Artist image

I have decided that my artist image will be kept quite casual on the clothing with items such as denim jeans, converse and leather jackets. I have chosen these because although they are casual, they are still in fashion and they are what my target audience would be likely to wear. The make up of my artist will be simple, wearing minimal make up to not glamourise her and to challenge the usual image on an r&b artist being glamorous and portraying wealth through the items of clothing and jewellery. As the target audience is young adults, I feel that they can really relate to the artist because of what she is wearing. Furthermore, they would not have a lot of money to spend on expensive clothing so this image would be very suitable to the target audience and so they can relate much more then the usual image of an r&b female artist.

Lip Syncing Tutorial

It is important to learn the art of lip syncing because we will soon need to lip sync the audio track of our songs to the visual elements we have filmed- this including a variety of lip syncing scenes. It is also a very well respected professional skill within editing.

In order to lip sync the footage we were given, we had to first look closely at the audio waveforms of the professionally recorded track and mark a specific point (an obvious point in the waveform). I marked this by pressing the m button and then did the same for the audio waveforms on the onset footage. I then matched these together and muted the onset filming sound. This enabled me to achieve a professional look. I will use this on my own work and feel much more confident now.

Filming update

Filming on Friday the 15th of November went to plan and I was able to lip sync myself with the help of someone filming me. To prepare for this filming I had learnt the lyrics of the part I was going to lip sync and also had a practice run to ensure everything would go smoothly when the real footage was filmed. I had also looked at my risk assessment table and followed the avoidance strategies where there were potential risks. For example, I ensured that all wires were out of the way so that no one can trip over them and this was successful.

There were some problems that I faced during this filming which delayed some of this but also made me aware of how to encounter them the next time I film. This included not having enough lighting which made the footage look dull, we solved this by finding a different light source which was a table lamp and placing it near the focus of where the camera was aimed at.

Filming schedule continued

After recieving advice off teachers that the drama room has not got suitable lighting to film even with a red head, I have decided to change my location to my own house. I am still using my class mate to film me lip syncing and this will take place:
Friday the 14th November at 3:15

Risk Assessment

Filming schedule

Location: Drama room at school (use of dark background in the room)
Date: Thursday 7th November 
Time: 3:15 after school
Actors: during this day I will be using myself for the chorus lip syncing 

I will be using a classmate to film me as she is familiar with the use of the camera and tripod, I know what shot types I am using and the duration of them so I will be directing her during this filming.

Pitch

My music video is based on a female leaving her boyfriend because of the many mistakes that she had made with him, taking this into account I have come up with some ideas on what to do with this. I would like to make my video narrative based as I believe it will be more effective for an R&B song that is about a couple breaking up, through my research on other songs similar to mine I can see that this is a popular concept.

I have decided to have the use of black and white tones involved when I am portraying the couple at their happy times, this shows that it is not current time but it's as if she is reminiscing on the times that they used to have.  As well as using other characters in my video I have thought to use myself lip syncing the chorus only to make it look like I am the artist and that I am telling the story in this narrative based piece. 

The location that I am planning to use is in the bedroom when the female character is showing that she is emotional over this break up, but also using locations outside when the couple are shown together, mainly in a romantic setting.

Top conventions- R'n'B music videos

• FASHION- both males and females are shown quite promiscuously in these videos by wearing minimal clothes which attract the audience's attention. For males it is mostly topless shots and for females bikinis and mostly their stomach showing, these are both done to attract the opposite sex

•   ICONOGRAPHY- for males in r'n'b music videos they are shown in a very sexual light as they are trying to attract young girls who will be intrigued by this connotation of them. They are also shown to be wearing a lot of bling to portray their wealth and again attract ladies. For females they are also conveyed sexually with not a lot of clothing and also having a dramatic look from their make up and their hair to again attract males and also females who look up to them.

• SLOW SONGS- these type of songs are shown in colour tones such as black and white or sepia which adds to the softness of the song. There is also the use of natural lighting to portray a sense of reality to the video and the characters involved. They also usually follow a narrative to again show some realism but it can also add to the sexual portrayal as the co star is usually wearing minimal clothing. 

• FAST SONGS- when a r'n'b song is fast there is a portrayal of flashy cars, jewellery, sexualisation of both males and females. These all add to the fun aspect of the song as they are usually singing about parties and getting 'girls' or 'boys'. Also they are usually in the scene of a club with a lot of drinks and people, which connotes their wealth as well as showing that they are having a good time.

• CLOSE UPS- it is typical of an r'n'b song to have many close ups of the artist so that the audience become familiar with them and what they are singing about. Also because most of these videos are about breaking up and so these close ups allow us to see their emotions clearly while they are singing 

• LOCATION- usually in places such as sunny beaches and clubs/bars, this is to show that the artist or band enjoy using their wealth to have fun in top places but also to make it visually effective for the audience instead of having a consistent dull location where the audience will not be grabbed for attention

• PROPS-the use of flashy cars and jewellery is used to connote their wealth, also sunglasses is a main prop in some of these videos which adds to the 'cool' and 'hip hop' look for the artists

Genre research

Jordin Sparks- Battlefield

• This song visually differentiates between verse and chorus through the editing style. When the verse is sung it is more slow pace with Jordin acting out soft movements, contrasting with the chorus where it is fast and relates to the beat of the song.
• When there is a slow paced beat during the song the visual style of the editing is slow pace reflecting the rhythm this contrasts with the fast pace editing when there is a faster beat in the background. During the bridge the editing style slows down as it relates to the beat and rhythm, this allows the chorus to become the main part of the song as this is where it speeds up and has the most impact on the audience,
• In this song they showcase the artist as the main star as there is no other characters involved, they do this by using many close ups of Jordin. But these close ups are used in many different angles to portray her emotions while singing this song and reflect them. It also cuts between the artist in different scenes in a fast pace style to keep it visually effective especially as the focus is only on the artist, keeping it more exciting than if it was in one particular location.
• Throughout the video the lyrics do not relate to the visuals, this is because the focus is only on Jordin Sparks and no other person so it is not showing a narrative based video but more of a performance base,
• The overall concept of this video is the artist generally being emotional over the fact that her relationship is based on arguments, portraying this through different scenes to highlight the complications of her love, hence the lyrics "why does love always feel like a battlefield"

Rihanna- take a bow

• There is not much difference between the verse and chorus as it is pretty much the same throughout the song, however this allows the audience to become familiar with the scenes and it also makes it consistent as a music video.
• During this video the beat and rhythm is all slow pace, this is reflected through the editing style as there is no particular fast speed but all the same pace which is slow and calm movement.
• They showcase the star (Rihanna) by using many close ups so that the audience become familiar with her, also they have the use of dark backgrounds when she is singing to draw attention to just the artist and nothing else. There is another male character involved but there is not many close ups or generally much camera work on him so the focus does not move away from the main star.
• The visuals relate to the lyrics during some scenes of the music video. She is singing about her now ex who cheated on her and had got caught but is trying to win her back, this is shown through the visuals by cutting to the male character while Rihanna is singing about him. An example of how the visuals relate to the lyrics is when she sings "you look so dumb right now, standing outside my house", right after this it cuts to the male actually standing outside her house trying to reach her, this is done quite a few times throughout the video to allow the audience to see a visual of the narrative involved.
• The overall concept of this video is showing how in a relationship if one cheats then the best thing to do is stand back and laugh as they are the one's who are experiencing the loss

JoJo- too little too late

• When the verse is sung it is more slow pace contrasting with the chorus which speeds up faster. Also during the chorus the focus is more on them as a couple and during the verse the attention is more on JoJo.
• They use the beat and rhythm in the visual style by having a fast pace editing style when the beat is faster with a lot of cuts to different scenes and then slow pace when the verse is playing. When the fast pace editing is portrayed the volume also increases to make the audience aware that it is the chorus (the main part) and become more focused on this.
• They showcase the star by using close ups of her in different scenes which is typical in a r n b music video. There is also a lot of focus on the artist in her bedroom as the target audience (teenage girls) can relate to this and so become familiar with the idea of the video. She is also shown dressed casual to portray that she is young. She is also showcased with the male character as that is who she is singing about and so the audience can see this portrayal and become familiar with the other person.
• The lyrics relate to the visuals quite a lot in this video, as she is singing about a boy that she used to be in love with and so the visuals relate to this by portraying them when they were a couple. An example of this relation is when she sings "I'm trying to move on" and after it shows her throwing out a teddy bear that he had given to her,
• The overall concept is clearly about a relationship that has gone wrong but she is trying to move on and see the negative sides to her ex boyfriend

Lyric mood board

Goodwin's theory and evidence

initial research on Lana Del Rey music video

Lana del rey music vid from dornashirazi

Research on music videos

In class we had learnt about the three main types of music videos, which are performance, narrative and conceptual.

 Perfomance based: this shows only the band/artist performing the song. It is the cheapest and easiest type of video to make, providing you can find a suitable location. A large variety of shots is needed in order for the video to look more visually effective and interesting as it may look boring with only performance. An example of this is 'best of you' by the Foo Fighters. This video has many different varieties of camera angles and movements, and it is also intertwined with random video footage in order to maintain the audience’s attention.



Narrative based: this type of music video focuses on a story throughout which matches the lyrics. It usually uses actors to portray the story rather than having the artist/band themselves, however sometimes the artist/band is shown between the story that is told. Narrative based music videos can be used if the song is used in a film and therefore there is a sense of the movie cut into the video. An example of this is Bon Jovi 'always'


Concept based: this type involves the audience focusing on the artist/band themselves rather than following a story throughout the video. There is a variety of shots of the  band/artist playing along with different shots of random images which are often used in this type of music video to break up the performance of the band/artist. These shots can be related to the video or not. Furthermore, this type of music video is usually unusual with a particular editing or filming technique. An example of this would be Genesis 'land of confusion' 

Auteur theory

What is the Auteur theory?

The auteur theory originates from France which translates as Author, this means that a director's film reflects their creative vision. The Auteur theory was introduced in the 1950's by french film directors like Francois Truffaut who promoted a focus on the contribution directors made on the style and form of film. An Auteur is a film maker whose style is distinctive in their work and it in turn creates a signature auteur status for them. Before an Auteur would be considered as just a film maker, for example, Hichcock whose most famous films include Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window and is known for his smattering of mystery and murder. Now an Auteur can be seen as director's of music videos such as Chris Cunningham, who is known for his work being mysterious and out of the ordinary, for example his work directing 'Aphex twins, come to daddy' and 'Madonna, frozen'

Who is Hype Williams and what is his signature style?

Hype williams is a well known music director, he was born in 1970 and has been active in work since 1991 till present. He has worked with many different artists such as 2pac, Beyonce, Will Smith, LL Cool J, Jay Z and Kanye West. He made himself known by tagging local billboards with his graffiti tag.

He is considered an innovator as he puts across his own ideas through his music videos with his own signature style. A signature style used by Hype throughout most of his videos is the Fisheye lens which distorts the camera view around the central focus, for example in Will Smith's 'getting jiggy with it' 

Another signature style of Hype's involves placing the shots of the music video in a banner of a widescreen ratio, while another shot is split and placed in the upper and lower bars. An example of this is 'check on it' by Beyonce.









Hype also has the tendency to use bold, primary colours in most of his work. This makes the video more visually effective but also reflects the bold statement he makes in his videos. For example, in Kanye West 'Gold Digger', the use of the bold red and orange in the background catches the audience's eye and does not make it dull.







The sexualisation of women is portrayed in Hype William's videos through the use of costume, for example, lingerie and bikinis where we can see flesh. This is something modern feminists would feel strongly against has it supports patriarchy, however he continues with this signature style. For example, Nicki Minaj's 'stupid hoe'

Goodwin's theory research

Andrew Goodwin says that music videos are often constructed by the link between the visuals and the song plus the artist. Relationships are built between these in the video, and the close-ups of the artists gives them the representation and publicity they require.

He identified a number of key features in music videos, these include:

1. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals- the visuals would illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics
2. There is a relationship between music and visuals- the visuals again illustrate, amplify or contradict the music
3. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and may develop motifs which recur across their work- this will allow artists, either developing or an established artist to become noticed and be memorable. Also they may develop fans who would like their particular style on their quirky motifs
4. There is frequent reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
5. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics- for example, boy bands which we expect them to dance and bands playing instruments
6. There is often intertextual reference- with references to other music artists, films and television shows

Origins of music videos

1900's

It was in the early 1900's where performance shots were taken in music halls and singers were filmed

1920's/30's

It was in this time that visuals were used alongside sound, such as musicals where there would be someone playing the piano

1950's

In the 50's there was no youth culture and popular artists at this time included Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. In this era musicals were the popularity such as Marilyn Monroe's 'diamonds are a girl's best friend'. The 50's was also the birth of rock and roll, during this time artists such as Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney and Perry Como ruled the pop charts. Musicians such as Little Richard and Hank Williams helped redefine the entertainment industry with their music

1960's

The music difference between the 50's and the 60's is defined as being when the "british invasion" occured in American music. The Beatles came into prominence and soon dominated the global music industry. Artists such as The Beatles and Elvis Presley had such a large fan base that they had to send their own video recordings all over the world.




1970's

Around the time of 1976 we saw the era of punk music from acts such as the sex pistols. In the 70's top of the pops emerged in the UK, this created an environment of innovation and competition amongst bands and record labels as the show's producers placed strict limits on the number of videos it would use

1980's

In 1981 MTV is launched and the first video to be launched was Buggles- video killed the radio star. In the early/mid 80's artists started to use more sophisticated effects on their music videos, they also added a story line or plot to the video. Michael Jackson was the first artist to create the concept of the short film, he did this in a small way with Billie Jean.

Modern day

With the information technology era being active still, artists have the chance to promote their songs through the use of youtube and other online sites. Youtube and also itunes allow the audience to be more up to date with the latest music available, itunes also allows people to download straight from the internet,

Search for the song

Over the summer I have explored a number of ways in order to find a song of my choice. This had included such things as going to East Barnet music festival and asking bands who had performed and also supported if they could be a part of my music video, however this did not succeed and unfortunately I did not hear back from any of the bands I contacted. I have also been searching online on music sites such as mp3unsigned and have emailed a number of artists, I am still awaiting on their reply. I am hoping to use the genre of pop or r'n'b as I believe I am more familiar with the conventions of these.

Evaluation

Evaluation dorna from KExcell

Story board

Script

In my film opening the script that I had wrote included: 

Pimp: "get your hands off me"

Girl: *silence*

Pimp: "where's my money"

Girl: *passes over money*

Pimp: "£45??,  that's not good enough"



Girl: "so how much?"

Man in car: "50 quid"

Planning the film opening

I am working on my own and the genre of the film is a thriller. The target audience for our film is to people aged 16 and over. 

About the film

Our film opening is about a woman who has the occupation of a prostitute and works for a pimp who is very demanding and selfish. She is portrayed to be very scared of him and goes home to him being very angry as she has not made enough money for him. She is sent to go and make more money, however when she gets into the car of a stranger the plot twists as she is the victim of his assault. 

The film title

Natasha, I have decided to use this film title as it is simple yet effective because of the character that is in our film opening. It portrays to the audience that the main character is of the main focus and furthermore they may feel a stronger connection to her

For my film opening we would like to engage the audience and to intrigue them on what could happen next. The main character is the female, I want to portray her to be very quiet to show the audience how vulnerable she is. Another character is the pimp, he is going to be portrayed as being superior and very demanding/scary, the audience become more intrigued to the film because of his personality as anything could set off. Some questions that the audience may ask due to the film is about the ending of our film opening; what happened to her next? Is she alive? Who is the guy who assaulted her?

Location

The main location for our film opening is in Hanna's house, using her kitchen as our main setting. We decided to use this setting as we want to portray it as the pimp's house.

Equipment

Hi Dorna & Hanna,
I will have equipment ready for you at 315. Please remember that you will need transport for the lights.I will hopefully have a dolly for you as well. But I am waiting for dollies to be returned. You will also have to come for an induction on how to use the lights on Thursday 17th at lunchtime. Without this you will not be allowed the light.
Mrs Excell

London to brighton

London to brighton is a 2006 award winning British film. The film was written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams. The film opens with a non linear narrative as we see a woman and child, Kelly and Joanne, bursting into a London toilet. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye. The use of the non linear narrative grabs the audience's attention in order for them to be intrigued to watch the rest of the film. During the opening of the film there are various close up of both the female characters faces this is to portray their faces and show the audience the extent of how physically hurt and bruised they are. It also leaves the audience wondering what has happened to them so it builds suspense and gets the audience at the edge of the seat. We can tell that Kelly is a prostitute as she needs money to survive on her own, the male character she comes across in the car is blurred out so it does not show his face. This connotes that he is a mysterious character and that he is doing something that he shouldn't be doing as well as her. The use of editing for the opening scene is fast pace to emphasise on the fact that the two characters are in a rush because they are in trouble for some unknown reason this gets the audience more involved and it creates tension. I have decided to focus on this film opening as it relates to my own in some way, the prostitution aspect of it ties into the opening of my own film and also the danger in London to brighton. The fact that this ties into my film opening is the reason why I have used the same production company on my own which is steel mill pictures.