Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Team meeting #1


In our team meeting today we agreed on when our first filming session will be; 11/10/2014, how long we would film for and what will be filmed. Due to us only having a male character so far we decided to try and film all the scenes where the girl is not need e.g estate, streets etc. We also discussed what props would be needed for the day as well as what camera shots we would including.


**update**
Our actor cancelled so filming was postponed to 26/10/2014 when we would have both actors present.

Final Pitch



Friday, 26 September 2014

Task 3: Research and planning: copyright



To ensure we did not have any copyright issues we emailed Ed Sheeran's record label asking for permission to use the track

Thursday, 25 September 2014

Task 4: Treatment (music video pitch feedback)



We couldn't decide on which song to choose out of The Neighbourhood - Afraid and Ed Sheeran - U.N.I so which pitched 2 music video ideas to the class. They ended up choosing U.N.I because
  • more clearer story-line
  • more interesting yet simple locations

With Ed Sheeran - U.N.I there are some ethical issues we need to consider i.e. using the cemetery to show death. This would not be appropriate so we were given suggestions of other ways to show death
We were also told that lip syncing was vital for this genre.


Task 3: Treatment (music video pitch)

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Task 2: Music video case studies

Case study #1 - Tove Lo - Stay high (Habits remix)


Producer: Hippie sabotage
Synopsis: Protagonist repeatedly goes out every night, getting high and drunk in order to create an illusion of happiness to deal with the repercussions of the breakup she has gone through.
Themes and motifs: Alcohol, parties and travelling

The video is narrative based as it is telling the artists breakup story and there is no lip syncing.  My music video is also going to have this narrative structure.

Editing (special effects): The mixture of a fast cutting rate, skipping/buffering and slow motion within one scene replicates the drunk/high feelings/view of the character for the viewer watching the video.
Camera: The handheld camera combined with panning adds to the characters POV also allowing the viewer to experience the characters view. There are lots of close ups and mid shots to focus on artist.
The slow motion effect is definitely a feature I would like to include in my music video as well as how the camera focuses on the artist so the background is out of focus. 
The panoramic lens/view used in this scene also looks cool so is something that will be incorporated into our music video.

Mise en scene: Costume  character wears different clothes to show that she is going out and doing the same thing every night. This is also shown through her being shown with and without make upLighting – Artificial lights (colorful party lights flashing in the background) to create a realistic party atmosphere. Location – A variety of backgrounds used (one the street, tube, house) to emphasize the fact that she’s always travelling alone.

Case study #2 - Duke Dumont - I got U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCYHldJi_g



Synopsis:  Protagonist receives a parcel containing a helmet and gloves which transports him to a fantasy-like parallel world where he’s on a tropical adventure with pools, beaches, parties etc. At the end he takes the helmet off and is shown back where he was in the beginning. 

Themes and motifs:  Paradise-like settings, parties, adventure, POV.

This video is both conceptual and post modern due to the idea of putting on a helmet and being transporting to another island.


Camera:  A combination of long shots, establishing shots to show the scenery, POV and hand held camera are used to allow viewer to experience visually what the character is seeing.
Editing: The fast cutting used between the real vs fake locations is good feature as it emphasizes on the fact that the protagonist isn't actually on the island.

The POV filming is something I want incorporated in my music video as I think it is more effective in reaching the audience.

Mise en scene: Location – A large amount locations and beautiful scenery used in video. e.g



This is a good way to keep the video interesting so we will include a variety of different locations


 Costume - The clothes that the characters are wearing are appropriate for the theme e.g bikinis, shorts etc. Lighting - Natural sunlight and fire is used throughout video as it takes places mostly on the beach so there is no need for artificial spotlights.
Sound: The sound becomes muffled when protagonist is show with helmet on in comparison to when he' on the island suggesting that the sound is diegetic as he can hear it at the parties.

Case study #3 - The Neighbourhood - Female robbery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwK7-u_0VWk


Synopsis: Female robbery is about a girl living in an abusive home leading to her wanting to be taken away. She is writing in her diary the exact opposite of her feelings and is taken by the kidnapper to bury it, throw away her childhood, representing a fresh start with a new family
Themes and motifs:Black and white, diaries, sadness, opposite
This video has a narrative structure.

In the opening scene a French voice over can be heard whilst the subtitles translate into the complete opposite. This was a good idea as it goes with the whole juxtaposed theme of the video.



Camera: Mostly long shots are used to show the characters and close ups are used to focus on  props like the family portrait and the diary to show there significance.







Editing: A black and white filter is used which heightens the sadness and seriousness of the video as there are no bright colors used to distract the audience. The cutting rate between each clip is also very fast and in time with the music which somehow helps to build up the tension as the girl is being taken away..
In this specific clip there are between 10-16 cuts within the space of 10 seconds.

Panning, fading and zooming in/out are used to transition between each scene. These techniques are also used to explore the contrast of how the protagonist' life should be and how it actually is e.g..




Mise en scene: Lighting - The artificial lighting used in the house is very dark and dim which reinforces the gloomy atmosphere and mood of the video. Location - Simple locations (suburb neighbourhood, typical house etc.) are used as it is more realistic and relates to the story being told. There aren't a variety of fancy locations as that would take away from the value and meaning of the song. Costume - Like the location, simple clothes are worn by the characters because the video is painting an image of topics like this that happen in real life.



These are some more examples of many scenes which feature the opposite motif, another element I would like to include in my music video.




























































Ev. of Practise video

Practise music video