Low Budget Ideas - 1

The Fix - Just Got Paid

Although this music video is low budget it follows many conventions of a boy band which make is successful and professional looking. They followed the conventions of changing their costumes and location regularly which avoids viewer fatigue by giving the viewer something new to look at. Their costumes and locations follow the stereotypes for many boy bands like JLS. Like JLS and other bands like them they included a dance routine which they performed and cut to throughout the video which was in time with the song. They also used a style of lighting that is often used in music videos where they are a number of white lights in the back ground with them standing in front of them with bit of the light shining through. I think this particular choice of lighting is very effective as it complementary with the genre.

The cinematography throughout the video is of a high standard with not on their choice of shots but also the order they edited it into. Cutting from close ups of the members faces to long shots of the the band as whole is conventional to other videos of the same genre.

Conventions of a music video.

Many conventions of a music video changes with each genre however there are also a lot that are widely spread over every genre. A music video does not have to contain every convention, in fact many successful ones only follow a few and create their own ideas making them stand out from the rest. Although almost all music videos follow the basic guidelines to making a successful, professional looking music video.

One of the main things a lot of music videos do is to not have the same things throughout. For instance change the location and the costumes a number of times. The location and costume changes often link to different parts of the song and the lyrics as most things in the video need to have a relationship with the lyrics and the meaning of the song. For example if the video is narrative based the costume and location will follow the story. Many artist are well known for costume changes especially Lady GaGa and to a lesser extent Katy Perry.

These changes to the location and costume help to reduce viewer fatigue as it makes the music video feel exciting, easy to remember, and interesting. 

The editing of the music video is also very important as it helps set the overall feel to it. If the editing is fast paced with quick cuts you would assume that this mirrors the song and would make the video feel exciting and upbeat. On the other hand if the cuts are slow and each clip is fairly long then you would assume the song is slow, emotional, or meant to feel calm. The editing stage is also important because of the lip syncing. If the lip syncing is not in time or incorrect at all it will be easily noticed and the viewer would feel cheated and not believe that the artist is really singing it like they are meant to believe. 

I think music videos many videos follow the convention that they do not tell the whole story but leave it slightly untold. The ambiguousness of this allows the viewer to take the songs and shape it to a situation in there own life and think that they relate to it.
Camera angles and movement is also a big deal in music videos. The main convention is that the shot type changes continuously to give the viewer something new to look at to avoid viewer fatigue. The camera should also move a lot, e.g. pan and tracking.
Although these are what most successful music videos contain the genre of the song/artist often changes what the video should be.

Rock:

Rock music videos tend to have dull or limited lighting and dark locations which often link in with the lyrics to the song. As rock songs tend to be fast the editing of the video is also is fast paced and exciting. I found that rock music videos mainly seem to have an on going narrative that cuts back and forth to the band playing the song live, showing close ups of each band member. For example in 30 Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens the band is shown at the front of the bike ride and then cuts to them playing the song live on a roof top.

Pop:

Pop music videos tend to be very different to rock as the lighting is often bright while the colour bold and bright. Instead of showing bands playing I found that pop videos usually cut to dancers alongside a narrative. One of these dancers was the main artist who was always in the centre of the frame. For example in Lady GaGa - Poker Face, the artist is shown in the centre of the frame most of the time while cutting from narratives, to group dancing, to solo dancing.

Analysis of Rock Videos 3

Blink-182 - All The Small Things

The music video for All the Small Things is very unconventional as the whole video includes stereotypes of other genres which they are making fun of. Although the video is meant to be funny it still works as it follows the conventions of a music video.

It challenges the rock stereotype by using bright block colours. The editing of this very is very fast and the scene changes fairly quickly which is effective as it makes it exciting and interesting which links with the band's style. Many of the shots like the beach scene start of seriously as they would in another video but then something happens to make it comical for instance the man being attacked by a dog. Also some scenes they so serious that you can see that it is meant to be funny. It is successful as it is very different to other videos and many people will watch and enjoy the video as they are being entertained. 

Although the video seems to be meant as a joke all of the shots are well framed and the mise-en-scene is well thought out.

It follows the convention of most rock bands that as well as having a narrative it also shows the band playing live. Once again each band member gets a close up however the main singer get most screen time and nearly always in the centre of the frame. There are also a lot of costume changes in this video which makes it exciting and reduces viewer fatigue.

Analysis of Pop Videos 2

Beyoncé - Single Ladies

This music video does not follow many of the typical ways in which videos try to be successful but the things they do include are effective enough. This particular video became popular due to the dance routine that many people learnt and made parodies of. The dance routine had also been used on many other forms of media like television shows including Glee and CSI Miami, the comic book series The Brave and the Bold, and films including Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Sex and the City 2  which performed covers of the song. 

I think this video as become successful as the dance routine is throughout it and it shows all the steps allowing people to be able to learn is if they watch it. This reduces viewer fatigue a lot. The dance is also fairly simple and easy to learn. 

The video however does follow certain convention of pop videos. This include showing close ups of the artist  and the majority of the time having her centre frame so the viewer will look at her. Although the location of the video does not change the colour of the background switched from white to a dark grey while all the dancers are wearing black. A music video that is in black and white it widely used in pop music which is successful here because other conventions are missed. 

The cinematography is fairly successful as although at first it seems like it just cuts from long to mid show of the dances (straight on) about half way through the video the camera starts to move and begins to circulate them. This reduces view fatigue as just as they are about to become bored of the same shot types it changes and gives the viewer something different to look at. The lip syncing is successful all the way through and it has to be as the main focus is Beyoncé and everyone is looking at her so it has to be perfect to make it feel as if she is signing as she dances at that it is not recorded separately and added afterwards.

I think this music video is very successful as it challenges many of the pop music video conventions but still follows enough for it to be effective and well made. 

Analysis of Rock Videos 1

You Me At Six - Stay With Me

Many of the shots in this music video are beautifully framed and the composition of them add to the emotion the song is trying to portray. The bright lighting (from the sun) challenges the conventions of a rock video which are stereotypically set in dark locations with minimal lighting which I think is very effective. Throughout the video there are many examples of focus pulls which creates a soft effect which is intensified by the range of lens flares. 

This video mainly cuts from two different scenes. The first showing a range of shots of the band performing the song underneath a tree with the sun low in the sky. The scenes featuring the band range from extreme long shots showing the band as whole to close ups on each band member which is a typical of You Me At Six and convention of rock videos. The second scene is a type of narrative showing normal people who have broken relationships burrowing something supposable sentimental, letting it grow, and then there partner 'grows' from the soil. This unusual metaphor links with the lyrics and gives the music video a meaning. 

I think the simplicity of the video is effective with the main colours being earthy yellows and browns which contrasts with the brightness of the clear blue sky and adds a sense of calmness. 

Analysis of Rock Videos 2

Mumford & Sons - The Cave

Although this is indie-rock it still follows many of the conventions of rock music videos. In most rock videos the band members regularly have close ups on their face and The Cave also does this. The main singer of the band receives the majority of the scene time with him centre framed or just slightly of centre. 

The dull and flat lighting in this music video is typical of the rock genre. You can assume that the lighting in the video comes from the sun (or if it is artificial it is toned down to look natural). The sun itself may be either setting or rising however the second line of the song says 'the sun it rises slowly' so you can assume they took this literally and included in the video. The video uses the sun to make lens flares through out the video which gives a soft and calm feeling. The last shot is well framed as they use the sun to make the people in the shot look slightly like shilohutes and then the sun sometimes breaks through.

Many rock music videos choose to have a running storyline and then breaks to the band performing the song. This music video choose to use that idea but twist it slightly. Instead of cutting to the band performing the song they cut to a group of 4 guys (dressed in a military type costume) who seem to be performing it. Although they are playing the instruments and lip syncing you can tell it is not their voices but the voices and music of the actual artist. This is effective as it is different to other rock videos which makes it interesting to watch. Although that is effective as a whole I do not think the music video is that effective as it is fairly repetitive and nothing new really happens and I think a viewer would get viewer fatigue while watching the video. I think it could be improved if something more interesting happened then just the band driving round.

Analysis of Pop Videos 3

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

This music video is very unusual like many of Katy Perry's other ones. Although it is different it still follows most of the conventions of a pop video. 

This music video does not only have Katy Perry in it but has a range of other well known actors/artist. These include Darren Criss, Keven McHale, Rebeeca Black, amongst others. This is effective as if someone is a fan of one of these people they would watch the music video to see them in. It is a good way to introduce the artist and song to someone who would not usually listen to Katy Perry and hopefully they would enjoy the song and purchase it. Every well known person seems to have at least one close up to introduce them however Katy Perry has the majority. Bright colours and lighting are used throughout with a defiant colour scheme of pink.

The music video is clever as seems to be inspired by a high school movie from the 1980s however it is not set then as Perry is seen playing on the Nintendo Wii. This is also clever as it advertises not on the Wii itself but the game they are play Just Dance 2 which features songs of hers. 

Perry's costume changes a number of times throughout the video (which is a convention of many music videos), this reduces viewer fatigue as it makes the video more interesting and exciting to watch. Katy Perry lip syncs throughout the video but at many points she is not as she is actor and in role as someone else or dancing.

I think it is an effective music video as it still follows the conventions of a pop video but bend them to make it interesting a refreshing. 

Analysis of Pop Videos 1

Britney Spears - Piece Of Me

Britney Spears' Piece Of Me is an example of a typical pop video. The video is very face paced cutting quickly from one shot to another which makes it more exciting and reduces viewer fatigue. There is a large range of different scenes that makes the video not as boring which is achieved through different locations, costumes, lighting and shot types. As Britany Spears is the artist the video follows her and contains a lot of close ups showing both her face and body with the majority of the screen time on her.
Pop videos often contain many females with limited clothing and Piece Of Me is not exception. As shown above in the contact sheet Britany Spears and the backing dancers are shown to be getting ready to go to a club of some sort, while doing this they undress. This is done to add sex appeal to the video and to encourage viewership which is done in the majority of pop videos. Like other pop videos as well as a narrative the video all cuts to scenes of dancing (as a group and signally) which like everything else reduces the chance of viewer fatigue.

The Brief

Our task is to research music videos and choose a genre to create a music video for an existing song using the knowledge we learn during the research stage. We also have to create a promotional package for the music video.

Developing my skills on Final Cut Express

I had previous experience using Final Cut Express during Year 12 and knowing the basics will help me improve in Year 13. During the task of recreating the music video In the Sun I learnt how to use Final Cut more professionally and short cuts to make long tasks shorter. 

While importing the footage I learnt how to shorten each clip to shorten the amount of time it took to import which saved time. To do this I hard to mark in (i) the beginning of the clip then mark out (o) at the end of the clip. Once all the clip had been imported into the Browser box you can view them using the Viewer which is also where you make you final in and out points of each clip. Once this has been done you can drag the clip onto the timeline in the order and timing that you want it. You repeat these steps until you have all the clips, in the correct length and place, in the timeline. You can view your progress using the Canvas.

Assessment 13th July JIN

WWW: Great use of photos and contact sheets. You offer insightful and reflective comments on your work and the process of creating it. Your analysis is detailed and clear. More Please!


EBI: Try to use as MUCH Media language terms as you can. I also felt you were a bit modest in ALL the work you did for the video. You could have mentioned a few more items that you did!


EFFORT: EX

Reflecting on Music Video Challenge

My main role for the In The Sun music video was Production Manager. Katie and I put ourselves forward for this role as we thought it would be fun to do but also challenging. This job included organising everyone in the class, sorting out the shooting schedule, making sure there were no problems, and making the final decisions.

As we had a couple of weeks to fully plan for the day we first worked out the priority of the different tasks we had to do and the amount of time we had for each task. Our main priority was to complete the shooting schedule which was challenging, took a very long time, and had to be changed a considerable amount of times to ensure it was correct. As many of the people involved where cast as dancers (which were in many of the shots) it was very hard to work around this and ensure that everyone in the class had a chance direct at least one shot. We had to watch each shot a number of times to make sure we had accounted for everyone and  to make sure we did not accidently make someone the director of a certain shot if they were already in it.

This is an extract from the shooting schudule. We created this shooting schdule and emailed it to everyone in the class before the day to make sure they knew which shots they were in and which shots they would be in charge of filming and directing. This allowed them to have time to plan anything they needed doing for there shots (for example talk to lighting if they wanted particular lights in their shot). We also sent out a number of different emails before to make sure there was no problems and if there were for people to email us back so we could change it. 

On the day I had to quickly change certain directors to compensate for people that were unable to do the ones they were assigned. For example while we were filming in the corridor, to save time Cameron and Shehabur started to set up the lighting in the library therefore I had to replace them with someone else but still making sure that they had a chance to film and direct later on in the day. I had to do this a number of times throughout the task which was challenging to do on top of the other tasks I had.

On top of being a production manager I had to film a number of shots. Although this was fun as we had to try to match up the shots we were doing with the original it was also quite difficult as we had to make sure not only that the cast was in the correct position in the frame but also that the tripod was the correct height and the angle and shot type were perfect. For example one of the last shots we filmed was meant to be a birds eye view but we did not have a crane or any other equipment to film at this height. Thinking about the best solution we decided that someone had to climb the equipment in the gym which was fairly high. I put myself forward for this job. It was very tricky as I had to climb while holding the camera which was fixed onto a Fig Rig. It was attached onto the this as I had to lean over to get the best angle I could and the Fig Rig added stabilisation which it needed as I was up there for quiet a while and my arms began to shake considerably. 

My progress from Year 12 into Year 13 in Media

From the lip syncing task I can see that I have improved in many elements since Year 12. When creating our final product in Year 12 I believe we did not plan or organise our time effectively while in the filming and editing stages. As we knew that importing our footage to the Macs can take some time, during the preliminary task we decided as a group to begin to import our main lip syncing footage while we continued to film more clips of us dancing to add into the sections that we were just sitting/standing there to make the video more exciting which would reduce viewer fatigue. This preliminary task also allowed me to become more confident in front of the camera. During Year 12 I was reluctant to be filmed but during that task I overcame this and I believe I will be more willing to be in front of the camera as a pose to behind it in the future. As well as being more confident as an individual I also think that I can work well in group situations. I achieved this in Year 12 by working in a range of groups with people that I had never worked with before. This has and will help me in Year 13 (and the future) in many different situations which involve groups of many people as I will know how to deal with them and be confident to put my opinions and ideas across while listening to others and building on their ideas.  

Since Year 12 I also think I am more committed to doing extra work that is not set. For example during our group task on In The Sun I spent time outside of lessons to go over the original video, sort out the shooting schedule, and email other members of the class to ensure they know what they are doing and to make sure they are not having any problems.

I think I have more of an understanding about how you can not just film a scene but you have to think about the framing of items and the people in the frame and the importance of making it look pleasing to the eye of the viewer. I am also more aware of what each shot type and the different movements that can be achieved by the camera will accomplish and how they can set the tone of a video. From Year 12 I have learnt that it is better to be as creative as possible and use as many original ideas as I can to help me do the best of my ability in the tasks I have to complete. Using the mark scheme appropriately has also helped me in this area as I am more able to follow it to make sure I am aware of how I can improve in what I am doing and how get the best possible marks avalible.

(add pictures?)