On review of our music video and the acting in it I think that the outcome was very good. I'm pleased that we had the privilege of working with Izzy. On set she was never embarrassed to try anything we suggested and she carried out her performance with such confidence. Even when we needed more footage post shoot she was happy to do it. The only problem that occurred was post shoot. When editing especially the upbeat parts to the song her facial expressions didn't match making it hard to find footage that would fit, but at the time it wasn't her fault we just hadn't planned properly what we needed.
We created this logo for a new record company that our band and music video would be signed to. We labelled the company 'La Lunge', as we want our song to be signed to a more indie/pop record company, compared to perhaps a typical rock band signing. We thought the colours of the logo would encompass the style and themes our video carries. With the black and white image evoking tradition, originality and 'new' music. We thought the muted colours could convey genres such as Pop, Indie, Electronic, and our genre of Drum and Bass. I think the logo would be typical of these genres, encouraging fans of this genre to look into the company and the music they produce.
Since re-analysing our props and shot types in our music video we have removed some of our original props and introduced new props. We decided to take some away due to flares being quite impractical, due to locations you can use them in, and skateboards not having the desired effect we had intended them to have.
We are now using a projector to project images of cities onto the artists face, and possibly to replace shots we previously would have taken in London.
The Lighting - they could overheat or burn out, in the most unlikely case cause a fire. So after use switch of lighting to let it call down and don't touch the bulb as it could be very hot. The lighting could also be very bright, potentially distracting vision or blinding the eyes. To prevent this try not to look directly into the light. The lighting is also very heavy and big, moving it could be a problem. When moving lighting take care of your surroundings so nothing gets damaged in manoeuvring, try using your whole body strength rather than just your arms, always ask for extra help if needed.
Wires/Chairs/Tripods - anything on the ground could be a trip or slip hazard, causing minor or major injuries. To prevent this from happening always keep an eye out as to what is on the floor and move things out of the way if they are not needed.
Food and Drink - keep consumption of food and drink to a minimal in the studio. Leaked drinks could damage equipment and make the floor slippery, causing unwanted damage or injury.
While shooting in the Urban locations be aware of ...
The Weather - if its a bright clear day its more visible and safe. If its wet and slippery, this could be a potential hazard. You wouldn't want to slip or fall, especially when holding camera equipment as this could cause damage or/and minor to major injuries.
The Public - if in a public area or space always be aware that the location is not just for your use. Other people may need to use the area themselves so always be considerate and ask for permission to film there.
Traffic - when walking around the urban areas we need to careful around roads especially when shooting or carrying heavy equipment. You wouldnt want to cause a collision or fatal accident. To be more aware, always check its clear on the road, both left and right, and always try to cross were there is an avaliable crossing.
Its important to understand all the risks and hazards involved when filming, as its easier to know were the potential accidents can happen if they do and the types of injurys that could occur.
The props we have chosen to use in our video are yellow smoke flares, to contrast the black and white effect but to also use sparklers to emphasise the lighting in the video.
we will also be using certain props as skateboards, and fairy lights, we will use these props in order to retain the effect of journeys, which is our focus point for our video. the fairy lights and sparklers will be used too add definition to the video, but to also help us achieve the desired effect, in our projections that we will be including in our video.
other props that we will be including in our video would be a longboard, and penny board. these will be used in order to show movement as this is one of binary opposites, staying still and moving, this therefore helps to create a better sense of freedom and movement.
From our research, we have found that the most common themes throughout drum and bass music videos include minimalist locations, with simple mis-en-scene and a mix between high and low lighting. For this reason, we have chosen to use industrial areas that appear clean and minimalist, as well as a studio to focus more on the lip syncing.
These are just some examples of potential places in which we wish to film, as we feel this will create the perfect locations for for the type of video we aim to create.
We liked this image most because the focus focused on the prop mostly, with dark colours contrasting the bright ribbon. The concept links well to our music lyrics, following Goodwin's rules of linking visuals to lyrics. The focus in the cinematography is clever as it focuses more on the action and prop, rather than the person featured in the image, which is typical of the drum and bass genre.
Least Creative Image:
Although we liked the concept of the shot, the idea doesn't link to the music our video is based around. The prop is lost in the background, and the overall focus in the image is hard to find. Although the foreground props are clever it looses the image of the actor.
We choose this still as the least creative because, the positioning does not reflect the artists and the shadow is not accurate enough to represent the artists image. Although the colour scheme is effective its doesn't engage in what is happening.
Most creative
We choose this still as the most creative because metal structure helps to frame the artist's image making them stand out for the audience to focus on.
Here is a storyboard that I believe will help with insperation when we come to making our music video, digipack and magazine ad. This collection of photos I made together by using a site called www.gomoodboard.com , I got these photos of my own personal Pinterest account.
I decided to pick these particular photos because I belive that they show what we want to achieve for our music video. The brutalsit architecture and seagulls helps to create an urban theme. And the two outfits, one for the urban scenes and one for the studio is what we want to help create a contrast. The face shows the type of makeup we are going for on the singer, very natural. And the logo in the top corner is what I created for our record label, very minimalist which suits the look of the video.
This is the first video made by students that I will be analysing. I liked the opening of the time lapse showing the shadow of the trees moving, as I think this is an effective editing technique as well as an interesting way to set the scene for the rest of the narrative throughout the video. The use of varying shot lengths is effective as they begin with longer length shots, as the 'scene is being set' and the 'characters are getting introduced', and they then get shorter as the pace of the story picks up. For example when they're running through the streets and beating up the boy. (Action shots.) The lengths of shots are also longer when the 'artist' is singing, which perhaps makes the audience focus more on the lyrics of the song, in an attempt to fully portray what they want the audience to focus on. (Being the meaning of the lyrics, and how this links to the visuals they've created.)
Additionally, a filter has been added which I think is effective as although the video has been recorded when the sun was out, which you would expect to be light, the filter makes it darker, which sets the mood for what the narrative is about. I thought the costume was appropriate as they are presented as teenagers who don't care what they look like and the boxer was dressed appropriately for the scenes in which he was shown to be working out.
There was incredibly controlled use of the camera, especially when they were running through the streets.This helped add to the excellence of the video overall, as well as the use of varying shot types, from long shots, to mid shots, to close ups etc.
They clearly paid close attention to mise-en-scene as there was nothing in shot that shouldn't have been, particularly when the 'victim' was shown in the gym, everything in the frame was appropriate. Although they created a narrative video, which is usually frowned upon for being boring, I believe they created a narrative and portrayed in such a way that perhaps isn't initially clear the first time you watch it. This therefore makes their target audience want to watch again in an attempt to fully understand it, therefore conforming to the Active Audience Theory.Additionally, I liked how they related lyrics to the visuals for example, 'never wanted this' is playing whilst the couple are arguing as well as 'trapped in a maze, repeating the same mistakes' relating to them beating up the 'victim'.
Finally, I liked how the video was edited to cut between the 'artist' singing while he stood, positioned to the left, inside, with artificial light hitting his face from the right, immediately juxtaposed
with a shot of him sitting (to the right) outside, singing, while the natural light of the fire reflected onto his face from the left.
Overall, it was very clear that they'd thoroughly thought out their narrative, had planned their locations and edited effectively in order to create a top piece of work.
This is the second video I will be analysing. It begins by fading to black and white, which I think is effective as it immediately conforms to the genre of music and sets the mood of the video.
I found the use of close ups to be very effective as again, it's typical of the genre and highlights the desperation the 'artist' feels.
I found the editing made it more interesting as they layered clips from different locations as well as editing to the beat of the music and portraying the story they intended.
I feel like the hair, make-up and costume were appropriate for the genre as it appeared to be expensive and it's obvious they both care about their appearance (contradictory to the previous video i analysed, as the music is clearly of different genres, therefore the costumes need to be as well, which is fully captured in both. Finally, I liked the use of a smoke machine and 'rain' as this made it more interesting to watch. The 'rain' could be a link with the lyrics 'tears are gonna fall,' which means they've successfully followed Goodwin's rules.
Varying shot types were very limited until towards the end of the video when there was a birds-eye shot of her in the bath.
This is the final video I will be analysing. Even though it was a narrative, I found it entertaining to watch and thought it was edited well as it matched the beat. Also, there were varying shot types, from close ups to tracking shots. (Whilst running.)
It is also conforms to Todorov's equilibrium theory as it begins peacefully with the friends walking, and then there's disruption throughout whilst he desperately tries to find her and then equilibrium is restored at the end the end as he finally finds her.
I have found this research beneficial as I have been able to judge for myself what makes a music video effective as well as what is possible to make simply with just a camera. I have also been able to see what I specifically liked about particular things, for example the use of varying shot angles and lengths, and not having shots that are too long, all of which I know I can include when it comes to the editing stage of our video.
Music videos are an increasingly important promotional tool for artists and labels. They allow musicians to build their image, get their music heard, get new fans and earn money. And this can all be done through the power of YouTube.
The importance of having YouTube is ...
YouTube is the primary search tool for music on the internet
It’s easy to share and embed from YouTube. This means videos can be shared on other social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
YouTube loves music videos and encourages partnerships with labels and artists, which could bring financial benefits.
Radio decisions regarding play listing are commonly based on YouTube stats, while record labels, managers and publishers use stats as an important popularity indicator when signing new acts.
A good example of YouTube exposure has been Justin Bieber. Nearly everyone who first discovered him through YouTube. With that in mind, Bieber takes every advantage of the YouTube format to let fans know how to connect with him as well as where to find his music. Links and page banners encourage viewers and visitors to his channel to buy his singles on iTunes, visit his online store, follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook. All the links to other media platforms allows unknown and well known artists to get greater exposure than ever before. A big part to any artists success is down to fan access and engagement. The success of promoted videos is fairly obvious; fans want to get to know the artists they love and have an inside look into what it’s like to be them. All access type content can be hugely beneficial for artists, as fans get to known the performer better, meaning the brand and consumer build a greater relationship, causing more views to be received on YouTube.
Overall, YouTube is the main hub behind any artists success and without it there would be less views, less promotion and eventually no music.
macklemore: cant hold us:
when analysing this video, i found that they had produced good relations been lyrics and visuals, they did this by interpreting, certain lyrics such as 'thief' and accompanying this with a man walking off with a bag which wasn't his. also when 'money' was mentioned they accompanied this with a shot of the robbers giving a busker money.
the relationship between music and visuals was shown by there editing to the beat, this is shown at 3 separate occasions at 1.04 where they used the music to incorporate their movements. also at 1.30, where they editing the clips to the beat changes of the music.
the cinematography used in this music video was amazing, certain examples would be shown where they used the text, to show the clips through it this can be seen at 1.33. however they also used a significant amounts of tracking shots which were effectively used at 1.41.
arianna grande: problem:
when analysing this video i found the relationship between lyrics and visuals were proficient in the video, this can be shown where they use the lyric 'i want you' and they subsequently point to the camera, as if they were referencing someone. another occasion where they effectively combined lyrics and visuals was where they said 'one less problem without ya' here they used the shot of the man on his own, referencing how he has no problems now that he is alone.
the relationship between music an visuals was effectively shown at 0.45, this was where they had the low angle of the girls dancing, which in turn matched the beat and rhythm of the music. another example would be from 2.10 onwards, here they show excellent editing to the beat of the song, chaining the clips on every beat.
the cinematography used in this video was proficiently used, an example being at 0.53, the establishing shot of the girl dancing. this helped with the m-e-s as it showed a different location but also enabled the audience to focus on the girls dancing. another example would be at 2.09 with the medium long shot, of the girl rapping, this helps bring the focus of the video onto the girl but the shot frames all that the director wanted the audience to see.
labyrinth: express yourself:
when analysis this video i found it to have an excellent use of using lyrics and visuals. this could be shown where the lyrics say, 'dont turn heads' this is followed by the man trying to get the attention of the girl on the street, and her subsequently ignoring him. another example of their use of lyrics and visuals would be where they first referenced 'express yourself' and they followed it with a clip of street dancers, expressing themselves.
the relationship between music and visuals was achieved at 0.06, where they edited the zooming in to the beat of the song. another example would be at 2.40, where they clicked and the shot changes to the silhouette of a man singing.
the cinematography was excellent, this was shown at 2.49, this is when they are dancing in a tunnel, with balloons this shows them to be expressing themselves but also references the great use of m-e-s. another example of great cinematography was shown at 2.20, where they had the spotlight only focused on the main character dancing and subsequently expressing himself, for all the audience to see.
We created a survey for target audience members to anonymously supply opinions and expectations they would have of a 'Drum and Bass' music video. The results support our initial ideas for our music videos, with unanimous responses on 'fashionable costume', and 'editing to the pace of the music' and with answers such as "Because the music video is fast pace - they should always be moving" we have re-thought elements of our music video to incorporate dance elements into our performance aspect.This supports David Borwell's theory that the audience defines the genre rather than the director.
How we interpreted these suggestions and put them into our music video.
Since creating a survey for audience memebers on their expectations of a music video in the drum and bass genre, we have changed elements of our music video to comply with their suggestions. 'Would you expect the pace of the video to link to the pace of the music', was responded 'Yes' by 100% of people asked. Therefore we increased the speed of shots in places such as the chorus to meet with the fast pace music that features only in the chorus. As the song starts off slow, so does the video, and after the first chorus, the speed increases, as does our video editing.
Secondly audience members said they expected to see both dancing and performing in our music video, so we interspersed shots of the artist dancing in projections alongside close up shots of the artist singing.
