[Planning] Lyrics of the Song

Below are the lyrics to the song I'm making a music video to - this includes the bits of narration/speech by Courtney Love. I've decided to post up the lyrics as it is a clean copy of them and can help to think about what I want to happen when it comes to storyboarding it up for certain parts.

 

[Courtney Love:] It's Courtney, bitch

Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey

[Courtney Love:]
No thesis existed for burning cities down at such a rampant rate
No graphics and no fucking powerpoint presentation
So they just DIY'd that shit and built their own bombs
She's his suicide blond, she's number than gold

[Patrick Stump:]
Are you ready for another bad poem?
One more off key anthem
Let your teeth sink in
Remember me as I was not as I am
And I said "I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead,"
I kept wishing she had blonde ambition and she'd let it go to my head

Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my love is a weapon
There's no second guessing when I say
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my heart is a grenade
You pull the pin and say:

We're all fighting growing old
We're all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get, get on St. Peter's list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it's never
Getting any better than this

[Courtney Love:]
We are professional ashes of roses
This kerosene's live
You settled your score
This is where you come to beg, unborn and unshaven
Killing fields of fire to a congress of ravens
This is what we do, baby, we nightmare you

[Patrick Stump:]
I'm about to make the sweat roll backwards
And your heart beat in reverse
Our guts can't be reworked
As alone as a little white church in the middle of the desert
Getting burned
But I'll take your heart served up two ways
I sing a bitter song
I'm the lonelier version of you
I just don't know where it went wrong

Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my love is a weapon
There's no second guessing when I say
Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
If my heart is a grenade
You pull the pin and say:

We're all fighting growing old
We're all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get, get on St. Peter's list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it's never
Getting any better than this

Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
It's never
Getting any better than this
[x4]

[Courtney Love:]
She's sick and she's wrong
She's young dirty blonde
And you sink inside her like a suicide bomb
He says "I've seen bigger"
She says "I've lit better"
And they throw the matches down into the glitter
Not a dry eye left in the house
Go boy, go boy, run for your life
Go boy, go boy, run for your life
Go boy, go boy, run for your life

[Patrick Stump:]
We're all fighting growing old
We're all fighting growing old
In the hopes
Of a few minutes more
To get, get on St. Peter's list
But you need to lower your standards
Cause it's never
Getting any better than this

Rat a tat tat
Rat a tat tat tat hey
It's never
Getting any better than this
[x4]

Are you ready for another bad poem?

[Storyboard] Storyboard for the Music Video

Below is the storyboard I made to help me plan out my music video. It's a rough sketch and it helped me to plan out what shots I would be making and such - though the storyboard wasn't followed completely to a T but it did help out a lot.

[Research] Marketing and Promotion

I looked at marketing and promotion strategies and how bands/artists use them in order to promote the artist in a certain way. I looked into this to see what ways I could promote my artist and this could help go to my final work.

[Planning] Planning for CD Cover - Finding the Right Effect

Whilst planning out how I should make my album cover, I played around with some different effects on picmonkey, a photo editing site, and found a feature that allowed me to do as so which I tested with two stock photos;



I like the looks of this sort of effect, which is labelled "lighten" when I use the overlay feature and want to incorporate it into my idea for the album cover. This is because it seems peaceful, probably calming as well with the correct photos included. I will be messing around with other effects as well, but this effect stood out to me the most and was on I definitely think I will be using for the final idea.

A plan for what the album cover will look like will be coming up soon.

[Research] Case Study: Amy Winehouse Documentary

We did a case study on Amy Winehouse and the documentary made in memory of her life - "Amy". We went to go watch this documentary in a cinema to get the full effect of it as if we had watched it on a TV screen or something of the like, we would've not been able to get the full effect of this documentary. We watched this to see how the media portrays a star in the music industry as well as to get an insight into what Amy's life was actually like with all the press and such, as well as how she felt.

I looked at different sources for this case study which are mentioned in the presentation - such as the website: mediaknowall.com and looked at how that showed "Dead Pop Stars" and their fame, and also looked at the "Star Theory" in more detail by looing at it on the same website.

Amy winehouse - Case Study from Croudinator

[Planning] Company Logo/Intro for Music Video

I made an intro for my music video, one that could be classed as the company logo if paused at the right moment. This is an animated logo that I've planned on using - though I'm still deciding whether to use the slowed down version or the original version. For this intro, I used after effects and the masking tool, along with the gradient tool. I decided on the red colour as when people hear the word "psycho", they would often link it to crime scenes or the like, places with lots of blood. And well, blood is red, so this is how I made the link - the intro also looks like blood splattering about.

I followed a tutorial to figure out how to make this animation as it used many tools on after effects that I didn't know how to use already. It helped me to get used to using after effects more.

Below is the intro I made, one at the original speed and another at a slowed down speed.

[Research] My Target Audience

I thought about who my target audience would be for this music video and discuss it with others as well as to who my idea would work with. I applied the "Uses and Gratifications" idea to this to help decide more on what sort of audience this would work with as well as how it could make my target audience "escape from reality".

[Research] The Male Gaze

In media, we were asked to present Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze and we then decided to see how it is shown in a music video of our choice. I chose to look at Nicki Minaj's music video for "Anaconda" as I thought it would be a bit interesting, especially due to it agreeing with the criticism aimed at Laura Mulvey's theory.

[Research] Star Theory: Fall Out Boy & The Rapture

I looked into the star theory as it was an interesting theory to look at. I then applied it to two bands of my choice whom I did plan or am planning to use for my music video. I also decided to apply this theory to my own ideas of my stars and the music video.

[Planning] Update: Song Choice

I've decided to change what song I want to do for my music video - this is because the original idea for the last song wouldn't be easy to do as it would be all outside. I looked at future weather predictions and it would not just be darker than I'd want it to be but it'd be a lot colder and there has been a lot of mist as of recent - the mist may damage any items we take out for the video and thinking about the health and safety of those involved in the music video is priority.
So for my music video, I've decided to use the song "Rat A Tat" by Fall Out Boy.
They are a popular band and the music video that they have for the song is as well but I've decided to take my own spin on what to do for the music video. It would very much be the opposite to the idea I had for the other song as the idea for this one would be me using mostly lip synching but trying my hand at including the lyrics and quite a bit of special effects - just to make it a bit more fun.

Below is the song as well as the music video;

[Planning] One Page Pitch

Who’s in the group? - For this, I’ve decided to work alone but I’ve also managed to acquire the help of my younger sister.
Song choice and genre - My song choice is a song by The Rapture called “Pieces of the People We Love” which is seen as a dance-punk kind of song.
Location - I’ve decided to choose a location which seems quite “outland”ish as I think that could suit the song as well as the idea I have for the music video. So I’ve decided to use the trail as well as some of the woodland areas around where I live.
Equipment - The equipment I’ll need is a tripod, possibly the shoulder mount as well to help stabilize the tracking shots I’m wanting to do. A video camera will also be needed, as well as some lighting, though this does depend on how the natural lighting itself will fare.
Overall Effect – I’ve decided for a narrative music video as well as quite a bit of special effects to give it that bit of edge and to make it look better, as well as to fit with my idea of the video being a bit mystical.

Company name – Psycho Productions
Roles – The roles will be shared out between myself and Melissa. We will both be in control of the camera and directing what is happening on the screen. We will both assist each other for the makeup and such.
Overall package -
What are you good at? – I’m good with time management so we will be able to finish up filming a lot quicker. I

Early ideas – The ideas we have already consist of the following;- Making references to a videogame through the style of the music video- Costume and makeup has already been decided on
- The narrative for the music video is that there’s two sisters, both seen as criminals and on the run/in hiding and using the wildlife and such as their means of hiding.- We’ve decided on locations and an opening scene already, maybe some mug shots that end up with one of the duo facing the right on the final mug shot and then it flashes out to show the character walking to the right as well.

Time needed – 6 – 8 weeks
Existing music video that’s similar – I liked the style of “Titanium” by David Guetta ft. Sia. The story that the music video told as well as the effects used inspired me for this one. Plus the idea of there being no lip synching made me think more about whether I should use lip synching as well or not, or to simply make the lyrics correspond with what’s on the screen.
 

[Research] Famous Music Videos of All Time

For this prezi, we looked into famous music videos of all times and I looked into the mentioned music videos by Watchmojo,com to see what they thought was the most famous music videos of all time. This helped me get an idea as to how these music videos became so popular and famous and how I could try to do that with my own.

[Research] Famous CD covers of All Time

We has a look at past album covers that are still famous to this day, the reason we looked at them is to get inspiration for our own albums and what they could look like as well as a meaning that's hidden beneath it all.

 

[Research] Music Video Regulation

Below is a presentation I made on how music videos are regulated and we all researched about such to get a better idea on why and how music videos are regulated.

[Research] Case Study of a Specific Music Video Director: Mark Romanek

For my case study, I decided to have a look at the music video director; Mark Romanek - whose "directing work includes feature films, music videos, and commercials" as stated by Wikipedia. I decided to look and him and his work and noticed he had done quite a few music videos that I have seen before and very much enjoyed. I think his style of music video, in more recent years, is quite close to the style I want to aim for except I won't be including the artist singing like he has done.

His most famous music video was the cover by Johnny Cash of Nine Inch Nail's song "Hurt" which was extraordinarily moving to both critics and fans alike. The song expresses "self-loathing and the futility of worldly accomplishments" as it was a song sung by Johnny Cash "near the end of his life" and within his own home.
IMDb have said that Romanek had decided to film Johnny Cash's music video for "Hurt" for free for it had moved him plenty as well. After filming it, Romanek sent it to the singer of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor whom "was in session with Zack De La Rocha (of Rage Against the Machine fame)" at the time and upon watching, both had to leave the room as they were both brought to tears by the video.
The video was nominated for seven VMAs, he won one for cinematography, and also won his third Grammy for such a moving music video as there are many snippets of a younger and cockier version of Cash which I found to be quite sad yet sweet.
 His latest music video that he directed is Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" as they worked on it over the course of three days. The video itself had mixed views of both positive and negative - some found it cringe worthy, uncomfortable and mocking, the positive views on this though was that it was funny, quite entertaining and appealed to all ages, yet was apparently "ill-timed" according to the website HitFlix due to many debates that was happening at the time.

I've noticed that Mark includes the artist in all of his music videos and somewhat follows the genre theory for the few that I have watched by him as the music videos he has made often follows the genre of the band themselves. For example, Nine Inch Nail's song "Perfect Drug" had quite a dark and horror kind of theme for the music video which matched with the bands dark lyrics and deep sound of the instruments - this is the same for Johnny Cash's video for "Hurt" which seemed to be a reminiscing kind of song and which was shown through all the old tapes used in the music video. IMDb have stated this his style is ever similar to "Stanley Kubrick's style in filming."

I decided to look into the past of Mark Romanek as well since this is a case study and found out that he inspired to be a film director thanks to the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey at age 9" as he then started experimenting with different types of filming equipment throughout the years. He then went to college and in which case got a degree in cinema and photography as he worked as an assistant in directing to Brian De Palma, during the making of Home Movies, "an autobiographical film De Palma conceived as an exercise for his students". Romanek's first feature film was "Static", released in 1986 and as about a man who "claimed to have invented a television set capable of showing a live picture of Heaven" as this film had ended up creating a cult in London.

[Research] Controversy in Music Videos

We had a look at an article from the Q Magazine which talked about Rihanna's latest music video and the controversy that came with it. This helped us look a bit more into what people think of as controversial and how many views are actually subjective.

The article explains the video of "Bitch Better Have My Money" by Rihanna and how it's all about how Rihanna tries to get her money back from the accountant that stole it all from her, from (basically) killing his wife to then stabbing the accountant. The article makes many references to other music videos such as Taylor Swift's Bad Blood and how that also went down the same line as Rihanna's new video as Taylor's music video was a much more tame version compared to the others although did go down that route of including blood and violence when it wasn't necessary. The article then states how Kendrick Lamar released a clip to his newest song and music video and how it brings back what music videos were all about and how it was more "original, beautiful, moving and thought provoking" than Rihanna's music video.

I think that the writer of the article was quite correct in the point he was trying to get across, after all, what was shown in the music video was not needed and was quite out of the box, sure, but was definitely not necessary in my eyes.

Controversy seems to play quite a large role in the music videos as it gets both press attention as well as the 'hits' they want. Making a controversial music video will only cause press to riot and talk about it which will draw ever more attention towards it, making the public curious as to what is so bad about a music video and will then lead to more and more people watching it. Whereas on the other hand, if press said nothing about it, then it wouldn't be seen as much nor be bothered about too greatly. It seems that both forms, press and 'hits', is what controversial music videos aims for.

It could be argued that there is a political message in the music video though in some sense if you look between the lines. It's the thought of Rihanna doing whatever she wants in order to simply get her money back, showing desperation for such a thing which could be said the same for politicians and democrats to some degree. If viewing this in a metaphorical sense with Rihanna representing someone of high standing and those who are working with her as agents or 'cleaners' then it could show people as being money driven and willing to only do things for the sake of such and to go to such lengths as well is quite a disturbing thought to say the least.

[Textual Analysis] Applying Genre Theories to a Music Video

We had a look at a music video of our choice and applied the genre theories to them as to get a better idea of the whole concept of genre's "limiting the creativity of a band/artist" as people would say. Below is my textual analysis of such and gave me a better insight into genres and what is seen as typical for a certain genre and what isn't.

[Main Task] Creating a Full Length Music Video

We're back after the six week holidays as well as getting results and have begun our main task which is making a full length music video. In this we'll be looking many other different music videos and how they differ from one another depending on their genre. We will also be including some theories and applying them to the textual analysis's we will be presenting.

For the main task, I have decided to create a music video for the song "Pieces of the People We Love" by The Rapture, I thought about using this song because of how unique it was and the steady beat for the entire course of the song. I am thinking of making references to many things such as video games as well as a few other music videos as the effects they used have inspired me to add them in my own.

Preliminary Task - One Minute Music Video (Wine Red)

After much time, I've managed to complete the music video and below is what it is like. We tried to be narrative with it, we thought the idea of it telling a past event that had happened and caused a change would suit this song the most as we got this idea from previous music videos we'd looked at.

Textual Analysis 6 - Band Website (Foreground Eclipse)

I decided to look at a band website to get an idea on what to include in my website for my own artist. This led to me thinking in detail on what I should add such as tabs and other ways of communicating with the band/artist as well as many pictures.

CD Cover - Back and Front

I created a CD cover and back for the artist using Photoshop, this is the digital format of each side and this took a while to do of trial and error to get the images to fit as well as to get the correct font, etc. I think this worked well but there's also the fact that this is the second version of the album covers.

Above is the front of the case
Below is the back of the case



Planning and Research - Locations

For my music video, I looked about different locations as what would be the best place to film and decided to take pictures of areas where I'd think about filming. A trend has been followed as I've picked places where it's mostly wildlife and a natural place over a place with buildings and the like - this is to avoid running into people otherwise we won't be able to finish quick enough. I also planned for a natural place so to make it easier for when it comes to editing the footage.

Looking at place one - this seems to be a very suitable place to do the music video because of there being not unnatural areas about and it's a place people don't pass by too much so it'll be easier to film there without hindrances and distractions.

This also has a large area to film and isn't exactly strict when it comes to space as it'll be easier to edit any of the footage afterwards with special effects if I want to.

I prefer this area compared to the other places due to its appearance and others already listed.

Area 2 is one that appears nice but is an area where many people pass by and it would be annoying if everyone passed by so much as well as would be distracting.

This place would've been nice but the fact that people pass by here a lot has put me off of using this place and isn't as ideal as I would've thought, especially when there's quite a bit of noise about this place which would make it a lot harder for us to concentrate.

This area also gets very dark when there isn't a lot of light shining in its direction.

Area three was in the fields and we thought this area would be a good place to record due to how spacious it is and the fact that it's in a natural area.

The downside to this place is that it's near a couple of main roads so there would be a lot of loud noise as well as there are often people walking about on here and the tractors that often roam about the place. This area can be seen as quite busy and would be quite difficult to record in, there's also a lack of trees and as noted in the storyboard - I've drawn in trees as the ideal backdrop.

The fourth and final place we looked at is a good area in terms of it being surrounded by trees which is liked what I wanted in my storyboard but there's always some sort of glare from the sun when I use the camera in this area as well as there being a gate which wouldn't be very appealing for the background.

This place is quite overly noisy and would put people off, despite us putting sound over the top - it would distract the actor from the current task at hand.

The glare would definitely affect any footage we'd take in this place and that's not what we want.

Taking in mind all of the locations, I think we're going to film in the first place due to the benefits of that area and how not many people would pass by and the space that will come with it, as well as there being the perfect amount of lighting that will be there compared to the other places we looked at.

Textual Analysis 5 - Original Music Video (Wine Red)

The song "Wine Red" is by The Hush Sound and is the song I will be using in my one minute music video that is a practice for the preliminary task. I decided to look at the original music video though to get a look at the context of the song itself and to gain some ideas for my own music video and henceforward, I decided to do a textual analysis on it.

I looked at the mise-en-scene of the music video and noticed that for the most part that there's a lot of decaying objects, moss and dead flowers as well as quite dark colours. This sort of theme goes well with the song as it is a song based about lost love and a death - most likely over being separated - though this changes and contradicts with the lyrics when the scene changes and becomes a lot brighter than before. This is also when a new character enters the scene as well, a female, who seems to be different from the rest and bears some sort of relationship with the old man who's seen as the main character for this music video as well.

Looking at the editing of the video, a lot of quick cuts were used through out - switching between different scenes quickly and using a slight blur for certain scenes where the new female enters. This could indicate how the male remembers her and memories of a time when things were fine which is hinted by the brightening of the clothing and areas and such.

Looking at the camera angles for the music video - close ups of the artist is used frequently as it adheres to Goodwin's conventions as well as using lots of mid shots of the other members of the band - this adheres to the convention of there being a demonstration of genre characteristics due to the expected amount of close ups of the singer of the band.

A frequent use of notion of looking towards the camera as the singer looks towards the camera a lot as well as the other members of the band, all of them look directly to the camera, all except those who're playing out a narrative part in the music video.

The tone of the music contradicts the visuals of the music video for the most part as the tone of the song is quite upbeat but on the other hand, the visuals are quite dark and gloomy. The lyrics also contradict the music a little by being similar as the music is quite bouncy and sounds quite joyful though the lyrics contradict that area completely.

The relationship between the music and the visuals does vary though and match when it comes to certain areas where the main female for the narrative enters as the colours and brightness matches the tone.

Story boarding - One Minute Music Video (Wine Red)

I've drawn up and written on the storyboard for my one minute music video to give me a plan and rough idea on what to do for the music video and what sort of measures/procedures should be taken. This also helped me with my storyboarding skills and helped me to think about what would and what wouldn't work for the music video.

Textual Analysis 4 - CD Covers

We looked at different CD covers and albums which gave us the chance to think about our own and how I should make the one for my project look like. I decided to look into a few other albums whilst I was at it, in hope to get more ideas and decided to look and see how in depth the artists for the covers thought into making them.

Foreground Eclipse

Foreground Eclipse are a Japanese band which make arranges of character songs specifically from a certain game and add vocals over the top that would match that character, they're also known for making a few songs of their own which are known to be quite emotional or hold some sort of meaning.

Looking at their album covers, each one includes a character from the game they rearrange character songs for and that characters rearranged song is often the title for the album - as noted by the title being called "Seated with Liquor". The background and pretty much everything on the cover is based about the main specific character and their personality as well as their story.

• What is noted from the cover of the album is that the female is holding a weapon, many would indicate weapons to war or some kind of violence and the idea of violence would make people have an idea of what sort of genre this band would sing which is punk rock/metal, varying between the two depending on the song they're doing.
• The logo for the band is present in the bottom right corner as the logo has a crescent shape as though representing a crescent moon for the idea of the 'eclipse'.
• The colours used for the title of the album shows a contrast as it varies between red and white - two colours that represent different things. The red would be loud and is seen as a loud colour - possibly hinting at some sort of screaming which is linked to the colour easily. The colour white represents the sense of purity and innocence which is could represent the female singer for the band who sings in a soft tone and contrasts with the screamer/drummer of the band who would be represented by the colour red.

The Black Keys

The Black Keys are a band made up of two members only and were formed in America as the members only play guitar and drums which is all a band could need if made up little numbers. They fall under the genres of garage rock, blues rock and indie rock and have a variation in song titles.

The duo met when they were young and are technically classed, anyone could class them as, the best of friends as they play even to this day their music which seems to have caught the hearts of plenty of fans. They released their eighth album which was also seen as a single only last year, (2014) which was named "Lonely Boy" and won three Grammy awards.

• The album I'm looking at is the album named "Brothers" which could also give a sense of how the two feel about each other as from looking at the background of the band, they appear to be the closest of friends and hence why the title came to mind.
• The bluntness of the wording for the titles can work with their attitude as well as it appears to be quite sarcastic and almost looks down on their audience; this is purposeful but despite the that, I doubt what they're implying is on purpose as it is more for comedic value above all else.
• The colour scheme of red/white/black contrasts with one another as red makes us look at it the most as it's highlighting the bands name and it could imply that they, as a band, are trying to stand out above everything else. The white and black is simply a contrast in colours and how the two colours are at the other end of each other and don't mix well.

Music Video - Lip Syncing Practice

I practiced lip syncing [As well as someone else who volunteered to be a main for the actual music video] to the song that I've decided to do a music video on. The song is Wine Red by the Hush Sound. This was to help us get to grips with lip syncing as well as being able to sync the music over the top.

1 Minute Music Video Briefing

For the starter, we will be making a one minute music video using a song of our choice and we get to decide who the work with, what we're doing and such.
I chose to work on my own for this work and have planned to ask others to star in it.
My song choice is "Wine Red" by The Hush Sound and I already have a few ideas in mind for what to do for the one minute music video and I hope it will turn out well.

Ten Steps/Tips to Making a Music Video

We were given an article that told us the ten steps to making a music video at A level which was written by Pete Fraser - below is the ten steps summarised;

1. Research - It's best to always research into other works and other music videos to get ideas for your own, it's also a better way to get acquainted with what a music video actually is, after all, it's not just some visuals with a song, does it have a narrative? Is it trying to tell a story? Music videos have try to sell both the artist and the song to the public and be worthy of many replays.
2. Getting into a group - This is thinking about who you will work with for this project and is quite a crucial decision. Many question whether it's best to work with your friends which may not always be the case as there are many distractions when it comes to working with friends and such. If you do though, it's best to exchange numbers to get quick contact with one another so there's no excuse as to turning up late and such.
3. Choosing a track - If a teacher has decided on what song to use for the music video, then that's the hardest part out of the way but if not, then it's best not to choose your favourite song so you don't get annoyed with it in the long run, after all, it's going to be repeated several times and you're bound to get annoyed of it after a while. But it's also best not to pick a song that you hate since you'll most likely get more annoyed at it than ever before and feel like quitting, it's often best to pick one that's not your favourite and not you most hated one as you won't have much of an attachment to the song itself.
4. The pitch - Even if your teachers haven't set a date for such or anything, be prepared to pitch for the track you have chosen. This usually includes a single page of ideas which are simply expressed and would enable anyone reading it to make it simpler and not get confused about much. The pitch is part of your planning and will be a useful document to look back on when it comes to writing and reflecting on what has and hasn't changed in the long run.
5. Look at previous students work - Looking back on these will make it easier to think about what you can achieve as well as you'll be looking at material from a similar context to your own. Yet previous students work should give ideas on not only what would work well in a music video but also what to not include/do, for example;
   1 . Don't use well-known songs
   2. Overdone effects which shouldn't be used to disguise bad footage
   3. Aimless driving around
   4. Scenes that involve things like booze, fags or drugs (even simulated)
   5. Shots of people just walking around
   6. Sped up footage or footage that rewinds backwards due to lack of material
   7. Zooms, can get annoying if overused
   8. "Found footage" - it should only be your own unless there's an exceptionally good reason.
   9. Atmosphere-less stage footage (remember to keep trying to create an atmosphere)
   10. Over the top stories (this isn't a tv drama!)
   Though you should be able to find good parts through looking at previous students work like; consistency through to the end - a clear sense of genre and artist - well-shot footage - a powerful performance-  a good simple effective idea - judicious cutting.
6. Planning and shooting - Keeping track of your time is crucial to say the least as there's a deadline and it's best to keep on top of your own work in order to make good progress in your work. It's often noted that it's best for students to be under pressure as they work quicker and often achieve good results, so it's best to keep in mind of your deadline for your work. There's also storyboarding, it's best to storyboard your work to plan ahead of it all, gather your props, find a good location, arrange make-up and costumes of your crew and those who are performing. It helps you to remember if you've forgotten anything needed. The last thing, which is a definite must, check that the tape is in the camera, check if it's the right one and make sure you can shoot the work - making sure you know all the basic controls and that the tripod, if you use one, is working specifically for the shoot. Make sure to remember other basic things like; is the camera batteries fully charged? Do you have the correct lighting? Don't forget your music or, if you do, make sure you have a back-up source. Keep checking your footage early on and put it onto a device which you know will be safe for the footage to stay on.
7. Editing - Load your footage into the editing program and this needs to be done properly/sensibly as it's quite important, don't just leave your computer on as there's obviously those few people who will mess about with it but also remember to look at your footage straight away after uploading it to the computer. This is so you can get rid of any unnecessary footage instantly and get on with you work when it comes round to editing it properly later. Naming your files is quite important as it keeps it easier to maintain your work and find it later. Do not use over the top effects, use them sparingly and in a planned fashion so you do not go over your time as well as to make it so that it doesn't look tacky. Line up your material for lip synching as that's quite an important thing to do for when it comes to music videos as it can also be seen as the hardest part of the entire project, especially when it won't line up correctly. You must always expect to make compromises as not everything can go your way.
8. Screening and feedback - There will be a time when your product will be showed to others, so expect questions and feedback, or even ask your audience for feedback if they don't give you any, always ask about for improvements for your work and try to get other forms of feedback too. This can include having a copy of it in order to get more people to view your work which means you can always ask for more and more advice on how to improve it.
9. Writing - When it comes to the writing side of it all, follow the guidelines provided to you by your teacher and don't try to fill your writing with excuses like blaming the equipment or the people you worked with. This will not get you any marks, you should focus on covering things like;
   - Covering the whole process
   - Use technical language where needed
   - Include your feedback and comments on the work
   - Place your video in relation tot he industry (for example, what is it for?)
   - Relate it to real examples and their conventions
   - Include an analysis of the finished product using the tools you would use to analyse the real examples
10. Marking - This is the part that you do not need to worry about, just leave it to your teachers!

Theories - Halls' "Reception" and Gauntlett's "Media 2.0"

Reception (Stuart Hall)

Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory consists of the producer of the media text encoding a meaning to the music video. Hall believes that the encoded meaning is either dominant and agreed with by the audience, negotiated where the audience understands the meaning and agrees with it to an extent whilst oppositional is completely different and is where the audience disagree with what the encoded meaning to the media text is.

Media 2.0 (David Gauntlett) 

Media 2.0 is about filter as content has become easier and cheaper to produce than during the time when it was media 1.0, the distribution of products has also become open and limitless thanks to the internet and many other platforms that media can access and the attention of the consumer has reached to the point where there is the need to filter choice rather than in the past when there was the need for more choice.

Textual Analysis 3 - "Happy" by Pharrell Williams

The following presentation is a textual analysis on the music video for the song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams as we thought it was best to analyse this music video due to it having simple editing techniques and being simple overall but had a huge impact on others and the audience.

 

 

Music Video Practice - "Happy"

Above is the practice music video we made using a snippet from the song "Happy" by Pharrell to help us get to terms with quick basic editing techniques as well as how to match up lip syncing with when the lyrics are present in the song.

Story Boarding - "Californication"

During one of our classes, we drew up the storyboard for "Californication" by Red Hot Chili Peppers to understand how detail it needed to be as well as understanding how we should draw our storyboards for when we get round to making our own music videos. Below is my version of the storyboard we were told to draw up;

Significant Moments in Music Videos

The above timeline shows music videos through time and how music videos, as well as music, has progressed through time and the developments that have been made.

Textual Analysis 2 - Recommended Music Videos

 

In the first music video, "I write sins no tragedies" by Panic! At the Disco, the mise-en-scene is based about a wedding using formal attires and the such that is usually what is seen worn at events like weddings, though when the family for the groom's side enters, they're very out of place with their clothing. They wear circus type clothing that's very out of place at an important event and makes them stand out, causing a contradiction of what should be worn to such events.

There's also a part at the beginning where the music video follows Goodwin's conventions, it being a relationship between lyrics and visuals as during this bit the lyrics mention "in exchanging of words" the duo afterwards say "I love you" to one another. It's also quite fast paced and has a few flashes to white, especially when it comes to the part when the Groom became the leader of the group in the end.
During one point, there's a low angled short where the camera is looking up at the guy who's blowing the glitter to all those on the bride's side, showing some kind of dominance over them as they suddenly start dancing, this could indicate them as being easily manipulated by others and their intentions.

Royal Blood's video "Out of the Black" parodies X-Files with the opening cartoon, as well as uses animation for most of the music video, especially for the complicated parts of it. This is the second music video I looked at as this had a quick pace which was done successfully through the use of editing of quick shots use multiple times. Tracking shots as well were used during scenes when following the movement of the creature in the rabbit costume escaping the gas station with it's stash.

There's also a part where the lyrics match with the visuals once more as in this video, the lyrics say "don't breathe" and at this point, the rabbit suit strangle another male as this matches the lyrics in a way.

There's a low angled shot that's looking up at the customer whom the guy who works at the gas station is serving, as though showing that the customer has higher priority over the person who works there at the station.

There's also some fade to whites, like the other video, which is used when it comes to points where the video changes to animations/cartoons, a change in style for the music video and shows a lot more action compared to what happens when it's not animated.



The third music video was "All the Small Things" by Blink 182 which is a parody of multiple artists and what the usual thing is done in music videos, the stereotype.

They parody other older music videos through the use of close ups that seem very familiar as well as parodying the stereotype of genre characteristics where this is a boy band and they followed dance routines that is noticed throughout the music video. Different camera shots are used as well, them being lots of close ups of the artists, something that's often done in music videos but then they end up zooming out to show the full picture where, as example, it looks like the male is showering but it turns out that he has a hose over the top of him, running only by accident, making a joke of what people usually do in music videos during that time, the past, and times to come as well.

There's a lot of quick short cuts that are hard to keep up with throughout the music video as it switches to the band in different locations multiple times, too many for the viewer to keep up with at points and can demonstrate the randomness of the video itself.

The lyrics in this music video don't match up at all to what is occurring in the music video as there's many random scenes but nothing that truthfully matches completely to what is happening at the time. The main bit that actually shows some resemblance to the lyrics is when he says "carry me home" and makes the motion of how a mother carries a child away.

In the fourth music video by Lana Del Rey called "Video Games"  there were many intertextual references as it was made using old footage from home movies made from the artists past an can be seen as something to be looking back on. There's also a lot of notion of looking in this video as the artist looks directly at the camera each time she's singing as well as various scenes in the home footage where people are looking to the camera, giving it an authentic effect.

There's non-continuity present in editing but this is due to it being random points in home footage where the clips have been taken from so it would be obvious that there wouldn't be a lot of continuity with the videos.

There's also plenty of establishing shots which are noticed due to the amount of street images shown which set the scene, showing where she's grown u and the such as it's literally taking a trip down memory lane for the artist. There is one bit in the song where the lyrics match the visuals as there was a scene where there was a couple lying on the ground next to one another and she says "it's all for you".

Theory - Goodwin's Conventions

Andrew Goodwin presented 6 features and characteristics that he believed could be found in music videos as told in his book "Dancing in the Distraction Factory" (1992). Here are the following which I will be using to analyse music videos;

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
   This includes things such as metal videos having expectations of seeing a stage performance and for girl or boy bands you'd expect to see a dance routine of some kind.
2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.
   This means that the lyrics were represented with the images shown in the video either being illustrative, contradicting or amplifying the effect that the lyrics have.
3. There is a relationship between music and the visuals.
   This is different compared to the one above as this means the tone and atmosphere set by the music and how the images in the video either contradicts it, illustrates the mood or amplifies it.
4. The demands of the record label will include close ups of the artists (lots of them) and the artist may also develop some sort of motifs which will recur across their work and be their "visual style" as well as something that their videos will be mostly known for.
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking, this is where the artist will look directly at the camera or it will break the fourth wall in some way, other examples would be screens within screens, mirrors, stages and others. There is also the pattern of there being particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual references to popular films, tv programmes, other music videos and even popular cultures and the like.

Textual Analysis - David Bowie: Life on Mars?

The music video for "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie was released on the same day the song itself was released which was during the year 1973. This music video consists of just the artist in a white room alone with no other people there, making him seem lonesome and going with the lyrics of the song as it states, "But her friend is nowhere to be seen" before showing Bowie on his own. This leaves an impact on the audience and shows how no other people are in the room or the people who played the instruments, representing himself as the female he is talking about. This follows a convention of Goodwin's where he said that there's a "relationship between lyrics and visuals".

There are many close ups of the artist's facial expressions throughout the music video as it focuses on the eyes of the artist and shows the difference in the pupil sizes as well as focusing on the face and the shoulders up. This is what is focused on for the most part of the music video as he though showing him in different ways could show different sides to him, especially when his full body is rarely shown on the video.

The cuts between each of the different angles are usually quite smooth but there's some quick paced and sharp cuts especially at the time when the notes of the song turn quite strong in a way near the start after the first verse. It suddenly changes to a shot of his face but mostly his eyes quite quickly as though the tone of the music video has changed completely.

There is a point in the music video where the video matches with the music at the end as the male is seen making actions as though he is playing the piano whilst the music includes snippets of sound where the piano is being played, this follows, once more, the conventions of Goodwin where there is a "relationship between music and visuals" as it is him trying to mimic the playing of a piano and pretending that there is one before him. This is different to what he did throughout the music video as during the music video, he would only stand there, folding his arms or even kicking the air a little, that's all that's seen throughout the music video of him so to see him act in such a manner shows the male in a different way, Almost as though in a different light.

This music video as focuses on the Goodwin convention of "notion of looking" where it's literally him and the camera and he's mostly looking straight at it, as though talking to the audience the lyrics that many find to be "surreal" and gives them quite "vivid imagery". This also creates a relationship between the artist and the viewer of the music video through the use of continuous eye contact.

Welcome to the Blog

Hello there and welcome to the blog, this blog will be recording what I do throughout the course this year - this including the production of a music video and creation of such which would include the planning, production, evaluation and research that will help to make this product.

I believe I'm relevantly proficient in my handling of equipment, editing techniques and sound manipulation due to my previous AS-level coursework in making a thriller opening which in turn, gave me ideas as to how to handle my time and what I should avoid doing or try to do for this course.

However, I'm quite inexperienced in the making of music videos or anything about them so this course will be quite new to me in some sense. Although, I'm interested in them and how they are made and believe I can bring originality to such as well as some sort of creativity to the project.

I'm really interested in the task given to us and I'm looking forward to the experience.