Category: Music Video

Our Production Meeting Agenda for the narrative shoot:

(Please click on image to access PDF)

This agenda allowed us to prepare for the shoot, considering how equipment, props, clothing, makeup, and transport would be needed to make a successful shoot. We worked together to discuss how we would organise ourselves so that we were ready to film on the day. This will hopefully give us better results than last time as we are more prepared regarding who is bringing what items/how we will get there and when. The section for mise-en-scene allowed us to one again consider how we will represent a specific star image relevant to our genre of pop/pop rock.

Here are some of the clothes/props that our models used based off of the meeting agenda:

Performance Reflection – Shoot 1

When looking back at our music video performance shoot, there are both elements that I believe went well, and also things that I would do differently next time. We went to a white studio to film the first half of our performance. This enabled us to film in a controlled area and manipulate the lighting to our advantage. We got a range of angles and movements to play around with when editing in post-production. The second half of our performance was filmed at a park. We used a few different loacatons, giving us oppurtunity to use high-key/low-key lighting, and setting relevant to our song e.g. the barbed wire fence in the background.

These are some pictures from our studio shoot:

What went well:

• A large variety of angles/shots/movements
• 2 locations = more footage to edit with
• Use of transitions
• Accurate lip syncing
• Breaking the fourth wall
• Great acting
• Good mise-en-scene

Focus forward:

• Be more prepared
• Organise equipment and ensure we have everything we need
• Don’t waste time in one location – move around more

Overall, I think that this shoot went well and taught us things for our next one. I believe that we represented our star image well with the use of mise-en-scene and secured several ‘money shots’ by filming from different angles and trying new things.

Our production meeting agenda is a rough plan showing our decisions for costumes, lighting, makeup, props and technical equipment. We have also  noted who is responsible for which items, this gives us a good idea of what we need to prepare before the shoot, giving us time to get things ready so that on the day we are organised and ready to get on. In this shoot for the performance side of the music video, we are aiming to get a variety of shots, angles and movements, keeping it interesting and unique. We have considered what mise-en-scene we will need to keep it relevant to our genre, but also link to the lyrics/tone of the song we have chosen. We went for a dress, black boots, jewellery, makeup to make her look bruised, and also messy hair to show that she has put up a fight. This will add depth and interest into her character, as it leaves clues as to what has happened to her for the audience to consider.

Please click on image to access PDF:

Doing a risk assessment is crucial for ensuring safety for each member of the group. It allows us to consider any potential risks to our health/safety, and to come up with how we will avoid any dangers. Altogether, this allows for the shoot to run smoothly with no interuptions, meaning we are able to film a high-quality performane in a safe environment.

This is my group’s risk assessment in preparation for our music video performance shoot:

Please click on image to access PDF:

This is a moodboard of my star’s image:

This Canva was made with the intention to create a visual explanation of the star image me and my group were aiming to achieve. Having this moodboard is very useful as it helps to remind me of what our chosen star image is all about and why it is important for the artist’s career. Referring to Richard Dyer’s ‘The Paradox of the Star’, he suggests that a star’s ‘meta-narrative’ impacts on the consumption by the audience. He also argued that the star image is manufactured/artificial and that stars have their own unique selling point which grabs and holds our attention. This explains why it is s crucial to have a strong, interesting and memorable star image, it directly benefits the consumption of the star’s music, products, collaberations etc. Whether this star image is ordinary, where they seem normal, approachable and relatable, or extraordinary where they seem almost unreal, untouchable and idol like. Many stars adopt both sides to appeal to different audiences. They must also understand who there target audience is in order to stay successfu by constantly recieving support by them.

Focusing forward, this moodboard will be very helpful throughtout this project as I will be able to refer back to it and ensure that I am reinforcing this star image in all of my relevant work e.g. production meeting agendas.  This essentially keeps my work focused on the correct genres, styles etc.

My message to the artist:

The purpose of this was to ensure that I would not be copyrighted as this would automatically remove my music video and my work would be lost.

Our Padlet: 

In my group we made a Padlet, with the intention of finding inspiration from shots, camera angles and movements we would like to include in the performance part of our music video. We looked at a couple of music videos with the same/similar genre to ours (Pop). We considered what conventions were used in this genre such as mise-en-scene and star image, and how this is significant to our own project. We also looked at the cinematography and analysed how this creates meaning. Editing techniques and pace of edit is also crucial for a good performance. Although it is done in post-production, it is just as important for the overall quality of the music video. And finally we thought about the repertoire of elements and what is included to make these performances recognisable as being in the Pop genre. Some examples are: close ups to see the artist’s makeup and present them as glamourous, eye level shots to create a connection between the artist and audience, and finally tracking shots which can also create a personal connection as it feels like we are coming along with the artist on their journey.

The Group Agreement Document:

Below is our Group Agreement Document. This helped us discover what strengths and weaknesses we have regarding media studies. We have planned what days we could film and what our responsibilities will be. This will be helpful as we can refer back to this to remind ourselves what we have planned for the shoot and we can stick to plan.

Please click on the image to view PDF:

This is mine and Jess’ feedback video on our pitch:

Overall, our feedback was positive and our pitch was received well. We discussed our plot, what mise-en-scene we are going to use to create meaning, what camera angles and shots we will include and so forth. We were asked specific questions such as what will our narrative vs performance ratio be or what is the background to our narrative. We also received some constructive criticism and thought abut what we would need to consider going forward both in pre-production and on the day of the shoot.

Positive feedback:

• Good narrative
• Attention to use of mise-en-scene
• A variety of settings
• Good communication
• Interesting meaning behind the song/music video
• Simple and effective plot

Goals:

• Consider staying away from flashbacks – not always needed
• Give clothing more thought
• Only have our actress lip syncing to one of the singers to avoid confusion
• Make sure we are very organised
• Think about how we will get from setting to setting
• Ensure we include lots of close ups

This is our slideshow of the pitch which we presented to our teacher:

This is my official mini pitch:

This is my official mini pitch which I will be presenting to my teacher and receiving feedback for. This is going to be extremely useful for when it coms to planning my music video as this gives me a rough plan to refer back to. I worked with a friend and we brainstormed ideas and came to a mutual decision. We then analysed the song we had chosen and used synaesthesia to come up with adjectives and nouns that come to mind when listening to it. This helped us to develop a narrative and style for the video.

We will refer back to this slide throughout the project to keep our ideas on track with the pitch, and to also remind ourselves of how we would like to use mise-en-scene to create a star image and also an atmosphere for the audience.