Production Log week 8

Although I have not yet finished the entire filming for my music video, I have started editing for it using Final Cut Pro. In parts of my music video where it consists of Narrative and I have not filmed however I have filled up these spaces with text and images to denote what footage is going to placed there when I go out and film for my Narrative. To help me film for my Narrative, I will adhere to my shooting script but not fully, as I may innovate initial ideas. Surprisingly I have enjoyed my time filming and editing, as it gives me time off typical study and writing, which I find relieving. At first I was overthinking as to how my music video will plan out, and was stressing lots, however my teachers reminded me to not over complicate things and stick to my shooting script to help me, and I have found this vastly helpful especially with the help of the BTEC students. Seeing the progress of my music video while editing surprises me how far I've come compared to how i started. The second time I went filming, I most definitely attained the best footage, as I used more relevant areas to the genre and added many different techniques to help engage more with the audience. I was happy with the footage cutting to the beat and also how the lip syncing was well done. I have now officially finished editing the performance parts for my music video, however as time goes on, I may change and edit more bits and pieces to help shape the overall project.

Production Log 7

In the course of this week, I have been filming for my Music Video. As I am currently working by myself, my teachers arranged two BTEC students from another media class to help me for my filming. I found this extremely helpful, as on my own I would have found it extremely challenging and difficult. Most of the filming done so far consists in a grungy park, with gloomy features. I found that filming here most definitely creates a feeling of isolation, as the character is seen to be walking through a pathway in a lonely park. I have had to film twice in this park, as the first time I did not include enough footage and shots to even fill up the performance parts of my music video. In terms of lip syncing and performance I found this quite easy, As I had known the lyrics of the song for a long time, as it is a song I had listened to before, so when filming this was not much of a barrier. The second time filming I found that when walking through the park I discovered way more locations to be used. Also when filming for the second time I used lots more camera shots and camera angles to ensure I gain maximum marks for my music video. I need to find a set date to film for my narrative, as I have not yet done this, I require two of my friends to be available as they are involved as characters for my music video. I intend for my music video to be up to good standard so I can achieve high marks for my coursework.

Production Log Week 6

I spent my time this week starting on my Shooting script and Location Reccies. The Shooting script took up the majority of my time in lesson, as I had to think thoroughly as to how my music video will play out and how it will come in action. I firstly had to create a draft for my shooting script to give myself an idea as to how I will fill out my final shooting script. At first I found this extremely difficult however when my Teacher gave me some advice for my shooting script, I found it much more easier, as I typed up the lyrics of the song first and then filled in the other components. The most difficult part of the shooting script was, the camera movements and shot types that I will be using because I found it difficult to visually picture it in my head however as time went on, I overcame that challenge. My shooting script will be immensely helpful for when I start filming, as initially it gives me a guide as to how my music video should look and in a sense is a plan for my filming. I am not going to stick exactly to the shooting script because as I go out filming I will look for more creative ideas to bring for my music video. In reference to the Location Reccies, I found this task very easy uncomplicated, as it was very straightforward, all I simply had to do was state the locations that I will be using and provide images for those locations. However I still had to explain why I am using these locations.

Production Log Week 5

Throughout this week I have been working on my Final Treatment for my music video, where I further talk about the artists and his background and also more related ideas to the actual music video, such as logistics, Actors, Narrative and more. I found this task fairly easy, as I had a lot of prime examples and resources to help me complete this Final Treatment. I feel like that blog post has been one of my most successful, as I explained each subheading thoroughly and also gave prime examples and used Media terminology and Theory. My Final Treatment will also help me carry out my pre production ancillary products and also my actual production for the music video, as I am able to relate back to the Final Treatment to make sure I am not missing out on anything. I didn't find anything particularly challenging, but if I had to choose one part that I did find about un easy, was where I had to talk about the Logistics, because at this time I wasn't 100% sure where I was going to film, so I wasn't able to explain fully the locations, however as time went on I was able to complete it.

Ancillary products Digipak and Magazine Advert

Production Log Week 4

During my time in and outside of lesson, I have been gathering pre production research to help aid the production for my music video. This Pre Production consisted of analyzing Music videos, Magazine adverts and Digipaks. On the other side of this research i carried out primary research including; Vox pops and questionnaires. When analyzing the music videos i had to analyse three music videos and state whether they were conceptual, narrative or performance. I had to choose a range of screen shots and elaborate on the conventions of the song, by denoting and connoting. I had to conclude how it well help me for my own music video and whether I will take similar ideas and bring it into my own inception. I Found this task to be quite difficult and time consuming, as I found it very repetitive when finding screenshots and I found myself talking about the same conventions in some instances.


In reference to the ancillary products; Digipak and Magazine advert, I had to annotate and describe the different conventions and pick out the different images and how they convey a particular message to their audience. I feel that in this task I descriptively stated how the digipak uses synergy and images to captivate the audience and make it a more fascinating relatable product. Yet again in these tasks I had to refer back to my own production work, and whether the style of my digipak would be similar or as effective.

I then had to create my own Digipak and Magazine advert and begin planning it out. My initial idea for both my magazine advert and Digipak is that my artist would be surrounded by a block of council flats and there will be a contrast of his face and the landscape, to create this gritty effect. As the genre for my music video is Grime/UK rap i wanted to show this off as much as possible, showing where
the artist came from. My inspiration came from this Digipak:

Production Log Week 2

This week I have been further developing my theoretical knowledge on Media. Firstly I had created a production reflection grid, to look back on Year 12 Research and planning, creativity, post production, digital technology and conventions. I had to keep linking back to the tasks I carried out in my first year of media, and segment this information into 3 parts; Pre production, production and post production. I feel that this will help aid my production work for my year 13 Music video project. I admit that i found some difficulties in finding and picking out the relevant evidence needed from my year 12 work, but other than that i completed the task without much difficulty.

Also during this week I have been indulging further into music video theory. I was looking at various Narrative devices, such as; Flashback narrative, pathetic fallacy, restricted narrative and also been looking at Narrative theories such as Todorovs theory and Propps theory. I found it fairly easy to complete the first part of these tasks where I had to give examples of music videos and their narrative devices however in the second part of this assignment I found it hard to incorporate Propps and Todorovs theory and how it applies to certain music videos. Researching further on the internet I found two good examples to use for these theories and applied them well in the blog post.

Production Log Week 1

For this week i have been analyzing various music videos in different analytical ways and formations. Firstly i created a blog discussing my favorite song and answering questions as to why this is my favorite song and the effect it has on me. I concluded by answering that I liked the gritty visuals and lyrics.

Also,during this week i have also covered all the different types of music videos and referring to examples and explaining what makes a video that style. For example in this blog post i referred to Rihanna 'This is what you came for' as a performance music video, as it consists of lip syncing and the artist Rihanna is visually performing in front of the camera. I found both of these tasks reasonably easy, i was given good theoretical knowledge in lesson, as how to complete these exercises, and as for the first blog post it was to do with my own opinion which i found very doable. I also actually found myself enjoying this tasks as I could spend time watching music videos and at the same time gain theoretical knowledge on Music videos while giving my opinion.

Location Reccies

Shooting Script Draft

The Final Treatment

Artist:

Image of the actual artist

The Artist I am working for is Bugzy Malone, a British Grime MC from Manchester, England. I am using his song 'San Andreas Mentality' a song from his mix tape 'The journal of an evil genius'. I contacted the artist via Twitter, however I have not received actual confirmation. Looking at Bugzy Malone as an artist, he is typically represented as a deviant character, as a lot of his songs emphasize this criminal type behavior, as he describes in his songs various instances where he participated in several criminal activities. This can be seen as a stereotype, especially for male black grime artists in the UK, who are typically viewed this way, as the majority of the time they discuss certain topics in their music which would convey this idea. Also this representation, makes this artist relatable to their audience, as Bugzy Malone in numerous occasions, paints pictures with words in his songs, creating emotional stories of his childhood, and the hardships he faced, in essence this makes it relatable for his audience, especially for working class black male teenagers. Also the style of dress code the artist has, such as dressing in tracksuits and sports jackets, etc. can be commonly relatable for this same audience, as they share this similar 'hood' 'urban' way of dressing. As Bugzy malone often uses this narrative style of music, Todorov's theory on the 5 stages of equilibrium can be applied, as the style of the music video would be able to incorporate these stages.

Audience:

Example of an audience type person

My target audience would be ranging from the ages of 13-24 also being mainly targeted at males and especially those of the working class. This is typical as stated before this is the profile that fits this genre of music, as conventionally these people would listen to these songs on you tube and soundcloud, listening to free mix tapes as generally they can not afford paying for expensive albums. Although the content displayed in this artists music can come across as explicit, young teenagers of this common era in the UK especially those of the working class, find a way to relate to this music, or simply enjoy this genre of music. Importantly, is this idea that grime music is becoming a  large movement in the UK, it also makes it significantly applicable to everybody who lives in the UK, as the genre originated from East London, therefore many people originally from the UK take pride in this. In reference to my Vox Pop the majority of people i asked questions to were demographically from ethnic minorities and also most probably working class, as being from East London this is very common. Also when asking these questions in the Vox Pop and sharing my idea, a lot people were fond of the brief description and how it makes it relatable to people of our age and background. This is extremely important as it gives me an insight as to what i can do to make it more applicable to this audience. When asking the question; 'what do grime artists typically wear?' most people generally stated that these types of artists wear; tracksuits, big jackets, trainers, beanies and etc. This use of Mise en scene and costume, again makes it more and more relatable for my audience, and also in a sense fashionable, as these are the contemporary trends for these teenagers.

My Vision

My Music Video: 

In terms of the style of my music video, it will be a narrative and performance, as both elements will be incorporated as they match the lyrics. This is not conventional for the Grime genre, as most grime music videos only use the performance style rather than narrative, this is because grime is usually not a genre to have a story line as the lyrics and flow are quite unstructured, contrary to my music video  which is significantly structured and in order. The narrative device my music video will include is, the flashback narrative, as the artist 'Bugzy Malone' takes a journey into his past and rediscovers his haunting memories of his teenage life.The costumes that will be used in my music video are somewhat conventional, as they conform to the conventional/stereotypical look of UK rap and grime artists, this includes; sports wear, jackets,hats and sports trainers, also including accessories such as rings, watches and chains to add to this stereotypical look as I want my audience to identify the artist as quick as possible. The shots for my music video vary from when the artist is performing and lip syncing, most of the shots will be located in a lonely pathway in a park to connote the artist being lonely and isolated while expressing his feelings and emotions. When the flashback narrative appears, most of the shots will be taken down memory lane such as for example when the artist comes out of prison as a teenager,  I will reconstruct this moment, by filming the artist coming out a set of doors, looking as if he has literally just come out of prison. Also a lot of the time the shots will be set around council estate flats and houses to reinforce this idea of working class representations. There will be a variety of locations that will be used in my music video, to keep it interesting and exciting to watch.

Ancillary Products: Digipak & Magazine advert:

For both my Digipak and Magazine advert I will implement the use of synergy through the colour scheme and titles, as in both ancillary products they will have similar themes, this is to reinforce the themes and emotions and keep it consistent all throughout the ancillary products. The theme is this 'San Andreas' Grand theft auto ghetto look. The text used will be that of the San Andreas game to interlink with the name of the title being ' San Andreas Mentality' which means that the artist has this violent, gangster mentality. I feel like it would be a good idea to synergize the name of the title in both the Digipak and magazine advert, for both entertainment and business purposes, as the audience will instantly be able to identify the artist and the genre.



Key Concepts:

My music video will conform to he Hypodermic Needle theory as the lyrics and imagery of the music video metaphorically inject this message of the artists past life, therefore the passive audience perceive this and accept the media text given to them. For my music video i believe there is a heavy use of subversion, especially when referring back to my Vox Pop research many people stated that my idea isn't conventional and that it is very unique, as my idea explores the artists emotions and memories, rather than just showing the artist as an individual and showing his exterior. This challenges the conventional style of music videos of the grime and UK rap genre. 

Technology:

Panasonic HDC - HS300

In terms of technology I will be using my schools Panasonic HDC - HS300 for production. Some of the shots taken with this digital video camera i may also use in my Digipak and Magazine advert to yet again synergize the three media products to consistently represent the artist and connote the themes. This piece of equipment is not to complex to use, as i have a basic understanding of how to use it, and also it is very flexible and efficient as it is easy to use when travelling and looking for places to film compared to the video camera used in year 12 this is of much better quality and and resolution, which overall benefits the production of my work. Also another piece of equipment that I will use alongside the video camera will be a tripod to keep focus on some of the shots in certain parts of the music video, however I will dominantly be using the hand held camera technique to ensure there is a feeling of realism and grittiness as my genre conforms to these feelings.

Final Cut pro X

During Post Production I will be using the Apple mac's to edit for my music video, using the software 'final cut pro X'. This is the same software I used for my Year 12 coursework, however this time we are using a more updated version which is much better. For my ancillary products i will be using Photoshop as I have no experience, my teachers will be able to assist and help me. 



Logistics:

In reference to logistics, I am intending on having my music video based around the typical UK underground scene. As my music video consists of two different style elements, such as performance and Narrative, my logistics will vary from each scene. For example when my artist is performing in front of the video camera lip syncing he will be walking through a lonely pathway in a park to connote this idea of the artist solely focusing on the lyrics and story and not the distracting visuals around him. However when the visuals focus on the narrative, it will be based around the areas of which the artist is rapping about, for example when the rapper says 'playing San Andreas had me feeling like I could rob a bank' that scene will be set in the protagonists bedroom, furthermore this creates a feeling of nostalgia not just for the artist but also the audience. Also when the artist is rapping about coming out of jail, this will be set in an area which looks as if 'replicated' that the protagonist has come out of jail. Also another example of this is when the artist says 'i started going gym and i was hitting those bags' it will then fade into a scene of the protagonist in the gym sparring with a boxing bag. All of these areas are convenient as they are not difficult to get permission to film for and also is very conventional for a UK rap song, as they reflect that urban underground gang culture. in terms of casting, I had to think very hard on this, although I haven't got everybody's availability, i will have to think in terms of who would be suitable for the chosen roles. For the protagonist, I will be playing this role as i believe i have the suitable look for this character, as i have a serious but calm look. Also I believe as i play the protagonist it allows me to come up with my own ideas and innovate my initial thoughts, as i can elaborate more on what i want in my music video. There are two characters called 'Fidz' and 'Darky' for these two characters I will get my close friends to play them, as i believe it will allow more of a connection to be made among the characters and will seem more real and believable. 

Meet My Audience

Research Plan

Vox Pop videos and analysis

Feedback from Vox Pop

What did you aim to find out with your research?

From my research I aimed to find out ways in which i could improve my initial idea and make it a more unique and relatable idea to my audience. Also to gain feedback on where my music video idea prospers and also the downsides to my idea and how i can be possibly constrained.

How did you undertake it - methods - kinds of questions activities

For my research i used a Vox Pop and a questionnaire. The types of questions i asked where mainly in relation to my idea for my music video, however i did ask some general questions, for example a direct question i had was; is there any specific things you would like me to include in my video? which is direct feedback to innovate my idea. An example of an indirect question is; What do grime artists typically look like? which is the audiences general understanding of the conventions in this genre, which also would help me to think what my artist will wear in my music video.

What does this result suggest?

From my Vox Pop, what was outstanding for me was that most people said that my idea was creative and unique and that not many UK Grime artists conform to this style of narrative or music video. Nearly everybody said that they liked the idea of addressing sensitive issues and emotional hardships, as it shows the artists journey and also makes it relatable for the audience. However some people did say that they would like a sense of equilibrium and happiness to be included in the video, I may possibly include this but only at certain points of the music video where it is suitable. In terms of costume and mise en scene, everyone had a basic understanding of what these artists typically wear, for example; tracksuits, hoodies, trainers and etc. me myself already having an understanding of this kinds of artists, helped me gain an insight as to whether people of the target audience would have an acknowledgement.  

Are any of your results surprising or conflicting? Why could this be?

I do not believe my results are either surprising or conflicting, simply because the majority of the people surveyed and interview, accepted and enjoyed my idea for my music video and where extremely fond with it. I believe these results simply gave me a clarification on the direction that my idea was going and whether my audience theory is correct and etc.

Is there any reason that this answer could be bias/inaccurate?

There is a possibility of bias existing in my research, as the range of people questioned where typically what i would expect my audience to be like, however there were a few outliers who stated they do not listen to that genre of music, however they still had a form of understanding. 

How does this affect what I will do with my music video?

This well help me finalize how i am going to carry out my idea in terms of aspects i want my audience to be exposed to, such as costume, narrative and themes. I believe i gained a decent variation of results to be able to conclude how i will change my idea, for example I will include a sense of equilibrium in the music video at different stages, this will be distinctive as the scenes will be very emotional and recognizable.

Magazine Advert analysis

Magazine Advert analysis Drake Take Care





Magazine Advert analysis Mumford and sons



Magazine Advert analysis Beyonce, Adele, Lana Del Ray

Music Video Analysis

 

Digipak analysis

Digipak Analysis - Drake Take Care

 

Digipak Analysis - Rihanna Loud

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Song has a good beat to cut too.
• Developed character.
• Thought about good Narrative Devices; Flashback and Forward.
• Conventional.
• Media techniques; Editing, Mise en Scene, camera shots and techniques.
• Good representations on characters to be shown in the Music video
• Bugzy Malone Idea = Less swearing, less sexual references, more of an actual story line and idea worth making.

Weaknesses

• Use more technology; Include editing software that would be used, etc.
• Use various props.
• Who exactly is going to be in my music video, when using the flash back narrative device because of the age difference; need somebody who looks similar to main artist.

Opportunities

• Using the Artists identity and altering it, to make more representations.
• Good opportunity for music video, through lyrical context.
• The genre of music, is a niche market and allows a set target audience for the music video

Threats

• Availability of actors for music video flashback
• use of props and technology

Rationale

From my feedback i can take back lots of strengths as to where my project is doing well in as well as the lacking weaknesses that may bring down my idea to a not so good standard. This allows me to make changes in various ways, especially when looking at the opportunities and threats, which gives future information on what could be done and also what could be prevented to make the most out of the music video. the reason why i chose to change the idea for my music video, is due to the fact that the lyrical content for 'Bugzy Malones' song San Andreas Mentality, allows a more intellectual piece of work to be created with more depth and examples of narrative and genre devices and styles. i have included a much more versatile style of music, with an interpretive use of lyrics and also a more relevant story line to the lyrics being rapped, also a sense of performance when the lyrics in some cases wont be able to match a particular narrative. Also additional feedback was that my initial choice for a music video contained to much unnecessary swearing which did not help my content.

Music Video Genres

Music Video Pitch & Feed back

Presentation




Music Video Pitch







Music Video Feedback

Music Video Coursework

Narrative Devices

Flashback/ Forward- Skip into the past/future. Example of this is Biggie Smalls 'Juicy'

In this music video featuring Biggie Smalls, there is a clear Flashback and forward Narrative device used, as you can clearly see the scenes alternate between Biggie Smalls living lavish and luxury with his new music career, and on the other hand, it flashes back to when He was living in a lot less luxurious conditions. From '0;00 to 00;20', you can see the transition from his past life hustling on the street curbs to the current, what is seen as getting attention from TV presenters interviewing him, asking him questions prior to his fame. At 1;20, there is a pool party taking place, which is usually associated with popularity, as Biggie Smalls is the one hosting the party, it is clear to say he is admired by many fellow people due to his reputation and status of being a successful Afro American hip hop artist.

Pathetic Fallacy - Weather matches the mood of the scene. Example of this is Devlin Community Outcast.

'Community Outcast' by the UK rap artist Devlin, is a perfect example of a music video, using pathetic fallacy to set the mood for the song. Instantly the Music video denotes at 00:01, the cloudy skies, connoting set up for the rest of the song. At 2:43 you can see and feel an intimate response to the homeless person being neglected by society, and the use of pathetic fallacy contributes to this sentimental feeling we as an audience are inclined to feel, other than just the lyrics of the song we listen to, but also the visual gain we take from seeing the reality of poverty. 

Restricted Narrative - Big Tobz X Blittz - The Move.

This Music video contains various features of a restricted Narrative, as us the audience can only visually see and hear the Narrative taking place from two of the characters, whereas the opposing characters of whom they wish to rob, are not to be seen and we do not see their activity. This seemingly creates more tension, as we have no clear idea of the possible outcomes occurring from this 'Move', as we have no clue whether the other opposing characters are preparing themselves for this terror attack. We are also restricted in the sense, that the two characters are hardly mobile, throughout the music video they are seated without much action, waiting for the perfect time to make the move, this is seen at 2:23, and various other time codes, where they are conversating and plotting on the other character. We only see at the end of the music video of what seemed to happen, but not completely as we had a restricted narrative.overall this creates effective suspense and tension which keeps the audience intrigued.

Todorov, Narrative Structure

Example Eminem Stan.

Eminem's Stan music video is one that shows Todorov's theory very well and thoroughly, by selectively splitting the narrative into 5 parts, being; Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition, restoration and New equilibrium, we can see the various narrative stages the music video goes through. The beginning of the equilibrium is the state at which Stan is initially writing his letters to Eminem, craving his attention from his favourite rapper idol, this is seen at 1:18. The disruption reveals when Eminem unintentionally does not reply to his obsessed fan. The recognition of this disruption is the subsequent response of Stan reacting by losing his mind over his obsession of his idol and results to him gruesomely killing himself, this begins at 2:29 all the way to 3:15. The restoration stage is where Stan kills himself and impregnates his girlfriend and kills himself and his girlfriend, at 3:42 this restoration begins  finishing at 4:35 where the car crashes. At 4:42 is when Eminem replies to all of Stans letters and the beginning of a new equilibrium is when Eminem recognises Stan's suicide and finally gains his attention. This narrative structure is what seems to be very abstract and upsetting.

Character Driven - Propps Theory - Example; Taylor Swift - You belong with me

Vladimir Propp studied hundreds of Russian folk and fairytales before deciding that all narratives have a common structure. He observed that narratives are shaped and directed by certain types of characters and specific kinds of actions. Propp identified seven roles in which any character may play in a story; Villain, donor, helper, princess, dispatcher, hero and false hero. The music video that i am going to be identifying these roles with is Taylor Swifts song 'You Belong With Me', which is a narrative showing a high school romance and love story. In this music video Taylor Swift is the princess,she is seen at 0:26, as a generic convention of this identity, she is innocent and sweet looking aswell as pretty. The boys girlfriend  at 1:34 in the video is recognised as the villain in a sense, as ini tally she prevents the princess Taylor Swift from being together with her boyfriend from high school. In the narrative the Hero who is the boy who is seen at the beginning 0:03, who the princess is in love with, fights the villain protecting the princess, resulting in the princess being rewarded by ending up with the boy. Overall only 3 of the 8 characters have been used, as this is a result of fewer actor being involved, as opposed to a film it is much easier to apply this concept.

Production Log 3

During these past weeks, me and my partner Kassie have been undecided on the music video we are going to chose, due to the fact that we are both unfamiliar with a lot of genres, such as Folk country music, which was our initial idea, also genres such as indie and rock. However personally the only genre i am relatively comfortable with is more towards UK rap and hip hop, due to the very fact these are the music videos i see on a daily basis and listen too. On the other hand Kassie pushes more towards the Pop side of the music genre. Our music video will either be Narrative or performance. Uncertain of which genre we should choose to stick with for our music video, with the devices we have. Here are some ideas of the possible songs we could use;




I contacted SBTV via email, on their website, inquiring if it would be possible to use this song for educational purposes etc, evidence can be given. The music video is nicely paced, and relatively easy to match Visuals with, and have lip synced and link it with a not too complicated video.

Production reflection Grid

Styles of Music Video

Performance

The artist lip syncing in the music video, literally performing for the audience as if it was an actual concert. Also use clips from real concerts as a part of their music video.







Narrative

The song has a story line, the lyrics can match the actual video or can be completely opposite and bizarre.







Animation


Stock motion, digital and hand drawn music videos.









Impressionist

Music video creating a mood that matches the song.







Surreal/Abstract



Weird surreal music video, uncommon and peculiar, with no actual meaning.








Genre subverting

Galantis- PBJ - video not uploading.

Interpretive

The lyrics in the video creates the whole theme and style of the actual music video. The lyrics match the actual video precisely. Interpretive, because the viewer literally interprets what is connoted.



Genre video


Generic hip hop music video in the 1980's,  Afro American Gangster vibe with flashy clothes, cars and woman. Usually gangster related lyrics with video.

Favorite Music Video

This is my favorite music video, due to the roughness and grittiness that creates a feeling of power and strength. Giving myself motivation in a peculiar sense, as it makes me angry and determined. The old school setting brings nostalgic feelings, of old school hip hop and rap.