My First Draft

This is my first draft for my music video since deciding to change the song that I will be creating a video for.

Target Audience Research

My target audience has not changed, and so is still the same as when I planned to create a music video for Rihanna's song. I have asked my target audience some more questions specifically about Ed Sheeran to see what they would look for in a video of his.

New Filming ideas

Here are some new ideas that correspond with filming for my new piece of music.

Shot ideas

here are some shot ideas for filming my video. I have split up the lyrics in a table so  can easily direct my actors when filming.

First Music Video Draft

This is my first draft for my music video. There are some blank spaces where I have not yet completed my filming, and will add these bits in when I have some more footage. I have also not edited the video a lot yet, I have only added some video effects to some clips and added some transitions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99QyDM0lKfc&list=UUUoWFgPX2DYNdQ6nMXjJE6g

Changing Ideas

From looking over my first draft of my music video, I have decided to choose a different song to create a music video for. The reason for this is that I have found the filming for this video genre very difficult, as it was hard to get actors to realistically fight with each other, and so this showed in the video and made it look unprofessional. I also had difficulty securing actors to use, and so this put my behind schedule and so my first draft was rushed and not high quality.

I have decided to now create a music video for Ed Sheerans song ‘Tenerife Sea’. I have chosen this song because I feel I can create a video that tells its own story and relates more to the lyrics of the song which fits with Ed’s other music videos. Now that I have secured two actors that are happy to be filmed, it means I can get on with my filming over the Christmas holidays and begin editing the footage at home.

Ancillary Research

Here i have conducted some online Ancillary research for when i have to create a DigiPak and advert for my music video one it is completed.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digipak
http://www.slideshare.net/Pieter1933/digipak-research-3344503
https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=rihanna+digipak&oq=rihanna+digipak&gs_l=img.3...2657.7624.0.7873.15.8.0.5.5.0.1056.2140.0j3j5-1j0j1.5.0....0...1ac.1.58.img..8.7.2170.Py1CogqPz5Q

Evaluation

Here is some evaluation questions i have answered after creating my storyboard and interviewing my focus groups.

Peer feedback of storyboards

Storyboard feedback from peers

Questions	Peer Answers
What did you like about my storyboard?	·         Great ideas! ·         Links to lyrics well, liked the use of filters ·         Clear narrative that matches lyrics ·         Range of ideas used
Do you feel the images flowed with the music?	·         The cuts weren't correct buy I understand that is was a technical error ·         Could define between concept and performance parts ·         Flows well throughout
Did the video ideas link with the lyrics of the song?	·         Yes great representations ·         Yes good links
Do you the filters I used were effective? Why?	·          Yes, it will be clearer when you film it ·         Gives more of a picture of the video
Is there anything you think I could improve on?	·         The fire for the chorus might be difficult to create? ·         Speed up image transitions ·         More range of clips ·         Add lighting/different camera shots

My teacher also mentioned to all that we need to add a range of different shots to our storyboards, as at the moment they look as if the video will be short from just one angle. For my video, I hope to use a range of shots, e.g. birds eye view to show vulnerability; close up shots of the female throughout to show sadness and I hope to get the actors to hold the camera at some points so that their feelings are put across more in the video.

Filming Timetable

This timetable highlights all the key aspects to filming the scenes of my music video. It detailed what I need to film, where and what props and costumes will be needed for that scene. I have added my scenes to this timetable, but I might need to add more so will add these to the timetable accordingly.

Location/Props/Costume shots

I have created a collage of images to show the different locations, props and costumes that will feature In my music video. This has helped me to visualise the video more, and from this I have added a few more ideas that I think will help me to improve my video further.

Letter to Record Label

This is a letter i composed to the recod label that Rihanna is signed to, Def Jam Records to ask for permission to use a Rihanna song to create my music video for my coursework.

Storyboard Video

I have created a short video using my storyboard images on Movie Maker. I have also added my song and tried to cut the images so that they run in time with the music. This also highlights how long each scene will last for. I have also managed to add effects over my images, so for example the scenes I hope to edit to black and white have a black and white filter over them. I have also played with the brightness on some images to show I wish to film in daylight.

Feedback for Storyboard

This is a feedback form that i am going to ask peers in my media class to fill out after looking at my storyboard. This feedback would help me improve my planning for my music video, which in turn will help improve my music video.

Risk Assessment

I have created a risk assessment for my filming. It details risks that could occur, and ways to prevent these risks from occurring. If I come across any more risks whilst filming, i will add these to my risk assessment accordingly.

To my risk assessment I need to add weather as a potential risk. If it is raining or thundering, they could be the risk of falling over due to wet surfaces. Also the camera could be compromised by rain water. to minimise this risk, I will not film in adverse weather conditions.

Timeline of My music video

This is my timeline of my music video production, showing what i am going to do each week to stay on track with the creation of my video.

Storyboards

Attached are the images of my storyboards for my music video i am going to create. I have draw the images myself as I felt i could represent my story more clearly.

Video Ideas

I have brainstormed some ideas for my music video, to help me create my storyboards.

To Do List W/C 13th October

This is my to do list for the week commencing 13th October.

Narrative Analysis

This is an image of peer analysis of my narrative for my music video. My peers in my A2 media class have analysed my narrative idea, and added comments where they feel parts are effective and what can be improved to make my video idea better. Megan has asked lots of questions throughout her analysis such as why I would use a bath tub as a location. I want to use a bath tub as I feel my actress sitting in a bath tub and crying makes her look vulnerable and ready to give up because of how upset she is. I can they do bird’s eye view shots of her, as this will make her seem weak to the audience, linking to the lyrics and the feelings Rihanna is trying to portray. Sasha suggested when the lyrics talk about an angel and a hero, that I could link this to Propp’s character theory, as the hero needs to save the girl, but instead acts as a false hero in the video. And as an angel the actress will show she is stronger and does not need a hero in the end. George then improved this by saying I could also link to costume, and get the actress to look like an angel for parts of the video. Also Sasha said I could link my narrative to Todoarov as his theory talks about a video starting with an equilibrium, which I plan to as at first the audience will see a happy couple, and again at the end of the video as a flashback.

Sasha also liked my idea liked the fact that I am going to post edit the sad parts of my video, especially of the female actor in black and white as it will add the emphasis to the audience her sadness and upset about the breakdown of her relationship. Megan also asked why I wanted the male actor to smash a bottle. This is because it will link to the lyric ‘glass is shattered’ and will show the audience the anger between the two actors, and will also link to the lyrics ‘violent words and empty threats’ as the audience will see the upset and fighting between the two.

Also from analysing the lyrics for the song I am creating a video, I have realised to make my video more effective I could link the symbolism of the imagery from the lyrics and portray these in my video. E.g. I could use the imagery of ‘on the first page of our story’ and get the actress to open a book on its opening page and will show photos of the two together when they were happy, as it links to the second line ‘when the future look so bright’.

Peer review of blogs

Focus Group

This is a recording of my target audinece answering questions about Rihanna and her music video. i will then apply their answers when making my own music video. Everyone I spoke to liked Rihanna's music and her videos, especially the boys as some of her videos she isn't wearing a lot of clothing to appeal to a male audience. however, one girl commented that she does not like this aspect of Rihanna, and felt she was straying away from her original audience when she first came onto the music scene. I have analysed the comments give by my focus group and have decided to go with my original idea and stick to creating a concept based video. one girl said Rihanna's slow videos don't seem to be about herself, she's trying to tell a story that a female audience can relate to.  

Filming my focus group

analysis of focus groups

Below is my analysis of my focus group answers I received through social media. I decided to se social me

dia to access my target audience because the age I am appealing to are the ones who mostly use social media to communicate, and felt it would be easier to contact them.

The knowledge that I gathered from my target audience and from my research into music video will help me in decision making throughout the creation of my music video. Knowing that my target audience are more interested in videos which tell a story rather than showcasing an artist will help me filming the video as I will always have the story in mind and make sure that what I am filming links well with the love story I am creating. When editing my video I will be able to add effects that will help highlight the love story such as using slow motion and black and white imagry.

Target Audience

I have done some research into the interests of my target audience so that when it comes to creating a music video, I know as much as possible about them. This means i can make sure the video is always targeting the correct audience.

Research Conclusion

From completing lots of format research, I have found that I am now better informed on the conventions created and followed in the creation of music videos. I have decided to follow these set conventions such as the use of black and white footage as I feel it will make sure that my music video will link well with the artist and looks like a professional music video. Looking closely at how Ed Sheeran and other artists create music videos has shown me that videos are no longer made with the purpose of promoting the artist, there is now more of an element of feeling to the videos and they are now created with the audience in mind. This discovery along with researching into the creation of music videos led me to believe that creating a concept based video will allow me to really engage with the audience and focus more on telling a story through the song lyrics rather than showcasing the artist.

Ed Sheeran-A-Team analysis

REPRESENTATION:

throughout this music video Ed shows representation. he shows the girl to represent vulnerability, and show how a normal teenager can get themselves into all sorts of difficulties at such a young age.

Music video analysis- Rihanna 'California King Bed'

Music Video Analysis- Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris 'We Found Love'

The History of Film Trailers

The history of Film Trailers

Film trailers are created for films that are going to be released in cinema. They are created to publicise a film to a specific audience in order to make them come and watch. Some regard trailers as movie spoilers, as they include most of the bet scenes from the movie, but mostly they give the audience an overview of the films genre, setting and storyline. This films are showcased before film viewings at the cinema, but are also shown in ad breaks on TV and also before a DVD. They are usually the same genre as the film you are about to watch or have some relevance, as they are trying to target a specific audience. Film trailers have also become increasingly popular with sites like YouTube and IMBD.

Most film historians would grant 1913 as the year of the first music video. Nils Grandlund created a short promotional trailer in New York City of the Broadway play ‘Pleasure Seekers’, which showed the audience rehearsal footage from the play. This is seen as the first promotional video for a film. Early film trailers were short clips that consisted of narration, a soundtrack, text on screen and a cast run. An example of an early trailer is ‘Casablanca’.

Film trailers began to change with film in the 1960’s. More cultural ideas where brought onto the scene and required advertising to the audience in a different way. Andrew J. Kuehn was a well-known trailer producer who in 1964 influenced the change f how film trailers were made and executed. He created ‘Kaleidoscope films’ which worked for three decades to create some of the biggest movie trailers such as Spielberg films, and created the trailer for ‘Et’. Kuehn was presented with the Cannes lifetime achievement awards and is credited with over 1000 film trailers.

Trailers tend to follow the same format of film, they have an introduction, a problem and a solution. However, some argue that film trailers ruin films as they often show the best bits of a film. Some even avoid watching trailers before they see a film because they fear they will then be disappointed. Some trailers include clips that do not feature in the film, most famously seen in Hitchcocks ‘Psycho’ where the whole trailer is a short post-production and features a different actress to the one in the film. However, some trailers feature cuts from the original film.

The future of movie trailers is set to include more and more digital technology as the advances in media technology are so rapid, and have been for the last decade. The difference in quality from trailers now compared to a few years ago is astonishing, and that is set to continue in years to come. Trailers will now see more motion capture, like in ‘Planet of the Apes’, but the cost of trailers will then increase due to the cost of technology.

 

Peer evaluation of Music Video Analysis 'Demons'

Peer evaluation of music video analysis

What went well?	Even better if?
Holly understood the purpose of the music video well, linking it to the lyrics         She understands the different stages of the music video and their purpose.	Which theorists does it link to?           Why were people’s lives shown?
Good understanding of the intentions of the video and analysis of hybrid            A wide understanding of the different uses of editing           Good use of terminology          Good evaluation points	Could uses more examples of camera shots        Could mention meaning of props            Say why its not a typical music video
Shows good understanding of what she felt the song meant           Understood meanings of mis on scene	Link to theorists

Music Video Analysis- Imagine Dragons 'Demons'

The History of Music Videos

The History of Music Videos

Music videos have evolved over the decades but have always been filmed for the sole purpose to advertise an artist and their musical talent. Queen released the video of Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975 and it was considered the first major music video to make a song go from a minor to a major music hit. However, music videos can be dated as far back as the Second World War.

The relationship between music and visual material can be dated back to the 192’s where Oscar Fischinger created image and music synchronisations and visual interpretations of music. These were short films which were used to promote artists work. These films were up to 8 minutes long and show cased work from artists such as Billie Holiday and Bing Crosby. These short films were shown in cinemas.

In 1939 the Panarom was created and displayed a wide variety of music. The Panarom weighted over 2 tonnes and had a 20 inch screen which is projected music videos onto. Panaroms were used in music bars and had more sexual content, appealing to a male audience. The Panarom died out by 1946 to make way for new technology. In the 1960s, France had created the Scopitone. This machine provided a selection of 36 short films, which could be changed and rewinded. It showcased song and dance numbers which were filmed on cheap stages or outdoors, and displayed a large amount of provocative female dancing to again attract a male audience.

Elvis Presley set the trend for concept films as he was first with ‘jail house rock’ as the music video was filmed in a prison, linking to the concept of the song. In the 1960’s the Beatles created a new dimension for music videos by using stylistic devices within their videos. The USA then created The Monkees to rival The Beatles, and were chosen for how well they would look performing on TV. The Monkees can be linked with today’s music talent shows such as The X Factor with the creation of boy bands not just on how well they sing, but their whole image.

The 1970’s saw the rise of serious rock emerging from mostly the USA, increasing the number of bands getting airplay on TV. However the real rise of music on TV came when MTV was formed in America in 1981. Artists like Michael Jackson released videos onto MTV with amazing response, causing more people to go out and by records as that was the only way to access songs back then. This is where the role of music videos was really discovered, as the volume suggested that videos really help to promote artists and drive sales. Black music videos then hit the scene thanks to Hype Williams a music video producer who still produces popular music videos for big artists like Jay-Z today. By the late 90’s music video budgets were almost hitting $2 million. These in turn generated record sales and led to hip hop music replacing rock as the most popular music genre.

More recently, the real boom for music videos has come from social media and the internet. YouTube is a multimillion dollar video website which was founded in 2005. Along with Vivo, this is where artists release their music videos as they know they will get the views due to the scale YouTube Is used on. Artists nowadays also release promo video son Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, along with images of album covers to entice their audiences. Also the rise in music download compared to CD release means music is more easily assessable, and therefore music videos are now not necessary to promote music as they once were. Money is made from concerts now as the average ticket is around £40. Artists perform live sets to audience and due to the advances in technology over the last decade imagery and video features in nearly all shows. So to conclude this article, music videos have not only changed because of technology, overtime their mean has also changed to I believe. They used to be essential for sales as people would be able to connect with the songs via imagery, which would make them want to purchase the track. That is still the case nowadays to some extent, and much videos today are still produced to publicise artists, but they are not as expensive or needed as much for an artist to become successful due to the wide range of media technology that is readily available at our finger tips.

In the future, music videos will undoubtedly change again to suit their audiences. I believe that the music video will become less about advertising music, and more about artists showcasing themselves for their audience, trying to relate more to them. Because of this, I think the budget will decrease for music videos, so less artists will start to produce them.

Summer Homework- Pulp Fiction as a post-modern film