Thursday, 18 November 2010

Introduction

Introduction

This is the introduction to our groups blog for our A level Media music video project. There are four of us in the group which includes: Sam Busby, Laura Stoker, Callum Leach and Katy Finn.

We have to create a music video from a released song, but does not already have an official video, so as a group we have decided to pick ‘Need You’ by Travie McCoy. We picked this song because we liked the lyrics and the way we could incorporate a narrative and band performance. We felt as if the song fit with our bands brand image and the way the song came together as half of it is slower paced, and the rest is relatively fast, this will help when it comes to the editing stage and in terms of gaining marks. We have a lot of very good initial ideas like our motif for the band/video, killer shots for the video itself and how we could film for the narrative parts.


We also have to create an advert, DVD front cover, back, spine and inside of the DVD box. We have to make these look relevant to our genre and brand image, for example using keys on the front cover as this our main motif etc.

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

Advert Analysis - Summer Homework

This advert from rapper Eminem is in a pixel form. It’s a controversial advert as the pixel colours have a colour key in the bottom right which converts to some of the greatest rappers of all time including: Run DMC, Ice T and Vanilla Ice This shows a cocky approach again towards his music/talents. Another simple advert from Eminem but which shows emotion and the use of mise-en-scene is accurate for his genre including a hoody and chain. I like this advert because he is putting himself on the same level as the other big rappers.

DVD Cover Analysis - Summer Homework

Michael Jackson: Number One Hits
This DVD cover is very simplistic, yet still effective. Michael Jackson is clearly a very famous and established artist, these means that he can be simple because people already know what he is about. They know his genre, his style and his music. On the back of the DVD cover we see his signature hat, reiterating his establishment and the fact he is famous. He is posed in one of his famous dance moves on the front cover and the colour of the font matches his clothes and he is wearing black and red. The ‘ones’ is in red to make it stand out.


Analysis of music videos, DVD covers and adverts

This is some analysis of 3 music videos, 3 DVD covers and 3 adverts. We had to do this so we could get inspiration for our own video, DVD cover and

Music Videos



















There are lots of effects used in the video for example at the beginning when Michael turns in to a werewolf. There are many different camera angle/movements used to make the audience feel different about the scene. There are lots of props and costume used to create an eerie feeling to the video, for example the zombies wear scary costumes and have lots of make up on to make them look realistic. Michael is wearing red and black which are his signature colours. The video is a narrative as it follows Michael on a date and the events which happen. I think this was a very successful music video as it has become very well known and most people will know the video even if they don’t know the song.















This video is set in a candy land which Katy Perry has to make her way through. She is dressed in a dress made of candy which shows she is playful and has a sweet side. She also lies naked on a cloud made of candy floss. Snoop Dogg is in a suit covered in candy which shows he also has a playful side. There are other people dressed as candy throughout the video. The video links with her latest album which has a pose from the ‘California girls’ video.















The first shot of the video zooms in on the band, while they are singing. It is quite a simplistic video as it is just the band playing, there are a variety of camera angle/movements used to make the video more interesting. There is no narrative and it is just the band playing, they may have chose to do this as they are such an established band they don’t need to have a narrative as the band performance is entertaining enough.


DVD Covers

















This dvd cover links to the Thriller music video as it includes pictures from the video and the colours relate to the video. On the front cover there is a statue of Michael which makes him seem very powerful, it also links to his advertising as the same statue was pulled down the thames to advertise his album and tour realease. One side of the statue is lit which make it look mysterious. There is a lot of writing on the back cover and only two pictures this shows he is such an established artist that he does not need to use lots of picture as people will know who he is. The dark colours futher show how dark the narrative of Thriller is.



















The front cover has a picture of the band in a pose from the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ video, this is the only image on the DVD, this is because they don’t need to show who they are, as they are already established artists. There is no colour used on the front our back cover of the DVD, this creates a more serious look for the band and fits with the genre of music they do. There is a lot of writing on the back cover, as well as the track list there is lots of information abut the DVD.


















The picture on the front cover is a collage of pictures of David Bowie and him as Ziggy Stardust, this shows there are two sides to the artist. The dark colour show the serious side of the artist and the bright colours of his hair and eye show a more playful/fun side. The only writing on the back is the track list. There is not much colour used and the colours that are used are quite dark, this is to make him look like a serious artist. The Bowie on the front cover is bigger than the best of this is so it stands out and makes him look important.



Adverts























This advert is very simplistic and has one main image of Michael dancing. There is lots of wirting as it is not only advertiing his album but tour as well. He is wearing black and red which are his signture colours. The floor has been lit purple where he is standing to draw more attention to him. The most impotant bit of information, the date and time of the release is in a box and highlighted white which makes it stand out.

DVD Cover Analysis - Summer Homework

Eminem: Encore
This album cover is the complete subvert of what you would expect to see on an Eminem album cover. Eminem is wearing a navy suit, not what his genre of music would usually wear on a front cover; we would expect to see him wearing something along the lines of a cap, chain, baggy jeans and\or hoodies etc. The cover is very simplistic; it consists of him just bowing in front of a laid back crowd. This may show arrogance as he is trying to show people he is talented, a cocky approach for an album cover. The cover is very dark, which suits the genre of hip-hop/rap. He is on a stage and this fits with the title name: ‘Encore’. The ‘E’ at the start of the word Encore is the other way round, this is appropriate as his name/band logo are also reversed.

DVD Cover Analysis - Summer Homework

Rihanna: Only Girl in the World
This album covers female hip-hop and pop artist Rihanna. The album is called Only Girl in the World and it features Rihanna kneeling in a field by herself. She is wearing a red dress with bright red hair, which shows connotations of love but also danger. It is a simplistic which does not have much going on, but is very affective. The red dress is only covering vital parts of her body, showing the rest of it, this has be done to draw in certain people and this is part of her brand image. In the top left hand corner is her signature logo which helps advertise her brand image.

Research into previous music videos, adverts and DVD covers

In order to create a varied and interesting video with many camera angles, shots and also a strong narrative, I feel that it is important to research into previous videos, adverts and DVD covers.

Music Videos

Ok GO- Here it goes again.
It begins with all men stood waiting for one to switch something on with a remote and struggling, adding a slightly amateur note to the filming, hinting at the camera being on a tripod with only them selves to press play and stop. I like this as it sets them apart from the popular and common type of music video that use advanced technology, expert camera men and special effects, angle is static throughout and for this video it works. The video is so simple but extremely effective, the silver background used doesn’t even fill the screen, showing effort but not perfection. The out fits of the men seem to be quite geek chic further proving the nerdy set up. This video has a good mis-en-scene, however more videos need to be ananlysed to gain knowledge of camera angles.

Tegan and Sara- Call it off.
This video consists of a woman dressed in white possibly showing purity and several coloured telephone wires which could represent damage, its extremely simple, for a sad complex song. The colours contrasted with the white scene looks powerful. It is simple but has powerful meanings behind it, she is being wrapped up and ‘starts to wonder if this is the thing to do’ further proving her entanglement and confusion she portraying with the lyrics. The song is called 'Call it off' and the girl is being wrapped in telephone wires, ironically the title is negative and as thought they are disposing of the call, but she is being wrapped up. An extensive use of angles are used, thought it is a slow song some of the shots are quickened in pace to express the frustration of the character in narrative.

The Script- For the First time
This video holds a strong narrative with a strong band performance, and so I think this is a good example of the type of video we hope to create. There are many extreme close ups of the lead singer, portraying emotion from of the song. The Band is in black and white, which creates a solemn effect, however this may not suit all songs. There are also a variation of different camera angles, from point of view low angles of the building and the sky to high angles of the girl standing. The frequency of edits between band perfomance and also the characters faces is the speed and framing that I would like the acheive for our music video.

DVD covers
The Blur
This DVD cover is simple but very colourful so it stands out if on a shelf in a shop. Although the colours are brash yet it looks sophisticated. It is easy to tell that it is a band because there are four men, in a qaud also makes them look united.

The Kings of Leon
This DVD cover is mysterious, the bottom is eye catching and almost ambiguos as it could be an eye or even an explosion from the ground, reguardless of what it is the colour is mesmerisng and could be hinting at the colourful songs within.

The Who
The black and white of this photo contrasted with the colour of the logo on the t-shirt and the writing is dramatic. The cropped picture leaves it to the imagination to form the rest of the man, and so the person is universal and could really be anyone.

Advert

Tegan and Sara

This is advert is almost retro, and would be one placed in a magazine. The name of the girls is clear and simple with a stylish font. The photo is also simple and the black and white theme only adds to the simplicity. I would like our advert to be simple as it is easy to read while passing and the information is easily taken in.

Callum Leach Summer Homework Task

For my summer homework I had to analyse 3 music videos, 3 music adverts and 3 music DVD covers. I researched the way that everything matched the genre of the music.


Music Videos


Usher ft Pitbull – DJ got us falling in love again.
The beginning shows a nightclub with smashed windows and glass all over the floor until suddenly everything is rewound and back to normal. Then it shows usher dancing in the dark nightclub showing just his silhouette against a blue window. The video overall has a mysterious feel. The camera cuts to the shots of people dancing in the club changing in pace of editing. Slow motion and many short cut/reverse shots are used to match the lively music.




Rihanna ft Eminem - Love the way you lie
The beginning shows Rihanna standing against a burning background showing fire. Then the video cuts to Eminem at parts who is located in a cropfield. There is also a narrative during the video showing a couple who are in a confused relationship and they constantly fight until he finally burns her in the house. The narrative storyline matches the lyrics. The dark and dismal setting correlates to the emotional concept of the lyrics. The editing is continuously at a steady pace to display the storyline to the audience more clearly.







Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
The video begins showing Katy Perry in a car with a boy driving with the roof top down on a sunny day. The song is very happy and loving and the video matches this as the couple swim in the sea in a romantic manner. The editing is slow and shows the main couple in the center of the crowd of people with the focus on them. Then the ending shows the couple dancing at a party at the nigh time. The video finishes showing a close up of their faces and shows them exchanging eye contact.








Adverts

Gnarles Barkley
This music advert is very eye catching with all the different colours and the anamatic concept to it. I also think that this represents Gnarles Barkleys music genre very accurately in his ways of being exciting. The bright background also makes the colours stand out in the middle as they come out of smoke. This image is very powerful.












Joss Stone
This advert is very classy and sophisticated. This matches her type of music and persona. Her genre of music is relaxing and slow and this image matches this with her relaxed facial expression and chilled body language. The dark background makes her standout well along with wearing the blackdress.








Tinchy Stryder
This advert shows Tinchy Styder who is a rapper/ hip hop artist and this image links very well to his genre. He gives off a very cool pose which also comes through in his clothing, sunglasses, accessories and piercing. He is stood against a dark background which makes him stand out a lot more.












Katy Perry
This advert of Katie Perrys tour shows her perched on a sunbed wearing bright coloured clothing against a stormy background. The contrast makes her stand out and makes her much more visable to the eye. The pink font stating her name matches her attire in style and colour. Also her music style is very fun and bright which matches this advert.










DVD Covers

Kanye West
The DVD cover for Kanye West Album late registration links to the image very well showing a small bear waiting to walk into class late. The imagery used here is very powerful especially with the dark doorway and then showing the brightness coming from inside of the room. The image links to the name of the album aswell.








Nelly Furtado
This DVD cover is very dark and mysterious using red and black as the main colour scheme. The colours give off a fiery and haunted look. The way Nelly Furtado is positioned in the rule of thirds on the front cover along with the bright red colours around her creates an emersed image. The way her silouette has been edited so brightly and discoloured makes her stand out against the dark background. The red font used stating her name is so bold and dramatic and the red colour scheme has been continued throughout. The back of the DVD cover shows a burst of red orbs along with an image of her concert. This gives the audience a taster of what is on the DVD.


Faithless
The dark colours used in the front DVD give the dark and haunted look that the band do use in terms of their music. The way that the singer has his eyes closed and is topless shows he is vulnerable. The cover is very relaxing which also matches the style of their music. The back cover shows the back of him which is very clever as the front shows him from the front.

History of music videos


Decades before now songs were listened to and that was all, music for the ears, but as time and technology expanded music was for the eyes too. In 1884 Edward B. Marks and Joseph W. Stern created a picture story for their song ‘A little lost boy’ which consisted of a set of still pictures related to the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCBtMPvuKQ
The first performance of this didn’t go without the usual technical difficulties that we see today and some of the pictures were upside-down and of inappropriate size and placement; however this was corrected and proved very popular. The illustrated song technique was still being used in 1937 when some colour movies had begun to appear.

In the late 1950’s the Scopitone which is a visual jukebox was invented, and the trend of creating short films to accompany your song was popular. Then came more modernized short films, Bessie Smith takes the main role in a dramatized video telling the story of her song St Louis blues. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Who6fTHJ34


And from then Black and White videos for artist’s songs were popular, and the Beatles became influential with videos such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FQhRu5HMs A hard days night.

As the world developed technologically television played a main role in promoting artists and their music, Top of the Pops in the UK showed bands mainly live. However then a ‘music channel’ made an appearance, the first ever 24-hour-a-day music, called MTV. Here videos were shown, and so promoted a band or artist without them having to be there singing. This was influential to the world of music videos, in Chinese music videos are known as ‘MTVs’. People who listen to songs don’t all hear it the same way, and so a music video gives an insight into one interpretation of the song. Also a music video aids the music and lyrics in bringing the song to life.

Tuesday, 16 November 2010

Narrative Theory

In order to create a strong narrative alongside what we hope to be strong band performance our group did some research into a few theories about narrative structure, as we would like to create a logical and interesting narrative.

TODOROV’S THEORY
Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives. He stated that films and programmes begin with equilibrium (a calm period). Then disruption causes disequilibrium, a period of unsettlement and disquiet. This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end.
BARTHES’ ENIGMA CODE
The narrative will establish enigmas or mysteries as it goes along. Essentially, the narrative functions to establish and then solve these mysteries.
ARISTOTLE'S UNITIES

A narrative should be created within a 'unity' of time, place and action - that is, it should all take place in the same location, in real time, and with all action moving towards a logical (and moral) conclusion.

This is the plot that we have so far…
The video is centred around the motifs of keys and doors which relates to the lyrics of the song “And I wish that I, I could find a key to unlock all the things you want us to be.” A male and a female will be seen to try and unlock many doors with many different keys. Unfortunately they do not open, and so they are forced to try more doors, it is at first ambiguous as to what destination they are trying to reach. Each character becomes distressed and confused as to why they are unable to achieve anything. Until the fairytale ending of course, when the boy arrives at the door the girl is trying to open, he has the key she needs to unlock the door, and they go into the house together.

Our music video follows Todorov’s theory as although there is no major incident that changes the journey, with each door that the characters cannot get into, some chaos is apparent and so their path does alter. Throughout the narrative each character shows a sense of panic and frustration but the end shows satisfaction and calm. We have two protagonists, one male and one female, that are both on a journey to find something/ someone, initially it is unclear as to their real reason for attempting to unlock the doors and so Barthe’s enigma code is evident. Elements of Aristotle’s unities can be seen as the journey twists somewhat but all takes place in one day a ‘unity of time’ until they finally end up at the same door.

Monday, 15 November 2010

Initial ideas

Before creating a music video we felt it was important to express a few ideas, so as a group each of us were aware of eachothers ideas. However these were breif ideas and more guidelines so that throughout the production of the video we could refer back to the diagram to check we were on track to a conventonial yet original music video.
'Further Ideas' shows our progressed and devloped thought processes, we now have the song for our video chosen and so our initial ideas have been explored linking to the genre and lyrics of the song.
(Click to enlarge)

This is a mood board of our original ideas, the superman logo is a heroic logo and so we hope to take elements of this to create our logo. To visualise an idea feels more expressive than to write it down, and to see some of the imagery helps to set a goal for the final video.

Sunday, 14 November 2010

Brand Image

Famous examples of brand image are...



Micheal Jackson- known for his dancing, black shoes and white socks.





Blink 182- have a strong logo that is recognisable as theirs.



We hope to create a strong logo, with elements of the superman logo as this links with our name 'Accidental Heroes' also the motifs of our video which are they key and the doors will be a link between all aspects of the digipack.

Music video presentation

Saturday, 13 November 2010

Props, Costume and Location list

Props and Costume
















Locations

Tynemouth
Whitley Bay
- Hollywell Avenue
- Gladstone Avenue
- Deneholm
School Stage

List of Roles

List of roles

Katy Finn – Main female actress
Will Simpson - Main Male actor
Callum Leach – Band singer/ Guitarist
Laura Stoker - Bass Guitarist
Aiden Mathews – Drummer
Mrs Mckenzie - Confused Old woman

Katy Finn, Sam Busby, Laura Stoker and Callum Leach = Director, editors, filmers and producers.

Throughout filming we all had input in the recording process of the video and the editing. Even though starring characters such as Katy and Callum were in the video alot they also contributed to the recording process when they were not being filmed.

Friday, 12 November 2010

Plan performance elements of the video

Beginning of the video is a 15 second instrumental with a guitar playing. The camera pans around the keys at the start and then tilts upwards to show the actors face. Showing the guitarist playing and also introducing the actor displaying the problem he is having looking for a certain key. Then showing the girl doing the same. Both walking past eachother and then walking to the same place but just missing each other. The storyline carries on throughout as they both test the key on numerous doors and then as the chorus kicks in as she opens a door and sees the band performing. The doors open to show the band performing and then the character shows confusion in their facial expression. The band continue to play whilst we use certain camera angles on the instruments. Then whilst the band is performing there are doors surrounding them. Then as the end approaches they both finally open a door only to find each other at each side.

Camera angles and movement

We will use a variety of camera angles and movement during the live performance. I.e. high angles of the band playing. close ups of the instruments playing, fast editing during the chorus when the pace of the music speeds up.



Brief requirements of costumes/props/locations/actors etc


Boy and girl – simple clothing similar style and colours
Band – wearing colours to stand them out against the dark background. Colour coordinated.
Props – Keys/locks, doors, houses, letterbox, instruments for band: Guitar, drums, bass, microphone/microphone stand.
Location – A modern street and park, in drama hall for band.
Actors – Katy Finn and Will Simpson

Thursday, 11 November 2010

Questionnaire

Target Audience Research

For our A2 media project our group needs to create a music video. We have 6 months to do this, in which it must include a DVD cover, advert and the video itself. We have to pick a song without a video, no cursing and a video with different tempos was advised as it would help us get a higher mark through the use of different angles etc.

We need to gather some Target Audience Research so we can understand what people like in music videos and what to include in our own. We have decided to pick Travie McCoy’s song – Need You. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=735DwZMMR3U&ob=av2e

We will be creating a questionnaire to gather people’s opinions/thoughts and also showing them videos of the artist we have chose and to see what they think of their past videos.

Please take time to fill in our questionnaire which will help us to create a successful project. Please feel free to add comments to any of our questions.

Questionnaire

Firstly after hearing the song our group has decided to pick do you have any immediate ideas and or thoughts for our video? If so, please share them with us as it will help us complete a successful music video.

Here is the link again in case you missed it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=735DwZMMR3U&ob=av2e

Your ideas/thoughts:









1.) How old are you?
(Please circle)

13-17 18-21 21-25 25+
Any additional comments:



2.) What is your favourite music genre?
(Please Circle)

Pop Rap Hip-Hop Rock Indie Grime Acoustic Dance Heavy Metal Other

Any additional comments:





3.) Are you a fan of Travie McCoy or Gym Class Heroes? (His former band)
(Please Circle)

Yes No

If yes would you please comment on his music? What you think of him, whether you like what he does in his songs and or videos or not. Please try and be as specific as possible as it will help us get and idea of what will make a successful video.

If no then please watch these videos of Gym Class Heroes and Travie McCoy in these following links and give us your view on his songs and videos. Please try and be specific as possible as it will help us get an idea of what will make a successful video.

Gym Class Heroes, Cupids Chokehold http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiiU-Fky18s

Your ideas/thoughts:










Gym Class Heroes, Clothes Off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NUxMgzHdic&ob=av2e

Your ideas/thoughts:










Travie McCoy, Billionaire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aRor905cCwtube.com/watch?v=8aRor905cCw

Your ideas/thoughts:











4.) What do you think makes a good music video?







5.) What do you think makes a bad music video?






6.) Our group has decided to go for a video which reflects the lyrics, after listening to the song do you think this is a good idea? Please try and explain your answer.








7.) Which logo do you prefer? (Please Tick)












Wednesday, 10 November 2010

Target Audience Research Feedback/Analysis

Target Audience Research Feedback

For our target audience research we randomly picked ten people. We have chosen certain bits of information which is specific to what we are looking for.

Our first question was to ask people to listen to the audio of our song and get them to tell us what they think of it, what they think we should incorporate into our video and any other ideas/thoughts.

Most people agree it is an emotional song and that a love relation ship between two people is appropriate, a more story based video with band performance during the chorus which we as a group agreed with. One person picked up on the lyric “Start Again” which they thought would be appropriate to incorporate a cyclic narrative, we talked about this as a group and have considered it to be a good idea and may use it. Nearly all of our questionnaire participants agree it has a fast paced beat to it and that will help us gather marks in terms of editing.

Our second and third questions consisted of people’s ages and what their favourite music genre is; this was just to get an idea of which people are our target audience and who aren’t. People between the ages of 13-30 are within our target audience group and also people who are interested in such genres as: Pop, Hip-Hop, Rap and or Indie.

For our fourth question we asked people if they were fan of Travie McCoy, as then we would know if they had any background intelligence on him rather than just want they see later on in the questionnaire.

The fourth question also included listening to and watching some of his other well known videos and we got peoples feed back, what they like about his past videos and what they don’t. We did this as we felt it would help us in our filming, we could possibly incorporate certain edits, camera angles and styles into our video if our target audience liked it.

The next question we asked was, ‘What do you think makes a good video?’ Obviously this question is very blunt but at the same time it is very effective. Most of the response to this question was what we expected, such as quick edits and unique camera angles to gain marks in our project.

After that we asked them the exact opposite of what makes a good video, ‘what makes a bad video?’ obviously we did this to make sure we didn’t integrate any bad ideas to our video. Some of the suggestions were along the lines of, enthusiastic performances, poor edits, poor storyline, bad lighting and lack of variety.

Our preliminary question was to ask our participants if they agreed with our idea of a video which reflects the lyrics or not. Everyone agreed with us that it would be a good idea, so we 100% decided we would do this, we also thought this question was the most important as it was our main idea for our video.

Our final question was to ask people what logo we should go with, black and white or colour.












60% of people went with the black and white logo rather than the colour so we decided to choose this.

The three most important things we have learnt from our target audience research are:

Go for a narrative style video, with not too much band performance as that may ruin our video.
Make our video an enthusiastic performance and realistic. This includes: unique edits, accurate lip syncing and a good storyline.
Black logo instead of colour as this is what the participants of our research wanted. This is important as it is our brand image and it symbolises our band.

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

Storyboards

Our storyboards highlight what we feel we want in the video, but obviously this is only a drafting process and these ideas aren't concrete. As we begin to film and gain experience of something on a larger scale than the preliminary project, the independance we will be subject too will mould our storyboards further.

Storyboard 1


















Storyboard 2
















Storyboard 3

















Storyboard 4

















Storyboard 5
















Storyboard 6

















Storyboard 7

















Storyboard 8





All storyboards drawn by Callum Leach