My music video was filmed in Rhyl high street and Rhyl beach in North Wales. I managed to get all the filming done in one day, with footage enough to have to cut out over 50 minutes which I simply couldn't fit into the 4 and a half minutes music video. Here I will explain what I did with the video and why.
I began the video in black which then faded quickly to white. I did this because it makes it seem like the viewer is beginning a dream. The settings of the black and white tint in the first few seconds were altered so it's brighter, giving the effect that it's a dream, too.
The first shot you see of Ben is a long, high angle shot where you can see him sitting down busking with his guitar. I used the public walking past him taking no notivce of him, because then this clip fits with the 'Lost at Sea' lyrics, making it seem as though Ben is 'lost' though there's so many people around him. The high angle shot emphasises this, making him seem insignificant.
I filmed Ben singing the whole of his song in one position which I could then use as a cut back, and to fill in gaps in the narrative. This was filmed with Ben standing up playing his guitar and singing. It is a medium shot so you can't see past his knees, which I chose to do because the further out I got, the less clear Ben's lips were, which I needed them to be in order to sync the words with the lips, and also for the audience to see. I chose not to do a close up, because I wanted to include the guitar in this shot.
I then fade into a shot similar to the previous one when Ben is sitting down busking, as this is when Lucy is introduced first. The audience can't yet see Lucy's face, which adds to the mystery of her being. Ben is instantly captivated by her, so much so that he pauses singing (only for the dubbed over track to continue).
The next shot is from Ben's perspective on the floor, watching Lucy as she walks away and beckons him to follow. I used a low angle shot looking up at her because at this point in the video, she has all the power over him. I added a solar flare to this clip because it makes Lucy seem more mysterious and dream-like.
When it cuts back to Ben on the floor, the sun has broken through the clouds so Ben's face is illuminated. I originally shot this clip twice, the second time because I didnt think the sunshine looked right. While editing I decided the sunnier clip worked better because of the solar flare I added, and how it looked as though it was Lucy's sunlight which was illuminating his downtrodden existence.
After another shot of Ben singing with his guitar, the camera then follows Ben as he follows Lucy down the street. You can see her over his shoulder, always dancing away from him. I used this shot as it makes a change from always using a 'bird's eye view' shot or high angle, while the audience can still see what it is that Ben's seeing. This shot is shaky as I'm not using a dolly or any sort of tracker, but I think it adds to the urgency of Ben's quest.
I then switch shots to watch them coming towards the camera, Lucy in front again further from his reach, as a long shot of the two. I decided on a long shot because it showed the whole of the two of them for the first time, and the audience can take a good look at them both.
Ben then goes on to emerge from around a corner, seemingly to have lost Lucy. he searches left and right for her before spotting her across a busy and crowded road. He doesn't hesitate in sprinting after her, with no regard for his own safety. This is the first time that the audience can tell that she won't be easily caught.
After another shot of Ben singing and playing, an instrumental begins, and I decided to add images of ordinary things that Ben might see as he races after Lucy; the birds flying, the wheels of a bike, the sign-post, the waterfall, the reflection of Lucy in the water. I added these as fillers during the instrumental, and to add depth and realism to the video.
It then fades to Ben singing again, and then fades to a Very Wide Shot of Ben running across a bridge, and cuts to Ben's point of view as he runs. I used this sequence first to show what He's doing and then to show his own perspective of what he's doing. This makes it seem more realistic, as this is a frequently used technique in music videos.
I then sandwich two shots, one of people walking on the beach and one of birds on the beach, inbetween two shots of Ben singing, just to continue with the abstract shots from before. They reinforce the theme of the beach and sea as they're both of the beach.
Then the shot of the slowed down bird fades in and fades slowly out at the end of the note that lasts three bars. This shot is juxtaposed with the lyrics, as birds are very free animals, yet the words say "Can't escape from this place".
Ben singing with his guitar then fades to a very wide shot of him walking through a wide pavilion and putting his guitar on his back. I used this shot because it adds realism to the video; they dont normally show the minor details like that.
It then fades into a medium shot of Ben looking oout to sea singing with his guitar. This shot shows how Ben is still searching for Lucy with no luck. He is on the left edge of the screen, which leaves more room on the right for him to 'look' int, which creates more effect of 'looking'. Here he is singing the end of the chorus, which is a powerful part of the song, and then leads to a very quiet part which builds into the crescendo before the finale.
This shot fades to Lucy's point of view through the railings as she looks down at Ben. The mise en scene of the railings act as a sort of camoflage from him, which adds to the effect that she is etheral and always out of his reach The shot cuts to him looking up to her from his point of view in a low angle shot as she beckons again to follow him. As it switches again to his point of view, the music builds to the climax and as if in time with the music, he sprints off to the bottom of the stairs in haste to find her. The link between audio and visuals at this point goes really well together and creates a desperate yet determined feeling from Ben.
The shot cuts to the top of the stairs where Ben emerges and the camera spins around with his face in a close up so you can see his emotion clearly. The camera then breaks off and tracks with him to the edge of the railing where he looks out to the beach. The spinning shot is not used with a tripod, so it's quite jerky but I think this adds to the feeling of Ben's frantic search, and makes it look less staged.
A shot of the beach is then cut to, and Lucy spins in from the right, smiling mischeviously. When she stops she is in a long shot so the audience can see all of her dancing movements and take in all her dream-like aura.
Then a close up shot of the stairs as Ben's feet run down them is cut to, as the music slows, which makes Ben's actions seem tired and exasperated now, as he's been chasing her for so long. Then it cuts to a low angle shot, as Ben runs towards the camera and leaps over it. it cuts to a side-on shot and sees Ben land from jumping down the stairs onto the sand. These two shots together work well because it creates a smooth sequence of Ben running jumping and landing, via 'two' cameras.
The final shot of Ben standing and singing with his guitar is shown, and then it fades to Ben facing the camera on the beach searching for Lucy. She then appears from the right edge of the screen and goes to touch his back. The camera then cuts to where she was stood, and it is apparent as Ben turns around that she has disappeared. These shots together create the illusion that Lucy isn't, and never was, there, which was my main objective for the video; to make her and the video seem as dream-like and mysterious as I could.
Ben then turns to face the sea, and the video fades to white, before finally fading to black. I wanted it to do the same as it did in the beginning with regards the fading because then it would seem like whatever had begun at the start was now ending, i.e. the 'dream'.
I feel the video's aims, which were to create a video to promote Ben's song Lost at Sea, and to make the whole thing seem as dreamy and mysterious as possible, have been achieved. I am very happy with the result, and from the feedback I have recieved, it seems as though the audience, in particular the target audience, enjoyed the video too.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Further Music Video Production; Effects
Effects added to My Music Video
In order to enhance my music video and make it look as professional as possible, after I had edited the music video, I added many a number of effects via the video editing software “Adobe Premier Pro”.
- Titles at beginning. I added two titles at the beginning of my music video, the first being Ben’s stage name “Benjamin John”, between 0:07-0:11, at the same time as the white fade. This establishes the music video as Ben’s video, so the audience can start to form preconceptions about what the video will be like. The title fades in and out, and is in the same font as is used on the CD cover and on his website, so there is intertextuality, and links between the 3 products. This title is also in black and white, but is in a graffiti style font so it can be seen easily, as it is in the centre of the screen. The second title comes at 0:11-0:13, and states the name of the song. It is in a different font to Ben’s name, and is in the same font as is on the CD cover. It also fades in and out, but because the background isn’t plain, but is footage, I had to place it in the right hand corner, where there isn’t anything to overlap, so it could be clear.
- Black and White tint to footage. Music videos in black and white are typical of the Indie genre, and while I wanted to stand out from other videos of this genre, I also wanted some of the codes and conventions to be the same. Also, in the original footage, there was a lot of bright colour from the pavements, people’s clothes, shops etc, which could take audience’s attention away from the focus of the video, i.e. Ben and Lucy.
-Fade to white at beginning. Between 0:07 and 0:11, the first piece of footage fades to a white screen, to mark the beginning of the ‘story’. This makes the video seem like a memory, as if Ben is just remembering it, or like a dream. This also makes the title of Benjamin John stand out, because it is a graffiti style font.
- Cross fades. I have added many transitions between the clips, which are used to soften the cuts between clips, or to show a change of location or time. I used cross fades mainly in the instrumentals, when using clips of miscellaneous things such as the waterfall and the beach.
- Fade. As well as cross fades, I also used fade ‘dissolves’ between shots. This, like above, is used to make the transitions between the clips smoother and to highlight a change in time or location. For example, I used these mostly when cutting back to the frequently-used shot of Ben standing with his guitar and singing.
- Solar Flare. Between 0:40 and 0:46, I added a solar flare effect to a shot of Lucy. This is the first time in the video that the audience sees her face, and the flare makes her seem unreal and mysterious, like she’s as tangible as sunlight. This adds to the whole ‘dream’ concept of the video. I had to add this before the black and white effect; otherwise the flare would be in colour.
- Jump Cut. Jump cuts are used in music videos in order to hide a mistake made by someone. In this case, I had to create a jump cut because the recorded music was too fast for the footage. I softened the transition between the cut, so it would seem less harsh and slightly less noticeable in the process. This cut can be seen at 1:13.
- Slowing Down of footage. In two clips in the video I used the ‘Speed/Duration’ tool to slow down footage. At 1:20-1:23 in the shot of Ben running across the road, I slowed down the footage to 75% rather than 100%, as was the original. I did this because at that point in the song there was a long, drawn out note sung by Ben so the part I slowed down fit more with the music. Also, the slow fade I added flowed better with the slower footage. In another place, I slowed down a clip where Ben was singing (3:04-3:09), to 95%. I did this because the footage of him singing was too quick for the recorded song, and his lips weren’t in time.
- Speeding up of footage. As well as slowing down two pieces of footage, I also sped two up. At 3:23-3:34 I sped up a clip where Ben is running, to 115%. I did this because the tempo of the music was increased, and therefore needed quicker visuals in order to link together well. At 3:37-3:43, I increased the speed of the footage to 120%. The clip was when Ben was spinning around searching for Lucy. Again I did this because the tempo of music was increasing to the maximum point in the song, and therefore required quicker visuals. Also, because the increased speed makes his searching seem more frantic.
- White fade. At the very end of the music video, I added a white solid which the footage fades into, and then into black, where it ends. This is to mark the end of the ‘memory’ or ‘dream’ which Ben was remembering/living, and really emphasizes the mysterious, dream-like concept of the music video.
This is the final screenshot of my finished music video:
In order to enhance my music video and make it look as professional as possible, after I had edited the music video, I added many a number of effects via the video editing software “Adobe Premier Pro”.
- Titles at beginning. I added two titles at the beginning of my music video, the first being Ben’s stage name “Benjamin John”, between 0:07-0:11, at the same time as the white fade. This establishes the music video as Ben’s video, so the audience can start to form preconceptions about what the video will be like. The title fades in and out, and is in the same font as is used on the CD cover and on his website, so there is intertextuality, and links between the 3 products. This title is also in black and white, but is in a graffiti style font so it can be seen easily, as it is in the centre of the screen. The second title comes at 0:11-0:13, and states the name of the song. It is in a different font to Ben’s name, and is in the same font as is on the CD cover. It also fades in and out, but because the background isn’t plain, but is footage, I had to place it in the right hand corner, where there isn’t anything to overlap, so it could be clear.
- Black and White tint to footage. Music videos in black and white are typical of the Indie genre, and while I wanted to stand out from other videos of this genre, I also wanted some of the codes and conventions to be the same. Also, in the original footage, there was a lot of bright colour from the pavements, people’s clothes, shops etc, which could take audience’s attention away from the focus of the video, i.e. Ben and Lucy.
-Fade to white at beginning. Between 0:07 and 0:11, the first piece of footage fades to a white screen, to mark the beginning of the ‘story’. This makes the video seem like a memory, as if Ben is just remembering it, or like a dream. This also makes the title of Benjamin John stand out, because it is a graffiti style font.
- Cross fades. I have added many transitions between the clips, which are used to soften the cuts between clips, or to show a change of location or time. I used cross fades mainly in the instrumentals, when using clips of miscellaneous things such as the waterfall and the beach.
- Fade. As well as cross fades, I also used fade ‘dissolves’ between shots. This, like above, is used to make the transitions between the clips smoother and to highlight a change in time or location. For example, I used these mostly when cutting back to the frequently-used shot of Ben standing with his guitar and singing.
- Solar Flare. Between 0:40 and 0:46, I added a solar flare effect to a shot of Lucy. This is the first time in the video that the audience sees her face, and the flare makes her seem unreal and mysterious, like she’s as tangible as sunlight. This adds to the whole ‘dream’ concept of the video. I had to add this before the black and white effect; otherwise the flare would be in colour.
- Jump Cut. Jump cuts are used in music videos in order to hide a mistake made by someone. In this case, I had to create a jump cut because the recorded music was too fast for the footage. I softened the transition between the cut, so it would seem less harsh and slightly less noticeable in the process. This cut can be seen at 1:13.
- Slowing Down of footage. In two clips in the video I used the ‘Speed/Duration’ tool to slow down footage. At 1:20-1:23 in the shot of Ben running across the road, I slowed down the footage to 75% rather than 100%, as was the original. I did this because at that point in the song there was a long, drawn out note sung by Ben so the part I slowed down fit more with the music. Also, the slow fade I added flowed better with the slower footage. In another place, I slowed down a clip where Ben was singing (3:04-3:09), to 95%. I did this because the footage of him singing was too quick for the recorded song, and his lips weren’t in time.
- Speeding up of footage. As well as slowing down two pieces of footage, I also sped two up. At 3:23-3:34 I sped up a clip where Ben is running, to 115%. I did this because the tempo of the music was increased, and therefore needed quicker visuals in order to link together well. At 3:37-3:43, I increased the speed of the footage to 120%. The clip was when Ben was spinning around searching for Lucy. Again I did this because the tempo of music was increasing to the maximum point in the song, and therefore required quicker visuals. Also, because the increased speed makes his searching seem more frantic.
- White fade. At the very end of the music video, I added a white solid which the footage fades into, and then into black, where it ends. This is to mark the end of the ‘memory’ or ‘dream’ which Ben was remembering/living, and really emphasizes the mysterious, dream-like concept of the music video.
My CD Cover- Planning, Production and Evaluation
The mise-en-scene of the front cover shows Ben walking towards the sea, after having left his guitar and shoes on the groyne. When I first started editing the image it was in vibrant colours, as it was quite a bright day when I did the shooting. I decided to add a black and white tint to stay with the theme in the music video, but when I looked at it, it seemed a bit dull and 'samey', so I began again, this time using the 'lasso' cutting tool in Serif PhotoShop to cut out the main items in the image; the guitar and the shoes. I then added the black and white tint, altered the brightness and contrast slightly, and pasted in the guitar and shoes to make a contrast. The eye is then immediatly drawn to the two, which make an interesting focus for the front cover. I altered the CMYK colour balance so the cyan, blue and greens of the original colours are bolder than the yellows of the sand fro example
The name of the artist, Benjamin John, is in the same font as is used in the music video and the website, which adds intertextuality. This font was downloaded off a font website, which makes it more unusual and unique. . The colour was cloned from the darker purple of the shoes, then altered to 64% transparency to soften the colours, as if they've been worn into the wood of the groyne. The name of the song, Lost at Sea, is positioned underneath the artist's name, in the same font that it's written in in the music video. The colour is clones from the lighter red colour from the shoes, and then made transparent to 55%. I used different fonts for the artist's name and the title of the song, to make the difference between them distinguishable, and for those who havent heard the song before, to know which is which.
This is the back of the DVD cover for the music video. Again I have continued with the black and white theme, while adding a splash of colour in the text. The image was taken when I was shooting the footage for the video, so I'm linking the two together again. In the image you can see the groyne leading into the sea parallel to a stream running through the sand. It is the same groyne as is on the front of the cover, which makes it seem as though this angle is from Ben's point of view as he contemplates walking into the sea. On top of this image. I then added the song list, in the same font as the artist's name is written on the front, in the same dark red as the front. I then faded it to 75%, but then felt it wasnt clearly readable enough. I then added a rounded rectangle in black and faded it to 34%, so you can still see the image behind it. I added this so that the song list could be seen more easily. It is a very simple back cover, with the song list being the main focus, but it serves its purpose which is to inform the buyer of the names and order of the songs on the CD. At the bottom right corner I added a barcode, to make it seem more professional, and some plain white text reading "Written and perfomed by Benjamin Mitchell", "Produced by Vikki Evans" and "Copyright 2011" to add authenticity as this is what you would normally find on most CDs produced nowadays.
Feedback:
"The image is so cool! the editing looks great, yeah it would stand out at HMV." George Thomas, from my target age group
"I love how the guitar and shoes are in colour, really eye-catching" Lucy Connah, also from my target audience
"The softness of the water on the back cover blends really well with the faded words, it looks dead mellow!" Craig Smith, my 21 year old cousin who is in an Indie band himself
I was really pleased with this feedback, as the people asked were all in my target audience, and all gave very positive answers. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the outcome of the CD cover, as it looks quite professional. I think the colours blend well together and the references to the website and the music video are subtle yet recognisable. the difference between the black and white and the bright guitar and shoes make a bold, eye-catching contrast that would make the cover stand out on the shelf.
My Website- Planning, Production and Evaluation
Here are some design mock-ups for my website for singer songwriter Benjamin John:
1:
2:
3:
I have decided to create my website using the design template number one, because it looks original and interesting, different to most websites available today while still looking effective and abstract.
I have compiled a list of items I will need to include in my website to make it as informative and interesting as possible:
- Internal links to: News, shop, contact information, music playlist, latest releases, blog, images, dates
- External links to: YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook
- An image of either Ben or something relating directly to him or his music
- The title of the page (his name)
- The finished music video
This is the website I made to accompany my music video and DVD cover for Benjamin John. I took inspiration from the two websites I analysed previously; Eliza Doolittle and Ed Sheeran. The icons that link to YouTube, My Space, Twitter and Facebook at 1 have been influenced by the similar icons found on Eliza Doolittles homepage. They serve as a quick external link in order to find out more about Ben via his YouTube channel, My Space page etc. The four links are much more concise than having the whole link e.g. www.YouTube.com, or more simply, the word YouTube as a hyperlink. They are easily recognisable and take up much less room.
The background at 6 is a screenshot of the very beginning of the Lost at Sea music video when there is an extreme close u of Ben playing the guitar. I took the image and removed the background of the shot, so the sole focus is bens fingers and the guitar. I then softened the image and faded it all together so it would become more of a background than an image. This can be called intertextuality as I am linking the website which is one type of media with a music video, which is another. I have taken inspiration for this from Ed Sheeran’s website, where he has done a similar thing on fading an image as the background of his website.
At 5, there are five links in the shapes of flags of the world, which you can click on to take you to the same site but in French, German, Spanish or Italian. I have created the same website homepage in these languages, and the links lead directly to them. Doing this means this website can attract a much wider audience.
The different pages of the website have their links surrounding the main title of the page, at 2. They are written in a graffiti-style font, which links with the font of Benjamin John. The colour is taken from the background-image colour, and made slightly darker so it stands out, but I faded the text so it looks slightly softer. The eight internal links are all set at different angles, in order to link with the graffiti-look of the fonts. The main title of the page (4), is Benjamin John, the name of the artist, and written in the same font as can be found in the music video and DVD cover, again showing intertextuality. Again as with the internal links, the name is in the colour of the background yet darker to make it stand out, and faded to make it softer, yet the font is different so it is clearly displayed as the title and not a link.
The music video I created is available to view on the website homepage at 3, which is linked from the uploaded video on Youtube.
Website in French
Website in German
Website in Spanish
Website in Italian
I think the general outcome of the website is effective; it is easily navigated because of the clear, large links to the internal pages, and there are several links to external pages in order to further the viewing experience. The colours are quite plain but there is enough to interest the audience whilst making it easy to read. There is enough white space so that it isn’t too clustered or boring. There is much reference to the music video, so the audience can tell straight away (if they have seen the video) that it is Ben’s homepage.
My Music Video
This is the link to my final finished and converted to mpeg format music video for the original song Lost at Sea by Benjamin John :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJ6gQ9UOJQ
This is the first music video for Ben, so the audience has no preconception as to what it will entail. The song's tempo is quite slow, but builds to a crecendo in the latter half which is when the pace of the video speeds up in order to fit in time with the music. This was a conscious decision I made after viewing numerous videos in which the song starts of slower and builds, along with the visuals. The type of music video is a narrative, in which Ben is 'following' a mystical girl around a city and she eventually leads him to the beach, always ust out of his reach, where she then disappears. I decided to produce the video in this way because the way he was following her made him seem 'lost' which then referred back to the lyrics. I shot the footage in Rhyl, North Wales, and because it is a non-descript sort of place, and due to the genre of music, Ben was dressed in simple clothes typical to the indie genre; jeans, a t-shirt and a soft woollen hat. The edits and cuts vary between slow fades and cross fades when the song is still at its slowest in the beginning, but as the tempo increases, the cuts become quicker in order to kee pace with the audio and visuals. Because there was a great deal of noise when I was filming, I had to remove the sound later when I was editing and replace it with the actual recorded song, syncing the words in time with the lips. This took a long time to do as the song was quicker than the footage at times so I had to either slow down or speed up the clips as needed.
If I could have done anything differently, I would have maybe got some 'insurance' shots of one or two pieces of footage as when I replayed them they had large jerks or the lighting was wrong, which meant I couldn't use them. Although I got more than enough footage, there was always the chance that all my shots weren't perfect and then my music video would not have been a success. Overall I feel that the video works well. The audio and visuals fit well together and the editing varies to meet the tempo. My favourite part is the high-angle view of Lucy looking down at Ben through the railings, then down to Ben looking up, and then back to Lucy's view. This is when the song's speed increases and Ben's urgency, teamed with the guitar riff and followed by the spinning around as Ben searches creates a frantic, desperate effect that I believe works well. My least favourite part is in the very beginning few lines when Ben's lips dont fit perfectly, and looking back I wish I'd spent longer on it.
Some of the feedback I got from showing my video to people in the target audience were:
"I thought the black and white made it look very Indie-ish, and the slowed-down bird shot looked so cool! I like how the girl wasn't really there." comment by Andy Holden who is in my target audience, therefore I am pleased he likes it, as it bodes well for acheiving my goal of appealing to my target audience.
"It looks so proffessional! The lip-syncing with the music is really sharp and the editing so fits the music, I'd buy this dvd probably, yeah" Emily Williams, who is also in my target audience.
"I really like the outcome, it looks professional and was just what I wanted! I like how she edited it so the girl was never in my grasp." Ben Mitchell, who wrote and performed the song, Is in the target audience also, and it pleases me greatly to know he likes what I have done with his creation
"It's great, really suits the lyrics and what the song's trying to convey." Davd Mitchelll, Ben's older brother whom I've never met and is most likely to be honest as he doesn't know me personally. I am most pleased with this comment, as suiting the video with the lyrics was my main aim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJ6gQ9UOJQ
This is the first music video for Ben, so the audience has no preconception as to what it will entail. The song's tempo is quite slow, but builds to a crecendo in the latter half which is when the pace of the video speeds up in order to fit in time with the music. This was a conscious decision I made after viewing numerous videos in which the song starts of slower and builds, along with the visuals. The type of music video is a narrative, in which Ben is 'following' a mystical girl around a city and she eventually leads him to the beach, always ust out of his reach, where she then disappears. I decided to produce the video in this way because the way he was following her made him seem 'lost' which then referred back to the lyrics. I shot the footage in Rhyl, North Wales, and because it is a non-descript sort of place, and due to the genre of music, Ben was dressed in simple clothes typical to the indie genre; jeans, a t-shirt and a soft woollen hat. The edits and cuts vary between slow fades and cross fades when the song is still at its slowest in the beginning, but as the tempo increases, the cuts become quicker in order to kee pace with the audio and visuals. Because there was a great deal of noise when I was filming, I had to remove the sound later when I was editing and replace it with the actual recorded song, syncing the words in time with the lips. This took a long time to do as the song was quicker than the footage at times so I had to either slow down or speed up the clips as needed.
If I could have done anything differently, I would have maybe got some 'insurance' shots of one or two pieces of footage as when I replayed them they had large jerks or the lighting was wrong, which meant I couldn't use them. Although I got more than enough footage, there was always the chance that all my shots weren't perfect and then my music video would not have been a success. Overall I feel that the video works well. The audio and visuals fit well together and the editing varies to meet the tempo. My favourite part is the high-angle view of Lucy looking down at Ben through the railings, then down to Ben looking up, and then back to Lucy's view. This is when the song's speed increases and Ben's urgency, teamed with the guitar riff and followed by the spinning around as Ben searches creates a frantic, desperate effect that I believe works well. My least favourite part is in the very beginning few lines when Ben's lips dont fit perfectly, and looking back I wish I'd spent longer on it.
Some of the feedback I got from showing my video to people in the target audience were:
"I thought the black and white made it look very Indie-ish, and the slowed-down bird shot looked so cool! I like how the girl wasn't really there." comment by Andy Holden who is in my target audience, therefore I am pleased he likes it, as it bodes well for acheiving my goal of appealing to my target audience.
"It looks so proffessional! The lip-syncing with the music is really sharp and the editing so fits the music, I'd buy this dvd probably, yeah" Emily Williams, who is also in my target audience.
"I really like the outcome, it looks professional and was just what I wanted! I like how she edited it so the girl was never in my grasp." Ben Mitchell, who wrote and performed the song, Is in the target audience also, and it pleases me greatly to know he likes what I have done with his creation
"It's great, really suits the lyrics and what the song's trying to convey." Davd Mitchelll, Ben's older brother whom I've never met and is most likely to be honest as he doesn't know me personally. I am most pleased with this comment, as suiting the video with the lyrics was my main aim.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Storyboards
In order to plan my music video ahead of production, I have drawn out storyboards with all the shots I will need to take, to make sure I get enough footage, and can cover every part of the song. This will also help me stick to my schedule, as I can tick off each part of the storyboard when the shots have been filmed. Below are scanned images of the storyboards, including transitions between shots, shot types incl. angles, tracking etc, and what sound will be heard for each shot. In another blog I will describe the effects I will add when editing the video afterwards.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Representation of People
In many music videos today, representation of people can cause much controversy. With the growing competition between the ever-increasing number of new artists and the existing ones, more and more stars are turning to sex in order to promote and sell their music. For example, the RnB artist Rihanna was recently filming her latest music video on an Irish farm, when the owner had to ask her to leave for being topless.
But it's not only the RnB genre who's becoming more provocative. Pop superstar Lady GaGa is known for wearing controversial and barely-there clothes. In her music video 'Telephone' she is seen wearing nothing but yellow police tape.
With sex being used for promotional purposes more widely and frequently, artists have had to come up with more extreme and revealing ways to stand out from the crowd. In a recent survey, 67% of people asked said they thought there was an excessive amount of sexual content in music videos today.
Like in the Laura Mulvey theory of Music Videos where she states women are only presented in two ways in music; a "virginial innocent character" or "a whore", more videos today are leaning towards the "whore" type, in order to get noticed.
But it's not only the women who are subjected to stereotyping, men also are becoming increasingly categorised. They today tend to be more agressive, dominant and adventurous in behaviour, with their 'jobs' in the video being very 'masculine' i.e firemen, rockstars etc, while the women are more likely to be representing 'feminine' jobs such as waitresses, secretaries and air hostesses. In the music video 'Womanizer' by Britney Spears, she dresses up as all three of these, in order to show how objectified women can be, especially to 'womanizing' types of men;
Monday, 5 December 2011
Locations, Filming Schedule
The places where I will film/ take pictures for my music video/ CD cover/ website etc are;
- A high street:
- I am using a busy town’s high street because there will be enough people around so that the footage won’t look staged or too predictable. Here I will film Ben singing his whole song in one spot with his guitar, for referring back to throughout the song. This will be a medium-long shot, so the guitar and his mouth can be seen easily. I will also film the first half of the video here. This will include shots of Ben busking with his guitar and shoppers walking past him paying him no attention (this is reference to the title of the song ‘lost at sea’, because there are many people around him, but he is still ‘lost’. At this location I will also film a low angle shot of Lucy beckoning him to follow her, as if it is from his point of view where he is sitting on the ground. I will film various other shots of him ‘following’ her through the streets. As well as shots of Ben and Lucy, I will also shoot a variety of things that I encounter as I film the main sequence. For example, things you might see in a busy town like wheels or traffic lights. Problems that may occur when filming here include a large mass of people, especially those who don’t want to be in the background, hazards such as cars and bikes, and if the power were to go on the camera there aren’t any sockets I could use to charge it, unless I were to enter a shop. To overcome these difficulties, I will have to ask the members of the public if they were to mind being in the background of a few shots, take extra care when filming on pavements near busy roads, and if I or Ben or Lucy have to go into the road, make sure it is only briefly, and for extremely necessary purposes. I will have to make sure the roads will stay clear whilst I have enough time to film the shot. I shall have to charge the camera thoroughly the night before so I don’t run out of battery whilst filming.
- The beach:
- As well as the high street/town, I will be filming on the beach adjacent. This is because it will link with the title ‘Lost at Sea’. Here I will film the ending of the video, with Ben thinking he has finally caught up with the girl he has been following, but in reality she never existed. I will film a long shot of him looking to the left and Lucy coming up behind him, the camera will then move to where she was stood and as he turns around, the audience (and Ben) will see that there was nothing there. I chose this location because I think it will look visually stunning in black and white, the effect which I’d like to add to the footage when editing. There are a few issues which could be raised when wanting to film on the beach, for example, the tide could be in. This could be disastrous, as then we would not be able to film on that day, because once the tide had gone out; the sand would be too damp to set the tripod upon. Also if I need to film near the water, I have to take extra care so I don’t drop the camera into the sea, as this would break it.
In order to stay ahead of schedule with the filming, and to make sure I get enough footage, I have drawn up a table incluidng the time, place, shot type and people included.
Day/Time
|
Location
|
Shot Description
|
People
|
Thursday 27th October AM
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High Street
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Medium shot of Ben with his guitar as ‘cutback ‘ shot throughout video
|
Ben, crew (i.e. me)
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Medium, long and extra long shots of Ben ‘following’ Lucy
|
Ben and Lucy, crew
| ||
‘Cutaway’ shots of miscellaneous items (inc. pan, tracking, extra long shot etc)
|
Crew
| ||
High and low angle shots of Ben and Lucy
|
Ben and Lucy, crew
| ||
Pan following Ben running
|
Ben, crew
| ||
Thursday 27th October PM
|
Beach
|
Medium, long and extra long shots of Ben ‘following’ Lucy
|
Ben and Lucy, crew
|
High and low angles of Ben running
|
Ben, crew
| ||
Extra long shot of Lucy on beach
|
Lucy, crew
| ||
‘Cutaway’ shots of miscellaneous (inc pan, tracking etc)
|
Crew
| ||
Tracking of Ben to the left
|
Ben, crew
|
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