Before producing our short film: 'Heart Of Stone' we studied some other short films and videos when thinking of ideas and shots and techniques to use in our film to better it and ensure that the quality of the final piece was to the standards that we had hoped for and expected.
Medusa - Clash Of The Titans:
The reason that I chose to study this is that our main character in our film is a modern portrayal of Medusa so I took this portrayal and took inspiration from this performance as to how the stereotypical portrayal of Medusa is done, this allowed us to see what to take from it in our portrayal and how much to modernise to make sure that the character is adapted to fit a modern audience but also so that the character is still recognisable as Medusa but not so classic that it didn't fit the film
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Music Video Concept - Short Summary
Song: Duke Dumont - Ocean Drive.
Our music video is going to follow the narrative of a group of friends going on a night out, as their night turns from boredom into carnage in the end. Utilizing the bright lights of Yarmouth sea front in the dark to create some really aesthetically pleasing shots. We will also be looking to use flares and or smoke bombs to create even more shots. Mainly using the dark to have bright lights shine through to create our piece. This will be our main aim. Filming travelling in the car, on a beach and in a car park. We are aiming to make this video a feel good video without a complex synopsis but instead showing that you can have a good time in any situation with the right group of people. This means that we need to create some visually appealing shots though and this will be done with slow shutter speeds which create the blurry light effects and also we will be using a drone which can create some nice shots from the air.
Locations -
Great Yarmouth seafront - Lighting will be good and this is where we will be driving down
Bure Park - Hitting light up golf balls
House - Start at the house where everyone meets.
Petrol station - Filming filling up the car and getting snacks
Our music video is going to follow the narrative of a group of friends going on a night out, as their night turns from boredom into carnage in the end. Utilizing the bright lights of Yarmouth sea front in the dark to create some really aesthetically pleasing shots. We will also be looking to use flares and or smoke bombs to create even more shots. Mainly using the dark to have bright lights shine through to create our piece. This will be our main aim. Filming travelling in the car, on a beach and in a car park. We are aiming to make this video a feel good video without a complex synopsis but instead showing that you can have a good time in any situation with the right group of people. This means that we need to create some visually appealing shots though and this will be done with slow shutter speeds which create the blurry light effects and also we will be using a drone which can create some nice shots from the air.
Locations -
Great Yarmouth seafront - Lighting will be good and this is where we will be driving down
Bure Park - Hitting light up golf balls
House - Start at the house where everyone meets.
Petrol station - Filming filling up the car and getting snacks
Sunday, 10 April 2016
Styles, Conventions & Techniques In Music Videos
There are several differing styles and conventions in which music videos can have. These commonly are reflective of the genre or audience the track is aimed at, so that the track can coincide with the video to fully cater to its target demographic. Music videos are commonly made to either follow a narrative storyline or made to fit in time with the beat of the track. This is so it is more aesthetically pleasing and easier for the viewer to watch and take in.
In concert and 'as live' videos:
In concert videos are reasonably common. They showcase the band or artist performing infront of either a real or fake crowd of paid actors. This is one of the purer ways for an artist or group to showcase themselves in the centre of a video. Doing what they are doing behind the video, performing music, this is what they do as a their profession so being able to showcase that to reassure the listener or viewer that they are the people behind the music is very common indeed.
An example of an 'as live' performance is: Outkast - Hey Ya! This is clearly a more staged version of as live with actors being paid to play the audience, although the aim for the video is achieved. This is an example of a more slapstick and unique version of as live.
A further example of an 'as live' video is: Guns N Roses - Paradise City. This is a more 'real' example which showcases the band on a tour, performing at real concerts, this has a more, unpolished, but real feel to it, which is what I'm sure the band was going for. This music video showcased every single member that is in the band, this is common for rock bands or bands that have several members, as it gives exposure to all members of the band, other than the singer who is usually the focal point.
Narrative and Interpretive:
A narrative music video is the most common form of music videos. It offers the viewer a path and story line visually to interpret from the lyrics. They help to paint the image for them. The stories don't have to be associated or linked the lyrics of the song, although it is common for this to happen. The storyline can either be literal to the the lyrics or a plotline that is followed without any relevance to the lyrics whatsoever. Either contradicting the lyrics or further consolidating them.
An example of a Narrative music video is: Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers. The story that is told is Eminem's real life friendship from a young age with his friend who was murdered. The lyrics are chilling when the chorus is heard. Stating that: "We all fall down, like Toy Soldiers" referencing the death of his friend and how easily our lives can be taken away from us in an instant. The chorus also plays in tune to his 'friend' being unsuccessfully resuscitated from his state. Alot of artists reference real life occurrences in their music lyrics and in turn the narrative of the music video. I chose Eminem's Toy Soldiers however, due to it's saddening and very real plot in comparison to the more common love centred narratives which take up the majority of the music narrative genre.
Surrealist/Absurdest:
This is a type of music video that has no relevance to the lyrics in the song itself and is made with the intention of setting out to confuse the viewer and make them question as to what they have just seen/experienced instead of having an actual connection with the video. This isn't done overly often, but when it is done, the videos are often very memorable ones that remain in the minds of the viewer for a while after viewing. Which is why a surrealist music video is an effective on to use.
An example of a surrealist music video is: Fall Out Boy - Where Did The Party Go
The song is about a party and the events that happen there, but the music video is in the style of zombies running around different areas of the public instead of focusing on the lyrics which is stereotypical with other music video styles.
Impressionist:
Impressionist music videos don't focus fully on the lyrics but the emotional tone of the song and put a story to the beat. Putting a literal impression from the lyrics to a song instead showing on a screen the lyrics being played out one by one. This is a common feature in many music videos as it allows the director to use more artistic license than they would usually.
This is why they are quite common place as it allows creative freedom for a video to be interpreted from the point of view from a creative team rather than what is presented to them.
An example of an impressionist music video is: Adele's Rolling In The Deep
Intertextual
Intertetxual musicos focus on a real life/ story narrative and place them into a song/music video that has been made specifically about/for the situation, these are to have a real life connection with the viewer so that they will be more engrossed and engaged in what is on the screen infront of them. These are common for movies/ big world events. Although, artists are more likely to use them when something real has happened to them in their life.
An example of an intertexual music video is: Wavin Flag by: K'naan
This focuses on the 2010 World Cup that was upcoming before hand.
Animation:
Animation is also common in music videos, being used often alongside as live footage, it is rare that music videos are fully animated, although when they are they require alot more time and effort than any other music videos as it has to be created from scratch without the use of cameras. It is also important that the animation fits the speed and beat of the music to create a believable but clearly mocked up music video.
An example of an animated music video is: Do The Evolution by Pearl Jam. This is an example of a unique music video that really hasn't got the lyrics of the song in mind whilst being produced, this creates a very odd but intriguing music video, that keeps the eye of the viewer locked on to it at all times, which is an effective tool when creating a video. Furthermore, the bright colours of the animation will keep the viewer intrigued and watching the video.
Lip Syncing, Miming and playback:
Videos in which lip syncing is used are very common, they convey the artist in front of the audience so that their image is pushed even more, it also cuts costs somewhat as the focus is on the artist and their song. Also, it's a very personal type of video as it allows the artist to convey any emotions they want with the lyrics of the song so that the viewer can greater understand the lyrics and what the song is intended to mean.
An example of lip syncing in a music video is: 'Shut up' by Stormzy. He spends the whole video miming back the song to the camera alone with a group behind him playing the role of the backup vocals in the video. This is an effective use of lip syncing as the focus of the video is simply Stormzy and it was a very cheap one to produce, only needing one camera angle in a local park.
Cutting to beat:
Cutting to beat is sued in music videos commonly aswell, it cuts chunks of the footage to the beat of the song to create an image alongside the music. This can be used in fast paced songs especially to coincide with the pace of the music and keep the viewers eyes engaged alongside their ears. Creating a rhythm in the edit and song.
An example of a music video cutting to beat is: Offspring - Pretty fly for a white guy, they use the fast paced beat in the chorus, using shots of a 'live' performance and other shots to create an image coinciding with the beats of the song.
Post production effects:
Post production effects are used to put other things in place of a regular music video, making the extraordinary coincide with the ordinary. They can also be used to cut costs, for example: It is cheaper to place an airplane in, in post production than actually paying to rent a real airplane and use that. They can also be used to place a video in a different location than it previously was, this was used frequently in the early 2000's when computing was reaching new levels, with many music videos being placed in space.
An example of a music video that used post production effects is: All Of The Lights - Kanye West. Implementing many different effects through post including lights and visual effects that wouldn't of been there before hand. This creates a better, more complete and more memorable video in turn.
Effect: Split screening
Split screening is used in music videos pretty frequently. It has varying uses, the most common of which is to paint two seperate pictures simultaneously, most commonly in love stories to show the emotions that the two protagonists are experience during the video and how the lyrics correlate to their emotions. It can also be used in action based videos to show an escape/getaway and how both/multiple people involved are feeling during the video. This is also a fairly cost free way of showing a story in a different light, as it is just two shots but next to eachother so there's always something for the viewer to watch.
An example of a split screen music video is: Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop. It uses two different cameras in a smart way which almost tricks the viewer into believing that at one time it's one shot, but it's a fantastic way of showing how time has changed in 30 years and implementing it into a music video.
Effect: Chroma Key
Chroma key is used to remove green screen's/blue screen's from behind artists in their music videos to paint the image of them being in a different location than they actually are, as the screen is 'keyed' out and an image is placed behind them to show different locations/items behind them.
An example of a green screened music video is: Beneath your beautiful - Labrinth. As the green screen uses images of both artists behind them to make it seem like their talking about eachother in their thoughts behind the other artist singing.
Camera movements:
Camera movements are used to represent movements, transitions and are used to create excitement and a different viewpoint for the audience when looking at the video, they can also use 'in action' shots to make the audience believe that they are with the characters in the music videos and feeling the same emotion and experiencing it with them. Crab shots, pans, etc are also used in music videos to continue a smooth feel to a song or the intended feel that the artist wanted originally.
An example of a music video full of camera movements is: Only one in the world by - Rhianna. Using many different movements along with the song to create a free-flowing music video.
In concert and 'as live' videos:
In concert videos are reasonably common. They showcase the band or artist performing infront of either a real or fake crowd of paid actors. This is one of the purer ways for an artist or group to showcase themselves in the centre of a video. Doing what they are doing behind the video, performing music, this is what they do as a their profession so being able to showcase that to reassure the listener or viewer that they are the people behind the music is very common indeed.
An example of an 'as live' performance is: Outkast - Hey Ya! This is clearly a more staged version of as live with actors being paid to play the audience, although the aim for the video is achieved. This is an example of a more slapstick and unique version of as live.
A further example of an 'as live' video is: Guns N Roses - Paradise City. This is a more 'real' example which showcases the band on a tour, performing at real concerts, this has a more, unpolished, but real feel to it, which is what I'm sure the band was going for. This music video showcased every single member that is in the band, this is common for rock bands or bands that have several members, as it gives exposure to all members of the band, other than the singer who is usually the focal point.
Narrative and Interpretive:
A narrative music video is the most common form of music videos. It offers the viewer a path and story line visually to interpret from the lyrics. They help to paint the image for them. The stories don't have to be associated or linked the lyrics of the song, although it is common for this to happen. The storyline can either be literal to the the lyrics or a plotline that is followed without any relevance to the lyrics whatsoever. Either contradicting the lyrics or further consolidating them.
An example of a Narrative music video is: Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers. The story that is told is Eminem's real life friendship from a young age with his friend who was murdered. The lyrics are chilling when the chorus is heard. Stating that: "We all fall down, like Toy Soldiers" referencing the death of his friend and how easily our lives can be taken away from us in an instant. The chorus also plays in tune to his 'friend' being unsuccessfully resuscitated from his state. Alot of artists reference real life occurrences in their music lyrics and in turn the narrative of the music video. I chose Eminem's Toy Soldiers however, due to it's saddening and very real plot in comparison to the more common love centred narratives which take up the majority of the music narrative genre.
Surrealist/Absurdest:
This is a type of music video that has no relevance to the lyrics in the song itself and is made with the intention of setting out to confuse the viewer and make them question as to what they have just seen/experienced instead of having an actual connection with the video. This isn't done overly often, but when it is done, the videos are often very memorable ones that remain in the minds of the viewer for a while after viewing. Which is why a surrealist music video is an effective on to use.
An example of a surrealist music video is: Fall Out Boy - Where Did The Party Go
The song is about a party and the events that happen there, but the music video is in the style of zombies running around different areas of the public instead of focusing on the lyrics which is stereotypical with other music video styles.
Impressionist:
Impressionist music videos don't focus fully on the lyrics but the emotional tone of the song and put a story to the beat. Putting a literal impression from the lyrics to a song instead showing on a screen the lyrics being played out one by one. This is a common feature in many music videos as it allows the director to use more artistic license than they would usually.
This is why they are quite common place as it allows creative freedom for a video to be interpreted from the point of view from a creative team rather than what is presented to them.
An example of an impressionist music video is: Adele's Rolling In The Deep
Intertextual
Intertetxual musicos focus on a real life/ story narrative and place them into a song/music video that has been made specifically about/for the situation, these are to have a real life connection with the viewer so that they will be more engrossed and engaged in what is on the screen infront of them. These are common for movies/ big world events. Although, artists are more likely to use them when something real has happened to them in their life.
An example of an intertexual music video is: Wavin Flag by: K'naan
This focuses on the 2010 World Cup that was upcoming before hand.
Animation:
Animation is also common in music videos, being used often alongside as live footage, it is rare that music videos are fully animated, although when they are they require alot more time and effort than any other music videos as it has to be created from scratch without the use of cameras. It is also important that the animation fits the speed and beat of the music to create a believable but clearly mocked up music video.
An example of an animated music video is: Do The Evolution by Pearl Jam. This is an example of a unique music video that really hasn't got the lyrics of the song in mind whilst being produced, this creates a very odd but intriguing music video, that keeps the eye of the viewer locked on to it at all times, which is an effective tool when creating a video. Furthermore, the bright colours of the animation will keep the viewer intrigued and watching the video.
Lip Syncing, Miming and playback:
Videos in which lip syncing is used are very common, they convey the artist in front of the audience so that their image is pushed even more, it also cuts costs somewhat as the focus is on the artist and their song. Also, it's a very personal type of video as it allows the artist to convey any emotions they want with the lyrics of the song so that the viewer can greater understand the lyrics and what the song is intended to mean.
An example of lip syncing in a music video is: 'Shut up' by Stormzy. He spends the whole video miming back the song to the camera alone with a group behind him playing the role of the backup vocals in the video. This is an effective use of lip syncing as the focus of the video is simply Stormzy and it was a very cheap one to produce, only needing one camera angle in a local park.
Cutting to beat:
Cutting to beat is sued in music videos commonly aswell, it cuts chunks of the footage to the beat of the song to create an image alongside the music. This can be used in fast paced songs especially to coincide with the pace of the music and keep the viewers eyes engaged alongside their ears. Creating a rhythm in the edit and song.
An example of a music video cutting to beat is: Offspring - Pretty fly for a white guy, they use the fast paced beat in the chorus, using shots of a 'live' performance and other shots to create an image coinciding with the beats of the song.
Post production effects:
Post production effects are used to put other things in place of a regular music video, making the extraordinary coincide with the ordinary. They can also be used to cut costs, for example: It is cheaper to place an airplane in, in post production than actually paying to rent a real airplane and use that. They can also be used to place a video in a different location than it previously was, this was used frequently in the early 2000's when computing was reaching new levels, with many music videos being placed in space.
An example of a music video that used post production effects is: All Of The Lights - Kanye West. Implementing many different effects through post including lights and visual effects that wouldn't of been there before hand. This creates a better, more complete and more memorable video in turn.
Effect: Split screening
Split screening is used in music videos pretty frequently. It has varying uses, the most common of which is to paint two seperate pictures simultaneously, most commonly in love stories to show the emotions that the two protagonists are experience during the video and how the lyrics correlate to their emotions. It can also be used in action based videos to show an escape/getaway and how both/multiple people involved are feeling during the video. This is also a fairly cost free way of showing a story in a different light, as it is just two shots but next to eachother so there's always something for the viewer to watch.
An example of a split screen music video is: Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop. It uses two different cameras in a smart way which almost tricks the viewer into believing that at one time it's one shot, but it's a fantastic way of showing how time has changed in 30 years and implementing it into a music video.
Effect: Chroma Key
Chroma key is used to remove green screen's/blue screen's from behind artists in their music videos to paint the image of them being in a different location than they actually are, as the screen is 'keyed' out and an image is placed behind them to show different locations/items behind them.
An example of a green screened music video is: Beneath your beautiful - Labrinth. As the green screen uses images of both artists behind them to make it seem like their talking about eachother in their thoughts behind the other artist singing.
Camera movements:
Camera movements are used to represent movements, transitions and are used to create excitement and a different viewpoint for the audience when looking at the video, they can also use 'in action' shots to make the audience believe that they are with the characters in the music videos and feeling the same emotion and experiencing it with them. Crab shots, pans, etc are also used in music videos to continue a smooth feel to a song or the intended feel that the artist wanted originally.
An example of a music video full of camera movements is: Only one in the world by - Rhianna. Using many different movements along with the song to create a free-flowing music video.
Friday, 11 March 2016
Purpose Of Music Videos
Music videos are a mainstay of pop-culture in modern society. However, this wasn't always the case. They started to emerge in the early 1940's in clubs and bars in the USA. over 70 years later, music videos have evolved into extremely detailed pieces of medias with whole crews and huge budgets working on them. In this blog post I am going to be exploring the emergence and transitions that the music video industry has occurred and how it became a mainstay in society, and maintained it's place and didn't turn out to be just another 'fad'.
Music videos are a fantastic way for artists to connect with their viewers in the most unique ways imaginable, placing themselves in the song for the viewers to follow them. In some cases, the music video can elevate a band or artist to new, unseen heights and take of their careers. A key example of this is: a-ha with their classic: Take On Me, the music video was so unique at the time that it propelled the band to household names globally, not just nationally
and the song to the top of the charts.
It's not just the musicians who can benefit from a successful video, the director and crew can aswell, if their video does well then it promotes their name and brand aswell and other musicians are more likely to use them as they will see them as the key to success.
A key example: Anthony Mandler, worked with Rhianna once and she enjoyed the work so much that he has directed he majority of her music videos.
Different artists are marketed differently by their producers in their music videos, this is obvious, so the market doesn't become over saturated. If people have a unique look then they are more marketable to certain audiences and therefore much more profitable. A key example of this is: Miley Cyrus who had a complete image change to keep up with culture and draw more controversy and in turn, money.
Miley Cryus - 2012
Miley Cyrus - 2013
This image change took place in less than a year and pushed Miley Cyrus even further as her image threatened to become slightly stale.
The polar opposite to Miley Cyrus would be Adele, she is promoted as someone with an extremely powerful voice as her looks and heritage aren't her main draw so it'd be foolish to do so. She is expertly shown in her videos to be shown doing what she does best, singing. Simple but effective for Adele's marketing team.
To extend the income of artists through the use of music videos, the artist and label may use more 'risky' stuff to generate more views and buys, this has certainly become the case more and more as the 2000's have continued, with more raunchy and risky videos coming to prominence ahead of stories and narratives, which still have a place, but big budget videos with either sex or violence seem to sell more and generate more views.
A key example of this is, Nicki Minaj, who had always been 'risky' but as the years have carried on, she has gone further with it and generated more views and popularity by doing so.
Nicki Minaj - 2007
Nicki Minaj - 2014
Media outlets and the extensions of these are what makes music videos accessible to the majority of the UK's population. The majority of these are based online due to the power of the internet and that most people are able to get onto it with extreme ease whenever they need to. The dominant outlet for this is of course: YouTube, it has an extensive library of videos at the click of a button. It also has the 'suggested' videos tool which can alert the viewer to similar videos and videos from the same artist which drives viewer engagement.
Although the internet is bigger than it has been before, TV music channels are still a powerful platform for artists to be broadcasted, The main example of this being: MTV a pop-
culture staple. Although it is filled with more reality based TV shows than music videos now, it's what made music videos iconic, without it, they wouldn't be the same.
Synergistic marketing allows two products to work together as one to produce something. In terms of music videos, this will most likely take place between a sponsor wanting their product to be showcased in the video, in turn providing the video makers to receive funding for their video to make it in the way it was intended to be. Furhtermore, it can help to promote both products, fans of the product being advertised may be more likely to view the video if they know their product will be showcased and vice-versa.
A fantastic example of this being done in music videos is Beats By Dre promoting their products in videos:
In my opinion, music videos are so popular due to them producing a visual source alongside the lyrics for the viewer to refer back to. They also ensure that the song has a lasting image when looked back on in years to come, this allows it to remain relevant in culture and withstand the test of time easier.
An example of this is Thriller by Micheal Jackson, as it has maintained its place in culture after more than 30 years, due to its video being so unique and popular.
Friday, 26 February 2016
Music Video Research Post
Choose your song and why have you picked it?
The song that we have chosen to produce a music video for is the above: Duke Dumont - Ocean Drive, the reasons for us choosing this song are differing. The main, deciding factor was that it had a chilled vibe to it which would allow us to film shots that suit the song with our local surroundings. This is exemplified by the original music video itself as it uses a load of shots using unique lights in the dark and involves driving in nice scenery. We can attempt to replicate this by driving down the local seafront in which the lights and the nightlife can be captured outside of the car. We also feel that the use of slow-motion will suit the ambiance of the backing track perfectly, also shots near the sea will be perfect for us, and this is also something that will be easily disposable to us also.
Furthermore, the beat of the song stays the same throughout which allows us to get similar shots and and therefore keep them in time with the other shots that we have produced, this will be especially helpful in post-production when editing the final piece together as it will be easy to chop and change clips to suit the pre determined beat and rhythm of the song.
Finally, we selected this song as it is the type of song that people can 'immerse' themselves in, we feel it, we feel that is the exact type of song that people will look out of the window to and feel as if they were in the music video. We want to replicate that with out music video and utilize cars and the sense of travelling to play into that role. The simplistic nature of the video itself and the 'chilled' aspect of it will allow us to produce the music video easily within our £5 budget which was another key, determining factor.
Who are Duke Dumont?:
Duke Dumont is an English DJ specializing in 'Depp house' music, this genre came to prominence in the mid 2000's and has grown rapidly with Duke Dumont one the main innovators and producers of the genre. He has had several chart topping hits which would of been more recognizable than our song choice, this also fell into our minds when choosing the song as if it isn't significantly known then we will be more likely to make our own image linger in the minds of people that view the video, whereas if we use a more well known song then it is more likely that our image will be dismissed as the viewer will be more likely to just want to watch the regular video than our own.
I Got You:
I got you is the most well known globally in comparison to Duke Dumont's other songs, it topped charts globally and is the most viewed video on the official VEVO YouTube page.
The premise of the video is a man entering a 'virtual' reality to escape his regular, day to day life, at the start of the video, deliberately dark colours are used to signify that the persons life is bland and boring and bland.
As soon as the video progresses into the virtual reality, bright colours are instantly used, this is to hit the viewer suddenly and immerse them into the the video. This is a great technique and also occurs when the song picks up to heighten several senses.
In terms of the locations, there are several used, the first is a dreary house on a high street, the next is set on a tropical island of some sort in which the man is experiencing several different things which would be considered relaxing, varying from swimming with fish to boat rides. This is to emmulate the varying dreams that the majority of people have in life and would want to experience, This is done to keep them watching and interested as they want to fantasize and see just what happens next as they experience the music video and immerse themselves in it.
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