Analysis of a Low Budget Music Video - 2

The second low budget video I looked at was a video the Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent. Firstly, I feel that this video reflects the genre of indie, as the lighting is very dark throughout until the end in frame 11 where there is a main light on the band, showing the viewer that they are the main subjects in the frame and should be focused on. Also, like before the band changes its costume throughout the video to avoid viewer fatigue, and I like how they keep the video basic by keeping it in one location but they change it to make it look different, comparisons from frame 1 to frame 11. Also, the lead singer has very good lip-synching and the band members are confident when playing their instruments, making it more realistic for the audience. Lastly, I like the cinematography throughout the video, as the camera shots and angles are always changing avoiding viewer fatigue, making it a successful music video. 

Analysis of a Low Budget Music Video - 1

The first low budget video is by, The Fix – Just got Paid, and what makes their music video so good is that overall it looks professional and believable, like it is a real music video. Firstly, they avoid viewer fatigue a lot, by changing the location throughout the video and also they changed their costumes, but they linked their video into the idea of a pop boy band like JLS and The Wanted. The performances from each person was really good as well because the lip-synching was on time making it more realistic and to go with the boy band idea they had created a dance sequence, frame 5, where each person was confident and they knew what they were doing. Lastly, what made this music video successful was the changing of camera shots and angles, I especially like frame 9 where the boys take in consideration of the rule of thirds making it look more like a picture and I also like frames 2 & 12 where the boys are standing in front of the lights, showing that the main focus is on them.  

Analysis of a Rock Video 3 - Hey Monday

The last ‘rock’ video I have looked at is Hey Monday’s Homecoming.
Similarly, in other music videos the lighting is dark, sticking to a colour scheme of browns and yellows, although there are some bright lights like in frame 7, which almost puts more emphasis on the performer. Yet the darker lighting builds up tension for the viewer, as they are unable to see the bands expressions clearly.
The cinematography in this ‘rock’ is very basic and almost repeats itself. Throughout the video there is a lot of tracking and panning shots, especially between frames 1 and 2, where you see the performers feet and then pans up her body, leading into a close-up. Using pan and track shots can be mundane but in a ‘rock’ video like this I feel it works well, as the audience could feel like they are part of the crowd in the music video, watching the band perform and are able to rock out with them. Also, in this certain ‘rock’ video I like how they use over-the-shoulder shots like in frame 4, this shows the audience what the performer is seeing and emphasising that they are having a good time.
 As before in the other ‘rock’ videos, there is a band performing, and each member of the band is confident in what their role is, like in frames 3, 5 and 10 you can each member playing their instruments to their full potential, and the lead singer also shows a lot of confidence. The lip-synching throughout the video is good and on time, making a lot more believable for the viewer that she is performing live. 
The mise-en-scene in this ‘rock’ video doesn’t really change at all, throughout the video the viewer is able to see that the band are performing to a crowd, while also seeing the lead singer at a bowling alley involving the issue about relationships. So throughout the video the editing is cut between the performances and bowling alley scene.
Overall, ‘rock’ videos are kept basic with a band performing, with a lead singer and members with their instruments. Also, the performers have a certain style with skinny jeans and trainers. Lastly, the lighting in ‘rock' videos are very dark and dull creating a lot of mystery.  

Analysis of a Rock Video 2 - 30 Seconds to Mars

Secondly I have looked at the ‘rock’ music video of Kings & Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars.
In this video I believe that the cinematography is beautiful yet each frame is put together in a simple way. In each shot the subjects in the frame are always central, putting the main focus on them if that were a close up or a long shot, even a track shot like in frame 6. Also, I like how some shots like 5 and 11, are close ups but are angled from the side, I feel that this links well to the genre of ‘rock’ as you can’t really see the performer and it makes them a lot more mysterious when they perform.
Linking to the idea that ‘rock’ performances are mysterious, I believe that the lighting used in the video works well to create mystery. The colour of reds, greens, yellows and blues almost ease the viewer suggesting that this video isn’t a full on ‘rock’ mad video but is a good song to listen too. Like before, in this video you can’t really see the performers faces or what they are wearing emphasising the idea of mystery. Although, in shot 8 the viewer is able to see the lead singers face almost to reassure them that it’s ok.
Differently in this video the performer is not always lip-synching, as they show a bunch of people riding bikes, this breaks up the location setting as throughout the video the band is performing looking out to the city and then you follow a bike with lots people through the city towards the pier, which is the last shot number 12. 

Also, when you do see the band performing they all look comfortable and clam, as if they know what they are doing like they do it everyday. Like in the other ‘rock’ video the performers don’t change their costumes, probably to make it more realistic for the viewer like they are not fancy, just kept it real.
The editing style for this certain ’rock’ video is continuity as the viewer see’s a bike ride through a city, with many different stereotypes like punk and posh people, this suggests that the band are trying to get across a message that everyone can come together and be as one, especially when it involves the music.

Overall, this ‘rock’ video does stick to a stereotypical genre of ‘rock', with the dark lighting and the band performing together with their instruments. Although, it changes as the lighting colours are bright with reds, yellows and greens, and they also send out a message that everyone can come together as one.      

Analysis of a Rock Video 1 - Paramore

The first ‘rock’ music video I have looked and created screen-grabs for is Ignorance by Paramore.
I believe that this is a very ironic ‘rock’ video, firstly I feel that the performers straight away give away that they are a rock group. Just by their costumes, as they are all in dark clothing and each have their own instruments. Also, the lead singer definitely shows that she is in a ‘rock’ video, almost promoting the genre by her brightly coloured hair and wearing really skinny jeans, with common shoes like Converse. With this style, each band member is confident when they perform and the singers lip-synching is perfect, making it believable for the viewer when watching the video. 
The lighting in ‘rock’ video is usually dark and dull, but in this video the lighting is constantly dark throughout with one little light in the video, and the light is being pulled about everywhere, almost showing the confusion and madness of the video, making the audience more interested to how the band actually performs. Also, with one light in each frame, the main focus is able to be on anything, like in shot 6 its on the lead singer and a guitarist, but in the shot you can only see their faces making it mysterious. 

The mise-en-scene in this ‘rock’ video is basic, for example the costumes don’t change throughout the video, but one reason could because you can’t actually see them and also the location doesn’t change drastically, as they go from a small room to large area where the band can perform.  However, I feel that this does work well due the lighting arrangement, as the light almost creates confusion for the viewer and makes them wonder where the band actually is as they are unable to see where they are, as seen in shot 1.

The cinematography in this ‘rock’ video is a bit messy, but looks really good. To with the idea of confusion, each frame shows a sense of confusion as the band is rocking about and use of tracking/panning the band makes it a lot crazier. Also, I like how they have lost the sense of rule of thirds, as each frame the performer is never central, maybe trying to show the audience that this song is really crazy and that the viewers should lose themselves in the music. 

Overall, I feel that this ‘rock’ video promotes the genre of ‘rock’ well because the lighting is very dark, the bands costumes relate to the genre and the performance shows that they are crazy like a rocker.   

Analysis of a Pop Video 3 - Beyonce

The screen-grabs above are from the ‘pop’ video, Run the World (Girls) by Beyonce.
The mise-en-scene throughout this music video changes firstly we see a number of costume changes including Beyonce and her dancers and also there is a number of changes in the location, this works well as the viewer now becomes less bored and is a lot more interested in the watching the music video. 

Also, like in other ‘pop’ music videos, there is a prop of using an animal, like in shot 3 the performer is on a horse and in Katy Perry’s video she is holding onto a zebra, thus making the video a little more unique and crazy.
The lighting in this video is very similar to other ‘pop’ videos, as there is a lot of lighting in each shot but it comes from behind the performer, putting the main focus on them and standing out for the viewer to see.  Also, there is a set colour theme within each shot, the frame has a lighting of yellow/brown colours with the sand creating a dusty atmosphere, almost going against a common girly theme of a ‘pop’ video.
The cinematography is really good throughout this music video, as there a number of different shot types and angels. Like in the other analysis of the ‘pop’ videos, the rule of thirds is used largely in this video; I believe that it works well because the thirds are used at different angles, like a long shot (shot 12) or a close up (shot 11), therefore making it more interesting for the viewer to watch and also suggesting that the performer always has the main focus on them.
In this video the performer is very confident, and like in other ‘pop’ videos the lip-synching on the spot, making it more believable that she is really singing the song. Also, the dance sequences in this video are really good, as every single dancer is confident and they are all in time. Also, in the 'gif' to the left, you can see that the camera work is really beautiful as it is tracking Beyonce when she is dancing but is also spinning around her upside down, this makes the video more interesting as breaks up the sequence of close-up, etc, by largely avoiding viewer fatigue.
Overall, this is a good ‘pop’ video as there are dance sequences that are confident and there is a lot of mise-en-scene changes, making it more fun for the viewer to watch.

Analysis of a Pop Video 2 - Lady GaGa

The music video above is Lady GaGa’s The Edge of Glory and this is a very common style of a ‘pop’ video.
Throughout music video the common lighting is bright pink and it always seems to be central within the frame, like its main focus point is the performer in the music video. Also, ‘pop’ videos are mainly amongst the female artists, and the use of pink lighting reinforces this girl power within a music video.  Although, the lighting in this certain ‘pop’ video is very dark and creepy, with the bright pink lighting almost is used to make the performer stand out.
The cinematography in this music video is very good and sticks to the rule of thirds well. As in nearly each screen grab the main focus is on the performer, that shows her being central like screen grab 4 or off to the side like screen grab 6. The changes in position of the frames makes the video more interesting and exciting for the audience, and makes them more willing to watch the music video. Also, like other ‘pop’ videos it opens with a long shot that shows an empty street filled with smoke and a bright, pink light, which automatically builds tension for the viewer, as they don’t know what’s going to happen in the actually video. I especially like screen grab 8 as in the frame it loses the bright pink light and becomes more darker, almost stepping away from the happy ‘pop’ video genre, also I like how the performer is in the right hand corner but is still some how the main focus, even though she isn’t central.

The performer, Lady GaGa, is especially confident in the video and the lip- synching is perfect, making it a lot more believer of the viewer when watching. Also, her costume doesn’t change in the video and I feel that this works because she already has a lot of power as a performer, and she almost doesn’t need the help of costumes to show her confidence, she just performs. Also, the location doesn’t change in the video, but she dies vary between the side-wall and the actual street showing that she uses the space she has well, and to show the space she has there is a lot of tracking in the video.
I feel that this video does show some common aspects of a ‘pop’ video, yet there are some changes like, no changes in costumes and location, and the lighting is also darker. 

Analysis of a Pop Video 1 - Katy Perry

The screen grabs above are from the ‘pop’ music video of Katy Perry’s Hot ‘n’ Cold, and its promoted in many ways.

Firstly, the video opens with an establishing shot allowing the viewer to have an idea what the music video could be based on and from this shot the audience could guess that this wedding scene is going to be crazy due to the mise-en-scene. The performers dress is not like a real, traditional dress and the bridesmaids are all in different colour dresses, this makes the viewer begin to realise that the video is crazy and loud, reinforcing that it is going to be a ‘pop’ video.
Also, throughout the music video there are a lot of over-the-shoulder shots, I believe that this common in a ‘pop’ video as they almost tell stories through their videos and this could almost help the audience relate to the story in the video, like in this one Katy Perry shows problems amongst relationships.
To promote the video further there are a lot of costume changes and location changes throughout the video, like the first few shots show a wedding scene, by being set in a church, and the performers wearing suits and posh dresses. It is then followed by Katy performing in a small gig with a large crowd and then is followed by a dance scene, which is more disco like. The dance scene is always common in a ‘pop’ music video, and in this one the shots used are long shots and high angled shots, which make the video more interesting for the viewer to watch.

Furthermore, the lighting in a ‘pop’ video is very bright and bold, and the spotlight is mainly on the performer. The main performer in this video is Katy Perry, and throughout the video she shows that she has a lot of confidence when performing, and her facial expressions throughout reflects what she feels. Also, the lip-synching throughout the video is very good, and she doesn’t look fake when singing. At the end of the video there is a low angle shot of Katy and zebra, with a rainbow in the background, and I felt his reflects a ‘pop’ video as it shows the power of women, while showing that she is very feminine and girly that links to the genre of ‘pop’. 

Music Video - Brief

The task for my coursework is to produce a music video for a current British artist who's song doesn't already have a music video to it. In our groups we have to look at a specific genre of music, and research largely into it by looking at other artists within that genre and looking at music producers, and album/adverts of the artists. Furthermore, we have to produce a promotional package alongside the music video.

Assessment 12/07 SJA

WWW:

• Well done Emma on your amazing effort with your year 13 blog so far - it's really visual and interesting to look at and read through. You make excellent use of screen grabs, photos, documents and contact sheets to SHOW rather than just 'tell' about your ideas and understanding
• Your reflections on the music video shoot and the lip synch task show a really thorough grasp of what is needed to make an effective music video.
• Your comments are reflective, detailed, honest and thoughtful. Yes - your own lipsycnch to In The Sun needed more variation in shot types - but you note that and recognise that, so the task was valuable.
• Your organisation with costumes on the Music Video shoot was excellent - thank you!

EBI:

• Just keep up the excellent contribution and effort Emma.

Effort: Excellent (EX)

Final Version - In the Sun

Above is my groups final version of 'In the Sun', and I am going to mention what has been successful and what areas can be improved on.

WWW:

Overall, I believe that the video does replicate the actual music video really, as firstly I feel that the costumes worked, each member of the cats had their costume and it was almost exactly like the real video. Also, with the dancers in their costumes worked well with the performance, as each dancer knew all their moves and when they had to come in, which made it look more believable. Also, I feel that some of the camera shots and compositions look really good in our version of 'In the Sun', because there is a variation of shot types and angles, and each frame almost looks like a well thought out picture. Lastly, the editing went well as it flows really well and looks realistic like it was the actual music video.

EBI:

Firstly, some of the shots throughout the video were a bit wobbly, and they were mainly on the tracking shots, but that could have been due to the fact we didn't have access to a track where we could place the camera on and get a smooth shot. Also, some shots weren't like the actual video, and thats just because we didn't have the footage to use it and it can improved maybe by having a longer time limit to film the project.

However, I feel that the remake of 'In the Sun' went successfully and that the main reason the video does look is because the lip-synching was perfect.

Developing My Skills on Final Cut Express

To edit the whole class music video, the program used was called 'Final Cut Express' and this was a program I had never used before. The first I had to do was obviously upload all the footage and save it to a document that I could access when using the Final Cut program. 
Once I had opened Final Cut I went to File, Log and Transfer to upload all the footage, but when uploading to cut off access film you would look at the middle box for a preview, and then click "I" for in and "O" for out points, then you convert all the clips needed.
After that I had to download the actually song into iTunes and then when back to Final Cut to Import, Audio and chose the song. When the music was placed in I started to edit to the music, and if a clip was too long or short you could drag the clip to make it right to fit to the music. Also, if you wanted to make a quick sharp cut, you could use the Razor Tool, so you just select and then delete it. 
When it is all edited you then exported via Quick Time Conversion, so it was saved as a Quick Time Movie, and then I uploaded it to Youtube.


WWW:
When using Final Cut Express I felt that uploading all the footage was a lot easier then IMovie and I felt that during the editing it went well. I felt that the editing went well as the Razor Tool helped a lot it was very precise when cutting the clips to make the film go with the music on time and that the lip synching was very good.   






EBI:
I felt that as it was a new program that I had never used, I wasn't that confident when using it and sometimes made mistakes when cutting the clips meaning I had to re-cut them. Also, there were some black screens, which meant that there were gaps on the timeline, so we had to edit them to lose the gaps and the black screens, which took time. 

My Progress From Year 12 to 13

From the beginning of year 12 to beginning of year 13, I believe that I have made a great progress in media, especially when it comes to filming and editing my pieces of work, and from this I feel I am ready for the work of year 13.       

At the beginning of year 12 we were given a Preliminary Task where in groups we had to film someone walking through a door and then having conservation with another person. When I first got the task my group didn’t plan what we was going to film, we just went straight onto filming and while we were filming we discussed what the conversation would be about. However, I felt while we were filming us did focus on different shot types and angles to vary within this task. After filming the group had trouble uploading the footage but we did overcome this and started to edit, and I felt that the editing went well as I did use I Movie in year 11, so I knew what I was doing. Overall, doing this task helped me a lot for when I started to plan my Thriller Opening Sequence as it made me realise I had to plan all the shots and what would happen in each one, and also I knew once we had filmed I knew how to upload the footage so that there would be no difficulty.  

After the Preliminary Task we had started to focus on our coursework which was to produce a two minute Thriller Opening Sequence. Before we actually started filming we had done a lot of research into many thriller openings, like Brick and Kiss Me Deadly, and we had done questionnaires to see what the audience likes about thrillers, like the settings and clues within an opening. After finding out the results my group started to plan the storyboard and what was going to happen in each shot. I feel that all the planning and research helped as it made focus a lot more my film and it had made me more organised for when I actually started to film. Also, during the filming I had become more confident as I felt I had more knowledge on camera shots and angles to the film could be more successful and I felt more confident when editing due the preliminary task. Also, throughtout this task I began to use new programmes like Blogger and LIvetype, and this made me confident in the technical department as I began to use it a lot I really got the hang og each programmes. However, if I could improve from the filming of my coursework I would focus on being more confident in front of the camera as I don’t like being filmed and I felt I could improve there and become more confident. 

After the works of year 12 I felt that I had developed a lot and that I had become more confident with using all the equipment, and editing had become a lot more easier for me to do, so I felt that going into year 13 would be ok for me and I was ready for all the work as I felt more organised. At the beginning of year 13 we were told that we were going to produce music video, so to plan for this we began to look at other school’s music videos and we had to look at what actually makes a good music video. I really like a group of boys that produced a music video to ‘Just got Paid’, as they changed their costumes throughout and changed location which had avoided viewer fatigue. To help with the lip synching part we had to make a film in groups of us lip synching to the ‘In the Sun’ by She & Him, during the task I felt more confident using the equipment and programmes to make the film, however I didn’t have much confidence to perform in front of the camera. Although, at the end of the task I was pleased with myself as I had performed in front of the camera and I felt that I looked ok and that the editing of the song to the lip synching went well, but if I could improve this I would change the types of camera shots/angles and personally I would perform on a larger scale.   

Lastly, as a whole a class we have to recreate the music video of ‘In the Sun’ by She & Him, and for this task I was given the role of being in charge of costumes and also on the actual day of filming I had some shots which I was filming and also was given the job of taking pictures of the cast doing their own roles. On the build up to the day of filming I felt that I was really organised in getting each cast members costume, and I done this by watching the video many times and locating each person and seeing what they were wearing, and I produced this information in a table. After that I had emailed the whole class to see they had their costumes and if there were any problems. I felt confident as I almost took charge but I knew that if I didn’t on the day of filming it would have been chaos, so I got the costumes in advanced. Overall, during this task I felt that I had become very confident and that I know that when I film my own music video I will very organised and the planning will be thought out carefully.   

So, over the year I feel that I have progressed largely and I am confident that I will be successful through the year of year 13 media.

Class Music Video - My Role

As a class we were asked to recreate the music video, 'In the Sun' by She & Him, and my role in this task was being in charge of Costumes. I was glad to take on this role, as I see myself as an organised person and I felt that I was precise with each of the costumes, which lead to a successful day of filming. 


When I got the role of being in charge of costumes, I knew the first thing to do was to watch the music video quite a few times to see every member in the video and to see what they were wearing. After everyone in my class got their roles, I then went back to the music video and wrote a list of the names and characters with what costumes they were wearing and what costumes were needed for each cast member. 


Once, I had created the list as you can see to the left, I sent round an email to the whole class to make sure that people would check what they needed and if they couldn't get something I needed to try and locate these items. 

When it actually came to the day of filming I had to check that everyone had their right costumes, so I went to each person and checked if they did have the correct costumes. Also, I made that each cast member in each shot was wearing the correct costume, this make it a easier to recreate the music video and look exactly like the music video.

However, on the day of filming as I was organised with all the costume I was asked to be the photographer on set, taking pictures of all the people in their roles and also started to assist the Production Managers, as things got a bit chaotic on set and I felt that i could be there for them if they needed anything done. I felt that taking on these extra jobs showed that I was an organised person and that I always got the job done. 

WWW:
Firstly, I felt that I took my role of being in charge of costumes seriously as all cast members looked like their parts and I believe that this made the filming more successful. Also, I felt that taking on the role of assisting the Production Managers helped a lot as it shows that I was organised and that I could be trusted with any tasks they set me. Lastly, I felt that the parts I filmed were successful as they were different shot types and it almost challenged me and I felt that it had me more confident in using the camera, and prepared me for when I film my own music video.

EBI:I know for a fact that I can improve on my performance in front of the camera, as during this video I didn't want to be in front of the camera, but I know when I film my own video I will have to perform, so I could improve in my confidence. Also, I feel that I could do better in the storyboarding as my one wasn't that detailed and I felt that when I do film my own one I do want to be a lot more ogranised.