Possible Filming Locations

Here are some of the locations I am looking at shooting some footage in. In turn this may mean that they feature in my digipak also.

 

 

Magazine advert research

Before blogging this post I attempted to use secondary research to find out whether Junior Senior had any memorable magazine adverts, but upon looking found that they didn't. So I have found some other memorable music magazine adverts that I am taking some inspiration from.

I like that these magazine adverts are relatively simple, with the audiences attention firmly fixed on the image. They contain all of the necessary info, clearly highlighted for the consumer. This is the type of design I will try to stick to when creating my own magazine cover, using my digipak front cover as the main image. I may also feature some shop logos and dates somewhere on my cover.

Music Video Directors

"Some believe an artist’s single isn’t official unless there’s a music video to go along with it. When you think about it, there may be some truth to that theory. Would “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” have been nearly as entertaining without Beyoncé clad in her now-infamous leotard in the video? Better yet, would the MTV Video Music Awards even exist?" (greenlabel sound)

Here are a couple of directors who directed iconic music videos, and are still directing them today.

Paul Hunter

Paul Hunter directed Christina Aguilera's award winning music video, Lady Marmalade, written for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. He has worked with other big names such as Eminem and Michael Jackson. 

Hunter uses a lot of still image shots in this video, and at low angles too. There are a lot of close ups and mid shots of the talent, who firmly takes place on center stage at all times. His take on music videos is that it is all about the artist, and that the audience should be focused on them at all times. The low angle shots of the talent help them to look powerful and authoritative. Staring at one artist for four minutes at a time can be tedious, but Hunter avoids this by changing shot around every 3 seconds, and switches from singer to singer regularly. In terms of mise en scence, this video is very visually stimulating, as it has been filled with colour props, lighting and sets that are designed to catch the eye and grab the audiences attention, keeping them fixed on the action throughout.

Hype Williams

This man is said to be one of the most sought after directors in hip hop. His most recently directed video is called Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams.

His style of direction runs very smoothly, to match with the song. He uses a lot of very slow panning shots, every 10 seconds or so. There are close ups of instruments and artist's faces in a running sequence, going from face to instrument, face to instrument again, then a wide shot of the band and finally a slow panning shot from right to left, left to right. This pattern is repeated throughout the song along with the interesting and creative silhouette scene in the middle of the video. This helps to break the song up somewhat, to avoid it becoming boring. These slow camera shots and angle changes fit perfectly with the songs beats, as it is not fast paced enough to need quick changes. These would likely make the video feel out of sync with the song.

Digipak cover draft

This is my first draft of my digipak cover. I like having feet in the image, as the song is entitled Move your feet, also, these shoes feature in my video.
However the blank space on the right hand side of the image, I would like to fill.
I was debating whether to have the name of the band on the cover art, and tried an image without it but I don't think it works. The band is not iconic enough to know who they are just by their cover art.
It is also too dark and grungy for my style of video, which I want to be bright, sunny and happy.

Digipak research

What is a digipak?

"Digipacks are a type of CD packaging made out of card stock or other heavy paper/cardboard material. Digipacks can flip open like a book, or it can have three parts, so that one portion of the packaging opens to the right and one to the left, with the CD in the center portion. Usually, the portion of the digipack that holds the CD is made of plastic like a traditional jewel case CD - the plastic part is simply attached to the paper background."

 



 

 

I would like my digipak to have some element of continutiy, as I think it looks more appealing to an audience. my bottom three panels representing the back of my digipak will be one image stretched across the three. I would like my top three panels, representing the front of my digipak to have one big bold central image (front cover) with minimal detail on the neighbouring two panels, so as to not distract from the main image, which will the focus point of my whole digipak.

 

Uses & Gratifications

The uses and gratifications theory is an approach that aims to understand mass communication. This theory focuses its attention on the consumer instead of the message and asks the question, what do people do with media, rather than what media does to people. The theory says that audiences are responsible for choosing media that meets their needs (fulfills specific gratifications). This theory can be seen when people are choosing which music videos to watch. There are many different types and we choose a particular one to fill a certain need.

Music videos are primarily used for entertainment factors and this goes for my video as well. Following this basic model of entertainment laid out by U&G theory, my video will enable people to fill time, relax, divert from their problems (allowing some escapism), and hopefully have an emotional release.

I aim to produce a video that is going to allow my target audience to experience all of these things and fulfill their own specific gratifications.

Research methods

There are four main research methods which prove to be useful when finding out about music videos. These are:

• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Primary
• Secondary

Quantitative

This type of research can be measured because it is numerical information. It usually will consist of a questionnaire that can be distributed to a large sample and in turn gain a lot of information.

Qualitative

This is the opposite to quantitative research. It is descriptive and can not be measured numerically. This type of research is usually conducted through in-depth interviews, focus groups and direct observations. This method is a way of collecting data concerned with meaning. What they lack in reliability they gain in validity as they provide a more informative, rich description. 

Primary

This is data you collect for a specific purpose. The questions are tailored in a way to gain specific information. This works best with small samples and all kinds of practical research methods can be used e.g. questionnaires, interviews, focus groups etc.

Secondary

This is data that already exists. There are a huge amount of ways to gain secondary research, for example, the internet, books, newspapers, libraries etc. This is said to be the easiest way of collecting data as someone has already done it for you. It is also more time/cost effective than primary data collection.

Because of the time limit I am under, I will mainly be gaining information through secondary research methods, and then towards the end of the coursework, quantitative, producing questionnaires for a sample of my target audience to gain feedback form. These are both time and cost effective methods of research and will benefit me greatly when collecting relevant information.

Moodboard

Inspirational videos

I have comprised a list of some dance videos that I am taking some inspiration from for my own video.

The first is Here it goes again by OK Go. This is my personal favourite music video, as it is fun, happy and simple but also really complex. It is a simple wide shot with the subjects filling the frame. At no point do I feel bored when watching this, because the dance moves on the treadmill are so well executed, it is as if I am watching a genuine acrobatics show.

This is also a great video to take inspiration from - Blur, Parklife. It is fun and engaging. There is a lot of lip sinking however which I will not be including in my video but I like the use of close ups, mid shots and singing directly to the camera. The sped up sequences also help give the video an upbeat feel, which I will try to include in my own video.

Push the tempo by Fat Boy Slim is another fantastic video. I love the idea of a concept video, where people are not able to control their bodies, just as the people in this video aren't. It is very interesting to watch and you can't help but want to dance when listening to the song. This kind of content would be perfect for my video. I want to mix chaos and calm, so could have some hyped up dance scenes with my talent going crazy and then some more mellow scenes directly after.   

Initial Ideas for Filming

When thinking about the song lyrics and its encouragement of people to "move your feet", the opening of the film Footloose came to mind. I think it would be a good idea to incorporate this style of just shooting people's feet into my own music video. I would not have the entire film focused on people's feet but I would like it to feature in there somewhere. I like the idea of having the opening few seconds focused on feet, which I could then transfer to my digipak and magazine advert. I could maybe use the pair of feet to carry the talent through the day, almost like a story. They could participate in activities like riding a bike, playing football and wandering up and down stairs. This could be when I shoot all the activities solely at the talents feet making them the focus, and have it timed to the music when the band is singing the chorus.

Unfortunately I could not find the original opening to the 1984 movie, so had to take it from the 2011 remake instead, but it still displays what I am talking about above.

Target Audience

My target audience for my video will be females aged from 10 - 25. I have established this as my target audience, as these will be the ages of the people mainly featured in my video. It is happy and carefree as is my prefered reading. It is simply a feel good music video that aims to make people smile and encourage them to dance. I think that my prefered reading is proving to be right as when showing some fellow students in my class my video so far, their reactions have been very positive, with some laughing, singing and dancing along, which is exactly what I want from my audience. They will be attending school, university or working. My target audience will be very active in their spare time, with a positive attitude to life and they will hopefully recognise that my video is trying to portray these kinds of people.

Lyrics and Interpretation

Lyrics for my chosen song - Move Your Feet by Junior Senior

A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
Yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
Don't - don't - don't - don't stop the beat
I can't - can't - can't - can't control my feet
P - p - p - people in the street
C'mon everybody and move your feet
Don't stop (don't stop) don't stop the beat
Can't stop (can't stop) can't stop the beat
Won't stop (won't stop) won't stop the beat, go
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
Yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
We're going downtown, oh yeah
Sing - sing - sing - sing - sing my song
And you - you - you - you - you sing along
Just put - put - put - put my record on
And all of your troubles are dead and gone
Don't stop (don't stop) don't stop the beat
Can't stop (can't stop) can't stop the beat
Won't stop (won't stop) won't stop the beat, go
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
Yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Don't stop (don't stop) don't stop the beat
Can't stop (can't stop) can't stop the beat
Won't stop (won't stop) won't stop the beat, go
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
Yeah
A-Everybody, A-move your feet and feel united
Oh oh oh
Yeah! Baby! Comon!

Interpretation

This songs lyrics are very repetitive and are encouraging people to dance. It is upbeat and simple, so I consider it to be more of a dance track that people would enjoy listening to at a party than a song that 'tells a story' with its lyrics. I think it is listened to more for people's physical enjoyment than emotional enjoyment. This could be seen as a very post modern quality, as songs of this generation tend to be more about the physical enjoyment of the listener, essentially body over mind. The singers are having fun and encouraging others to as well.

Conclusion

I want to make a video that is very focused on the physical, it will be visual encouragement for people to dance as well as lyrical. My preferred reading is that it will make people happy, have fun, sing along etc. Also from playing my song in the classroom out loud, I have witnessed my classmates singing along without thinking, or just nodding their heads in time with the beat. This is very good for the outcome of my video, because it is a song that people naturally connect with and enjoy, which will hopefully make my video appeal to all ages.  

Branding

How popular are Junior Senior?
Junior Senior were a pop duo from Denmark, they are most well known for their single released in 2003 named 'Move Your Feet' - the song I have decided to use. This single was well received by critics and was very popular with people of all ages in the UK. It is still heard frequently today in advertisements and a few select films. They gained a lot of credit for this single and were published in well known music magazines such as Rolling Stone and NME (New Musical Express), being named as having one of the "Best Albums Of 2003". However since the release of this hit album they have been almost unheard of in the UK and disbanded in 2008. I think Junior Senior were branded as quite an upbeat and comical band, this is reflected in their album cover and their 'look', it is all bright and colorful and a little bit chaotic. They were present to deliver videos that made people happy and want to dance. They are also viewed by a lot of people in the UK as a 'One Hit Wonder' and Move Your Feet was without a doubt their biggest success story.

My chosen song

After thinking hard about my current song choice, I decided it was not working for me as it was dreary and I was not producing the content I would have liked for it.

This is the new song I have selected to do for my Music Video. It is called Move Your Feet by Junior Senior.

I have selected this song, as it is a dance track and relatively well known and liked by people of all ages. This song is also one of my personal favourites and it should be a lot more fun to get content for. 

Am I happy with my text so far?

In terms of what stage I would have liked to have been at by now, no I am not happy with it, because even though it seems like I have done hours and hours of filming, when it is all cut down and I have taken all that is usable from the footage, I find that there isn't really much to work with, and the temptation to repeat shots becomes present but this is never what I wanted to do in my video as I find it boring and repetitive.
I also do not update my blog regularly enough, but I am determined to change this as of now.

What I need to do to Improve

I am falling behind unfortunately in filming, because of not sticking to a strict filming schedule, so to improve I must make sure my talent is organised and prepared for when my Locations are available, and know exactly what needs to be filmed within these sessions. I also must stick to my storyboard as I tend to veer off with knew ideas that often do not link into my video at all. I find that I am often changing my ideas but this is not proving to be useful in terms of finishing relevant tasks on time, so I need to stick with what I've got and just make it the absolute best it can be.

Next Steps

The next step I am currently thinking about, is getting my final filming sorted and uploaded. I am trying to stick to my storyboard and follow a filming schedule but the Talent is not always available, or willing for use of a better word. I am still currently editing alongside the filming but it is proving difficult because I do not have access to all of the footage yet. I recently had some more inspiration for the stop go animation that I would like to use in my video. This is a song by one republic, where they have effectively shot a music video and played it within another music video. I love the jumpy and lively effect it gives to the video because, even though the focus remains stationary for most of the film with simple zooms in and out, the background and the foreground are changing so much and every quarter of a second, that it creates fluid movement, and makes for a very captivating video.

I also have been thinking that a change of song may be in order for a faster paced track. If stop go animation becomes the primary focus of the video as I'd like it to be, I think that a quicker pace may suit the style of animation a lot more.

Storyboard

For my concept video I have decided to use Stop Go Animation in parts, because I think it will create a juddered and shaky effect that reflects the song style of alternative, rock, electronica and dub which is chaotic with a jumping beat. I will also be using some subtle Clint Eastwood inspiration from the film Dirty Harry in the acting because Gorillaz have two songs named Clint Eastwood and Dirty Harry, as an intentional signifier, meaning that not everyone will understand the reference but the select few that do will hopefully find it humorous and quite clever. This also links to the theory of Audience Pleasures and belonging to a select group, as you feel that it is targeted at you personally.

My first scene will be of ten people, all wearing white t-shirts. I will take a long shot photo of each person individually, front and back pulling a face or striking a pose but not blocking their t-shirts. Then using final cut pro, I will layer the letters D, I, R etc. onto the face of their t-shirts, so that when all cut together, they will spell DIRTY HARRY. This should last for the 24 second instrumental opening of the song. My teacher has recently shown me where to look to find out how to carry out this type of editing. I found a fantastic tutorial on Youtube specified to creating and editing music videos! This should be a really useful source for future editing on my video, and has taught me that if I need help when it comes to software I can always find the information myself first rather than having to ask a teacher every time.

My second scene is when it moves into the chorus. The last two people wearing the white t-shirts (R, Y), will come to stand next to each other in front of a blank wall with their arms by their sides, I will be using a mid shot of just their torso's and necks. Separately I will film actors carrying out the actions in the lyrics (dancing and singing) with the appropriate props (a gun). Then I will cut and edit this video accordingly to fit the 25 second long chorus, and use final cut pro to layer the two videos so that the dancing actors can be placed on top of their t-shirts. This will be a continuing theme throughout the video.

The next scene I will focus on is the rap, it lasts for 1 minute and 5 seconds. I would like this part of the video to be in a parody style. I will fade away from the white t-shirts and into the next video which will be of several different people, ranging from the ages of 5 years old to around 50 years old. They will all be doing one or two lines each, all in different ways. I will have the youngest and the oldest actor doing the typical low angle shot, where they rap down and directly into the camera with 'pistol fingers'! I would like this entire scene to be shot at a low angle, left and right of the actors. They will all be very over the top, jumping and stomping to the beat. I think this will fit in with the entertaining style the Gorillaz videos usually portray, and will also be fun to film for myself and the actors hopefully providing an enjoyable experience for my audience.

My final scene will be Stop Go animation again with the beginning ten people all appearing next to each other in a long wide shot with their faces to the wall all pointing to their backs which will again spell DIRTY HARRY. The final photo will be of all of them holding their fingers to their neighbouring persons head in a 'stick em up' position with leering smiles. I will then cut to black with a gunshot sound effect and the laugh used at the beginning of the Clint Eastwood music video.
  

Memes & Tropes of Music Videos

Music videos of all genres feature certain memes and tropes throughout, signifying to consumers of the text, what kind of genre the video is. There are many different examples of this e.g. Men Without Hats' Safety Dance. Some media works feature dancing and this makes sense when the scene is set in a night club, a prom or even a concert. However in some videos (like this one) there is an elaborate plot going on that the story is concentrating on but dancing is still featured in there somewhere, even though the story should be viewed as serious. This trope is typically seen in films about dance like Step Up and humorous/parody music videos.

One of the key features of a music video concept is camera movement. There is a type of trope known as a conveyor belt video, this is when the camera continually tracks to one side, with (in general) no jump cuts, creating the impression that the scene is on a conveyor belt. Coldplay did this in the music video 'The Scientist'. The actions were filmed backwards and the singing forward. The video helped to visually show consumers what the lyrics are trying to say as one of the repeated lines in the song is "I'm going back to the start."

    

Conventions of a Music Video

Typical music videos last between three and 6 minutes but can be longer depending on the artist and the editing of the video. These videos will always have a style that reflects the genre of the video, for example if you are shooting an 'indie' video it may have been edited with a lot of effects or be shot in black and white. One way or another they like to distort the image in someway to show that the video is different just like their music, and they will often be shown playing their instruments. The same goes for shooting a 'pop' music video, they tend to be upbeat dance tracks and so the location of the filming will often be set in a club with a lot of young people all having a good time, dancing and socialising. Providing a genre provides structure for the audience, and in doing so it is easy to watch a music video on mute and tell the genre just by the images on the screen. All music videos include the basic conventions of style, editing techniques, the sound (diegetic and non diegetic), Mise en Scene (props, costume, lighting, location and make up) and finally stereotyping. Here is an example of a pop video displaying what I am talking about:- Atlas Genius - Trojans.
This video is an indie video and features a lot of distorting effects, the singers playing their instruments and lots of close ups of seemingly random things like, a goldfish and a toy wind up eye ball.

My chosen song

I have decided to do a music video for my coursework, as I think it will be the most enjoyable for me and I will get to learn a lot in terms of filming and editing from it. The song I have chosen to do is called Dirty Harry by Gorrilaz. This is their animated music video.

Introduction

This is my A2 Media Blog. Throughout my upcoming lessons I am going to be creating a short film, a film trailer, or a music video, whilst learning how to film and edit throughout the process.