Hannah's commitment agreement

This is an agreement I got Hannah to sign saying that she will help me whenever she can and that she won't drop out on me halfway through the filming, as that would create a really big problem for my project.

"I Was Here" animatic

This is my animatic that I have created with the images from the first draft of my storyboard.

How I created my animatic:

1. Scanned my storyboard in onto the computer and saved all of the images into a file
2. Opened a PowerPoint document
3. Created 50 slides as that's how many images I have on my storyboard
4. Copied the storyboard pages onto the slides
5. Cropped the pages down until I was left with just one image
6. Saved all the images separately as JPEGs
7. Opened up Windows Movie Maker
8. Uploaded all of the images onto Movie Maker
9. Changed the timings of the clips to fit with the timings on my storyboard
10. Uploaded the track onto Movie Maker
11. Listened to the track along with the clips and changed the timings if they needed to be changed
12. Saved the video
13. Uploaded the video to my YouTube account
14. Shared my video to my blog

First draft of my storyboard

Struggles

I'm finding it hard to keep to my deadline for my storyboard because of the trouble I am having with my hand. Because of this I will allow myself more time to complete my storyboard and animatic and hopefully keep on top of my other deadlines.

Starting my story board

Over the last few months I have been thinking about the different shots I can out into my music video but when it has come down to creating my story board I don't know where to start. Because of this I have decided to draw the images and then I will cut them out and put them in an order I'm happy with before I make it official and make my anamatic.

Annotated lyrics in preparation for storyboard

 

 

 

 

The Sound of Music - Trailer [1965] [38th Oscar Best Picture]

 

When I have been thinking about the shots I would like to include in my video, there is one that has been in my mind since the start and it is featured in the start of this video as Maria is spinning around with her arms open.

 



This shot idea has come from the 1965 American musical film, The Sound of Music. I have watched this film since I was a young girl and that shot has become a very well known feature of the film as it is performed during the title song "The Sound of Music".

 



Production plan

Complete story board by Wednesday 24th October 

Start anamatic by half term and make sure it is finished  before I start filming

Start filming by Thursday 1st November

25/10/12 - Meeting with Hannah at lunch to discuss storyboard and what she thinks to the things I will be asking her to do.

30/02/12 - 2nd meeting with Hannah to sort out which shots to film first and when she is available.

01/11/12 - Dad's taking me and Hannah to Hornsea to film the beach scenes in the video and afterwards going back to Hannah's to get some photos of her growing up and film some other shots of her rehearsing lines and reading on her bed.

02/11/12 - Going to the Humber Bridge to film some shots of the bridge that I don't have in my storyboard but I would like to use. I'm doing these without Hannah in them just as an establishing shot.

03/11/12 - Make a poster for the baking scene and a "no entry. filming." sign

05/11/12 - Ask Andy Feetom during technical theatre session what lunch time he would be free to help me with lighting in the theatre to shoot award scene.

05/11/12 - Email Adam Hembrough to see how I can go about booking the recording studio.

06/11/12 - Go and see the music teachers and explain to them my recording studio shot and ask if I can book time in there to film.

06/11/12 - Ask friends what they are doing on Tuesday night to film the Christmas tree shots and prepare everything for the shoot.

06/11/12 - Shooting Christmas tree shots with Hannah and the girls and also the baking shot.

10/11/12 - Shoot the backwards car shot in the countryside whilst looking for a suitable location to film the Sound of Music spin shot.

15/11/12 - Discuss with Hannah when she can next film

18/11/12 - Film the Sound of Music spin shot.

22/11/12 - Film recording studio shot (Ill - not in college. Has to be rearranged)

My Audience

My target audience is female biased with 2/3 of my audience being female. The main age range is 16-19 year olds which belong to the social class group E meaning they are students, unemployed, employed in a low paying job or some of them could have apprenticeships. Most of my audience attend college which could lead on to higher education meaning they have ambitions of a good future where they could be earning a good wage. My audience are very media and drama/dance orientated with a prominent interest in pop and indie music which would suggest they are out going, like to have fun and have an open mind. Most of their music is watched on YouTube, on the music channels, via their phone and social networking sites which means they are people who like to keep up to date with what is going on in the world and all of the latest celebrity gossip.

Audience description

This is Danny explaining what he likes to do in his spare time including things such as the sport he plays and what music he listens to. He informs us of what his job is and that he likes to spend his money on gig tickets.

Audience interests

 This is a video of India telling me about what she likes to do in her spare time and what she spends here money on. This will help me when knowing how to make my video for the target audience.

 

 

 

 

Florence and the Machine reconstruction video evaluation

Evaluation of Florence and the Machine remake video

To start this task we organised ourselves into groups of four or five. Within our group we looked at the storyboards we had created for our summer task and there was only one that we could recreate, Rabbit Heart by Florence and the Machine. The reason we couldn’t recreate the others were due to props or locations that would just be too difficult to find and shoot in in the short period of time we had for example the protagonist in my video was a gymnast and some of the things he did and the equipment that was used would not be able to be done without also using a gymnast and none of us know one. Philippa was the creator of the storyboard we were using and knew the video the best so she was the director and we then decided as a group what everybody else would do. As Philippa had only created 30 seconds of storyboard for the video we had to do that part but that worked well as following the 30 seconds used a lot more props and unrealistic things that we would not have been able to use or find. 

At the start of the process we put together a production plan of when we were going to meet up to do filming or editing and where we were going to meet. We also sorted out who was going to bring in different props and costumes and who was going to download the song onto their phone so we had a copy of it at all times. With it being on a phone we could then play it out loud whilst we were filming so our actresses knew when and what to lip sync. Our production plan didn’t really work from the start of the project as we had many issues due to lack of attendance and this made it very difficult and annoying for those of us in the group that were turning up. Because of this and the lack of work we had done in three days we decided to converge with another group that were having similar problems to us and once we had done this we started getting a lot of work done and we worked really well together.

The things that worked well for us when we actually started was the team effort that went in to the project, I think we worked well as a team and were always prepared to help each other. Our time management was also very good: if we said certain people were going to meet up to do some work in a certain place at a certain time they generally would and we would get a reasonable amount of work done. Our best working days were our second big day filming and the two editing days we had. A lot of hard work went into those lessons and at the end of the filming I think this showed when especially as at one point it looked very unlikely that were going to finish the project to the deadline.

When filming I think most of it went well although there are things we can learn from. Because it was continuity editing I think we should’ve tried harder to film it all at one time especially with us filming outside. The lighting in our video wasn’t continuous as on the first day it was dull and on the second day it was sunny with the odd bit of cloud. We managed to edit this to make it look similar but it is something to think about when I’m filming. Another thing to consider is the movement of the actor/actress when they are been filmed. At the start of our video I wasn’t aware of how Hannah M was going to move and I lost the top of her head in the shot because I didn’t move the camera smoothly and quick enough to keep the top of her head in the shot. When I am filming my video for “I Was Here” I will need to know exactly what I am filming and when and I will choreograph what movements Hannah C will be making so I can make sure the camera is in the right place at the right time.

One thing that made the editing of the video very difficult was the fact the lyrics we had printed off were wrong so the lip syncing and the song didn’t fit together exactly. We’d had a similar issue during the filming too and we had to stop filming to listen to the song clearly to determine the correct lyrics. When I was researching the lyrics for “I Was Here” I looked at different websites, the album cover and also listened to the song so I hopefully have the exact lyrics and I won’t have this issue.

It was difficult to find the clothing for the Florence and the Machine video because it is all so “weird” but we worked together and managed to get it sorted as close to the real costumes as possible. I shouldn’t have these problems when filming my video because Beyoncé is very fashionable and wears average clothes so I don’t have to be too creative with the costumes although I do want to make some hair and makeup creative. The hair and makeup in our Florence video was very natural as we didn’t really have the time to do much about it. It will be very important to manage my time carefully especially when it comes down to filming and making sure I have enough time to edit.

Overall I don’t think we did too badly on the task but I have definitely learnt a lot from it and I know what I need to change when I’m filming to make my video more successful. I think the main thing I need to do is be certain on what I am filming before I do so because in our project that definitely wasn’t the case and I don’t think the storyboard was used to its full potential. It’s something to think about.

Word count 1036

Florence and the Machine - Rabbit Heart reconstruction

"I Was Here" filming idea

Originally I had just wanted to film one continuity bit for the video and I was going to do this in the theatre of Hannah performing the song with a mic stand in front of her, a spotlight and her being really dressed up like she's on stage but after thinking about different options I think I will shoot the song in a few different locations so I can use more continuity editing. 

I would like to film her sat down on a box or the side of stage with a close up on the side of her face before panning round to a front shot of her face to see the emotions in her face and her singing the lyrics of the song. 

Images of us filming the Florence and the Machine video

The first two images are of the group watching back the footage we had filmed the day before on the camera to see what we still needed to film and if we needed to redo any of those shots.

This is an image of us filming Hannah and holding up the lyrics as she didn't know them.

This is the whole group filming, all of us had allocated jobs and apart from the actresses we all had a go at everything.

Nadia and Toni filming

These shots are of us filming whilst more of the group were involved in the filming as we needed more bodies in the background of the shot. We not only had a copy of the lyrics but we were also looking at the storyboard as we went along so we knew what we had to film next.

These are images of us filming the later part of the video when there are more people in the shot. This meant that the people filming, playing the song and holding the lyrics had to help each other more so we could get the job done.

More filming

Codes and conventions of a music video essay

Codes and conventions of a music video

Every genre of music video has specific codes and conventions that define them but every music video as a form has certain things in common with another.

Conventions of a music video

Cinematography

Cinematography is usually very similar in every genre of music video although each form of video could use different shots or angles. The three main types of camera shots that are used in every video are close ups, medium close ups and long shots. Close ups and medium close ups are used to see the emotion and facial expressions of the artist; the lyrics that they are singing; makeup and hair styling that has been done and medium close ups allow us to see a bit of what the artist is wearing which tells us a bit more about themselves. Long shots act as establishing shots which bring context and understanding to the video and also allow us to see a dance routine or performance if one is featured in the video. Camera shots that are sometimes used on a less regular basis are over the shoulder shots if they want a conversational aspect in the video and two shots or wide shots which are usually only used if the video is for a band or more than one person is required in the shot. Two shots and wide shots can also be used to show dancers or other performers besides the featured artist.

Camera movement is very important in a music video and the most common types used are pans and zooms. Pans act as another way of including more than one person in a shot, allow us to see the setting or surroundings they are in and also just give the camera movement so the shots flow into one and the transition is smoother. Zooms also allow the shots to flow. Zooming in means we can see things on the artists or specific object clearer meaning it could be used for a change in mood during the song. Zooming out allows us to see more of the person, the actions they are doing and what they are wearing. Tilts can be used in a similar way to zooming out and can establish the artist and how they dress and act. They could also be used to show positions of authority if it’s a song about gangs etc just like high and low angle shots can be. Crane shots are a common occurrence of performance videos as they are good for hovering above the stage and also including the audience in the shot: arial shots can also be used in a similar way.  Steadicam is a technique that will be used in most videos as it is easier to film that way and again allows the shots to flow more freely. It can be made very obvious in some videos that steadicam is being used especially if it features some “home movie” filming.

Sound
The sound in a music video is usually very simple as it contains the lyrics of the song but some music videos have a narrative voice over at the beginning, end or both in which more information is given about the song or story within the video. Sound effects can also be a feature of a music video but these are very specific to certain genres. Volume is another area of the sound that can be manipulated in a music video as there may be dialogue over the song and therefore it is lowered. Some artists also like to feature a bit of the original recording in their video with means that sound quality is different.

Editing

Continuity editing and montage editing are the two main types of editing that are used in music videos. Montage editing allows lots of different things to be going on in the video and can allow a story to be told whereas continuity editing is better for dance routine videos and giving an emotive performance. Continuity editing makes a very simple video but an effective one too. Editing jump cuts into a video is a good way of moving from one scene into another. Super imposition is something that can be included using different extremes such as just changing a background behind an artist after filming it in front of a green screen or using CGI to super impose animals or even people that would not have been there during the original filming of the video.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is what makes the video unique and this is where the genres are definitely identified. Costume and makeup is very important for giving the artist their image, as a rock star would not want to be placed in a glittery dress and bright red lip stick. The costumes are what most people in the audience are going to relate to so the clothing and makeup artists definitely need to make sure they get it right. The lighting is also very dependent on the type of video that is being shot. Pop and RNB songs are usually brighter and fluffier because the songs are usually happy and up tempo but if it is a ballad the colour schemes and lighting are often calmer as this helps the audience know how to feel. It also wouldn’t be right is a heavy metal band had a bright music video when they were singing about death so it works both ways. The location of the music video is usually determined by the genre of song. To make the video as conventional as possible it is important to shoot the video in a suitable place. “The Captain” by Biffy Clyro is filmed on what looks like a pirate ship and it also contains scenes of dungeons. It is quite an aggressive video but that matches the aggressiveness of the song. The tempo and the aggression would not be portrayed well if the video was filmed in a dance studio because the image would be clean cut and the song would be the complete opposite. The lighting in the video is very dark with a lot of bright flashes which occur at the same time as the drum beat. The singer in the band is also very “rocky” with his tattoos all over his body, black hair and he is sweating quite a lot which is what you assume to happen at a rock concert.

My music video conventions

The music video I will be shooting is a pop/RNB song and although death is involved in the lyrics, it’s about leaving a legacy so it is quite a positive song. I will not only be following the codes and convention rules of this genre but I will also follow the rules of other Beyoncé videos. To do this I will use close ups and medium close ups and because of the lyrics to this song I think they are especially important. I would also like to use long shots when filming a continuity sequence for the chorus and like in the video “Single Ladies” I may use a two shot to see my actress interacting with friends and family etc. Most of my video will incorporate montage editing and to make it look smooth I would like to use pans and zooms. Beyoncé is not known for having a narrative sequence at the start of her videos and although I would like to create one it wouldn’t tie in with the expectations of one of her videos so I don’t think I will include one of these. The main codes and conventions of a Beyoncé 
music video is down to the mise-en-scene that is used. Beyoncé has her own image that I would like to encapsulate and keep as similar to the real thing as possible. When performing Beyoncé always looks beautiful and very dressed up whether that means she is wearing a ball gown dress for a formal occasion or something short and glittery for something informal but she always has heels on and usually her hair is down. She never seems to wear too much makeup which is important and when she is “papped” doing everyday things she looks very normal so I need to remember that too. I think it would be nice to keep the performance aspect of my music video very simple. Because of the huge star Beyoncé is, her videos are always bright and colourful. There seems to be a positive energy in all her videos through light and setting so I would like to include those too. There aren’t any specific locations she keeps going back to to do her videos so I am open to manipulate that as I wish and I think that is the case with most pop videos that they could be shot anywhere. I will include some “bling” in the video without pushing the boundaries because that is the RNB side of Beyoncé coming through and this is a very powerful ballad that I will be creating.

Codes and conventions of a music video planning

Camera work:

• Close ups - emotions, lyrics, makeup
• Medium close ups - emotions, lyrics makeup , what they are wearing (tells us more about the person)
• Long shots - establishing shot, context and understanding, see a performance or something important in the background
• Over the shoulder shot - if they're looking at something that they want us to see
• Two shot/wide shot - can be used to see more than one member of a band at once or to see a dance routine/performance
• Steadicam - most of the time, to get the impression it's a home video
• Pan - see the surrounding area or other people around them
• Tilt - to emphasise height, to see some body's whole outfit
• Tracking - to keep the camera at the same distance from the subject, so the audience are moving with them
• Zoom - to see something closer in (emotions), zooming out to see the surrounding of a person or what they're like
• High angle - to look down on someone
• Low angle - to look up at someone
• Crane shots - hover above the stage to give a view of a stage performance

Sound:

• Narrative voice over - to set the scene or to give extra information about the artist or the video
• Sound effects - if relevant to the song
• Volume - a change in volume to certain parts of the song if different film is used or they want to make a statement

Editing:

• Slow motion - to make a statement or emphasise something that is going on
• Continuity editing - to see a performance of something, makes a simple and often effective music video
• Montage editing - lots of different things going on, can tell a story
• Fade - to end the video
• Super imposition - depends on the artist and the genre of music. Can be used for backgrounds if a green screen is used and to animate videos.
• Jump cut - allows a change from one scene to another
• Black and white/grey scale - creates emotion in the video and portrays in a different way

Mise-en-scene:

• Costume and makeup - pop star's makeup would be over the top, big hair and sparkly or up to trend clothes whereas a rock star could be in leather trousers and jacket, dark eye makeup and crazy hair. A rapper will have the "bling" and the tattoos whereas a country singer would be made to look sweet and innocent
• Location - links into the lyrics and the artist
• Lighting - uptempo song uses bright lights and colours whereas a rock song or heavy metal song would be darker

Issues with reconstructing Florence video

Due to the fact a lot of people have been off ill and unable to make certain lessons and meetings, our group had fallen well behind with the filming of the Florence and the Machine video for "Rabbit Heart". After careful consideration and wasting quite a lot of time we decided to merge our group and another group, who were also having a similar problems to us, together. It seemed like the best thing to do and since the merge on Monday 1st we have been getting on very well and in today's media lesson (3rd October) we finished filming everything so we can start editing next lesson. Hopefully we will now make the deadline!

Our team now consists of:

Jen Wilson
India Whiteley
Toni Hardcastle
Hannah McConnon
Mark Clifford
Jasmine Wainwright
Nadia Skali
Philippa Branton

Emily McDougall is also in our group but she is ill and we don't know when she will be back.

Within the team we have worked out our roles. Most of us have featured in the film and the few that haven't have either operated the camera; directed or played the music and held the lyrics to the song. We also took it in turns to take pictures of us all doing our job roles. We will all do some editing and we will get into groups of three to do this and each do 10 seconds. Overall we have filmed around 5 minutes of footage for the 30 second video we are making.

Dappy - Good Intentions as an unconventional video

This video is interesting as it is very unconventional at times. It begins in a conventional way as there is a close up on the back of Dappy's head and then a pan round to the front of his head as he begins to sing. He then begins to walk and the camera is still a close up. As the first minute of the video develops the camera shot gets bigger and bigger until around the minute mark it is a long shot of Dappy still walking. The whole video is a continuous shot of Dappy walking along a path which has high grass verges at both sides. By the two minute mark in the song, the video is conventional again and it is back in a close up/medium close up shot as Dappy seems to speed up walking and catch up with the camera. By two minutes and forty-five seconds into the song Dappy stops walking and drops to the floor. Following this the video becomes unconventional again and it finishes as an extreme long shot of Dappy knelt on the floor and the background burnt out. A lot of special effects are used in this video.