Additional Filming

I recently filmed some more footage over the weekend. I filmed myself singing the song all the way through, I did this about 4 times; I used different angles, a change in code of dress and use of props to signify emotional expression.

I am focussing on the editing; my main aim to to establish the distinction between the performer/artist and the actress who drives the narrative forward.

Current Process and Limitations

At the moment, editing is going well, however, I still need to make the cuts parallel to the beats. I have added all the content on the time line and non-linear editing is working well for the narrative. Lip-syncing is still slightly patchy, therefore I have decided to film more performance in order to make the video look more like a 'music video'. I will be using myself as the performing artist, and I will use my previous actress as part of the narrative. This can make the video more interestong as there is an extra character involved, also there will be a wider range of foottage. This will jazz up the visuals more.

Continuing Editing

I am coming to the end of my editing process, the music video if very close to being completed. However, after discussing it with my teacher, I must reconsider some of the shots I am using. At the moment within the video, there is no metaphoric object or subject that the audience can cling onto while watching the sequence. I may even have to do extra filming over the Christmas holidays, however, I do not think this will be possible as my actress is busy and I have a short film to work on. Plus, I have to make my editing suitable to the beat of the music, at the moment it is quite distorted.  Although, the class has been given the opportunity to edit for the whole day, I am determined to finish and accomplish all I need to do within this time span.

Digipack Research

I have recently explored upon research for my upcoming digipack, I have found and analysed some albums of artists with a similar genre and sound to the music I am working with for the video. From this research I have gained some ideas and visions of what my digipack is going to look like, I have also taken some pictures that I will be using.

Continuing Editing

I am at the stage in editing whereby I am lip syncing the music with the visuals. Two of my teachers gave us a lesson on how to lip sync in the easiest way possible. This does mean that I will have to re-order some of the clips as I have moved quite ahead. I am also adding in the further filming that I have done. Although, my ideas are now coming together and my editing should be done by the deadline.

Extra Filming

On Saturday 12th November I decided to do some extra filming with the actress that I am using and another character. I am currently taking part in a cotillion debut dance, whereby, 18 couples must dance with each other to an elegant routine. With the help of my teacher, we came up with the idea of filming my actress to dance with her partner, and use this as a flashback of what her relationship was like with her boyfriend. This could denote signs of compassion and give the audience something to hold onto while listening to the song. It also creates more of a meaning to the lyrics.
The overall filming day was successful, however, I was limited to the amount of shots I could take due to time consumption.

First Day of Editing

Today I looked over all my shots and started editing my music video. I have been using a programme called Final Cut Express, which is very straight forward and simple to use, which is a bonus when it comes to putting the shots together.

So far, there have not been any major complications, however, I do feel that the performance isn't up to the standard I would like it to be. Unfortunately, I can't re-film anything because the actress I used is no longer available. With a bit of motivation and focus I can edit the video to make it turn out the way I want it to. I have edited the opening and closing of my video, because that is where the narrative and concept lies. The rest involves lip syncing, transitions and cuts. With the help of my teachers and planning, hopefully this will run smoothly.

2nd Day of Filming - 27th October 2011

Today was my second and last day of filming. The location was mainly within a bedroom, this is where I filmed my actress miming the whole song and expressing deep and depressing emotions. The only issue I had was directing my actress to act a certain way, we were held back by the amount of laughing that occurred while filming. This was soon resolved after a few shots. Throughout the process, the confidence of the actress grew and we moved onto another location, which was in the forest. It was here that we filmed the opening and closing of the music video. All in all, the actress and I worked together to come up with more ideas, which were actually better than I originally planned. I feel like, with all the filming done, I have done everything I possibly can and although I had to resort to another actress, it may bring a new aspect upon the video. This could be a bonus. I will soon start editing and putting my shots together.

1st Day of Filming - 22nd October 2011

Today was my first video shoot for the A2 production, however, I had to resort to a new actress, due to the fact that the previous character had an accident. Although, she is recovering, she is not well enough to cast in my music video. My current actress is Danielle Alcaide, who suits the look that I am aiming for, her modern approach to style depicts the young audience that I am targeting.

The weather was just right for the section I was filming in; sunny yet slightly cloudy. Most of my filming was centered around iconography within Central London, such as The London Eye, Big Ben, Waterloo Bridge and Nelson's Colossium. These will be used as establishing and master shots to indicate the urban vibe that I am portraying. I also filmed Danielle within the areas of the iconography, pondering upon her thoughts of desperate love. I came up with an idea using a silver charm bracelet as a metaphor for the protagonist; this is a bracelet her boyfriend gave her. The constant use of the bracelet being tightly held onto, will indicate how tightly she is holding onto this relationship. My overall problem was the shakiness of the video camera when I was attempting panning shots, on the contrary, I tightened the knobs on the tripod and re-filmed the shots. I also took the opportunity to take some shots with my still camera, for my digipack. I am hoping to continue my filming and picture taking on Thursday. Overall, my first filming session was a success.

Filming Schedule

IN THE FOREST: 27th Ocotber 2011
-Opening and closing of the music video.
-Barnet or Hyde Park?
-360 degree panning shot.
-Actor needs a change of clothes.
-Props needed: boyish clothes, envelope.

CENTRAL LONDON: 22nd October 2011
-Main body of the music video.
-Southbank, Leicester Square (Trocodero).
-Need just one set of clothes.
-Props needed: coffee cup, money.

BEDROOM: 27th October 2011
-Main body of the music video.
-Need a set of home clothes or pyjamas.
-Props needed: teddy bear, ice cream, hair ties.

Lyrics and Visuals

Storyboard

Montage of Ideas

My actress has a bold yet simple look. With her bright hair and piercing eyes, she will be more of a focus to the target audience (16-24 year old females). Her body language and simple look will define the vulnerability she is faced with, the wide range of cinematography will help set this concept in place.

Within this mood board, there are pictures that are centered around the theme of London. The coffee represents a calming and relaxing atmosphere which will contrast with the anxiety that the protagonist is portraying. I am hoping to have a particular shot whereby the actress is drinking coffee on her own while gazing out into the distance. The editing will be fairly slow-paced to suit the beat of the song.

I am planning to involve a montage of shots that will link in with the lyrics and the emotion shown. Such as hearts, couples holding hands and hopefully a sunset if the schedule goes to plan, these are all metaphors of what the protagonist is wanting in the near future. Basically, a pipe dream. I am also going to film shots of the surroundings that the music video is set in, so the audience can get the urban vibe that I am giving across. Shots of iconography such as Big Ben and Tower Bridge will be used, shots of compact crowds and street art - this in particular, is being used to show how the actress blends into the crowd as does her story, her situation is just one of the many city life situations. This idea was inspired by the closing scene of the 'Bicycle Thieves', in which I am studying in film studies.

Within the mood board, there is a picture of a simple, girly bedroom. This will be a cliche that I am going to use, of the actress miming the song whilst looking out the window, and frantically walking around the room. A good example of this is from the music video 'Little Too Late' by JoJo.

I am slightly breaking the conventions of the R&B genre, because within my music video the narrative is not the main theme, the performance is. However, I could argue that it is the fact that I am portraying on independent recording artist, as does a lot of females in the music industry e.g. Keri Hilson, Ciara, JoJo and Lady Gaga.

Mind-Mapping

Planning - Storyboard

I am currently in the process of producing a storyboard for my A2 production. I decided to make some research into the making of a storyboard, so I could gain some ideas.
A storyboard is the base of planning when producing a theatrical visual, it is the foundation of what is going to be shown on the screen. A storyboard often involves ideas of sounds, editing, props, actors but most of all cinematography and iconography. It allows the director and production artists to figure out exactly what is going to happen and how it is going to take place, it must also be suitable for the target audience. A detailed storyboard needs a visual element, some written dialogue and signs that suggest how long the shot is going to last for.
For example, this is a basic storyboard for the music video of Rihanna's 'Disturbia'...

Here is a detailed storyboard that contains a written element...

I have been drawing and annotating my storyboard, however, I am still in the process of adding in more ideas.

Gender Representation in Music Videos

Recently, my class and I had a lesson on gender representation in music videos of many genres. This reflects how viewers see males and females in society as well as behind a camera. We looked at the music video 'Buttons' by Snoop Dogg and Pussycat Dolls, and how the female R&B band represent themselves. We deconstructed the video down to use of body, facial expressions, mise-en-scene, others' reactions to person/s - the gaze(s) and how the camera frames the body. Overall, we analyzed that the Pussycat Dolls came off as sexual objects available to the viewers, although they did some teasing to make the video more independent, Snoop Dogg played the role of the onlooker because he didn't take much part in the video, and a lot of the shots seemed to be taken from his perspective.

Personally, I would like to subvert these stereotype conventions and represent the artist as a calm and collected human being. Especially because the song has more of an emotional element rather than sexual context. I am hoping to use simplistic shots that will give off this concept:

In terms of costume, I would like it to be simplistic yet bold enough to recognize the artist, as opposed to revealing any part of the body other than the face...

 This is more of the look I am choosing. >>>

<<< This is the look I wish NOT to choose.

In terms of make-up, the actor's skin will look natural, this would make the facial expressions more visible according to the lyrics, especially if I am hoping to use a lot of close-ups. For example, this picture of Katy Perry...

 

Mood Board

The Auteur Theory

Auteur Theory
To be dubbed an auteur, a film-maker must have a portfolio of work which can be analyzed for constant themes and considerations, whether they occur intentionally or unintentionally. One example would be the theme in Steven Spielberg’s work. In addition to this, an auteur must have a differentiating style, almost instantly recognisable.
The most common examples given to represent the auteur theory are Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick.


Case Study: Tim Burton

One example of a director that could be considered an auteur, Tim Burton’s films have a very distinct style, and he often deals with similar themes in his work. In general, the lead character is separated from society in some way – a misfit. In the character of Edward Scissorhands, this idea is taken to the very extreme: the main character cannot even touch another person. Other examples of this character type include Batman, Beetlejuice, and to a very certain extent, Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Burton’s movies also have a distinct style, generally giving off a gothic feel. In addition, Burton is known for using stop-motion animation in his films, the prime examples being The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. He is also known for reusing actors and actresses, such as Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Danny Elfman often produces the music for the movies.


Michael Bay started off his career working at ‘Propaganda Films’ where he would direct commercials and music video. Bay's success in music videos gained the attention of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who selected him to direct his first feature-length film, Bad Boys. The film was shot in Miami in 1994 and starred Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The action film proved to be a break-out role for Smith, who was segueing from television to films at that time.The film was completed for $19 million dollars and grossed a remarkable $141 million at the box office in the summer of 1995. Bay's success led to a strong partnership and friendship with Jerry Bruckheimer.

• "Soldier of Love" by Donny Osmond (1989) (director)
• "Angelia" by Richard Marx (1989) (director)
• "I'll Be Holding On" by Greg Allman (1989) (director) ... from the film Black Rain
• "I Love You" by Vanilla Ice (1991) (director)
• "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls (1991) (director)
• "Love Thing" by Tina Turner (1992) (director)
• "Do It to Me" by Lionel Ritchie (1992) (director)
• "You Won't See Me Cry" by Wilson Phillips (1992) (director)
• "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf (1993) (director)
• "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" by Meat Loaf (1994) (director)
• "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" by Meat Loaf (1994) (director)
• "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" by Aerosmith (1997) (director)
• "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill (2001) (director) ... Theme from Pearl Harbor
Michael Bay is now a successful and very well known director in Hollywood. He has directed action blockbusters such as the Transformers series, The Island and the Bad Boys series. I have noticed that Bay's style of directing music videos were very similar. He likes to use a lot of slow motion to capture emotion or a relevant piece of action. This makes the effect more heart felt and has more of an impact upon the audience. An example of this is 'There You'll Be' by Faith Hill, emotional response was inevitable within this because there a few scenes from the award winning film Pearl Harbor. The use of zooming in and out portrays beauty and also making the viewers feel as though they are part of the scene. Performance wise, there is use of a smoke and wind machine, to enhance the way the artist feels towards the lyrics. This is also used in 'Angelia' by Richard Marx. A lot of these techniques are still used in Michael Bay's directing style today.


This has influenced me to find my own directing style and hopefully make a distinctive music video.

Lyrics to chosen song

Xaviera – I Gotta Know


VERSE 1
I gotta know…
The silly games you play are tearing me apart,
One minute you’re in love the next minute you’re not,
Say you’re ready to settle down, but you’re never around.
Boy if you want my love, I’ve got to know right now.
CHROUS
I wanna know (do you still want me)
I gotta know (do you still love me)
I gotta know (am I everything you need) Am I everything you need!
(Do you still want me) I gotta know
(Do you still love me ) I gotta know (Am I everything you need) ooohh yeah.
VERSE 2
So hard to love you when you keep me so confused,
You make me feel so good then leave me feeling used.
I, I know I don’t deserve this pain and all this hurt,
I’ve gotta know right now if you want this to work.
CHORUS
I gotta know (do you still want me)
I gotta know (do you still love me)
I gotta know (am I everything you need) x2
BRIDGE
I prayed you get on bended knee and say you’d spend your life with me,
No more cruel and stupid games, ‘cause my heart cant stand the pain.
If you’re only gonna play, then I rather you walk away,
But if you want our love to grow and tell me so.
CHORUS
I gotta know (do you still want me)
I gotta know (do you still love me)
I gotta know (am I everything you need) Am I everything you need!
(Do you still want me) I got to know!
(Do you still love me) I gotta know, no, no, no, no. (am I everything you need)
Do you still want me? (do you still want me)
Do you still love me? (do you still love me)
I gotta know, no, no (am I everything you need) do you still need me?
Show me, oooohhh tell me, I wanna feel, like I’m everything you need.
I gotta know…

The overall message of the song is about how a young girl is going through an on/off relationship, with someone she is completely in love with. However, the other partner is not sure about how deep into this relationship he is in, he hasn't yet and won't confess how he feels about this female (Xaviera). The continuos use of the words "I gotta know" represent how desperate and anxious the protagonist is feeling, there are questions involved within the lyrics to clearly speak Xaviera's mind, such as "do you still love me? Do you still want me?"
The lyrics connote that time seems to be running out and there is this vital need to know where the relatioinship stands. The slow paced beat and ongoing vocals promote pain, hurt, and confusion; this also helps to keep that feeling of desperation ongoing. The bridge sings "I pray you get on bended knee, and you'd spend your life with me" shows that maybe the protagonist isn't just looking for true love, but also a future with this person e.g. marriage, children, a home together etc. Considering that the artist who wrote this song is at the mature stage of starting a family, maybe that is the one thing she is looking for by singing this song.
the connotion of the song has shown me that the main concept in this video should be performance, the lyrics speak out to a large number of people and express such deep emotions, this should be testified by the actor. I am hoping to use a small narrative but emotion should be a constant back-bone throughout the music video.

Music Video Ideas - Areas

Recently I have been thinking about areas and places in which I can film my music video. I havent thought much about the storyline, however, I have decided to take priority in the sort of background I will be filming in because that is where the visuals really work in. My first choice is to film in Central London, amongst the tourist attractions such as Tower Bridge, London Eye and Big Ben. Around the focal points, I can have the actor miming the song, along with good editing such as fade in and outs, and cuts that apply to the beat of the track.

I was thinking of doing most of my filming during the daytime when it is light, however, during some emotional parts of the song such as the middle 8, I would like to film in the night time. Reson being, that along with the wintery weather, and gorgeous lights of London City, the visuals will suit the lyrics more.
There is a particular scene I would like to film that involves the female actress hawving an argument with a boy. However, the way it will be filmed will be from the male's point of view, meaning he will be holding the camera. Therefore, the viewer will never get to see the boys face. This idea was inspired by Will Yong's music video 'Leave Right Now'. Whereby, Will was constantly singing to the camera as if he was talking to someone in front of him.

I am hoping to film this scene in an open forest with lots of scenery and space. That way, the major focus will just be the female actress and the effect the male has on her.

Risk Assessment
 Area of filming: I must make sure that upon filming within central london, I take care as to where I am placing the equipment e.g. not keeping the camera to close to the edge of the bridge where it would have a high risk of falling over. Not only that but I must take personal care as to where I am when filming, nowhere to close to the side of the bridge or in an area that could cause harm to ones self. I or whoever may be helping me film, must where sensible firm grip shoes to prevent an slips that could cause an accident.


 

Research

My search for unsigned music artists is now over and I have chosen to work with Xaviera's song 'I Gotta Know'. As part of my planning, I have decided to analyse a music video of the same genre to my chosen music:

Beyonce

• American R&B artist, actress and fashion designer.

• Number one hits are ‘Crazy In Love’ and ‘Baby’ from her album debut.

• She holds over 9 Grammy Awards.

• The song depicts how Beyonce saw the monster that her boyfriend was hiding behind, that innocent looking face. And she is thankful that things didn’t get more serious with him.

‘Best Thing I Never Had’ Promotional Video

• Beyonce’s characters represent independent women who don’t need a man to make them happy. The lyrics along with her sarcastic edge promote the thin line between making mistakes and making the right choices. However, at the same time she is looking on the bright side of life.

• The editing is kept at an average pace; it is sometimes obtained with the beat of the song. This could relate to the calmness of the artist amongst the situation.

• A lot of light and simplistic colours are used such as white, gold and beige. This could signify elegancy over heartbreak, and a new beginning. The use of Beyonce wearing a wedding dress by the sunset depicts that she has moved on and is happy. It is a ‘in your face’ concept.

• Lyrics such as “you don’t deserve my tears” gives off this message, that she is a better women than that and shouldn’t have to waste time on someone who belongs to her past.

Analysis of CD cover

• She stands out from the simple and unusual backdrop of the shower.

• She looks quite dominating with the strong uphold of her body language, her own reflection in the mirror could signify how she sees herself that way also.

• The use of the lipstick title ‘King B’ signifies rebellion with graffiti but also power. Although Beyonce is a female, she represents herself as a king, which stands for utmost authority amongst everyone.

• The black titles are bold, simplistic and sophisticated.

Analysis of ‘4’ Promotion

• Once again, bold and eye catching yet sophisticated and simplistic titles. Defines her new look back from ’Crazy In Love’ where she used a lot of bright colours and more of an urban feel.

• Both pictures of Beyonce look strong and powerful. However, the top right hand picture shows slight vulnerability judging by her blunt facial expression and hands behind her head. This is a contrast towards the message she is sending out in the song plus her opposing body language.

Planning

After finally deciding that I wanted to work with an R&B song, I started to search for unsigned and original artists. I started off by searching through a website called , which turned out to be unsuccessful for the genre of music I am working on. Other websites I searched on were www.ukbands.net, www.musicmag.com and www.unsigned.com where I found some artists with beautiful music. I emailed a few people from this website, however, there were no positive responses. I then found another website called www.theluvdj.com where i found an artist called Xaviera who has a beautiful voice and a great collection of her own written songs, I emailed her and she instantly responded the green light and allowed me to gain copyright of her song 'I Gotta Know'. Luckily, I got a great response from an artist called eJay Spirit who I found on www.mp3unsigned.com, however, his song did not completely fit the criteria.

The email I used to contact these artists was:

To whom it may concern,

My name is Samara Addai and I am a year 13 student currently studying at Queen Elizabeth's Girls School. At the moment I am working on my Media coursework which involves producing a music video using an original artist, hence the reason why I am contacting you today. I would love to gain copyright to use the song (insert name of song) performed by (insert name of band/artist). I truely believe it would be a great choice for the genre of music I am working on. It would be an extra bonus if the performer could take a small part in my music video, however, if you decide this is not appropriate I will completely understand. Although, I would be so grateful to grasp this opportunity to work with such good music. If you conclude yes, I would be thankful if you could contact me through my email: samara_addai@yahoo.co.uk I am also happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about my coursework.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Samara Addai.

Although I have had a good response from two artists, I will still continue my search to have a thorough number of songs to choose from.

Planning for A2 Advanced Production

The task for the advanced production is to produce a media portfolio, comprising of:

a) the main task, to produce a music promo for the single from the album/digipack. The music chosen must be copyright free/copyright permission given from the record company/artist. The music promo must reflect the forms and conventions of the pop video itself plus the forms and conventions of the genre of music.

b) subsidary task, is to produce the packaging for the digipack ie. the album plus video extras. This is to be produced on photoshop in the form of a net which then produces the album cover.

c) to produce a magazine advert for the digipack.

Both tasks B and C also need to reflect the forms and conventions of the media product and the music genre.

PLANNING:

I started off by choosing a genre I felt I could work with proficiently, my original choices were acoustic blues, souls, contemporary rock and R&B.

I decided to choose R&B, not only because I am a big fan of this type of music, but because I felt like with a continuous beat, I would be able to produce a music video with good editing.

First Time Filming

Over the half term I was able to do some filming. I was aiming to complete all of it, however, I was encountered with a few problems. Not all of my actors/actresses were able to turn up on the day of my filming, and for the rest of the half term they were on holiday. On the other hand, I was able to accomplish my main shots of the couple, although I did watch over it, feeling somewhat disappointed. I am planning to re-do some of the mistakes I made such as breaking the 180 degree rule.

My Idea For Media Practical Production

5th January 2011

Yesterday I presented a verbal pitch to my teacher and class, briefly explaining what my film is about and what idea I had for my title sequence.

I have decided to work on my own in order to give me better experience and practice of directing part of my own movie.

My film is a romantic drama about a popular teenage boy who has found out that he has been diagnosed with a life threatening illness, leaving him only 3 months to live. After shadowing out his entire social life, he meets a uniquely quirky girl. As they fall in love, he completely forgets about his illness, not realising that he hasn't told his girlfriend.

For my title sequence I had an idea using a similar opening to the film 'Funny People (2009)', where there are memories from a home video. It will start off quite dramatic in order to engage the audience.

-The boy will be in a hospital bed being examined by a few doctors and nurses who are panicking about his extremely fast heartbeat.

-The camera will then zoom into his eye and transition into a flashback of him walking in the park and holding hands with his girlfriend.

-In the background we can hear laughs, chatter, but still the sound of a fast paced heartbeat.

-The flashbacks will come back and forth, as if his life is repeating in his head.

-After a couple of flashbacks and hospital shots, the screen will cut to a black screen. However, the heartbeat will still be heard, after a few seconds the heartbeat will stop and will change into a flatlining sound (ECG machine).

-In the same black screen, there will be a male's voiceover saying 'Let's start from the beginning. or some form of love quote.

I still have more ideas to brainstorm but for now I am working with the basics. I still have to come up with a title fro my film.