Above is an Emaze of our possible choices for a song we would like to produce a music video for. We really like the new and upcoming artist Alessia Cara so we decided to choose between two of her songs which haven't had a music video made for.
In this week I have improved my editing skills whilst
completing the Banana Phone song challenge, in which we were given specific
shots film that we would edit to create the beginning of the music video for
the song . I have learned how to takes multiple shots in front of a stationary
camera and edit them to create the clone effect, how to do stop motion, how to
create a split screen and how to overlay videos so you can see two pieces of
footage at the same time. These skills we help me when I think about what shots
to have in my music video.
In groups of three we had to film a multitude of footage using a range of camera techniques, we then went onto Adobe Premier and used a range of effects. This included merging three videos into one to have the same person dancing three times in one frame, reversing a clip so the person is moving backwards.
Narrative: Videos can be a visual response to the narrative but the narrative doesn't always have to be complete. Questions in the narrative may not always be answered as it can appear disconnected, disjointed or fragmented. It may also be displayed in a montage style rather than one clear focus.
Editing: She suggests that music videos can disrupt or break
conventions of continuity editing. Editing may also appear obvious and brought
to the foreground as the style of editing will be running distinctively through
it.
Camera Work: Establishing shots are key features to a music
video and are used the most frequently alongside medium and close up shots to
establish an artist. Frame style is also distinctive and camera may move in
time with lyrics. Lots of camera movement is common in music videos.
Diegesis: This is the setting of the music video and that
how it can be revealed very slowly. Actions may not always be complete and they
can be disrupted in some way. Repetition is also key throughout music videos as
some frames can appear more important than others.
Within music videos there are several different representations of women, most of which involve women displaying their sexuality and their bodies purely to sell the song. There are many theories about female representation that have developed over the years, these include: Voyeurism: Sigmund Freud concluded that erotic pleasure can be gained by looking at a sexual object (preferably when the object is unaware it is being watched)
Male Gaze: Laura Mulvey proposed that because filmmakers are often male, the presence of women is often for the purposes of display rather than narrative. This is to facilitate a voyeuristic response in spectators, which presumes a make gaze (regardless of the spectator's gender) one that is or may feel like a powerful controlling gaze at the female on display who is effectively objectified and passive. In male performance videos the voyeuristic treatment of the female body is often apparent, with the use of dancers as adornments to the male star ego.
Exhibitionism: Female performers being at once sexually provocative and apparently in control of and inviting sexualised gaze in what could be termed as the opposite of voyeurism.
Raunch Culture: In her book Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture, Andrea Levy attacks the increasing sexualised culture that objectifies women. She argues that women are encouraged to see themselves as objects and to see sex as their only source of power.
This is a typical representation even though the people singing the song are themselves female.They are being portrayed through the male gaze as sex objects
In lesson today we first got given the mark scheme on how music videos are marked, we then went
through and annotated and highlighted on the mark scheme exactly what the examiners are looking for
and what the terminology meant. After we then looked at some past videos from other school students.
The first video which we looked at is the one below, which claims to have full marks, but however
we marked it and thought otherwise.
I gave my thought of the grade which this music video would have got, by looking at the mark scheme,
I believe the grade which it would have got is a level 4 and would have been around 34/40.
The
video throughout was filmed and edited to be dark, which made the mood and the
theme of the video dark and depressing. This was effective as it fits the mood
of the song which is very emotional, heart felt song. Although this is good for
most of the song it does not fit the other side to the song which is upbeat and
builds up but even at this point where the song has built up the colours are
still very dark and haven’t brightened making the mood still fill sad. At this
point the should have either filmed in a lighter place or brightened the
colours by making them warmer.
Some of the chasing sequences don't match up with the genre, this is because it is meant to be quite a indie song but instead it has been made to seem more urban, by the urban settings and the fast pace movements.
The narrative was a clever idea, but I think it was confusing because too much happened and there was too many different people involved which therefore made it difficult to follow.
The shots were good, this is because there is a large amount of different kind of shots by the way they have positioned the camera, as well as this there has been different positions in the frame, this therefore makes the music video look very professional and similar to those which are already out.
The second video which we looked at is the one above. I do not think that this video is anywhere near as good as the first video, but still does have some good points about it. I think I would score this video a grade 3 but probably a high level, around 26 or 27.
The video looks more like a film opening instead of a music video in some of the parts, this needs to be worked on to make it more clear.
The tap scene in the beginning of the video is interesting and makes the viewer interested as to what is going to come up, as it is fast paced and goes with the music, but however after this clip has been shown the video quickly changes and becomes more slow, which doesn't really fit with the pace of the music.
When the male is singing and he is standing still, he is placed in front of a black background, this looks really effective as they have made sure that he is well lit up. I like the way that this looks and think it adds emotion to his singing.
The narrative is good, but can be a bit slow, it is a good idea to do a story but it can result in the video looking film opening like, just as this one may have.
I also had a look at this video above. I thought it was a really interesting concept and different to others which I have looked at. This is because they have really tried to play around with different materials and effects. I think this video would probably be a level 3, in the middle of level 3, probably about 24-25/40. This is mainly because it can get quite boring when the location stays the same throughout the video.
Some of the times the boy performer doesn't have a straight face when the glitter or feathers is being thrown over them, this makes it look as though it is a joke, whereas the song makes it seem like it is a serious matter, they should fit together more.
I really love the effects, especially when the glitter is thrown over the couple and it rewinds.
Although the shots are interesting and they have done different things, a lot of them are quite dull and the fact that every shot has been filmed in the same location makes it seem more boring, and they could have added some different places.
I think some of the shots look quite armature for example when they just zoom in on certain parts, like the girls shoulder, I do not think there was much need for that and looks like it is just gap filling.
The speed of the transitions from the different shots look very effective as it is all changing very quickly, this fits in really well with the speed of the song and the feeling made from listening to it.
I really love how the singer is a different person to the people who are performing.
I think that the performers play a really good part and I think the narrative is a good amount so that it seems like a music video instead of a film opening, which is good.
The camera work is really good in this video and the quality is really amazing.
