music video - final draft

Q1 draft

Ancillary task - Magazine ad final

Question 3

question 2

Question 2

question 4

Question 4

digipak final draft

Q2 plan

Audience feedback

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M2ZJWGV
I have created a survey in order to recieve feedback on my music video. I have included questions that I believe will be relevant and useful to use for improving my music video as I can have an idea about what others have thought about it and what I can do to make it better. I will be linking this link to my survey that I have created using survey monkey onto social networking sites such as facebook and twitter so that many people can give me feedback. I am hoping to recieve feedback from an audience that are suitable as part of my target audience.

Brand guidelines

Ancillary task draft 1 - Digipak

Shot list

Contact sheet

Floor plan

Film location release contract

I have made a film location release contract for all of the locations that I will be using for my music video. This is used to gain consent that will allow me to use the location to take footage.

Risk assessment

Risk Assessment

I have created a sheet full of possible risks that could take place on the day of the shoot. I have pointed out the problems that could possibly occur, what I can do if it does happen and who will be held responsible. This will be useful because I will be able to identify the problems that could happen and therefore I can make sure to avoid it in advance of the day of shooting so that there will be no problem and less risks.

Proposal

Proposal

I have created a proposal to briefly demonstrate what my music video is about and what it will include. I have included information about my aim, what I intend to do, my target audience and similar products. This will hopefully give me a good idea on what I am hoping to achieve from my music video.

Personnel details

Personnel Details

I have created a sheet including all of the people that will be invovled in the construction of the music video whilst it is being shot. I have included their roles, their names, what they will be doing and also the equipment that they will need. This will help me to see who I will need to contact and let them be aware of their role in the video and what they will be needing.

Equipment list

Equipment List

I have created a list of the equipment that I will be needing to shoot my music video. I will be able to use this when I shoot so that I am aware of what I will be needing and to make sure that I have everything. I have included equipment that I will need in general such as cameras and a steady cam, but I have also included the props that will be used.

Call sheet

Call Sheet

Call Sheet 2

Call Sheet 3

I have made 3 seperate call sheets for each different shoots in locations where I will be needing actors for my music video. This call sheet will enable them to have an idea of what the shoot will be about and how it will be carried out. By including the date, time, place and requirements, they are able to have a clear idea on what to prepare for when the day of shoot arrives in advance so that everything is easy and organised.

Storyboards

 

I have created storyboards that include a short summary for each individual frame that I am thinking about using for my music video of the footage that I have taken that will be including for each frame. I have included a drawing of how I imagine for the frame to look like, along with the edit and length and also the type of shot and camera movement that I think will be appropriate to use for the shot. I have only included the most significant frames that I will want to include because there will be too many shots included to transfer into a storyboard. This will help me as a foundation and base that I will be able to look at when creating the video as it will guide me with how I wannt to direct my actors and artist, and also have an idea of what camera shots to use and its movement. This will make the process of the construction much quicker. 

Photos of location - London Greenwich

I have taken images of my second location that I will be using to take footage from. This is located just outside of the O2 Arena in Greenwich London. I have decided to use this location as the Fly Emerates cable carts provide a good view of the city from air. I will be riding on one of the cable carts at night to take footage of the city with lights on so that it creates a beautiful visual for the audience. I will be using footage from this location to connotate a bird's eye view look of the city as its almost like it takes the audience a flight around the city.

Photographs of location - bedroom

I have taken images of the first location that I will be using which is my bedroom. I feel like my bedroom was a necessary place to shoot footage for my music video because it was an appropriate location to use for the narrative of the video which was about two young sisters. This suited the narrative of it well because the location included various bright and girly colours such as the pink walls and it can also be considered as a typical children's room with the toys and the pictures hung up on the walls. I took a picture from each side of the room to demonstrate how it looks like clearly and where I will be taking footage from. The chairs will be used by the actors to sit on whilst they are drawing.

music video - first draft

Editing software

ADOBE PREMIERE PRO CS6
Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of the Adobe Creative Suite, a suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe systems. I believe that using this software to edit the footage that I took for my music video will be most appropriate to use because it includes all the necessary tools that will help me to produce a music video effectively. The advantages of using this software is that I am able to edit to the way I want and it will help me to work faster with a sleek, redesigner user interface. I will also be able to produce professional results with greater editing precision and benefit from a flexible and connected workflow. Furthermore, the features include a multiple sequence support, high bit-depth rendering, multi-camera editing, time remapping, colour correction tools and an advanced audio mixer interface. I am also able to automatically update sequence settings to match the clip. Adobe premiere is the industry standard for video editing today. It is a program that allows the user to be very hands on with images and videos. I will be able to manipulate the characteristics of each frame and picture in whatever way feels suitable. However, there are disadvantages including the fact that it requires a more powerful computer to run properly and that it is extremely expensive whilst movie maker comes free. I have already used this software to create my moodboard with images and it proved to be useful and effective.

 ADOBE INDESIGN CS6
Adobe Indesign CS6 is a page-layout software that takes print publishing and page design beyond current boundaries. InDesign is a desktop publishing program that incorporates illustration capabilities into its interface. It also allows for cross-platform interaction with Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat. I will be using this software to create my digipak and my magazine advertisement poster. I can also use this program to create the evaluation magazine for all of the questions because I believe that this software will be most appropriate to use for these kind of tasks. The advantages for using indesign is that it enables huge advances in the ability to resize layouts, alternate layouts can be housed in one document, PDF form tools, auto-sizing text frames, EPUB, HTML and PDF enhancements. However it also has its cons including the fact that some of the new featres are complex and come with a steep learning curve. I can overcome this by watching tutorials on YouTube.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS6
Adobe Photoshop CS6 is a popular image editing software that provides a work environment consistent with Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Photoshop and other products in the Adobe creative suit. I will be using this software to edit the images that I have taken for my digipak and album magazine poster as I believe that it will be most suitable to use for picture editing. Photoshop will be effective when it comes to editing the images because it includes a diverse set of tools that will allow me to edit the pictures to the way I want. There are several pros to using adobe photoshop CS6 as it is used in the industry standard for professional photo editing, graphic design and digital imaging. Also, it includes a fresh new look, useful features, and many user-inspired enhancements. Lastly, Photoshop provides a new background save and auto-recovery features that will prevent catastrophic data loss and wasted time. However, there are also cons for using this software and that includes the fact that using photoshop will be a steep learning curve.  I will be able to overcome this problem the same way as I would with using InDesign. This way I will be using tutorials to self-teach myself through using YouTube.

Analysis of song lyrics

I have taken lyrics of the song that I will be using for my music video from the internet and analysed the lyrics. I talked about certain lines of the song and their meaning that could be useful when it comes to thinking of what I want my music video to include. Analysing the lyrics of the song has allowed me to discover the meaning of it and therefore I am able to think of a suitable narrative to use. I found out that the song is to do with friendship or lovers that look back on their good memories that they share together. I am planning to use this narrative for my video. Also with some of the lyrics, I would like to match it with what is going on in the frame such as the line "lights go down" where I am thinking about using a candle that will go down.

Production diary - week 9

Filming / editing schedule

I have created a filming and editing schedule so that I can be organised when it comes to the construction of my music video. I have made a calender that runs throughout July 2014 to January 2015. I have missed out several months because I have a holiday at that time. This is just an initial plan of how I would like my editing and filming process to be like, however this may change overtime. This will be useful as it will help to keep me organised and keep up to date with my work.

Actor release form

I have taken the actor release form template from the media resources folder that my media department has already set up for me to just fill in. It is used to formally inform and get consent from the actors what will be happening through the process of producing my music video and also to show that I have their full consent with being able to use them for my video by writing down their signature, phone numbers and email addresses.

Props list

This is the props list that I have created so that I know what I will be needing when it comes to the construction of my music video. The equipment that I have decided to use are all relevant to helping me succeed in the music video that I want to achieve as they include the basic necessaties such as a camera and lighting, but also other props that are included as part of the mis-en-scene aspect of the music video. When it comes to the actual contruction of my music video, I will be able to look back on this list and look at what I have included and what I have missed out. Although, if I have any more further ideas of other props that I may want to use, I will just include them in and talk about it on my production diary posts.

Production diary - week 8

Actors & artist styling / costume planning

Follow mary's board ACTORS STYLING / COSTUME PLANNING - KIDS on Pinterest. Follow mary's board ARTIST STYLING / COSTUME PLANNING on Pinterest.
I have created a two seperate pinterest boards, one for the artist and one for the actors. I have included several images for each one of the costumes and outfits that I am thinking of using for my music video along with the different styling techniques such as the different hairstyles and accessories to go along with the looks. This will give me a platform to work with when it comes to the actual construction of my music video as I will be able to look back at this post and use it to think of what outfits to use.

Moodboard

I have created a moodboard using images I took from the internet, particularly in websites such as tumblr and pinterest. This is because these sites provide images that most people like and are popular. I have included images of how I want my video to look like and what it will include. This involves images of the props that I may be using such as glitter and children's drawings. I have also included images of what the narrative of the video will be like such as the theme of youth and friendship, therefore I have included images of children and kids enjoying youth together. Some of the images such as the theme parks and the polaroid camera, reflects how the audience of the music video will be like or have an interest in. This moodboard will help me when it comes to creating my own music video because it will give me a platform to work from and something that to produce the same vibe to the video as what the moodboard's images give away.

Initial planning ideas

I have created a prezi on the initial ideas that I have about what to include in my music video that I will be producing. These inital ideas involve song choice, locations, props, costumes, key lyrics potrayals, narrative and editing. Jotting down my ideas that I have at the moment on prezi will help me as a foundation to think of more ideas throughout the process of creating my music video. These ideas are still initial, and therefore will be improved and worked on to think other ideas.

Q4 draft

Production diary - week 7

Location Recce

I have taken a location recce fill out sheet template from the media home drive to fill out. This is my piece of research on what sort of locations I am thinking about using for my music video. In this, I have included the location, its address, images of the location and also its advantages and disadvantages. I have chosen the locations including: the black box room, London, my bedroom, a field and a party room. I've chosen these rooms specifically because I have already thought of an idea which I think will be suitable for these use of locations. Talking about their advantages and disadvantages, will help me to be aware of them and therefore improve on what the difficulties that may arise when it comes to the stage where I shoot the footage in those locations.

Music channels and festivals

I have done some research on exisiting music channels and music festivals. Music channels are television programmes that show music videos. This research will be useful for my own coursework because as I am creating a music video, I will want to know what types of music video will be acceptable to be shown in television. Music channels and music festivals are different types of promotion that I will be able to use for to promote my own music video. When it comes to talking about how I want to promote my music video, I will consider these factors and see which one I believe will be most suited for my artist. This research will enable me to do this as I have looked at what sort of artists and genre of music that are aired or performing at either the different types of music channels or music festivals.

Research equipment

I thought about the typical equipment that is used to create a music video, a digipak and a magazine advertisement. I have created a prezi demonstrating the different kinds of equipment that I am planning to use to carry out my tasks and which ones I believe will be most appropriate to use, in terms of software such as InDesign, Photoshop and Premiere Pro. I have realised that most of the software that I am planning to use to create my tasks are Adobe based which is provided for me in school so that I am able to edit my material easily. I have talked about the hardware that I will use including a Canon 550D DSLR and the advantages of using them. Other equipment that I have also talked about include equipment that I will use at home. This is mostly the props that I will be using although I have not included much because it is still early stages and I haven't got a definate platform and idea to work from. I will be including and more equipment when I come up with more ideas.

Production diary - week 6

Contact with artist

In order to gain full permission to use the song of my choice which was 'Wings' by Birdy for my music video, I had to contact her management to grant me permission to use it for copyright reasons. In order to do this, I looked for a way to contact Birdy's management and found an email on her official website where her management takes in any enquiries. Therefore I had emailed her managed for permission including why I would want to use her song and that all credits go to the artist and her management.

Audience Research

I have carried out research on the target audience for each individual genre of music. These genres include pop, drum and bass, indie, alternative rock and R&B. I have looked at the overall audience that typically listen to the specific type of genre. I looked at the gender, age, class, hobbies, and interests of each target audience for each genre. I found significance within each one. For example, I found that there are more males than females that listen to rock music. When it comes to creating the ancillary tasks for my coursework, this research will help me as once I decide on final song to use for my genre, I will consider what the target audience are like within that specific genre so that my products are able to entice the right audience. For example, I will consider their income and how much they earn as that will help me to determine how much I will sell my product for etc.

Analysis of previous students A2 work

I have analysed a previous students A2 coursework. I carried out this analysis by looking at her blog and her music video. I semiotically analysed her work sectioning the blog and the music video in two individual sections. For the blog section, I looked at how she had organised her work and the different work she has done in all of the stages of her coursework including the pre and post production stages. This will help me when it comes to completing my post production stage of my coursework as it has provided me with ideas on how I want my work to be carried out. Also, with analysing the music video - I talked about all the different aspects including camera, plot, mis-en-scene and setting. Analysing her music video has given me significant ideas on how I want my music video to look like. Also, she has used specific techniques that I believe will be effective to also use when it comes to creating my own such as the use of different shots and the pace that it goes with by the music.

Production diary - week 5

What is a digipak?

What is a digipak?
this voki talks about what a digipak is including a bit of history such as where it all started and who created it. It also includes information about how it is used and why. This will be useful when creating my own digipak as from this, I am able to know what it is used for and how the layout of it should look like including its content.

How does a digipak benefit the artist?
this voki explains the advantages that a digipak has to the artist. It talks about how the digipak should appear to have a representation of the artist for promotional purposes. This will help me when it comes to creating my own digipak as I will be aware of the idea that I should think about how audiences will remember the artist through the appearance and content of the digipak. It can also be used when it comes to the evaluation stage of my coursework, where I might be talking about promotion as I can mention how the digipak can be used as part of promotion through its appearance that represents the artist along with their genre.

Analysis of existing digipaks

I have created a semiotic analysis of different digipaks that are similar products to what I will be creating. In order to do this, I looked for existing digipaks that I believe are eye-catching and ones that I will want to take inspiration from when it comes to creating my own. I have chosen to analyse digipaks of artists who are successful in the music industry as I believe that their promotion tactics involving the layout and appearance of their digipak is effective which I want my own to be like. Therefore I have chosen to analyse the digipaks of the three artists: Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey and Beyonce. To analyse these digipaks effectively, I seperated each codes and conventions of digipaks in seperate boxes such as colour scheme, masthead and main image and analysed each individual aspect and talked about how effective they are. This will help me with creating my own digipak so I will have an idea on what to include and its typical codes and conventions.

Analysis of band/artist magazine advertisements

Here I have completed another semiotic analysis but this time of band or artist magazine advertisements promoting their album. Similarly to my analysis of digipaks, I have chosen to analyse three poster advertisements that I believe are effective and of famous well-known artists as I know that they are successful and probably because of their way of promoting their albums. Like I have done for the analyse of digipaks, I have analysed the magazine advertisements by analysing each of the codes and conventions seperately so that I am able to be more aware of what I should include in my own magazine advertisement when it comes to creating my own one. From this research I have found similar patterns and that is that the name and image of the artist is on the front cover. I will consider this when creating my own one as I believe that is it effective is the artist is well-known as it will be easily recognisable to the audience. I have also noticed that some of the posters have included the title to some of their most popular songs on the poster so that people who are unaware of the artist but have heard their song, will have an idea on what the album will be like enticing them to purchase it.

Research into the music genre

I have done some research on the genre of indie pop and indie rock music as that is the genre of music that I will be using for my music video. This will help me when it comes to the production stage of creating the video as I will already have an idea of what to include as from this research, I have gained knowledge on the different codes and conventions that are used in typical indie music videos which I hope to achieve with my own. I will have an idea on the settings, narrative, mise-en-scene, sound, camera and editing and also the audience of those who listen to indie music. The audience will be an important aspect to acknowldge so that I will have an idea of what the audience will be like and therefore include appropriate aspects in the video that will want that particular audience to enjoy it.

Production diary - week 4

Music video theory

I have researched into Goodwin's music video theory. From this, I have learnt that there are 5 key aspects to a music video that I should consider when creating my own music video. These 5 aspects include: thought through beat, relation between music and visuals, narrative and performance of the song, star image and technical aspect of the video. This research will be helpful when creating my own music video as it provides factors that I should consider in order for my video to be successful.

Research into artist

Birdy
Carrying out research on the artist of the song that I will be using for my music video, will help me with creating my music video as I can look more into her music and the genre of her songs. From discovering Birdy's music type, it will enable me to use different conventions that are appropriate to the genre of music. Also, looking at the artist's background and career will help me when it comes to talking about what music labels to use for my music video that is most appropriate. Also, this research will provide me with information about the artist and to look at all of her other videos to get more ideas for my own.
 

Biography

• Born on the 15th of May 1996
• Her real name is Jasmine van den Bogaerde but is better known or her stage name Birdy
• She is an English singer-songwriter
• Her stage name comes from the nickname her parents gave to her as a baby

Career

• Won the music competition Open Mic UK in 2008 at the age of 12
• Her debut single, a version of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" was her breakthrough, charting all across Europe and earning platinum certification six times in Australia.
• Her self-titled debut album, Birdy, was released on 7th of November 2011
• Got similar success, peaking at number 1 in Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands
• Her second studio album, Fire Within, was released 23rd of September 2013 in the UK and other surrounding countries.

Music

• Her genre is of Folk, indie folk, indie pop and indie rock
• She also plays the piano and guitar
• Her record label that she is signed to is Lady of the Lake, Warner Bros
• Birdy contributed three songs to the soundtrack for the movie The Fault in Our Stars: "Tee Shirt", "Best Shot" and "Not about Angels". Videos for both have been officially released.
• In March 2012, Birdy was one of the artists who contributed to The Hunger Games film soundtrack with her single "Just a Game".
• In June 2012, Birdy contributed the song "Learn Me Right" with Mumford and Sons to the Pixar film Brave for which she recieved her first Grammy Award nomination.

Evidence of videos I admire

These are just a few examples of music videos that I admire. I admire all three of these videos for different reasons such as the message that the video conveys, the aesthetic look to the video or just the overall editing. As I am still unsure about ideas for my own music video, hopefully watching these other existing music videos will help me think of some ideas and how I would want my video to achieve the same standard of being admired by others. Through this research, it has helped me to see what makes music videos have that factor and therefore can take in ideas for my own video.

 LET GO FOR TONIGHT - FOXES

This music video is one that I really admire because of the use of its aesthetic display. The video uses a range of different bright colours to depict a happy and energetic vibe which I really like about video along with its contrast from the beginning of the video which was all white. It’s use of mis-en-scene is also what had enticed me to watch the music video because I like the slow motion effects on the coloured food being thrown as it makes a great effect in the way that the video looks. I also admire the idea that her music video is relevant to the genre of pop which is what her song is. This also helps to make it audience appropriate as from looking at the video, people can easily tell the her target audience is of a young population. The way that the video is set out is effective as it entices this particular audience. Her video is also very postmodern as its use of colour can be tied in with Andy Worrall's artwork.

 BLUE JEANS - LANA DEL REY

This is another music video that I also really admire because of its aesthetic display. However this video contrasts from ‘let it go for tonight’ as it uses a grayscale instead of the use of colour. This is effective as it reflects the mood of the music video as the song is quite slow pace and expresses a great deal of emotion. The use of the water’s reflection also makes a good shot for the music video as again it depicts the emotion of the video very well as the water could be a significance for the representation of cleansing of sins or of a sad nature. It’s wide use of shots as well to emphasize the dramatic effect is also what I really like about the music video as it helps to demonstrate the narrative of the video very well. Lana Del Rey is a very unique artist in the music industry as she likes to use a lot of postmodern aspects to her music videos that are full of Intertextual factors. However it appears as this one differs from all of her other ones as this video includes less Intertextual factors and is more on the simplicity side. This is another reason why I admire this video because it goes away from Lana’s stereotypical artist persona and helps the audience to discover other sides of the artist. 

 PRETTY HURTS - BEYONCE

Beyoncé is a very popular and well-known artist who is very powerful in the music industry today. Her music video for the song ‘Pretty Hurts’ is one which I admire due to its message and how it is portrayed well to the audience. The music video and the song both received positive reviews by critics who generally praised Beyoncé's acting, the cohesion between the video and its lyrical content as well as the meaningful message behind it. In the video, Beyoncé describes the sickness behind perfection and the damaging effects to the body it usually has, something that occurs mostly with eating disorders. The song sends a message about increasing a person’s self-esteem and self-love as well as respecting a person’s character instead of the physical looks. This is why I admire the video as its message through the video’s narrative is very inspirational to her audience and it matches the lyrics of the song perfectly.

Production diary - week 3

Analysis of a music video

 

This is an analysis of a typical music video which is set out similar to my conventions of a music video post. However this post talks more about the narrative and what the audience is able to see from it including shots as well. I thought I would make it a bit more different from the conventions post as I have already talked about the different conventions. This time, I wanted to analyse the music video more into the audience's perspective and what they can see from it. This will help me with the production of my own music video because it has enabled me to think more of the asthetic aspect of the music video and how I would want the audience to understand it through its narrative and also the different shots that I will be using for my own video and how particular ones I will choose will be effective.

Influences of music style

 

I have done research on what has influenced the different genres of music in the music industry. I have looked at only 4 different genres out of many which include: pop, rock, alternative and R&B because I believe are the most known and popular genres that I may want my music video to use. Using this research, it will be helpful when it comes to creating my own music video. This is because I can have an idea on what music style I will use for my video and the content that I may want to include in my video that will link in to the music style that I have chosen. Also, when it comes to the evaluation stage of my video, I will be able to talk about what has influenced me to have chosen the genre for the song on my video.

Research into a music video director

I have done some research on a famous music director - Jonas Akerlund who has directed music videos for popular well-known artists such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Maroon 5. I have looked at what makes him unique as a director and why he stands out from other typical music video directors. What makes him special is that he has a signiture style that pushes the boundaries of the status quo and he also takes inspiration and produces music videos that are parodies of short films and also trailers of movies. This will help me when it comes to producing and planning for my music video because it has made me aware of what my signiture style will be as a music video director for my own music video. What will make my music video stand out from others and will it be unique. Also, Jonas Akerlund's ideas for music videos that are based on short films or trailers is a good idea because it will make the process of producing my music video easier if I had a base to start with as I can replicate it. I also really like his idea of pushing boundaries of the status quo because I can include aspects of my music video that has never been seen before to make it more unique.

Production diary - week 2

Research into existing record labels

Research into existing record labels is important for the evaluation stage of my coursework. Here I have done some research on the big four record companies in the music industry today. I have looked into each one individually looking out for differences and which ones are most successful. Research on this topic included looking at the different platforms from which the record labels have started from e.g. Universal Music Group was an unimportant extension of the Universal Pictures Group which is one of the most successful movie studios in Hollywood. I have also learned that there are subsidiary labels among these central labels. This research will help me with the evaluation stage of my coursework as it will be easy for me to choose which record label to choose for my own music video and see which one is most appropriate in order for the music video to be more successful. Discovering the different artists that are signed to each label is useful as I will then choose the label which most artists or bands that are similar in genre to my own and are successful in their area as I know that the label that they are signed to are reliable for my own music video.

Conventions of a music video

This piece of research evidence is focused on the conventions of a music video. I looked at what specific factors are typically included in music videos in order to make it look professional. These aspects include different camera shots/movements, the importance of mis-en-scene, the way it is edited, the use of lighting, sound, props, costumes and colour. For my research I had used a typical music video to show how these conventions are presented. This will help me when it comes to making my own music video as this research will enable me to be aware of the different conventions that I should include in my video in order for it to look professional.  

History of music video

This is my first piece of research evidence for my A2 coursework. This piece of research is focused on the history of the music video. I have researched on how the music video has developed over time, how it all started, how significant of a role it has played on the music industry, and other interesting facts such as the most expensive music video ever produced. My research includes information about how the music video all started which dates back to the 19th century starting off with the creation of the 'illustrated song'. All of the information included is set out in a timeline structure to allow readers to see how the music video has developed successfully over the years. This will help me with my coursework as I will be able to get an inside look into how the music video has developed differently over the years and where the future may hold for music videos. Included in my research are the different platforms where the audience is able to get hold of looking at music videos such as through the use of the internet including popular websites such as YouTube and other platforms such as iTunes. This will help me with completing my evaluation process of my coursework where I will be talking about how I will promote my music video as I will be able to talk about the different ways people are able to see the music video therefore use those particular platforms as part of the promotion for my music video.

Production diary - week 1