Music Video - Final

CD Case Studies (3)

This album is by Asking Alexandria. I chose this as one of  my case studies because I liked the fact that they used masks to symbolise what the artwork means rather than just using illustrations or clear photos of people.

The inside of the CD case had a little bit of colour (the actual CD was a bright red). I would like to implement this to my own CD design as i think the black and white would add a mysterious vibe to it while the inside would show and reflect how the video has some areas which are brightly coloured and stand out.


The back is a less contrasted black and white compared to the front. This muted colour makes the front stand out more when comparing the two images. This isn't something which i would include in my own design however, i can appreciate how it differs and adds something new when looking at the album.

I also like the texture of the images. Rather than having a hard plastic case, it's printed on cardboard and has a rough texture to it when you pick it up and actually touch it.

Our second case study was an album by The Amity Affliction called Chasing Ghosts. We chose this because it has clear images with a forest type of scenery and the whole album is very conceptual and narrative, much like our own video. The whole CD packaging tells a story, particularly the booklet inside. The narrative of this album is of depression, suicide and these topics have a naturally dark theme.The images which are shown throughout the booklet show this in a very clear and blunt way which is very impactful on the person looking at it. We wanted to portray a similar sort of atmosphere with our one, focusing on trying to convey confusion and isolation.

Another case study we looked at was by Childish Gambino, our artist. The album is called Camp and, much like the last case study, features images of a forest on the cover. We chose this as our case study as it shows us the type of CD covers that our artist has used in the past and it also ties in with our own video concept since a forest is a big part of our music video. We are planning to use the forest in our back album cover due to the fact that it is the bunny's natural habitat.

Studio Shoot Call Sheet - CD and Advert Shoot

Wednesday 14th, 2:30PM

Long exposures will be used when taking photographs

Rough Cut Feedback

After showing my classmates the rough cut video my team and i had made, we got some feedback from them.

29/11/2016

My team and I had a meeting talking about our CD case. We have looked at varying artists and their albums to give us some ideas on what we can do. We looked at Childish Gambino's album titled Camp which shows photographs of a forest and this fits with our theme as we have featured a forest as scenery in our music video. This is a possible background that we will include in our CD case however, we have also thought about changing it and making the studio a place to do our shoots to have a clean and clearer view on the bunny. Long exposures may be used in our shoot to give a blurred look to the photos and show motion, this will portray the confusion that we have in our video.

My team and I will discuss this in more detail.

notes:

set costume on fire for back pane
long exposures
bunny costume
studio

Editing Progress

This is the progress that my team and i have made with the editing of our video

Storyboards

Risk Assessments

Risk Assessment for Epping Forest

One thing which could be a potential risk is that the weather could be really bad. This is a risk because if it rains, the camera could possibly get wet and therefore be damaged. Also it can affect our actor and crew. To resolve this, we have taken the precaution of checking the weather beforehand and also making sure we are fully prepared for rain (for example, bringing an umbrella to protect the camera and bringing appropriate clothing).

Another risk that we could run into while recording in Epping Forest is that while shooting the last scene where the bunny walks into the water, it will be extremely cold. This is an issue for the actor as he will need to get warm immediately. To avoid anything from happening as a result of this scene, we have taken the action of bringing extra clothes and a heating pad to make sure our actor doesn't get too affected by it.

Risk Assessment for God's Own Junkyard

While shooting in God's Own Junkyard we could run into the risk of having a passerby trip on the tripod as it is a very small space. To avoid this we will make sure to leave as much space as possible for people to make their way around us and we will also look ahead of time to check what times they are least busy and make sure to shoot then.

Risk Assessment for Central London shoots

The weather could also be an issue while shooting in central London. To prevent any damage we will do the same as we will while shooting in Epping Forest and take an umbrella to protect the camera from damage.

Recces - Photographs taken by Micaela

Epping Forest

This will be the location near the end of our music video, it will symbolise the area which the bunny feels he belongs and is meant to be.

Brick Lane

This place will be the main scenery in our music video as it is somewhere a bunny is not supposed to be, which will convey a feeling of confusion and being out of place in somewhere that most people feel normal. This will also show the isolation that is in the song we have chosen, as the artist has felt isolated from his friends/family because of his own actions.

10/10/2016

My team and I have completed our storyboards for the music video. We have a total of 30 scenes however we will be adding more to it as we record. We will begin shooting as soon as we have all of our props together. We have also emailed the record label to ask for permission to use the song and make a video for it, evidence of this is published on my blog.

Prezi for Pitch

Copyright Clearance Email

04/10/2016

Today my team and I have met together to create an outline of what the video will look like. We have annotated some of the lyrics of the song to ensure that we have a solid plan of our music video.

03/10/2016

My team and I have split up the pre production work so that we get it done efficiently. We will work together while creating the storyboard and planning each shot to go along with the lyrics. Micaela will get the costume needed for our video and I will do more research on the best times to go to our locations for prime video shooting so that our scenes arent crowded and look unorganised.

The Infinite Mix (28/09/2016 trip)

The Infinite Mix: Contemporary Sound and Image brings together audiovisual art that explores a wide range of subjects. The work in this exhibition between moving image and sound is crucial. Most of the artists have composed, commissioned or remixed soundtracks that relate to the visual element of their work in unexpected ways, and ensure that what you hear is just as important as what you see.

This exhibition was inspiring and also very entertaining. They also pointedly remix our notions of history and fiction, the real and the staged, and the sublime and the everyday. Drawing on varied genres including documentary filmmaking, music video, experimental film and theatrical performance, these artworks dispense with straightforward storytelling and unfold in a manner akin to musical compositions. Together, they expand the ways in which we experience moving images and sound, and open up new veins of meaning in art’s potentially ‘infinite mix.’

http://www.theinfinitemix.com/

Video Pitch

This is the video of my teams pitch. We conveyed our ideas to our class and received feedback and questions from them. This has given us a clearer idea of what exactly we are going to do and has made us think of adding more conceptual ideas which might not be clear to the audience but as they think about it they can come to a conclusion of what it means as we want to keep things subjective.

Preliminary Task

This is the preliminary task that my group and i did. This task helped introduce us to premiere pro and how to use it to edit video tracks and sync them with our chosen song. It also taught us about shooting scenes on location.

Coldplay - Paradise

Artist: Coldplay
Song: Paradise

In this music video by Coldplay named 'Paradise' a man dressed in a elephant costume is portrayed as a real elephant that escaped from London zoo and travels to his natural habit which represents his 'paradise'. 

The video is mostly a narration, it shows the viewer the storyline of how the elephant has broken out of the zoo and made his way to Africa, where he feels he belongs. The video is in a third person perspective, as if you are following or accompanying the elephant on his journey and this creates a sense of participation within the viewer.

 The camera movement has some movement, for example, at 0:23 the elephant is shaking the fence to show how he's in captivity and the camera moves with the shaking , this could of been used to give the viewers more of a sense of their interaction and it portrays the trapped and frustrated feeling that the protagonist has. When the elephant grabs a rock and frees himself, we can see that the camera is moving with its actions and it is not framed perfectly or professionally. The cutting rate between scenes is very fast,he song is more calming than how the music video is portrayed but still manages to fit the theme of the song well. Regarding editing fast forward has been used at moments such as 2:35 to portray the weather and atmosphere of Africa. The main camera angles that are used in the music video are high , low and eye-level shots, this keeps the video more consistent. 

The target audience with this video ranges from younger ages (around 7/8) to older people (around 25/26). This is because the video is child friendly as it doesn't contain any swearing or inappropriate images and it is also enjoyable for those who are older and who are still a fan of the band.

This video is relevant to my own video as it includes an animal costume and a similar story line that the character is trying to find the place where they truly belong. 

Task Three - Treatment

• Summary of the narrative idea and how it links to the lyrics/sound of the track.  The role of performance.  Any conceptual elements

The song (no exit by Childish Gambino) is portraying a feeling of isolation and losing touch with the people in your life (friends, family etc) and so in our video we want to mimic these ideas and have a clear character which is displaying these experiences. Rather than having it to be a performance based video we are choosing to do a mix of a narrative and conceptual (leaning more towards conceptual ideas and adding symbolism to certain aspects of what you're seeing in the video). 

The main character will be seen as a bunny rabbit rather than a human being as this will clearly distinguish the main character as being out of place and isolated among the people that seem 'normal'. This will also portray the idea behind the song of the narrator (or artist) being lost or out of place within themselves and in their head as the bunny is trying to find himself but he cant do that if he isnt in the right scenery or state of mind. 

The song also deals with the idea that there is no escape or 'no exit' from your own head, leading you to further isolate yourself from everything around you and this can make you feel alienated even though it is by your own actions that you don't belong to a certain social group. The bunny costume will highlight this alienation and separation from other people.

• Which professional music videos inspired you and how (case studies).  What makes the promo video different?

One music video that inspired our ideas was Paradise by Coldplay. This is because it has a similar visual concept to what we are trying to portray with the costumes (Coldplay used elephant costumes while we are using a full bunny costume). Another thing it inspired us with is the idea of having it start off in a city based location then having it change to a more natural habitat for the animal the main character is presenting as. 
A few other music videos which inspired the idea of having animals in it is 'I'm a natural blue' by Waterparks and 'She's the prettiest girl at the party and she can prove it with a solid right hook' by frnkiero andthe cellabration. The second video has a clearer idea similar to ours as the protagonist of it is in a bear costume and tries to alter his appearance to seem more 'normal'.

• Casting/actors, props, location(s)

Locations are: central London, Epping forest

Props needed: a bunny costume, 

Actors: we will be using a friend dressed in a bunny costume

• Any ethical considerations

• Length

2 minutes 55 seconds (3 minutes)

• Audience

16-21 year olds, 

• Channel for broadcast (includes YouTube/other internet channels)

Youtube

20/09/2016

Today we decided our main ideas for the music video and have solidified the group and who it consists of. We have also come to the conclusion of the locations we have used and how they relate to our chosen song. Centrral london symbolises isolation. The song we are using is Childish Gambino - No Exits. We decided to make the main subject of the video (someone in a bunny suit) the one thing that stands out most.



These are three music video directors that we will be looking at and taking inspiration from to help with adding symbolism to our own video.
michel gondry
chris cunningham
spike jonze

Production Timeline

My Chemical Romance - The Ghost Of You

Artist: My Chemical Romance
Song: Ghost Of You
Date Published: August 29 2005
Genre: Rock
Director: Marc Webb
Cost: Over $1 million

this video has 2 main settings that contrast each other well while still keeping with the same storyline and characters. the first setting is in a world war two dance/reunion hall which compliments the calm verses of the song and when it gets to the chorus of the song, it switches to a war scene where the band is shown getting off the boat and going straight into the quick fast paced action scene. the structure of the video goes hand in hand with how the song is structured and it goes back and forth from the calmer scene to the war scene.

this is a mix of a conceptual and performance video, switching well between them and giving the video a smooth flow. the video goes well with what the song is about. the song is about losing someone (either in a sense of them having died or just losing someone from your life i.e a breakup) and as one of the members is shown to be having a romantic relationship with another person in the video and then he dies we can assume that that's the motive behind it. (having it relate to the meaning of the song)

the video is well edited and produced, an example of this is at 1:28 when there is a birds eye view of the ballroom floor and as the song progresses into a chorus it merges with a birds eye view of the soldiers running out of the shore to the battlefield. (as seen in the screenshot on the left)






after the band member is shown to have been shot the performance scenes in the ballroom are blurry and not completely clear as they were before this can symbolise that things are never going to be how they were before because he's now dead.

mise en scene:
costumes/make up:
the band are shown wearing military/army style clothing that suits the time zone the video is trying to portray (ww2) all the characters are also dressed and made up to look how they would have at that time (for example hair styles and clothes such as dresses that were considered appropriate for that time)
in the war scenes they have a grimier look to them, dirt is on their clothes and face and they arent as well groomed as they are in the previous scene.
the instruments used in the performance scenes are also ones that look more old fashioned than the ones we are used to seeing in this genre of music now which emphasises the theme and era this video has.

Target Audience
i think this video is targeting fans of the band but also fans of people who like films similar to saving private ryan that also enjoy this type of music.

fromt his video i think i could implement the performance scenes from it and try and recreate something that is well shot and has more than 2 camera angles and shot types.

Waterparks - New Wave

Artist: Waterparks
Song: New Wave
Date Published: April 22nd 2014
Genre: Rock, Pop Punk

The video is conceptual but doesn't seem to have a concept that links directly to the song. It follows more of a short story of the band running a race, wanting to win so they get the prize.

The video starts with a blurred shot of the band walking, their conversation maps out the rest of the video and introduces the concept of it. This lasts for about a minute and it displays the bands quirky characteristics and their relationship which are all clearly exaggerated for the purpose of the video. They start off in different clothes to what they wear later in the video, showing the clear difference between the two scenes.

As the video goes on we get shots of the band trying to sabotage each other numerous times in an attempt to get ahead of the others.

Once the song ends the video still keeps going and we hear the band having an argument while they're very close to the finish line. As this argument is going on a character form the start of the video appears and wins the race instead.


props/makeup used:
unicycle, bicycle, horse (used to represent a unicorn), fake blood, trophy, car

clothing:
shorts, t-shirts, running attire, very basic and clearly not expensive (emphasises the point of them being down to earth)

misc:
lots of special effects have been used to make the video more comedic, for example the 'pow' used at 1:22. at 2:18 we can also see the special effects which have been edited in to symbolise the effect of taking drugs. this makes the video seem like it was made for the band and fans to have fun and not take it too seriously.

lip syncing isn't used at all in the video until 1:52 which is only one line. this use of lip syncing adds emphasis to that part of the song which already stands out without having the visual aid of the band member lip syncing it.

At 1:55 the camera cuts to a shot of the two band members and from the left of the frame we see the third jumping in and tackling them. This goes along with the beat of the music and syncs with it well, giving an illustration to the rhythm and pace of the song.

Camera:
when the band are looking at the poster at the start of the video it's shaky and the camera is clearly not mounted on a tripod. This can be to show a shot of the poster from their point of view, rather than just having a shot of the poster. This can add a sense of personal interaction as it can make the viewer feel like they are in the video as well rather than just watching it.

Target Audience:
The fans of their band, teenagers (15-18)
 (mise en scene) the settings used in the video could show that they are relating to their audience, it isnt done in a studio or professional setting which most music videos use and this could show the audience that they're a more down to earth kind of band.

The artists aren't in glamourous clothing and they don't seem to have featured anything in this video that flaunts any amount of money they could possibly have. This can appeal to their target audience and fans as it shows them that they're a relatable band and they don't want to show off or gloat about anything and instead they just want to make an entertaining video that can make people laugh and that exposes their quirky and fun personalities.

I think that the humour the band used in this video is interesting and i would probably like to create something like this because you see a lot of music videos which are very serious and it's nice to have a change from that.