Construction Post

Here is our back up dancing rehearsing in the dance studio before the final take.

Construction Post -

Filming Diary 3

We finally got to film the opening shots of our music video; these are the shots that involve the subject shown in parts and then shown as a whole subject.

Did it all go to plan?

You could say that! well the shot as simple as it sounded was very hard to shoot this was due to people in the surrounding area walking through the shot, the attempts to make the camera steady when the subject was walking and making sure only certain scenery was included in the shot. This became difficult as the time of day we were filming the park was busy so when we got the chance to film we had to take it. Moreover steadying the shot was very hard as we were using armature equipment such as a skateboard to track the subject at some points the skateboard would come of course and would not keep in a straight line this became very frustrating but once we persevered the shot became successful. 

What went well?

The final shots came out exactly as what we imagined even if it took 2 hours to film. The shots created was worth the time. The natural light in the shots worked well as it created soft neutral colors which complimented the subject and the anesthetic of the video.

Improvements:

Improvements that could be made would be the time of day we filmed filming around mid day was rush hour and people were walking through shots allot. If we have to film more shots in the surrounding area we will need to choose an appropriate time. Furthermore I think setting up the shots with a chair with wheels instead of a skateboard will be easier to steady shots and make the transition smooth.

Filming Diary 2

We attempted to create shots 1 - 4 on the 09 November 2013. These shots involve the artist walking the streets however to create mystery we decided we would show parts of the subject before showing the whole subject. However as we are creating a pop video bright colors needed to be incorporated in the shots and due to the weather we had to suspend filming as the mise en scene was not appropriate for the shots desired. However the day was not a waste as we created test shots these helped us comprehend what needs to be done next time filming and find out how we can make improvements. Furthermore filming in the location of Wimbledon helped us come to the decision we wanted to film in a more rural area instead of being surrounded by buildings. So we have chosen to film these shots on the kingston river shooting will commence on the 12th.

Tips we learnt from test shots were:

• In order to create smoother shots when the subject is walking a chair or skateboard can be used to stabilize the camera and minimize shaky shots.
• Furthermore the subject needs to keep direct eye contact with the camera in order for the audience to be able to connect with the audience.

Photoshoot Schedule

Here we have devised a photo shoot schedule, this is a project plan for each day when shooting the artist for the digipak.The schedule represents a timeline stating when we are shooting and where and what production resources will be needed. We have devised a shooting schedule to ensure we are prepared to shoot; so no problems arise on the day of shooting the artist due to lack of preparation. Furthermore the process should go smoothly and efficiently if we stick to our shooting arrangements.

Advert Planning

Design 1: This design uses a long shot of the artist, the artist takes up the full frame. We have experimented with a mirror image this is where the artist has been mirrored to the center, we found this idea very effective as it's puts emphasis on the artist. A soft color scheme has been used again featuring pinks, yellows and orange; this has been done to reflect synergy between the artist, video, digipak and advertisements. Its integral to keep a significant and occurring theme so the audience is aware of what the artist represents and avoids confusion. This advert follows the conventions of a typical music advert as it has the title of the artist, image of artist, record label, songs featured on album and review.

Design 2: Design 2 connotes effortless glamor, whiles still reflecting the theme of 1950's. Again a long shot has been used to show the artist in full; the choice of costume in this advert however is inappropriate as it more of a mature look. Which is not what we want our artist to be associated with as we are targeting teens not adults. With that being said I think this design will not make the final selection as its direction is not correct - we are aiming to represent the artist as fun, energetic and young. This persona represents the artist as an old fashioned mature artist which is what we don't want.

Design: 3: This design is the most popular out of our initial designs for the CD advertisement. As it uses all the positive aspects from each design and incorporates it into one advertisement. The artist is lying down this makes her look provocative and cheeky this is the exact image we are going for; this is typical of a pop artist to represented as a sex symbol. Furthermore the use of costume emphasizes the 1950's theme as she is wearing a flared skirt and a old fashioned bandana tied around her head - reflecting the house wife image. The use of a wide shot allows the artist to take up most of the frame without looks uncomfortable  Design 3 will be our final design for the Album Advertisement.

Design 4 :Design 4 interestingly uses a close up as the artist takes up most of the frame; this empathizes the artist emotional state; this is the problem as the artist looks vulnerable and sad this is an image we do not want to put across to our audience. We desire our artist to represent power, fun, energetic and young. This design will not make the final selection as its not the persona we want for our artist Ava.

Talent Release Form

 

These are two people that will be staring in our music video. It is integral a contract has been constructed so our performers can't bring up any issues and effect filming.

Location Permissions

Record Label Permission

Animatic

Here is the animatic for the music video, we have constructed a animatic for the purpose of pre-visualizing the video we desire to create. This animated storyboard helps us as directors to visualize the scenes and find problems before they occur. Furthermore it gives us a idea of what the video will look like, sound like once produced; this simple idea can reflect very accurately the final full output of our armature music video.

CD Cover Designs

CD Cover Designs

Idea 1:  This CD cover design follows a colour scheme of pastel colours such as pink, blue, red and yellow. Furthermore is has the anesthetic of 1950's this theme runs throughout each image such as the main cover image is of a girl on an old fashioned telephone, this image suggest she is mysterious creating a sexy feel without being to obvious about it, this is typical of the pop genre as most female artist are marketed as a ex symbol, this shot would be a mid shot as it shows part of the artist in some detail whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole artist. This shot is appropriate for the main cover as its a comfortable shot and does not convey to much emotions but enough and does not require intense concentration from the audience to connect with the artist . When looking at the design for the back cover a simple idea of the artist wearing a 1950's dress sitting on a wall conntates the artist innocence. Furthermore to have the right layered over the dress reflects synergy throughout the CD cover inserts. The remaining inserts include a side profile of the artist, balloons and a pin up style idea that was used in media in the 1950's to reflect the 1950's theme and to show the relationship between the music video, the CD design and the artist itself.

Idea 2: This design follows the same theme as the previous one, following the theme of 1950's classic setting. The use of a wide shot for the album cover allows the artist  to take up the whole frame in this case the artist feet are almost at the bottom of the frame and her head is almost at the top. This is as close as the camera can get without loosing any part of the subject. This allows the audience to see the whole perceptive without loosing any detail; so the audience is still able to connect with viewers. The CD insert design is roses this is the same as idea one thus proving this is a popular idea - the use of roses is simple but effective however to involve the artist we have come to the decision the insert image will be the artist hands holding a large rose.

Idea 3: This design focuses on giving the audience clues on the artist rather than showing the full image; this creates a interesting puzzle. The images use close ups, extreme close ups, mid shots and wide shots the variation of shots make the CD insert non repetitive and gives a sense of uniqueness. This almost 'puzzle' can effectively help promote the new artist as no-one would know anything about her making the artist more appealing as viewers may desire to know more they would have to listen to the album.

Idea 4: Idea 4 is similar to 3, as if again focuses on creating a puzzle for the artist. Again the rose image has been constructed for the CD insert - this confirms that this image will definitely be used for that purpose. Another image that was also popular is the side profile of the artist; after a discussion with the group; we have come to the decision that this image would be chosen for selection upon creating the final design for the CD Inserts.

Final Design:

1. CD cover, 2. Back cover 3. Insert, 4. Insert, 5. Insert 6. CD insert

Props

Costume Ideas

We have constructed a fashion show in order to demonstrate clothing and accessories our artist and performer will wear in the music video.  With the space we attempted to created a runway, so we created a narrow flat platform and put black curtains up either side to make a conventional runway. We decided creating a catwalk to show our ideas was effective as it showed our ideas visually in a fun way. 

When exploring costume choices ; we aimed to use pastel colours as its very conventional of pop videos to use these colours. However upon reflecting on some costumes we need to incorporate more colour instead of colours such as black. So the third costume - the pink dungarees; the black top incorporated will be substituted for a white top. Furthermore we have decided to add makeup such as pink lipstick and pink nails to connote the artist is girly. The first costume is a 1950's dress this reinforces our anesthetic of 1950's culture within a modern world. The male costume worked well with the performer as the style suited him perfectly however after reflecting upon the fashion show; we have decided that a jacket was missing. Upon research we have found a varsity jacket in red for the male to wear as this was very popular for men to wear back in the 50's.

Shooting Schedule

Here is our shooting schedule, this is a project plan for each day when shooting our music video. The schedule represents a timeline stating when we are filming and where and what production resources would be needed. We have devised a shooting schedule to ensure we are prepared to shoot; so no problems arise on the day of filming due to lack of preparation. Furthermore filming should go as smoothly and efficiently if we stick to our shooting arrangements.

Locations

Locations: Creams Cafe, Kingston High Street, Dance Studio As you can see in the flip book  I've created you can see locations in which we would want to film our music video in. We choose Kingston high street because of its busy atmosphere and architecture. We choose the diner as it reinforces the 1950's anesthetic/theme. The intimacy of the location is also an advantage as we can test shots of different angles. The dance studio was chosen for performance shots due to its open space and easy manipulation of lighting.

Concept

Aesthetic: '1950's

In the collage above you can see the basic aesthetic is 1950's complimented with modern feel. We have chosen this direction for the artist and the video, we will be using old fashioned props such as radio, Polaroid camera, posters from the 1950's to emphasis this. Even an old fashioned font has been tried out to The use of small aspects such as props, costume and performance will all connotes the theme.

Costume:
 These are the three main ideas for costume we have chosen quite bold colours, so the artist can stand out wherever the location or shot. The costumes again compliment the anesthetic 1950's.

Potential Location: All Star Lanes

 We could you All Star Lanes as a location for a music video this is because it fits in with the mese-en-scen we trying to create. We are trying to make it feel like its the 1950's this locations is perfect for this as it has all the retro items we can use and need within our film. We can use the bowling lane itself and also there is a dinning part to the bowling lane which we can use. During this part of the music video we can use a range of different shots for example we could use, over the shoulder shots and point of view shots (POV) this is because the singer will be looking at the male character within this shots. Also an idea we had is that she could put a message in one of the bowling balls thinking he will pick it up but he doesn't someone else does.

Ideas Test:

Below is a video showing basic ideas we would like to incorporate into our video, such as photos of a male subject, tracks of the artist following the main artist and a possible dance routine for the performance shots. The song chosen for the music video compliments the image and action.

Extra Notes:

This is a sketch of the performance shot we would like to construct. It would be set in a dance studio, located in our school - this means we can film easily on premise as permission has already been granted. The room is fitted with four lights overhead these can be changed to different colors if a filter is put in place, moreover they can be moved. This will allow us to discover what lighting would be appropriate, however in this case I believe it would be high key to create a upbeat atmosphere. When looking into props that would be essential in the shot, these would be pink, white and blue balloons, these would be placed on the floor, surrounding the artist. The performance aspect of the shot will be based on the artist lip-syncing, so the audience can create a connection, backup dancers will be put in place behind the artist to reinforce lyrics and create an interesting mise en scene.

Lyrics Annotation

Image Annotation

Here we have constructed a image annotation. This is what we desire our artist image and persona to be. We want our artist to represent youth,energy and power.

Roles

Here is the group discussing the roles within the team. George will be a performer in the video playing the male interest for the artist Ava. He will also be in charge of lighting this means he will be working close to the director(Myself), set designer and costume designer (Molly) in order to create the appropriate lighting atmosphere while keeping in mind issues of visibility. George will also be responsible for the movement and set up of various pieces of lighting equipment. Luke will be in charge of editing and will be responsible for assembling raw material into a finished product; this is a key role as it can determine the quality and delivery of the final product. He is also in charged of the camera this means he is responsible for physically operating the camera and maintaining composition and camera angles ; the camera operator works closely with the director (Myself) and set designer ( Molly). 

Molly is set designer she looks at the details searching for evidence through research to produce conceptual ideas that's best toward supporting the content of the music video. She is also second in command to the camera operator. I am director ;my role is to direct the making of the music video, I am responsible for the music videos artistic aspects and visualize the concept while guiding the team to create that vision.

Song Choice/Initial Ideas

We have chosen the song ' I wish' by artist Cher Lloyd

We chose this song because of its fast tempo, strong rhythm and beat. 

Furthermore it has a clear concept of jealously and love, an reflects how the audience would idolize celebrity culture as the lyrics state ' I wish'.  


The lyrics relate to teenagers, this is great as our target audience is aged 16 - 18, a video of this genre which is pop has a wide appeal and is distributed to large audiences. Choosing this song gives us a platform to market our new artist and video.

This song can have a influence on teenagers, looking for a sense of identity easily influenced by their pop idol.

Initial ideas: The use of the dance studio filled with balloons, taking advantage of high key lighting and also ambient lighting. Open space where the use of powder paint is used. Purchasing a poloriod camera to take a picture of a setting then when it prints the location would be there.A bedroom shot could be implemented, where the performer would be thinking on the love interest in the video.

Locations in mind: open space, studios, bedrooms. hight street lond, london eye.

Performer: I will be the performer, the idea of the artist will be fun/ free and young with accents of rebellion. The use of pinks and blacks will be used as these contrast between girly and rebellion.

Audience Response 1

1.      What's your Gender? Circle as appropiate

            Female            Male

2.      What’s your age group? Circle as appropiate

16-18            20-25             26+

3.      Do you watch pop videos?

4.      Do you watch female or male artists?

5.      Who is your favourite pop artist?

6.      Do you attend music festivals/concerts? Circle as appropiate

Yes                  No

7.      How do you consume music? Circle the answers

Shop               Download ITunes                 YouTube                    Illegally                      

TV music channel                  Radio

8.      In a pop video what would you aspect to see? Circle the answers

Bright colours                       Different shot types and angles                 

Different costumes throughout the video              Relate to teenagers              

Lead artist lip-syncing                      Dark colours and shadows             

Only two different types of shots                Close ups of instruments

9.      Do you buy music magazines or visit specific music websites? If so then state which ones

10.  What’s your favourite pop music video of all time?

Audience Responce 2

Questionaire Responces Anaylsis

 

 

 

Genre Research 2

 Ariana Grande - The Way

Performance: While the artist is gesturing, back up dancers are added, their movements in the video provide a visual symmetry and rhythm to accompany the music. All the subjects in the video look happy and excited creating a fun atmosphere and a look of energy. Which in turn makes the video look dynamic and non- repetitive. If the actors did not look happy the video would not look as effective as the other features would stand out and the performance would bring it down. Its integral when creating my video, that everyone puts in effort to make the video look professional.

Camerawork: The use of closeups of the artist allow the audience to connect with the artist. Midshots and and long shots were used for performance shots. A range of camera movements created were used to create a dynamic look; a feel of of energy.

Ideas to implement:The use of having balloons as a prop is very effective and a low budget idea; in the video the artist and dancers play with the balloons it also makes the room look fun as if it was a party. The use of projecting images on a backdrop then film it is also a very effective idea to implement.

Concept: The concept of the video is about being in love for the first time. Its typical for a pop video to have a concept rather than a narrative. 

Editing: The technique of montage editing has been used in the video which is when a series of shot shots are editing into a sequence to show the passing of time. The shots are cut to the rhythmic beat; quick cuts have been used to create a sense of energy and create a dynamic feel. The use of cutaways acts as a buffer between shots that add interest to the music video.

Cut ins have been used this is when the audience is brought from a close view to a more distant one. This was used to emphasis the artist lip syncing and for the audience to make a connection with them.

Mise en scene: Bright colours are used throughout the whole video to create an upbeat and light hearted atmosphere. In the performance shots that were filmed in a studio soft light was used to emphasis the light pastel colours used in the props. The use of this lighting wraps around the subject ( artist) and produces soft shadows. There is a projection on a white wall again this was filmed in the studio this is shots of the artist lip syncing and gesturing.

When looking at the artist costume she is wearing a black fitted dress with skinny straps this looks very sleek and sexy. This is typical of a pop video as women in the music industry are usually reflected as a sex symbol. The use a pink bow in the artist hair shows her youth as bows connotes childhood. Her makeup is very minimal and not exaggerated to show to the audience she is like a 'normal teenager'. Interestingly Pop music videos attempt to relate to teenager problems such as heartache or love; this video reflects  the artist is in love for the first time.

The use of balloons as a prop create a party feeling and again represents an upbeat and fun atmosphere. The use of a white backdrop creates a sense of innocence and allows the artist to stand out against it. In some shots the artist is gesturing in a bedroom set; this again is for the audience to relate to a typical teenager.

Demi Lovato - Heart Attack

Justin Timberlake - What goes around