G325 Timed Essay

Discuss how far digital technology has enhanced the creative process in your media production work.

Digital technology has enhanced the creative process in my media production work in a number of different ways, through cameras, editing software and the internet.

My technological skills with cameras has vastly improved over both the AS and A2 portfolios. I learnt how to use a variety of different cameras including Mini DV cameras, SD cameras and now high definition cameras. Now during the A2 year, we have updated our cameras and are now using HD cameras. There is a distinct quality different between this years and last years cameras, which allow you to show the video at the largest size on big screens without a distinct loss in quality. The new HD cameras have a number of interesting features, such as an image stabilizer which help reduce shake on handheld footage. They also have better zooming capabilities than last years cameras with no loss in quality when zooming at high levels. This allows us to explore different camera shots making our work differ from others.

The internet has greatly enhanced the research process of my media production work. Video sharing websites such as YouTube allows anyone with an internet connection to upload and share their work and it is also used by professional media organisations such as EMI and BBC. During the research and planning stage, YouTube allows me to search through millions of videos for inspiration, ideas and analysis purposes. As well as enhancing the planning and research stage it also allows amateur filmmakers to make a name for themselves. With the possibility of a worldwide audience, many filmmakers such as ourselves have had millions of video views and become internet hits.

Another useful technological tool which has been very useful during the construction of both my AS and A2 media portfolio is the ability to use blogging to present my work. Websites such as Blogger and Wordpress allow anyone with an internet connection to sign up and create a blog allowing them to share their thoughts with the world. I have found the blogs very easy to work with and useful as I can update them from both school and at home. Blogging also has advantages over traditional paper based work presentation, as it can display a various number of different media types including videos from websites such as YouTube, which can be embedded into the blog and then supported with text or images. Blogs also have a record of when everything was posted showing when students have posted work etc. Blogging has enhanced the creative process during the construction of both my A2 and AS portfolios as they allow me to display a number of different types of media through just one webpage, such as videos, images and text.

Editing software has also enhanced the creative process with new and improving software now becoming available for the masses. Software such as Adobe After Effects allows users to enhance and edit footage, adding special effects, changing colours etc. A video can be completly transformed using this software with a number of different effects available. These effects include adding lightning, explosions and lots more, all in the post filming stage. This means that if a shot is not quite as you hoped, it can easily be changed by experimenting with colours and contrast and adding effects. This software has enhanced the creative process greatly as it allows me to edit footage professionally and add professional looking effects to my videos. After Effects is usually used before the main editing of the footage begins, as the footage can be changed and effects added before you start editing the main video on video editing software. The software which we are going to be using to edit the video together this year, is going to be Adobe Premier Pro. This software is much more advanced than the iMovie software we used last year, and can lead to a more professional looking video. However because the programme is much more advanced than iMovie, it takes a while to learn all of the basic features, whereas iMovie is much simpler and videos can be created much more quickly. However once you have learnt the basic features of Premiere Pro, it can enhance the creative process during the editing phase of production, because there are more options to choose from, such as video transitions and timing can be done more precisely. There are also more exporting options, such as different file formats which the video can be saved in, allowing higher quality videos to be produced.

Overall, digital technology has enhanced the creative process during both the AS and A2 media portfolios greatly. The internet allows us to gather ideas and research, and blogging websites allow us to display our work in a creative and effective way. Camera technology has also improved which means higher quality and better footage can be produced. Video editing software such as Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro also allow us to modify and change videos to suit our needs.

Filming in progress

Filming for my music video is currently in progress. I have filmed and edited some timelapses and establishing shots and will be uploading my progess soon.

Shotlists for actors

I have produced some more detailed shotlists for the actors appearing in my music video. I will be printing out these sheets and handing them out before the main day of filming. This gives the actors a basic idea of the storyline, and where they appear in the video.

Action Plan and Deadlines

Main Task Deadline: Friday 28th January
Ancillary Task Deadline: 18th February

The main music video must be handed in by the 28th of January which gives me the Christmas holidays for more filming and editing at home. I have listed some more specific dates below. Now that I have completed the research and planning stage of my portfolio, I can start filming and editing footage.


Various filming and editing

Monday 22nd November - Friday 22nd January. Between these two dates I will be filming various parts of my music video, including time lapses and other tasks which I can complete on my own. I will also start the editing process as soon as I start filming and have some footage to play with.

Main day of filming

Monday 20th December. The main day of filming will be taking place on the 20th December. This gives me the whole day for filming purposes and allows me to organise the characters in my music video. During term time, there isn't enough time for a filming day as many of the characters have other commitments. There are also low lighting issues, whereas using a day during the holidays; I can film in lighter conditions during the daytime.

Editing

Editing will be taking place throughout, as i will be editing footage as soon as possible after filming. This allows me to save the project and return to it later when more filming has been done. I will be using Adobe Premier Pro and After Effects to edit my footage.

Ancillary Tasks

For the portfolio we are required to create two separate ancillary tasks after the completion of the practical work. I will be producing a digipak cover for my music video, where i need to design the cover using a template. I will be designing graphics using Adobe Photoshop from pictures taken on set. The second ancillary task is a choice between producing a double page spread from a magazine, or a website page promoting the music video. I have chosen to create a website as I am more experienced in this field.

Conclusion

Overall I am happy with the progress of my work and I will be trying to keep to deadlines and dates set in my action plan as well as possible.

Filming

I  have now completed all my research and planning and I am now ready to start filming. It will be taking place throughout next week, meaning that hopefully I can start editing the week after. I will be using both lesson and free time for filming purposes.

Actors & Costume Research

I am currently planning on the costumes and characters which i which will be featuring in my music video. The costumes are very simplistic and casual.

The postman - I will be aranging for a Royal Mail postman to appear in my music video. The first appearance willl be when the postman collects the letters from the postbox, and another postman will also appear when delivering the letter towards the end of the video.

Costume - Since I will be aranging for a Royal Mail postman to be in my music video, the costume will be the conventional and traditional Royal Mail uniform. This normally features a jacket with the Royal Mail logo, carrying a bag or on a bicycle.

Male Character - The male character in my music video is the first character which the viewer sees. This character could be considered as the main character as the first shot will be of this character sitting at a table. The character will be a 17 year old male. I am arranging for one of my friends to fill this part, so hopefully he will be available.  

Costume - The character will be wearing very casual normal clothes and puts on a coat when walking out onto the street outside the house. He will also be wearing jeans. Overall a very casual costume to reflect an average older teenage male today.

Narrative

Narrative in terms of music videos is the basic underlying storyline of the video itself. A philosopher called Tzvetan Todorov first described the narrative features, splitting them into five differant sections.

Stage 1
A state of equilibrium is defined.
 

Stage 2
Disruption to the equilibrium by some action or crisis.

Stage 3
The Character(s) recognition that there has been a disruption, setting goals to resolve problem.

Stage 4 
The Character(s) attempt to repair the disruption, obstacles need to be overcome to restore order.

Stage 5
Reinstatment to the equilibrium. Situation is resolved, a conclusion is announced.

This basic storyline can be reflected in most modern music videos we see today.

Copyright

Almost all popular music released today is protected by copyright from record labels. Copyright is designed to make sure that the artist of the song, gets the correct amount of money back from their music. I finally found a contact address and have written an email to Brushfire Records, the record label of Jack Johnson, requesting permission to use Breakdown by Jack Johnson on my music video. I am hoping for a response soon and Il will post the results here.

(Click for larger image)



Ancillary Digipak Research

The image below is an example of a digipak. These CD cases are usually made of cardboard and fold out into about 4-6 differant parts. They are often used for double albums, or CD and DVD combination products.

Here is a slideshow video of some famous and relevant album covers which have given me inspiration for ideas for my digipak. As you can see there is a wide variety of differant album covers. Each one is very individual and styles are often assosiated with types of bands. Some bands have art type album covers, and others have photography based covers.

I will be designing a Digipak promoting my music video, here are some other famous examples of album covers i will be using for inspiration. The Queen album cover features the four band members against a black background. Although the cover is very simple, it has become one of the most iconic Queen images of all time, with the same concept later being used in the music video for Bohemian Rhapsody. This is something i am going to reflect on when i produce the digipak for my music video, by keeping it simple but effective.

The image below is the album cover for Arctic Monkeys first album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" The cover is a photo of a friend of the band smoking. The cover was somewhat contraversial with many people critisizing it, saying that it was promoting smoking. Some alternative album covers were released with a similar image but without a cigarrette. Once again this album cover is very simple but also very effective.  



This is a quick draft of what the front cover of my digipak may look like. I have edited one of the images from my location research on Photoshop, changing colours and adding text. I have changed the colours so that only the postbox is in colour, emphasing the importance of it.

I have also added a script type font for the title of the artist and song.

Filming Location Research

This is the postbox which will be used in my music video. This will be used in shot four, after the character walks towards the postbox and posts the letter. There will be a close-up of the postbox during this shot. I like the simplicity of this location and i think it's very suitable for the shot I am looking for. I also like how it stands out from the background and there is lots of room for filming. This location will also be used during shot five when the letters are collected from the postbox. For this shot i am planning on a side on shot showing the postbox opening. The picture above was taken from a low angle. The image below, shows the same location, but taken from a normal angle. I prefer the lower angle shot, because it looks more effective and realistic. The overall mise-en-scene of this scene matches the mise-en-scene i have chosen for my music video.  

The photo below is the road i am going to use in shot five, of the postvan driving away from the camera into the distance. I like the colours in this frame and how the road leads your eye away into the distance. Once again I think that it matches the overall mise-en-scene of my music video in general. The shot will once again be from a lower than normal angle showing the van driving into the distance.

I also made up a mock-up of one of the first shots in my music video below. Once again this shot is very simple, with paper and a pencil on a wooden table. I have matched the mise-en-scene of my music video to this shot. This will be one of the first shots in my music video, which is very important as it sets the scene for the rest of the music video.

Lack of posts

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but the county council have blocked Blogger from being accessed on our school network.

Treatment & Shotlist

Treatment

The main character, is at home sitting at a table writing a letter, for whom is unknown. We see a close-up of the writing of the letter, with the sound of the pen writing on paper the loudest sound. The music starts and the character walks out of the front door, and away from the camera along a long narrow road. We see a close-up of the letter being carried by the main character. He posts the letter in a small postbox and walks away. A few moments later a postman arrives in a red van, and collects the letters and drives into the distance. A 2X speed shot from inside the van is shown, indicating a long journey. The van drives past the camera through the countryside along a small country road. We then return to the shot from inside the car on a dual carridgeway merged with a map of the UK showing the letter moving across the map. A timelapse at sunset shows the daylight fading and turning dark. A series of night shots are included showing traffic on a dual carridgeway from a bridge. Another night shot is shown, from inside the car. The night light slowly fades into daylight by using a slow fade. The video fades to black and quickly shows a shot of feet walking along a gravel path. We then see that this person is a postman and he walks towards a large house. He posts the letter and the recipitent inside walks towards the door to find the letters on the doormat. The character cycles through the letters to find the letter in question. The letter is read and the person smiles.


Shotlist

Shot One
Male character in house sitting at wooden table, writing a letter.

Shot Two
Close-up of letter, viewer does not see the content of it.

Shot Three
Character walks out of door and along a small long road away from camera. 

Shot Four
Character walks towards postbox. Close-up of the posting of the letter.

Shot Five
Postman collects letters and drives into the distance away from the camera.

Shot Six
Shot from inside the car, 2x Speed driving along a country road.

Shot Seven
Shot of van from outside driving through the countryside.

Shot Eight
Inside car shot merged with a map of the UK showing the letter moving.

Shot Nine
Timelapse of sun setting turning dark.

Shot Ten
Night shot of a dual carridgeway, filmed from a bridge.

Shot Eleven
Night shot from inside car, timelapse fade into morning light.

Shot Twelve
Shot of feet walking along path, sound of footsteps on gravel.

Shot Thirteen
Postman walks into drive.

Shot Fourteen
Post letters and recipitent walks to door.

Shot Fifteen
Recipitent cycles through letters to find the main letter.

Shot Sixteen
Character reads the letter and smiles.

Shot Seventeen
Fades to black.

Audience Research

I produced 20 questionares and handed them to 20 people, including a variety of differant age groups and tastes. I am hoping that the results from my audience reseach will keep me focused on my production.

These are the questions which i asked.

How old are you?

How often do you watch music videos?

Where do you usually watch music videos?

Do you think that a music video should show a developing storyline narrative?

Can you name any specific music videos which you rate highly and why?

These are the results from my audience research. I have produced a number of graphs to show the results from my audience research effectively.

The first chart I produced is a very simple one, showing the range of ages who partook in the survey. As you can see I asked at least one person from each age group, emphasising on the 16-24 age bracket, as this is the main age group which i am aiming at. I asked 10 people from 16-24, 5 people from 25-33, 3 people from 34-42, one person from 43-51 and one person who was aged 52 or over.

The second chart i produced shows the results from the "Where do you usually watch music videos?" question. As you can see the most popular source for watching music videos is online on websites such as YouTube and MTV. This shows the development of the internet in the media industry as it is now the most popular place to watch music videos amoungst my questionare answerers. Television music channels are still very popular, but with many music videos now available online on demand, the internet seems a better option. As I will be distributing my music video using the internet, it allows me to reach a wide range of audiences for free.

I also asked how often you watch music videos. A pie chart showing the results is below. The majority of the answers said that they watched music videos occasionally, with 30% of people watching them very frequently. Only 5% of people said that they never watch music videos, and these answers were from the older age groups.

The final question in my audience research questionare was could you name any specific names of music videos which you rate highly. I recieved a wide variety of differant answers, from many different music genres. Here is a list of some of the music videos which were given.

Coldplay - The Scientist

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Feeder - Just a Day

My Doorbell - The White Stripes.

Lady Gaga - Telephone

Conducting audience research has been very helpful during the research and planning stage of the production of my music video. I have learnt that the age group which I am aiming my video at (16-24) mostly watch music videos online frequently. My audience research has also focused me on exactly what audiences want from music videos, and looking at music videos which people rated highly has helped me understand what makes a good music video.



What I have learnt from my research and analysis of similar products

I have learnt a number of useful forms and conventions of music videos from analysing similar media products. One convention of music videos that i noticed during analysis, was how there is often a small section of video before and after the clip, where no audio is played apart from diagetic sound, for example characters voices or sounds from objects within the video. This is something which i am hoping to implement into my own A2 production music video during the editing process. During research i also learnt that music videos don't always have to contain musical instruments and the videos are often conveyed as short films rather than music videos. For example, during the video for "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve, no instruments are seen throughout. This shows how the music video is changing, with videos often becoming more like short films, showing a journey or a story of some description.

Jack Johnson's record label

Brushfire Records is the record label of In Between Dreams, which the treack Breakdown is included on. I will be emailing the record company, asking permission to use the track on my music video. I will post the results here.

Lyric Analysis

These are the lyrics for Breakdown by Jack Johnson.

"I hope this old train breaks down

Then I could take a walk around

And, see what there is to see

And time is just a melody

All the people in the street

Walk as fast as their feet can take them

I just roll through town

And though my windows got a view

The frame I'm looking through

Seems to have no concern for now

So for now"

 
I think that the first verse of the song is very meaningful. The main story of the lyrics is about how inbetween tours, Jack didn't ever have time to explore his surroundings as he was always on the move between differant venues. The next segment is the chorus which is repeated three times throughout the song.
 

"I need this

Old train to breakdown
Oh please just
Let me please breakdown"

Therefore he wanted the train to breakdown so he could explore. However i think that these lyrics can apply to everything, not just train journeys. How we should be aware of our surroundings and explore how things work and differant parts of the world. The next paragraph is the final verse before the chorus is repeated for the ending of the time.

"But you cant stop nothing

If you got no control

Of the thoughts in your mind

That you kept in, you know

You don't know nothing

But you don't need to know

The wisdoms in the trees

Not the glass windows

You cant stop wishing

If you don't let go

But things that you find

And you lose, and you know

You keep on rolling

Put the moment on hold

The frames too bright

So put the blinds down low"

 

This verse is also explaining about the missed oppourtunities and how we should take time out and explore our surroundings and how things work.

 

I think that this song is very suitable for my music video idea, as many people are unaware and of the long journey of a letter across the country. I think that it will show the long journey of a letter and how much work goes into it.     



History of Music Television

Music Television (MTV) is widely known as one of the most influential factors on the popularity of the music video today. MTV was launched in August 1981 at the first music video played was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. During the first few minutes of MTV only a few thousand people in New Jersey could recieve the channel. There were small black cut cards between music videos as the DJ changed the VCR tapes. MTV had an international influence on many people's musical tastes as local record shops started selling international music as seen on MTV. When MTV first launched the original concept was to play music videos 24/7 by VJ's (Video Jockeys) but this was later dropped. MTV also moved into showing live concerts aswell as music videos and these became very popular. Like many other music channels MTV does not focus on one genre of music, but broadcasts a wide range of differant genre music videos, both old and new.

Like many other large organisations, MTV has been constantly adapting and changing to advances in technology. MTV has it's own website where content can be accessed online, and music videos can be watched on-demand from the website. MTV Music, a feature of MTV.com allows users to access a catalogue of music videos, dating back to the first ever music video shown on the TV channel "Video Killed the Radio Star" in 1981. MTV wanted to also dominate the online market aswell as the television market, and succeeded becoming one of the most popular music video streaming websites today.

MTV is now a global music television brand, broadcasting music videos and other music related features in over 83 differant countries to an estimated audience of over 300 million people. This is a far cry from the first MTV broadcast which was only available to around a thousand people in the US state of New Jersey.

Audience research questionare

Please answer the following questions for my audience research below by commenting on this post.

1. What do you expect to see during a music video?
2. What do you think makes a good music video?
3. Where do you usually watch music videos, online? music channels?
4. What do you not like to see during a music video? 
5. Can you name any specific examples of music videos which you rate highly?

I have also created a printable questionare, which i will be handing out to students and other possible audiences. I will post the results later.

Thanks.

Song Choice

The song which I have chosen for my A2 music video is Breakdown by Jack Johnson. I like the rhythm and lyrics of this song, and think that it is very suitable for my storyline.

Moodboard

 (Click for larger size)

This is the moodboard that i have produced for my A2 Music Video. As you can see from the image, my music video is going to be focused on a letter, and the journey which it takes. I have included images of iconic Royal Mail objects, such as the Royal Mail Van, traditional postbox and a postman. I have also included images of acoustic guitars, relating to the song which i have chosen for my music video. I think that my moodboard has helped me focus my ideas and bring them together.

Forms and conventions of music videos

There are many differant forms and conventions of music videos mostly depending on the genre of music. For example the conventions of a hip hop video, are completly differant to a rock or indie music video. I have listed the differant genres of music below, and listed the general conventions of the music videos from that genre, with information from my research into similar media forms. 

Indie

Basic conventions of Indie music videos,

• Usually shows the band performing at a gig or concert.
• Cuts between shots of the band and other shots.
• Has a separate plotline which unfolds separatly from the band performing.
• Close-ups of the band members performing. Also close-ups of their guitars and drums.
• Dark lighting and colours, sometimes completly black and white with no vibrant colours.

Hip Hop/Rap

Basic conventions of hip hop/rap music videos.

• Usually features and focuses on the main artist.
• A party or night club atmosphere.
• Lots of dancing.
• Usually features women who accompany the main artist of the song.
• Bright vibrant colours.
• Close-up shots focusing on artist.
• Use of brand names and expensive houses/cars.
• Expensive jewellry and clothing

Overall, the forms and conventions of the music video depends on the genre of the song which the video is accompanying. During the construction of my A2 media coursework, i will be following the basic conventions related to the genre of my song choice.

History of the music video

The history of the music video dates back to the 19th century, where in 1894 two musicians hired an electrctian and actors to promote sales of their new song.  They projected a series of relevant images on screen, accompanied with live performances from the musicians. This is widely regarded as the first form of the music video, and the basic conventions and forms of this are still in use today. Although this wasn't a music video in the form we see it today as it wasn't a single moving image format this was the first step to combine commercial music with moving images of dancers and actors.

In 1926 Vitaphone produced a series of musical short films which were produced by Warner Bros. These videos were six minutes in duration and featured a song accompanied by a series of animations and shots of the artist singing the background song. Many people consider these shorts to be the first music videos as they combined music and visuals in one video format.

Later in the 1960's the hit band "The Animals" filmed a music video to accompany their song House of the Rising Sun. The video featured a performance of the band miming to the song on a location set specifically built for the video. The video featured a series of tracking shots, close-ups and establishing shots and most importantly had a unfolding plotline. After this, many videos followed suite with popular bands such as the Beatles creating music videos to accompany their songs. Also the introduction of specialist music video channels in the late 90's such as MTV allowed the broadcasting of music videos. After the introduction of MTV, the music video became very popular. 

In 2006 with the rising popularity of video sharing websites such as YouTube, it allowed bands to reach millions and become internet viral hits. Music videos such as "Here it goes again" by Ok Go became huge viral hits gaining millions of views on YouTube. It allows artists with a small budget to broadcast their media online for free, where as before it may have been an expensive and lengthy process to have a music video broadcasted on television channels. YouTube also allowed amateur filmakers such as ourselves to reach millions for free and created a whole new division of amateur music videos.



Oasis - Wonderwall

Oasis - Wonderwall.

This is the music video for Wonderwall by Oasis. The song was released in 1995 and reached number two in the UK chart. This music video mainly focuses on the band playing with somne other differant filler shots. There isn't much of a storyline to the music video, most of the shots are close-ups of the band members and their instruments. The other shots are quite varied and feature alot of differant props. For example seen in this video are a spinning record, saws, clowns, guitars and the band playing darts. The mise-en-scene is very simple, as almost all of the video is shot in black and white, with some exceptions. For example towards the end of the video a guitar is seen in bright green colours which really stand out against the black and white surroundings. This shows emphasis and draws the audiences attention to it. Some parts of the clown are also in colour, standing out from the black and white surroundings. The video also features some interesting camera angles and shots. Most of the shots in the video are close-ups of members of the band and their instruments. However there are some establishing shots showing all the band members together in the building.

Overall i think that the video very suitable for the song. The concept is very simple with just simple shots of the band performing. There are some clever editing techniques which emphasize certain items to bring our attention to them. However i think that the video could be more interesting and engaging if the video had a better plotline, showing a developing story or similar.

Coldplay - Talk

Coldplay-Talk (official Video)

This is the official video for Talk by Coldplay. The song was released in 2005 and was on their X&Y album. The video focuses on the four band members landing on an alien planet. In the video, after landing on the planet the four band members begin to explore. They eventually find a sleeping alien robot who wakes up and follows the band members across the planet. This is the first time we see the band playing their instruments when they try and communicate with the him. The band eventually think they have befreiended the robot, who thinks otherwise and eventually eats their spaceship as the band are taking off. The mise-en-scene of this Coldplay music video is very simple and effective. Firstly the colours are very simple as the video is completly black and white colours. Since black and white pictures are associated with space and the moon I think that the colour choices are very relative and effective. The lighting is also very simple in this music video, it is mostly dark with light from sources such as the robot's eyes and the bands torches. I like how the video combines stop motion animation and puppets with real life and think that the mixture works well. There are no sounds in the video apart from the song playing.

Overall i think that the video is very simple, yet effective. By using only black and white colours the video has an authentic space type feel.

Pitch

My music video follows the progress of a letter from one person to another. It will show all the stages of the letters journey across the country. At the moment I am unsure of the music choice for my music video, but im thinking of a predominatly acoustic guitar song.

My audience

These are 10 characteristics of the audience for my music video.

• Aged 16-24
• Relaxed and laid back lifestyle
• Spends alot of free time listening to music
• At sixth form or university
• Enjoys living independently
• Spends alot of time with friends
• Embraces Technology
• Intelligent
• Uses Facebook & Twitter

       

5 Things...

These are five things i am going to do this year.

• I will use a variety of differant camera angles and shots.
• I will write in more depth during music video research.
• I will use a variety of differant cast members.
• My audience research will be more relevant.
• My evaluation will be more detailed and more in depth.

These are five things which I am not going to do this year.

• Use myself as the main character in my production.
• Put off the filming to the last minute.
• Edit the film on a computer which cannot be accessed regularly.
• Rush my evaluation leaving in until the last minute.
• Film in bad lighting conditions.

Kings Of Leon - Red Morning Light

Kings of Leon - Red Morning Light (Official Music Video)

The video above is the official music video for the Kings Of Leon song "Red Morning Light"  This song was released in 2003. I don't think that this video would have been produced on a high budget, because the song was written before the band went mainstream recently. Once again the general concept of this video is very simple and doesn't require expensive equipment to produce something like this. The video mainly focuses on the band performing on stage possibly at a local gig. Aswell as video of the band performing live on stage, there are also very quick cuts to shots outside of the building. For example near the start of the video there are a series of quick shots of famous London landmarks, such as a London bus and Big Ben. The video also cuts to what looks like a London nightclub, and a british radio station studio. Interestingly shots in black and white old film are also shown, but i am unsure of the relevance of these. The mise-en-scene of this music video is as follows. The lighting when the band is performing on stage, is very dark lit only by colourful disco type lights. The camera angles are mostly close up shots of the band performing and their instruments etc. 

Overall i think that this video is quite an unusual video, with lots of differant quick shots mixed into longer shots of the band performing on stage. It all seems very random and i'm not quite sure of the relevance of some of them. I didn't get bored whilst watching the video because it was constantly changing and there is lots of variation.

The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

The Verve, Bitter Sweet Symphony

This is the official music video for the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve. The song was released in 1997. The concept of this music video is relativly simple. It features the lead singer, singing whilst walking down a busy street. The singer seems to be looked down upon by the members of the public in the video. He often bumps into them and never changes his direction. The main character is very scruffy and dirty, but looks in place on the old and rough street. The mise-en-scene is very interesting and overall gives a cold and dark feeling to the video. This is done through the lack of lighting and editing afterwards making the video look colder and darker than it was shot in. The camera angles are very simple and almost always show the singer walking towards the camera. This shows that the video was probably shot on a proffesional dolly, a tripod with wheels travelling the same speed as the singer is walking. A variety of differant shots are used so that the viewer doesn't get bored with the same shot repetitive main shot. There are often close-ups of the characters face, walking feet, first person shots from the characters perspective and also shots of the other people on the street. I have also noticed that there is a small section of silence with visuals before the music starts, this is something i am also hoping to include in my production. The video also shows a journey, this is something i am hoping to implement into my music video. I have always thought of the song as a cheerful song, but the video shows otherwise. 

Overall I think the video is very simple which could easily be replicated with some camera equipment. However i think that it is slightly boring and isn't quite as good as the song. I have always thought of the song as a cheerful song, but the video shows otherwise.

G324 Action Plan

Original Ideas

After considering the various ideas which i stated in an earlier post i have decided to go ahead with my second music video idea, following the progress of a letter. I have been in two minds whether to choose the short film or music video production. I think my idea could fit into both categories as it could be interpreted as both a music video and a short film. I have decided on the music video option as i think it would be easier to research as there are much more examples of music videos today as they are very popular. I tried researching short films but there are only a small number of these to analyse, so by choosing the music video option i can hopefully raise my research and planning marks because there are much more examples. I also think that music videos will be easier when it comes to audience research as the people i ask will be more aware of them than short films. I need to do the following tasks.

Research

Before planning my project in detail i need to do research on proffesional music videos. Using websites such as YouTube I can embed these into my blog and write analysis about them. I will be analysing details such as the aspects of Mise-en-Scene, Editing, Camera angles etc. I have already done some research on short films, but now I have decided on the music videos i can be more specific and focused on analysing the video as i will be able to relate it to the production of my practical work. I am going to analyse a wide range of differant music videos in order to gain marks for the research and planning stage.

Audience Research

I will need to complete some audience research in the form of a video, asking members of the public questions about music videos.

Ideas in more detail

I already have an idea for my music video, but i need to think about this in more detail. For example i know the basics of the film, e.g the basic storyline and plot but i need to think in more detail about the characters the music ideas and the target audience etc. I will plan this in even more detail before i start filming using a storyboard and scripting the video.

More to follow.

Digital Technology Questions

How has digital technology helped you to capture your ideas for you media production?

Digital technology has been very helpful during the capture of potential ideas for my media production. The most helpful digital technology form are computers and the internet. Websites such as YouTube allow me to browse a wide range of differant video ideas and see what other short films include. I can also embed video ideas onto my blog where all my coursework evidence is housed.

What benefits do digital technologies offer? Are there any disadvantages?

Digital technology offers many benefits in the field of media studies. We can compare lots of differant media forms, and also look back at past videos and news articles through the internet. I don't think there are any disadvantages from using technology in media studies.

How did digital technology influence your work in post-production – for example in the creation of video effects, or the manipulation of images.

Video editing software is very effective in post production work. Software such as Adobe Premier Pro and iMovie offer a wide range of differant effects and allow us to add titles, music and produce a polished production. Before the introduction of the home computer, editing video was a lengthy and difficult process, wheras now it only takes a few minutes.

How have your skills with digital technology developed, and how has this influenced your productions?

I think that my skills with digital technology has improved and develped during the production of my AS Media production work. I have learnt how to use new software such as iMovie and Adobe Illustrator and my skills also improved on software I previously used such as Adobe Photoshop. My blogging skills have also improved as a blog is required as evidence for the project. I much prefer posting on a blog than writing on paper in class.

What role might digital technology play in the distribution of work such as yours?

Websites such as YouTube and Blogger allow me to broadcast my production work to the world in seconds. This means that distribution to a wide audience is very easy and there is no cost involved in uploading videos.

The Black Hole

The Black Hole by Ollie Williams and Phil Sansom is a short film about a tired office worker who discovers a black hole.

This short film has a very interesting mise-en-scene. The room is very dark indicating that it's late at night in the office and the main character shouldn't really be there. The colours have also been edited to show this, as there are no vibrant or bright colours in the scene at all. This is very differant to the first short film I analysed which was much brighter and had more vibrant colours. The main character is quite a strange character who is wearing scruffy office clothes. The positioning of the main character within the scene are fairly normal, but there are a few close up shots featured during the 2 minutes.


The film uses lots of special effects when the man finds the black hole. These could have been created using software such as Adobe After Effects. I think that they are very realistic and cleverly done. Often with amateur short films the special effects aren't always the best, but this film has used them perfectly.

The character finds himself stealing from the vending machine using the black hole and eventually becoming too greedy and gets stuck in the office safe.


Overall i this short film is excellent. Using lots of special effects and a funny moral the creators have a produced a short film which has won lots of awards, including the Virgin Media Shorts Award in 2008.

Fetch!

These are some short films which i have been looking at.

"Fetch" http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004v1mj


This short film is very effective and funny. It has a reccouring issue of the dog not wanting to fetch the stick. The film is only one minute in duration wheras our brief states that our short film should be five minutes long. It is computer animated similar to feature length films such as Disney's Toy Story.



The concept of this short film is very simple. After the dog refuses to fetch, he eventually retuns with an elderly ladies handbag, who gets very angry with the dog owner and hits him with various items, given to her by the dog.

The mise-en-scene of this short film is very simple, with the same simple background focusing our attention on the characters within the scene. The lighting is very bright and the colours are very vibrant which makes the film look similar to a childrens tv programme. The position of the dog during the film is very clever, showing his bordem and how he doesn't want to play fetch.

Overall i think that this short film is very simple and affective. The film is very funny and the animation works perfectly.

Action Plan

Before deciding on the exact brief i want to create, i first need to do some research and planning.

• Analyse some short films and music videos.
• Analyse some recent documentaries relating to my idea.
• Try out some stop motion animation techniques.

Research & Planning prompt questions

How did your research into genre contribute to your production work?

During the construction of my AS Media Portfolio work, i conducted lots of pre-production research into the genre of my film opening. I did research into similar genre films such as The Bourne Identity and then analysed them on my blog. I also analysed the opening of other films such as Quantam of Solace. Aswell as looking at proffessional productions, I also looked at other students work from previous years and marked them using the official mark scheme. I think that this was beneficial and contributeted to my production work, as it meant i knew what the examiners were looking for in my practicial piece. I gained ideas and inspiration by looking at other similar genre productions which contributed to my final two minute opening production work.

How did your research into audience contribute to your production work?

Before starting filming, i conducted lots of detailed audience research including asking people what they thought made a good opening to a film and why. We created a video and uploaded it to our blogs afterwards. I think that the audience research was also beneficial to my production work, because asking students about what they wanted from a film opening allowed me to create an opening which would interest and engage the viewer. During my A2 project, i am looking to do more audience research and ask a wider range of people. In AS we only had time to conduct interviews in and around the school, which meant that the research we gained could have been biased or similar from person to person. This time I am hoping to get a wider range of views by asking a number of differant people varying in age. I am also looking to target my audience research at my target audience.

How did your research into institutions responsible for the production and regulation of the media influence your production work?

I also did lots of research into institutions responsible for the production and regulation of the media industry. For example, during class we did lots of research on large organisations such as Time Warner and IPC Media. However i don't think that this research was very influential on the production of my practical work because this was more exam related than production related. Despite of this it was very interesting to learn about the differant institutions, and i enjoyed learning about the oligocharly organisations such as Time Warner and the News Corporation who own lots of smaller worldwide companies in order to reach as many people as possible and dominate in the world of media.

What pre-production planning techniques did you employ (scripting, storyboarding, shot-lists etc.)? How effective was your planning – how did it help you in the production phase?

I employed a variety of differant planning techniques during my production. My opening had no dialogue so my script was a more detailed shotlist outlining in text what i wanted from each shot before i started filming. I looked at some other proffesional scrips from films like the Bourne Identity to gain inspiration and see what my script shold have looked like. I also employed the storyboard technique where i drew out each individual shot and included information such as the lighting, mise-en-scene and the positioning of characters within the shot. This helped me during filming as i took my storyboard out on location so i knew exactly what i wanted from each shot rather than rushing into filming without any planning beforehand. Creating a shotlist was very handy during filming and overall all the pre-production planning techniques were very helpful during the production phase.

How did you use audience feedback to influence your production work while it was in progress?

During the filming progress i often refered back to the audience research video we created. By doing this it reminded me of what the audience wanted from film openings. During my A2 work, i will probably refer to the feedback more often during planning and production, because it will be in more detail and length.

A2 Project Brainstorming

I am currently thinking about ideas from three differant portfolio briefs.

1) Music Video
Idea 1: A fun stop motion animation music video, focusing on a busy city during Rush Hour, using model cars and old toys etc. Song Eple by Royskopp.

Idea 2: A music video following the lengthy and difficult progress of a letter from one individual to another. Undecided on song, probably a guitar song.

2) Short Film
Idea: A fun stop motion animation video, focusing on a busy city during Rush Hour.

3) Documentary
Idea: A factual documentary about Snetterton Race Circuit.

What is creativity?

Creativity is how you generate ideas in your mind, and then create them in the real world.

The 4 characteristics of creativity are

• Imagination


• Purpose


• Originality


• Of Value
  

Imagination with a purpose

• I can create things in my mind - Thinking about ideas for my A2 Media coursework.


• I try out lots of differant ways to do things and solve problems - Listing possible ideas for coursework project.
  

Value

• Makes observation about the value of your work - I often use this during essay writing.


• I stop and think about how i am doing in my work - I review my progress during the editing process to see how my work looks.
  

Originality

• Challenges assumptions - I like to do things differantly.


• I am prepared to try things even if they dont work out - During my AS filming, i tried lots of differant shots, which didn't make it into the final cut.

What features of your work would you say are original to you?

Which media texts and producers have influenced your creative decisions?

I have watched a number of short films on the internet and also looked at previous students work. This has helped me visualise my project and has influenced my creative decisions.

How succesfully does your work engage its audience and provoke their interest?

I think that last year my A2 project engaged the audience well, by using an interesting storyline and a number of differant camera angles, lighting and effects, which i think engaged the audience and provoked their interest.

Consider some of the creative choices you had to make during the course of your production. How to use cameras, lighting, dialogue, colour etc. How did you make these decisions, and how did these contribute to the final production?

During my AS project i carefully planned each individual shot, including camera angles, lighting and colour before filming. I made these decisions using my instinct of what i thought would work best for my film opening.