REFLECTION
Above is my final draft of my music video. I have used all the reflection I recieved to complete it. Binary oppositions (Levi Strauss) of trapped and freedom are included to convey the narrative and the star’s image. This narrative allows my star to have the image of ordinary and extraordinary nature (Richard Dyer) “a star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials”. The technical conventions of the music beat like edit to the beat and lip syncing are important for a music video to be entertaining and engaging therefore getting these synced up well is crucial. The picture used throughout my music video represents the soul of her mother which therefore has the denotations of just a picture but the connotations of it being the stars last memory she has of her mother (De Saussure).
Throughout my music video I followed the assessment criteria/technical forms that create a well produced music video. These include;
Holding the camera steady when filming a shot
Framing a shot
Variety of shot distances
Mise en scene that fits the criteria of the music video
Editing for meaning
Using variety of transitions
Edit to the beat
Using sound with images
Having in sync lip syncing
FOCUS FORWARD
I now know how important it is to follow theorists views, assessment criteria and technical conventions to create a successful, engaging music video.
Above is my draft 4 where I improved the targets I needed to include from the screencastify, visually I can see that it flows more as a music video because of those improvements. Below is a peer assessment where another media student assessed my work and gave feedback on what went well and what I need to improve on.
TARGETS FROM PEER ASSESSOR
Add a bit more variation within the longer clips
Cut between clips more to the beat of the song
Lip syncing is very slightly off in a few parts
FOCUS FORWARD
Having the peer assessment allows me to properly finalise my music video by using the targets provided and gather feedback from peers of my same age group so that my music video can be for all ages.
Above is my complete draft 3 of my music video. I used the feedback from both my teacher and the Creative designers from Specsavers to further improve my post production for my video. This allows my video to become more effective and engaging to an audience because of the new editing techniques I learnt. I removed a lot of footage that was repetitive in draft 2 and did another shoot to gather more footage to create a better narrative of her being trapped in this mindset.
Below is a screencastify of feedback from my teacher which includes what I can improve for my draft 3-
WHAT WENT WELL;
Lyrics on the screen
The glow effect around the model during the chorus
The clock scene
WHAT I COULD IMPROVE ON;
Refilm/zoom in on first shot of model singing
Slow down/stabilise the tilt where it shows her next to a tree
Change colour of the flashback of her behind the bars (black and white)
Add position and scaling to some of the still shots to add effect and dynamic
Split screen of the not on fire and model singing (push her to the left)
Take the jump cut out before the note
Slow down the tilt on the lyrics (you might see me in the background)
Cut to up close then back out in the scene where the model has the glow effect
Make the jump cuts a bit longer
Slow down all the running
Possibly quicken the zoom ins on the clock to fit the edit to the beat
Where it says I’m a trainwreck, instead of just cutting the clips, do some scale and position so that it adds effect
Remove the black screen before the necklace drops
Do one slow left to right on the eye scene
Take off the white glow, instead scale and position into the hands
Possibly add the white effect on where the model tries to take chains off/ another surreal effect
Do a still shot on the last scene to take out where she is breathing
Take out the horns and most special effects and research some other surreal effects I can insert into the chain scenes to make them more dramatic
FOCUS FORWARD
By doing a draft 3 it has allowed me to reflect on where I need effects and how many to use, it is useful to produce a third draft so that I can gather my last lot of feedback before finalising my music video.
This week, I had the opportunity to gather feedback from a creative designer from Specsaver’s allowing me to receive a good reflection to improve my post production. This was useful to me because I could ask questions about my music video and learn new skills to edit with.
Where I wanted to add in an image on top of the footage, for example at the start of my music video I wanted to add devil horns where it says demons. And with asking for help from Specsaver’s. they showed me how to drop in an image and where I need to click on the ‘screen’ option so that the background of the image I inserted in goes transparent. They then taught me how to merge the effect and the footage together as one scene, which is called ‘nest’
The main feedback I received was I need to edit to the beat more, as where the song artist sings the chorus, the beat quickens up and my music video doesn’t therefore I am not creating the effect of the model being under hallucinations.
FOCUS FORWARD
By receiving professional feedback it has allowed me to realize details I need to change in more depth. I now have a wider range of skills so that I can improve my editing in post production.
Below is my second draft of my music video, where I have compiled both my narrative and performance shots together. Putting it all together has allowed me to understand what works and what needs doing to exemplify my music video. The self assessment criteria below is a reflection of what I should meet to create a good music video. Whilst filling this out I made sure to go harsh on myself so that I can really improve my work and gather useful feedback. It is clear I need to insert a wider range of effects to make my music video more effective and convey the genre.
WHAT WENT WELL;
variety of shots-some short and snappy and some longer to keep the audience entertained
variety of angles-mid shots, extreme close up, handheld shots, low and high angle shots
Edit to the beat is effective and lyrics line up
handheld shots used to convey a personal approach to the music video and adds to the effect the star images life isn’t perfect
The shots I’ve filmed give me a lot of post production ideas- effects and transitions
Variety of performance and narrative shots throughout music video
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED;
I need to add some special effects to add entertainment
The mise-en-scene could of changed but hopefully in editing the darker meaning scenes will be in black and white
One shot near the end the lyrics don’t match up 100% so I will work on that boy speeding/slowing down the pace of the original footage
Add some transitions between shots to emphasize the change in scenery etc
TARGETS/GOALS (WHAT I WANT TO ADD);
Insert devil horns onto the model at the beginning as she sings the word ‘demons’
Have to add lighting effects (colour) to convey my genre
When starts singing at start – need to connect with her face? Zoom in a bit more
Add a dreamier filter
Take the first eye moving scene out
Change to jump cuts instead of zooms or just do the zoom in PP as it is smoother i.e. scale and position
Changed the blurred scenes into a dissolve, to connote the disappear lyric
Make the note showing longer so that we can read it.
Take out the shot of her smiling
Break up the running throughout the video
Clock zoon in PP or jump cut it
Hands wrapped in chains for the man bit…Metaphorical trapped but working on being free
Reference the necklace more
FOCUS FORWARDS
By doing a second draft it has allowed me to visually see all my footage together so that I know what I need to improve on to convey media language in my music video to gain a wide audience.
I used Le Guet to convey the narrative as well as the performance for my music video so that it gives a clear storyline. The large trees recorded symbolise how isolated and vulnerable the model feels. I could also use the trees around to get high angles and the forest floor to get low angles. I continued to use natural lighting to give me clear footage. By getting this clear footage it will allow me to be able to carry out post production successfully .
I used a white flow dress as our statement costume as it fitted with the location very well as it meant the model could stand out in any scenes. The costume used was fitting when I recorded in the German Bunker as it allowed my model to stand out in the dark background. The model wore a heart shape necklace to convey the love she still shows towards her mother. She also wore pearl earrings to portray love, purity, and wisdom.
My last location was a stream so that I could have the model throw away an image of her mother, by throwing its away in the water it shows that she is trying to drown her past away. There are some lyrics that suggests water is mentioned in the song like ‘deep end’ therefore I wanted to include water in my music video.
These images above show the shots I took whilst shooting the narrative and used a variety of equipment for example the tripod and handheld techniques to get a wide range of camera angles and movements to convey the star image and genre.
WHAT WENT WELL;
variety of camera angles
lighting
variety of locations
Different camera movements
WHAT COULD OF GONE BETTER;
Variety of costumes/mise-en-scene to best fit the narrative
FOCUS FORWARD
I think my first shoot for my narrative went very well and once I put it all together in post production I will be able to notice things that need to be changed.
For my filming to go successfully I had to fill out a risk assessment to identify the risk that could occur whilst out and about filming. This made me aware of what I needed to look out for and avoid whilst trying to get footage. I made sure to sign it to confirm I understand that and got my teacher to sign it as well so that I can go ahead with filming.
Above is my PMA for my music video. This is for the narrative shoot so it is important to make sure the costume fits with what I’m trying to portray. I planned my models outfits and what props I need to fit my miss en scene so that I stay organised and ready for the shoot. By doing this it helps me portray my genre correctly and make my video conventional. I will make sure to take this out with me so that I can look over it to help support me when filming.
Above is the narrative photo board for my music video. Creating this gave me different ideas for shots to include in my music video which give the correct narrative sense for my genre. The different shots need to be filmed to the edit so that it fits with the suspense in the music and the narrative theme of scared and lost. I chose a variety of shots so that in post production it will be easy to sequence them together to create a narrative structure.
The variety of shots will help convey the models reaction shots and important details to portray the narrative. By planning out the shots I would like to include it will result in less chance of me making mistakes therefore I can produce good footage for my music video.
FOCUS FORWARD
This has informed me on the variety of shots I can use for different scenes therefore allowing me to convey the narrative theme. It will also help me stay efficient and organised whilst on shoot as I have a set plan of what shots I want where.
Above is my rough cut of my performance shoot, which includes all the footage that was recorded during our first shoot. I have added my narrative footage as well as some narrative footage was taken during my first shoot. I analyzed the footage I got and identified things that went well and things that could be improved for the next shoot and what can be changed in the post production to fit my genre better. Therefore this will help the conventions and represent the genre and star image whilst shooting.
WHAT WENT WELL;
Lip syncing with the music
Variety of shots
The shot reverse shots included
MES
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED;
Smoothen out the edits to make a clearer sequence
Add some more edit effects- colour effects during the chorus to help convey a better story
Improve the edit to the beat
Brighten up some scenes so they can be seen better
Fill the missing parts
TARGETS FOR NEXT SHOOT;
More variety of locations
Clearer makeup to portray the MES better
Variety of movements
FOCUS FORWARD
Producing a rough cut has allowed me to visualize how my music video is going to plan out. Although it isn’t near being finished, by seeing the performance footage sequenced together it has generated new ideas that I could include to further improve it.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I am now working by myself. I decided to keep the performance, narrative and the choice of song the same but change the choice of locations and model.
I first chose to shot my first shoot at Le Guet, a forest area. This gave me multiple conventions to add to the performance aspect. It conveyed a dark eerie location to portray the models lost aspect of her life. This meant that I could record high angles of the model lip syncing, as it adds to the venerable effect the model gives off.I used natural lighting in order to get the most clear camera shot to fit my theme and genre. By getting this clear footage it will allow me to be able to edit effects on if I feel like it needs it without the actual picture going dark and unclear.
My next location was a German bunker, this is where I recorded most of the chorus and where I wanted a dark background. The dark background allowed my model to stand out meaning the audience watching my music video can focus on what the model is lip syncing.I did scenes with mascara down her face and some without so that I had a range of footage to use therefore I can choose which one suits best when finalising our draft one.
These images above show the shots I took whilst shooting the performance and used a variety of equipment for example the tripod and handheld techniques to get a wide range of camera angles and movements to convey the star image and genre.
WHAT WENT WELL;
variety of camera angles
lighting
variety of locations
Different camera movements
Different makeup for different scenes
WHAT COULD OF GONE BETTER;
If we got a whole video of the model lip syncing to the song so that we could align it to the edit of the beat if needed
Variety of costumes/mise-en-scene
FOCUS FORWARD
I believe my first shoot went well as we managed to get a variety of shots to work with however there will need to be a few changes which in the post production phase the minor flaws should be able to fit in.
Above is my groups PMA for our music video. We planned our outfits and what props we need so that we stay on track and organised whilst out filming. By doing this is helped us portray our genre correctly and make our video conventional. We will make sure to take this out with us so that we can look over it to help support us when filming.
For our filming to go successfully we had to fill out a risk assessment to identify the risk that could occur whilst out and about filming. This made us aware of what we need to look out for and avoid whilst trying to get good videos for our music video. We made sure to sign it from all of us to confirm we acknowledge the risks and we have permission from our teacher to go ahead with filming.
Above we made a moodboard for an artist that relates to our music video.We were meant to do it based on our songs artist who is Venbee however because she is a small artist we couldn’t gather much data on her so decided to use a different artist, BRU-C, who produces similar music.This worked in our favour as we were able to understand the genre a bit more through the artists eyes and create an stronger image on how the star is portrayed in the media.
Stars are represented as a metanarrative and this is how will will present our star. I want our star to be seen as emotional, drained with a bit of anger as she is distraught with her mother for leaving her which also gets her into a depressive state. Although this goes against our research of BRU-C I feel it would be more effective for our narrative if our star was portrayed as that through the cinematography. We will achieve this through her facial expressions and body language and through her clothing when we record her sad. In this scene she will be in black clothing as it connotes a dark patch in her life.
For the digital and social media page, I like the idea of having it as a support for people who are going through the same issue and to promote that life will get better. Therefore I want my star to be noticed as approachable and considerate which will hopefully attract a large audience that like her as many people hide from their problems but by having a social media page they may feel comfortable to interact even if its anonymously.
It is important to include integrated advertising so that the star image become coherent over all 3 products to make sure the audience don’t become confused.
For example;
Magazine
Social Media Page
TV advert
FOCUS FORWARD
Making this Canva, it has allowed us as a group to see how important the star is and how we would need to establish our star image in our video and make them really stand out.It has helped me gather better ideas for my music video and it has allowed me to identify how important the star is.
To ensure I understood the conventions and aspects of the genre, EDM I created a padlet using different EDM songs that are similar to the song I am using for my music video.
By looking through different music videos it has allowed me to identify the different shots used to create the narrative and support the genre. It has also allowed me to figure out the repertoire of elements that are used throughout the genre EDM. There were a wide range of cinematography shots which helped engage and attract views. Doing this task has also introduced and educated me to new camera angles that fit with the genre of EDM, so know I can take this information and include it in my music video.
The typical narrative conventions to EDM music videos include a deep story about past relationships of love or family for example the dark lighting and basic setup at the start of Cat Burns ‘Go’ which is another EDM song, suggests that the song isn’t going to be based on a happy storyline. The background of this star image is portrayed through performance and different camera angles and MES to address to the audience that it is a meaningful song. Therefore the narrative we have chosen as a group is fitting for the genre as the love she has for her mother is still there but she can’t do anything about it. There are also very unique shots included in EDM music videos that have a purpose of making the video stand out to others, we are hoping to include a scene that is unique to our narrative so that it gains a large amount of viewers. Our narrative will be supported well if we use these camera shots as they will emphasise the symbolic emotions the model is feeling.
FOCUS FORWARD
By making a padlet it has allowed me to deconstruct music videos fitting with my genre to further help me finalise my music video choices. It has also given me a more open mindset with choosing a camera angle, this will help me produce a conventional video for my final piece.
My group combined all of our ideas and came out with a final song choice and narrative that we all agree to.
We agreed to the song ‘Low Down’ by Venbee as it fits perfectly with the narrative and performance scenes we chose.
The presentation above gives a brief idea of what we are looking to include in our video to make sure it is an attractive and conventional video.
We performed our final pitch idea to Mrs to gather some feedback on what we could improve on for our music video.
positives:
There is a positive affirmation and a sense of support being opposed in the narrative
Model already knows the lyrics
LED lighting is effective
Scenes link with lyrics to emphasise the narrative
targets we need to consider:
As performance and narrative are merged together we have to ensure we are very organised
Don’t always do the studio shot at a mid angle make sure to do different angles-high and low angles
Have the model singing off and into the camera
Make a clear narrative with the mother(think practically)- have her arm leaving Megans shoulder to begin with then have her arm going back onto Megans shoulder at the end
Use references to her sadness and disappointment in a stylist way
To make sure we can successfully film our music video we need to make sure we have full permission from the artist for their song.
REFLECTION
Above is where I ask for the permission for her song for educational use only. This is important to do to avoid copyright and any chances of being charged for using a song with no permission.
Above is our teams agreement of what we agree to for our music video. By doing this it means that we all are in agreement and roles will be evenly distributed to prevent disagreements.
By having this it allows us to recall on what we have signed up to as a team allowing us to stay on track.
After looking through mine, Abi’s and Lucy’s Pitch’s we finalized a narrative and song choice for our final music video.
We chose the song, Low Down as it reflects the narrative we chose the best. It provides enough to give the best performance and narrative conventions. Because it addresses the narrative structure it allows us to gather enough detail to create a MES for our video.
Above is the final slides of both the narrative and song choice we chose.
Above is my pitch, where I made a google slides to illustrate a narrative idea of mine for my music video. I used the synesthesia method to come up with describing words that related to the song I chose, by doing this it allowed me to deconstruct the song which made it easier for me to think of a narrative that relates to the lyrics.It has also helped me visualise what I want my star image to do, what locations I would use and the MES I would include to help convey the story I am trying to tell throughout the music video.
FOCUS FORWARD
I now know how effective it is to listen to the music with just the lyrics to really relate and deconstruct the song. I can now use this method to plan my final music video.
In order to fully understand a music video I did a further analysis of the narrative told within, a common way to do this is synesthesia, where you experience one of your senses through another.
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Viva La Vida is an illustrated song that is an interpretation of King Louis’s last speech before he died. The song is narrated through King Louis point of view where he accepts his apology and identifies his fate, and throughout the song contains historical references, mainly based on the French Revolution. Throughout the video there was a continuous effect of what looks like an old letter further emphasising the date this song is set about. It is in a linear structure of how things actually occurred back then and Coldplay conveyed King Louis’s point of view.
Hozier- Take Me To Church
Take me to Church is amplified so that a the narrative can be perceived. The narrative is based on the Catholic Church’s discrimination against homosexuality. The music video features strong violence which aren’t completely visual to the audience as they are shown as close ups or just cut off. These scenes are there to inform the audience and get them to identify the presence of violence, sympathise for the characters, and realise the wrongs of discriminating against freedom of sexuality. The editing in black and white gives the sense of tragedy and connotes that some people see the world simply as black and white and don’t like change.
Ed Sheeran – The A Team
The A Team was shortly written after Ed Sheeran visited a homeless shelter and heard one of the stories the lives people had been living, leading to him to write a song about their experiences following the visit. It is mainly based on a girl called Angel who was based in the crisis shelter after suffering from drug abuse and getting involved with sex work, hence the ‘angels to fly’ lyrics heard in the song. It has a thematic structure as the narrative is evolved around the class A drug and the name of the song came from the drug used, cocaine which is a class A drug therefore Ed Sheeran identified Angel as ‘She’s in the Class A Team’.
My Narratives:
Seasons Of Love: Where a girl and her friend constantly go out and party where she repeatedly falls in love every season with the wrong guy who ends up mistreating her.Tragically she looses her best friend in an accident… Whilst grieving she meets someone who will change her life.
Bail Me Out: A man gets false accused of a crime and spends nights on end in prison for something he didn’t do. As soon as he starts questioning his life, a visitor arrives and everything is soon to change.
Helpless: A girl is vulnerable in a house she doesn’t know, she’s been trapped for years with no escape. That is soon to change when she finds a crack in the window.
FOCUS FORWARD
I now know how having a clear narrative whilst producing a video is important so that it can attract and audience. Coming up with my own narratives has helped me have an idea of storylines I can look at putting into my own music video.
By deconstructing and decoding previous peoples work it has allowed me to analyse the important factors that content has to include to engage an audience. Decoding the video below helped me understand what I should be looking to include in my music video. Deconstructing the video has identified that each video has different components such as narrative, performance and mise en scene to fit the genre of the music.
Click to see PDF
REFLECTION
Above I used a success criteria to optimise my understanding of the technical production skills needed to produce a music video. It helped me identify aspects such as camera movement, editing to the beat, star image, camera angles and representation.
I chose to deconstruct ‘The Love Club’ as I found it related to my internets and engagement the best.I beloved it had a wide range of camera angles, visually pleasing shots, engaging video effect and produced a narrative as well as including a bit of performance. The mise-en-scene is portrayed through the genre of music by the constant pink lighting throughout the video, making the audience aware that she is a younger girl. The models make-up,costume and hair portrays her to be childish whereas that is contradicted with her actions throughout the music video.
There was a wide range of camera angles used by a tripod which made it more watchable because the frames were still and visually pleasing. A drone was used to further expand the camera angles, this added more engagement as it was unique. The editing was very good because it was in time with the beat of the background music.
Thinking forward, I have now acknowledged the important factors of a music video to make it as engaging as it can be. I feel like I can use this music video as a guide of different techniques I could use when making my music video.
Above I researched and decoded a vary of different music videos to help shape my ideas for what I would like to do for my music video. By looking into depth at these videos it has allowed me to identify the different conventions for each genre of music and the minor details that are included to make the video engaging. Each music video is either narrative or performance or can be both. Narrative tells a story throughout the music video which is what I want to do with mine as I believe it engages the audience more. Performance involves movements and dances to entertain the viewers. I have noticed how effective it is to make sure the star image is lip syncing in time and with effort as this further emphasises the engagement with the audience because they are in beat with the music.This is important to further prove the quality of the content and allow it to receive more viewers.
There are 3 ways to differentiate the relationship between song and narrative;
Illustration-The narrative in the video very closely echoes the lyrics and music.
Amplification-The narrative whilst inspired by the song adds a new element to complement the song
Disjuncture-The narrative seems to hold very little relationship to the song.
Researching music videos have made me realize the different aspects you can add into your music video to make it engaging and likeable to further gain a wider audience.
