use, make sure it is justified.
Step 8 Screening and feedback
You will doubtless have the opportunity for classroom feedback on your video. Be ready to ask questions of your peers rather than just have them say it was good or bad (they’ll usually be kind on this one). What sense did they make of it? Why did they think certain decisions had been made? What impression did they get of the artist? Was it appropriate for this kind of music? Did it remind them of any other videos or indeed any other media texts? Take detailed notes of the feedback.
Try to get other forms of feedback too. If you can have a VHS copy of your video to show further afield you can take time to get more responses. If you are very lucky you might get your video displayed online in something like the iCritique program we use at Long Road where you can get feedback from anyone who looks at your video. Feedback is interesting even (especially?) if it appears to be at odds with your intentions, as this is a point you will be able to discuss: why does the audience read our video like that when we planned it like this? Is it due to some technical decision or the nature of the performance or something else?
Step 9 Writing
Follow the guidelines given by your teachers according to the A Level specification which you are working towards. Certainly you should start the writing early on, but if you are like the majority of students, you’ll probably leave a lot of it till the end.
Don’t fill your writing with excuses – blaming the equipment, the teachers, the actors, the audience, the other members of your group will not gain you any sympathy or any marks!
Your writing should:
– cover the whole process;
– use technical language accurately;
– include the feedback and your comments on it;
– place your video in relation to the industry (for example, what is a music video for?);
– relate it to real examples and their conventions;
– include an analysis of the finished product using the tools you would use to analyse real examples.
Step 10 Marking
Check your footage early on in the shoot to ensure that it has recorded properly (at some time we’ve all taken twenty minutes footage of our feet going between locations and then switched to pause when we thought we were starting to record …).
Step 1 Research
You need to watch a lot of music videos – and tape a lot too – so you can really analyse the language of the genre. A student video can never be entirely like a real video. They have budgets of thousands of pounds, you have some borrowed equipment and enough for a round of sandwiches – but you do need to consider exactly what you are planning to deliver before you start the whole process.
The video, as a look at any real example will show, has got to sell both the music and the artist, and be worthy of plenty of replays. Different music genres will have different conventions – some feature musicianship, others dance routines; some will have stories and some will concentrate on atmosphere; some will be comic and some will be serious. It’s up to you to start examining how they work and have examples to draw upon, both for your production ideas and for your eventual write-up.
Step 2 Getting in a group
Who you work with on any project is a crucial decision. Sometimes it is good to work with your mates, but sometimes it might be best to avoid them, as having a good time might get in the way of the work.
Step 3 Choosing a track
If there is a choice, narrow it down not on the basis of your personal tastes but in terms of which music or lyrics stimulate ideas. Consider the genre for each and what a video for that kind of music is likely to entail. Think about possible locations, performers, even shots which might be evoked on initial listenings.
Step 4 The pitch
Even if your teachers haven’t set it, you should be prepared to ‘pitch’ for the track you have chosen. This should involve a single page of ideas, simply expressed, which would enable anyone reading or hearing it to envisage the potential finished video. In the real industry, this ‘treatment’ would be presented to the record company, often in competition with treatments from other potential directors. If it is to work, it needs to stand out, with a ‘hook’ in the first paragraph, a clear idea of location, narrative (if any) and something which will make it stand out from the crowd.
If asked questions about it, you must be clear as a group exactly what you are intending and how and why you are going to do it. The key word here is: simplicity. Your ideas need to be clear and simple and your process needs to be simple. The more complications you set yourselves (with location, actors, narrative detail, etc.) the more can go wrong.
The pitch is part of your planning and will count towards your marks. It will also form a useful document to look back on when it comes to the writing and reflecting upon what has – and hasn’t – changed and why.
Step 5 Look at previous student work
A look at any professional work will identify conventions but you need to look at material from a similar context to your own to see what can be achieved and also what can go wrong …hopefully your teachers will have examples you can look at, but, if not, then take a look at the work on our website at www.longroadmedia.com. There are over 50 music promos from 2003 on view, as well as many from previous years. You can leave a comment about any that you look at – indeed, this will be welcomed.
Step 6 Planning and shooting
Timescale is crucial here. In the real world of the music industry it is very likely that a director would have no more than six weeks from being given a brief, or first hearing a track, to plan, shoot and edit the video, then deliver it ready for the record company to despatch to MTV. Quite possibly he or she would be working on other projects at the same time (maybe shooting one in the same week as planning a second, then shooting the second while editing is being done on the first). If you have significantly longer to work on your project it may not be a good thing. Often the most professional-looking work is achieved by students working under pressure to strict time constraints, so you should not complain that you haven’t got long enough. Use your deadlines and time constraints to focus your thinking and working practices.
Storyboard as much as you can. Plan ahead all your use of props, costumes and locations; double-check that your performers are available and know where to meet for the shoot. Keep written records and sketches of everything so that nothing is forgotten. Don’t just have performers wearing their normal clothes but get them to have some costume changes so you can add variety to the video.
Check that the tape is in the camera, that it is the right tape, that you know all the basic controls of the camera and that you have a working tripod before you go off to shoot. Make sure batteries are charged; that you have adequate lighting (remember if you shoot in the dark your footage will be impossible to see), and that you can switch date and time off the camera! Whatever happens, don’t forget the CD! If the performers have to mime from memory, the speed will be all wrong, and harder to put right in the editing.
On the shoot, make sure you have a CD player which is audible for the performer to use for miming and for you to hear when you come to edit, as you’ll need to match up their performance with the original and this is harder to do if you only have lips to look at and no audio record. Shoot the performance all the way through at least three times from different angles to ensure you have coverage. Cutaways can be inserted much more easily from such a starting point.Shoot more than you need and more than storyboarded both for cutaways and because sometimes the most interesting shots are just spontaneous bits!
Step 7 Editing
Loading your footage into the edit program needs to be done sensibly. If you just leave the computer capturing everything you’ll find it harder to work with when you start the edit, so break it down into chunks or load some footage then chop away what you definitely don’t want before loading more. No-one wants the computer full of useless footage, so start to edit straight away. Be a good housekeeper – name your files so you can find them and make sure everything is filed in your folder. If in doubt, ask for help from teachers!
Use effects sparingly and in a planned fashion. Occasionally it may be for disguise purposes, but you can’t produce a whole project on that basis. Generally my advice would be cut and cut again. Sometimes you can extend the ‘natural life’ of a shot to make it more gripping, but only if your footage and performance is really good.
Your first step once you have got rid of the most obviously ‘excess’ footage is to line up your material for lipsyncing. In some programs, such as Premiere, it is possible to magnify the audio tracks and match up sound waves by going in as close as a single frame, but, in others, such as iMovie, it is more of a mathematical process of counting frames and substituting bits of black with matched up vocals. It can be very time consuming, but is crucial to the effectiveness of a finished piece.
Once you have achieved lipsync you can then start choosing which bits of the material will go into the finished video. This can be very difficult if you have lots of material of which you are quite proud or which took a lot of work, but sometimes you have to be ruthless with yourselves in order to get a finished result. Cutaways can be inserted in awkward bits where the miming has gone wrong or the camera is out of focus, as well as in planned moments which you had designed to go with the lyrics. Expect to make compromises – if you have planned well, you will recognise most of it, but some things just have to be done to make the final product ‘work’!
You may need to apply some filters to even up the lighting or just to soften the effect overall and you will need to consider your transitions – you may need more than just cuts, but, whatever you use, make sure it is justified.
Step 8 Screening and feedback
You will doubtless have the opportunity for classroom feedback on your video. Be ready to ask questions of your peers rather than just have them say it was good or bad (they’ll usually be kind on this one). What sense did they make of it? Why did they think certain decisions had been made? What impression did they get of the artist? Was it appropriate for this kind of music? Did it remind them of any other videos or indeed any other media texts? Take detailed notes of the feedback.
Try to get other forms of feedback too. If you can have a VHS copy of your video to show further afield you can take time to get more responses. If you are very lucky you might get your video displayed online in something like the iCritique program we use at Long Road where you can get feedback from anyone who looks at your video. Feedback is interesting even (especially?) if it appears to be at odds with your intentions, as this is a point you will be able to discuss: why does the audience read our video like that when we planned it like this? Is it due to some technical decision or the nature of the performance or something else?
Step 9 Writing
Follow the guidelines given by your teachers according to the A Level specification which you are working towards. Certainly you should start the writing early on, but if you are like the majority of students, you’ll probably leave a lot of it till the end.
Don’t fill your writing with excuses – blaming the equipment, the teachers, the actors, the audience, the other members of your group will not gain you any sympathy or any marks!
Your writing should:
– cover the whole process;
– use technical language accurately;
– include the feedback and your comments on it;
– place your video in relation to the industry (for example, what is a music video for?);
– relate it to real examples and their conventions;
– include an analysis of the finished product using the tools you would use to analyse real examples.
Step 10 Marking
Check your footage early on in the shoot to ensure that it has recorded properly (at some time we’ve all taken twenty minutes footage of our feet going between locations and then switched to pause when we thought we were starting to record …).
Research & Planning: Top ten tips of making music videos...
This information was found on http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/index.html (Media Magazine)
The most successful choices are usually unknown or semi-unknown artists. It is rare that moderators see work featuring tracks by very well-known stars; often choosing your favourite track or favourite artist leads to self-indulgent work.
In your group, listen to the track several times and discuss the ideas that it generates. Don’t just go with the lyrics – look to them to provide a springboard for ideas and soak up the atmosphere of the track. Write a pitch for the material with a strong and simple idea.
Storyboard – you can always shoot extra material but you need a very clear plan for what you are going to shoot so that no time is wasted when you get there. Plan people, places, props and costumes. Arrange every detail like a professional producer would.
This is a fantastic way of enhancing your planning. You can use it to link to videos that influence you from YouTube, to the performer’s MySpace and to any photos that give you ideas. Take recce shots on location and post them onto your blog; put up pictures of props, costumes, instruments. The advantage is that you can add to this planning from any computer and every member of the group can contribute.
Do test shots to try out effects. Check any quirks that the camera has; it is much better to find out before you go on the shoot than when you get back. You may need to check things like how to avoid the camera switching to widescreen mode. Do you know the edit program well enough for the things you intend to do? Experiment before the main thing!
Make sure your location is useable for your purpose. If you are going to have passers-by going through the frame all the time, is that going to mess up your video? If you are on a stage, is it going to look convincing?
Shoot the performance at least three times with different set-ups. More, if possible, as this way you give yourself more options in the edit. Don’t forget: lots of close-ups! Shoot some of the performances with moving camera, handheld, whatever, otherwise it can end up looking pretty static. Make sure you have plenty of cutaways, experiment with extra angles and lighting changes.
Label everything you capture so that you don’t have lots of files all called ‘untitled’ or just with numbers. Label by description for example, ‘close-up singer good 1’ to make it easy to find. Break it into manageable chunks, no longer than the full length of the song itself, and be selective! Don’t capture stuff you don’t need or which is obviously rubbish footage as you’ll fill up your computer unnecessarily and give yourself too much material to wade through.
Synch up performances first and aim to get the whole picture rather than tiny detail. There is a risk of spending far too long on little moments of the video and never getting the whole thing finished: getting a rough cut which comprises just the performances intercut with one another should be an early target. Aim for a dynamic piece of work, which moves along at a pace. Cut and cut again – it’s rare that shots feel too short but common to see videos where shots drag on...
Hopefully you will have the chance for a big-screen premiere of your work at a local cinema which many schools and colleges now negotiate, but at the very least your work will be shown in class for feedback. Get feedback wherever you can and note it all down.
Unlike the real world of the promo director, you’ll have to write about it. Take advice about what is needed in your write up and start early. Get help with drafts of writing – get teachers to read it and comment, give it to parents or friends to help you proofread.
Step 1: Choose a track
The most successful choices are usually unknown or semi-unknown artists. It is rare that moderators see work featuring tracks by very well-known stars; often choosing your favourite track or favourite artist leads to self-indulgent work.
MySpace is a good source of material; if you (or a teacher) search by genre, you can quickly find a range of stuff. You could even search by genre and by geographical area to give yourself the opportunity to find local bands who might even be prepared to appear in the video.
Make it short! Tracks that last five minutes rarely make good videos. It becomes very hard work to sustain the audience’s attention for more than three minutes and it means an awful lot of planning, shooting and editing. A really well edited two-minute video can earn much better marks than a long video which contains lots of padding.
Step 2: Write a treatment
In your group, listen to the track several times and discuss the ideas that it generates. Don’t just go with the lyrics – look to them to provide a springboard for ideas and soak up the atmosphere of the track. Write a pitch for the material with a strong and simple idea.
Have a clear concept which is workable! Don’t try to include too many different ideas – the more complicated you make it, the more can go wrong.
Step 3: Plan for everything
Storyboard – you can always shoot extra material but you need a very clear plan for what you are going to shoot so that no time is wasted when you get there. Plan people, places, props and costumes. Arrange every detail like a professional producer would.
Get everyone’s mobile numbers! You need to be able to contact one another easily. Aim to shoot it early, not up against deadline when something will always go wrong; if you are ahead of the game, you will avoid the problems turning into disasters.
Make sure your performers have rehearsed and know the words; it can be very embarrassing to watch something where the singer doesn’t know the words and it can ruin all your hard work elsewhere in the planning, shooting and editing. It’s part of the director’s job to motivate, so make sure your performer is motivated!
Step 4: Set up a blog
This is a fantastic way of enhancing your planning. You can use it to link to videos that influence you from YouTube, to the performer’s MySpace and to any photos that give you ideas. Take recce shots on location and post them onto your blog; put up pictures of props, costumes, instruments. The advantage is that you can add to this planning from any computer and every member of the group can contribute.
Look at relevant real examples – choose tracks from the same genre to give a sense of what the conventions are, not just great famous videos which may be impossible to emulate.
You can also do an animatic of your storyboard, where you film each of your drawings (however rough) and then capture your shots in the edit program before adding the music. This then gives you the opportunity to see how well your planning, and particularly the storyboard, is likely to work in practice. You may well find that the shot of the band you thought would look great will be revealed as lasting much too long when put with the music, indicating the need to cut the whole thing faster and re-think the storyboard. You can then upload your animatic to YouTube and paste it into your blog for feedback from others.
In effect, your blog becomes a place for all your ideas and the development of your planning as an e-scrapbook and something which can be submitted to the moderator as evidence for your planning marks.
Step 5: Know your equipment
Do test shots to try out effects. Check any quirks that the camera has; it is much better to find out before you go on the shoot than when you get back. You may need to check things like how to avoid the camera switching to widescreen mode. Do you know the edit program well enough for the things you intend to do? Experiment before the main thing!
When you do go out on your shoot, make sure you have the tripod and the attachment to fix the camera to it. Have you checked that the tape is loaded? Have you got the CD and player? If you don’t have it playing out loud on the shoot, you will find it very difficult to synch up the sound in the edit stage.
Step 6: The shoot
Make sure your location is useable for your purpose. If you are going to have passers-by going through the frame all the time, is that going to mess up your video? If you are on a stage, is it going to look convincing?
Shoot the performance at least three times with different set-ups. More, if possible, as this way you give yourself more options in the edit. Don’t forget: lots of close-ups! Shoot some of the performances with moving camera, handheld, whatever, otherwise it can end up looking pretty static. Make sure you have plenty of cutaways, experiment with extra angles and lighting changes.
Enthuse your performers – they must give it plenty! But overall, shoot more than you think you will need – there will always be shots you don’t like when you come to edit.
Step 7: Capture your footage
Label everything you capture so that you don’t have lots of files all called ‘untitled’ or just with numbers. Label by description for example, ‘close-up singer good 1’ to make it easy to find. Break it into manageable chunks, no longer than the full length of the song itself, and be selective! Don’t capture stuff you don’t need or which is obviously rubbish footage as you’ll fill up your computer unnecessarily and give yourself too much material to wade through.
Step 8: The edit
Synch up performances first and aim to get the whole picture rather than tiny detail. There is a risk of spending far too long on little moments of the video and never getting the whole thing finished: getting a rough cut which comprises just the performances intercut with one another should be an early target. Aim for a dynamic piece of work, which moves along at a pace. Cut and cut again – it’s rare that shots feel too short but common to see videos where shots drag on...
Upload a rough cut to YouTube and your blog and get feedback; it will also enable you to trace back your decisions when you come to the write up.
Do any effects work last, such as greenscreen or adding motion paths. This could be several hours work, so leave plenty of time to complete it.
Step 9: Screening
Hopefully you will have the chance for a big-screen premiere of your work at a local cinema which many schools and colleges now negotiate, but at the very least your work will be shown in class for feedback. Get feedback wherever you can and note it all down.
Upload your finished video to your blog via YouTube and look out for feedback there. Get the artist to look at it, to put it on their MySpace and give you feedback.
Step 10: Analysis
Unlike the real world of the promo director, you’ll have to write about it. Take advice about what is needed in your write up and start early. Get help with drafts of writing – get teachers to read it and comment, give it to parents or friends to help you proofread.
Make use of your blog – use it to remind you of the process and all the stages you went through.
Ten things to avoid:
1. Well-known songs.
2. Overdone effects – you shouldn’t use effects just to disguise poor footage.
3. Aimless driving around.
4. Scenes involving booze, fags or drugs (even simulated).
5. Shots of people just walking around.
6. Speeded up footage or footage run backwards to cover lack of material.
7. Zooms.
8. Found footage – it should be your own unless there’s an exceptionally good reason.
9. Atmosphere-less stage footage.
10. Over the top stories.
Ten things to avoid:
1. Well-known songs.
2. Overdone effects – you shouldn’t use effects just to disguise poor footage.
3. Aimless driving around.
4. Scenes involving booze, fags or drugs (even simulated).
5. Shots of people just walking around.
6. Speeded up footage or footage run backwards to cover lack of material.
7. Zooms.
8. Found footage – it should be your own unless there’s an exceptionally good reason.
9. Atmosphere-less stage footage.
10. Over the top stories.
Research & Planning: Music video institutions.
Here is a list of current music video stations on TV:
- 4 Music - this station is branded under Channel 4. It plays all the current, mainstream music mainly in the pop genre with playing programmes like; UKHot40, The UK Airplay top 20, Fresh Music top 20 and Today's 4Music top 10. Not only does this station play music, it shows programmes such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
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| 4Music logo |
- BET - this station is more popular in America, hwoever it is broadcasted here but the quality of the shows are not as good as the ones shown in America, the main music video programmes on this station are 106 & Park and The Heat. 106 & Park show all the current music videos mainly in the R&B and Hip-Hop genre who bring in special guests from time to time such as Chris Brown and Trey Songz. The show is based in New York City therefore the videos being shown are the videos that are popular in America and also sometimes they tend to introduce people to new, upcoming artists to help promote their career. It is a countdown of the newest hits from 10 to 1 where the public can vote for the song and try to get it to number one. This show also includes performances from well-known artists as well as unknown artists to help promote them and also Hip-Hop freestyle friday rap battles.
- Channel AKA - on this station, mainly the UK music is being played in the Hip-Hop/Garrage music genre, however sometimse can show American hits in the Hip-Hop/R&B genre on shows such as Urban Classics. The most common programme shown on this station is Streetz, Grime & Life, which is mostly shows the UK artists and upcoming British artists coming into the Garrage/Hip-Hop genre.
- Kerrang! - This station is based on Rock/Alternative music genre as well as being a popular magazine.
- Magic - Not only is Magic a popular radio station, it is also a popular music TV station commonly playing the music that you would hear on the radio, classics from the 70's/80's/90's as well as movie soundtrack songs such as The Bodyguard and Titanic.
- Kiss - This is similar to Magic as it is a popular radio station but also is a popular music TV station playing current hits that you would hear on their radios such as current Hip-Hop, classic Hip-Hop (90's), R&B, Pop etc... This station is particularly popular with the teenage/young adult ages.
- Chart Show TV - the name of this station is quite self explanitory as it plays all the common hits that are on the charts and sometimes do short interviews with popular artists and bands such as The Wanted and One Direction.
- The Vault - this station usually shows quite old songs but from the 00's era and the songs that my generation would hear from when they were kids such as songs from High School Musical, typical Boybands such as N'SYNC, Backstrteet Boys etc...
- Flava - this station is popular with the teenagers as it is similar to Kiss but shows more variety of songs within the genre of Hip-Hop/R&B, not only do they play the British music, they mostly play classic American hits as well as the current American hits. As well as showing programmes like Tim Westwood TV, a popular radio DJ who falls into the genre of playing current American/British Hip-Hop and bringing guests onto his show such as Nicki Minaj, Lil' Wayne, Drake, Tyga etc...
- Starz TV - this is mostly a station where you can request the songs you want to hear by texting in, they usually show current, new hits.
- Bliss TV - very similar to the station Magic by playing classic hits as well as some current hits but not necessarily the songs that you would commonly hear on all the other hit stations that play the mainstream pop music.
- MTV Music - playing current hits, pop/R&B genre, American and British music such as A-List Playlist.
- MTV Base - mostly showing R&B hits that are popular.
- MTV Dance - dance hits.
- MTV Classics - classic songs being played, programmes such as Class of... 80.
- Smash hits - current hits programmes such as UK Airplay top 10 as well as older songs from 2000-2006 time
- The Box - similar to 4 Music playing current hits in the same pop, mainstream genre - UKHot40
- Q - this station falls mainly into the Indie music genre
- Greatest Hits TV - playing a block of songs from one artists for example Michael Jackson (usually for an hour) varies from all genres and different artists.
- Massive R&B - old and current R&B hits.
- BuzMuzic - current hits
- VH1- the music shown on here varies, it plays classic songs from the 70's/80's/90's as well as current hits from time to time.
- VIVA - does not play a lot of music but does show TV shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Vintage TV - very old songs being played on this station such as Tune into 1969.
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Research & Planning: Music video analysis [5] Rihanna - Man Down
This music video was released in 2011 from the album 'Loud' with a reggae influence.
This video has a clear narrative from beginning to end, going along with the beginning of the day to the end of the day (night time) and fits with the lyrics as it is about shooting a man down, which Rihanna ends up doing and we see this at the very beginning of the video. We first see Rihanna coming out of darkness into the light looking as if she is about to do something bad, looking down at the people in search for a certain someone, this shows voyeurism.
As soon as the music starts we see a close up of Rihanna's face, smiling in the streets of Jamaica. In the mise-en-scenes we see a lot of the streets of Jamaica such as the people walking past, riding bikes, cutting coconuts emphasising the music and genre as it is a reggae song therefore being shot in Jamaica would portray this. Throughout the video, the footage all seems to have a slight red tint to it highlighting what the song is about, shooting a man down and red connotes blood, which we see right at the start of the video. The close ups of Rihanna's face whilst she is singing the lyrics illustrates her emotions through what she is saying as she looks unhappy.
We then see Rihanna on her own with a hat on with a black background and red lights, the red lights tend to flicker, which could reflect a siren that is heard in the music and also relating to a police siren as she has committed a crime, linking to the narrative and lyrics as she says "now I am a criminal, criminal, Lord have mercy, now i am a criminal".
There is also a scene of a party where people are dancing around, which is typical for the Caribbean islands to do and dance in this way e.g using their fingers to look like guns, which could also some reference to the song (shooting a man down).
The video leads to the man attacking Rihanna, which is what the narrative is about so now the audience knows what had happened to explain the beginning of the video. The cuts here a quick as there is something important happening at this point and leading up to the suspense.
By filming the streets of Jamaica and the party scene, gives the video more of a realistic touch giving the audience a feel to what the real lifestyle of Jamaica is like. Whilst seeing the streets of Jamaica and the lifestyles, the footage has been slowed down a bit to show what is going on and not rushing so the audience can see clearly what is happening.
History of Caribbean music genre
Definition of reggae music:
"Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady."
Reggae developed from the music genre of Ska, mento and R&B in the 1960's. The tempo of the reggae music is more slow paced. One of the most recognised Reggae groups would be Bob Marley and The Wailers. Bob Marley is the biggest Reggae star known today, due to his chill-out reggae beats as well as his lyrics.
Songs like these from Bob Marley were very famous back then and even more so today, his lyrics would touch people and make people really think about what is being said as well as enjoying the reggae beats.
Majority of people think that Reggae is the only form of Caribbean music, this is not the case. Reggae was originated from Jamaica and is most commonly known due to the music from Bob Marley, however there are other sub-genres of Caribbean music including:
- Soca
- Calypso
- Dancehall
- Dub
- Mento
etc...
Soca music originated from Trinidad-Tobago in the Caribbean in 1963, inspiration from Calypso music. Soca music pretty much a mix between Calypso and Soul music, therefore the name comes from both genres mashed together.
An example of Soca music, Ras Shorty - I Push On
Calypso music is also another genre that originated from Trinidad-Tobago. The roots of the music comes from enslaved Africans, who were not allowed to speak to each other therefore communicated through song.
An example of Calypso music, Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O). This song reflects dock workers working the night shift loading bananas onto ships.
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