Friday, 7 May 2010
Introduction
For my A2 coursework we were asked to produce a project, we needed to research into our desired projects and write up all the work. In my blog you will see how I researched music promos thoroughly, planned the production of my own video and subsidiary tasks, how I constructed them and my evaluation of my project as a whole.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Media analysis
Conventions
Example has produced a music video promo for his song 'Kickstarts' in my opinion it is a very good music video, it follows all six of goodwins six areas of analysis, for example it is a typical example of electro pop. And it follows all the conventions you would expect to see in a music video. Just like you would expect of a pop song the colours used are extremely bright and colourful, the characters in the video wear typical clothes of the electro pop genre, quite retro clothes. The entire video is quite lively but not to intense making it easy to dance to, like most pop songs. It has a happy and upbeat theme to the video, even though the song is referring to falling out of love.
Bellow you can see an example of Example's clothes.
Intertextuality and Voyeurism
Links between the lyrics and visuals.
There is a clear link between the lyrics and visuals throughout the video, this is key in a music video as it helps the audience connect with the video more thoroughly. For example at 1:34 he says 'our necks in a noose' and on the screen there is a picture of a noose made out of spaghetti, furthermore, at 2:59 he says 'love kick-starts again' and we see his girlfriend kick her feet together, also at the very beginning of the kick start song the video focuses entirely on the feet of the characters, enforcing the fact the song is called kick-start.
Links between music and visuals
Example's music video follows this step of goodwin's areas of analysis very well. Throughout the video he matches the beat of the music with the cuts and visuals on the screen. For example, when the song is doing the slower chorus the cuts between the clips are slower with longer clips and the actions during these clips are also slower. This can be shown at 2:00 till 2:06 where the clips are slow motion and quite long, however after this the breakdown of the song occurs and the tempo of the song quickens, as does the cuts and the actions of the shots, for example you see many faces flashing up very fast and eventually the scene changes to people dancing very energetically. Also you can see his feet tapping to the beat of the song in perfect timing.
Selling the artist
Example manages to sell himself very well in this pop electro video. Throughout the video he is wearing fashionable clothes indie clothes, this portrays him as a cool role model for his targeted genre, he is seen to be happy and upbeat throughout the video. Furthermore, at multiple times you see him dancing/hugging/spending time with a very attractive woman, this makes him seem sensative and a nice guy. All these factors make example seem very sell-able.
Bellow you can see an example of Example's clothes.
Intertextuality and VoyeurismThere is very little if any intertexualtiy in the music promo 'kickstarts' however, I feel this benefits the song as it makes the video seem more unique. Voyeurism is shown throughout the video, at multiple points we see half clothed attractive woman dancing, also at 0:19 seconds we focus on a girl rubbing herself, this played throughout the video, furthermore, we also see example dancing and cuddling her making it seem very provocative. Furthermore, we also see many attractive girls dancing provocativly and stylish, such as at 2:15. There is also
voyeurism for woman as well as we see many men dancing too.
Media comparison
Comparison of The Killers 'Spaceman' Music Video and Carolina Liar's 'Show me what im looking for' music promo.
Conventions
The Killers 'Spaceman' and Carolina liar's 'show me what I'm looking for' are both typical examples of Alternative rock and both follow the conventions expected to be found in these type of music videos. For example the lead singer in both songs is followed while he is walking. In the killers song he is walking through a very eccentric party, whereas in the Carolina liar song he is walking down a dull and boring street at night. In that video they follow conventions such as, night time, and bright yellow lights, for example street lights and lights in a casino.
There are many random insert shots of his environment throughout the short video. Such as yellow lighted Ferris wheels. The conventions in the killers video however is completely different, throughout the promo the theme is unusual outfits and strange behaviour, this point its enforced by the fact that the lead singer is wearing a bright red costume with feather on the shoulders. The strange behaviour makes the film memorable and means people will want to watch it again. Like in Carolina liar's song there are also many establishing shots and insert shots, these shots are enforce some of the conventions in the killers song, for example one shot is of women doing strange dancing in strange costumes.
The conventions used in the killers song portray Brandon flowers as rather crazy. Whereas in the Carolina Liar video the conventions give the lead singer a very calm and conserved with very little emotion appearance
Link between lyrics and visuals
In both videos the lyrics often match up with what we see in the video, for example in the killers video the lead singer says 'the spaceman says everybody look down' and in the film at this point everybody looks down. This helps emphasise the meaning helps the understanding of the video and song,this makes it more memorable and people will want to listen to it again. Its also a lot more satisfying when you understand the video more. Furthermore it also helps sell the song, which is what music videos are all about satisfying when the words are reflected visually. Also in the killers song while Brandon flowers sing about the spaceman, a man dressed quite similar to a spaceman walks past in the background. Furthermore in Carolina liar when the song starts taking a happier theme to it the sun rises in the video making the video have a happier theme to it as well.
Links between music and visuals
In both music videos the music is in time with the cuts and feel of the music. For example, in Carolina liar the opening shots that establish the scene of the video cut to each other matching with the bass and beat. This happens throughout the film. In spaceman by the killers the video cuts quicker when the music speeds up, for example when the video first starts the clips are longer and don't cut between each other as quick, whereas when the chorus starts the cuts become a lot quicker to match the music, this helps us understand the video more, it also makes the video seem more believable and not look out of place. Furthermore, when the faster pace chorus come in the lead singer starts playing the guitar very enthusiastically, whereas before he has just been carrying it or playing it slowly.
Selling the artist
In all videos it is vital to sell the artist, as if the artist is portrayed well then the song will sell more songs, or people will want to watch the video more. In Carolina liar's song 'show me what i'm looking for' the artist plays his guitar a lot, and in time with the song, this shows that he is good at the guitar. He is also dressed very indie which makes this type of target audience relate to the lead singer a lot easier. However, in the killers song Brandon Flowers is dressed in a very unusual costume, for the target audience this is not easy to relate to, however it does make him stand out, and it does make him more memorable. This could make people want to watch the video again. Both artists are shown singing throughout tho song tho, this shows that they are good performers, which could make people want to buy the song.
Intertextuality
There is very little intertexuality in these clips, in Carolina liar's song there are a few moments where the lead singer is seen walking along a street singing to the camera, this is very similar to the world famous song and video by the verve, by doing this Carolina liar have widened their audience to some of the verves aswell. Whereas in the killers video there is very little intertexuality, this makes the video seem a lot more unique.
Voyeurism
There is very clear voyeurism in the video, Spaceman. With the extremely strange outfits and unusual behaviour of the entire cast this video has a high aesthetic value. Brandon flowers is also seen to be quite attractive. However, in the 'show me what i'm looking for' video there is eye-catching scenery and at the start a half naked woman is laying in bed.
Here is the link for carolina liar's song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqCfxgKZd8&feature=fvsr
Conventions
The Killers 'Spaceman' and Carolina liar's 'show me what I'm looking for' are both typical examples of Alternative rock and both follow the conventions expected to be found in these type of music videos. For example the lead singer in both songs is followed while he is walking. In the killers song he is walking through a very eccentric party, whereas in the Carolina liar song he is walking down a dull and boring street at night. In that video they follow conventions such as, night time, and bright yellow lights, for example street lights and lights in a casino.
There are many random insert shots of his environment throughout the short video. Such as yellow lighted Ferris wheels. The conventions in the killers video however is completely different, throughout the promo the theme is unusual outfits and strange behaviour, this point its enforced by the fact that the lead singer is wearing a bright red costume with feather on the shoulders. The strange behaviour makes the film memorable and means people will want to watch it again. Like in Carolina liar's song there are also many establishing shots and insert shots, these shots are enforce some of the conventions in the killers song, for example one shot is of women doing strange dancing in strange costumes.
The conventions used in the killers song portray Brandon flowers as rather crazy. Whereas in the Carolina Liar video the conventions give the lead singer a very calm and conserved with very little emotion appearance
Link between lyrics and visualsIn both videos the lyrics often match up with what we see in the video, for example in the killers video the lead singer says 'the spaceman says everybody look down' and in the film at this point everybody looks down. This helps emphasise the meaning helps the understanding of the video and song,this makes it more memorable and people will want to listen to it again. Its also a lot more satisfying when you understand the video more. Furthermore it also helps sell the song, which is what music videos are all about satisfying when the words are reflected visually. Also in the killers song while Brandon flowers sing about the spaceman, a man dressed quite similar to a spaceman walks past in the background. Furthermore in Carolina liar when the song starts taking a happier theme to it the sun rises in the video making the video have a happier theme to it as well.
Links between music and visuals
In both music videos the music is in time with the cuts and feel of the music. For example, in Carolina liar the opening shots that establish the scene of the video cut to each other matching with the bass and beat. This happens throughout the film. In spaceman by the killers the video cuts quicker when the music speeds up, for example when the video first starts the clips are longer and don't cut between each other as quick, whereas when the chorus starts the cuts become a lot quicker to match the music, this helps us understand the video more, it also makes the video seem more believable and not look out of place. Furthermore, when the faster pace chorus come in the lead singer starts playing the guitar very enthusiastically, whereas before he has just been carrying it or playing it slowly.
Selling the artist
In all videos it is vital to sell the artist, as if the artist is portrayed well then the song will sell more songs, or people will want to watch the video more. In Carolina liar's song 'show me what i'm looking for' the artist plays his guitar a lot, and in time with the song, this shows that he is good at the guitar. He is also dressed very indie which makes this type of target audience relate to the lead singer a lot easier. However, in the killers song Brandon Flowers is dressed in a very unusual costume, for the target audience this is not easy to relate to, however it does make him stand out, and it does make him more memorable. This could make people want to watch the video again. Both artists are shown singing throughout tho song tho, this shows that they are good performers, which could make people want to buy the song.
Intertextuality
There is very little intertexuality in these clips, in Carolina liar's song there are a few moments where the lead singer is seen walking along a street singing to the camera, this is very similar to the world famous song and video by the verve, by doing this Carolina liar have widened their audience to some of the verves aswell. Whereas in the killers video there is very little intertexuality, this makes the video seem a lot more unique.
Voyeurism
There is very clear voyeurism in the video, Spaceman. With the extremely strange outfits and unusual behaviour of the entire cast this video has a high aesthetic value. Brandon flowers is also seen to be quite attractive. However, in the 'show me what i'm looking for' video there is eye-catching scenery and at the start a half naked woman is laying in bed.
Here is the link for carolina liar's song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqCfxgKZd8&feature=fvsr
Timeline
1941: A new invention hits clubs and bars in the USA: The Panoram Soundie is a jukebox that plays short videoclips along with the music.1956: Hollywood discovers the genre of music-centered films. A wave of rock 'n' roll films begins (Rock Around the Clock, Don't Knock the Rock, Shake, Rattle and Rock, Rock Pretty Baby, The Girl Can't Help It, and the famous Elvis Presley movies). Some of these films integrate musical performances into a story, others are simply revues.
1962: British Television invents a new form of music television. Shows like Top Of The Pops become hits.
1964: The US-Television market adapts the format. Hullabaloo is one of the first US shows of this kind, followed by Shindig! (NBC) and American Bandstand; The Beatles star in A Hard Day's Night
1965: Bob Dylan films Subterranean Homesick Blues as a segment for D. A. Pennebaker's film, Dont Look Back, with two alternate takes.
1966: The first conceptual promos are aired, for the Beatles' "Paperback Writer" and "Rain".
1967: The Beatles ground-breaking promotional films for "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are released.
1970: The record industry discovers these TV-Shows as a great opportunity to promote their artists. They focus on producing short "Promos", early music videos which started to replace the live performance of the artist on the TV-stage. Also, the Atlanta-produced Now Explosion starts a 26-week run in syndication.
1973: The first of forty-six different Schoolhouse Rock music videos begin airing during Saturday morning cartoons on ABC.
1974: the pop shows Sounds and Countdown premiere on Australian television; Russell Mulcahy makes his first music videos for Sounds.o Swedish group ABBA pioneer the use of "Promos" with their clips, directed by Lasse Hallström. These contain innovative effects, camera angles, and a less static look than is the norm at the time. The band continue using such videos throughout the 1970s.
1975: "Bohemian Rhapsody", a groundbreaking video released by Queen, marks the beginning of the video era and sets the language for the modern music video. The video is considered one of the first to use advanced video effects. Tommy, the Ken Russell film adaptation of The Who's rock opera is released.
1979: Devo releases "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise", which is the first music video to include computer animation, as well as traditional animation. Another 1979 video with computer animation is "Computer Games", by New Zealand band MiSex.
1980: "Ashes to Ashes", considered a groundbreaking video, is released by David Bowie.
1981: MTV, the first 24-hour satellite music channel, launches in August. Initially few cable TV operators carry it, but it rapidly becomes a major hit and cultural icon.
"Shock Treatment" is released in theatres.
1981: Michael Nesmith wins the first ever music video Grammy, for Elephant Parts.
1982: Pink Floyd The Wall is released in theatres.
1983: Night Tracks debuts on SuperStation WTBS (later known as TBS) with up to 14 hours of music videos each weekend by 1985. This allows nearly all U.S. households with Cable TV to view music videos regularly, as MTV still isn't widely available at this point in time compared to WTBS.
1983: Friday Night Videos debuts on the NBC television network, allowing nearly all U.S. households to view music videos regularly. Michael Jackson's Billie Jean video is released on TV, and for the first time a black artist's video is featured in heavy rotation on MTV with the video for his Beat It hit single.
1984: Laura Branigan's video for her hit song "Self Control" is refused airplay by MTV, who demand certain cuts be made to remove content they find objectionable.
1984: Prince releases the movie Purple Rain, and its soundtrack is nominated for an Oscar. The soundtrack album sells 15 million copies.
1984: Michael Jackson's short film Thriller is released, changing the concept of music videos forever. The Making of Thriller home video is also released in 1984. It is the first ever video about the making of a music video and it becomes the best selling VHS to date.
1984: Van Halen's 1984 album comes out with famous video hit like "Hot For Teacher", "Jump", and "Panama". MTV presents its first Video Music Awards, hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler. The Grammys award Best Short Form Music Video, as well as Best Long Form Music Video.
1985: a-ha find instant stardom with their hit song "Take On Me", significantly due to heavy rotation play of the song's video, which features a combination of live action and rotoscoping animation. The groundbreaking video wins several awards and is consistently rated as one of the best for decades to come.
1985: Madonna's video for her hit single "Material Girl" is released. It is largely based on Marilyn Monroe's performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes A huge storm of interest explodes for the video. The video is considered one of the most memorable and always comes up in "The Best Videos" lists.
1986: "Sledgehammer", the groundbreaking video from Peter Gabriel, furthers the revival of animation in music video, utilizing stop-motion photography and winning several awards.
1990: MTV bans Madonna's "Justify My Love" video. It is released as a video single, the first of its kind.
1990: First 3D music video is produced: "Love Can Build A Bridge" starring country music superstars The Judds.
1991: Nirvana release the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, catapulting Kurt Cobain - and the grunge genre - into the American and Worldwide mainstream. First use of the now-familiar morphing special effect in a music video, with Michael Jackson's "Black or White" (directed by John Landis), from his album Dangerous.
1991: Garth Brooks' award-winning "The Thunder Rolls" is banned by CMT and TNN. Popular demand and critical acclaim force its return to the airwaves.
1992: MTV begins to credit music video directors.
1995: Release of the most expensive music video ever "Scream", from Michael Jackson's HIStory album, a duet with his sister Janet.
1995: TLC's video for their hit song Waterfalls becomes a groundbreaking video for Girl groups and received massive airplay on MTV.
1996: Smashing Pumpkins releases the video for their song "Tonight, Tonight", based upon Georges Méliès's A Trip to the Moon. This video was one of the first to be based upon an early film.
1996: M2 is launched as a 24-hour music video channel, as MTV has largely replaced videos with other content.
1999: M2 is renamed to MTV2. Making the Video, a series chronicling the production of a music video, premieres on MTV.
2001: Björk releases the video for Pagan Poetry which was controversial for its depictions of sexual acts and body piercings.
2002: MTV Hits is launched, as MTV2 is gradually showing fewer music videos (now virtually non-existent on MTV).2005: Grandaddy fan Stewart Smith releases unofficial "Jed's Other Poem" music video online along with the source code that created it. It is the first open source music video and is later sanctioned by Grandaddy's label, V2 Records.
2007: Musicbox (URL: musicbox.sonybmg.com) is launched by Sony BMG. This online portal signifies the first free streaming effort owned and operated by a major label.
2008: 3D videos are made by Dave Meyers and Missy Elliott for her single Ching-a-Ling / Björk also makes one for Wanderlust.
Michael Jackson analysis
The most expensive music video ever produced is Michael Jackson's music video for his song 'Scream' which cost around $7 million. From the very beginning both genders are portrayed as good elegant and kindness, we can tell this because both Michael (male) and Janet (female) are both wearing the colour white. This is enhanced throughout the video as the lighting is very with and light. However, 31 seconds in we see a shot of both Male and female characters. In this shot the male is closer to the camera and the female is further back, this could symbolize male dominance.
At 26 seconds in we see Janet Jackson looking scared and worried in a very cramped room, she is naked except for white headphones, you can see this in the image above. This could symbolize weakness and vulnerability in her female character. This image is literally blown away shortly as we see both characters break out of their small rooms, from this point on they take on an aggressive role, I feel this as they have angry expressions and are acting in an aggressive manor, for example at 38 seconds in Janet Jackson is scratching herself, and at 39 seconds Michael Jackson punched in the direction of the camera. Furthermore both genders have very 'spiky' costumes, this helps enforce the fact that the genders are aggressive.
Janet clawing herself
Michael punching
I feel that both the male and female stereotypes are broken in this video, for example the typical 'delicate' women do not appear in the video, instead we see a strong aggressive woman. She is not blonde or wearing a dress, she has dark hair and wearing a spiky jumpsuit. This gives her a dark demeanour. For the male the stereotype pop singer would be well built and have short hair, however in this video the lead male (Michael Jackson) has very long black hair, which can be portrayed as slightly feminine. He is also very skinny which does not give him the 'pretty boy' appearance we would expect from a male pop singer.
The setting for the video is in a spaceship, this indicates that both genders are living a posh and lavish lifestyle. We get the impression that the lead male is a bit of a rock star, I feel this as we see him smashing a guitar on the floor, like what rebellious rock stars did in the 70's.
56 seconds in we see Michael Jackson acting aggressively towards the female character, oncer again this is portraying the female as weak and the male characters dominant. These roles are quickly reversed when the blocking of the shot at 0:59 indicates that it is the female that is dominant as she is the character closest to the camera and it is Michael that is behind. However throughout the video both genders are given very strong and outgoing persona's. They are made to look controlling and at some times intimidating. This is constantly portrayed by their actions as they kick and punch towards the screen and are often flying around.
Sexuality is also present throughout the video by both genders, however it is mainly the female gender that is portraying the most sexuality, this is enforced at 26 seconds in were we see Janet Jackson half naked.
Furthermore, at 2:26 we see her just in her bra, this is very provocative and supplies the voyeurism of the video.This is stereotypical of a female pop star.
Throughout the video Michael makes aggressive moves, for example, at 0:50 seconds we see Michael smash his guitar on the floor, this gives him am authoritative persona. Although both genders are mainly portrayed as strong and independent, they are also portrayed as vulnerable sometimes as well. For example at 0:32 seconds although Janet is wearing an aggressive black spiky outfit, she is wrapping her arms around herself with a worried expression. Michael also has a worried expression at this point as well.
Vulnerable JacksonsAggressive Jacksons
This video is often seen as a stab at the media, showing that even though he has received a lot of negative attention from media he came back fighting with this very successful and extremely expensive video, you can see this in the photo below, were it appears Janet Jackson is shrugging off the negative, as if to say 'i don't care' to enforce this Michael is dancing joyfully without a care in the world behind her.
The set of the video is in outer space, the two leading characters are portrayed as powerful as they on top of the world, showing that they are bigger then the world, which at the time Michael Jackson was the most famous pop star in the world, the world was his.
Music research
In music video, there are a number of different genre's that use the same techniques when being created. There are also a number of unique techniques that certain genre's use in themselves. Six of the different genre's are going to explored, Rhythm & Bass, Drum & Bass, Punk/Pop, Metal, Punk/Rock & Dance. The techniques that are used can be analysed and put into different groups, mise en scène and the link to generic and narrative conventions, Goodwin's area's of analysis and textual analysis.
Firstly, there are many similarities between music video promos in different genres but there are also many differences. An example of different genres that have some comparisons in the way that the music video is set, is in the Amber Pacific video, they have flashes to the group performing to an audience or the camera, and at the same time running a parallel narrative as a storyline. This also occurs in the Pop/Rock video of Train, in which the whole band is performing to the camera, while a parallel narrative is running along side. Another example of similarities between the music videos is in all of the videos I have looked at, the artist(s) will always be talking to the camera and playing up to it, this is done mainly to sell the artist – after all, that is the main reason behind music videos. Camera shots is another similarity that can have a difference in different music videos. An example of how the camera angles can be similar is the worms eye view shot. This is used in the video by A Day To Remember when the camera is shot from where the audience would be standing, to give the band a look of dominance and importance. This is also apparent in the music video by Twista, as the camera is recording the artist at around waist hight and looking up to get a clear view of the face and some of what is above them. On the other hand there is a difference, in which the camera is not facing up but is facing straight at the dancers in the Narcotic Thrust video.
There are many differences between music videos of different genre is also apparent in the videos that I have chosen. One of these is in the Chase & Status video, the camera is mostly shot by a hand held technique, this is because it adds the effect that his ex girlfriend has videoed herself trashing his flat. This is different from the Train video as nearly all of the footage is taken with the camera on a tripod or another stand to keep the camera very steady. Another difference is the way that in the Narcotic Thrust video, there are mainly skinny good looking girls dancing around the set wearing next to nothing, this is done to sell the artist, where as in the Twista video, there is a storyline that runs along side the lyrics.
There are many similarities and differences that can be interoperated through mise en scène, which is what is in the scene. This can include props, blocking, lighting, costume, make up, and more. All of the music videos use mise en scène, but some use this in a different way to others. An example of a similarity of the way mise en scène is used in music videos is in the Chase & Status video, there is a very low amount of light on in the shot. This is the same as in the A Day To Remember video. This is to add the effect that the director wants to go for – house party's are not going to be lit up like a Christmas tree, and a rock band is not going to be playing outdoor publicly in the middle of the day with UV lights and such. On the other hand lighting can be used in a very different way, for example in the Narcotic Thrust video, there is a great amount of lighting, coming from behind the dancers, again to ensure the effect is satisfactory that the director wants to use. The next element of mise en scène is the props used. A similarity between two different genres of music video is in both the Narcotic Thrust video, and the A Day To Remember video, the artists are only recorded on one set, whilst other actors may be recorded doing a different storyline. But on the other hand, in the Chase & Status video, the actors are recorded in a number of places, ranging from a music studio, to the street, to a flat. This adds the effect that the director is trying to gain. Blocking is used in all of the music videos, in some it is used in the same way, in others it is used differently. An example of this, is in the All-American Rejects video, there is only the band members themselves in the set, which is completely different to the video by Chase & Status, in which the set has a number of different people in it, as well as the main actor. This helps to add to the effect, which as somebody would not find it entirely believable or normal to see a house party in a music video, with only one person on the screen, instead the director has added in other people, sometimes being sick, drinking or smoking. The last element of mise en scène that I will look at that can have similarities and differences in a range of music video genres is make up. Make up is used in videos to help sell the artist to the audience. For example, the Narcotic thrust video contains girls that wear heavy make up, where as the Chase & Status video does not, even the main characters do not have any make up on.
There are many more similarities in music videos which are interoperated by Goodwin's areas of analysis. The first area of analysis is the links between the visuals and the lyrics. This is apparent in most of the music videos I have looked at. For example, in the Chase & Status video the lyrics are “you don't care about me any more” as the man's ex girlfriend is having intercourse with his flat mate. This then begins to drop and the lyrics are “I remember when I used to feel something, now I'm just cold inside” the woman proceeds to throw the used condom onto the floor and carry on trashing the house. Another example of the links between visuals and lyrics in another video, by A Day To Remember, is when the line “this will be the downfall for us all” the lead singer of the band angrily slams his fist towards the floor. The next area of comparison or difference is the link between the music and the visuals. This is apparent in the Chase & Status video, as when the man is not angry but more hurt as his ex girlfriend is having intercourse with his flat mate, the music slows and he does not talk, but looks very upset and continues to watch. This is also apparent in a different genre of music video – the metal side of things. A Day To Remember has many people in a large crowed looking up at a stage, fiercely jumping around and dancing, which is the same as what the artists themselves are doing, due to the fast beat of the music and the fierceness of the music itself.
The next area is how the artist is being sold in the music videos. This can happen in the same way in two completely different genres of music. For example, in the Dance music video by Narcotic Thrust, the artist is sold by using make up and close up shots of the band or artist themselves, on features of them that look the best – breasts and bums in most cases, but this is also apparent in the Metal video by A Day To Remember, in which all of the band members are males. Close up shots and make up are used on the artists when they are performing to the large crowed, and they also play up to the camera. There are also differences within these videos when selling the artist, as in the Narcotic thrust video, it is entirely made up of young good looking women prancing around a set and looking good, where as in A Day To Remember, whilst these shots are being taken, there is also a large amount of the music video taken up with the parallel storyline that runs along side it. The last area is voyeurism and the art of looking. Voyeuristic material is apparent in some of the videos, but on the other hand it is not in others. For example, the Narcotic Thrust video is aimed at people that enjoy watching good looking girls wearing next to nothing dancing around in a very kinky manor, where as the video by The All-American Rejects is mainly concentrating on the instruments and the band as a group performing there song in the studio. There is also some voyeuristic material in the Twista video, where Twista is rapping but also being given a lap dance by a good looking girl, again, not wearing a lot.
In conclusion, there are many differences and similarities in relation to the different genres of music and the videos that go with them. Goodwin's areas of analysis, mise en scène and generic narrative conventions are all used to create a music video that has the effect that would suit best to that type of video. Although there are many similarities in how these elements are used inside the music video industry, there are also many differences, which is how the music videos are always unique and sometimes original.
Chase & Status - Pieces
Narcotic Thrust - I like it
A Day To Remember - Downfall For Us All
Twista - Slow Jamz
All-American Rejects - Mona Lisa
Train - Drops of Jupiter
Firstly, there are many similarities between music video promos in different genres but there are also many differences. An example of different genres that have some comparisons in the way that the music video is set, is in the Amber Pacific video, they have flashes to the group performing to an audience or the camera, and at the same time running a parallel narrative as a storyline. This also occurs in the Pop/Rock video of Train, in which the whole band is performing to the camera, while a parallel narrative is running along side. Another example of similarities between the music videos is in all of the videos I have looked at, the artist(s) will always be talking to the camera and playing up to it, this is done mainly to sell the artist – after all, that is the main reason behind music videos. Camera shots is another similarity that can have a difference in different music videos. An example of how the camera angles can be similar is the worms eye view shot. This is used in the video by A Day To Remember when the camera is shot from where the audience would be standing, to give the band a look of dominance and importance. This is also apparent in the music video by Twista, as the camera is recording the artist at around waist hight and looking up to get a clear view of the face and some of what is above them. On the other hand there is a difference, in which the camera is not facing up but is facing straight at the dancers in the Narcotic Thrust video.
There are many differences between music videos of different genre is also apparent in the videos that I have chosen. One of these is in the Chase & Status video, the camera is mostly shot by a hand held technique, this is because it adds the effect that his ex girlfriend has videoed herself trashing his flat. This is different from the Train video as nearly all of the footage is taken with the camera on a tripod or another stand to keep the camera very steady. Another difference is the way that in the Narcotic Thrust video, there are mainly skinny good looking girls dancing around the set wearing next to nothing, this is done to sell the artist, where as in the Twista video, there is a storyline that runs along side the lyrics.
There are many similarities and differences that can be interoperated through mise en scène, which is what is in the scene. This can include props, blocking, lighting, costume, make up, and more. All of the music videos use mise en scène, but some use this in a different way to others. An example of a similarity of the way mise en scène is used in music videos is in the Chase & Status video, there is a very low amount of light on in the shot. This is the same as in the A Day To Remember video. This is to add the effect that the director wants to go for – house party's are not going to be lit up like a Christmas tree, and a rock band is not going to be playing outdoor publicly in the middle of the day with UV lights and such. On the other hand lighting can be used in a very different way, for example in the Narcotic Thrust video, there is a great amount of lighting, coming from behind the dancers, again to ensure the effect is satisfactory that the director wants to use. The next element of mise en scène is the props used. A similarity between two different genres of music video is in both the Narcotic Thrust video, and the A Day To Remember video, the artists are only recorded on one set, whilst other actors may be recorded doing a different storyline. But on the other hand, in the Chase & Status video, the actors are recorded in a number of places, ranging from a music studio, to the street, to a flat. This adds the effect that the director is trying to gain. Blocking is used in all of the music videos, in some it is used in the same way, in others it is used differently. An example of this, is in the All-American Rejects video, there is only the band members themselves in the set, which is completely different to the video by Chase & Status, in which the set has a number of different people in it, as well as the main actor. This helps to add to the effect, which as somebody would not find it entirely believable or normal to see a house party in a music video, with only one person on the screen, instead the director has added in other people, sometimes being sick, drinking or smoking. The last element of mise en scène that I will look at that can have similarities and differences in a range of music video genres is make up. Make up is used in videos to help sell the artist to the audience. For example, the Narcotic thrust video contains girls that wear heavy make up, where as the Chase & Status video does not, even the main characters do not have any make up on.
There are many more similarities in music videos which are interoperated by Goodwin's areas of analysis. The first area of analysis is the links between the visuals and the lyrics. This is apparent in most of the music videos I have looked at. For example, in the Chase & Status video the lyrics are “you don't care about me any more” as the man's ex girlfriend is having intercourse with his flat mate. This then begins to drop and the lyrics are “I remember when I used to feel something, now I'm just cold inside” the woman proceeds to throw the used condom onto the floor and carry on trashing the house. Another example of the links between visuals and lyrics in another video, by A Day To Remember, is when the line “this will be the downfall for us all” the lead singer of the band angrily slams his fist towards the floor. The next area of comparison or difference is the link between the music and the visuals. This is apparent in the Chase & Status video, as when the man is not angry but more hurt as his ex girlfriend is having intercourse with his flat mate, the music slows and he does not talk, but looks very upset and continues to watch. This is also apparent in a different genre of music video – the metal side of things. A Day To Remember has many people in a large crowed looking up at a stage, fiercely jumping around and dancing, which is the same as what the artists themselves are doing, due to the fast beat of the music and the fierceness of the music itself.
The next area is how the artist is being sold in the music videos. This can happen in the same way in two completely different genres of music. For example, in the Dance music video by Narcotic Thrust, the artist is sold by using make up and close up shots of the band or artist themselves, on features of them that look the best – breasts and bums in most cases, but this is also apparent in the Metal video by A Day To Remember, in which all of the band members are males. Close up shots and make up are used on the artists when they are performing to the large crowed, and they also play up to the camera. There are also differences within these videos when selling the artist, as in the Narcotic thrust video, it is entirely made up of young good looking women prancing around a set and looking good, where as in A Day To Remember, whilst these shots are being taken, there is also a large amount of the music video taken up with the parallel storyline that runs along side it. The last area is voyeurism and the art of looking. Voyeuristic material is apparent in some of the videos, but on the other hand it is not in others. For example, the Narcotic Thrust video is aimed at people that enjoy watching good looking girls wearing next to nothing dancing around in a very kinky manor, where as the video by The All-American Rejects is mainly concentrating on the instruments and the band as a group performing there song in the studio. There is also some voyeuristic material in the Twista video, where Twista is rapping but also being given a lap dance by a good looking girl, again, not wearing a lot.
In conclusion, there are many differences and similarities in relation to the different genres of music and the videos that go with them. Goodwin's areas of analysis, mise en scène and generic narrative conventions are all used to create a music video that has the effect that would suit best to that type of video. Although there are many similarities in how these elements are used inside the music video industry, there are also many differences, which is how the music videos are always unique and sometimes original.
Chase & Status - Pieces
Narcotic Thrust - I like it
A Day To Remember - Downfall For Us All
Twista - Slow Jamz
All-American Rejects - Mona Lisa
Train - Drops of Jupiter
Planning
As a group we were asked to decide whether we wanted to produce a music video, trailer or a short film. As my group and I had previously produced a music video outside the school curriculum, we decided that with our experience a music video would be the right choice for us. As well as the music video we had to produce two subsidiary tasks, a website home page and a dvd album cover.
Our first step in our music video was thinking of an idea, we decided to use snow patrols song ‘you could be happy’ after the song choice we came up with our idea. It was a very stereotypical idea of a love story about a boy and his ex girlfriend. After creating the storyboards using digital cameras and imovie, we reviewed what our music video would look like. Upon review we realized that our film didn’t challenge any conventions, it was boring and very unoriginal. We decided to create a different idea that was more original and that would develop conventions, the idea we came up would really challenge us and our film making abilities.
We decided to go with a more challenging song; once again we chose snow patrol as their lyrics gave us a lot of room for the plot. The song we chose was ‘Open your eyes’ this song had everything we needed, it had intertexuality, and the song tempo changes from slow to fast. The song had everything we needed to make a video that could follow Goodwins six areas of analysis. Our idea was different to normal videos; we decided to produce a video where the lead character was the super hero iron man.
Iron man is completely rejected from society and has no friends; society rejects him because he is the only super hero. Iron man doesn’t know anyone like him and is depressed.
Our first step in our music video was thinking of an idea, we decided to use snow patrols song ‘you could be happy’ after the song choice we came up with our idea. It was a very stereotypical idea of a love story about a boy and his ex girlfriend. After creating the storyboards using digital cameras and imovie, we reviewed what our music video would look like. Upon review we realized that our film didn’t challenge any conventions, it was boring and very unoriginal. We decided to create a different idea that was more original and that would develop conventions, the idea we came up would really challenge us and our film making abilities.
We decided to go with a more challenging song; once again we chose snow patrol as their lyrics gave us a lot of room for the plot. The song we chose was ‘Open your eyes’ this song had everything we needed, it had intertexuality, and the song tempo changes from slow to fast. The song had everything we needed to make a video that could follow Goodwins six areas of analysis. Our idea was different to normal videos; we decided to produce a video where the lead character was the super hero iron man.
Iron man is completely rejected from society and has no friends; society rejects him because he is the only super hero. Iron man doesn’t know anyone like him and is depressed.
Construction
Using digital video cameras we started filming our project and editing it on imovie hd. The video starts with a very slow tempo where the shots are long and slow paced. In the first 25 seconds we establish the scene, iron man lives on his own and we are introduced to the lead singer also on his own. As a music video we knew that it was vital that we matched the tempo of the music with the video, this is shown throughout our video. In the first shot we see a calm see with a sunset, this matches the calm and peaceful tempo of the music, this makes the music video more captivating for the audience. When a music video does not match the music it seems out of place and tacky. We emphasized this with the slow shot of iron man waking up. It is a slow and calm just like the music. These slow shots in contrast to the upbeat and fast paced music and the very quick colorful shots that match it, as the music picks up so does the atmosphere, the colors become more vibrant and iron man him self becomes happier.
From the start of the video we tried hard to show the audience that iron man is vulnerable and not happy, we did this using techniques we had been taught throughout our A level course, for example at 0:43 seconds we used whats known as a ‘birds eye view’ shot, as you can see iron man is filmed from above, giving him a smaller appearance and generally made to seem more vulnerable. This kind of shot is often used in horror movies to make he victims seem more scared. We felt that not only does this shot make iron man seem more vulnerable and emotionally weak. It also enables the audience to feel sad for iron man and connect with the lead character. As we have been taught the audience need to connect with a video to enjoy it, and for a music video to be successful the viewer must enjoy it and want to watch it again. I feel that our video is very original, has action, has romance and is very vibrant and eye catching. All of which would make a viewer want to watch it again. In comparison to the birds eye shot we needed to remind the audience that iron man is still a superhero and physically strong. We also filmed the majority of the band from a worms eye view, this shot is the opposite of a birds eye view and is used to make a character seem more strong and reliable, it is often used in action films when the strong hero is around. We felt that by using this shot it shows that the band is in control and singing the story of iron man.
Furthermore, to enforce the fact that iron man is miserable and cant live life like he wants to we added some humour in, you get to see iron man make some toast only to find he cant eat it as he doesn’t have a real face, you get to see this with a moving close up as he walks into the kitchen at 1:12. At 2:02 we decided to do something that we hadn’t tried before, we decided to use a technique that would prove our abilities in film making. We overlapped multiple clips that from exactly the same position, this would challenge typical conventions of a film, it also suits the video as iron man is super human, and this shot makes the lead singer super human as well. Super powers are a typical convention for a superhero themed video. The effect would give the appearance that the lead singer would be able to teleport. This effect was extremely difficult as even the slightest movement of the camera would spoil the effect, we used imovie hd to cut and overlap these clips.
As well as these techniques we also used a lot of improvised techniques, for example we did not think the fade ins were what we needed, so we used a technique we kind of stumbled upon, if the sun is shining on the camera and you block all light, we had the character walk out from the camera it takes a while to adjust to light which gave us a quality fade in.
We ha to choose many different sets that would suit the conventions of a superhero video, for the superhero part we chose many bright settings such as a party and a play ground, for the performance section we chose a stage, typical convention of a band, furthermore we chose to reverse the atmosphere by choosing a run down war bunker covered in graffiti. We feel that it had the desired effect. It suited the character very well.
We tried to make the video interesting and make the viewer want to watch it again, so we decided to put some action in it. We used typical outfits for the good vs bad conventions, such as colourful outfit for the good guy and black and dark grey for the villains. It makes it clear to the viewer who the hero is.
Furthermore, we decided to match the lyrics with the video, so as the singer sings ‘tell me you’ll open you’re eyes’ we decided to get clips of people opening their eyes, in addition we decided to match it to the music. It also was divider between the bad depressed iron man and the cheerful and happy iron man. The fast paced eyes then cuts to the party, it is here where we decided to focus on matching the music to the video. We felt that it would make the video flow and seem smoother, which in our eyes was crucial. The whole party was bright and happy, fast paced. This pathetic fallacy gives the whole section video a cheery atmosphere. This technique can be seen in the first half of the video, with the boring kitchen and the dull bedroom.
At the very end of the video the music suddenly turns very slow and calm, with that we decided the video needed to go very slow to match, as the music slows we decided it was time to summarize the video. As it was a superhero movie based music video and movies usually end with the credits ‘The End’ we decided it would be fitting to put out closing credits as well. We chose the words ‘the incredible snow patrol’ there is a lot of thought behind this, one as iron mans comic is called ‘the invincible iron man’ this is where we got incredible. Snow patrol were the band so we decided it would be fitting as it was their song we were doing a music video for. We didn’t want to use invincible as it wouldn’t make sense, so we decided incredible would some snow patrol up. We also decided to show how iron man got a happy ending after all when we see the old iron man on his own fade into the new iron man with a girlfriend.
We wanted to keep the continuity throughout our entire project, not just the video. So as it was an iron man theme video we decided to go for an iron man themed project, in our subsidiary tasks as well as our main project. As we were told to design a dvd cover we realized the proportions were the same size as the iron man comics we had been looking at for our research. We felt it would be fitting to make our dvd cover as a mock iron man comic. We still needed to connect iron man with snow patrol, so instead of using a simple iron man design we decided to put snow patrol into the cover as well. We looked at many old iron man covers that we could use to improvise snow patrol in and we finally found one with iron man picking up a tank. We improvised this by removing the tank and putting a sofa with the band on it instead. Once we had made the cover look like a comic cover we needed to focus on the website. We also felt that as the dvd cover was old school iron man we would make the website a more modern thing as the internet is modern. We used the new television iron man instead of the drawing iron man. We embedded both the new iron man with the new snow patrol logo and name. The overall project, the video, the dvd cover and the website all go together very smoothly. They all keep the continuity very well. We were complemented on the professionalism of our tasks, the dvd cover especially.
We combined the indie band scene, with the iron man comic cover.
From the start of the video we tried hard to show the audience that iron man is vulnerable and not happy, we did this using techniques we had been taught throughout our A level course, for example at 0:43 seconds we used whats known as a ‘birds eye view’ shot, as you can see iron man is filmed from above, giving him a smaller appearance and generally made to seem more vulnerable. This kind of shot is often used in horror movies to make he victims seem more scared. We felt that not only does this shot make iron man seem more vulnerable and emotionally weak. It also enables the audience to feel sad for iron man and connect with the lead character. As we have been taught the audience need to connect with a video to enjoy it, and for a music video to be successful the viewer must enjoy it and want to watch it again. I feel that our video is very original, has action, has romance and is very vibrant and eye catching. All of which would make a viewer want to watch it again. In comparison to the birds eye shot we needed to remind the audience that iron man is still a superhero and physically strong. We also filmed the majority of the band from a worms eye view, this shot is the opposite of a birds eye view and is used to make a character seem more strong and reliable, it is often used in action films when the strong hero is around. We felt that by using this shot it shows that the band is in control and singing the story of iron man.
Furthermore, to enforce the fact that iron man is miserable and cant live life like he wants to we added some humour in, you get to see iron man make some toast only to find he cant eat it as he doesn’t have a real face, you get to see this with a moving close up as he walks into the kitchen at 1:12. At 2:02 we decided to do something that we hadn’t tried before, we decided to use a technique that would prove our abilities in film making. We overlapped multiple clips that from exactly the same position, this would challenge typical conventions of a film, it also suits the video as iron man is super human, and this shot makes the lead singer super human as well. Super powers are a typical convention for a superhero themed video. The effect would give the appearance that the lead singer would be able to teleport. This effect was extremely difficult as even the slightest movement of the camera would spoil the effect, we used imovie hd to cut and overlap these clips.
As well as these techniques we also used a lot of improvised techniques, for example we did not think the fade ins were what we needed, so we used a technique we kind of stumbled upon, if the sun is shining on the camera and you block all light, we had the character walk out from the camera it takes a while to adjust to light which gave us a quality fade in.
We ha to choose many different sets that would suit the conventions of a superhero video, for the superhero part we chose many bright settings such as a party and a play ground, for the performance section we chose a stage, typical convention of a band, furthermore we chose to reverse the atmosphere by choosing a run down war bunker covered in graffiti. We feel that it had the desired effect. It suited the character very well.
We tried to make the video interesting and make the viewer want to watch it again, so we decided to put some action in it. We used typical outfits for the good vs bad conventions, such as colourful outfit for the good guy and black and dark grey for the villains. It makes it clear to the viewer who the hero is.
Furthermore, we decided to match the lyrics with the video, so as the singer sings ‘tell me you’ll open you’re eyes’ we decided to get clips of people opening their eyes, in addition we decided to match it to the music. It also was divider between the bad depressed iron man and the cheerful and happy iron man. The fast paced eyes then cuts to the party, it is here where we decided to focus on matching the music to the video. We felt that it would make the video flow and seem smoother, which in our eyes was crucial. The whole party was bright and happy, fast paced. This pathetic fallacy gives the whole section video a cheery atmosphere. This technique can be seen in the first half of the video, with the boring kitchen and the dull bedroom.
At the very end of the video the music suddenly turns very slow and calm, with that we decided the video needed to go very slow to match, as the music slows we decided it was time to summarize the video. As it was a superhero movie based music video and movies usually end with the credits ‘The End’ we decided it would be fitting to put out closing credits as well. We chose the words ‘the incredible snow patrol’ there is a lot of thought behind this, one as iron mans comic is called ‘the invincible iron man’ this is where we got incredible. Snow patrol were the band so we decided it would be fitting as it was their song we were doing a music video for. We didn’t want to use invincible as it wouldn’t make sense, so we decided incredible would some snow patrol up. We also decided to show how iron man got a happy ending after all when we see the old iron man on his own fade into the new iron man with a girlfriend.
We wanted to keep the continuity throughout our entire project, not just the video. So as it was an iron man theme video we decided to go for an iron man themed project, in our subsidiary tasks as well as our main project. As we were told to design a dvd cover we realized the proportions were the same size as the iron man comics we had been looking at for our research. We felt it would be fitting to make our dvd cover as a mock iron man comic. We still needed to connect iron man with snow patrol, so instead of using a simple iron man design we decided to put snow patrol into the cover as well. We looked at many old iron man covers that we could use to improvise snow patrol in and we finally found one with iron man picking up a tank. We improvised this by removing the tank and putting a sofa with the band on it instead. Once we had made the cover look like a comic cover we needed to focus on the website. We also felt that as the dvd cover was old school iron man we would make the website a more modern thing as the internet is modern. We used the new television iron man instead of the drawing iron man. We embedded both the new iron man with the new snow patrol logo and name. The overall project, the video, the dvd cover and the website all go together very smoothly. They all keep the continuity very well. We were complemented on the professionalism of our tasks, the dvd cover especially.
We combined the indie band scene, with the iron man comic cover.
Evaluation
This is the first shot of the video, we wanted to start the video with a very aesthetically pleasing shot as to entice the audience straight away. I feel we captured the beautiful sunset and calm ocean very well, it also sets the scene for the first half of the video, which is very calm and slow to begin with, just like the ocean.
All the members of our group provided a lot of enthusiasm and creativity, this is clearly shown throughout our video in some camera shots that I would be so bold as to call master pieces. We tryed to make as many of the shots as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
The next shot I will show provided an effect that the iMacs cannot, this shot started out as an accident but eventually provided a very high quality shot, we used the auto focus of the camera to provide a lovely fade.
As you can see where i walk out of the camera the shot goes from bright white and slowly focuses in on me walking away, the shot gives the effect that someone is waking up or 'opening their eyes'.
Like before the shot was very aesthetically pleasing, it was on the edge of a cliff and gave an overview of the beautiful dover harbor.
The next shot I will talk about is possibly my favorite of the video. Thanks to Daniel we found a terrific location in Dover's auditorium, you can see this below.
Like before this shot was very spontaneous, it only occured to us at the time that we could produce a shot that shows me teleporting around the auditorium, we filmed me in multiple places and then cut edited the clips using an overlap transition, providing a ghostly or superhuman feel about him, this ties in very nicely with the superhuman theme of the video.
This image symbolizes the slowdown of the video, it is with this calm painting motion of the singer that starts off the relaxing end of the video. After the eccentric and colourful party scene we needed a calming and concluding final 10 seconds, i feel we managed this very easily. We conclude with one of the first shots shown in the video, iron man on his own. However, this time Iron Mans girl appears showing that the the outcome of the video is Iron Man being accepted and getting a girlfriend, after that we wrote The incredible Snow Patrol in The Invincible Iron Man font, this keeps the iron man theme throughout the video keeping up the continuity.
We received quite a lot of feedback from our peers and teachers, almost all of it were positive. For example while presenting our media project to our peers to see how we could improve our project. We got told that our project flowed very well. This was crucial for us as we needed our project to play and match the music and flow easily. It was all so smooth that the viewers were able to watch and be absorbed by the video with no hiccups to take there mind away from the video. We got complemented on the syncing of the singing and acting. We were told our idea was extremely original, when they first heard the idea they thought it’d be too much and ridiculous, however with the good cuts, good syncing and overall plot we managed to make it a video that made the viewers (peers) connect with the characters. We were also complemented by our teachers and peers about our use of creative and original filming techniques. For example, our overlapping of clips to make the character appear to teleport, furthermore, the fact that we used upcoming events to our advantage, we decided that we wouldn’t get our characters to pretend they were adults as it would ruin the continuity of any video we made. So we decided to make sure it was young adults and older teenagers we played. Furthermore we realized the best way someone of our age enjoys themselves is at a part, such as a superhero and villains party. We went to this party and filmed our lead character (iron man) finally fitting in with society and enjoying himself.
We did however get two pieces of negative feedback, number one was our website homepage, apparently it was two bland, it didn’t have enough to it. After hearing our feedback we quickly resolved this issue by placing an advert for our album cover into the homepage. The only other piece of negative feedback we received was one person was unclear whether there were two storylines or whether there was one storyline and a band performing.
As well as the previous technologies I have stated we used we also used other technologies such as youtube, we really needed that to research other music videos, ones by snow patrol and other artists of that genre. We used I tunes to check out the potential songs that were needed, this really helped us find the right song for our project. Once we had found the project we used Bluetooth to transport it to the computers to the phones and back, we listened to the song hundreds of times so we could really get a feel for the song. We had to use imovie to sort out our storyboards, without this technology we would never have realized how drastically we needed to change our project. After filming our project with the high definition cameras we then had to cut and edit our entire footage, we had to use open office, gimp and Photoshop to construct our subsidiary tasks. The macs themselves caused us a lot of trouble, they were very useful for making our project, we couldn’t have done it without the macs, however, they crashed almost all the time. Personally i feel that the project a big success, even after all the problems we encountered we still managed to produce a very high quality video.
All the comic covers were personally edited using photoshop and gimp, they were never originally iron man comics, we had to photoshop iron man's face onto Stan Lee. We also had to get rid of the original script and replace it with our chosen script.
All the members of our group provided a lot of enthusiasm and creativity, this is clearly shown throughout our video in some camera shots that I would be so bold as to call master pieces. We tryed to make as many of the shots as aesthetically pleasing as possible.The next shot I will show provided an effect that the iMacs cannot, this shot started out as an accident but eventually provided a very high quality shot, we used the auto focus of the camera to provide a lovely fade.
As you can see where i walk out of the camera the shot goes from bright white and slowly focuses in on me walking away, the shot gives the effect that someone is waking up or 'opening their eyes'.
Like before the shot was very aesthetically pleasing, it was on the edge of a cliff and gave an overview of the beautiful dover harbor.The next shot I will talk about is possibly my favorite of the video. Thanks to Daniel we found a terrific location in Dover's auditorium, you can see this below.
Like before this shot was very spontaneous, it only occured to us at the time that we could produce a shot that shows me teleporting around the auditorium, we filmed me in multiple places and then cut edited the clips using an overlap transition, providing a ghostly or superhuman feel about him, this ties in very nicely with the superhuman theme of the video.
This image symbolizes the slowdown of the video, it is with this calm painting motion of the singer that starts off the relaxing end of the video. After the eccentric and colourful party scene we needed a calming and concluding final 10 seconds, i feel we managed this very easily. We conclude with one of the first shots shown in the video, iron man on his own. However, this time Iron Mans girl appears showing that the the outcome of the video is Iron Man being accepted and getting a girlfriend, after that we wrote The incredible Snow Patrol in The Invincible Iron Man font, this keeps the iron man theme throughout the video keeping up the continuity.We received quite a lot of feedback from our peers and teachers, almost all of it were positive. For example while presenting our media project to our peers to see how we could improve our project. We got told that our project flowed very well. This was crucial for us as we needed our project to play and match the music and flow easily. It was all so smooth that the viewers were able to watch and be absorbed by the video with no hiccups to take there mind away from the video. We got complemented on the syncing of the singing and acting. We were told our idea was extremely original, when they first heard the idea they thought it’d be too much and ridiculous, however with the good cuts, good syncing and overall plot we managed to make it a video that made the viewers (peers) connect with the characters. We were also complemented by our teachers and peers about our use of creative and original filming techniques. For example, our overlapping of clips to make the character appear to teleport, furthermore, the fact that we used upcoming events to our advantage, we decided that we wouldn’t get our characters to pretend they were adults as it would ruin the continuity of any video we made. So we decided to make sure it was young adults and older teenagers we played. Furthermore we realized the best way someone of our age enjoys themselves is at a part, such as a superhero and villains party. We went to this party and filmed our lead character (iron man) finally fitting in with society and enjoying himself.
We did however get two pieces of negative feedback, number one was our website homepage, apparently it was two bland, it didn’t have enough to it. After hearing our feedback we quickly resolved this issue by placing an advert for our album cover into the homepage. The only other piece of negative feedback we received was one person was unclear whether there were two storylines or whether there was one storyline and a band performing.
As well as the previous technologies I have stated we used we also used other technologies such as youtube, we really needed that to research other music videos, ones by snow patrol and other artists of that genre. We used I tunes to check out the potential songs that were needed, this really helped us find the right song for our project. Once we had found the project we used Bluetooth to transport it to the computers to the phones and back, we listened to the song hundreds of times so we could really get a feel for the song. We had to use imovie to sort out our storyboards, without this technology we would never have realized how drastically we needed to change our project. After filming our project with the high definition cameras we then had to cut and edit our entire footage, we had to use open office, gimp and Photoshop to construct our subsidiary tasks. The macs themselves caused us a lot of trouble, they were very useful for making our project, we couldn’t have done it without the macs, however, they crashed almost all the time. Personally i feel that the project a big success, even after all the problems we encountered we still managed to produce a very high quality video.
All the comic covers were personally edited using photoshop and gimp, they were never originally iron man comics, we had to photoshop iron man's face onto Stan Lee. We also had to get rid of the original script and replace it with our chosen script.
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