Production Diary - Week 8

This week we have began more structured planning into our music video and will continue to do so over the next few weeks before we film. We have decided upon 2 base locations where we will begin our filming and have set days in which we will be able to film there, we have looked into other locations but have decided that 2 locations should be enough as we don't want to overwhelm the audience. After our first draft is completed we will reassess this decision to see if our audience feel more locations are needed. This week we have also carried out a lip sync rehearsal to ensure that our lip syncing is on time when shooting so that we will have enough footage and won't have to refilm. I feel much more organised and am excited to begin the production of our final video.

Binary Opposition

We have decided to use Strauss' theory of binary opposition within our music video. We have chose to do this in two main ways, Summer Vs Winter and Day Vs Night. We have chosen to do this to show that no matter what time of day or what season/weather our artist can always have a good time and make the most of the situation with her friends.

Summer and Winter

We have chosen to create this divide between our two locations. Our first location is the beach which is largely associated with summer and we will use to show our artist having fun in the sun to create a positive feel good vibe. We well then oppose this with our artist in London in more typical 'English weather' to represent the winter and how our artist can make the most of situations and have fun anyway. To ensure that we can do this successfully we will need to ensure that we film in the right weather conditions, we have planned to film at the Beach on a day that is forecast to be sunny. We will now monitor the weather forecast for London to ensure that it is going to be a duller day. 4 Seasons of Loneliness is a video which manages to successfully create this opposition between the seasons and so we will look to this for inspiration, it is however of a different genre so to meet our stereotypes and conventions we will challenge the ideas used in this video too.



Day and Night

The opposition between day and night will also be created through our choice of locations. We will present London as though our artist is out at night where as the beach will be presented in the day. This shows that our artist is always having fun no matter what time and shows her wild side. To show that it is night and day we have chosen outdoor locations so that the audience can see the opposition however a minority of our shots may be shot inside, we think that even though these will be inside we will need to present this opposition through mies-en-scene such as our artists costume to show that she is wrapped up a bit more warmly in London compared to when she is at the beach.  Crickets by Drop City Yacht Club is an example of the binary opposition of day and night that we can use for inspiration.

Release Form

Release form from naomi_pierce

To ensure that we have permission of the actors in our video we have created this release form. To create it we found a template on the internet and have adjusted it as necessary for the needs of our video and actors. We will ensure that all actors sign this before we begin filming with them.

Crew List

Music video production team from naomi_pierce

Shooting Schedule

The first 2 locations that we are hoping to film at is at the beach and in London. We are planning to film at these locations on the dates shown above, this means that our planning for each location will need to be completed by these dates. After we have completed our first draft we will consider filming in further locations including further shots of iconic areas of London such as the London Eye. We have chosen to film during the daytime to ensure that the shots are all bright and visible and to add a positive and warm vibe to our video.

Locations

Above shows the locations that we could potentially film at for our music video.

The Beach

Frinton on Sea

London

Camden Town

Horror Series

Horror Series

.Bowling/Ice Rink/Roller Rink

Bowling - Romford

Ice Skating - Chelmsford

Theme Park

Adventure Island - Southend

Mini Golf

Rascal Bay - King George's

Zoo

Colchester Zoo

Lip Sync Rehearsals

We wanted to practice the aligning the music in time with the lip syncing so have carried out a group lip sync. We carried this task out in a group because it adds a level of further difficulty about all of us being in time rather than only one person meaning that when it comes to actually making the video we will be more prepared and find it easier. We also had the idea for our video of having multiple people lip syncing in our video rather than just one artist with some syncing the backing lyrics. After carrying out this lip sync we have decided that this wouldn't be a good idea as it can come across quite humorous. We chose to lip sync the song Hideaway by Kiesza, this is of a similar genre to our chosen song so we thought it would be appropriate to use, it is also quite hard to lip sync to. We chose not to use our planned song because we wanted to ensure that we could lip sync to a variety of music. We found that we were effective in editing the video in time with the lyrics however we have learnt that our artist will need to know the lyrics. We had the lyrics on a screen to the left of us and it is evident that some of us are staring at it, also as the screensaver kept appearing we would lose our place in the lyrics.

Production Diary - Week 7

Lyric Analysis

I have analysed the lyrics of our chosen song to help me to get a feel of the themes and messages portrayed. This will help for the characterisation of our artist and getting a deeper insight into her views and opinions.

GOOD TIME

Good time - Kizoa Online Movie Maker

These are some of the answers people in our target audience gave when asked about what they associated with having a good time. We will use some of these within our video to ensure that our target audience are entertained and can associate with the video.

Moodboard

I have created this moodboard to represent the genre and image we are hoping to create in our music videos. I have used very bright images and props which i think should be incorporated into our music video to represent the positive and fun vibe. I have also included images of locations such as the beach and London, props such as colourful cigarettes, shot ideas such as someone cartwheeling on the beach and a two shot of girls skateboarding. We are hoping that our video will be very bright and positive and I think that this moodpboard reflects that. I have also created a word cloud to represent this further.

Created with Tagul.com

Choosing Our Artist

Casting

Now that we have decided on the main ideas for our video, we need to choose our artist. We carried out a casting session to choose between Sam, myself and Leanne and decide who will perform the best and can lip sync in time with the music. We used the song Ella Eyre - We don't have to take our clothes off because we are planning to use the whipped cream remix of this and want to know how well our artist works with the song itself.

 

Due to our song choice, we would like our artist to be female. This meant that although we thought Sam performed well in his lip syncing he didn't fit the character and persona that we wanted to portray. The decision then fell between myself and Leanne, we thought that Leanne was good at performing the song and kept strong eye contact with the camera and for these reasons think that she would be a strong character as our artist. We added colour filters over the video and think that this may be something we incorporate into our final piece to add a fun vibe.

Production Diary - Week 6

As planned I have analysed 3 music videos this week, including Nina Nesbitt - Way in the World which I found particularly helpful because it has some similarities to the video that we are hoping to create. I also analysed Sigala - Easy Love which is the same genre as our video and uses editing and effects well to represent the genre and themes throughout. I also analysed Beyonce's 7/11 because when I carried out audience research Beyonce was the most popular artist. Other members of my group have also analysed music videos so collectively we have strong ideas of how a music video is supposed to look which has helped us to revise our ideas. We also created a letter to the copyright holder to send to our artist, this will ensure that we wouldn't encounter any copyright issues when creating our video.

Dear Copyright Holder,

My name is Naomi Pierce, I am 17 and I am currently studying A-level Media Studies at Brentwood County High School. I am writing to request your permission to use the track Ella Eyre - We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off (Whipped Cream Remix) By Mr Revillz on behalf of myself and my group members.

We would like to use this track in our current project which includes creating a music video to a popular song as well as a digipak and an advert for our artist. With your permission, we would like use this track purely for educational purposes within this project.

If required we are happy to add a copyright notice created by you into our products and we would ensure that you are recognised throughout the development and for the final product itself.

We would really appreciate your approval of this and look forward to hearing your response,

Many Thanks,

Naomi Pierce.

Revised Music Video Ideas

Over the past few weeks I have been conducting research into music videos and have began to plan ways in which we will present different aspects in our video. We have conducted some research as a group and developed this all further individually and have revised some of our original music video ideas.

Sigala - Easy Love

Camera Movement, Shots and Angles

Low angles are used in this video to make the children seem dominant and powerful, this emphasises their strength to the audience and shows that even though they are only children they are powerful. Wide shots are also used throughout the video when they are dancing this ensures that the dance moves are visible to the audience, which complies to the genre of the song because it is a dance song. It also makes the video seem much more active and positive to the audience because of the upbeat dancing. When they're not dancing close up shots are used to show the facial expressions which shows the audience how the characters are feeling and makes the audiences emotions reflect theirs. Two shots are used to show the two main actors dancing and to represent their close relationship and is symbolic of the love theme.

Editing Transitions and Special Effects

At the start of the video the boy puts on a pair of sunglasses, the lighting of the shot immediately becomes brighter and more vivid, this adds a positive atmosphere and makes the audience happier. When he takes the glasses off everything becomes more dull and grey to contrast the positive atmosphere. With the glasses on adults also become children because children are stereotypically more free, fun and careless to show that they're having fun. The main editing transition used is cuts, this is a common convention in music videos because it is fast and unnoticeable to the audience to make the video seem more continuous. It also provides a contrast between the groups of dancers as they're having their dance off's.

Mise-En-Scene

The main boy and girl are dressed in matching white t shirts with black jeans, the fact that they are both wearing the same outfit makes them appear unified and the black and white makes them stand out against the colourful setting that they are in. In the first shots we see the boys trainers which are shown to be very grey and dull however when he puts the sunglasses on and the colour kicks in they become much brighter in an orange and blue colour, close ups of these emphasise the colour change and represent the burst of energy the sunglasses have brought. The first main gang that the pair encounter are all dressed in burgundy, white and black to show their unison as a group, they are dressed casually in vests, shorts and tracksuit bottoms and appear to look like stereotypical street gangs. The next gang are also dressed in unison however they are dressed as a biker gang in sleeveless denim jackets and black jeans. Costume has been used like this to represent the different types of gangs that there are in the Californian setting for example the biker gang could symbolise the Hell's Angels. Lighting is very bright and warm to add a positive and fun vibe, the sun is out and gives a fun atmosphere. Children are often used in media to create an emotional effect because as an audience we are often drawn to children, they are used in this video as a symbol of being free and innocent. The video portrays them to bring life into the dull area. The make up and hair of the main two actors is kept very minimal to keep the attention on their dance moves however for the other gangs they have been styled to look stereotypically like their character for example the biker's hair has been styled with shaven sides. The main prop used is the sunglasses which bring life and colour to the actors world and are symbolic of the way in which we view the world. The video is set in LA which is known to be quite a dream location and full of fun and energy, it is known to be a place where people can be who they want to be which represents the themes and message of the song and video.

Representation

Although the artist is not featured in the video, the use of children represents him as very free spirited and fun. The main actor is represented as someone who sees the best in everything and tries to turn dull situations into something better. As an audience we view the main boy as a representation of the artist.

Genre and Signifiers

The genre of the song is dance. The whole video is based upon dancing which is a highly common convention of the genre and signifies this to the audience. Dance videos are usually very upbeat so this video fits the genre through it's pace and use of colour. The use of children defies the common conventions of the genre because dance videos are usually about love or sexuality and things that would attract a teenage audience. A common convention would be to feature scenes of clubbing and partying rather than a dance off between children.

Intertextuality

The song is an interpolation of 'ABC' by Jackson 5. Jackson 5, or more specifically Michael Jackson, were known for their dance moves and so intertextuality is used by the similar style of dance that the children are doing in the video. The use of children as the main actors in the video is also a representation of Jackson 5 because they were a very young band with the youngest member being only 11 or 12 at the time of ABC's release.

Audience Reception and why they might enjoy this

The use of children automatically draws the audience into the video because people are very protective of children and would think the children very talented for their dance moves. In terms of the uses and gratifications theory people would watch the video as a diversion because it is very positive and fun so would leave the audience to forget their problems at that time. 

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

The video supports Goodwin's theory by following many common conventions of a dance video, the main one being that the storyline of the video is based around dancing. It also follows many conventions of music videos such as cuts and fast shots.

Binary Oppositions

The contrast between adults and children is very exposed through binary oppositions. Adults are shown to be dull and lifeless not only through colour but through the brightness and positive nature of the children that we are shown. The contrast between life with the sunglasses on against with them off is presented through binary oppositions of adults and children, bright colours and dark colours e.t.c.

Nina Nesbitt - Way in the World

Camera Movement, Shots and Angles

The main camera shots used are close ups and extreme close ups, these are very common in music videos. Close ups of her face and lips are often used which show her lip syncing the lyrics to emphasize them. Lips also have connotations of desire and love so this follows the concepts of the male gaze theory, which is further emphasized by the red lipstick. Close ups are also used to show the fun things that they're doing in the video. Wide Shots and two shots are also used to show the location and to include all of the friends in the same shot. this makes them seem like a close group of friends and to show them having fun. The camera looks as though it has been handheld as the shots are not perfectly still, this makes the video seem more personal and like we are getting an insight into the artist's life. It makes the video appear more casual and welcoming to the audience. Low angles are used in some places which make the actors seem quite powerful and as though they can do whatever they like which fits in with the theme of the song. It also presents the artist and her friends as people that the audience can look up to and represents them as role models.

Editing Transitions and Special Effects

Cuts is the most common transitions used throughout the video, this is very typical of music videos and gives it a quicker pace. it makes the video continuous and doesn't distract the audiences attention from the video so that it is easy to follow and fun to watch. The shots used only last for short periods of time, this adds a fast pace to the video which makes it seem more positive and upbeat, most shots last a maximum of 1 second. In areas where the pace of the song slows down the length of the shots are sometimes lengthened to fit with the pace and tempo and to contrast the mood of the faster shots. Some shots are put into slow motion which makes them calmer and more visually appealing and fits with the pace of the song.

Mise-En-Scene

The artist is seen to be wearing quirky accessories such as a ring with two eyes, this presents her as fun and original and fits with her image. She is also wearing a high amount of red in some shots, including red lipstick, a red top, red ribbon in her hair and two red N's on her shorts for 'Nina Nesbitt'. Red has connotations with love, passion and emotion which symbolizes the strong bond between the artist and her friends. Due to it's connotations with love and passion it is also quite a seductive colour and makes the artist seem more appealing to both males and females in accordance with the male gaze theory. The artist is seen to be playing a guitar in certain shots which presents her as very musical and casual, as she is playing it on a beach and at a campfire it gives off an indie vibe and makes the artist seem cool. The campervan also adds an indie vibe as well as having connotations with fun, summer and road trips which fits in with the theme of the video. It is a fun thing that the target audience would want to do so appeals to them to watch the video. Young actors, a similar age to the target audience are used, this means that the audience can relate to the characters and makes them more appealing. There are both boys and girls used to appeal to a wider audience and to show the artist as cool, having a large group of these shows their close friendship. They use quite natural and bright lighting to add a warm summery vibe which fits into the summery and fun theme of the music video. Her hair is very unique and identifiable to the artist, it is big and bleach blonde and is something that as an audience we are drawn to. It has been styled with a red ribbon to make it stand out more and to draw attention to it. She is costumed in shorts and sunglasses to give the video a summery vibe and to show off her figure. The video is set at a beach and a campfire which are both connotated with summer and fun.

Representation

The artist and characters are represented as very young and free which fits in with the theme of the song. The song describes someone trying to find themself so this representation of the artist and her friends being free and having fun is very symbolic of this. The mise-en-scene is used effectively to represent the artist in this way, through the actors used as well as different props and the setting of the video. The artist is also represented as a cool and unique individual, her costume, hair and actions all represent her in this way and as someone that the female audience would aspire to be.

Genre and Signifiers

The genre of the music video is represented through the bright colours that are used throughout, reds, blues and oranges and a positive and warm feel to the video and are representative of dancing and having a good time. The crowds of people are also quite common in music videos of the pop genre as it shows people having fun. The beach location is also conventional of a singer songwriter as well as a pop video because it has a very summery vibe and therefore appeals to a younger audience.

Audience Reception

The audience would enjoy this video because it is very fun and upbeat. The colours as well as fast shots help to add a positive vibe to the video which draws the audience in. The artist is also very pretty and so would draw the audience in through the male gaze theory. The audience would react to the video by wanting to be friends with the artist and wishing that they were with her.

Why might an audience enjoy this?

The uses and gratifications theory suggests that audiences will be attracted to something because it fulfills a need. This video fulfills the need of entertainment and diversion because it transports the audience into the fun life of the artist and diverts them from any problems that they are personally having. It also fulfills an element of personal identity because the audience will compare themselves with artist and aspire to be like her.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

This video supports Goodwin's theory of genre characteristics because it follows many conventions of music videos such as quick shots and extreme close ups. It also follows conventions of the genre because it is set at the beach during summer which is very common with pop videos, it is also very fun and upbeat.

Laura Mulvey's Theory

The presentation of the artist supports Mulvey's male gaze theory. Extreme close ups are used to enhance this as well as the fact that she has her make up and hair done. The colour red is very prominent throughout the video which is connotated with love and passion and therefore supports the male gaze theory.

Beyoncé - 7/11

Camera Movement, Shots and Angles

In most shots the artist is by herself, including in the opening, this shows the audience who the artist is and ensures the focus is on her, however there are also a wide variety of shots of the artist with her friends to show her as fun and social. The first shot shows Beyonce as if she has turned on the camera and walks away before the song starts, this gives the audience the idea that she has created the video herself to make it feel like a home video and more personal. Wide and long shots are used within the music video which allows the audience to obtain a full view of the setting. Showing the large balcony or extravagant hotel room shows the glamour and fanciness of her lifestyle so the audience aspires to be like her. There are some close ups and mid shots used as shown below. These show the artist's facial expressions and allow the audience to focus on her. It also emphasises the fact that she has minimal make up on to show her as very natural and relatable to the audience.

Editing Transitions and Special Effects

The music video has been renounced for it's editing, winning Best Editing at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. It is the editing of the video that gives it the professional feel amongst the candid footage which Beyoncé filmed herself. Many shots within the video are sped up and very short, this gives the video a fun and energetic feel to entice the audience. This also makes the dance moves seem more sharp to have more of an impact, they are edited to hit slightly before the beat which is more pleasing to the audience. Some parts of the video are also put in reverse to add a lively and fun feel. The quick shot changes keep the video fast and upbeat and some shot changes, such as switching between the black and white dice, add a more artistic and professional feel to the video.

Mise-En-Scene

Beyoncé undergoes many costume changes within the video and can be seen in a variety of different outfits. They are all very casual and something that the audience themselves might wear which adds to the representation of her being just like everyone else and someone that the audience can relate to. The artist wears a hat upside down to make it appear as though it is a crown, this shows her to be very fun and is quite humorous to attract an audience but also gives a glamorous impression and makes her seem important. Her and her friends all wear the same underwear, they are brightly coloured with the words 'smack it' written on the back, these look quite cheap to add to the ordinariness of the girls but also bring a fun and vibrant atmosphere. Her make up is very minimal which adds to the feel that she is very ordinary and relatable but also shows the audience her natural beauty and gives it a more personal feel. We can also see that her hair is very wild and seems quite free which mirrors the way in which the audience views her and how she is represented in the video. Despite this the audience can see a large array of make up in the background of the video which shows how even though she is not wearing it in the video it is something she uses and makes her even more relatable. The way it is spread out across the bathroom also makes her more relatable to the female audience as she is still messy. The video is set in a hotel room, despite most of the video providing a casual and ordinary feel the setting completely opposes this. It provides the insight into her glamorous life with a large balcony and all the rooms being large and richly decorated. The choreography is very basic and mainly corresponds to the lyrics in the song, this not only shows it as a home video that is very relatable but adds a further element of humour to the video. We can see the artist spinning in circles with her hands in the air as the lyrics say 'Spinning' while my hands up' which shows how it was made by the artist in her hotel room.


We all see a christmas element in the video which presents the video as a present to the fans which adds to the personal feel. We also see the artist jump out of a present which makes her appear as a gift and gives her a powerful and important feel. The video was released 21 November 2014 and so having this christmas element gives it a fun and festive feel.

Representation

The main representation of the artist is that she is very normal and relatable. This representation entices the audience because they view her as someone like them. This is done very well through the mist-en-scene and costume as well as the actions of the artist. Despite this representation she is also presented as very glamorous and fun and superior to other popstars, this is mainly done through the setting.

Genre and Signifiers

The video is of the dance-pop genre as well as R&B. The dance moves from the artist and her friends signify this, we see them twerking and the dance moves are very commercial which is very stereotypical of the pop/r&b genres. The bright colours used such as on the girls underwear is also very representative of these genres because they are usually upbeat and lively to add a positive atmosphere. It is also common in the pop genre to surround an artist with friends because it represents them as popular and someone the audience can relate to and would aspire to be like.

Audience Reception

The video own Video of the Year at the 2015 BET Awards. It also won Best Editing as the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards as well as being nominated for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Best Choreography. Critics praised the video because it stands out from any other Beyoncé video that is very high profile, choreographed and expensive where as this video was filmed by Beyoncé in an afternoon.

Why might an audience enjoy this?

The video presents Beyoncé goofing around and acting as someone just like the audience, it is someone they can relate to and so they enjoy watching it. Despite showing her in this candid manner the video still presents the artist as very glamorous, even though her costume and actions show her as very relatable the setting looks very expensive and also gives the audience something to aspire to. The audience might also enjoy this due to some slight humour in the video, for example when Beyoncé sings into her foot or falls over while skipping with her leg.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

This video supports Goodwin's theory in a variety of ways. Firstly the video follows many genre characteristics such as having dancers, dressing in revealing clothing and using bright colours. The lyrics and visuals are also very closely linked as most of the choreography and actions reflects the lyrics that the artist is singing. The mood is also reflected in the visuals, when the video is at a fast pace the visuals move and change quickly in fast motion to reflect this however when the song slows down the visuals become much more calm with less dancing for example the shots of the artist meditating which zoom out slowly.

Laura Mulvey's Theory

In some aspects the video does conform to the male gaze theory. The actors in the video are all female, which is quite empowering to the female audience, it draws in a wider audience because females will aspire to be like them and men will be attracted to them. In some parts of the video their clothes are very revealing such as the underwear they are all featured wearing which could be seen as objectifying however they also it is for the audience to consume in their own way. We also see her dressed in sweaters and much more casual clothes which goes against the ideas of the male gaze theory. Their dance moves such as twerking could also be considered to support this theory. Mulvey's theory also provides the virgin/whore dichotomy stating that as an audience these are the types of characters we are attracted to however Beyonce is not shown to be either of these and is just having fun with her friends.

Production Diary - Week 5

Note created by naomi.pierce with GoConqr

Intertextuality

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is very important in the portrayal of our artist. We have decided to carefully plan our mise-en-scene to ensure that our artist is represented as a fun and bubbly character who our target audience can look up to. Mise-en-scene is what is visually seen, it includes costume, lighting, actors, make up and hair, props and setting. The overall aim of our mise-en-scene is to create a fun and positive atmosphere as well as to present our artist as relatable and as if she is having a good time without men.

Representation

We would like our artist to be represented in a positive manner so that she is a role model for her audience. The main representations in our video are women and teens through are artist and the location of London. All of these have positive and connotations and so we would like to eliminate the negatives and accentuate the positives in our video to ensure that our artist is represented in the fun and positive manner in which we would like her to be and so that the target audience is enticed.

Marketing

Research into the music video industry

Production Diary - Week 4

simplebooklet.com

Music Video Conventions

Mind Map created by naomi.pierce with GoConqr

Andrew Goodwin's Theory