For my A2 media coursework I have been assigned the task of creating an original music video to an unreleased song, using all my own material in the actual video.
Moreover, I will begin by researching (codes and conventions, institutions, analysing music videos, etc.) and planning (storyboards, editing techniques, timetables, etc).
What are the Codes and Conventions of Music Videos?
Codes
-Editing (using different techniques is important in creating different moods and emotions to fit in with the style of music that is accompanied by the video)
-Camera movement (swish pans, tracking shots, etc)
- Using a variety of angles (rather than sticking to one type of shot which will bore audiences and loose their interest)
- Mise-en-scene (props, costumes, lighting, locations, etc)
Conventions
- Tend to be based around a person’s feelings and emotions (e.g. a girl singing about a boy)
- shots on the artist or others singing the lyrics (lip syncing is one of the most important things to get right)
- There is usually a link between the lyrics, genre and style of musc with the actual video (i.e. a dance video usually has the codes of conventions of flashing lights, spotlights which is accompanied by the lyrics; usually talk about clubbing and an energetic lifestyle.
Music Tribes and Subcultures
For this part of the research i will be interpreting the information i used for my media AS blog - http://hassantrc.blogspot.com/. Moreover, i will be cutting down some of the information and adding adding extra bits, i want to look more into the subcultures of music and the people that are associated with specific genres of music; exploring their stereotypes, clothing, attitudes, style of music and how these subcultures have evolved since they began.
Music Institutions and 'Plastic Pop' Research
The plastic pop industry began in the 1950's with songs like "since i met you baby" by Hunter and it still exists now in the 21st century with acts like The Saturdays. The words 'Plastic' and 'Pop' explain the whole idea of manufactured industry that produces 'one hit wonders' (having one popular song, one song that entered the charts).
Reality TV played a significant part in the industry. It started with progammes like Pop Idol and Pop Stars the Rivals. People say that the whole idea of the 'plastic' pop industry has ruined the pop music genre and has resulted in pop becoming less popular. Whereas, other people argue that the industry has helped in maintaining the popularity of the pop genre. Pop Idol produced the one hit wonder "HearSay" which had two hits 'pure and simple' and 'the way to your love', the band then split up after a year, this short-lived band is similar to other tv reality 'one hit wonders' like Michelle McManus (pop idol), Leon Jackson(x factor), Gareth Gates(pop idol) and Will Young (pop idol).
On the other hand, there has been success with the tv plastic pop industry with the likes of Girls aloud, Leona Lewis and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole who have showed that reality tv has revived the genre and contributed to the success of the music industry.
What is more, is that recently there has been an input from the American entertainment industry into the plastic pop industry, with progammes like America's got talent and American Idol. They have spawned new pop icons who will go on to release fews songs which will chart in the Billboard Hot 100 and then their popularity will fall and this will eventually result in them being dropped from their record label.
Also, institutions such as Disney have spawned plastic pop artists such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez who have targeted teenage audiences with their 'plastic pop' songs and albums.
Analysing Music Videos
Here i have produced several powerpoint presentations that look deep into the connotations, genres, codes, conventions, micro elements and techniques of various music videos from different music genres. What is more, is that this part of the research will help me get ideas for my music video and how to compose, edit and direct the footage. Also, it will help me think of what props, locations and what type of lighting to use (e.g. using outdoor lighting which would be the best alternative to professional lighting).
Types of Music Videos
To add to this, there are 3 types of music videos.
Narrative: these types of music videos contain some sort of storyline that the characters in the video follow (e.g.telling some sort of personal, life experience to the audience).
An example of a narrative music video would be Gwen Stefani's 'Cool'.
Performance: This is where most of the footage is based around dancing, performing arts and maybe dj-ing. Moreover, these videos contain no storyline and hook audiences by showing a fun and energetic experience of life.
An example of a performance music video would be 'Dominos' by The Big Pink.
Symbolic: These music videos usually contain symbolism and nowadays artists use dark and mysterious symbols in their music videos to represent various feelings and events that link into the style of music that accompanies the video.
A perfect example of a symbolic music video would be Lady GaGa's 'Bad Romance'.
Presentation Planning: Music Video Analysis
We have been set a task to analyse the music video for 'Sex On Fire' by the alternative rock band, Kings Of Leon. For the planning i have put the presentation into different sections to allow each of us to analyse different parts and then putting all of our research into one powerpoint to allow us to present our research, our detailed speech and information. I took on the two of the conventions of music videos, the editing and the narrative. Dinaka took on the lyrics/meaning and the music/genre. Sam took on the analysing of Camera Angles/Shot Composition and the Mise en scene (costume, lighting, props and setting).
Four days before our presentation i received Dinakas information and then one day later i received Sams. Then at home i put all of our independent research into a presentation in Word 2007 (part of 2007 Microsoft office); it was much easier to use and provided better colours and graphics than the older version.
This is the final presentation that i edited on Microsoft 2007 only two days before the actual day, i was very pleased with the template colours and the amount of IT skills i gained.
Here are the notes i prepared for me, Dinaka and Sam to use as a prompt for the speech of our presentation. Most of the speech was the information that was used in the sections of the video, i cut most of it down and put it into the speech cards (this speech presentation was printed out as a 'handout' and was cut up into squares) this allowed us to speak to our audience professionally and comfortably. The speech accompanies the video and i have noted which notes are what slide on the visual PowerPoint that was put up in front of our audience.
Without these notes we would have had great difficulty in presenting the detailed analysis of the music video.
Presentation Video: Music Video Analysis
Here is our presentation that was set as a task on the 25th of June and the preperation and planning took 4 lessons (4hrs) and then we finally presented on thursday the 8th of July.
For the presentation we split it up into sections (7 sections all together, which included the titles: Mise en Scene, Camera, Editing, Narrative, Music and Genre, Lyrics and Meaning and The Artists Backgeround Information.
Ideas
These are my first ideas for the footage in the music video and what type of music to use.
I have thought about making an animated music video because i feel that there are not enough animated music videos around and because i have some experience making them (link to an animation i made for my AS Blog - CLICK HERE). Also, appealing to a younger and older audience is key in appealing to a wide audience to ensure maximum sales of the single (purpose of music videos are to promote the single).
To add to this, i want to make my music video stand out and i know that nearly all the previous A2 Media students from last year in my college used video footage in their videos; only one person had used animation.
For me, the most visually appealing and eye catching music videos are ones with animation and video; they usually use animation or sketches over the video footage. For this reason i will be using animation and video footage in my music video, i have thought about it and i know the difficulties i will face when editing the music video; this is why i am researching the best, most effective and easy to use editing software's before i start.
Here is a link to an example of a music video with animation and video footage:
*** Forward the video in the link to 1.29 for animation + video footage****
Kesha - Your Love Is My Drug
I have experimented and tested out a few different animation software's, these include: Adobe Flash CS5, Moviestorm and Toonboom. I have found Flash CS5 and Moviestorm the best to use because of accessibilty and features. Toonboom is mainly used for animated feature length films and i have downloaded the trial version and i have found it to be complex, difficult and time consuming (it took me one hour to make a 10 second clip).
Moreover, the music i will be focusing on is dance music because of a personal interest and because it is continuation of the music magazine from my AS coursework. (direct link to AS music magazine - CLICK HERE ). I will now look back to my music tribes research, focusing on dance music. I have listened to various different dance songs, i have decided to go for a electro/dance song.
These are the dance songs that i will send off permission letter for
(Please click on the links above)
....More Ideas
I have already thought of making an animated music video, i have looked at the 3d animation software 'Moviestorm' and i have considered it for my music video. However, because there isn't very good editing features on the progamme i may the produce the animation on 'Moviestorm' and then edit it in a more proffessional editing progamme, such as Final Cut Pro.
'Moviestorm' is a 3d animation software that enables the user to create animated movies using machinima technology (use of real-time graphics rendering engine, mostly three dimensional)
Here is a video from youtube which shows how easy it is to use this progamme and how it produces effective animations. I have found out on the website that the users are only given a 3 day free trial, therefore i cannot use this software because of limited usage time.
The other animation software i am considering is Adobe Flash CS5, which is an animation software that requires patience because i will have to produce the animation frame by frame. I have used Adobe Flash before in my Media AS coursework and for other college work (Art and ICT) and although it requires patience, it produces effective and eye catching animations; with the coloring and motion effects on the new CS5 version (the new features make the animations look professional and smooth).
Letter of Permission (1st song choice)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to ask permission to use one your songs to use for a music video that will go towards part of my Media A2 coursework. I am an early entry student attending Holy Trinity Media Arts College in Birmingham, currently working towards my Media A2 after obtaining my AS qualification. In order to achieve this qualification I must produce a music video and I would very much appreciate if you could give me permission to use your song ‘Memories – David Guetta featuring Kid Cudi’. It occupies the exact vibe and feels that I have been looking for and I have created story boards for the music video as it goes with my narrative perfectly. This will only be used for exam purposes and no profit will be made.
Yours Sincerely,
Hassan Yasin
Letter of Permission (2nd Song)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to ask permission to use one your songs to use for a music video student attending Holy Trinity Media Arts College in Birmingham, currently working towards my Media A2 after obtaining my AS qualification. In order to achieve this qualification I must produce a music video and I would very much appreciate if you could give me permission to use your song “The Freaks - The Creeps”. It occupies the exact vibe and feels that I have been looking for and I have created story boards for the music video as it goes with my narrative perfectly. This will only be used for exam purposes and no profit will be made.
Yours Sincerely,
Hassan Yasin
Letter of Permission (3rd Song choice)
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to ask permission to use one your songs to use for a music video student attending Holy Trinity Media Arts College in Birmingham, currently working towards my Media A2 after obtaining my AS qualification. In order to achieve this qualification I must produce a music video and I would very much appreciate if you could give me permission to use your song In The Air - Axwell Remix (TV Rock feat. Rudy). It occupies the exact vibe and feels that I have been looking for and I have created story boards for the music video as it goes with my narrative perfectly. This will only be used for exam purposes and no profit will be made.
Yours Sincerely,
Hassan Yasin
Letter of Permission Information
I have sent off 3 letters for 3 different songs to ask permission to use them for my music video.
Below are the actual letters i sent and hopefully i should recieve a letter or a email back.
Music
This is the song i will be using for my music video, it is a up tempo dance song which has the exact feel and vibe i was looking for. Moreover, this is a modern dance song which incorporates elements of the 'Techno' and 'House' sub genres of Dance Music.
Initial ideas
These were my initial thoughts and ideas for the music video. It has an introduction of a sunrise and then in continues onto a man going out to the club, smoking a cigarette and enjoying a carefree lifestyle.
Developed ideas for music video
(CLICK FOR LARGE IMAGES)
I have kept some of the ideas from my first storyboard and have now developed my ideas further. I will now be using more symbols and text to represent various messages, feelings and emotions (linking in with the song).
I now need to think about the video footage i will be using and i need to sketch out some rough ideas of the narrative, camera angles and composition i want when taking the footage.
I now need to think about the video footage i will be using and i need to sketch out some rough ideas of the narrative, camera angles and composition i want when taking the footage.
Flat-plans Updated! (Video Footage)
I have kept some of the ideas from before (the animation sketches above) but now i will also include the sketches and storyboards for the video footage. The introduction and ending will now be of video footage, here are my developed ideas and the storyboard for the videos that i will be taking.
