Christmas Holidays.

We have now broken up for our christmas holidays. We have noticed we still need to do some more filming to fill the time slot of the music video, so hopefully we will be able to do some more filming of the actual story line over the holidays.

Editing

We have been continuing our editing for our music video, although we have encountered some problems. Once we had uploaded and played all of our clips after estimating where they were going to go on the timeline - we realized that we did not have enough filming to complete the music video.

So we had to go out after school to film some more of Ryan lip-syncing because we do not have enough lip-syncing for the chorus. Now this is done all we have to do is edit it into the video.

Editing.

Today we have started editing using iMovie HD on the iMac computers. After uploading all of the final scenes from the HD camcorder, we started to cut the clips up into easier editing lengths and started to order them in the sequence it appears in the video.

We have put together the draft of the first verse and part of the chorus, and so far have managed to keep the lip-syncing in time with the song.

We just need to keep up with spending our own time in the iMac room to make sure we get the music video completed.

Filming - Outside Locations.

This weekend we have got together again to film the last half of our scenes which are located outside. However, the British weather was still as unpredictable as ever, and we had to improvise our filming in the rain armed with umbrellas to make sure the camera was protected from the rain.
Even with these drawbacks and obstacles, we still managed to film the scenes that were needed and are quite happy with the results considering the weather conditions.
Now this is all of our filming done for now, but if when editing we notice that more needs to be added then we will film again.

Next step is editing.

Amendments to story.

After commencing our filming and playing the clips back, we realised that the actual storyline between the two characters may not be as clear as we expected it would. Although we wanted to maintain the suspense and uncertainty to entice the target audience into watching the whole video; the audience will need to be given a certain amount of information so that this suspense and uncertainty will be effective - not just lead to a mass of confusion and a lot of headaches.

To make the present story more clear, we have decided to show more clips of the characters history together:
-It will be set in the park - the boy and girl are walking together holding hands, etc. But here's the twist - as the camera goes round the tree to focus on the couple again, the boy is seen sitting there by the tree on his own without the girl. In between this will be flashes of the girl texting the boy 'I'm sorry it's over'. This will then set the scene for the boy to be revealed as a 'stalker' following his ex. The girl is later seen going crazy/mad.

Filming - Inside locations.

We have finally started filming. With our storyboard of scenes and equipment at hand, locations organised, alongside all of our planning completed; it was then time to start shooting the video. The characters were played by Ryan Beecham and myself, with Nichola as the director.
Today we have filmed the scenes which only take place inside, as we hope for better weather to be able to film outside.
The filming came out quite well today and hopefully will be reflected on screen when we upload the clips and start editing on the iMacs. All that is left to do is to film the scenes which take place outside and hopefully that will be our filming done.

Health and Safety - Risk Assessment.

-No filming in inappropriate locations.

-Check safety of locations, e.g. roads.

-Minimize risk of theft of equipment.

-When filming on location ensure teacher and responsible adult know where you are and have your telephone number and when you will return.

-Check all equipment work before you leave.

-Ensure you have permission for filming if necessary.

-Always film with at least one other person.

-Ensure you have the permission of those you are filming.

These are the precautions we will have to take on board to make sure our filming commences with heightened safety and less trouble.

Audiences and Audience Theory - continued (2).

Feminist Film Theory and Audiences

-In 1975, Laura Mulvey changed the way people looked at cinema through her influential essay titled 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'.

Key points taken from this are below -
-Cinema reflects society.
-Therefore cinema reflects a patriarchal society (male-dominated society).
-There is a 'Glass-Ceiling' effect for women; which is a metaphor for the fact that women can see the 'top', but can not get through or reach it.

How does a patriarchal society manifest itself in cinema?
An example :
-Patriarchy and phallocentrism are linked.
-The phallus is the symbol of power.
-Note how guns are used in films, GUNS=PHALLUS=POWER
-The male mid-life crisis and phallocentrism.

The GAZE
-The 'gaze' of the camera is the male 'gaze'.
-The male gaze is active, the female is passive.
-Within the narrative, male characters direct their gaze towards female characters.
-The spectator is made to identify with the male look, because the camera films from the optical, as well as the libidinal, point of view of the male character.
-Thus three levels of the cinematic gaze - CAMERA>CHARACTER>SPECTATOR - that objectify the female character (THE TRIPLE GAZE).
-Therefore the audience is constructed as though everyone was male.
-Women are forced to look as though they were a male audience member.

Agency
-In the Classical Hollywood cinema, the male protagonist has agency - he is active and powerful.
-He is the agent around whom the dramatic action unfolds.
-The female character is passive and powerless - she is the object of desire for the protagonist and audience.

Final Preparation.

Name of track - Paranoia

Artist - My Future Lies

Students in group - Nichola Pritchard , Jessica Tilley and Karly Knight.

Outline of the ideas :-

Basically, the girl has rejected the boy and now in the video, the boy is seen stalking the girl throughout the whole video. It is only when the girl is standing in front of the mirror that she realizes he is behind her.

Some ideas - the girl is walking down the street and the boy stalker is lip-syncing the song behind her while following her. We will prerecord the boy singing into the web cam, and play this in the background when the girl is sitting on the bed looking at her phone in front of the laptop (but she doesn't notice).

Justification of Ideas - The idea of a paranoid girl believing she is being followed relates to the lyrics of 'Paranoia'. With our ideas, we want to derive the meaning of the lyrics and present in the best way possible on screen. Since conventions of rock videos are typically quite dark, we decided to use the darkest, almost thriller-like idea we could get to represent and portray the song.

Resources we will need :-

-Actors/Actress

-Bed

-Mirror

-Phone

-Laptop

Genre - Rock

Conventions of Rock Genre -

-Rock music is all about the teenage rebellion; in which anger, frustration and rage against the world are experienced, and teenagers turn to rock music to release and express their emotions.

-Lyrics are often very meaningful, and the audience has to decode the meaning or story presented in it.

-The lyrics are not used to beautify the world as the pop culture often does, but it represents the world for what it really is.

-The music videos usually show a darker story, which is used to help the audience decode the preferred meaning or message of the lyrics.

Target audience -

-Due to the research into the conventions of rock music, we have realized that we will be best benefited in having teenagers as our focal target audience.

-Rock music is all about the rebellious stage of teenagers, so they will be the target group that would relate more to this type of music/song than others.

Proposal as to How to Expand Audience/Increase Sales

-I think the best way to expand audiences and increase sale profits is to advertise.

The next step is to decide where it would be advertised to be beneficial.

-One idea is to have a poster/an advertisement spread over a page in a magazine. However, this magazine would have to be one which would grab the attention of the target audience.

An ideal magazine would be :

Kerrang -

-This is the biggest selling magazine, which specifies in rock music and culture.

-Promotes all the latest bands and songs, while giving information about the band to make them more interesting and noticable by the public.

-Not only does it target teenagers, it also targets teenagers who rock music appeals to.

Research into Artist

My Future Lies - http://www.myfuturelies.com/

-Independent Australian band who have sold almost as many records in Europe as they have back at home.

-Genre - Rock

-Previous band name was Acid Eyeliner

-“I am not interested at all in being the latest fad,” the singer Lukey says. “I want our gigs to be places where people come because they really love our songs."

-“The thing I try to do most in my music is to be really honest,” Lukey says. “The lyrics are simple but convey the message really well, which is usually message about love."

-Highlights included regular appearances on MTV, as well as a massive support slot on The Veronicas’ show at the Hodern Pavilion in Sydney. (The band has since shared bills with the likes of The Living End, MCFLY, Dragon, Choir Boys and Mental As Anything).

Audiences and Audience Theory.

Suture.

-Classical Hollywood narrative and editing 'sutures' or positions the audience in certain ways making only one preferred reading possible, however unconscious the audience is of that position.

An example of this is seen in the film 'Crash'.

Audience Theory - continued (3).

Reception Theory.

-Given that the Effects model and the Uses and Gratifications have their problems and limitations a different approach to audiences was developed by the academic Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in the 1970s.
-This considered how texts were encoded with meaning by producers and then decoded (understood) by audiences.

-The theory suggests that :
-When a producer constructs a text that is encoded with a meaning or message that the producer wishes to convey to the audience.
-In some instances audiences will correctly decode the message or meaning and understand what the producer was trying to say.
-In some instances the audience will either reject or fail to correctly understand the message.

-Stuart Hall identified three types of audience readings (or decoding) of the text :
1. Dominant or preferred.
2. Negotiated.
3. Oppositional.


1. Dominant.
-Where the audience decodes the message as the producer wants them to do and broadly agrees with it.
-E.g. Watching a political speech and agreeing with it.

2. Negotiated.
-Where the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text in light of previously held views.
-E.g. Neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political speech or being disinterested.

3. Oppositional.
-Where the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons.
-E.g. Total rejection of the political speech and active opposition.

Digi-Paks Research.

Below is some information I found on the website http://www.wikipedia.com/ :

Digipak is a patented style of compact disc or DVD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI Media, a MeadWestvaco, Inc. resource, which acquired the original trademark holder, IMPAC Group, Inc., in 2000. MeadWestvaco licensed the name and designs to manufacturers around the world.



History

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. Since Digipaks were among the first alternatives to jewel cases to be used by major record companies, and because there is no other common name for Digipak-style packaging made by other companies, the term digipak or Digi-Pak is often used generically, even when the media holder is a hub or "Soft Spot" rather than a full plastic tray.
Digipak-style packaging is often used for CD singles or special editions of CD albums and the tall DVD Digipak (DVDigipak) is used as a premium package for DVDs and DVD sets. Because such packaging is less resistant to abrasion than jewel cases, it tends to show signs of wear relatively quickly. Licensed digipak manufacturers such as domestic U.S. printer and disc replicator Oasis Disc Manufacturin recommend coating the raw printed paper with a protective UV coating, thus ensuring greater longevity.
Although less vulnerable to cracking than a jewel case, the disc tray inside the package (particularly the "teeth" of the hub which secure the disc in place) remains rather brittle and is prone to cracking if the package is crushed. Digipak-style cases grew in popularity among record labels and recording artists in the early 2000s.
Manufacturers have sought to reduce environmental impact and improve functionality by introducing recycled components into its trays; one has announced a 100% post-consumer PET tray made from recycled bottles, which also eliminates the need for the brittle "teeth". Many printers use recycled or sustainable material for the board stock.

Measurements :-

I have found a website which demonstrates the different measurements for digipaks; depending on how many panels you want to have and where you want the disc tray to be situated.

http://www.duplication.ca/printspecs/digipack.htm

It also includes downloadable PDF versions of the templates, which will make it easier when coming to make our own.

Animatic.

Here is the draft of our animatic for our music video. We drew the pictures onto a storyboard sheet and took pictures with our phone to send them to the computer. After uploading them to the computer, we used Windows Movie Maker to merge the clips together to make a short video. Each picture coincides with each scene/part written down on the blog below. This is the sequence we wish to film in.

Audience Theory - continued (2).

-It is still unclear that there is any link between the consumption of violent media texts and violent imitative behaviour.

-It is also clear the theory is flawed in that many people do watch violent texts and appear not to be influenced.

-Therefore a new theory is necessary

-This is called the :

Uses and Gratifications Model.

-Opposite to the Effects Model.

-The audience is active.

-The audience uses the text and is NOT used by it.

-The audience uses the text for its own gratification or pleasure.

-Here, the power lies with the audience NOT the producers.

-This theory emphasizes what audiences do with media texts - how and why they use them.

-Far from being duped by the media, the audience is free to reject, use or play with media meanings as they see fit.

-Audiences therefore use media texts to gratify needs for :-

-Diversion -Information

-Escapism -Pleasure

-Comparing relationships and lifestyles with one's own

-Sexual stimulation.

-The audience is in control and consumption of the media helps people with issues such as:

-Learning -Emotional satisfaction

-Relaxation -Helps with issues of personal identity

-Helps with issues of social identity

-Helps with issues of aggression and violence

-Controversially, the theory suggests the consumption of violent images can be helpful rather than harmful.

-The theory suggests that audiences act out their violent impulses through the consumption of media violence.

-The audiences inclination towards violence is therefore sublimated, and they are less likely to commit violent acts.

Storyboard.

The last two lessons we have put together our final plan/ideas and have finally drawn them out onto the storyboard sheet. From here, we now know we will soon be ready to film the actual scenes for our music video.

All we need to do next is to take individual pictures of the scenes on our storyboard and order them into an animatic for the music video. After this step, we will commence our filming.




Below are the three pictures of our storyboard:

Props for Filming.

Mobile

Final Idea/Plan for the Music Video

Start of with flashes of someones feet walking down the street. In between theses flashes are images (short clips) of a boy sitting in his bedroom on his bed looking at his phone.

Camera high-angle shot looking down on him

Camera shot inside the wardrobe as if someone is watching. See boy throw the phone on the bed.

Next shot is focusing on the boy on the bed (with wardrobe in view slightly open). Boy stretches out and lays back on the bed with hands on head, stressed.
Camera follows the boy as he goes to get off the bed and a quick shot of him going to walk out the room (don't actually see him fully leave).

Straight cut to a close-up of the phone left lying on the bed, and a hand is seen picking up the phone on the bed (text message is shown on the screen still).

Flashes quickly back to the feet walking down the street. Then cuts to the boy singing the song underneath a tree (or down the same road).

Then cuts back to the boy, who is now sitting in his living room by the stairs looking upset/scared.
Low-angle shot looking up at the boy who is sitting on the sofa, but behind is someone sitting on the stairs above him slightly (face is not shown just yet to hold anticipation and suspence, plus low-angle is then seen to show the 'stalker' looking down on the boy).

Stalker is seen to be holding something in their hands, not yet clear.
Camera then moves onto the stairs from the position of the 'stalker' to look down on the boy.
Boy goes to turn his around as he is suspicious someone is watching. Camera view cuts to behind the boy (camera is not on the stairs anymore) as he turns around. Camera slowly moves up to the stairs above him to show that no one is sitting on the stairs.
Position of the camera then moves to on the stairs again looking down on the boy as he turns back around to face the front. Camera moves slowly away from the boy and reveals that the object the 'stalker' was seen to be holding had been left behind on the step - the phone from the bedroom.

Again the scene goes back to the singer/band while they lip-sync. Different shots to show different views of the setting where they are singing.

Scene then cuts to the feet walking down the street. Next shot shows it is the same boy walking down the road on his own, clearly here no one is behind him. Camera again focusing on his feet walking, but this time it is different. Another pair of feet are shown walking behind (same feet that were on the stairs). Cut to the full view of the boy walking again and 'stalker' is shown walking behind. Boy turns to look behind him but camera reveals no one is there again (like scene with the stairs).

Again, more lip-syncing.

Next scene - boy is back at home/a house looking in a mirror. Appears distressed/nervous/worried. Pulling at his hair, shaking?

More lip-syncing.

Back to the boy in front of the mirror. Still looking distressed. Different shots of him looking into the mirror. Then he forcibly shuts his eyes and the screen goes blank/black.

On the very last note - the boy is seen to open his eyes again on screen still looking in the mirror. But now the 'stalker' is standing behind him, in full view to boy as their reflections are both in the mirror. Shock on the boys face.
Then fades out.

Audience Theory - continued.

Three Questions.

1. Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts?

2. How do they consume texts?

3. What happens when they consume texts?

There are three theories of audiences that we can apply to help us come to a better understanding about the relationship between texts and audiences.

1. The Effect Model or the Hypodermic Model.

2. The Uses and Gratifications Model.

3. Reception Theory.

The Effects Model :-

-The consumptions of media texts has an effect or influence upon the audience.

-It is normally considered that this effect is negative.

-Audiences are passive and powerless to prevent the influence.

-The power lies within the message of the text.

The Hypodermic Model :-

-Here the messages in media texts are injected into the audience by the powerful, syringe-like media.

-Therefore the media works like a drug and the audience is drugged, addicted, etc.

-Audience is powerless is powerless to resist.

Key Evidence for the Effects Model :-

1. The Frankfurt School theorized in the 1920s and 30s that the mass media acted to restrict and control audiences to the benefit of corporate capitalism and governments.

2. The Bobo Doll Experiment - This is a very controversial piece of research that apparently proved that children copy violent behaviour.

-Conducted in 1961 by Albert Bandura.

In the experiment -

- Children watched a video where an adult violently attacked a clown toy called a Bobo Doll.

-Children then taken to a room with attractive toys that they were not permitted to touch.

-The children were then led to another room with Bobo Dolls.

-88% of the children imitated the violent behavior that they had earlier viewed. 8 months later 40% of the children reproduced the same violent behaviour.

-Conclusion - children will imitate violent media content.

-Many problems with this experiment.

Audience Theory

Below is a model of the media.

The text refers to the media section in which is shown/ distributed to the audience. This includes :- film, advert, music, newspapers, radio, internet, magazines, TV and computer games.

This text is then consumed by the audience, who then pass on a financial transaction to the institutions which creates these media texts.

Examples of institutions are :- Channel 4, ITV, BBC, Columbia Pictures, Warner Brothers, Disney and News International (which own media texts such as 'The Sun' newspaper, etc.

This financial transaction from the audience which is passed onto the institutions, are used to produce more of the media texts to be seen/bought by the audience. This creates a continuing circle in the media industry.

However, recent, modern times have hindered this model and no longer fully works - especially for the music and film industry. This is because of the development of technology leading to the people/designated audience being able to illegally download the music and films online. For films, DVD pirating is the most common crime. This means then that the money is not being put back into the institutions to be able to produce more of the media texts.

100 Greatest Videos - Continued (2)

Madonna - Material Girl

-Madonna is the key figure of the video age. She knows just how to promote herself and her songs through the music videos.

Blur

-Green screen is used

-Man is dressed up in a milk carton costume against green screen

-Audience actually manages to feel empathy for the milk carton and he goes off to find one of the missing band members.

Christina Aguilera - Dirrty

-This video reinvented the Disney star

-Complete change of image

-Controversial and risky

Michael Jackson - Scream

-Included sister Janet Jackson

-One of the most expensive music videos made

-Set in out of space

-Based on visual imagery

Coldplay - The Scientist

-Chris Martin (lead singer) is moving backwards but singing forwards in the music video. Extremely difficult to pronounce/mime the words backwards to film.

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

-Kurt Cobain wanted the video to be based on the film 'Over the Edge' where kids burn down the schooL

-True anger and intensity from Kurt in his performance

-Extras destroy the set in the video.

Michael Jackson - Billie JEan

-Paving stones light up ('magical')

-Split screens used.

Robbie Williams - Rock DJ

-Over the top

-Robbie takes his clothes off

-On the T.O.T.Ps version, Robbie also rips his skin off.

Madonna - Like a Prayer

-Extremely controversial (makes love with Jesus)

-Based around religion and church

-Combines 'sexual and religious ecstasy'.

Queen - Bohemien Rhapsody

-One of the first videos to make a big impact

-Spoofs made from it in the future

-Filmed in only a few hours

-Visual interpretation of the song.

Video of Queen's Bohemien Rhapsody :

Aha - Take On Me

-Combines comic-book style sketches with normal video style.

-Even now it is seen still extremely clever.

100 Greatest Videos - Continued.

Fatboy Slim - Weapon of choice

-Stars Christopher Walken dancing and flying around a hotel lobby. It is a big contrast from this to the characters he has played in many different films; which are often more sinister and serious.

Video :

Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

-Video focuses on the singer for nearly the whole video, apart from some cut-aways used.

-The video shows real emotion, big close-ups forcing the audience to look into her eyes. Extremely effective.

U2 - The Sweetest Thing

-Romantic story line based on the facial expressions of the lead singer (Bono)

-Looks like it has been shot in one take - clever and effective as it all flows so well.

-Stars other famous people; including the likes of Boyzone, boxing stars, etc.

Eminem - Stan

-Believable story line about celebrity culture and obsessions.

-Big, dramatic ending

-Frustrating emotions shown, so it is quite hard-hitting and emotive (shocking).

Electric Six - Gay Bar

-Controversial, actors look like Abraham Lincoln with bondage outfits on.

-It was found very offensive in America because of this

-Extremely weird.

David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes

-Abstract, very weird

-Completely random

-Has no meaning whatsoever attached to it.

Radiohead - No Surprises

-Unusual

-Focuses solely on the singer

-Lyrics scroll up on the glass panel in front of him

-Uncomfortable to watch as the singer manages to hold his breath under water for quite a long period of time. You can see the pain in his eyes, making it even more uncomfortable to sit through.

Queen - I Want To Break Free

-The video is completely filmed in drag.

-Humorous

-Audience did not really notice at the time, but Freddie Mercury was homosexual; this video emphasizing it.

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

-Filmed entirely in animation.

-Unique to usual video-types.

Ideas.

Below are note-forms of some of the plans that we made together, while brainstorming some of our ideas together:-






-One person walking round on their own being stalked (by someone from their past). Keep turning around but no ones there (paranoia)

-Different shots of one person / group lip-syncing or maybe playing instruments


-Lots of different locations used - park, church ground, bedroom, living room, streets

-Quick shots

-One idea is to have the person being stalked sitting in the living room on the sofa, (long-shot) where you can also see the person sitting on the stairs behind them. Have close-up of the "stalker's" lips and face as they lip-sync the word in the song "paranoia". Mid-shot of the person being stalked turning their head to look around behind them, (another shot at 180` seeing them after turned round), no one will be there though. Then long-shot showing no one is on the stairs...





-Another idea is to have the stalked person kneeling on the floor in the bedroom looking up at the ceiling with the camera looking down on them spinning in a circle. Have the stalker laying by/underneath the bed in the corner so you can still slightly see them (and then again with them not there). Have a similar turning shot with the camera looking up at the flashing light (and during editing alternate between these three shots).

-Phone shot....(wipe transition)


-Shot of someones feet while running, then straight cut to someones feet who is laying on the floor.

100 Greatest Videos.

The last couple of lessons we have been watching the countdown on the top 100 greatest videos made. Here are a few examples of some of the videos we have watched:-

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes

-About the Cold War (Historical content)

-Controversial fight between 'Ronald Ragan' and Russian President 'Chinyenko'

Madonna

-Use of time warps

-Good use of cinematography

Bob Dylan

-Simple, basic idea shot in one take

-Made from documentary

-Lyrics written on cardboard and casually thrown on the floor

-Bad timing

-Later used for parodies

Aphex Twin

-Extremely weird and confusing

-Creepy

-Unique, different

Smack My Bitch Up

-Extremely controversial

The Cure - Close To Me

-Claustrophobic feel

-Dark

-Confusing

Meatloaf - I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That!)

-Unusual

-Based on similar story line to beauty and the beast

-Dark, monstrous, good make-up and mise-en-scene

-Tells a kind of story

-Cliffhanger; leaves audience thinking 'what won't he do?'

Fatboy Slim - Praise Me

-Candid camera format

-Bad dancing in front of a real-life cinema (not a set)

-Music is stopped by the cinema manager half way through the song, great comical impact

Johnny Cash - Hurt

-Video based around an old man (Johnny Cash) looking back on his life, career and younger years.

-Extremely moving

-Dying man reminiscing on his life, including his wife

Other coursework examples.

Today we watched examples of music videos that other people had done for their coursework, and discussed whether they were good or not and why.

The main aspects that everyone pointed out was the timing of the lip-syncing and how it automatically down-graded the music video; even if the rest of it was good. So it helps to realise what our main priorities are going to have to be when planning our own music video.

Watching more and more examples of music videos will also help to give us a wider variety of knowledge on what is expected from music videos, and clever devices we could interpret into our own music video. It also could help us decide on what techniques to use for the coursework, as watching them already completed guides us into seeing what they look like finished in the music video, and what kind of effect they have on the overall image/tone/interpretation of the video.

Being able to see bad examples of music videos will be a great assistance to see what makes it a bad video - so we know not to repeat this mistake when it comes to our final project.

Lyrics to 'Paranoia'

Paranoia, she's stalling
Check the phone there's no one calling
Read a letter in the paper
Send a message, see you later.

Paranoia, check your phone line
Scared to take a walk at night time
Light a candle, kill the night light
Out of mind is out of sight.

And I'm running like I'm being chased
Missing like I've been erased
Seeking something never found
Standing on this broken ground.

Wishing for a hand to hold
My life's a story still untold
Paranoid I've missed my time
This minute now I draw the line.

Paranoia, you hear a siren
Look above the planes are flying
Who's are the good guys euro disguise
Paying someone to hide the lies
911 so far from heaven
Paranoid that this is the end.




Now that we have the lyrics written down, we can easily come up with ideas to relate to these.

Back to School (A2)

We have now come back to our sixth form lessons, and our group has come together to prepare ourselves for planning the coursework as the deadline is only Christmas. Although it seems like a long time, we have to make sure we leave ourselves enough time to be able to edit the music video; as making sure the lip-syncing is in time with the music will be quite a difficult task to do properly.
As we are sure on which song we want to use for this part of the coursework, we can already start planning some parts of what we are going to do.
This includes: the overall theme of the music video, whether it will tell a story throughout, and already plan out which camera angles or techniques we would like to try out/use.

This means within the next couple of lessons, my group will start bringing our individual ideas together and brainstorming them to see what we can come up with.


I think the lyrics of the song 'Paranoia', which we are using, will be a big help contributing to our ideas - and we should take these into consideration when brainstorming.

After some research looking into various music videos, I have noticed that some are not as effective as others. Although the song maybe really good (causing sales and profits to be high) but if the video is bad, then it will not attract as much attention or publicity; causing sales to be lower than they could be.

We need to be careful when making our music video, to make sure it compliments the song well.

Research ; Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

This is the music video Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.

I think this video gives a good insight to how the mise en scene can be used effectively to relate to a song's lyrics and give a strong impact to the way the song is seen.

Mise en scene.

The video is based around a funeral of a person and everyone is dressed in dark colours. The scene depicts a mournfulness which is reflected in the tone and lyrics of the song. The music has an almost funeral-like sound with the bells which is matched by the story that the video is telling.

The video itself is quite intriguing as it makes the audience want to know what is actually happening and whose funeral it is, in which they are all going to.

Editing.

The music video is in black and white the whole way through; which again reflects the mournful tone of the music and lyrics. The overall pace of the video is pretty slow compared to others I have seen - also matching the downbeat reflectiveness of the song.

There is one part in the video which I find to be the most effective. This is when Amy Winehouse drops the flower on to the coffin of a loved one and at the exact time the flower hits the coffin ; a funeral-like bell chimes. It adds the the heaviness of the mood and the flower that is being dropped. It is very effective because it emphasizes the music and makes it more emotive.

I like this video because it thoroughly portrays the emotion well from the lyrics and puts it into context for the audience to view on screen. However, it did not sell as well as other Amy Winehouse songs, so it could mean that this type of video is subjective in the audience it attracts.

Confirmation Email

I was quite surprised to hear back from the band My Future Lies so soon since they are situated in Australia, but I am happy to say that they have given their permission for me to use their song 'Paranoia'.
Here is a copy of the confirmation email from the band :

"Hi Jessica,
Of course you can use Paranoia. We'd like to see your project when it is complete.
Good luck with it all and thanks for using one of our songs. Remember to tell all your friends about our band as we hope to visit the UK one day soon.
Lukey
MY FUTURE LIES"

Now I have definite use of the song I can start brainstorming ideas for the music video. Through research from other music videos and conventions of music videos, I will collate the ideas together to help me progress in making my own one.

Thank you My Future Lies.

My Future Lies

After a lot of searching, I have found a band from the site www.unsigned.com/myfuturelies of which I really like their music and thought it would be suitable to use for my A2 Coursework. After confirmation from my teacher that the song 'Paranoia' would be suitable to use, I have emailed the band asking for their permission to use their music.
Below is a copy of the same email I had sent My Future Lies :

"Hey,
My name is Jessica and I was browsing unsigned.com when I came across your band and really liked your music.
I have a project coming up soon for 6th form where I have to make a music video for an unsigned band. I was wondering if I could have your permission to use one of your songs like 'Paranoia' for my coursework. It is not for commercial use and I can send you the final outcome if you decide to give me permission to use it.
Thanks,
Jessica"

I really hope that I will be able to use this song as it has lyrics to help inspire me with ideas to use for the music video, and has varying tempo speeds; which I will be able to vary the speed of my editing to.

Analysing a Music Video

Evanescence - Bring Me To Life

Background Research of Evanescence -

The genre of the band Evanescence is described as a mixture of rock, Gothic and metal; but can be mainly labelled as 'Alternate Rock'.

The image that is being put across to the audience from this band is a very dark, scary and heavy image that can seem quite powerful, especially in their videos. The band dress in Gothic styled clothing too, which matches the heavy rock style of their music.

The target audience of Evanescence is mainly teenagers, who the rock/metal genre appeals to. It could also target more female fans as Evanescence is one of the few female-fronted successful rock bands.

Their first full-length album in 2003 'Fallen' sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, leading the band to win two Grammy Awards. The song 'Bring Me To Life', from this album, reached to Number 5 in the American Billboard and also gave the band their first chart-topping Number 1 in the UK; where it stayed for four weeks. 7 years and two more albums later, the band are still going strong and already writing new material for a new album.

Mise-en-scene.

The music video is set in and around Gothic-styled high-rise flats. The setting is dark and looks almost life-less. There are other people seen in the video apart from the band members, but they all seem zombie-like at a party. They are wearing clown-styled masks, but this is ironic as nothing is funny and no one looks happy. The band are wearing dark clothes and the time it is set is during the night.

The video could appeal to many people, not just the target audience. This is because the video almost telling a gripping story, which could captivate the interest of anyone watching. It entails the 'cliff-hanger' style of the singer falling off the edge of the building. Also it has good special effects.

Cinematography.

The music video opens with an establishing shot to show the setting of the video. The camera then 'sweeps' into the window where the singer Amy Lee is. High-angled shots look down on the lead singer and close ups show her having a nightmare of falling.

Editing.

The editing is fast-paced to match the speed of the music. It is in sync with the beats of the song.

The video helps promote the individual song as well as the band because the video would be shown on most music channels for everyone to see. This intriguing video helps catch the attention of their audience, therefore making them continue watching the music video. By this time the audience has listened to the whole song, which would now be in their head. Plus, if the viewer likes this song, then they may search or watch other music videos by the same band/artist.

The CD cover includes the band members and song title which links to the music video. It has a similar dark theme that is also reflected in the video.

As it reflects the mood of the band and the song, it helps the people to recognise the style and image that the band hold and maintain.

Music Video Conventions.

Music videos can be classed as a genre. As they can be labeled as a genre, then this means that they must have certain conventions to certify them -
- The band singing along or performing
- The story being told through the video about the lyrics
- The action matching the lyrics
- Miming/lip-syncing
- The use of mise-en-scene
- Instruments being used
- The use of backing singers or dancers (extras)
- Special effects
- Fantasy sequences
- Setting the mood of the video
- Face pace of editing
- Eye-catching colours and scenery

However, not all music videos have to have these conventions included in them; otherwise the video can seem unnecessarily cluttered and too 'busy' for the audience to watch.

The purpose of a music video is to mainly promote a band/track. The video should catch the interest/attention of the audience to make them want to carry on watching the video. This, therefore, causes the audience to listen to the whole song. It must grab (audiences attention), entertain and advertise.

Task

The task we have been issued with is to create a music 'promo' video that lasts for up to 5 minutes. Alongside this we have been asked to produce a website homepage for the band (which sings the song), a cover for its release on DVD and then a magazine advertisement to promote this DVD.

This year I will be working with Karly Knight and Nichola Pritchard in my group.