Planning

 

Equipment List:

• Camcorder
• Tripod
• Gorrilla Pod: Small, easy to use, strong and can be used hand held. the legs can be pulled together and used more as a monopod, which is more stable to use than just on its own.

• Laptop
• Apple Mac Pro

• Editing Software
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC: Reliable, I know how to use it, and it can dynamically link with other Adobe After Effects, Mocha AE and Adobe Audition.

Crew:

• Camera operator
• Catherine Maughan
• Sam Cox
• Actors
• Peter Maughan

As I wanted to use my trip to Rio as an opportunity for exotic shots and landscapes. For this reason, I had to use myself as the main actor. What this allowed me to do was perform exactly as I had intended, and not ask another actor to perform for me.

• Drama Students

The classroom students will all be drama students, allowing me to set up a realistic and believable environmnet. I will have Sam and Max trowning paper planes/ balls in the background, with Lucy Bell actin as the teacher.

• Max Mitchell
• Sam Judge
• Charlotte Glover
• Lucy Smith

• Editor
• Peter Maughan

Shooting Schedule:

• August 25th - September 3rd
• Brazil landscapes
• October 18th
• Classroom

Locations List:

• Rio
• Christ the Redeemer
• Copacabana Beach
• Ipamema Beach
• Other locations around Rio with the intention of getting various shots based on the Brazilian atmosphere
• The Downs School Classroom
• GT27

Representation in my music video:

• Rucksack represents not being about to escape society, show in the video by the classroom
• Landscape shows unending possibilities and opportunities, contrasting with the enclosed classroom space.

Planning of mise en scene:

• Backpack
• Red backpack will be worn in the Rio shots to show that even though the background and scenarios are changing, it is within the same moment as the last shot, which will demonstrate the dream sequence.
• Classroom props
• In the Classroom I will have paper balls being thrown by two of the actors playing students, and a selection of other props such as pencil cases and paper.
• Sunglasses
• The sunglasses will be worn intermittently in the Rio shots, and placed next to the main character in the final classroom shot, to show the link between dreams and reality.

Story board and lyrics:

Costume:

• Plain white or blue top
• Rucksack
• Sunglasses
• Shorts

Health and safety:

I will be in a foreign country, so I will make sure I know my location, and important locations around me. For example, I will know the whereabouts of the local police stations and hospitals, and I will make sure I know which places are safe, and which are less so. I will stay in a group of people, so that is anything was to happen to anyone, they will be ok.

Costume and make-up tests:

The only costume that is planned in the rucksack with a plan shit of varying colours, with shorts and sunglasses. All other actors will be wearing smart clothes for the classroom scenes to show they are in a school environment.

Release forms for actors:

Rehearsals:

I will practice the classroom scene with the actors multiple times before the final take. I will film the classroom shots a few times to make sure I get the best shots possible, however my Rio shots will most likely have to be film once, due to the improvetu nature of the filming.

Mood Board

My idea for this video is to be very active and full on to try and demonstrate a student that needs to 'escape'. The song I have chosen is very upbeat, however the melody is oddly slow, meaning I can use slow motion with jump cuts at the beat to create a professional looking music video. I want to have a mixture of landscapes and action, mixing the beautiful backdrops of Brazil with fast cutting and running shots weaved throughout the video. I want to get as many shots as possible, constantly getting as much feeling of Rio as I can, as it is difficult to plan every single shot, due to the improve of my filming. I will make sure to constantly have the camera rolling, as I need to make sure I don't run out of shots.

Digipak Research

2 examples:

Plan B:

Analysis:

The Digipak for Plan B uses a very dark colour scheme, using very retro colours and shades to give of the impression of an age. The yellow tint gives of the theme of a theatre, with the red writing and capital letters are widely used in America for cinemas. The Digipak all works together, following the same theme and colour scheme. The CD has the design of a vinyl, with the black outer rim and small circular design in the middle, common with that of vinyls.
These features will attract "old school" music lovers, who will like the references to the 80s, which many will define as the "golden age" of music. It also suggest that Plan B's music will have many features of older music, so people can see how the disk will relate to his music. The double page give a very depressed feel to the album, suggesting a slower pace of music within. There is no eye contact with the camera and Plan B, making the artist feel very distant from the audience. The use of the artist in the photo-shoot shows a use of star theory. using the artist and their associations to attract audiences. By having a theme of theatres and cinema,  we get the impression that the music inside will be telling a story, just like a film. The close up of the artist suggests that the story that we will be told will be personal to them, as there is no focus on anyone else. 

The advert for "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" continues to themes shown in the Digipak, with the red white and black colour pallet, and all capitals to have a strong, powerful image. The artist name "Plan B" is in a much larger font than the rest of the advert, putting the emphasis on the identity as a pose to the music.

Dizzy Rascal:

Analysis:
Dizzy rascal's Digipak is extremely simplistic, using a light blue background with pink bubble writing to show a playful style that can relate to his music. The simple design would attract a younger audience, as it is easier to make out writing and doesn't offer as much artistic identity, that is something older audiences would prefer. The gender most attracted to Dizzy Rascal's music is typically male, however this Digipak contradicts this idea, as the typeface and colour scheme is very female orientated. As the main artist is not looking towards the camera there is no direct address, which could be done for his target audience, who will not be as interested in a connection between the artist and consumer. By using Dizzy in the photos, the Star Persona theory is applied, as he will have built up and audience that will gravitate towards his work. The pack all has the same background and font, showing a coherent theme that all the packaging maintains. The CD case only contains the number and name of each song, with the label name in the bottom left hand corner and a bar code at the bottom, creating a very spacious cover. The "bouncy" writing gives a very upbeat feeling to the album, showing that it is not to be taken too seriously.

Theorists

Andrew Goodwin:

Andrew Goodwin had 5 main ideas that make up his theory that the audience looks out for in music videos:

• Thought beats

Being able to see the sound. This can be accomplished using a range of techniques such as dancers in time to a beat, or even the musicians playing the music. This can also be shown through lyrics.

• Narrative and performance

Music videos often don't show the full narrative, as this would not help advertise the song (which is the role of the video) and instead focus on repeatability to ensure audiences can watch and listen to music over and over again.

• Star image

This is what makes people want to watch a music video in the first place. The artists will have built up a fan base, so they use that well know person as a means of selling a video. Either this can be the artist performing, or it might be a well known actor portraying a character.

• Relations to visuals of song

Song and it's visuals are very important, with the images telling the audience what emotions they should be feeling. This can be done through metaphors or standard "what you see is what you get" style of music video.

• Technical aspects of videos

This is the use of camera angles, mise en scene, editing, sound and special effects. They all work together to give the best possible film and video experience.

 

Laura Mulvey:

Her theory was that due to male dominance in the media industry, the camera is always from the male view point. This means that women are viewed in films and music videos how men perceive them to act. This is can been seen in films such as the James Bond franchise, often showing women in predominately erotic situations.

Music videos often us the male gaze, especially in rap, as a way of showing male power.

Media Theories

Intertextuality/ Parody/ Pastiche.

This is when artists link their music video to another text from any media source and fusing them with their own ideas. This can be to pay homage to another text; for example, using quotes from a famous film or television program to show your respect to that piece of work. However, it might also be used to make fun of a text; such as using a famous quote, but slightly altering it to make it humourous.

For example, Romeo and Juliet references in "Love Story" by Taylor Swift

Voyerism.

When an artist or performer is viewed unknowingly, for audience pleasure- normally male indulgent.

Objectification.

Seeing the body as an object and not related to the thoughts and feelings of that person. This is typically used on women, however men have recently become more objectified as women have become more powerful in the music industry.

Star Persona.

An artist portraying image of themselves to create an identity that the audience recognises, however this is not the artists real personality.

Empowerment.

Turning objectification on it's head and giving women control of their body. Often used by female artists to send good messages to their young female audience.

Commodities.

Using an artist's brand to promotes products in the music videos. such as drinking as certain drink or wearing certain clothes.

Performance, Narrative and Concept

Performance:

Performance based music videos are videos containing the artists performing their music.
It attracts an older audience, older viewers will be more interested in the performers.

Narrative:

Narrative music videos normally tells a story based on the lyrics. It is structured like a short film, with a beginning middle and end. Some times it can promoted a film by showing film clips around the artists performing; for example, Sucker for Pain, and the Suicide Squad.
This type of music video is aimed at younger viewers as they want to be able to see a story in the music videos, and will be more attracted to film clips.

Concept:

Based around a single idea, concept video are usual obscure and unusual. This would be aimed at a much older audience as the concept used might be difficult to understand for younger viewers.

Hybrid:

More often than not, a music video will mix 2 of the themes to create a new and different music video. This will work to attract older viewers who will want to have a compelling story, but are also interested in the artist.

Copyright request

The Copyright email I sent:

This is the email in it's entirety:

Dear Steel Wool Entertainment,

I am an A-Level student and I am writing to request your permission to use one of the latest tracks by Watsky. The track I wish to use is Tiny Glowing Screens (Pt 3).

With your permission, this task would be used in my current A-Level Media Studies project, which involves creating a music video to a popular music track, as well as producing an album and a magazine advert for the artist.

If I received your permission, this track would ONLY be used in an educational context and be viewed by our media class, our teacher and the OCR exam board moderator.  It would not be released to a large audience.

The artist and your company would of course be fully recognised throughout pre-production and the final video itself.  A copyright notice with wording supplied by you can be included in the records of the project.  If this is required, please send full details.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Regards

Peter Maughan

 

I sent this email to Steel Wool Entertainment, however I have not had a reply since I sent it.

Audience research

For my audience research, I asked 10 of my classmates to answer my questionnaire. Using their responses, I made charts to analyse the data in a more visual and easy to understand way.


The first question I asked was "what genre of music makes your favourite music video?" and stated a few different genres think about. The responses were not surprising, as half of my responses were in favour of Pop. The next most popular was rap and then indie, so if I can find a song that could be fitted into those genres.

Question two was about music video's settings, and which background people find most aesthetically pleasing. The majority of votes went for landscapes with urban coming a close second. This will be easier and cheaper to accomplish, as booking a studio will be expensive, and with the wrong equipment will come off tacky and cheesy. Landscapes however can be more cleverly used, as they distract people from performances and is a good way to use escapism in film.

The third question was "what is your favourite type of music video?", with concept based videos coming out as the superior choice. Of all the choices, only concept, performance and narrative got any votes, with hybrid music videos (E.g. Concept and performance based) getting no voted at all. I think this is because views prefer a less clustered video, and something simple and easy to disappear into.

For the forth question I asked what people disliked in music videos. The most common response was about dancing, and that it is forced, making it awkward to watch. To make sure this doesn't happen in my music video, I'm going to try and make it look as relaxed and improved as possible, so that people feel more comfortable watching it as it looks natural.

"What colours would you like to see in a music video?" gave very divided responses. The majority of votes went to red and green, but I got lots of verbal feedback that they didn't really have an opinion. I think this is because as long as there is a strong theme throughout, then most viewers are not put of or attracted to certain videos.

Question six about favourite music videos by a particular artist were very split and did not have a patten, other than personal preference. I got many responses such as Rhianna, 1975, and Taylor Swift, however the response that related to me the most was Imagine Dragons. They have a very strong brand of music videos, often making performance and concept based music videos. "Radioactive" is an example of this, and follows a story line of overcoming difficulties and being the underdog.

Analysis of typical music videos

Lady Gaga: Telephone

 

Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' is a very successful music video as it questions societies' views on the female body through both objectification and empowerment. Wide angle shots and mise-en-scene shows the female dancers to be people and not objects, whilst less clothing shows body positivity for young girls to aspire to. In one shot, Lady Gaga is wearing an outfit made from police tape saying "no entry", to show a belief of self control over her own body. On the other hand close ups of provocative female body parts demonstrates objectification, as the framing of the shots suggests the sexualised body parts are disconnected from the female's overall personality. These features of the music video question societies' connotations with the female body, whilst trying to take back control and power of it.

 

 

Telephone was produced by Darkchild, an American producer who started out in Gospel Rap with his brother. At the age of 17 he accepted a record deal with EMI music Corporation. He has sold over 160 million records world wide, and worked with artists including Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Darkchild, or Rodney Jenkins, has worked for multiple record companies, writing and sometimes performing with huge artists all around the world.

Rihanna: Rude Boy.

Concept/ performance based music video:

• No real story line
• Very unusual- doesn't use typically colour features

Media Language:

• Close-ups of sexual body parts
• Lots of two shots with Rhianna and sexualised men
• Fast paced editing
• Direct Address

Representation:

• Men are objectified sexually
• Colours and props link to culture (Caribbean)
• Costumes/fonts/patterns are urban

Narrative and Themes:

• Narrative does not have a deep meaning behind it
• The meaning is sex

Audiences:

• Aimed at both genders
• Teenagers mainly
• Girls want to be like her
• Boys want to be with her
• Colours are youthful

Institutions:

• Brand is very sexualised, video supports that
• Still in control
• Very centralised

Objectification:

• Sexualisation of body parts (male dancers and body parts)
• Isolating body parts from her overall personality (lips, bum, breasts etc.)

Mise en scene:

• Sunglasses and makeup displays anonymously
• Makes it easier for fans to become her
• Takes away her identity
• Caribbean, cultural colours
• Abstract setting
• Minimal clothing shows that she has control over how she wants to dress (countertype)
• Riding powerful lion (dominance)
• Choreography is very sexualised/ provocative
• Choreography is very free
• Colours are youthful

Editing:

• Lots of Rhianna's (duplicated)
• Cuts between different things that are going on and different costumes
• Edited to show just body parts (especially lips)
• Black and white sections show sophistication

Metropolis Studios Produced the song and music video for Rude Boy, a production company established in 1989, and located in London. The company works in the music industry, film and television. The company has worked with the Black Eyed Peas, Robbie Williams and 50 cent, making the music videos for all of them.

Eminem: We Made You

Concept based:

• Parody video, making fun of culture
• Uses look-a-likes to question celebrities and their role in society
• This was a clear technique used to attract Eminem's audience

The mise-en-scene used in the video follows a theme of parody, so the props and set is purposely made to look a little bit fake. The set has very bold, solid colours that are simple and don't take the attention away from the crazy antics of the artist and actors. All of the sound is the backing track, and there is no sound of the actions in the background. This gives a removed feel to the actors, and enforces the "us and them" feeling through out. The camera is constantly a longshot with the occasional mid shot thrown in, this is to make the viewer connect with the scene, as a pose to the actors in particular. It uses the editing technique of freeze frames with comical writing to allow the viewer to fully appreciate the meaning of the video.

The single's music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who also shot "Without Me" from The Eminem Show is in the same vein as past videos under the Slim Shady persona, and the first of its kind since Encore's "Ass Like That". The video was filmed in Las Vegas and features star appearances by Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Denaun Porter, Bobby Lee, The Palms hotel owner George Maloof, Francesca Le, Melissa Peterman, Vanilla Ice, Trisha Paytas (playing Jessica Simpson's role in the The Dukes of Hazzard), Derrick Barry (of America's Got Talent fame) (playing Britney Spears), actress Gabrielle Salinger (playing Amy Winehouse) and pornographic actress Lisa Ann as Sarah Palin. 

Joshep Kahn directs music videos, films and television series, working with artists such as Lady Gaga, Snoop Dog and Dr Dre, making a name for himself in parody music videos. His other Eminem collaboration "Without me" showed many similarities to "we made you", helping create and identity for Eminem and his style of rap.