Additional information

Costume

The costumes that would be worn would be of the casual sort as this is what is commonly found in a typical dubstep/ drum and bass video.

Location

There is no typical set location that dubstep/ drum and bass however in most of these videos the scene changes a lot, most start off indoors or in a house of some kind and are based on the streets of London. For example Chase and Status - Let you go (Left) and Chase and Status - Time (Below). In videos like this there is sense of constantly moving forward. The typical functions of a dubstep video is for it to be a narrative piece and have the video make a visual story as this type of music doesn't really have that much lyrics to it (depending on the artist) or at times there could be performance where you see the artist at a venue etc. Mainly because of these reasons we believe that this is a perfect opportunity for us to use various locations in London throughout the video, along the way our main character will be picking up his friends and would be roaming the streets of London trying to get as much of them as possible to get this "free chicken". I believe that the fact that we would have a lot of different locations we should be able to recreate the sense of a dubstep video.

We used locations such as my partners home and a few places in London such as Marble Arch and Richmond park, images below.

Marble Arch

Richmond Park

Props and lighting

In our video the main prop we have is the bikes and the roller blades. We do refer to a clock/watch quite often as its supposed to be a race against time so this comes up quite a few times as well as a few other objects however they are not as significant. All these objects are easy to obtain as these are just house hold objects etc. If anything does go wrong in one way or another we can always compromise with something else which would be just as effective. For example, a bike got stole and we replaced it with roller blades.

The lighting shouldn't be a problem as we would be filming during daylight and the majority of our video is outdoors however our only obstacle would be the weather and we he obvious check this in advance which we have written on our breakdown sheets.

The beginning of our music video is indoors and for this we would use windows and actual lights but we would be using as much natural light as possible.

At the end of our video we are filming while its dark but it would be very well lit as it is quite a busy area.

Breakdown sheets for our music video

Our animatic

Today my partner and I presented our animatic to the class. This is where we got the opportunity to show our peers our ideas of the music video that we have to produce. We got very good feedback from all of them and we are planning of using their ideas to our advantage.

One of the ideas that was suggested was that we not only play the clip in its forward motion but then reverse the same section so we would get an effect that has been used in many dub step videos in the passed such as DJ fresh – Louder.

The fact that with this type of music we are able to play with the time, we should use that as much as possible.

More close ups were mentioned, to show the riders determination and to add more drama in a sense. This was a very good idea and I think this is something my partner and I will definitely look into as this feedback was very useful

Another thing that was suggested was that we make it clear from the beginning that it is a race against time and that we should include shots of the shop or a poster advertising the free food near the start of the video so everyone is on the same page and it would make it a lot easier to follow.
They liked the fact that we use so many different locations in the video however there was a fear that we may not be able to fit all our footage into his video. But then again, the fact that we would be able to speed things up at times everything should be fine. There were some suggestions that we film some of the keys locations such as marble arch at night so we could get the full beauty of the place to make it more interesting to look at.

Other feedback we got is that some of the footage was too long, however when we did explain it everything

The Results To Our Survey

100% of our responses came back from 16-20 year old. 50% of the people why took the survey were female and other 50% were male. This made our analysis a lot easier knowing that we had an equal ratio between the two and would be able to see what the majority preferred without thinking our results would have been different if we had more girl.

Below are all the results we received

Age group?

Genre

What type of music genre do you listen to?

Do you watch music videos?

 What do you like to see in your music videos?

How do you watch your music videos?

Do you like bright colours or a more gritty feel?

Do you like fast paced action music videos?

Do you like to see the artist perform?

Do you like videos set in London?

The results will help us to decide what we should do for your music video. From the information we received my partner and I are looking to do something that is based in different locations in London that has quite a bit of action and this is just by looking at the answers or question 8 and 10

Music Video Research

In class we watched multiple music videos that may help us out with getting ideas for our music video. We watched many different genres of music videos, the music videos being a selection of award winning videos from the list of MTV Music Awards of 2011.

Video of the year being,  Katy Perry - Firework

This video had CGI (computer generated images) of the fireworks coming out of different individuals that are coming out of their “shells” and being bold showing that everyone has a firework inside obviously relating to the lyrics of the song which made it very entertaining to watch. The video also had a nice blend of it being a performance as well as a narrative piece.

The multiple locations that were presented gave the audience a lot to look at and they did many establishing shots to show that, so for whoever is looking at it can never get bored. There was a good mix of focal points as we had the opportunity to focus on different things at different times. Above all that the pace of the video matched the tempo of the music

I believe this was a very good video for us to look at as we are planning to have multiple locations in our video. We believe that this video also gave us ideas on how we could present all the different locations to our audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw

Nicky Minaj - Super bass

This video gave you a lot to look at with all the interesting costumes and the costume changes. There was also some form of chorography as there was some dance sequences all the way through the clips. There was a great feel of energy presented in this video which seemed to reflect the artist’s personality and for that reason I believe that the director did showcase the artist very well as he/she made sure she was in the middle at all times and her back up dancers were dressed exactly the same so give the illusion that there were multiple copies of her. There was a constant theme of time throughout the whole video which would attract the attention of young girls which would have expanded there audience to appeal to a wider range. I believe that this video did appeal more to females that male due to the fact that the video had the pink them and multiple shots of half dressed men. The theme of partying was also there as the also had a scene in this video where there was black lights where everything white etc. would be almost like a glow in the dark effect and this seen also had some thing almost like a dance as well. The fact that it was a catchy song the dances where easy enough to get you doing it as well making it even more entertaining that just sitting and watching. This video wasn’t just a performance piece but it also had narrative parts in there too.

There was a fast pace almost the whole time but it changed when the song changed pace, so they both matched each other. There was also some slow motion in some parts which made it more interesting to watch.

This video was a good one to watch as I think we would be able to play with the speed of the footage we get and add some slow motion in some parts, so hopefully we can get the chance to do it properly without it looking odd. But I believe my partner and I would like to make our video as entertaining as possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JipHEz53sU

Adele – Rolling in the deep

This is a very beautiful and artistic piece that won three different awards. This is quite a slow piece and they did a lot with it which I believe is what made every bit of it amazing. There wasn’t many people in this video, there was about three in total. I believe that this video did showcase the artist very well as she was the only person in the video that you could see properly and you got to see every angle of her even though she didn’t move due to the different shots. There was a dancer dressed all in black in white powder I think and one man playing the drums in the dark underneath a staircase but they didn’t really have an identity. Everything in this video was done for a reason which I believe was done very well. This unique piece had many scenes of objects being thrown, shook, or moved to the beat which is part of the lyrics.

Everything in this video made the audience feel some sort of compassion towards her as she seemed to be hurt really badly but this man that she’s singing about. I believe this may be the reason why the male drummer was placed in the dark in the corner as if he’s head was down in shame for what he had done, the light only coming on, on the beat to show his presence only near the chorus of the song. The dancer dancing in black throughout the video, shots been slowed down at some parts so you could see how elegant the moves where and also did represent the pain that the artist felt. Every time the dancers prop was up in the air was mainly where the chorus was about to start so almost represent the peak. Throughout the dance the powder made it harder for the audience to see the dancer as if to represent how difficult the man in the artist’s life was to figure out and to understand. The way how this dancer was dancing was almost like a catharsis (a release of emotion) which was incredible to watch.

The location did match the mood as this song was about pain and heartbreak and she was in an empty room alone. There were plates and other porcelain items being thrown and broken to the beat which also represented the anger that she had. The lighting was good as it was a little dim and gave us a feel for how she felt.

This was quite a dramatic piece that was every entertaining to watch. I believe it was a good video to watch as it did give us insight to how different camera shots and angles can make something so simple look so interesting. It also showed us how we could change the pace for certain parts of the song  and how lighting can really set the mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw

Foo fighters - Walk

This was both a narrative and performance piece. This was a highly entertaining piece as the director made it very humorous by adding comedy throughout the video not only by their actions but through there costumes etc. The location was changed multiple times as the main character (also being the band leader) was continuously ‘walking’ which reflected the title of the song. In the video you get to see the different band members popping up as different characters. For example the restaurant worker.

There were a lot of different camera shots and editing techniques, such as eye line matches, which made it at lot more fun to watch as you got to see his life as he sees it. At the end is where he reaches his destination with his band members and sings the chorus for the last time.

Where he unfortunately gets tasered by the police, as he has been causing trouble everywhere and while this is happening his band members laughed. and we gett good close ups on him which makes it more entertaining.

I think that this was a good video to watch as it had a good ending to it and it didn’t just come to an abrupt stop. I believe that me and my partner could makes our video entertaining by adding some comedy to it however this would be something we would have to look into.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PkcfQtibmU

Brittney Spears - Til the world ends

 This video, like Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass really showcased the artist very well as there was a couple scenes where everyone is wearing black leather material with an edgy look except the artist which was wearing a red leotard which she is well known for wearing.

Not only were the costume changes entertaining but there was a lot of chorography which reflected the song lyrics ‘dancing til the world ends’.

Like Katy Perry’s Fireworks, this music video also has CGI.

Our target audience

Our target audience would be a range from working class to middle class, meaning ages from 16 to 26. Both male and female.

They are the type that would like things that require skill and is very creative, interesting art and things that are different or new, for example. New technology that may be coming out soon such as products from apple, blackberry etc. as this is the generation that like to keep up to date with what is going on in the media.

Dubstep is a fairly new genre of music and is appreciated by the majority of the younger generation.

 

 This age group also are interested in maybe keeping fit and may have active life styles, and may do things like going to the gym in their spare time. This may be influenced by the media as the media always present slim, fit, athletic, muscular models to advertise all of the country.

The fact that my target audience are prone to be influenced by the media my audience are likely to be very active, party goers etc. This is why we have chosen to use bikes in our video to reflect this life style. Another reason for this choice is that this is a populate transport choice for this age group.

Due to their active life styles they may use drinks which are high in caffeine for instance energy drinks and coffee, to help them to keep up and keep going. Food that is high in sugar and, or quick to get or cook may be part of their diet with hardly and vegetables.

This group is a social group who may spend time on social sites such as facebook, twitter, myspace. May spend an immense amount of time on laptops and other forms of technology, such as smart phones which are almost like mini pocket sized computers.

My favourite Music Videos

The music videos I have chosen are:-

·         Michael Jackson - Thriller

·         Michael Jackson - Bad

·         Somebody that I used to know

·         Drake - Take care ft Rihanna

·         Adele - Rolling in the Deep

Thriller by Michael Jackson

I have chosen Michael Jackson's Thriller as this is a legendary video that still has people watching it until this very day. This is a piece that has many dance sequences throughout which I believe that everyone recognises with amazing costumes and make up just made it compelling to watch. This wasn’t like a normal music video but more like a short film which was released at midnight in the 80’s. With special effects that were just coming out in those days made everyone want to watch it, and it was a big thing. The director showcased the artist quite well as they made short Michael Jackson was the main character at all times, had him at the front and he was the only one where such as vibrant colour even through there was a theme of gloom all the way through the video. The lighting made sure there was spooky feel which is a technique often used for horror movies. What made this film/music video so great was the fact that it had a twist at the end although it was a mainly a performance all the way through telling the story almost.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&feature=plcp

Bad by Michael Jackson

Another Michael Jackson classic was his video Bad. This video was also had many dance sequences throughout however this was different to his previous video thriller as this was a different theme. The many different camera shots not only made it more entertaining visually but it also made it easier to copy his dance moves which was what most people like to do as Michael Jackson was well known for his own unforgettable unique moves. The director obviously showcased the artist well as they have made sure he is at the front through most of the video or the only one doing something to make his stand out from the big groups. There are multiple close ups of Michael Jacksons face continuously in this video and everything he does is done to the beat. They are not changing location completely but you do get to see a variety of shots which keeps you interested as they seen to be constantly on the move. This video gave you a great deal to look at and for that reason I believe everyone had a reason to watch it more than one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsUXAEzaC3Q&safe=active

Somebody that I used to know by Gotye

This is a good video as it is good video as I like the simplicity of it. The fact that its created just by different camera lengths, close ups, long shots etc. and paint they made something that you could just look at. The creativity of the video is what I like the best as it hasn't been done before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY

Music Video Survey

This is a survey that I have made with my partner to help us come up with ideas to assist us with our final decision. Please complete the survey as soon as possible, the link is below.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G3PZCH6

Thank you

Permission letter

Prezi

This is a prezi of our music video ideas. This is what we will be showing our class at a later date.

http://prezi.com/vghn2nojuyub/music-video-pitch/

Mood Boards

My Mood Board

The mood board that I have created reflects the music video i would like to make in the following ways.
I wanted a relaxed kind of party feel. This is why I have the images of the shoes and the spilt wine glass whist the girl flicking her hair brings a care feel to it. The image of the main relates to the part of the lyrics of the song a may use as a bright light in shining in his face. The fact that everything hasn't been put on the page precisely shows the lack of structure which is might be the reoccurring theme in this music video.

Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back on the preliminary I believe that we have made a big improved with our camera angles and other editing techniques. Seen as the prelim task was my second attempt of filming and editing properly I think I did quite well with most.

I did mention that these were techniques that I would be able to use in my final piece and I believe that this was true as I was able to improve on those techniques making most foley sounds in sync. The prelim task was also the first time we ever used titles (text). At first I found the whole concept of premier pro quite difficult to understand and it didn't really feel used friendly at all but once we kept using it there came a point where you know exactly what to do which made it a lot quicker and easier to use whilst editing our film opening. There were some techniques we didn't use like for example split screen etc. We used a lot of different camera angles in our prelim task but I believe that we wasn't able to used shots such as shot reverse shot but we did try and fit as many as we could on our actual film opening. We didn't use any establishing shots in the preliminary but we did attempt to do so in our opening sequence, but we did use match on action once and we did try and make it as seamless as possible but only practice can make you perfect.


In conclusion it did feel  a lot quicker and easier to complete all our editing. I've learnt a lot about transitions, audio as well as the actual video itself. We were able to identify what worked and what didn't and what we needed to work on. I believe I've learnt a lot from then but I think I can only improve.

Evaluation question 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?



I have obviously been using all types of technology throughout this course in many different ways. Like for example I used websites such as Youtube (www.youtube.com/) and IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/) to do most of my research on most film opening such as The Ring, Insidious, Paranormal Activity etc.

I used blogger (www.blogger.com/) to publish all my research and anyother information that was needed.

I used a sony handheld video camera to get all the footage we needed for the film opening as it was quite a simple devise and we were able to use it without any complications. Not only was it quite easy to use, the quality was quite good and made the process a whole lot quicker to produce.

We were able to upload all our footage straight onto the Premier Pro. My partner and I did have a couple problems with this software.

Evaluation question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I believe that we have obviously made this film with the audience in mind as our target audience are teenagers and there are different aspects of this opening sequence to prove that. The fact that we have used teenagers in our film opening, it should make it a lot easier to relate to and it should be more appealing for our audience. Our main goal was to relate to audience as much as we could so we did our best. This is the main reason why we have the main character at the bus stop alone waiting as this is a common thing that most teenagers would do on a daily basis. The location that we chosen used was a local area in London so we think this would create a 'close to home' feel making the audience feel like it could happen to anyone of them, as everyone of any age would know that this is a familiar sight to see on the street in that area. The fact that we set our film during the day it goes against what most horror films do as the majority of them have a dark grim look to their films so we wanted to make a differences as this is not what you would usually expect from a horror and our target audience is the type of audience that like to experience something new quite often especially when it comes to films.

I think that our film addresses our audience as it always makes them feel like there is a possibility that these events could happen to them at any point especially with the fact that these bad things are happening during the day time. There is also a couple elements in our film that could make them actually think about the consequences of there actions they make, as this is part of our storyline.

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• My target audience are teenagers

• Their favorite genre of films are horror, comedy, action and sci-fi.

• During the weekend some teenagers stay at home surfing the the internet, out shopping, hanging out with friends, working or spending time with family. Mainly out and about, traveling by either walking, riding a bike or catching a bus.

• Their favorite drink mainly consists of anything high in sugar, preferably something fizzy. For example Red bull, Lucozade, KA, Bigga etc

• Most teenagers don't eat breakfast cereal, but if they had to choose one it would be something along the lines of Coco pops, Weetos or Frosties. My guess would be anything sweet even if it is the unhealthy option.

• The majority of teens use public transport such as the bus as it is the only free transport that allows you to get somewhere quite some distance away quickly, and to us up as little energy as possible.

• Most teens avoid eating vegetables and mainly live on a diet of chicken and chips which is highly unacceptable in the eyes of some people. They would only be eaten if provided though convenience.

• Almost all teens are familiar with the sport football and have probably played it at lease once in their life whether it was compulsory or not. Most males watch this sport regularly as this is one of the most popular sports in the UK.

• Most teens like adults would like to go on holiday somewhere where is it either hot or where they can shop for things whether its clothing or gadgets. As long as there is some sort of entertainment they would be content.
• The most popular restaurant teens go to is Nandos. This is a restaurant that sells Portuguese food and can be found anywhere! Especially near cinema's

I think our film would appeal to our target audience as it is almot reflecting themselves in a way as most teenagers are put in the same situation of having to get bus and shortcuts. Mainly beacuse we all like to get things done quicker due to pure laziness and this film would almost be a lesson in itself. Our film involves a group of teenagers, and i believe that this makes it more realistic as most teenagers dont like traveling by themselves and if they do they would be listening to music with was dangers in itself as you wouldnt be able to see anything coming. I do thing that realism plays a big part in most horror films and the fact that this film we have made are based on teenagers would make it more appealing that being a vulnerable lady in the middle of nowhere.

Evaluation Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

There are many different ways to fund a film. One way that you would be able to get funding would be to get.

Funding opportiunities

There are many different funding opportunities out there for people who are trying to get into the filming industry. There are loans available, government grants, Tax schemes, tax shelters, UK Film Council and BFI.

 The UK Film Council use to fund filming projects until early April 2001 “responsibilities for ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad transfer to the British Film Institute (BFI) and Film London.”

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/

Loans you can obviously get from banks etc.

You could apply for a government grants. The government would give you the money as it would benefit them in multiple ways. You can also get sponsored by different people.

You can even ask studios th fund you

20th Century Fox is a company that is well known all over the world that has distibuted many successfull films from X-men to more recent, planet of the apes.

They have distirbuted films to a variaty of different audiences going rome U- to 12 plus films going a range of different genres

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The image above shows all of our characters that you see. To some, this would be a typical seen that you would see on the streets of London nowadays, as teenagers are the stereotypical group that you would see on the road at this time. We used these three youths represent the trouble makers at you would often see in the media. Teenagers are one of the most commonly mentioned in a bad light. Normally ‘up to no good’ and are well known for loitering and for that reason would make it seem very believable to the audience that they would all meet up together to go out this late.

However my partner and I wanted to have a little twist on our story as, instead of there being the usual vulnerable women/girl that are used in most horror films, we wanted to make it well known that no one would be safe from this ‘Jenkins’ character that is mentioned. Being in a group is supposed to be a lot safer than being alone obviously and being a boy which are fondly thought to be a lot stronger than girls would make this story a lot more interesting, especially from ‘intimidating’ black males. This not only shows an age stereotype but an ethnic one as well, as some people from the older generation may associate them with crime.

Evaluation Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I have chosen these nine images above as they represent the conventions of a horror movie quite well. Not all of them are particularly scary in but there are some aspects that make it relevant. However there are some problems that we did encounter and we did work pretty hard to fix them to the best of our ability.

I believe that our film opening is like a traditional horror movie that you would see as we have tried to make it as ‘close to home’ as possible to make it relate to our target audience so it will seem like a normal thing that could happen them. For example the boy at the bus stop listening to music not paying attention to anything that is happening around him. This is a typical thing that most teenagers do in this day and age and we wanted to incorporate this for that reason.

 My partner and I had films like ‘The Ring’ in mind when we thought of this. As in this film they had a false start in this film near the beginning. This is represented in the picture above, first column second down, showing that he can’t see what’s coming but everyone else can.

The location that we chose was a bus stop as seen in the magority of the shot above. This is not a typical horror film setting but we used it as horror films mainly take place in what seems to be a safe environment and a place where most of our target audience would have to visit on a day to day bases whether they like it or not.

• the title of the film
• setting location
• costumes/props
• camerawork/editing
• title font/style
• story/how the opening sets it up
• genre/how the opening suggests it
• how characters are introduced
• special effects

Feedback for our actual movie

In the lesson my partner and I had presented our unfinished film opening.
The main problems that our peers have pointed out to us is that we had a couple people cut out of the shot so it wasn't filmed well and i am highly aware that we may be marked down due to this.
The lighting wasn't very good, as it got quite dark very quickly. So in some shots what you could see on the screen wasn't very clear. The location that we had chosen wasn't the best as the camera had picked up all the traffic and wind noises instead of the actors. Me and my partner both have has ideas to fix this problem so this was the least of our worries.

We both didn't just receive negative comments, we did get some positive feedback. They did mention that everything flowed effectively and we had good ideas, all or credits were good and that we had a really good production company. We had some constructive criticism by the class as well, they advised use to shorten some scenes to change the boldness of the font

Overall I believe the two of us have a clear understanding to what we have to do to make our film as good as possible.