Rough Cut Review

We have now created our rough cut for our music video and after creating this we have then realised what needs to be added and what parts we could do again or make better. For example, the first two verses and the chorus's were all very strong with the lipsyncing however the last verse (which is the fastest rapping in the song) is not very well synced and it would be wise for us to film this again. There are also short parts throughout the song where we didn't finish off a verse or missed a lyric or two which we will also re film.
I and the group also feel that some of the mise-en-scene (especially the costume) is not up to scratch and does not fit with the mise-en-scene we are trying to portray. The artist I am performing as had poor costume and we feel it is needed that when we redo my verse that I wear more urban clothing than what I did. Doing this will definately strenghten our video, making it more believable and proffessional.
After reviewing our cut a couple of times, we felt that the video could become a bit boring with all lip sycing throughout. Despite the rapping being so realistic in each shots and having a range of locations, it became clear that we needed lots of different shots without rapping to add. For example we mentioned we could have the artist playing on an arcade which is talked about in one line etc. This should make the video more engaging for the audience and will probably fit into the conventions of proffessional music videos.
We will film for one night again after half term and we hope to make sure all of these things are shot so we can clean up the rough cut and make sure our video is a good as it can be. I think that if we then add effects within our edit the video will then come together and suit our proposed target audience perfectly.

Goodwin's theory analysis of Lower than Atlantis- Deadliest catch.

  Although this song is not the same genre as our chosen track for our music video project, it still has some very interesting effects that are similar to those of which we wish to create for our target audience in our project.

  The mise en scene presented within this video is really effective in creating a moody and emotional atmosphere without depressing and boring the audience. The costume in which the band have been dressed in is of muted earthy colours which allows them to provoke the audience to take notice solely of the music, instead of focusing on how they look and distracting them from the themes that are being communicated to them within the song and its video. 

  The location in which the video is filmed ties in perfectly with the theme and atmosphere of the track as it is set on and around a beach, the band clips especially. As the entirety of the lyrics is based around and speaks of, for example 'plenty more fish in the sea' and include interesting cut-aways such as when the band are riding on the carousel, walking around the seaside and skimming stones into the waves.
  the way in which the band is never seen singing allows them to not need lip-syncing, however; through this they also create an excellent effect due to the way that the fans are holding up and communicating the lyrics in unique and interesting ways such as the 'more fish' sign on the cat and the use of t-shirts with the lyrics written on. The use of the handwriting creates an authentic and creative atmosphere. The idea of authenticity ties in with the colour of costume as they look aged and worn, due to the earthy and muted tones the band are dressed in.

review of filming-Sunday 16th October 2011

  We all, as a group, met on Parker's piece in Cambridge at 11am to begin filming the most important clips that we desired to be filmed away from the college. We decided this as we believed it would give us more variety in terms of locations. this theory proved to be correct as we found we had so many locations within the city to choose from, that would provide us with the best atmosphere and setting for the theme of our music video.
  The weather really proved to be on our side on our final day of filming. As, although chilly, we had an excellent amount of sunlight which enabled us to combine this with the luck of having a high definition camera on which to film our music video. This allowed us to produce a video which is both appropriately lit and easily captures well highlighted features on both the artists and their surrounding locations shown within the video. Having appropriate filming conditions weather wise is one of the most important factors when shooting outside; after closely following daily weather forecasts, we were confident when it came to the day of final filming, that the weather would hold out long enough for us to shoot clips of a substantial enough quality to use in the final cut, with good lighting and clear images.

  Our first location of the day was at the skate ramps outside Parkside Pools. this we felt would create an excellent urban feel, which would keep in with the atmosphere of the track, to the video as the ramps are covered in scuff marks and stripped paint and looks generally very worn and unappealing aesthetically. This we felt would have a fantastic effect as it ties in perfectly with the less than ideal atmosphere presented in the track which speaks of how life was back in Kyle Rapps childhood when everything was simple and the sole focus was about getting an education and getting on with life instead of worrying about how much money an idea could make you or how attractive something is visually.

  Our second location was just off of mill road in a slightly less visually appealing residential area. We decided this would be a good location to film in because we believed it would capture the raw atmosphere of the track, again relating back to the idea of everything being simple and not solely focused on the aesthetics of living. The lighting in our clips was sufficient enough to maintain the good atmosphere we had created at the first location, this also allowed us to maintain good continuity throughout our clips. We did have to be patient with traffic and pedestrians as the location we were filming on was along a relatively busy road. However; we collaborated well as a team and our patience paid off as we captured some clips which will look excellent in the final cut of our music video.  

  We decided that we didn't want our music video to have a bright atmosphere throughout the whole video, so decided to find a slightly more dank and dindgy location to film our third set of clips. This location we found to be perfect in an alley way which we found running along the side of Waterstone's. As there is construction being carried out in this location, there are lamps attached to the scaffolding along the walkway to provide safe lighting for pedestrians. This lighting also created a warm yet eerie atmosphere for our filming which help us achieve the feel we desired for this particular section of our video as it yet again ties in with the raw feel of the track yet gives our target audience something fresh to look at. this we feel is important as we want to draw our audience in and keep them interested in our music video so they leave with our intended effect. This effect being engrossed and relating to the themes of the track and it's video.

  Our final location, we only filmed on briefly for the part of the track in which Kyle Rapps communicates to his audience about making money. We decided it would be best effective if we found a leading bank within the city and got a shot of him sitting outside it on the step; present his money when it came to the part in the track where he mentions it.

  Overall it was a very successful day of filming. As a group we feel we achieved everything we set out for on that day. We came away feeling pleased with our efforts and believe that because of such a successful day of shooting our music video, we are at the correct stage in our project which will now allow us to have sufficient time to edit and polish our final cut.

Inspiration

 

  Above is the inspiration for our font in our digipak, our magazine ad and our album cover. The font is both quirky and vibrant which creates and eye-catching effect for the audience. this quality would make the font perfect for use in our digipak and magazine advert as well as our album cover. the fact that we will be using the same font throughout our media products would enable our target audience to identify with the artist even solely through the use of font and appearance. This would then give a fantastic amount of strength to our advertising and distribution process as the products we will be creating are memorable as well as easy to read and view.

 

the surrounding images are to communicate our inspiration for our overall style, costume and appearance wise. We are taking the 90's feel to costume in our video, this will give a more urban overview of the video as this era best represents urban hip hop and rap music. This is shown for example through the baggy clothing such as jogging trousers and tracksuit tops teamed with old and worn trainers and chunky gold jewelry. as 90's hip hop and rap broke the conventions of costume in music videos through the use of original accessories and colour combinations, we feel it necessary to take inspiration from these qualities to add greater effect to our video for our audience which, overall, will create a greater attraction to for example our digipak and magazine advert especially through the audience's ability to relate to such an era.
  Below we have taken inspiration through the way that the artists move in their video. the fluid and consistent movements throughout the video give the track an atmosphere that fits in time with the beat running throughout. We felt it important to take note of these movements as they would also fit in with the time signature of our chosen track and would be really effective in creating a chilled yet lively pace and atmosphere for our video.

Above is the video for 'Drop' by The Pharcyde, directed by Spike Jonze

Final Cut - So Far

This is our final cut project so far in its entirety.

These are the shots we've filmed so far.

One of our low angle shots to make the artist look superior and cool.

We will use this shot, or a shot like this, in between breaks in the song

This is what we've got in the editing mix so far

16th October - Filming Day - Weather

Because our filming deadline is on Monday 17th we need to make sure that we will be able to film on Sunday. Thankfully the weather forecast says that the day should be dry which means we have no reason not to film all our footage during the day. We may also have to take into consideration that daylight is shorter than usual so we will probably have to finish filming before it starts getting dark, otherwise the visuals could be affected. As we have previously thought about, we may choose to film in the dark under street lit alleys or streets. If we do it, we may need to make sure the artist can always be seen clearly in the shots. With all this in mind, it seems like we will be able to get all our footage done during this day if everything goes to plan.

Review of Filming (Thursday 13th Oct)

We began filming our music video last lesson in one of our locations - the colleges basketball court. Steven and I brought all of the costume's and props we needed which were: basketball shirt, tracksuit bottoms, baggy shirts and a basketball. We then filmed our opening shot which is the basketball being scored in the hoop. We then filmed shot two of the artist rapping with the basketball in his hand with the court in the background. We also filmed a long stretch of the film with the artist walking and rapping the whole song. This is to make sure we have enough footage when we edit.
We found another location next to the basketball court on the step and we made the artist lip sync to the whole song yet again, so we can add parts of the shots to the video if needed. We felt it was a successful shoot, getting a lot of different shots in a short space of time, with very good lip syncing. We also added some shots of the artist and another character playing basketball which we feel we can add in the video to create a balance of rapping and other visual shots. The weather was fairly dull and gloomy meaning we will have to make sure if we re film some of the shots on the basketball court we do not film on a really bright day as it could damage our continuity of the video.
We feel ready to continue filming over this weekend, with the group meeting at 11am on Sunday 16th October at Parker Piece. We will be using all of the locations we have researched into in our previous blogs and will possibly find some other suitable locations along the way. We know exactly what shots we need to film as we have ticked off the ones completed in the storyboard. If the weather is bad - for example raining - we will probably still have to film as our deadline will be the coming Monday. We learnt alot from our filming on Thursday, the main thing is we will have to shoot lots of different angles with the artist rapping the whole song.

Ideas for Digipak

This is an example of one of Wiz Kalifa's covers for his Digipak. The colours and tones are all similar, meaning the face of the artist stands out more than everything else, but still brings his style in the clothing and bold font. The composition of the Image also makes his face and the writing the first things you notice. We're going to bring this into consideration with our cover. We're going to use more colours than this, and show more of the artist, to put across the overall style across more.

Mise en Scene - Research

Mise en Scene of 'Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park)' By Nas

Location:
The setting used in this Rap/Hip Hop music video are usually urban locations. For example, a Jail, a dark alley, the streets of New York and briefly a basketball court, which are all similar to our production. The locations are very genre typical.

Props/Costume
The costume in this music video include flat caps and parker jackets. The music video includes props such as fake blood to look like a bullet wound.

Lighting
The lighting in this music video is usually quite dark, during day time it's usually shot in an enclosed area such as a jail. When it is shot during night time there are a lot of artificial lights such as street lamps, New York shop lights and electric billboard. Again enhancing the urban theme for this hip hop music video

Test Shots

Medium shot, showing the basketball players in the background

Close up through the wire fence

Close up through wire fence

Close up with basketball in the background

Walking on basketball court

Walking on basketball court

Walking on basketball court

Walking on basketball court

We decided a close up on the step would fit well with our genre so we may possible use it in our video

Walking and rapping on the street (not actual location)

Walking and rapping on the street (not actual location)

Walking and rapping on the street (not actual location)

Walking and rapping on the street (not actual location)

Our first shot, close up of basketball shot, no music will be played at the point

Shot of two characters

Low angle close up shot of artist

Side on shot, we could switch between a variety of shots

Another low angle shot.

These are our tests shots of where we are going to shoot our film, although we weren't aloud out of the school site so we couldn't get test shots of the street and skate park locations. The test shots gave us an idea of how to shoot our film, what angles to use and what camera angles work well with the genre of the song. We feel that these tests have been very useful, for example we have been able to find out other shots (such as the close up on the step) and we have also realised that the basket ball court may be busy at certain times if we are to film during lessons. We have also decided that some of these shots (such as walking down a street) may also be filmed in dark, street lit streets when walking.

Analysis using Goodwin's Theoy (Wiz Khalifa - Roll Up)

Wiz Khalifa - Roll Up
Obviously for our research we need to look into similar music videos as our own we are creating. Wiz Khalifa is seen as an up and coming hip hop rapper, therefore I felt it was a good idea to study his music video "Roll Up".
The video uses the genre characteristics well for the rap/hip-hop genre. The costume designs for Khalifa and the other characters fit in very well with the artist wearing baggy denim jeans, white tshirts and a big gold chain throughout. Other costumes used were tank tops and flat peaked caps which we have already found out suit the genre. When the artist was rapping in one particular location there was a big graffiti wall in the background which many viewers automatically associate with this genre - and because of this frequent use we could easily fit this into our video. We also saw close ups of the rapper which we are always going to see in a rap video and this also adheres to the part of Goodwin's theory that the record label make sure the artist is the biggest part in the video. Obviously there are flashes of other main characters including the girl, however we were always sent back to Khalifa which we expected as he is the artist.
When it came to the relationship between the lyrics and visuals, Khalifa definitely amplified the main lyric "I Roll Up" with a storyline shown of him attending in different places to this girl - perhaps his girlfriend. During the chorus there was also a very effective camera technique which looked like it continued to roll up and down - referring the lyrics well. It would roll up into the sun and come back down - each time it came down the artist would be in the frame. I found this was a very effective addition to the video and it certainly amplified the lyrics of the song. This could be something we bring into our video, this makes the video flow a lot better, as it doesn't jump from one shot to another, and instead moves easily from one location into another.
The relationships between the music and the visuals wasn't that illustrative or amplifying in my opinion. There were often many establishing shots, such as shots of sun, palm trees, the beach and basketball courts. The song is fairly relaxed so slow pan shots and slow motion shots seemed to set the mood of the chilled out song well.
There was also great use of light in the pictures seemed which I felt made it such a summery and chilled song. There were many shots with the sun beaming the background, sometimes flashing in the camera and there were also big beams of light from the graffiti wall and in the background which really gave the video a great feel. I think it might be an idea for our group to research more closely into light techniques to see if we can incorporate it into our video.
Overall I think this video is fairly good however it seems like it lacks something special and engaging as I felt like I had to endure the video slightly.

Shot List

This is our shot list. Similar to our storyboard but the shot list tells us how to frame the shot and what props to bring.

Lighting Research

In our video we have chosen to film most of the shots outside in the streets, courts and skate parks. With this in mind it means we will probably not need lighting to make sure the artist is seen in the video. Obviously we are hoping for when we are filming, it to be a clear day, however if it does happen to be a gloomy we may have to use lighting to make sure the artist is clearly visible in the picture.
We might choose to shoot in the dark when the artist is walking down the street. If we do so I do not feel we will need to use any lighting tools as the street lamps should be enough light to make sure the artist can be seen lip syncing. The use of street lamps will definitely give a good urban effect, creating realistics shadows and giving a good amber colour.
On the other hand if we do need to use light in our video we have decided on a few techniques to use which we feel will be effective.

The use of background lighting could be put into the video to illuminate the area of the set or location behind the artist. It will show separation between the artist and the background, so therefore we could use it in a fairly dark skate park to show the shadows of the ramps and the artist in the centre of the video.

We could also use fill lighting, sometimes called three-point lighting. It can be used to reduce the contrast of a scene and provide some illumination for the areas of the image that are in shadow. You can choose which of the three lights gives the best effective - for example have a brighter light in one corner compared to the other. The idea of three-point lighting is shown to the left. You can see that the camera can be placed in different positions to create the perfect mood for the video. Obviously you have to be careful to make sure the lights are visible in the shots you produce.

There is also a choice of using low key and high key lighting in our video when altering the standard three point lighting technique. Low key lighting will mean there is only the key light really making an impact. This will give a dark, shadowy effect to the artist - with just the artist being the centre of the picture and will perhaps create a lonely and isolated atmosphere. This is obviously unlikely to be used in our video, however we do have the option of using this approach to lighting.
High key lighting has become fairly old fashioned since the introduction of standard three point lighting, however knowing how it is produced could help us in our production. High key lighting aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene/location. It gives the scene a softer feel and will not allow for shadows if done correctly. The disadvantage of this type of lighting is it will fail to add much drama or effect if it is constantly used throughout a video.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematic_techniques

Story Board

Storyboard.

Whilst the others were doing blog posts, I was working out and drawing the storyboard. I achieved this in the same way I imagined any auteur, like Spike Jonze who we researched, would. I listened to the song over and over again and tried to picture where about would be a suitable and effective place to switch between shots. I also did the same thing to see how the song made me feel and what I imagined the music video has to include. I came to the conclusion that the music video had to involve an urban theme, a basketball court/skate park were a couple of ideas for a central location/theme. I used Goodwin's points to help to decide what to include in the video, for example: Music/visuals - when Kyle Rapps says about going to a bank, we're going to film our artist outside a bank. and there are many more examples of music/visuals. I feel that because I spent quite a lot of time on the storyboard that we will stick to it for a reasonable amount. However, obviously I understand that whilst filming we may find some inspiration and change it and we may find a better way to put a couple of shots together.
All in all I felt it was crucial to have a good plan of our music video to use as a guide, I believe it will make things go a lot more smoothly when it comes to filming.

Previous Year 13 Music Video

This is a Year 13 Student Video from Long Road Sixth Form College - they have been set the same brief as us therefore we will be able to learn something from analysing the video they have created. The song The Nextmen - Amongst The Madness was one of our choices when we were deciding what song to choose and the genre of music is rap/hip-hop much like our song choice of Kyle Rapps - Hard Knock Children.
The video uses some conventions stated in Goodwins Theory - for example the use of music and video relating to each other in the video. When the record scratches and stops and starts, the visuals in the video also glitch and change speed with the music. This is a good effect and works well in their video. The video also uses the concept of voyeurism and looking as we see throughout the video the characters walking down streets. We get views from in front and behind, like we are following a journey - however the character does not know we are there. We could say the video does make sure the demands of the record label are met with the chorus always being rapped by the artist, however a mid-shot is only ever used (perhaps to get a good view of the graffiti behind) however this means we never really get a chance to see the artists face. This, I feel, could definitely be improved in the video. I also think that the relationship between the lyrics and visuals could be worked on. The main lyric "Amongst The Madness" does not seem to be illustrated in the video too much. Although it could be possibly seen as the character walking is getting away from "madness" or the madness is in the streets, I think that this is a weak idea that could be improved.
The genre characteristics are used well in this video - with modern, fashionable somewhat urban clothing - which seems to work in the video as the song has a modern hiphop/rap feel to it. The use of graffiti is also a sensible addition to the visuals as it amplifies the modern rap idea. The locations of city streets also reflects the genre well however the location never seems to be highlighted much. I think that the video overall seemed to never really grab the audience, with prolonged shot durations and no lip-syncing until the chorus I think the video never really got going from the first 20 seconds. The story being shown in the video seemed to never be very clear to anyone and there were no costume changes or real passion in the artists performance. In balance some of the genre characteristics were adhered to and I think this video has given our group some feel for the amount of shots we will have to do to make sure our video does grip and entertain our audiences.