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In this task we decided to create a mood board of our chosen artists star image. We wanted to show how he is very different from the average person and why people look up to him as a star but also how deep down he has the same thoughts and feelings as normal people which is why he attracts so many fans and a large audience.

After researching The Weeknd’s meta narrative it is clear, that he in his music he wants to come across as quite dark, grungy and slightly creepy. He shows this trough the dark or red LED lights that he has used in multiple music videos, shoots and performances. He also often uses prosthetics and blood in his music videos and public appearances. As you can see in his album cover he is bleeding from the mouth and he is covered in prosthetics and bandages at an award show. However it is clear that he also cares very much about his fanbase and people who need support around him. He is very well known for donating large sums of money to charities which makes him seam very down to earth. In addition fans are able to relate him because he often talks in interviews and at award shows about his struggles growing up in poverty, being kicked out and dropping out of high school at a young age.

In our music video we will be dressing our model in quite dark clothes and we want him to be wearing chains similar o The Weeknd. We also want our artist to use very dead pan expressions to create a grungy and dark feel like The Weeknd connotes. In addition we will also be shooting the performance section of our music video in quite creepy places like an abandoned German bunker and outside of an abandoned shed which is covered in spray paint.

Below is our risk assessment that myself, Joe and Barnaby created which shows and outlines how we will stay safe in our shoot and things that we will have to watch out for so that our music video will go smoothly.

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Below is our production meeting agenda that myself, Joe and Barnaby created. It is always good to create a production meeting agenda because it allows you to plan the equipment, location, props, costumes, timings and many other things that you will. Throughout your shoot you can refer back to it which is helpful.

In order to use The Weeknds song for our music video we had to contact him and ask him for permission. To do this we messaged him on Instagram.

In this task we were asked to create a visual shotlist of the kind of shots we want to include in our shoot. We studied a repertoire of elements and decided together which shots we thought would work  best for the genre of our video. We picked shots that would help connote a feeling in our video. For example the use of a longshot connotes a feeling of loneliness and a close up allows the audience to connect with the main star and their star image.  This task has helped lots because it has helped us to think deeper about cinematography and editing so that when we come to record we will be prepared.

This is our finalized pitch that my team created as a group. It presents the themes and ideas of our music video and it details the different forms of mise en scene that we plan to use to make our video more professional. We also  wrote down our ideas for casting and the main star.

This is us discussing our pitch with our teacher.

Strengths:

• Good ideas about setting and location.
• Our narrative is good.
• We have considered casting and cinematography well.
• Our colour scheme is strong.
• We have found a lifeguard.
• The ending is good because it creates mystery and tension.

Targets:

• We need to ask permission about one of the locations and risk asses it.
• Considering costuming and styling more.
• We need to think about more ways to communicate emotion through the narrative.
• We need to find a location where were able to smash things.
• We need to consider more naturalistic scenes.

Below is advanced portfolio production agreement that I created with my group. We created this so that if we have a disagreement during production, we can refer back to it to resolve any issues. It also states our strengths and weaknesses so that it is easier for us to distribute tasks evenly and fairly within our group.

THE HILLS – THE WEEKND

The song that we chose to do is the hills by The Weeknd. The genre of the song is a combination of trap and alternative R&B/soul. We decided to pick this song because it is extremely emotive and we believe that we could create a powerful narrative to illustrate the lyrics. After analysing the lyrics we found that the song is about The Weeknd having an affair with a women. She wants to keep the affair under wraps however the singer wants a real relationship with her. The meaning of the song helps us to create a narrative where the main star is struggling to cope with the feeling of rejection and heartbreak. It also allows us to create an anachronic narrative where the main star is constantly flashing back to the past where he felt happy and content within his relationship.

In this task we were asked to create a mini pitch for a music video. I listened to many different songs and tried to visualise ideas that would work with the music. Eventually, I came across a song that I like and made a slideshow for my pitch.  When creating my slideshow I considered the ratio of narrative and performance that I thought would be best, I considered cutting clips to close ups on the beat, star image,  and I thought about costume ideas and lighting. I also decided that I wanted my video to be quite linear and be illustrative so that the video linked to the lyrics. When I finished my slideshow, I then presented it to my group and teacher. In reflection this helped improve my skills a lot because it helped to advance critical analysis skills, my knowledge on conventional features and what works with certain genres.

Music Video Timeline

• There is awkward tension between a boy and a girl
• They glance back and fourth at each other whilst with friends
• It seams as though they may have had a past but is clear that although they are in the same friendship group they are constantly trying to avoid each other
• They go to a party but are both dancing with different people
• They both get jealous and have an argument of sorts
• They kiss and run of into the night where they eventually stop at a beach and dance and jump around in the water

Perfromance

I would want the performance to be based in quite urban areas such as in front of brick walls or industrial buildings on the Bridge or where is a lot of graffiti for example outside of the Bowling Alley could be a good place to shoot.

This was my favourite music video created by a former student. These are the reasons why –

TECHNICAL CONVENTIONS:

During this music video the technical conventions were used extremely well. Mise en scene was definitely considered during the production stages and the use of lighting, setting, costume and makeup was particularly impactful.  Additionally, her use of camera created lots of tension and further developed the music video. For example she used a variety of shots from many different angles and cut to close ups often to further express the variety shown through the video. Finally, her use of edits during post production was incredible. Her transitions were seamless and her cuts were very fast pace to advance the feeling of worry.  She also used a variety of filters which made the video much more creepy.

NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE RATIO:

In music video’s they often include one of the three styles; narrative, performance or a mixture of both. In this music video the star was lip syncing throughout the video however I did feel that the video had a narrative as well.  In my opinion the narrative to performance ratio was 40:60. The type of narrative created during the music video for me, was one of a very creepy nature. I think that the star was trying to create a trapped feeling as if she was stuck in a mental hospital, which may have had a further significance of an abusive relationship or something a long the lines of that. Her narrative was very effective.

STAR REPRESENTATION:

The star image represented in the video was of a girl locked in what looked like a mental asylum. She was dressed in a white dirty gown and her hair and makeup was a mess as if she had been attacked. It was clear by the mise en scene used that she was the star of the video and I definitely felt her star image however for me the narrative made it seam as if she was eluding to a abusive relationship which lots of audiences can connect and sympathise with. This allows audiences to identify with the music and the video.

REFLECTION: 

Doing this task has helped me to further understand the conventions of a music video and it has allowed me to further widen my knowledge on decoding and deconstructing videos. When creating my video I will definitely consider many technical conventions including, mise en scene, camera angle, post productions techniques and star image. I will also consider the ratio of performance and narrative I want in my music video.