Production Diary #18
In comparison to the coursework tasks that were faced at AS, there has been a massive jump in terms of the level of creativity, the equipment and software needing to be used and the overall research and planning process. When starting the process in the middle of July last year (2014), I believe that I made the right decision of starting with the research tasks prior to going straight in with the planning of my music video as I was struggling to come up with specific ideas and possible songs that I could use. When looking back through my blog, the first post that I uploaded was my introductory production log, outlining my thoughts and feelings towards the months ahead, as well as possible ideas that initially entered my head. I then started looking into other music videos that could possibly provide me with some information. The first proper research task that I uploaded was the research into various music labels. When looking into all the different labels that are out there, I felt that I could delve further into this and look at the different artists signed to them, and hopefully I could have found an artist, and more specifically a song, that I would form an idea for.
Even though it did take quite a few months to come up with an idea, it did give me a good amount of time to complete the majority of the research tasks that I uploaded to my blog. There were some planning tasks that I could complete without the ideas needed, however, for others it was a necessity that I had at least found a musician or band and a possible song to complete them.
I finally came up with the idea at the beginning of January after finding some inspiration from Vance Joy's 'Riptide' and a lyric video for 'Little Talks' by Of Monster and Men. I quite liked the idea of the lyrics written on pieces of card that were featured in the Of Monster and Men lyric video as well as the direct link between the actions and lyrics in Riptide. I decided that I wanted to incorporate this somehow into the song Maps by Maroon 5 as well as the idea of photos of friends and other loved ones.
Once I managed to come up with the idea for my music video, I found it quite easy to create the Digipak and Magazine Advert to go alongside this. I decided that it was important that you could see a link between the three products. To do this, I incorporated the lyric cards through video and photos into the music video, digipak and magazine advert. I felt that this highlighted the importance of this prop.
Overall, the process has been quite challenging and not as straightforward as last year, however, it was good to experience creating different products on different media platforms.
Showing posts with label Production Diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Production Diary. Show all posts
Monday, 30 March 2015
Thursday, 19 March 2015
Filming, Footage and Final Draft
Production Diary #16
On the 5th February, I booked the black box studio again to shoot some more footage for my music video. To be prepared, my teacher is expecting us to have a final draft of the music video finished by the time we come back from the February Half Term. I had hit a creative block, however, I was quite happy and pleased with the way things had turned out, now I just need to wait and see how the footage turns out when I edit it together using Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 this week in class. Also this week I have been updating my blog and making some adjustments to posts that I have previously updated. For example, the analysis of the ancillary tasks is a very important research task and carries a tariff of 4, however, the first time I did the task I got a 2 due to the lack of detail to my work.
I have also managed to put together most of the footage for my music video, however I do still have about 15 seconds left to fill. I did find that the editing of the video was easier than the actual filming as the footage that I had filmed went together quite well. I did also get some feedback from my media teacher who said that some of the shots that I had got were too long, however I broke some of the shots up and flipped them so it looked like they were filmed from different angles, which I feel reflects the frantic nature of the song as it picks up in the chorus.
I am planning to film the last 15 seconds of footage over the next week by incorporating a map and the lyric cards in as my teacher did say that as they were only in the first minute of the video, they did seem a bit random so I should try and get them in at some other point in the music video.
On the 5th February, I booked the black box studio again to shoot some more footage for my music video. To be prepared, my teacher is expecting us to have a final draft of the music video finished by the time we come back from the February Half Term. I had hit a creative block, however, I was quite happy and pleased with the way things had turned out, now I just need to wait and see how the footage turns out when I edit it together using Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 this week in class. Also this week I have been updating my blog and making some adjustments to posts that I have previously updated. For example, the analysis of the ancillary tasks is a very important research task and carries a tariff of 4, however, the first time I did the task I got a 2 due to the lack of detail to my work.
I have also managed to put together most of the footage for my music video, however I do still have about 15 seconds left to fill. I did find that the editing of the video was easier than the actual filming as the footage that I had filmed went together quite well. I did also get some feedback from my media teacher who said that some of the shots that I had got were too long, however I broke some of the shots up and flipped them so it looked like they were filmed from different angles, which I feel reflects the frantic nature of the song as it picks up in the chorus.
I am planning to film the last 15 seconds of footage over the next week by incorporating a map and the lyric cards in as my teacher did say that as they were only in the first minute of the video, they did seem a bit random so I should try and get them in at some other point in the music video.
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Filming and Refining Blog
Production Diary #15
On Thursday 29th January (last week), I booked the black box at school in order to get some footage for my music magazine. I had gone back to my original idea of filming inside due to the weather conditions - it was windy and there was a lot of hail, also it was freezing cold. My plan for the music video was formed in 5 minutes a couple of days before and consisted of ten bullet points in the notes app on my iPhone. I had decided that I wanted to keep the music video very minimalistic, so decided that the black box would be appropriate in making sure the music video was not overly crowded. On the Monday, I went to a low budget shop to buy a black sketchbook that I would pass of as a scrapbook in which the 'story in the video would be formed. I wanted the main prop within the video to be lots of photos, which I had developed a while ago and had yet to put up so decided that this would be the perfect use for them.
When it came to filming the music video on the Thursday after school, I set up the lighting so that two of the lights would light the model in the centre of the room, but then there would be a third light at the back to brighten up the background. Also, I initially had her sat on the ground so had to have the lights pointing down at a 45 degree angle approximately, however I needed to make sure that if I did alternate between various levels in which she would stand, I would also have to adjust the angle of the lighting to produce a high picture quality. I did struggle at first as some of the footage did go out of focus and I had not realised, so I will need to re-film some parts. (For this I have re-booked the black box for Thursday 5th in order to re-film.) Overall, I am quite pleased with how the footage has turned out and I am hoping that when I put it together the theme of the character going on a journey and this idea of a story being told will come across when it is being watched - this will become evident when I gain audience feedback for my work.
On Thursday 29th January (last week), I booked the black box at school in order to get some footage for my music magazine. I had gone back to my original idea of filming inside due to the weather conditions - it was windy and there was a lot of hail, also it was freezing cold. My plan for the music video was formed in 5 minutes a couple of days before and consisted of ten bullet points in the notes app on my iPhone. I had decided that I wanted to keep the music video very minimalistic, so decided that the black box would be appropriate in making sure the music video was not overly crowded. On the Monday, I went to a low budget shop to buy a black sketchbook that I would pass of as a scrapbook in which the 'story in the video would be formed. I wanted the main prop within the video to be lots of photos, which I had developed a while ago and had yet to put up so decided that this would be the perfect use for them.
When it came to filming the music video on the Thursday after school, I set up the lighting so that two of the lights would light the model in the centre of the room, but then there would be a third light at the back to brighten up the background. Also, I initially had her sat on the ground so had to have the lights pointing down at a 45 degree angle approximately, however I needed to make sure that if I did alternate between various levels in which she would stand, I would also have to adjust the angle of the lighting to produce a high picture quality. I did struggle at first as some of the footage did go out of focus and I had not realised, so I will need to re-film some parts. (For this I have re-booked the black box for Thursday 5th in order to re-film.) Overall, I am quite pleased with how the footage has turned out and I am hoping that when I put it together the theme of the character going on a journey and this idea of a story being told will come across when it is being watched - this will become evident when I gain audience feedback for my work.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Editing Raw Footage - Stabilising/Brightness and Contrast
Production Diary #14
From the footage that I filmed when I went on the helicopter ride over London, I found that it was a bit shaky, so I have decided to use the 'Warp Stabilise' tool to make the footage more fluid. I also found that footage seemed a little dark, therefore I decided to increase both the brightness and contrast using the brightness and contrast tool. Initially, both were set to 0.0, however I increased them both to 26.0 and 25.0 respectively. The computers that I am using do come across a little dark so I might need to make some adjustments when I use a different monitor.
From the footage that I filmed when I went on the helicopter ride over London, I found that it was a bit shaky, so I have decided to use the 'Warp Stabilise' tool to make the footage more fluid. I also found that footage seemed a little dark, therefore I decided to increase both the brightness and contrast using the brightness and contrast tool. Initially, both were set to 0.0, however I increased them both to 26.0 and 25.0 respectively. The computers that I am using do come across a little dark so I might need to make some adjustments when I use a different monitor.
By making these alterations, the quality of my footage has increased and looks a lot more professional. I had not used these tools before, however, by simply going to 'Help' on Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, and then clicking on 'Adobe Premiere Pro Help,' I was able to get some simply instructions which has allowed me to get the effect and high standard of footage that I wanted.
Monday, 19 January 2015
London Footage
Production Diary #13
On the 11th January, I took a camera that I had borrowed from school on a helicopter trip along the River Thames that had been planned. I thought that footage from this experience would make a great opening sequence for my music video. It was a challenge trying to keep the camera still so the footage is a little shaky at times, however, I believe that having that establishing shot at the beginning to open the video where the city looks so busy highlights this idea of confusion which I have considered to be one of the main themes within my music video. The ride lasted half an hour and in total I got a good amount of footage which I think can be used within the video and overall I am happy with how the footage turned out. I have not had a chance to start editing the footage for the opening sequence of the video due to having mocks last week, however, this week I hope to have it completed.
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Overview of Progress
Production Diary #12
This term I have found that there have been alot more hurdles to get over for my coursework this year compared to that of the magazines that I had to produce last year at AS. Originally, I had decided that I was going to have the narrative following something along the lines of a treasure hunt through the streets of London and had started to think about what I wanted to do and how I would be able to film it. However, this idea did not follow through due to a few problems. One of the issues that I faced was the issue with the days getting dark quite quickly, due to school consuming a lot of my time and there only being an hour or two after school where it still stayed fairly light, the footage would not have come out as I had wished because I would have had to carry around lighting with me as well as the camera and other equipment that I would have needed to film the music video.
After, this setback I had struggled to come up with an idea so I decided that it would be a good idea to focus a bit of time and attention on the print based ancillary tasks as I feel that this is an area that I am stronger in as well as the research and planning on my blog. I knew what artist to create the products for and the name of the album so I was pretty much good to go in terms of designing them both and I am very nearly finished with the basic first drafts that I have managed to put together.
When I first started the 'creating a music video' process, my media teacher showed the class some ideas from students from previous years, but also videos from the internet to give us some inspiration. I remember their being a lyric style video which I thought that even though it was quite simple in terms of the props and costuming, it was very effective. Not too long ago my teacher showed that video again and I decided that this was the route I wanted to take with my video. I also found it was quite similar to the production of 'Vance Joy - Riptide.'
In terms of the production of my video, I have taken some test shots for my blog, but also to see how I wanted to use the camera and the various shots that I wanted to use. This has helped me think of the various ways I can show the lyric cards that I have now made on InDesign when it comes to filming over the Christmas Holidays.
This term I have found that there have been alot more hurdles to get over for my coursework this year compared to that of the magazines that I had to produce last year at AS. Originally, I had decided that I was going to have the narrative following something along the lines of a treasure hunt through the streets of London and had started to think about what I wanted to do and how I would be able to film it. However, this idea did not follow through due to a few problems. One of the issues that I faced was the issue with the days getting dark quite quickly, due to school consuming a lot of my time and there only being an hour or two after school where it still stayed fairly light, the footage would not have come out as I had wished because I would have had to carry around lighting with me as well as the camera and other equipment that I would have needed to film the music video.
After, this setback I had struggled to come up with an idea so I decided that it would be a good idea to focus a bit of time and attention on the print based ancillary tasks as I feel that this is an area that I am stronger in as well as the research and planning on my blog. I knew what artist to create the products for and the name of the album so I was pretty much good to go in terms of designing them both and I am very nearly finished with the basic first drafts that I have managed to put together.
When I first started the 'creating a music video' process, my media teacher showed the class some ideas from students from previous years, but also videos from the internet to give us some inspiration. I remember their being a lyric style video which I thought that even though it was quite simple in terms of the props and costuming, it was very effective. Not too long ago my teacher showed that video again and I decided that this was the route I wanted to take with my video. I also found it was quite similar to the production of 'Vance Joy - Riptide.'
In terms of the production of my video, I have taken some test shots for my blog, but also to see how I wanted to use the camera and the various shots that I wanted to use. This has helped me think of the various ways I can show the lyric cards that I have now made on InDesign when it comes to filming over the Christmas Holidays.
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Starting to Film
Production Diary #11
After having a chat with my media teacher, I have found the inspiration for how I wish to film my video from a lyric style video for the song 'Dirty Paws' by Of Monster and Men. It is something completely different compared to the typical music videos that you traditionally see as I plan on there not actually being a person in the footage, it will just consist of someone interacting with the lyrics of the song that are placed on cards and positioned in places which could be deemed relevant to that lyric.
In preparation for filming, I made all the cards on InDesign, cut them up and I am planning to put them on different coloured pieces of card, once complete I will be ready to start filming my music video. In terms of the cards that I have made, I got all of the lyrics off of 'Metrolyrics' and copy and pasted each lyric/sentence into a box. To add a bit of depth and meaning to the video I have put all of the lyrics onto cards which have an ordanance survey map in the background, however, to make sure you can still see the text that is placed on top, I turned the opacity down to 26% and they turned out like this:
After having a chat with my media teacher, I have found the inspiration for how I wish to film my video from a lyric style video for the song 'Dirty Paws' by Of Monster and Men. It is something completely different compared to the typical music videos that you traditionally see as I plan on there not actually being a person in the footage, it will just consist of someone interacting with the lyrics of the song that are placed on cards and positioned in places which could be deemed relevant to that lyric.
In preparation for filming, I made all the cards on InDesign, cut them up and I am planning to put them on different coloured pieces of card, once complete I will be ready to start filming my music video. In terms of the cards that I have made, I got all of the lyrics off of 'Metrolyrics' and copy and pasted each lyric/sentence into a box. To add a bit of depth and meaning to the video I have put all of the lyrics onto cards which have an ordanance survey map in the background, however, to make sure you can still see the text that is placed on top, I turned the opacity down to 26% and they turned out like this:
Monday, 8 December 2014
Planning and Preparation
Production Diary #10
I have recently been trying to catch up with my Planning Tasks and have been quite successful in doing so. I have decided that as the deadline for the first drafts of my coursework are due in just under 2 weeks time and I have been struggling with the process, I am going to complete my first draft in school as I do not have the time to complete it in my chosen locations out of school in order to complete it to a high enough standard and quality. By doing this, I am able to 'audition' various models and also complete my storyboard, anamatics and not have my blog grade capped at 11/20 which would have a massive effect on my grade as I believe that the blog posts are one of my stronger qualities when completing my coursework.
I am having my first day of filming today and I am quite apprehensive about what the result of this will be. However, as long as I get some usable footage that fits the song fairly well, I can always make any final adjustments such as re-filming and editing over the Christmas holidays and when I return to school.
In terms of the digipak, I have decided that I am keeping the original album name V. In terms of ideas for the front cover of the digipak, I think I will take a picture of an open hand with the letter V written on it in black pen to incorporate the meaning of the roman numeral V - 5 - with their being five fingers on a hand. Another idea that I have considered is for the back cover. I believe that I might have the track list of the album wrapped around the outside of the letter, rather than going with a traditional list as I feel this is quite repetitive and typical in terms of presentation.
I have recently been trying to catch up with my Planning Tasks and have been quite successful in doing so. I have decided that as the deadline for the first drafts of my coursework are due in just under 2 weeks time and I have been struggling with the process, I am going to complete my first draft in school as I do not have the time to complete it in my chosen locations out of school in order to complete it to a high enough standard and quality. By doing this, I am able to 'audition' various models and also complete my storyboard, anamatics and not have my blog grade capped at 11/20 which would have a massive effect on my grade as I believe that the blog posts are one of my stronger qualities when completing my coursework.
I am having my first day of filming today and I am quite apprehensive about what the result of this will be. However, as long as I get some usable footage that fits the song fairly well, I can always make any final adjustments such as re-filming and editing over the Christmas holidays and when I return to school.
In terms of the digipak, I have decided that I am keeping the original album name V. In terms of ideas for the front cover of the digipak, I think I will take a picture of an open hand with the letter V written on it in black pen to incorporate the meaning of the roman numeral V - 5 - with their being five fingers on a hand. Another idea that I have considered is for the back cover. I believe that I might have the track list of the album wrapped around the outside of the letter, rather than going with a traditional list as I feel this is quite repetitive and typical in terms of presentation.
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
Location and Filming
Production Diary #9
Over the half term, I had the intentions to start the filming of my music video. At first I had no idea as to what I was going to be filming as my mum had planned a surprise for my birthday and she said that I should get some footage to include possibly at the beginning - using it to set the scene. I found out on Sunday that she was going to take me on a helicopter ride over London and the River Thames, however due to the weather not being very good it was not safe for the helicopter to be flown so that has unfortunately had to be postponed. I am now hoping that when we manage to reschedule, it will be within enough time for me to include it in my video.
Quite recently, I have lacked the motivation to create my music video as I have been struggling to find someone to be featured in it. I am really hoping that over the next couple of days I will be able to get someone to agree to be in it as I have the deadline for the first draft of the video - before the Christmas holidays start on the 19th December. I had mentioned it to one of my friends, however she said it might be difficult for her but she works all day on the weekends - both Saturday and Sunday - so it might be a struggle to find time to film.
Over the half term, I had the intentions to start the filming of my music video. At first I had no idea as to what I was going to be filming as my mum had planned a surprise for my birthday and she said that I should get some footage to include possibly at the beginning - using it to set the scene. I found out on Sunday that she was going to take me on a helicopter ride over London and the River Thames, however due to the weather not being very good it was not safe for the helicopter to be flown so that has unfortunately had to be postponed. I am now hoping that when we manage to reschedule, it will be within enough time for me to include it in my video.
Quite recently, I have lacked the motivation to create my music video as I have been struggling to find someone to be featured in it. I am really hoping that over the next couple of days I will be able to get someone to agree to be in it as I have the deadline for the first draft of the video - before the Christmas holidays start on the 19th December. I had mentioned it to one of my friends, however she said it might be difficult for her but she works all day on the weekends - both Saturday and Sunday - so it might be a struggle to find time to film.
Thursday, 23 October 2014
Half Term and Research Tasks
Production Diary #8
This week I have been concentrating on trying to finish the research tasks in order for me to properly start the planning tasks over the October half term. Today at school, we did a lot of research into one of the Ancillary Tasks that I have to complete as part of the coursework: the magazine advert. The magazine advert will be an advertisement for the album that the song is featured on. We looked at what was successful and what was not so successful over the past few years. Some features that our teacher said would be successful are: the font, design, technique used, and hierarchy.
Two tasks that I have completed this week are the research into the software and equipment that I am and will be using in the process of producing my music video and the tasks that go along with it, and also the research into my audience. Both of these tasks have been beneficial to the process of carrying out research as by looking into the equipment and software I will be using will help me keep a clear and structured plan of what I need to do and what I need to use to be able to carry the task out. Also, by looking into the demographic that fits with the music video will help me get an idea of what style I need to use such as colours, props and costumes. It would not be suitable for me to use bright colours such as yellow, oranges and pinks as it would not fit in with the Pop.Rock genre. When researching other videos by Maroon 5, the lighting is quite dark and the actors and actresses featured darker coloured clothing.
Over the October half term, I am hoping to start filming my music video. Today I signed out a camera for this purpose and also a steadicam in order to start the process of filming.
This week I have been concentrating on trying to finish the research tasks in order for me to properly start the planning tasks over the October half term. Today at school, we did a lot of research into one of the Ancillary Tasks that I have to complete as part of the coursework: the magazine advert. The magazine advert will be an advertisement for the album that the song is featured on. We looked at what was successful and what was not so successful over the past few years. Some features that our teacher said would be successful are: the font, design, technique used, and hierarchy.
Two tasks that I have completed this week are the research into the software and equipment that I am and will be using in the process of producing my music video and the tasks that go along with it, and also the research into my audience. Both of these tasks have been beneficial to the process of carrying out research as by looking into the equipment and software I will be using will help me keep a clear and structured plan of what I need to do and what I need to use to be able to carry the task out. Also, by looking into the demographic that fits with the music video will help me get an idea of what style I need to use such as colours, props and costumes. It would not be suitable for me to use bright colours such as yellow, oranges and pinks as it would not fit in with the Pop.Rock genre. When researching other videos by Maroon 5, the lighting is quite dark and the actors and actresses featured darker coloured clothing.
Over the October half term, I am hoping to start filming my music video. Today I signed out a camera for this purpose and also a steadicam in order to start the process of filming.
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Planning tasks, Initial Ideas and Maroon 5
Production Diary #7
This week I decided to start on the planning tasks for my coursework as I finally managed to decide on what song I wanted to do a music video for - Maps by Maroon 5. I had initially thought about choosing a song that had a slow tempo. However, I struggled to pick a particular song that I felt I would be able to recreate in video form. Instead, I thought that a more up tempo song would fit quite nicely as the message I inferred from the song was that someone was trying to find something/someone that they lost.
When considering my initial ideas, I looked at videos that have inspired me - be that the basic narrative that they portray, the location of the video or the shots and movement of the camera - but also what props I should use, locations, costumes, the official music video for the song I have chosen, behind the scenes, lyric videos and also what type of music video I wish to produce. By doing this, I feel that it is helping me keep track of what ideas I wish to use, but also will help me when it comes to preparing my proposal for the music video later down the line. The planning and research tasks are very important in helping me come up with the ideas and starting the foundations for my music video which I hope to start filming next week when October starts. I have also asked one of my teachers if it would be possible to take a camera out over Half Term as there are a couple of plans that have been made which could be useful when it comes to putting together the prequel using 'B Footage.'
Next week I hope to carry on with more of the planning tasks as I have only got a couple of research tasks yet to complete, however do not believe I am ready to do these just yet. Over the next week and a half I wish to start thinking up ideas of where to film, what I wish to film and the results I would like to get from the footage I will possibly get over the October half term holiday. One task I do wish to complete in the near future is a more in depth look into the band Maroon 5 as I believe that the powerpoint presentation that I produced is quite basic with limited information.
This week I decided to start on the planning tasks for my coursework as I finally managed to decide on what song I wanted to do a music video for - Maps by Maroon 5. I had initially thought about choosing a song that had a slow tempo. However, I struggled to pick a particular song that I felt I would be able to recreate in video form. Instead, I thought that a more up tempo song would fit quite nicely as the message I inferred from the song was that someone was trying to find something/someone that they lost.
When considering my initial ideas, I looked at videos that have inspired me - be that the basic narrative that they portray, the location of the video or the shots and movement of the camera - but also what props I should use, locations, costumes, the official music video for the song I have chosen, behind the scenes, lyric videos and also what type of music video I wish to produce. By doing this, I feel that it is helping me keep track of what ideas I wish to use, but also will help me when it comes to preparing my proposal for the music video later down the line. The planning and research tasks are very important in helping me come up with the ideas and starting the foundations for my music video which I hope to start filming next week when October starts. I have also asked one of my teachers if it would be possible to take a camera out over Half Term as there are a couple of plans that have been made which could be useful when it comes to putting together the prequel using 'B Footage.'
Next week I hope to carry on with more of the planning tasks as I have only got a couple of research tasks yet to complete, however do not believe I am ready to do these just yet. Over the next week and a half I wish to start thinking up ideas of where to film, what I wish to film and the results I would like to get from the footage I will possibly get over the October half term holiday. One task I do wish to complete in the near future is a more in depth look into the band Maroon 5 as I believe that the powerpoint presentation that I produced is quite basic with limited information.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Choosing a song and researching the artist and their style of music
Production Diary #6
This week in class I decided to have a look at various music festivals and channels that show different genres of music, live performances and music videos. I have had first had experience of this from watching music videos on MTV to going to gigs and concerts such as the iTunes Festival.
I have been undecided as to what song I wanted to do for my music video but have finally narrowed it down to 2 songs, and in my lesson tomorrow I will ask for feedback from others in my class and my teacher as to what song they think would be more successful and effective in terms of the ideas that I have for my music video.
For the song 'Fix You' by Coldplay, I fixated on the repetitive lyric 'lights will guide you home' which, if I choose this song, would be the key aspect played on in the video whilst the camera tracked the character in the clip and they were 'guided home' by various lights.
In terms of the song 'Maps' by Maroon 5, I wanted to play more on the idea of someone being lost and trying to find their way home with a key prop being a map which helps guide them. I think this would be effective and something quite different as I have concluded as I believe that the artistic direction that I wish to follow is more of a narrative based story line as I do not believe that the people I am considering for the video would be happy to perform the song as such.
The genre of the two songs are alternative rock and pop rock, so there is a rock element in both of the songs which I think will help keep the pace of the song going and make it easier for me to keep the flow of the video when attempting to film.
Next week, I hope to have uploaded a post which features my initial ideas that are listed above in more detail and would have hopefully picked which song I wish to use. Then I will be able to go into more detail as to what props, costumes, hair & makeup I will be using.
This week in class I decided to have a look at various music festivals and channels that show different genres of music, live performances and music videos. I have had first had experience of this from watching music videos on MTV to going to gigs and concerts such as the iTunes Festival.
I have been undecided as to what song I wanted to do for my music video but have finally narrowed it down to 2 songs, and in my lesson tomorrow I will ask for feedback from others in my class and my teacher as to what song they think would be more successful and effective in terms of the ideas that I have for my music video.
For the song 'Fix You' by Coldplay, I fixated on the repetitive lyric 'lights will guide you home' which, if I choose this song, would be the key aspect played on in the video whilst the camera tracked the character in the clip and they were 'guided home' by various lights.
In terms of the song 'Maps' by Maroon 5, I wanted to play more on the idea of someone being lost and trying to find their way home with a key prop being a map which helps guide them. I think this would be effective and something quite different as I have concluded as I believe that the artistic direction that I wish to follow is more of a narrative based story line as I do not believe that the people I am considering for the video would be happy to perform the song as such.
The genre of the two songs are alternative rock and pop rock, so there is a rock element in both of the songs which I think will help keep the pace of the song going and make it easier for me to keep the flow of the video when attempting to film.
Next week, I hope to have uploaded a post which features my initial ideas that are listed above in more detail and would have hopefully picked which song I wish to use. Then I will be able to go into more detail as to what props, costumes, hair & makeup I will be using.
Monday, 1 September 2014
Back to School and Organisation
Production Diary #5
Over the summer holidays, I have not uploaded as many production diaries as I should have and wanted to upload. When I go back to school on the 3rd September, I hope to get back into the routine of uploading a minimum of one production diary per week.
This summer, I have solely concentrated on the research tasks that I needed to complete for my blog as I felt that I did not want to produce any of the planning tasks until I had a definite song for my music video. Even though I am not 100% on what to do, I have narrowed it down to a couple of songs and will gain feedback on this when I get back to school meaning I should be able to start on the planning tasks as soon as possible.
Today, I decided to concentrate on postmodernism and analysis of music videos. This was a post that I was producing for the other side of the course for my exam blog, however I felt that it was relevant so decided to upload it to this blog also and label it as one of my research tasks.
Over the summer, the tasks that I have been able to complete are:
- Music Video Theorists
- Research of Music Video Directors
- What is a Digipak?
- Analysis of previous students coursework
- History of Music Videos
Over the summer holidays, I have not uploaded as many production diaries as I should have and wanted to upload. When I go back to school on the 3rd September, I hope to get back into the routine of uploading a minimum of one production diary per week.
This summer, I have solely concentrated on the research tasks that I needed to complete for my blog as I felt that I did not want to produce any of the planning tasks until I had a definite song for my music video. Even though I am not 100% on what to do, I have narrowed it down to a couple of songs and will gain feedback on this when I get back to school meaning I should be able to start on the planning tasks as soon as possible.
Today, I decided to concentrate on postmodernism and analysis of music videos. This was a post that I was producing for the other side of the course for my exam blog, however I felt that it was relevant so decided to upload it to this blog also and label it as one of my research tasks.
Over the summer, the tasks that I have been able to complete are:
- Music Video Theorists
- Research of Music Video Directors
- What is a Digipak?
- Analysis of previous students coursework
- History of Music Videos
Friday, 8 August 2014
Music Video Theory and other Research
Production Diary #4
Today I have been looking into media theorists different perspectives towards music videos. Key theorists that I came across were Andrew Goodwin, Stuart Hall and Laura Mulvey who all had varying perspectives towards the creation and conventions within a music video. All of these theorists play a big role in the way in which music videos can be analysed and interpreted. I found it really interesting looking a the five key aspects that Andrew Goodwin discusses because I believe that this will also benefit me when it comes to planning my music video. The five aspects were:
Today I have been looking into media theorists different perspectives towards music videos. Key theorists that I came across were Andrew Goodwin, Stuart Hall and Laura Mulvey who all had varying perspectives towards the creation and conventions within a music video. All of these theorists play a big role in the way in which music videos can be analysed and interpreted. I found it really interesting looking a the five key aspects that Andrew Goodwin discusses because I believe that this will also benefit me when it comes to planning my music video. The five aspects were:
- Thought through Beat
- Relationship between the song and visuals
- Narrative and performance of the song
- Technical aspect of a video
- Star image
Another task that I was looking over today was previous students' work which I believe is beneficial when it comes to researching and planning my work as it is good to see what has been successful and allows you to take ideas and make them your own. I looked at Katie's work from last year and I liked the various platforms in which she has produced her work on such as the use of videos which I find very effective. I also enjoyed how her video seemed quite simple in terms of costume, however I believe that this allows the audience to relate to the video.
Finally, even though I have done the analysis of various digipaks, artist websites and magazine adverts. Today I did some further research into what a digipak actually is. I found that they have become quite popular since the beginning of the 2000s.
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Carrying out Research
Production Diary #3
Currently I have been carrying out research on music videos and more precisely, this week I have been looking into the history of them. Through always showing an interest in watching music videos by various artists it is quite interesting to see the historical development of how they have got to the point they are at today. With the music industry starting with 'talkies' 'soundies' and 'shorties' there has been a consistent evolution over the years which has been benefited through the increase in technological advances and also through media convergence which has helped with the promotion of these music videos. An example of this is with YouTube where daily, thousands of music videos will be uploaded and shared across the internet.
By researching the history of music videos, it will help me consider what style of music video I wish to produce. Whether I might go for a narrative based video, a performance based video, a lyric video or one filmed against a green screen. It has also opened my eyes to the idea of basing it on a film or another theme for example.
Another aspect of music videos that I have been looking at is the conventions of music videos and have linked research that I have carried out from the other half of my course (G325) with the work I have been doing on this half (G324). Specifically I have looked at representation, genre, media language, audience and narrative. Even though this research is not specific to my coursework, it is interesting to look at how music videos that are shown on the internet and also television can adhere to these conventions. Furthermore, when specifically looking at the representational issues to consider within a music video, I picked up on a few key points when analysing the music video 'If I Were A Boy' by the artist Beyonce through the means of mis en scene.
Currently I have been carrying out research on music videos and more precisely, this week I have been looking into the history of them. Through always showing an interest in watching music videos by various artists it is quite interesting to see the historical development of how they have got to the point they are at today. With the music industry starting with 'talkies' 'soundies' and 'shorties' there has been a consistent evolution over the years which has been benefited through the increase in technological advances and also through media convergence which has helped with the promotion of these music videos. An example of this is with YouTube where daily, thousands of music videos will be uploaded and shared across the internet.
By researching the history of music videos, it will help me consider what style of music video I wish to produce. Whether I might go for a narrative based video, a performance based video, a lyric video or one filmed against a green screen. It has also opened my eyes to the idea of basing it on a film or another theme for example.
Another aspect of music videos that I have been looking at is the conventions of music videos and have linked research that I have carried out from the other half of my course (G325) with the work I have been doing on this half (G324). Specifically I have looked at representation, genre, media language, audience and narrative. Even though this research is not specific to my coursework, it is interesting to look at how music videos that are shown on the internet and also television can adhere to these conventions. Furthermore, when specifically looking at the representational issues to consider within a music video, I picked up on a few key points when analysing the music video 'If I Were A Boy' by the artist Beyonce through the means of mis en scene.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Researching Music Companies & Skills Audit
Production Diary #2
Throughout this week I started to complete the research portion of my coursework, starting with the task where I had to research into existing music labels. This was quite an interesting task to complete as prior to this I had not realised that there was one large conglomerate which had many subsidaries which made up that company. For example, the Universal Music Group is a media conglomerate which owns smaller, well known subsidaries such as The Island Def Jam and Capital Records. Even though I have come up with some good locations for my music video, I have not decided on a certain song yet so have decided that it would be best to stay away from the planning tasks until I feel a bit more confident with my decision. At the moment, I am currently researching into the history of music videos and hopefully that will give me a good insight into what my music video should be like and give me a few more ideas.
By the lesson on Tuesday I hope to get the post on the history of music videos uploaded on to my blog and to have started looking into the conventions of a music video. From looking at the various research tasks that have been set, I believe that this will help with the decisions I need to make to create my music video.
Skills Audit:
When considering what skills I can utilise in this project there are a few such as being dedicated to my work and working hard. I have also found that through subjects at GCSE such as ICT and Media, and also through completing my coursework at AS, I've been able to develop on skills such as creativity in order to boost my grade through the use of various software's such as InDesign and multiple hardware's such as the Canon 550d camera that I used to take the photos for my media coursework in both Years 11 and 12.
I am hoping that as for many years I have taken to watching various music videos that have been produced by different artists who perform different genres of music, I will have the ability to come up with some good and creative ideas that will benefit my coursework.
I have always been a very organised person and I am very good with managing my time and tasks efficiently this was shown through meeting various deadlines over the period of creating my AS coursework and through meeting simple tasks set for homework throughout my school career. It has also always been very important to me that the work that I produce is always to its highest standard, meaning that if there is something that I believe is not up to the standard that I hope for, I am happy to receive criticism from others which will help me make the necessary improvements.
Throughout this week I started to complete the research portion of my coursework, starting with the task where I had to research into existing music labels. This was quite an interesting task to complete as prior to this I had not realised that there was one large conglomerate which had many subsidaries which made up that company. For example, the Universal Music Group is a media conglomerate which owns smaller, well known subsidaries such as The Island Def Jam and Capital Records. Even though I have come up with some good locations for my music video, I have not decided on a certain song yet so have decided that it would be best to stay away from the planning tasks until I feel a bit more confident with my decision. At the moment, I am currently researching into the history of music videos and hopefully that will give me a good insight into what my music video should be like and give me a few more ideas.
By the lesson on Tuesday I hope to get the post on the history of music videos uploaded on to my blog and to have started looking into the conventions of a music video. From looking at the various research tasks that have been set, I believe that this will help with the decisions I need to make to create my music video.
Skills Audit:
When considering what skills I can utilise in this project there are a few such as being dedicated to my work and working hard. I have also found that through subjects at GCSE such as ICT and Media, and also through completing my coursework at AS, I've been able to develop on skills such as creativity in order to boost my grade through the use of various software's such as InDesign and multiple hardware's such as the Canon 550d camera that I used to take the photos for my media coursework in both Years 11 and 12.
I am hoping that as for many years I have taken to watching various music videos that have been produced by different artists who perform different genres of music, I will have the ability to come up with some good and creative ideas that will benefit my coursework.
I have always been a very organised person and I am very good with managing my time and tasks efficiently this was shown through meeting various deadlines over the period of creating my AS coursework and through meeting simple tasks set for homework throughout my school career. It has also always been very important to me that the work that I produce is always to its highest standard, meaning that if there is something that I believe is not up to the standard that I hope for, I am happy to receive criticism from others which will help me make the necessary improvements.
Sunday, 29 June 2014
Introduction
Production Diary #1
This year, the coursework tasks are completely different to those I have completed at AS and GCSE. With a choice of either filming and making either a short film or a music video, I chose to create a music video. This year I believe the work load will increase massively but also enlighten me to a new set of skills that I will have to utilise such as learning how to use the cameras to produce high quality footage.
This week I started looking at possible ideas I could use for my music video. With there being so much choice as to finding a song, whether to not use the original or the style of video, I have found it hard to choose a particular song, however I have decided that I wish to have a music video with an open narrative - open for interpretation. When watching music videos on YouTube I have always found myself drawn to those which have a storyline rather than live performances because you gain an understanding of what the song is about but still allows the audience to interpret their own meanings of the song.
When it has come to thinking possible song ideas, I want to go for something quite simple and slow as I feel it fits the style I can see myself creating. To fit the slow song, I believe that the use of slow motion and a portion of travel and journey will work well to highlight the progression of the song to the audience.
In the process of deciding on what my music video will look like I felt it would be a good idea to think of possible locations that I would be able to use. I believed that this would have been a good area to start with as there is no point in picking a song but having no where to film it. Possible locations that I have chosen that are outside of school are:
- West Witterings, Sussex
- The Rose Garden, Hyde Park
- Diana Memorial, Hyde Park
- Ruislip Woods
Even though the west Witterings is a little bit out of the way compared to the other locations, my mum has said that she will drive me to the location and my mums friend has a small cottage located near the beach front and I think that this would be a great location for a slower song.
At the moment, some songs that I have been considering are:
- When you're gone, Avril lavigne
- beating heart, Ellie goulding
- tee shirt, birdy
- not about angels, birdy
- heart by heart, Demi lovato
- I don't want to miss a thing, Aerosmith
This year, the coursework tasks are completely different to those I have completed at AS and GCSE. With a choice of either filming and making either a short film or a music video, I chose to create a music video. This year I believe the work load will increase massively but also enlighten me to a new set of skills that I will have to utilise such as learning how to use the cameras to produce high quality footage.
This week I started looking at possible ideas I could use for my music video. With there being so much choice as to finding a song, whether to not use the original or the style of video, I have found it hard to choose a particular song, however I have decided that I wish to have a music video with an open narrative - open for interpretation. When watching music videos on YouTube I have always found myself drawn to those which have a storyline rather than live performances because you gain an understanding of what the song is about but still allows the audience to interpret their own meanings of the song.
When it has come to thinking possible song ideas, I want to go for something quite simple and slow as I feel it fits the style I can see myself creating. To fit the slow song, I believe that the use of slow motion and a portion of travel and journey will work well to highlight the progression of the song to the audience.
In the process of deciding on what my music video will look like I felt it would be a good idea to think of possible locations that I would be able to use. I believed that this would have been a good area to start with as there is no point in picking a song but having no where to film it. Possible locations that I have chosen that are outside of school are:
- West Witterings, Sussex
- The Rose Garden, Hyde Park
- Diana Memorial, Hyde Park
- Ruislip Woods
Even though the west Witterings is a little bit out of the way compared to the other locations, my mum has said that she will drive me to the location and my mums friend has a small cottage located near the beach front and I think that this would be a great location for a slower song.
At the moment, some songs that I have been considering are:
- When you're gone, Avril lavigne
- beating heart, Ellie goulding
- tee shirt, birdy
- not about angels, birdy
- heart by heart, Demi lovato
- I don't want to miss a thing, Aerosmith
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