Evaluation Part 5

Evaluation Part 3

Evaluation Part 2

In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products?

Narrative/Performance/Conceptual and other video modes

(performance)

For my Music video I Chose to adhere to the conventional style of music video that the UK Rap Genre typically uses. The performance for my music video consisted of the artist walking through a lonely pathway in a park, here is where the audience see the artist rapping the lyrics and showing his facial and body expressions. So here I clearly adhered to the typical conventions for the UK rap Genre as most of these songs typically have an artist who is the main selling point lip syncing in front of the camera. However in the performance it is clear that the artist takes the song very seriously and does so with clear passion and emphasis on emotion, this can be seen as challenging existing UK rap conventions as a lot of the time these songs discuss topics such as wealth, success, females, sex and accessories, however here it is clear that my artist is clearly exploring a much more deep topic. Also a lot of close up shots are used in the performance parts of the music video which can be viewed as unconventional especially as a lot of rap songs such as Fredo 100, use long shots to show the artists outfits and surroundings, where as in the performance parts for my music video the sole focus is the artist and his lyrics.

Narrative: The other music video style used was the narrative style, this is where a story is explained through the lyrics and visually shown through the acting of the artist. As mentioned before that this music video explores a more emotional and unconventional side to rap, it is clear that in parts of the narrative it goes against a lot of stereotypes, this is also known as counter stereotypes. An example of this is seen when the artist throws away the cigarette and stomps on it, this denotes that the artist does not encourage smoking whether it is weed or cigarette  This prop was effectively used to challenge this stereotype that a lot of rappers encourage the use of weed, also in the lyrics it says 'So I tried to stop blazing and strengthen my mind' yet again signifying the artist condemns these substances. The Narrative also shows the artist being by himself a lot of the time, this can be perceived as unconventional especially as a lot of typical rap songs have a massive hype of having a lot of people included in their music video showing off their massive wealth and fancy sports cars, whereas in this rap music video the artist is down to earth and very simple.

Genre: The genre for my music video is that of a UK rap and Grime genre. This music video uses a heavy amount of subversion as I believe a lot of the time the typical Grime and UK rap genre is challenged through the use of lyrics and visual content. All throughout the music video it explores emotion and the more introverted side of the artist, going through his past and memories. Usually in this genre of music artists rap about many meaningless topics and boast a lot about their possessions. I was influenced by Drakes Album 'Take Care' Where in a lot of his songs he discusses relationships and a lot more emotion as opposed to his typical rap music where he raps about the fame and money. Another inspiration of work to take an unconventional approach was CasIsDead 'Drugs Don't Work' as this is also of the same genre however digs into the dark realm of drug abuse and drug addicts to make it more relatable to those in the same struggle. I strongly Believe I did this successfully as when viewing my own work there is a more somber mood in comparison to conventional rap music videos that use bright colour  palettes and extensive amounts of props and actors. 

Camera, Angle, Shot movement and position: In reference to camera shots used, there is a variety used to ensure that my music video wasn't repetitive and boring as I had to make sure it looked impressive. Connoted here is a close up shot showing the artists facial expression he looks neither happy or excited however denoted is the artists seriousness and passion, as he takes the song very important and meaningful.  Towards the end of my music video I used a 360 shot to finish of my music video to leave an effective image of the artist in the audiences head.

Editing Techniques - Transitions, cuts and use of special effects: In reference to editing I chose to use a slow paced editing style to ensure everything visually looked smooth and continuous as I didn't want my music video to come across as fast paced and too up to beat. While editing I had to ensure when cutting the clips that the lyrics matched the lip sync so that the visuals look professional and up to good standard. Also when editing I included a colour correction code and used a blue and grey tone creating a gritty and urban colour palette. this helped my music video conform to

the Hypodermic Needle theory as the lyrics and imagery of the music video metaphorically inject this message of the artist's past life, therefore the passive audience perceive this and accept the media text given to them. Especially as my music video explores a more emotional side to the artist. This definitely encouraged synergy which was carried out across all three media products through the outstanding colour palette which uses this dark grey and blue colour correction. These colours are prominent throughout the three media products due to the message behind the colours and how the theme is synergised through the three products. This colour palette reinforces a dull and gloomy feeling across the three media products denoting that the artist's emotions usually revolve around depression and sad memories.

Continuity editing - Cutting shots to tell a story with narrative continuity This helps the artists audience make sense of the action by implying spatial relationships and ensuring smooth flow from shot to shot. this also Creates realism which is a convention of UK rap as most of the time the music is fictional and usually about the artists life as opposed to a pop song which may be fictitious.

The fade transitions used from particular shots, shows the artist reminiscing on his past,

Mise - En scene : The clothing of my artist is typical to that of the UK rap genre as my artist is wearing a puffer jacket, denim jeans and trainers, a lot of the time artists of this genre would wear a similar outfit suggesting that my music video conforms to the chosen genre, this also emphasized the brand that this artist is trying to represent.

The location for my music video can be viewed as unconventional for this genre as the performance takes place in a lonely park. This is because most music videos for this genre like to expose the flashy life style that they live so would usually have their music videos set in an expensive area such as a mansion however this ensures that this appeals to the intended audience as my artist is expressing his feelings as opposed to showing his wealth and fame, so this location allows the audience to understand and see the artist as humble.

Evaluation Part 1

What Brief Were You working To?

The brief I was working towards, was to create a music video, a Digipak and a magazine advert, each of these media products were to promote our chosen artist. For this task I worked as an individual as opposed to working with a partner or group.

Brief For Media Coursework

 I was also told by my teachers that my music video either had to be completely copyright free, otherwise I would have to obtain first hand permission from the owner of the copyright song or at least have evidence that I attempted to gain this information. My song 'San Andreas Mentality' owned by the artist himself Bugzy malone was copyright, therefore I had to ask for permission to use the song in my music video. I did this by emailing Bugzy Malone directly and asking him whether I could use the song. To make things easier I attempted to find royalty free songs that I could work with however constantly trying to do this, I had no creative connection and therefore found myself choosing a copyright song from an Artist I am more familiar with.

The other part of this brief was to create two ancillary products which both were to exist to promote my artist and music video. This would include both Digipak and Magazine Advert for the ancillary products. I had to ensure that both of these media products included synergy; meaning that all products some how tie in together on each platform and show exact similarities. I was able to do this through Mise-en-Scene, typography, layout and colour pallets. It was very important that I included synergy as all three of the media products I created  had to have a strong link to make it clear who my target audience was and for the audience to identify the artist instantly. I did this successfully, as in pre production I researched many existing media products that used synergy and showed similarities to identify their target audience. An example of this is seen below;

                                                             
                                                 (Example of synergy across two media products.)

Who Was The Artist? How Did You Find Them? How Did You Seek Permission?

My artist was Bugzy Malone, a British grime MC from Manchester, England. He has been described as a key artist instigating the 'Grime Revival' moving the UK urban scene away from more commercially orientated music. I found Bugzy Malone years ago on YouTube, as this is typically the genre of music I would originally listen too and Bugzy Malone is an Artist I am very fond of and enjoy listening to his content. The song I used from this artist was 'San Andreas Mentality' one of his least well known songs, however shows the more personal introverted side of the artist. I aimed to use this song in particular as I had lots of ideas in terms of camera shots, mise en scene and more conventional features. In terms of permission, I personally emailed the artist directly, asking whether I could use the song for my A Level Media Coursework and that I would not use it for revenue purposes. Evidence of this is seen below:

Explain The Music Genre And What Attracted You To The Artist?

My song is a Grime and UK Rap genre song. I wanted to create a gritty but yet emotional music video and this song worked perfectly, as it explored the more emotional and introverted side of the artist, as oppose to typical rap, which conventionally discusses drugs, money and women. I felt that this type of song would make it easier to create a Narrative, as it would be of slow pace and would allow time to show the story as well as the performance.  I instantly knew what kind of music video I would create when listening to the song and deciding that this was the song I was going to use. I regularly listen to this genre of music, as it is the kind of music I have grown up with from the influence of my older brother. I find myself leaning on the side of conscious rap as oppose to typical gangster type rap, this is because I find more meaning in these songs and also they explore real life issues that hold meaning not just meaningless gibberish. I like the idea of looking back into somebody's past and seeing how they have progressed into the individual that they are now and this was the case for the Artist Bugzy Malone, as I felt that this progression is to be admired and shown through a music video. Including the Flashback Narrative device, allows me to explore more into narrative devices and become better at Media Studies as a subject. I was inspired by music videos such as Eminem Not Afraid, where the artist describes his journey as human and the hardships that he has faced, that evolved him into the person he is now.

Digipak and Magazine advert

Emmanuel Music Video

Production Schedule December & January

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