Filming Update - performance scenes

On Wednesday, Kieran, Kyle and myself are taking the whole day to film the performance scenes of our music video. We have the entire day to complete this and therefore ensure to retain as much footage as we can including all lip synching shots.

Location - Poker game

Our last scene is poker game and therefore the room it is set in has to be dark and rather mysterious. We decided that the drama studio at our Sixth Form would be an ideal location due to its features. The entire room is black and has curtains that surround the room to make it even darker; this ensures the tense atmosphere of a poker game is replicated in our scene. The facility itself is rather big, so we will have no problems transporting the props in, such as the table.

This room will be ideal for our scene as it will also be quiet, which does not effect our filming as we will play the song over the footage anyway, but due to there being various actors in this scene, there will be no distractions and the overall atmosphere will give a very authentic and intense due to all these features coming together. 

   

Prezi - reasoning behind the costumes

Creating a Prezi about the variety of costumes used in our music video shows how important it is to ensure that they are fitting to the scene and the actress. 

Advert Analysis - P!nk

The advert for P!nk's album "Funhouse" features a simple mid shot portrait image of the artist. P!nk is wearing a plain red crop top and blue jeans which reveals her upper chest, arms and stomach. The red coloured top can be related to themes of love, romance, blood and fire which all wouldn't be too distant themes for a P!nk song.The artist's pose can be applied to Sigmund Freud's music theory of Exhibitionism where a star confidently shows off to the audience using particularly their body to do so. 

This can attract the "Male Gaze" and voyeurism adding to the male demographic of the product.Her tattoo can be seen on her wrist and behind her ear which shows her to be a more rebellious character. This, in addition to her dark eye liner, ear and nose piercing allows us to assume she is influenced by the punk movement despite being a pop artist. Her short, stylised and dyed hair is reminiscent of the flappers look from the 1920's era in America. This further supports the idea that she is independent and powerful without having to rely on anyone, especially men.There is a large emphasis on the heart patterned tie she is wearing. She is pulling the tie away from her as if she is being strangled by it. This metaphorically could describe the 'choke-hold' that emotions and love has on a person when they are in a relationship. It connotes all the negative emotions and pain felt in a visual and obvious manner for the audience to see.In terms of calligraphy, the font is is same font and colour used on her album digipak/cover which links the two media texts together. Additional information includes the release date which is superimposed in white over the top of the main image as well as the album name! This re-emphasises that the date is just as important or more so inviting audience members to buy it on the release day.

Creating a Wix Page

To ensure that I can publish and demonstrate my different media and post on varied platforms, I created a Wix website so that I could interact more with my audience as I am giving them diverse ways to access my work.

I design the Wix to look like a website. I wanted it to be professional, somewhere where people will visit to discover my personalised gallery of various photos of the group but also of the actual footage and other shots such as the props, costumes and basically everything that as a group or individually we have to complete throughout the year.
Viewers will also are able to find videos and sound clips from different interviews and podcasts. Simple monologues airing my ideas about my music video will also be available to give them a more intimate insight to my coursework piece.

Links to my other pages will be present on the website in which they can investigate my other media platforms and see more of what I have to offer. This also ensures that my work is being noticed, hence contact details will be available for if any viewer needs to get in to contact with me.

Changing Scene - Props

The changing scene is a short scene between two narrative sections in which the main character quickly changes into a second costume. This female is to be see as a high class woman who is rather dominant and has authority, therefore, for her costumes we needed a bag in which she could transport the clothing with her; hence we chose a black Ralph Lauren travel bag. This shows her class and displays some what of her wealth due to it being branded, also with it being black it adds to the ambiguity and deception that the female character creates for herself throughout the music video.

Changing Scene - Costume

This scene is the second narrative scene and therefore the second costume change in this section. Despite all the different jump cuts from narrative to performance, there is scene previously in which the main character is wear a read lacy dress before changing into a black and white stripy play suit.

   

The play-suit is very small and rather flimsy, this outfit, although it may seen as a more revealing and sexual outfit, the character
remains hidden with no excessive body parts being shown. This
ensure that there is still some sex appeal to the audience but that the character remains classy and does not come across as a lower class slutty person; we want to assure the audience that she is still portrayed as the hedonistic, powerful woman that she is.

By having black tights, it keeps the female quite concealed and mysterious. Black is quite secretive and therefore her playing the con artist that she is, she is a very deceitful female that completes these various tasks for her own pleasure without the males questioning it or her in any way.
Heeled shoes to emphasise her power and her authority. The shoes she wears are stiletto shoes with a large platform. This gives the female height and makes her feel more controlling over the current situations. By the female wearing heels we are reinforcing and supporting conventions used in the pop genre as the artist is always portrayed as a sexual icon and therefore these shoes are suitable as they always make her seem available yet still an upper class female.

Filming Update - Today

After planning we were going to film on Sunday, we then discovered that there was no one present in the venue and therefore we were unable to film. Although, today most of the members of my group are available to film and therefore we will be filming the toilet scene will be filmed on the school premises.

Creating a Soundcloud

I created a soundcloud account so that when I produce interviews and other vocal pieces, I will be able to post them directly to sound cloud so that they are easy accessible to my viewers. 

Soundcloud Account

Filming Update

As a group, due to our complex timetables we could not find a time in the week in which we could all be free to film and therefore we have now organised to film at Parklands, Sunday afternoon.

This ensures we have enough time to film the scene which we intend to finish that day. Also due to the time we are filming, the sun will have set and therefore it will be dark which will benefit us as we are set in a club.

Digipak Analysis - Pink

This album was released in November 2012 in celebration of Pink's first decade in the music industry. The album features Pink's most sold hits and other extra singles that only became number 1 in countries that are not the UK. The design of the album and the artwork was highly praised and the deluxe digipak won the 'O Music Award for Best iTunes LP'. 

Pink is seen as a more rebellious female solo artists that goes against all stereotypical views of what female pop artists are like. Hence she was a very large fan base because of her attitude and her way of performing and her resulting products. 

Below, I have analysed the digipak as well as having an in action shot of the production of this analysis are planning and research for our digipak. 

   

   

Audience Research - Voice recording

Me and two of friends were returning from a uni open day from Sussex; I decided to play our chosen song and let them listen before asking them about the song. My female friend had heard the song before, as the male didn't.

After hearing their responses, the male in particular practically described the concept behind our video. This shows that we are producing a music video that is expected to be seen, even by someone who doesn't listen to Pop genre. 

This feedback has helped assure me that we are creating what our target audience (17-25) expect. We have added a contrasting feature, which is the mirror shots and other characteristics such as the flashbacks and the contrasting events, but these are all found in other pop music videos; thus combining them together would create an ambitious and diverse video.

Practice Shots - Main Task

Once the shot list and all the plot was complete we decided to go to a close location in which we could produce some practice shots and also so that we could test the equipment and get a bit of experience with it before we actually filmed the main task.

In the following shots, we tested with the mirror scenes as well as the opening scenes to our main task which are made up of  long shots, extreme close ups, mid shots on the tripod as well as various shots using the dolly. This are just photos of us during the production of our mock filming. The footage will soon be uploaded.

We practiced the shots that are in the opening of the music video as they are the first ones we are actually filming along with the mirror shots.

      

Above is evidence of our experimentation with the mirror and close up shots and below is the filming of our first narrative scene that consists of long, mid and tracking shots. 

      

Analysis of Music Video Foundations by Kate Nash for Camera Shots

Foundations is a song that is about s relationship deteriorating. The shots highlight different props that represent the relationship whilst the artist is very direct with her audience and narrates her relationship and the problems she is facing.

The music video for Foundations opens with a series of close ups on different items such as the toothbrushes, phone and shoes. This is mainly to establish the location in this case, a typical common house. This suggests that the atmosphere is relaxed and the people in the video are comfortable as it is their living space. Also, the props highlighted play a large part in the narrative therefore it is making the audience aware of them.

       

For our music video, we open our video with a series of close ups for the same reason; we want to ensure the audience are aware of the character's surrounding so that we can we have her surroundings which may affect the way she is behaving; this is relevant in our video due to the two diverse lifestyles, the character will act differently in various circumstances.
Props are very important in our narrative as, like Kate Nash's video, they are essential to the narrative and are the main feature in all the events that occur throughout our product.


Close ups are heavily featured in this music video because of the simple fact that the artist is directly talking to the audience and therefore these camera shots are essential as it makes it more intimate; they are equally as important when making the props the main aspect of the shot.

   

The props are telling the storyline of the music video.
The pair of socks, the two toothbrushes and watches represents the two characters of the video. The initially are together and show unity which is what is expected from a relationship, but towards the end of the music video we see the pairs of items break up and become one which is a connotation of the lyrics.

   

   

The two characters of the 'Foundations' music video are engages in a game of cards around a table. There is mid to close ups of the players and the actual game taking place. This is to capture what is occurring as well as the character's body language. Camera shots such as the close ups are at a low angle so that the player who is taking their turn is in power and has the control. Mid shots are eye level therefore makes the audience feel they are taking part and seeing it from the player's view just from a different location in the room. These camera shots are especially related to our video as we are replicating a poker game and want to ensure that we capture the players emotion which will be a mixture of fear, confidence and power, as well as the tension in the room during the event.







Throughout the entire video there are various close ups of the artist from different angles that include eye level, high angle and also low angles. This makes the artist interact with the audience as she addresses the viewers directly by looking into the camera. This also ensure that she has power and authority over the situation and that she is keeping them engaged with what is occurring at the time. High angles, as well as establishing her surroundings, for example when the male is led on her in bed, but also suggest that the problems she is singing about are getting on top of her and are strenuous. Eye level shots lets the audience see the current situation at the same level as the characters that are actually partaking in the events. This engages them as they feel that they are part of the narrative.

      

During the music video, there's a mid shot in which the camera is on the floor and is filming the main character walk through the room. This is showing a different perspective of the artist as we do not see her face or most of her body but we can tell by simple body language the way she is feeling. This is shot is particularly important when filming my product as we want keep the idea of voyeurism throughout the prologue of our music video and therefore this specific shot will be essential when filming the opening to our video. Also, another shot along with the previous show is a mid shot that focuses on a prop that is closer to the camera instead of the artist who is placed behind it. This highlights the prop as an important feature of the video which is a shot we have already planned on using in the filming of our main task. This also creates ambiguity for the audience as they are unsure as to why that specific product has been featured and therefore and keen to continue viewing to discover why.

    

Birds eye view shot used in the bed scene establishes the shot but in this case, reinforces the relationship between the two characters which is essential the main storyline in this video. The two look awkward and uncomfortable to be that close to each other and as if they would rather be somewhere else. Also this shows the whole body which helps the audience see their body language which could result with the viewers making their own assumptions and interpreting the music video in their own way.

Digipak Analysis - Lily Allen

Lily Allen is a British artist that mainly focuses on the pop genre. 'It's not me, it's you' was released in February 2009 by Regal Recordings. Prior to this album being released, Lily Allen centralised herself around genres such as ska and reggae hence this album was a breakaway from them to more electropop/pop. 

As research into digipaks, I looked into her album on the different features that she used to attract her audience to her new music genre.

Early Ideas - Digipaks

For our digipak, we had the idea of making the character's two different lifestyles the main highlight of the products.

For our front cover, the picture of a side shot of the artist would be the feature on the whole cover. This would show half her face with the correspondent make up, hence it would be the artist with her worn out make up from being out the prior night.

The inside of the digipak would contain a series of close ups of the different pieces of clothing and props such as cigarettes, empty alcohol bottles, magazines, make up, etc. As the audience see, all theses items are in a bedroom and scattered across the bed and the floor surrounding it. This represents the stereotypical view of girls getting ready for a night out, and what we expect a young lady's bedroom to look like based on what we gather from the profile shot on the front cover.

What we had in mind for the inside of our digipak

As the close ups continue, each piece has a connotation and therefore are interpreted by the audience in their own way. The actual disc itself we thought we could be imaginative and use of the products used in the booklet and emphasise the meaning of it. For example, various cigarette buds which would represent her as smoking away the pain or in this case, we have noticed that most business men and people of great authority smoke, and usually have something personalised to make it special to them. This can portray her as being in control and very relaxed about the situation and that no one has control over her.

The back cover would be another profile shot but of the artist now dressed formally with subtle make up to represent the other lifestyle that she lives. It contrasts the front cover as we now see her dressed professionally and gives an overall impression of her being upper class and powerful.  By having this on the rear end shows that that is how her life concludes, that even though she is out being a con artist, that at the end of the day it always relates back to her job and this persona she has to have when working in her everyday job.

Filming Schedule - Main Task

After deciding that Parklands was the perfect location to film our narrative, we got in contact with the owner to ask for permission to film. We then received a phone call with confirmation with being able to film.

Due to needing various people to act as extras in the shots, we need to ensure that we are all available in the hours we have to film. After a group meeting taking place this morning we came to the conclusion that a weekend was probably better in terms of having a flexible time frame.
Parklands is holding an event that night as well, therefore there will be people genuinely partaking which will make the actual atmosphere more realistic and convincing.

Tuesday, the 17th is a day in which we have no set lessons in which we will film more of the performance section of our video, as well as the toilet scenes in the narrative. So far, at this speed, we will make steady progress in the filming of our music video.

Potential Filming Location - Carver Barracks

Another location that we had as an option was the Officers Mess in Carver Barracks. 

The actual venue is very posh and of high standards and therefore would match the image that our main character is trying to portray. It is based on the army base in Carver Barracks. 

At the time of our visit we could not find anyone in which we could ask for permission to film on their premises therefore, one of the group members parents is a Captain based there, hence we will ask him whether he has contact details to talk to them and ask if we can film a section by one of the various bars that are in the building. 

Location Search for Filming

For our performance based section of our media music video, we need a mirror that can work as a dressing up table. 

We went into one of the group member's houses and found a mirror in a bathroom that could work quite well. We just need to make sure that this can be used and that it is available to us when we need to film. We are also considering other locations as originally we planned on having the narrative in a bedroom so that the main character entering and leaving the bathroom is a complete separate scene and location.

Potential Filming Location - Parklands

After our drive around the surrounding areas for a new location, this was one of the two that we encountered and were satisfied with. These could be potential venues when coming to film our music video some time soon.

We asked for permission to film from one the managers that was available at the time of our visit and they said that they could not think of a reason as two why we could not film but that they obviously had to contact the leader who was actually busy at the moment. 

As we continued round the building we took mock photos of how the character would have to position himself in the actual filming itself as well as the entrance of the building which we will use as well in our filming.