Showing posts with label dan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dan. Show all posts
Friday, 9 December 2011
Dan's Evaluation answers
1)
A stereotypical convention of a Hip-Hop music video involves appropriate locations, for example the hip-hop artist 'Wiz Khalifa' includes trendy, expensive settings such as parties and clubs, used to show off their wealth and power. A lot of less mainstream hip-hop is set in the streets of more urban and 'gritty' locations, shown to represent where they have been brought up and where the genre was originated. Our music video for the Nextmen 'My Way' meets the 'street look' convention as the lyrics and beat suggest quite an underground approach to the music industry.
Another convention of hip-hop videos are the props used; these include the use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes used usually to attempt to give off a rebellious look for the artist, to represent the artists visual symbol. Our group decided to develop this convention and replace these props (in this case drugs) with a microphone, a prop that is frequently mentioned in the lyrics of the chorus. By developing this convention, we have brought more clarity and meaning to the lyrics, as well as linking the video with the song in an effective manor. We believed this also added a twist to the entire significance and understanding of the song, challenging the conventions that are expected to be feature in a hip-hip video. This also makes the video more engaging to watch as it is different and original, with an element of depth included.
We incorporated appropriate and exciting camera angles and shots to satisfy and affiliate the action that features in the video, to give the audience a clear understanding of the narrative. The conventional camera shots used for music videos are close ups/extreme close ups to illustrate feelings and emotion, and long shots to display the trendy settings. We made use of long shots and mid shots to display the scenery and setting of the characters, however generally avoided use of close and extreme close-ups as we were not looking to promote the faces and characters within the video, however to promote the narrative and genre of the song. This challenges the conventions of Goodwin's points. Our music video aims to demonstrate genre characteristics by creating a relationship between the music and visuals in an illustrative way that amplifies the lyrics. We believe that this approach will sell the artist and song in an original way which will grip and draw in the audience.
The narrative of our video follows a storyline, not a genre. This was inspired to me by the music video producer; 'Jonathon Glazer', who we researched and discovered that he makes videos that come across as a short film, which very strongly links and represents the lyrics and genre of the music through the powerful atmosphere that he creates.
2)
Our magazine advertisement and DVD cover both display the same text font and colour which demonstrates positive continuity and a consistent theme, making them work together as a promotional package. The font and colours used are suitable to the hip-hop genre as the graffiti background symbolizes and illustrates the artist’s stereotypical background and setting they are brought up in. The graffiti background used on the Digi-pack and magazine advert was retrieved from the location where Martin (our group member) lip synched in, also creating continuity throughout the 3 products.
We have continued the urban underground theme using graffiti in the background, which runs throughout our 3 product promotional package (music video, Digi-Pack and Magazine advert). This features our 2 main props; a microphone and money, to represent and develop our storyline. However, this means that the faces of the artists are not displayed on the covers, creating a more mysterious effect and end product. This keeps the audience intrigued as the they are not having every element of the artistic talent and style thrown at them, however it is left open for them to interpret the music with their own imagination, with only the music video to illustrate the artists appearances. This also draws in the audience to research and discover more about the artists themselves. I believe this attracts the audience in a different and dramatic way, separating our style from the mainstream commercial act of the majority of modern day music.
3)
We learnt a lot of valuable information from the feedback we received, including compliments and constructive criticism. The initial feedback from the class regarding our rough cut was positive in some areas, however highlighted certain areas that needed polishing and further development. As a group, we felt that the feedback suggested a slightly cheesy and unoriginal effort that simply followed the conventions and action of a stereotypical hip-hop video. This included selling drugs and having fights, something that conventionally occurs in a hip-hop music video. Therefore, this made our product to appear tacky and cheap, a look that we very much wanted to avoid. We also received feedback commenting on how the video did not clearly match the lyrics, therefore seeming somewhat irrelevant, increasing the risk of losing the interest of the viewers.
We made sure to address these issues immediately and developed some ideas to make them more interesting to watch, and also more original and related to the lyrics. We decided to replace the concept of drugs with microphones, creating the effect that selling microphones is also illegal which not only make the audience have to think more deeply about the narrative, but also links the lyrics well with the storyline. To ensure that we engaged the audience we also edited in various special effects and transitions such as black and white and split screens to clearly represent the genre and the storyline.
4)
We used various media technologies such as final cut express, Photoshop and blogger. We used blogger throughout the year to blog our planning and ideas for the production of our music video. We used blogger effectively as a place to note down all our variations and changes of ideas, as well as a place to show the research we did and keep track of the progress we have been making. Final cut was used once we had finished the filming of our music video and video commentary of the evaluation responses. I became rather fluent of the use of final cut express and managed to bring out the most of our videos to give them a professional edge and add quality and clarity throughout them. I incorporated editing effects such as black and white, slow motion and split screen, as well as professional transitions in between shots to improve the continuity of the video. Photoshop was later used once the final music video had been finished. We used Photoshop to create our Digi-Pack and magazine advert. I found this software difficult to use, and it took a lot of time to apply different effects and fonts, however I managed to get used to this after some practice and feel satisfied with the Digi-pack, as it matches the look and style of the other 2 products. However due to the time it took to get used to the layout and use of Photoshop, we did not have enough time to complete our magazine cover, which I believe to be at a satisfactory standard, however could do with a final touch some improving. We used HD cameras to capture the footage of the music video and the video commentary. The HD camera was also used for still images which were later projected onto our magazine advert.
A stereotypical convention of a Hip-Hop music video involves appropriate locations, for example the hip-hop artist 'Wiz Khalifa' includes trendy, expensive settings such as parties and clubs, used to show off their wealth and power. A lot of less mainstream hip-hop is set in the streets of more urban and 'gritty' locations, shown to represent where they have been brought up and where the genre was originated. Our music video for the Nextmen 'My Way' meets the 'street look' convention as the lyrics and beat suggest quite an underground approach to the music industry.
Another convention of hip-hop videos are the props used; these include the use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes used usually to attempt to give off a rebellious look for the artist, to represent the artists visual symbol. Our group decided to develop this convention and replace these props (in this case drugs) with a microphone, a prop that is frequently mentioned in the lyrics of the chorus. By developing this convention, we have brought more clarity and meaning to the lyrics, as well as linking the video with the song in an effective manor. We believed this also added a twist to the entire significance and understanding of the song, challenging the conventions that are expected to be feature in a hip-hip video. This also makes the video more engaging to watch as it is different and original, with an element of depth included.
We incorporated appropriate and exciting camera angles and shots to satisfy and affiliate the action that features in the video, to give the audience a clear understanding of the narrative. The conventional camera shots used for music videos are close ups/extreme close ups to illustrate feelings and emotion, and long shots to display the trendy settings. We made use of long shots and mid shots to display the scenery and setting of the characters, however generally avoided use of close and extreme close-ups as we were not looking to promote the faces and characters within the video, however to promote the narrative and genre of the song. This challenges the conventions of Goodwin's points. Our music video aims to demonstrate genre characteristics by creating a relationship between the music and visuals in an illustrative way that amplifies the lyrics. We believe that this approach will sell the artist and song in an original way which will grip and draw in the audience.
The narrative of our video follows a storyline, not a genre. This was inspired to me by the music video producer; 'Jonathon Glazer', who we researched and discovered that he makes videos that come across as a short film, which very strongly links and represents the lyrics and genre of the music through the powerful atmosphere that he creates.
2)
Our magazine advertisement and DVD cover both display the same text font and colour which demonstrates positive continuity and a consistent theme, making them work together as a promotional package. The font and colours used are suitable to the hip-hop genre as the graffiti background symbolizes and illustrates the artist’s stereotypical background and setting they are brought up in. The graffiti background used on the Digi-pack and magazine advert was retrieved from the location where Martin (our group member) lip synched in, also creating continuity throughout the 3 products.
We have continued the urban underground theme using graffiti in the background, which runs throughout our 3 product promotional package (music video, Digi-Pack and Magazine advert). This features our 2 main props; a microphone and money, to represent and develop our storyline. However, this means that the faces of the artists are not displayed on the covers, creating a more mysterious effect and end product. This keeps the audience intrigued as the they are not having every element of the artistic talent and style thrown at them, however it is left open for them to interpret the music with their own imagination, with only the music video to illustrate the artists appearances. This also draws in the audience to research and discover more about the artists themselves. I believe this attracts the audience in a different and dramatic way, separating our style from the mainstream commercial act of the majority of modern day music.
3)
We learnt a lot of valuable information from the feedback we received, including compliments and constructive criticism. The initial feedback from the class regarding our rough cut was positive in some areas, however highlighted certain areas that needed polishing and further development. As a group, we felt that the feedback suggested a slightly cheesy and unoriginal effort that simply followed the conventions and action of a stereotypical hip-hop video. This included selling drugs and having fights, something that conventionally occurs in a hip-hop music video. Therefore, this made our product to appear tacky and cheap, a look that we very much wanted to avoid. We also received feedback commenting on how the video did not clearly match the lyrics, therefore seeming somewhat irrelevant, increasing the risk of losing the interest of the viewers.
We made sure to address these issues immediately and developed some ideas to make them more interesting to watch, and also more original and related to the lyrics. We decided to replace the concept of drugs with microphones, creating the effect that selling microphones is also illegal which not only make the audience have to think more deeply about the narrative, but also links the lyrics well with the storyline. To ensure that we engaged the audience we also edited in various special effects and transitions such as black and white and split screens to clearly represent the genre and the storyline.
4)
We used various media technologies such as final cut express, Photoshop and blogger. We used blogger throughout the year to blog our planning and ideas for the production of our music video. We used blogger effectively as a place to note down all our variations and changes of ideas, as well as a place to show the research we did and keep track of the progress we have been making. Final cut was used once we had finished the filming of our music video and video commentary of the evaluation responses. I became rather fluent of the use of final cut express and managed to bring out the most of our videos to give them a professional edge and add quality and clarity throughout them. I incorporated editing effects such as black and white, slow motion and split screen, as well as professional transitions in between shots to improve the continuity of the video. Photoshop was later used once the final music video had been finished. We used Photoshop to create our Digi-Pack and magazine advert. I found this software difficult to use, and it took a lot of time to apply different effects and fonts, however I managed to get used to this after some practice and feel satisfied with the Digi-pack, as it matches the look and style of the other 2 products. However due to the time it took to get used to the layout and use of Photoshop, we did not have enough time to complete our magazine cover, which I believe to be at a satisfactory standard, however could do with a final touch some improving. We used HD cameras to capture the footage of the music video and the video commentary. The HD camera was also used for still images which were later projected onto our magazine advert.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Evaluation answers
A stereotypical convention of a Hip-Hop music video involves appropriate locations, for example the hip-hop artist 'Wiz Khalifa' includes trendy, expensive settings such as parties and clubs, used to show off their wealth and power. A lot of less mainstream hip-hop is set in the streets of more urban and 'gritty' locations, shown to represent where they have been brought up and where the genre was originated. Our music video for the Nextmen 'My Way' meets the 'street look' convention as the lyrics and beat suggest quite an underground approach to the music industry.
Another convention of hip-hop videos are the props used; these include the use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes used usually to attempt to give off a rebellious look for the artist, to represent the artists visual symbol. Our group decided to develop this convention and replace these props (in this case drugs) with a microphone, a prop that is frequently mentioned in the lyrics of the chorus. By developing this convention, we have brought more clarity and meaning to the lyrics, as well as linking the video with the song in an effective manor. We believed this also added a twist to the entire significance and understanding of the song, challenging the conventions that are expected to be feature in a hip-hip video. This also makes the video more engaging to watch as it is different and original, with an element of depth included.
We incorporated appropriate and exciting camera angles and shots to satisfy and affiliate the action that features in the video, to give the audience a clear understanding of the narrative. The conventional camera shots used for music videos are close ups/extreme close ups to illustrate feelings and emotion, and long shots to display the trendy settings. We made use of long shots and mid shots to display scenery and the setting of the characters, however generally avoided use of close and extreme closeups as we were not looking to promote the faces and characters within the video, however to promote the narrative and genre of the song. Our music video aims to demonstrate genre characteristics through. We believe that this approach will sell the artist and song in an original way which will grip and draw in the audience. We have also continued this theme in the Digi-Pack and magazine cover, by introducing the plot, not the characters.
Another convention of hip-hop videos are the props used; these include the use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes used usually to attempt to give off a rebellious look for the artist, to represent the artists visual symbol. Our group decided to develop this convention and replace these props (in this case drugs) with a microphone, a prop that is frequently mentioned in the lyrics of the chorus. By developing this convention, we have brought more clarity and meaning to the lyrics, as well as linking the video with the song in an effective manor. We believed this also added a twist to the entire significance and understanding of the song, challenging the conventions that are expected to be feature in a hip-hip video. This also makes the video more engaging to watch as it is different and original, with an element of depth included.
We incorporated appropriate and exciting camera angles and shots to satisfy and affiliate the action that features in the video, to give the audience a clear understanding of the narrative. The conventional camera shots used for music videos are close ups/extreme close ups to illustrate feelings and emotion, and long shots to display the trendy settings. We made use of long shots and mid shots to display scenery and the setting of the characters, however generally avoided use of close and extreme closeups as we were not looking to promote the faces and characters within the video, however to promote the narrative and genre of the song. Our music video aims to demonstrate genre characteristics through. We believe that this approach will sell the artist and song in an original way which will grip and draw in the audience. We have also continued this theme in the Digi-Pack and magazine cover, by introducing the plot, not the characters.
Friday, 2 December 2011
Day Plan
today we are filming our group responses to the evaluation questions. Our responses have been developed through a combination of the best parts of all of our answers, creating an overall answer from the best ideas and conflicts. This makes our group answer a good conclusive response that should satisfy the demand of the questions as we thought in depth of the different conventions we met, developed and challenged.
Our task is to put the answers into the form of a video, making it more media related.
Our task is to put the answers into the form of a video, making it more media related.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Friday, 18 November 2011
What should be included in a magazine advert and DigiPack
Magazine Advert
- Pictures of the 'artist'
- Age Ratings
- Information about artist and song
- Release Date
- Matching Themes
DVD Cover
- Bar Code
- Matching Themes
- Age Rating
- Possible pictures from video
- Pictures of scenes and/or artist
- Artist and song name
- Reviews
Analysis of Eminem DVD cover
not eye catching
simplicity at its finest, doesn't need to cram the cover with information due to his standing fame and popularity.
pictures from music video for each song, shows the audience the genre and feel of what the DVD is about
tracklisting
age rating
Dark, representing his lifestyle
simplicity at its finest, doesn't need to cram the cover with information due to his standing fame and popularity.
pictures from music video for each song, shows the audience the genre and feel of what the DVD is about
tracklisting
age rating
Monday, 14 November 2011
Background of our story
When planning our video we decided to try and represent the culture that surrounds hip hop which is the genre of the song we chose. We thought we would try and include violent and drug culture but then we decided we could be more clever and try and link it more to the song. We decided to make our video about buying microphone's illegally like a drug deal. The background to the story is that rapping is illegal in the UK and there is a black market for rappers to get hold of microphones. This is similar to the BBC children's drama 'Bootlegged' which was about the government banning chocolate and the black market that emerged after this point.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Ideas for magazine and DVD cover
These are some of the ideas for photos we could use for the magazine/ DVD cover. We decided to capture this whilst filming our music video footage as we were in the appropriate setting for the genre of our music track. We thought it would be effective to use the same setting as featured in our music video as the audience will be able to relate to the video and characters. We have used one of the antagonists form our music video as the character on the front of the DVD/Magazine cover as this allows the audience to relate to the characters in the video.
We captured a range of pictures so we could choose from a variety of poses/backgrounds that fit most appropriately when we come to publishing/developing the Magazine/DVD.
Editing Ideas
After going through some of our footage, we have thought out some potential knew editing ideas.
Firstly during the scene where Harry does a robbery, we have shot a POV shot from the victims perspective. We have slightly slowed this shot down to emphasis the shot, creating an effect that this shot is shocking when it is viewed.
Another idea we have had, is to re-wing and re-play the shot where Harry has his cigarette knocked out of his mouth. We will possibly include this to show a bit of humor, and also to reinforce that this action has sparked an instant hatred between Tyler and Harry. This is an idea we are not yet settled upon whether to use it, or not.
Lastly we are aiming to include a split screen when Harry and Tyler are composing their texts. This has been done to cement the fact that two different people are sending text messages to the same person. This is effective as it aids in creating a narrative that is easy for an audience to follow
Firstly during the scene where Harry does a robbery, we have shot a POV shot from the victims perspective. We have slightly slowed this shot down to emphasis the shot, creating an effect that this shot is shocking when it is viewed.
Another idea we have had, is to re-wing and re-play the shot where Harry has his cigarette knocked out of his mouth. We will possibly include this to show a bit of humor, and also to reinforce that this action has sparked an instant hatred between Tyler and Harry. This is an idea we are not yet settled upon whether to use it, or not.
Lastly we are aiming to include a split screen when Harry and Tyler are composing their texts. This has been done to cement the fact that two different people are sending text messages to the same person. This is effective as it aids in creating a narrative that is easy for an audience to follow
Ensuring Camera Safety
As the weather was rainy, we have used an old t shirt folded and laid upon the camera to make sure that we didn't get the camera wet and create a problem for the camera
Props We Have Used
We have included a few props throughout our music video. We have used these to make our footage seem more realistic.
Firstly we have used a mic through out our video. This is because it is very necessary as the video narrative strongly involves microphones.
Secondly, we have used a fake cigarette that is slapped out of Harry's mouth. This is played out like this to give Harry a further motif to mug Tyler.
Lastly we have included a Car within the video. We initially didn't want to use a car, as we thought it quite cliche. After discussing the matter, we thought we would include the car but use it not to make a huge 'gangster' 'show off' effect, but just to assist the footage in trying to achieve the clear narrative we wanted.
Firstly we have used a mic through out our video. This is because it is very necessary as the video narrative strongly involves microphones.
Secondly, we have used a fake cigarette that is slapped out of Harry's mouth. This is played out like this to give Harry a further motif to mug Tyler.
Lastly we have included a Car within the video. We initially didn't want to use a car, as we thought it quite cliche. After discussing the matter, we thought we would include the car but use it not to make a huge 'gangster' 'show off' effect, but just to assist the footage in trying to achieve the clear narrative we wanted.
Continuity That May Appear
We have discussed any issues that we may have during the editing to make sure that we know of any discrepancies that can possibly occur.
Firstly, the weather is different over the different days of our shooting. Although they wasn't hugely dissimilar, there was much more rain and puddles during day 2 of shooting. This is an issue that may be spotted, but cannot be helped by us as a group. Martin has tried to edit the colours in the two different shoots to make them seem more as one.
As well as this we recognize that Harry has had a hair cut between the two shoots. To try and overcome this, we tried to include shots that would require Harry's hood to be up, so audience members wouldnt spot it as a major difference as the music video has been played out.
During editing, we will continue to check for continuity to ensure it doesn't occur.
Firstly, the weather is different over the different days of our shooting. Although they wasn't hugely dissimilar, there was much more rain and puddles during day 2 of shooting. This is an issue that may be spotted, but cannot be helped by us as a group. Martin has tried to edit the colours in the two different shoots to make them seem more as one.
As well as this we recognize that Harry has had a hair cut between the two shoots. To try and overcome this, we tried to include shots that would require Harry's hood to be up, so audience members wouldnt spot it as a major difference as the music video has been played out.
During editing, we will continue to check for continuity to ensure it doesn't occur.
Continuity Prevention
As we have shot our footage on separate days, we have focused a lot on ensuring we keep any continuity as UN-noticeable as possible.
As we have filmed, we all used the exact same costumes that we originally wore on the first day.
This ensures that no blaring differences will appear when the footage is viewed.
As well as this, we have checked that shots don't over lap EG the same thing happened in two different shots. This adds to our narrative as well, to make sure that no differences will corrupt the final version.
As we have filmed, we all used the exact same costumes that we originally wore on the first day.
This ensures that no blaring differences will appear when the footage is viewed.
As well as this, we have checked that shots don't over lap EG the same thing happened in two different shots. This adds to our narrative as well, to make sure that no differences will corrupt the final version.
Making Shots Realistic
When filming we have ensured we have acted as professional as possible.
We have checked each shot to ensure we have no issues such as leaving unwanted props EG the tripod in any of the films.
Whilst filming we have made sure no direct eye contact has been made with the camera, no faces have been pulled, no laughing and no talking during shots have happened. We have checked for this, as in previous projects we haven't checked thoroughly and shots are unprofessional, hence the reason for double checking.
We have checked each shot to ensure we have no issues such as leaving unwanted props EG the tripod in any of the films.
Deciding on New Locations
During our film, we have decided to change locations as we went along.
This is because we found more suitable locations, and also ones that would better suit our needs eg; not enough people.
We have swapped the original cashpoint for a LLoyds TSB cashpoint which has a more urban setting surrounding it.
Also we have used Cambridge City car park also to shoot our car scene instead of the original setting of a known car park from one of the members of the group.
We believe the change in locations have made our footage better, and suit the genre of the footage better than the original ideas.
This is because we found more suitable locations, and also ones that would better suit our needs eg; not enough people.
We have swapped the original cashpoint for a LLoyds TSB cashpoint which has a more urban setting surrounding it.
Issues That We Faced Whilst Filming
We faced many issues whilst filming.
Firstly when we first shot footage, our camera battery died. This meant that we could not continue filming after we had initially planned to film more in one go. To get around this, we planned another filming session to enable us to shoot the missing footage.
Secondly, we didn't have enough members to film the shots we wanted to shoot. We used the tripod to our advantage to shoot when we thought we needed another person. By shooting the clip when we was getting ready, we got the camera into position and are planning to cut the unnecessary clips out that we don't need.
Lastly when shooting there was a downpour of rain. As we needed to shoot using the tripod, we constructed a cover from a t-shirt to completely protect the camera from any rain, , meaning the camera stayed in good working order, but also no rain interrupted the lens of the camera
Firstly when we first shot footage, our camera battery died. This meant that we could not continue filming after we had initially planned to film more in one go. To get around this, we planned another filming session to enable us to shoot the missing footage.
Secondly, we didn't have enough members to film the shots we wanted to shoot. We used the tripod to our advantage to shoot when we thought we needed another person. By shooting the clip when we was getting ready, we got the camera into position and are planning to cut the unnecessary clips out that we don't need.
Lastly when shooting there was a downpour of rain. As we needed to shoot using the tripod, we constructed a cover from a t-shirt to completely protect the camera from any rain, , meaning the camera stayed in good working order, but also no rain interrupted the lens of the camera
Creating a Narrative That is Easy for the Audience to Follow
During filming we constantly thought out how to try and make the narrative we have created easy to get across to the audience.
We have constantly tried to link shots together as we change scenes, meaning we have allowed a story which is easy to follow when viewed by the audience.
By constantly viewing recorded film, we saw how we could effectively link scenes together to therefore create an effective narrative.
We believe by constantly thinking about our shots, planning them and constructing the shots to play smoothly together we have created an effective narrative that any audience could follow.
We have constantly tried to link shots together as we change scenes, meaning we have allowed a story which is easy to follow when viewed by the audience.
By constantly viewing recorded film, we saw how we could effectively link scenes together to therefore create an effective narrative.
We believe by constantly thinking about our shots, planning them and constructing the shots to play smoothly together we have created an effective narrative that any audience could follow.
Monday, 7 November 2011
The Autuer Theory
The Auteur theory is a way to analyze a film or other media forms.
This theory was created by Andre' Bazin, a French
Andre believed and held that films should reflect the personal vision of a director.
Andre was a film critic
If a director is an auteur, they are known to have full control and authority and will be left to be the leader of the production of the film or music video.
The auteur has connotations of the power that an author has of the writing and publishing of a novel.
If a director is an auteur, there will generally be a resounding theme within other works in their portfolio and similar shot types, cuts and special effects being used.
This theory was created by Andre' Bazin, a French
Andre believed and held that films should reflect the personal vision of a director.
Andre was a film critic
If a director is an auteur, they are known to have full control and authority and will be left to be the leader of the production of the film or music video.
The auteur has connotations of the power that an author has of the writing and publishing of a novel.
If a director is an auteur, there will generally be a resounding theme within other works in their portfolio and similar shot types, cuts and special effects being used.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)