Question Four

Question Three

This is my prezi under the name 'anne media35.'

Question two.

This is my prezi under the name 'anne media35'

Question One.

http://mahoneyian.wix.com/questionone

Filming day five.

We had a gap in the chorus of our music video in which we needed to fill in. So, we filmed a band performance in order to add more locations in our music video. This was very successful in terms of camera shots and camera movements. Unfortunately, when we uploaded it for editing, we found that it did not match up with the rest of the music video in terms of music and the other scenes.

Filming day four.

Today, we have realised that there is not a huge amount of time to film left and therefore we thought that with the availability of cat and crew, we would do some test shots in order to see what works and what doesn't. We did not get everything filmed, but we do know what to do exactly for when we next film, thus allowing us more time to film rather than work out what to do.

Meeting Eight.

- With the amount of time left, we have decided to film and edit as much as possible in a period of a couple of days and this will leave us plenty of time to edit and to re-film if needed. This way we will be able to make the music video at it's best quality.
- To start with, we will film the office scenes with the main singer to add more locations to the music video. After this all we need to film is the band performance, which should take no more than a day.

Meeting seven.

We originally had a plan to fim and edit on certain days, however, we have had a disruption because of a robbery, restricting us upon what we can do. Luckily we had the footage so we will have to re-edit the music video as soon as possible. On top of this, we still have to film other scenes for the main singer and the band perfromances. In the meantime we are also going to work on our website and individual Digipaks and start to film and edit in the avalible times that we have got.

Editing phase two.

- When editing the footage for the main singer of the band The Ordinary Boys, we found that we got a good variety of shots and locations. Because of this, we found it easy to edit as it was very well paced with the song.

- Despite this, we found that there were too many similar locations and looked too 'green' for the song. To work our way round this, we have decided to film the main singer on contrasting locations to make the video more entertaining to watch.

- We also decided to experiment with the hue and the contrast of the footage to get different effects. We wanted to do this to make the music video more fun to watch.

Editing Phase One.

- We started to edit the footage for Lady Sovereign and most of this was successful as we go the right shots and a good variety of camera angles and locations. Also, everyone arrived on time and the cast member playing Lady Sovereign wore an appropriate costume for the role. Thus, we found it easier to edit and put onto the timeline, matching it with the pace of the song.

- However, whilst editing her parts we noticed that not all of the lyrics were in sync, as the cast member did not lip-sync the song as well as we would have expected. Therefore some of the footage may have to be re-filmed and we'll use the footage that is best.

- On top of this, we saw that this performance looked weak compared to the performance of the main singer which then made the video look unbalanced in terms of performing and acting.

Filming Day 1.

We film all of the Lady Sovereign parts, this was very successful as the weather didn't make the filming impossible. We attempted to use the dolly for tracking however we found that the camera was shaking vigorously because of the bumpy ground. We agreed that this will be no good for the music video so we decided to do the majority of the filming handheld.

Influential music videos two.

This music video by Ellie Goulding opens out with a lively scene on a rocky beach with the sea crashing on the rocks. This could be a representation of the damage and destruction that is seen at the end of the video with the car crash. The reason why the sea is used is because it's a natural element that is very powerful and fresh.

A few seconds into the video, we see floating shapes such as pyramids and spheres which act as mirrors because of the reflection shown. This could show the reflection on either past events, such as the car crash shown at the end or a reflection on the artist and her situation. The mist also gives the beach a mysterious and gloomy feel which again reflects on the emotions seen in the video and the emotions of the song. The floating objects could also be a way of adding an artistic edge to the music video making it more interesting and random.

At the start of the video we see a shadow of a person against the grey colour of the waves which could show that something has happened to this person. This is soon revealed to be a man who could be the singers 'boyfriend' with blood and we could relate this to the car crash at the end. This could also give us a clue about why there are floating mirrored shapes on the rocky beach. One reason being is that the mirrors reflect this person who the singer keeps looking back on. Also the singer could be looking back on the event of the car crash.

As the video progresses we start to learn the event that has happened because of the emotion shown by the artist. We soon see blood dripping down on her so we can probably guess that something bad has happened. Her clothing can also represent the persons death as of her wearing black and a sign of heaven because of her flowing dress which could relate to an angel. There is no choreography as its just the singer herself walking around don the beach, which as said before could represent heaven.

At the end we see what has happened in slow motion creating more tension and impact on the viewers mind. Everything that we have seen before in the video all tie up together and everything soon makes more sense. We see a person hanging down from a cloud and this, again could represent her soul gone into heaven because of the crash.

Influential music videos one.

The song Love Is Easy by McFly gives an example of what we want to do in the music video with the camera shots and the comical seen in the video. Instead of using cuts continuously to move from one shot the another, camera movements is used to indicate a change in scene. The first example below shows the first scene, close up of an image then a new scene when the image is pulled away.  The second example shows different close-ups of backdrops merging together and pulling apart for a new scene. The third example shows one simple camera tilt to change the look of a prop, here being the umbrella.

This music video shows a normal stage with all sorts of props as though the band are preparing for a play, soon revealed to be for the fans. The band only wear casual suits throughout and use backdrops to change scenes rather than use different locations. This makes the music video more fun and something that fans can keep watching.

Music video analysis.

Wings analysis for media from annemedia35

This is my own slideshare, under the name 'anne media35' 

Voyeurism in music videos.

One of the main concepts that can be seen as an issue in music videos is known as voyeurism. This is where the treatment of the female image is projected to an extent where it would be considered unsuitable for younger audiences because of the exposure of the female body. According to Goodwin, one of the points seen in a music video is the 'voyeuristic treatment of the female body'. This can be through camera work like close-ups of different parts of the artist, costumes such as revealing tops and choreography like her dancing and showing off her body. This can create a sense of pleasure for audiences, according to Freud where viewers gaze at the screen and is known as a psychological way of watching for not only pleasure but enjoyment and escaping from reality. A good example that shows voyeurism is 'Super Bass' by Nicki Minaj. Here we see that she is wearing revealing clothes like the strappy top and shorts that will appeal to all audiences and we see her singing around topless men giving across a sex appeal to both genders and as said before this could cause voyeurism as of what is happening in the music video.

Other successful music videos.

The reason why I think these music videos are successful is because they meet all the codes and conventions of a music video such as a performance, broken narratives or creative scenes. They also go with the songs very well and the performances are believable, this makes the video entertaining and not repetitive. The song choice, casting, camera work, lighting and MES work well together to create an entertaining and believable music video.

Evaluating music videos from the previous year.

13B6- 

• This music videos had good mise-en-scenes such as the parties. 
• There was a good range of ideas such as the young police giving the video an edge. 
• The lighting and camera shots/movements were on point and the video played smoothly. 
• This had a really strong appeal to young audiences as it was very effective.

13B5- 

• There were good camera shots, MES and lighting which added to the mood of the song.
• However some performances needed more energy to make the song more believable.
• There could be more camera movements to make the video more exciting. 
• It would have been more efective if there was more to it.

13E8-

• There is a very good range of shots and MES which makes the video interesting. 
• Very simple but effective as it relates to the song. 
• However because the song is slow it doesn’t make the video exciting. 
• The prefrormance is believeable and matches the song making it effective.

13B4-

• There is a good range MES and camera shots. 
• The performance is very believable. 
• However the narrative in the video is slightly blurred. 
• Their isn't a wide ranfe of camera movements etc to make the video believable.

13B2- 

• Good range of MES and camera shots. 
• The performance isn’t very believable and needs to relate to the song more.
• Possibly needs a clearer narrative. 
• Overall needs more energy throughout the music video.

13E9-

• There are good MES but very little camera movements/shots. 
• The video is weakened by the use of a movie. 
• Good performance. 
• Movie doesn't make much sense of the song.

13B3-

• Great performance.
• Good range of MES, lighting and camera shots.
• Good simple, narrative flow. 
• However, the song itself drags on and so does the music video making it seem repetative. 

13E7-

• Good performance and MES. 
• Overall, video is too simple and repetitive. 
• The girl in the car spoils the atmosphere as she looks bored. 

13B1-

• Good performance, relatable to the song.
• Good range of MES, lighting and camera shots. 
• Good, clear narrative. 

13E11-

• The performance is too forced and needs more energy. 
• The narrative is unclear. 
• The whole video needs to relate to the song more.

13E10-

• Good MES camera shots and movements. 
• The performance needs to be more believable and needs a clearer storyline. 
• There are too many effects in one place and needs to be more spread out.

Evaluating Foundation Production.

From the coursework in media AS I have learnt new things and learnt from mistakes and gained new skills. In the research I learn’t what to find that will help with the planning of the opening sequence and I learnt about other film opening sequences. 

I found out how different genres differ to each other and applied this to the planning of the opening sequence. In planning the storyboard I learn’t different ways of drawing out the opening sequence and how different shots can be shown. 

When planning the shots, costumes, MES, lighting and equipment etc, I learnt how we can work round using them and how they can be effectively used in the opening sequence. I learnt different shooting techniques and what and opening sequence should include in classwork and independent study. 

I have learnt to be more organised and I need to be more prepare with the kind of issues that may be raised within the group. We learnt how to work round any filming issues such as how to work round filming in the location or if the lighting affects the quality of the filming. 

There were editing issues such as truing to fit shots together and I learnt not only how to work round this but how to use FinalCut overall. 

During the coursework I met all deadlines, however I learnt that I needed to keep my blog up to date and update it regally, tracking my progress rather than leaving it at the last minute. 

When evaluating my as work I leant that I should answer them in more depth like other than saying what I should have done but saying why. It will be easier to evaluate if I start considering the questions that may be asked and answer as I go along so I remember more and therefore have more to write. 

My evaluation unfortunately wasn’t very multi-media and I think thats one of the reasons why my mark was bought down, therefore next time I will use more audio and visual presentations when evaluating my coursework. 

Evaluating Foundation Production.

What went wrong? 

In the planning stage we didn’t do a detailed enough plan of the production of the opening sequence which meant that when we came to the filming for it, we had to think on the spot which created some discussions and wasted some time. Also I think we should have had more shots and possible alternative locations and shots for preparation if anything goes wrong. Additionaly, we didn’t always agree with each-other and this caused a-lot of changes to our opening sequence. We also didn’t do any re-shots for if anything did go wrong and so we had to work round with editing from what we got. 

What worked?

What worked was that we knew exactly what to do for the opening sequence and so we knew what to film and how to film it to match with the storyline. We did a few different shots for some scenes so that we can see which shot fits best with the whole sequence. We filmed as soon as we finished planning in order to have enough time to edit.  Also the filming was spread over a few days to take our time with the editing and so the opening sequence didn’t look rushed. Also we kept all the equipment in order and remembered everything.

What you should have done.

We should have done a more detailed storyboard and plan so that everything is more organised. Our group blog would have been more interesting if we posted more research, videos and photos in the planning stage and could have gained more marks. I could have also did the same to my individual blog to, again, gain more marks. I should have also participated in every part of the making of the opening sequence and bring forward my ideas more. Also to be more certain with the filming locations and ideas. 

What you plan to do next time differently. 

I’ll try to come up with more creative ideas and have more of an idea on what I think should be in the music video and to try to take more risks and think outside the box. Also to try not to drag the shooting stages too long so that we have enough time to re-shoot scenes. Plus, to create different storyboard ideas and experiment different shots and scenes to see what would fit best with the song. 

What do you plan to do next time that you didn’t do at all. 

I will try to blog more often and show extracts and clips rather than just writing and blogging in one go. Also to try and be more detailed with blogging and planning in order to achieve a higher criteria than the AS coursework and this should help improve my overall grade. Plus, I’ll do more editing and ensure that I have a go at everything in the process of making the music video. I will also do more research and planning in order to make a good music video. 

What did they do in their planning and research?

Other groups did detailed storyboards and plans to come up with the final idea and to help them with this, they did research of films within their preferred genre. They also did different storyboards and see which flows best. Plus, they also kept up to date with the blogging on what they will do and created visual posts. 

What did they do in their actual filming?

They tried different shots and kept blogging about what went well, what didn’t and what they have achieved in the filming. They also took pictures of the locations and the filming process. 

What did they do in their actual editing?

They tried different sequences and see what flowed the best and what didn’t fit together, from this they created the final sequence. Plus, they re did shot to make the sequence flow better. Again, they blogged about what went well and what didn't. 

In terms of how people constructed their blogs and evaluations, what worked really well and what didn’t?

The blogs which were kept up to date didn’t looked rushed or crammed in at the last minute and so they managed to write in more detail. Also they used different medias such as pictures and videos to make the blog more creative. What didn’t work was those that didn’t use a wide range of media tools or didn’t write enough which weakened the blog.