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.

A2 Production Briefs

There are 5 options to choose from for my A2 Portfolio work.

1) Music Video

2) Childrens TV Title Sequence

3) Documentary TV Programme

4) 2 Pages of a Local Newspaper

5) Short Film

At the moment I have an idea for a short film which could also be produced through a music video. However i am also interested in the Childrens TV Title Sequence.

Marking A2 Blogs

I am going to mark the planning and evaluation stages of two past student examples. These are the two students.

0257 Becker

Looking at this candidate's blog, i think that the planning and research stage is excellent. There are lots of posts showing proficient research into similar media productions. There are also images of storyboards used to plan individual shots featured in the music video. There is excellent research on camera angles, location research, costumes and props - illustrated through photos and videos. The videos and photos also show excellent skills using digital technology such as computers and camera equipment. Good communication skills are also shown throughout, shown though voxpops and interviews with the public.

Research and Planning: 17 Marks


The evalution produced shows proficient and excellent understanding of the role of new media in the production of the music video.The candidate also relates to audience feedback and made improvements and changes based on it. Understanding of digital media technologies is also used with videos and images aswell as text based evaluation.

Evaluation: 16 Marks

0123 Leeds

Looking at this candiates planning and researching, there are a large number of posts showing evidence of excellent planning and research, including vox pops, costume, props, locations and make-up research. There is also analysis of similar music videos and inspiration for the project. A detailed storyboard has been posted breaking down each individual shot, camera angle etc. Lots of forms of media are used to present the planning and research including images and videos, to support text based research.

Planning and Research: 17 Marks

The evaluation is very detailed and shows excellent understanding of the task. A wide range of technological skills are used including a directors commentary on the final video. There is also a radio broadcast showing what has been learnt from the audience feedback gained. Good communication skills are also shown through interviews and feedback from audience members.

Evaluation: 17 Marks

G325

G325 - Critical Perspectives in Media is a synoptic written exam, which we will sit next summer. Section A of G325 is related to my AS and A2 production work.

1) Describe briefly the research tasks you carried out, including audience research/research into similar media texts.

• Looked at similar media films, such as the Bourne Identity etc.
• Interviewed students on what they thought made a good film opening
• Created a moodboard, with images relating to the piece i wanted to create
• Wrote a short pitch describing about our film openings.
• Analysed the specification for the course.
• Brainstorming activity on all of my ideas.
• Reviewed example films from the OCR website.
• Marking similar film openings from previous years, to get an idea about what the examiners wanted from our practical work.

Overall i think that the research i carried about before filming, helped me understand what audiences want from film openings and how to improve them.

2. Describe planning activities undertaken - including scripting/storyboarding/actors' notes.

• I created a series of storyboards, breaking down each individual shot in detail, including lighting, camera angles and what type of shot i wanted to produce.
• I investigated possible filming locations before filming started, which helped in the planning process, and made filming easier and quicker.

3. Challenges which arose during post-production - including editing/layout design.

• Some of the footage had lighting issues which i had to change during the editing process.
• I had some editing issues, whilst trying to create titles for my opening, which i managed to resolve towards the end of the editing process.
• I had a small problem with rendering my videos because of the file format.
• Due to copyrighting issues, i couldn't use the music which i had chosen in the planning stage. This meant i used lots of valuable time trying to find suitable music, instead of editing the actual piece.

Extended question

1) Assess the impact of the activities/tasks/challenges you have outlined above on the success (or otherwise) of your finished foundation portfolio.

I think that the audience research phase was very important to the success of my film opening. By understanding what the audience wanted from a film opening, i was able to create an opening which would be popular with the audience. However i think that the planning activities were the key to the success of my project overall. Without careful and detailed planning, my project would have been disorganized. Without visiting possible filming locations first, the filming would have been more difficult and would have taken much longer than it did. I think that breaking down each individual shot and creating a storyboard was very helpful when creating the final project. By doing this i was able to have an idea of what i wanted from my project, and what it would look like when complete. I also refered to my storyboard during filming, which helped me create a good project.

Improving at A2

To improve my A2 work this year, there are a number of differant things i would do differantly.

• Improve my audience research. During the research stage of my A2 Project, I am going to ask a larger range of people rather than just students from our school. By asking a range of differant ages, i think my audience research will be more proffesional and relevant.
• Improve my planning. For my A2 project i want to improve my planning and plan in more detail. Although my planning was very helpful during AS, i think that my planning needs to be more detailed and i need to spend more time on this stage.