Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Music Video
After looking at similar products, such as James Bays Hold Back the River and
other songs by Birdy such as Skinny Love, I noticed the importance of having a
main protagonist suited to the theme of my music video, consequently it was
important to me to find someone who looked the part and worked with the video.
Moreover, with regards to hair and makeup, this was deliberately done more
naturally to fit with the theme of my music video, allowing the protagonist to
blend with the surroundings. Overall I believe I have challenged and adhered to
music video theory and conventions within my music video. I have taken
inspiration from these codes and conventions and applied them to my own music
video, whilst adding my own ideas and created a product that does not
necessarily adhere to all hegemonic norms. I believe I have included a variety of
shots but it is also apparent I could have included more in different locations.
Filming the video itself was a challenge I was able to overcome as I had never
filmed anything prior to the video and wanted to ensure I included variation
within my shots. Consequently when filming I included close ups of the
protagonists face to show emotion and make the footage more impacting. I also
included pans that I made whilst holding the camera and later slowed down the
footage to make it more steady, which was suited to my music video. I included
focus pulls as I believe it is an effective technique to put emphasis on the focal
point, as well as adding a variety of shots to the video. I believe these different
techniques allowed my video to flow more effectively as the footage were not
still shots and had variation throughout.
Once I had started filming I began to edit the footage I had. The editing process
was very long and required skill with the software, premier pro. It was also
evident patience was key throughout the editing process as it was very lengthy. I
started by placing all my footage in premier pro and narrowing it down to the
chosen footage and placing this in the sequence. I then began to edit this
footage by manipulating the footage with regards to reversing, slowing down,
adding transition fades and warp stabilising throughout. Many videos such as
Birdys Skinny Love rely on slow footage for affect, consequently I chose to use
this to my advantage. I then focused on editing the cuts, making some in time
with the beat and some random to allow variation. I also colour graded my
footage as I noticed this made a significant difference in the quality of the overall
music video. I believe this has helped me develop my filming and editing skills
and overall I am happy with my product.
Advert
For one of my ancillary tasks I was asked to create an advert for my music video,
Birdys Shelter. To create this I began looking at many other adverts from
previous students work and real life examples such as Kings of Leons album
advert for Only By the Night, to find what typical codes and conventions were in
place. Once I started to design my advert, I included the title of the album near
the bottom of the page in large letters, Birdy, as it is the most important thing
the audience will see and consequently the main focal point of the advert. Just
beneath that was the artists name, this also being Birdy as it is her album and I
did not want any confusion regarding the name of the artist or of the album if I
were to only state Birdys name once. This text is slightly smaller underneath to
help the audience understand this.
There is also other relevant institutional information such as out now alone in
the bottom right hand corner in white font along with all other font on the advert
to allow it to stand out, as simple text like this is important in telling the
audience the album is available for purchasing now. Further information is also
present on the advert such as a 5 star review from the guardian, as it is a
trustworthy, recognised brand, encouraging people to purchase the album with
minimal persuasion itself. This helps people recognise the success of the album. I
chose to maintain the same font throughout the advert to allow a key theme to
be present and to suggest no one piece of text is more significant than the other
apart from sizing. It encourages the audience to read all information on the
advert. Moreover, the font of the magazine is quite simplistic as I believe it is
impacting and reflective of the style of my music video and the album.
I have also stated a website links on the album to encourage the audience to be
more active and engaging, and potentially create a larger audience fan base for
people who are unaware of birdy as an artist. This is a typical convention on
other adverts for artists newly released albums and consequently I chose to use
this in mine as I believe it is a key feature. Deciding upon the image to use was a
challenge but I chose to use a close up of the artist looking directly into the
camera lens as the audience may interpret this as the artist looking directly at
them. It is also apparent that close ups emphasise emotion and I believe a lot of
emotion is reflective throughout my music video and the album and
consequently this was a suitable image. I manipulated the original image on
photo shop making the protagonist eyes appear more blue and editing contrast
and levels to make the image more effective.
Digipak
The final ancillary task I created was a digipak. I decided to create a 6 page CD
case digipak in comparison to a 4 page digipak as I believed it would allow me to
create the best digipak with all the information necessary. My similar product
research was essential for creating this as I needed to be aware of the
hegemonic norms for digipaks and what to include on them, these typically
include track lists, a disk, images and a thank you section. I also wanted to
ensure that the consistent theme apparent in both my music video and advert
was also apparent in this third product, creating brand identity. I did this by using
the same font in both the advert and the digipak to create a sense of continuity.
The front cover included both the artist and the album name, similar to the
advert as this is crucial information. On the back of the digipak I included the
conventional track list so the audience know what songs are on the album, as
well as other institutional information including a barcode and website link.
These are also in the same font to allow for a consistent theme.
One of the pages included within my digipak has a quote from the song of which
I have based my music video upon Shelter. It works well with the digipak and
music video as I believe it ties the two together. The quote Felt so crystal in the
air is also suited to the image behind it as it is the main protagonist content and
happy in an open spaced area. Another page has a thank you section of the artist
thanking the people involved in making the album. I struggled with
understanding of what to include on this page but after researching and
analysing previous students blogs I came to an understanding that it commonly
included links back to the audience/ fans and the hard work gone into the
creation of the album. The CD page also has relevant text on it, linking to social
media as well as the name of the band and a website link circling round the disk.
It is apparent that all three products have different purposes and I aimed to fulfil
each of these purposes by the end of my coursework task. The conventional
main purpose of a music video is to entertain the target audience, which is what
the purpose of my music video to Birdys Shelter. I feel like I have achieved this
entertainment value as the audience by watching the visuals in the video that go
with the song such as performance, lip syncing and the consistent theme of
being nature orientated. I included a variety of different visuals through different
shot types, locations and performance aspects that would allow the audience to
remain engaged throughout the video. My audience can also engage with the
video as the main protagonist frequently looks directly at the camera, breaking
the fourth wall and allowing the audience to feel as though the protagonist is
looking at them as an individual. This allows a personal identity aspect, stated in
the uses and gratifications theory, with regards to the audience personally
connecting with the protagonist and consequently empathising and relating with
the protagonist themselves. As the theme for the video focuses on freedom and
peace this will be interesting for the audience as they will have to stay engaged
and may relate or interpret the visuals for themselves.
This would appeal to a variety of people, both male and female however the
female audience may be more able to relate with the protagonist and
consequently more targeted towards females. Therefore, as the themes and plot
I chose are portrayed through the main protagonist, providing entertainment as
well as allowing them to personally identify themselves with the protagonist, I
believe it serves its purpose as a music video as it is effective as the main
product that the ancillary tasks were created upon.
My music video adverts main role was to promote the album Birdy for those
who are unfamiliar with the artist Birdy. I also needed to create continuity
between all my products to increase sales of the overall album and target those
who are within my target audience, who had maybe not heard of Birdy as an
artist. I didnt have a clear image of what I envisioned my advert to be when
starting the task, so consequently I let my ideas develop with the progression of
my music video. I knew I wanted it to reflect the same theme as my music video
as it would allow them to be recognisable as part of promoting the same product.
Consequently, I ensured that the protagonist used in my music video would also
be used on my advert; directly allowing the two products to be linked. I also
wanted my advert to reflect a similar theme as my music video, so I decided to
keep the colouring and filter when editing the images fairly similar to that of my
music video, this included use of both warm and cold colour grading, reflective of
the tone in the music video. I believed the image of the protagonist looking
directly into the camera was an effective image to use as the advert as it allows
the audience to feel the protagonist is looking directly at them as previously
mentioned, breaking the fourth wall, with a similar affect that is present in the
music video.
I was content on creating a digipak that was eye-catching and decided to use
fonts that were simplistic to allow the content and images to stand out. In doing
so this gave the digipak quite a dramatic look, similar to the song and the album
allowing the three to tie in quite effectively. In doing so I believe this effective
combination of the digipak to the two other products reinforces the common
theme throughout, making the all appear more recognisable and linking them all
collectively.
With regards to the target audience for the style of my music video, it varies
from a young audience to an older one as Birdys music generally is suited to the
majority of age groups. However, in terms of my products I believe that the
audience attracted would be aged 15-35, focusing on the ABC1 demographic as
they must be able to watch the music video. This would appear to be an effective
assumption as with regards to my audience feedback survey, the majority
selected the same age group, 15-35. Moreover, I believe that my music video
could target females more so than males as the protagonist is female and the
audience are able to relate. Females may feel they can relate with regards to
emotion. Furthermore I believe the females may be able to relate as the
protagonist in the music video is aged 18, this being a prime age for the majority
of people that they either are able to relate to due to being a similar age, or have
strong memories regarding that specific age meaning they are able to
understand and sympathise. It is also apparent to me the overall style of my
music video is very nature themed, it focuses on the aspect of freedom and may
appear to be quite Indie despite having more than one music genre.
Consequently it is more likely to target audiences that go to festivals/concerts,
mirroring the Indie genre in comparison to people who prefer a different kind of
style.
Another feedback method used was an audio file made by an A2 media student,
Aimee Smith, aged 17, who spoke about my music video. Aimee is a good
individual to ask for audience feedback as she fits my target audience and as an
A2 media student has an understanding of how to edit and make a final product.
Aimee was effective with regards to audience feedback. She stated what she
enjoyed about my music video including the timing of the cuts and interesting
shots. Aimee stated that the shots have been lit up well and are constantly
moving throughout the song, as this is how other successful music videos are
filmed. She also mentions that the colour/ visuals of the music video suites the
lyrics/ tone of the song. With regards to constructive criticism Aimee suggested I
included other shots suited to the mise-en-scene of the music video, allowing
variation and a more interesting narrative as I chose to film in different locations
and different times of the day to allow for a different tone to be created. Upon
hearing this criticism it allowed me to improve my music video drastically. I
originally had intentions to include more shots within my music video and the
constructive criticism received supported my decision to do so.
Upon deciding I would like more feedback for my music video I created a survey
that enabled me to gather more qualitative feedback from different audiences.
The data showed that 100% of people enjoyed my music video and that the tone
of my music video suited the visuals. People also stated that they liked the use of
cuts being in time with the music video and variation whereby they are not. Use
of editing, variety of shots and colour grading appear to be the most favoured
characteristics of the video, however use of locations and narrative closely
followed as the best parts. However in the comments section of my survey for
additional feedback it was apparent that people stated if they were to criticize
the music video it would be in regards to variation of shots, stating if I could
include more shots this may just add a slight more variety to my music video.
Upon hearing this constructive criticism I made a conscious decision to film more
shots and include them within my music video. I filmed in numerous different
locations that were open spaced and fitted to the narrative/ tone of my music
video and then edited these into my music video. Adding variety to my music
video allowed it to improve drastically and had more of a narrative to the story. I
decided to only use the black box studio when I believed it to be effective to do
so, and use the shots filmed in other locations as the majority of the music video.
How did you use media technologies in the construction and research,
planning and evaluation stages?
Technology has been vital throughout creating all of my products. The first piece
of technology essential throughout was the internet for presenting all the work I
have created throughout A2 for my coursework. Using WordPress, being a
content management system, which supports the creation and modification of
digital content, to set up my blog allowed me to display all research, planning,
production, final products and evaluation tasks. I was familiar with the site as I
had used WordPress throughout AS to present my magazine and all tasks with
regards to AS. This immediately put me at an advantage as I was able to
navigate the website reasonably well. However, it was apparent to me that some
of the settings on WordPress I had not used at AS, I was able to pick this up
quickly and use the blog to my advantage, displaying my work in a professional
manner. I used numerous different media platforms to present my work on
WordPress, these include Prezi, Emaze, Slideshare, Scribid, Youtube and Vimeo.
However, it was apparent there were issues regarding the software for Prezi and
Emaze being too out-dated for WordPress, meaning in order to display this on
WordPress I would have to screenshot the presentation and embed a hyperlink
on the image. Despite this, other software such as Youtube and Vimeo were easy
to use as it uses modern software such as HTML5. Vimeo allows for better quality
and also very rarely will videos be taken down off Vimeo in comparison to
Youtube which I later discovered due to previous problems and consequently I
uploaded my final music video to Vimeo, again being easy to embed into my
blog.
Following from this, once the majority of research and planning tasks were
complete, I began to progress onto production. I chose to film my music video
with the Canon 550D. The camera is a digital SLR camera that costs around
350. SLR cameras provide the ability to change lenses and have ultimate
control over the lens. The 550D camera is a suitable camera to use to film as it
produces good quality footage. However, other canon cameras such as the CL00
may be better to use, however they are much higher priced and SLRs are
cheaper. APS-C cameras have very small and expensive sensors meaning it
cannot get as much light in comparison to a digital camera, consequently
supporting the idea of a 550D camera being more suited to the type of filming
being carried out. Throughout using the 550D I filmed at 720p, 480p being
standard HD, as it enabled me to shoot at a higher frame rate of 50fps, meaning
I could later edit at 24fps, the conventional frame rate for video production. This
allowed me in the process of editing to slow down footage and it still be smooth.
The Canon 550D is a camera I was more familiar with as I had used it throughout
my AS coursework to take photos for my magazine. However, I had no prior
knowledge with regards to filming.
I also attached a lens to the Cannon 550D camera, this being a prime canon
550D F.1.8 lens. The 50mm is the cheapest prime lens, costing around 100. The
focal length of the lens is always fixed and slightly zoomed in, meaning I was
unable to zoom when filming and consequently had to do this manually or it
would have to be done in post-production. The aperture had to be adjusted when
filming as different locations would vary with light along with timings of the day.
The lower the ISO, the more light. F.1.8 is nearly as low as it can go and gives a
depth of field if you adjust to this. A shallow depth of field consequently means
the subject is the focus and the background quite blurry. This allowed me to have
much more control over what is the focal point of the shot. Furthermore, I used a
16GB SD card to store my footage. This was enough memory to hold my footage
and was also cost effective as it was cheaper than other larger memory SD
cards. The card is class 10 meaning it is the highest class of speed, consequently
it is capable of writing data as quickly as you need to film, meaning it can keep
up with the rate of video data.
When filming in the black box studio I had the option of using a 35mm cinelens,
costing around 375 as it is better quality and consequently allows a wider shot
due to the lens being less zoomed. However I was only able to use this in the
black box room as there is only one of them and is one of the most expensive
pieces of equipment I had access too. The lens is very good for the black box
studio, this being a completely black room, as it allows you to capture more of an
area, making movement easier without being zoomed in. The lens also allows for
an aperture of F.1.4 meaning it is able to ley in even more light, consequently
being better for the depth of field. In addition, the ISO could not be above 400, so
consequently preferably set to 100. When filming with the cinelens I also had
access to a steadicam which I attached to the camera stabilising it, along with a
geared focus ring that I attached to the focus on the lens which provided a
smooth focal change.
One of the most essential use of technologies is editing. Throughout the editing
process is where using digital over analogue put me at an advantage as it is
much easier and quicker to edit. I edited my video using Premiere Pro CS6 in a
non-linear fashion as it is less complicated that way. When using Premiere I was
also unaware of the software, consequently it took me a short while to work my
way around it, however my skills progressed as I continued to edit through use of
tutorials that enabled me a better understanding of how to work around the
programme. The software allows you to stabilise and adjust the speed of footage
filmed for effect, this of which I used to slow down my footage for effect.
Premiere also allows you to colour grade, in doing so I would use the tree point
colour corrector tool, adding an adjustment layer and then changing the colours
to make the tones of my video warmer and colder, both of which are features I
used in my music video, contrasting each other for dramatic effect. Premiere also
allows you to easily remove colour grading or crop and re-position footage along
the timeline, adding or removing transition effects such as cross dissolve,
present within my music video to allow smoother transitions more suited to the
tone and pace of my music video. After months of editing I exported my music
video as digital and uploaded it to Vimeo as the quality is better than Youtube.
Following this I then embedded the video into my blog, allowing anyone to have
access to it.
I used other Adobe software such as Photoshop and InDesign, I was familiar with
this software as I had used it at AS. I planned my digipak and advert on paper for
my ancillary tasks and later took photos of them in open spaced locations when
filming, to fit the mood of my music video and allow for an element of continuity
across my music video and images. I edited these images on Photoshop and
manipulated them to make them more dramatic. The software allowed me to edit
the levels, brightness, exposure, saturation and contrast of the images, making
them appear much more prominent. I also played around with the dodge and
burn tool to lighten and darken certain parts of the image, along with the blur
tool/ spot healer to make the protagonist appear flawless. Once these images
were completed I placed the images on InDesign to further edit them, creating
the actual product. I chose fonts and used the text tool to type out relevant text
on the products. I also downloaded images such as a 5 star review and a
barcode, I then placed these on my digipak which allowed it to appear more
realistic. It is extremely helpful that the Adobe software link, if a change is made
to an image on Photoshop it gives you the option on InDesign to click a yellow
warning sign and the image will automatically update.