28th October's Production Post

We filmed a number of shots on the final location in Cheam that was decided upon. As these shots have a lot of greenery and foliage in them, we will ensure that we use colour correction in order to make the shots as attractive as possible; and therefore engaging to the audience. We still have one 'major' section left to film, which will include Jack and his girlfriend, that I hope will provide context for the audience in the final edit. 


We are unsure of the exact location where this will take place but due to a tight timetable, we'd prefer it to be in the local area but not as recognisable. We have also started work on the ending, and although this is very much a work in progress, it is starting to take some shape. In a week's time I'll update our overall progress on the edit, as well as news on any footage we have filmed. 

25th October's Production Post

As we are now in the half term, virtually all of the members of our group as well as our actors have other commitments and therefore the pace of the workload has slowed. However once we get back in on Monday we will be looking to hit the ground running in regard to the shots of lip syncing that will allow us to vary the types of shots that we have already. There is also one shot that hopefully will be filmed at some point this week which relates to the line 'you never sent me no letters', so we will have this ready to place in our music video as soon as we get back and regroup next week. 

21st October's Production Post

Today we decided that we need to obtain more footage, so this is something we are going to have to action not only over the half term (which begins on Monday) but after that week as well. During the past week we filmed one shot which involved posting many letters through a letterbox in order to correspond with the line: 'you never sent me no letters', which can be seen below. 


We have realised that there are a few lines for which we lack material so when we next film with our actor (who is unfortunately on holiday until the end of half term) we will ensure that these certain lyrics are covered. As for a location, either Nonsuch or Richmond Park have been touted as possibilities as they are both easily accessible and attractive areas. In my next production post, I will include updates in regard to work with the Digipaks as well as any filming or editing we have undertaken. 

A screenshot of the footage that we filmed, which fulfils Goodwin's Theory as it relates directly to the lyrics.

18th October's Production Post

Due to the timetables and commitments of both of our actors we have been unable to film the final and arguably one of the most important scenes in our music video. It was originally supposed to be within the introduction of our music video, but due to its narrative it seems better that it takes place around halfway though the video instead. Over the next few days, the group is going to get together and plan what needs to be actioned upon in regard to what we have or haven't filmed as our music video is starting to take shape at this moment in time. 

14th October's Production Post

The group is making strong progress with the music video, and with one very short section left to film, I feel we are in a good position at this moment in time. The beginning of our music video is looking very strong, and I'm sure the rest of the music video will follow suit in the coming days and weeks. There are a few extra mini projects I have been working on in After Effects, which can be seen below and that in my opinion will have added more substance to the final music video.


We are looking at the 18th to get our final piece of filming finished, and from that point onwards we can completely focus on the editing side of things. It has interested me to see how our idea has developed over time, and I'm sure that this will have made the video better than I had imagined previously. We will be looking to use things such as colour correction to enhance the clips that are already in place, and this type of effect alongside any filming we will complete will be present in the next production blog. 

An idea that I decided to test out, but the name of our
character is yet to be decided upon. 

We have started to work on the ending of our music
video, which will be the crux in regard to the audience's
reaction. 

11th October's Production Post

We have used the sections that we have filmed in the past week to form a strong beginning to our music video which ultimately allows the audience to form a connection with Jack from the outset. If both of our actors are available together at the same time over the next fortnight we will be looking to film the shots of them both which will add context to the video itself. Although we haven't started to design our Digipaks yet, ideas are starting to form and once we reach the latter stages of our editing we will look to push on with designing and finishing those.

7th October's Production Post

On 7 October, we travelled locally to Carshalton Ponds and the surrounding area there in order to film possibly the most important shot in the whole music video with the twist at the end. Admittedly, we didn't spend as long here as we did when we were filming in London but this was probably due to the ease of transport, and the fact that the shots we needed to film were somewhat minimalistic. 


As you can see from the images below, our Final Cut Express project is starting to take shape by this point, and you can also see some of the shots that we have taken. As a lot of the footage we have filmed up to now as been rather atmospheric, we will be looking to play with the colour correction in order to heighten the atmosphere within said shots. This, along with more specific details about our editing process will be in my next production blog, which will appear here soon.

4th October's Production Post

On 4 October our group once again travelled to London, but this time with our actor, and I believe this day has allowed us to make a strong foothold in the project as a whole. The day itself all but went to plan, and although we decided to divagate from certain locations within the plan that we had created, I personally feel that we obtained enough footage after we filmed many verses being lip synced in differing locations and coming up with some fantastic ideas for shots.

The day pretty much went off without a hitch, apart from being told that we needed a permit to film in Trafalgar Square but this didn't hinder our filming in the slightest. As you can see from the images below, we paid a lot of attention to detail of what was in each shot, and this has ultimately allowed the music video to look more and more professional in its quality. 

Our next filming session will be taking place on Friday 7 October, where we will be looking to film the integral part to our ending, as well as a few more verses that we perhaps neglected on the Tuesday. As ideas are still coming out when we are filming, the teamwork in our group couldn't be at a higher level and I feel very confident that this will result in the best end product possible. 

30th September's Production Post

We are still planning to film in London on Tuesday, and now we have confirmation that our actor Jack will definitely be free, this will allow us to push on with our music video and especially the beginning. We have decided as a group that we will head to the area around Trafalgar Square at first and then branch out to other places in order to obtain a variety of shots. These shots will need to be both shots of the surroundings as well as shots of Jack lip syncing different parts of the song in different locations as we begin to piece of music video together. 

27th September's Production Post

On 27 September, our group travelled to London in order to film for our music video. Unfortunately, our actors were not able to join us as they had academic commitments but we used the day wisely and we were able to film what could best be characterised as 'filler shots' and to also take photographs for the Digipak that we will soon be designing. 


Below, you can see some of the pictures that we took and will be utilizing in the design phase of our project. Our next filming session will be taking place on 4 October, for which there will be another post like this, and our actors will be free this time around so we will be taking a big step in regard to the progress of our music video. 


Aside from this day, we have taken more photos for usage with the designing of the Digipak and its advert. Furthermore, I have been experimenting with After Effects and have completed pieces for two effects that I would like to feature in our music video, which you can again see below. I feel we are making good progress at this moment in time, and we are working well together and will continue to do so. 

 

Lyrics Analysis

Click on the pictures in order to enhance them. 

Storyboards

Mise-En-Scene Discussion

Representation of People/Groups

Representation of People/Groups

As we have solely two actors in our music video, one male and one female, the representation is fairly simple. As our target audience is likely to be close to those aged 16-21, there would be a lot of baggage surrounding stereotypes here and therefore we would try our hardest to negate any negative stereotypes that have found their way into the media within the past months especially.

Costume would have a role to play, and we will be looking to dress our actors casually but respectfully. By doing this we would aim to provoking a positive reaction from the audience who may feel that any labels that they have seen or have had to deal with. As relation is an element that we will also be looking to provoke from the audience, the actors will be of a very similar age to those watching.

We will not be presenting our characters in a 100% positive light, but having said that our representation will fall short of any stereotypes by a long way. As we will be depicting a relationship, the fact of that matter is everything is never smooth in that respect and this is something that we will be looking to draw upon; yet again provoking some sort of relation from the audience.

In regard to ethnicity, our actors are going to be Caucasian, through no discrimination but just solely due to the resources available to us. The majority of our audience are likely to be of a similar ethnic background to our characters, which means it is more than likely that there will be an increase in the relation between our audience and our characters. Succinctly, we will try our utmost to negate any harmful stereotypes and please our audience with the representation of our characters and their circumstances and surroundings. 

Locations List

Locations List: (This list is not exhaustive; we may add or take away) 

Pros, Cons and Hazards

• As some of our locations such as Regent Street and Trafalgar Square are likely to be rather busy when we are filming this is something that we will have to bear in mind as it may have an influence on how long filming would take. 
• In addition, the majority of our locations are clustered in the centre of London, so we must always keep an eye out for any transport information that could hamper our plans. 
• Most of our filming will be completed during the daytime, but there will be shots that we could film after sunset in order to enhance the atmosphere but we would have to ensure that there is apt lighting in order to do so. 
• Although the reliability of the transport system can be questionable at times, it will make any length of time that we will be filming more fluid and will benefit the amount of shots we are able to obtain. 
• The main hazard that we would face would be the safety of our group and those involved during filming as London's roads can become overly busy so therefore we will need to take care when moving between locations and filming also. 

Shooting Schedule

We have already started filming, as the group travelled to London on 27 September; which you can find the production post for here.

We will be looking to finalise filming within the next seven days, with our next filming session taking place on 4 October. As you can see below we have constructed a plan for this day in order to make the most out of it as possible. If, for any reason, we still have footage that needs to be filmed then we will compensate this by filming on 8 October. Production posts will be made about the day(s) in order to show what happened and how we got on. 

4 October Plan

10:00 - Arrive in London at Green Park, where we will looking to film a manner of shots, but mostly shots that capture the emotion of the actor as well as his surroundings. Here we may want to take some pictures, not only for the production blog but for the Digipak that we need to produce. 

10:45 - Filming in Embankment and Westminster which seems to be the best location in order to film the shots towards the start of the music video as we could film some of our flashback shots. 

11:30 - By this time we would have hoped to have travelled to Oxford Circus where the busier streets would be perfect in order to emphasise the solidarity of our main character, this could also be another opportunity to take some photos for the Digipak and its advertisement. 

12:15 - Now we would go to Primrose Hill, where again we would be looking to not only capture emotion but the actor's beautiful surroundings. After we have done this, we would head to Charing Cross in order to finalise our filming for the day.

13:45 - For our last section, we will film the intro locally, which is detailed by the first few storyboards; with the two actors arguing and then the accident taking place. If all has gone to plan, we could start editing from this point onwards, but we could always use the following Saturday should we need to. 

Transport

Luckily, Central London has one of the best transport systems in Europe which means it will be easy to transport from place to place as relative ease and cost. There will be a more specific schedule and reports from days of filming when we have commenced filming. As a lot of the landmarks we would be looking to film are clustered within a few locations, this will save us time in order to go and film perhaps further afield. 

The main tube stations we will need to travel to in order to film at our chosen locations.

4 October

• On this day we will be looking to film tracking shots in and around Oxford Circus followed by a mixture of medium shots and close ups when at both of the locations in regard to lip syncing. Furthermore we will use tracking shots and slightly longer shots for both filler and establishing shots for when the actor is not appearing on screen. 

7 October

• On the friday we will be aiming to film more specific shots, especially those which will be very significant to the music video's ending. The most important shot will be the tracking shot of the actor walking past a set of gravestones, but we will also use this opportunity to get the actor to lip sync the chorus and just generally obtain more footage to show when the actor is not involved.

Questionnaires and Feedback

For the first question we put to the participants of our questionnaire, the general consensus we received was that people watched music videos for the fantasy that they brought about and to escape to a fantasy world. Of course, this is one of the parts of the Uses & Gratifications Theory and therefore we will be looking to provide an element of escapism; which will make the strength of our plot and narrative imperative to the success of our music video.

Indie, Rock and R&B were the three most popular genres of music among the participants and since The Fray’s ‘You Found Me’ would be classified between Indie and Rock which means we would be tapping into a popular genre of song. Creativity, location and the mise-en-scene were the most important aspects of the participants’ favourite music videos, which will mean that our planning process will be of utmost importance and we will definitely keep these elements in mind.

The average of the scale of one to ten was exactly eight that means again our idea seems to be popular, but a more explicit gauge of this is found within the last question. As our AS Media idea was not tapping into a popular genre of film, this meant that there was a slight disadvantage before we had created our film opening but here a more popular genre may play into our hands and allow us to be more creative accordingly.

The responses to the last question were varied to say the least. The majority of respondents said that they would watch it but it would depend on the cheesiness and effect of the music video itself. In addition, two further answers questioned how they would be forced to pick a side within the depicted relationship and another answer stated it would have to be thoroughly entertaining. Therefore we will have to bear in mind its effect on the audience and to avoid clichés at all times, but the responses of our target audience have been undoubtedly positive and this data will be useful when creating the video. 

List of People Involved

List of People Involved

Nathan Russell 

As I am more experienced on the editing side of things, this is where my main contribution will lie. This will range from usage of Final Cut Express to Adobe After Effects, although I will be involved in as much as possible as I will look to enjoy experiencing all aspects of this project, and my other responsibilities will include a major contribution towards the design work. 

Jon Chace

Upon analysis of Jon's work last year, and what we have already completed this year, he has already had a massive impact on the ideas that we have come up with. However, like myself and the rest of the group he will be looking to involve himself in as much as possible, and will be responsible for organising locations and our filming sessions.  

Will Pilkington

Will's forte is camerawork, and as I have worked with him before I am sure he will make our project unique by the usage of different and exciting camera angles. He is also experienced in editing with Final Cut Express and his other responsibilities will range from the organisation of equipment to taking photographs.

Charlie Gilbert 

Charlie is another ideas man, and has contributed greatly to the main ideas and shot types that we will feature in our final product. We will want to ensure that everyone gets an experience of the different aspects that there will be on offer when creating our music video, and some of Charlie's more specific duties will include the general organisation of the group, especially in the editing phase.

Jason Fox

Jason is our media technician and will help us with any queries or problems we may have along the way when filming and editing our music video. 

Male and Female Actors

We have chosen Jack Morris and Jess Sammut as the couple to appear in our music video. After filming some test footage this seems like the best choice as they will not only be as flexible as we are, but they will be able to bring their talents and chemistry, from their relationship in real life, to make our final product the best it can be. 

Props List

List of Props: (This list is not exhaustive; we may add or take away)

•    Car – For opening scene when the main female actor is run over
•    Costumes - (See list of people involved for detailed description)
•    Cigarettes - To correspond with the line 'All alone, smoking his last    cigarette.'
•    Alcohol – When the male actor is depressed after the death of his girlfriend
•    Envelopes – To come through the door rapidly to correspond with the line 'You never sent me no letters.'
•    House  - To facilitate letters coming through letter box
•    Clock for time-lapse – To emphasise the time of the main character being alone

Digipak Sketches

Here are sketches of the Digipak that we will be creating over the coming weeks. 

Digipak Adverts Analysis

This Digipak Advert is for Ciara's 'New Dawn', and is student made, which
will come in useful for when we need inspiration or guidance on how
to design our own Digipak advert. 

This Digipak Advert is for Rihanna's 'Loud'. 

Digipak Analysis

This Digipak is for Ciara's 'New Dawn', and is student made, which
will come in useful for when we need inspiration or guidance on how
to design our own Digipak. 

This Digipak is for Rihanna's 'Loud'. 

Equipment List

Resources list: (This list is not exhaustive; we may add or take away)

• Camera
• Tripod
• Steady cam
• Dolly
• Speakers/Music
• Actors
• Mac (Editing Software)
• Location (see location list)
• Copies of storyboards for individual references 

Conventions of Music Videos

Conventions Of Music Videos

•     Short shot length. – There usually aren’t any shots longer than around five seconds within a music video as this keeps it pacey and retains the audience’s interest.
•     A performance/dancing. – In the majority of music videos there is a performance of some kind, be it the performance of a band or dancers.
•     Shot types. – Usually there are a lot of close-ups within a music video in order to convey feeling.
•     Editing. – The editing is usually fast-paced, and although this may depend on the pace of the song, this is used to keep the audience engaged at all times.
•     Transitions. – A variety of transitions and shot styles are used in virtually all music videos in order to capture the audience’s interest and focus.
•     Locations. – Music videos usually contain more than one location as this again plays with the audience’s interests and makes the music video more interesting.

A typical close up, used to convey emotion.

    A typical music video performance. 

Interesting locations are used to captivate the audience.

Conventions of ‘Indie/Alt Rock’ Music Videos

•     A narrative. – The majority of music videos within our chosen genre contain some sort of narrative and therefore this is something we will be conforming with.
•     A performance. – Usually but not always there will be a performance from the artist and this is usually intertwined with the footage of the narrative.
•     A cameo. – The artist appears in the video and sometimes takes part within the narrative if there is one present. 
•     Shot types. – There will usually be a usage of establishing shots whenever a new location is shown, of which there will be a few.








  

    A character in an indie music video, portrayed as casual. 

•     Colour correction. – Usually the colour correction will be altered to ensure that it is in keeping with the tone of the music video.
•     Appearance. – Whoever appears within the music video will be seen, more often than not, in casual clothing.  



                   

    A typical performance in a music video of this genre.



  A band's lead singer, appearing in the narrative of a music video.

Research Into The Music Industry

Research Into The Music Industry

How are music videos made?

Firstly, plans for a music video must be detailed and extensive as this would be imperative to making sure that the music video is not only completed, but is as professional as possible. For a band’s performance within a music video, more often than not the music is played live in order to ensure that the band’s performance looks real and authentic. Although this may be dubbed over after, but the producers would usually go to considerable lengths to make sure a performance looks authentic.

In regard to the editing, a lot of footage is filmed and usually it is a vast majority more than is necessary as this allows a final edit to be as versatile as possible. A lot of care is taken with the editing and production of music videos as in some cases hundreds of thousands or even upwards of a million pounds can be spent on the whole process. The time it takes to complete the process can ultimately depend on the type of music video, but if one thing is for sure it is that the process is time consuming yet rewarding for the artist and producers alike.

Who are the companies involved?

There are two main types of company when it comes to the creation of music videos. Firstly there are music video producers who are mainly responsible for not only the filming but the editing of music videos also. As the production of a music video can be a very time and money consuming process, they are really invaluable to the creation. Also separate people such as a director would be appointed on the more popular music videos which is true for the producers of the most expensive music video ever, Satellite Films.

As well as music video producers, there are music video promoters whose job it is to take the music video in its final form and advertise it to the masses. The internet is more readily used for the promotion of music videos nowadays, as well as social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook. YouTube also plays its part as artists can have their own VEVO channels and therefore a combination of social media can be used to promote, and contribute to the success of, a music video.  

Where can you find music videos?

Music videos can be easily found on the internet, mostly on video-sharing websites such as YouTube although they can sometimes appear on social networking websites on occasion. The rather old fashioned way of viewing music videos can be by watching music channels such as MTV but due to the on demand style of the internet these are becoming less and less popular. In addition, you may be able to find a music video from a certain artist on their website which is another way the internet is utilized in regard to this industry today.

What is the purpose of music videos?

There are really two main purposes of music videos. The first of these would be to instil popularity into a song and due to the nature of social media it is much easier to watch and share these which makes life much easier for the promoters. This may not only increase the popularity of a certain song but of a certain artist and certain concept music videos have led to the surge in popularity of their respective artists, such as Ok Go’s ‘Here It Goes Again’.

The second main purpose of music videos would be on the business side of things as a popular music video can spring the sales of its respective songs and this could lead to the artist and their respective label reaping the respective rewards. This could also be true in regard to the long term benefits as a music video could expose a certain song to someone who has never heard the artist before and could provide a windfall of sales in the grand scheme of things. 

Intertextuality and My Inspiration

Intertextuality And My Inspiration

Intertextuality is a reference to another medium, usually paying homage to someone or something and there are many different examples of this. An intertextual reference is usually used to aid the creation or interpretation of a certain text or medium. There are not only examples of this in regard to music videos as they are present in video games, music and films; a few of which I will mention later.

A good example of such an intertextual reference within a music video is Blur’s ‘The Universal’ and the references to Stanley Kubrick’s film, ‘A Clockwork Orange’. This type of intertextuality is called ‘Pastiche’ which incorporates features of another text or medium and directly imitates them in a given text or medium. This could be certain features, like the mise-en-scene for example, or just a rather blatant copy paying homage to the original text. As you can see below there are similarities between the two, but there is another type of intertextuality I am yet to touch upon.

The other type of intertextuality would be best labeled as a parody, which is similar to ‘Pastiche’ but this type of intertextuality would usually exaggerate the features of another text rather than just simply incorporating them into the work. A good example of this would be Fat Les’ ‘Vindaloo’ being a parody of The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ as can be seen below. With our music video I feel using intertextuality would be a good technique as it could add another dimension to the music video whilst engaging the audience who may or may not be aware to any references we may include.

After viewing many music videos, Nickelback have seemingly produced my favourite style and therefore I will be looking to their videos for inspiration. If we could emulate the narrative style that their videos have taken to heart in our music video then I feel this could work wonders considering The Fray and Nickelback are of a very similar genre.

Furthermore, I have influences that are separate from solely other music videos. The Spanish language, for example, could be used rather easily within our music video for ‘You Found Me’, and this is something that would ultimately add to the sense of mystery which I will want to keep the audience shrouded in. Due to the tone and genre of the song we have chosen, the intertextual references that we use will have to be chosen with care.

I will also be looking to include my other outside interests, such as any films that I have enjoyed, or similarly with hobbies. This may prove to be difficult, again due to the tone of the music video but due to the usage of Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro, it may be possible to include what would be best characterised as an ‘easter egg’ within the music video. Succinctly, I will try my utmost to ensure that the music video is personal whilst never detracting from the professionalism of the video itself.

Three Categories of Music Videos

The Three Categories Of Music Videos

Performance Based

This type of music video features the band or artist performing said song through usually the majority or sometimes even through the entirety of the music video. Therefore, this would be the cheapest and easiest style of music video to produce, providing you could find a suitable location. A good example of this would be The Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ ‘Can’t Stop’ as throughout the majority of the music video the lead singer and artist. With the rather simplistic style of music video, it could easily be achieved on a budget whilst being engaging for the audience, but I would prefer if our group were to steer towards a deeper narrative based video.

Narrative Based

A narrative based music video contains footage that attempts to depict a story through the use of a moving image. There doesn’t have to be a correlation between the content of the lyrics and that of the music video, but more often than not the two relate in one way or another.  This music video is sometimes popular with movie soundtracks as footage from the movie intertwined with the song. A good example of such a music video would be Nickelback’s ‘Far Away’, as there is a delicate balance between a narrative and performance, which allows the audience to engage and escape accordingly. In our music video we will be looking to intertwine the two elements of this music video more closely. 

Concept Based

This style of music video that is based around a single idea or a concept, with these videos tending to be rather strange or unusual. In addition to this a concept based music video is rather rare, as not only are they rather hard to think up but this is the hardest type of music to create an appeal with. A good example is OK Go’s ‘Here It Goes Again’ as it draws on solely one idea, using treadmills, but it still creates an engaging atmosphere for the audience, which owes itself to the tempo of the song but due to the rarity and difficulty surrounding this type of music video, this is something we will steer clear of.