Actor Release Forms

Actor Release Forms

Because I have intentions to upload my completed music video to YouTube for public viewing to recieve post production feedback, I need my artists permission. Therefore, I have created some artist release forms which I have got the lead female and lead male to sign.

 

Filming Practises

Filming Practises

For the chorus of my music video, I wanted my artist 'creating' lyrics with her hands. Therefore, I needed to have a clear set of movements which I could teach my artist and also some idea how to frame the shot so it looks effective when lyrics are added in the editing process. Below are several of my practise pieces of filming

Practise Number 1

I started off using a mid shot so there was lots of space for my hands to move. However, this isn't effective as my hands weren't stretching to use the whole of the shot meaning there was empty space around me.  After re-watching this segment I also didn't like how on the lyrics "But now we're not sticking" my hands where stuck together. This looked like a religious symbol which wasn't the connotation I wanted.

Practise Number 2

This pratcise is similar to the one before in terms of shot length. I am slightly off centre which I need to make sure doesn't happen when I am filming my real artist.  This time I changed my movements for the lyrics "But now we're not sticking". Instead I lowered my hands and then raised them again for Glue. However, I wasn't a fan of my movements for "Dry".

Practise Number 3

For this practise I changed the type of shot from a mid shot to a medium close up. This was effective as it made use of the space. it also meant when the lyrics were added in the editing process they would be larger and help convey the point of these shots to the target audience. I changed my movements and these are the final movements I have chosen to use.

Practise Number 4

This practise is the one I chose to use to edit. This is because all of the movements were near perfect, the type of shot was correct and I was almost framed perfectly centre.

Editing Number 1

This is my first practise at editing where I added lyrics into the shot. While editing I was glad I had taken the time to practise this sequence as it allowed me to learn the processes needed in the editing process. It also enhanced my knowledge on how to frame this shot when filming my final music video so I get the best shots possible. I tried black text in a bold font to start with. I thought this looked smart and effective but possibly a little boring.  

Editing Number 2

This is my second practise at editing. I changed the font to a more dynamic font. However after viewing both together I decided I prefered the first font that I used. Ideally I would like a font that was similar to the stop motion lettering that I used at the start of my music video.  I changed the font text to red. Even though it brightened up the shot and made it look more dramatic, I wasn't a fan of the colour. When I edit my real music video I will experiment with font colours more to find the perfect balance between colours and shot dynamics. 

Filming Delay

Due to bad weather conditions and the unavailability of my artists, I shall now have to film the majority of my music video next week. However, I can start filming on Wednesday the 26th. On this day I shall create the animation sequence which creates the opening for my music video. I shall be doing this in my triple media lesson as the animation equitment takes a significant amount of time to set up and dismantle.

Artist Name

Artist Name

For my first shot sequence in my music video, I am using stop-go animation. This technique will be used to display my new artists name and the song name at the beginning of the music video so the target audience clearly know when they watch the music video, from any medium what they are listening too.

Therefore, before I film this opening sequence, I need to come up with my artists name. The name I have chosen is Tempany. I have chosen this name as it is unique reflecting the unique, quirky nature of the target audience. Also, in recent years most artist names are a single word and a name. For example:

• Beyoncé
• Tulisa
• Eminem
• Rihanna
• Adele
• Cheryl
• P!nk
• Dappy

I have chosen to follow this popular new convention of artist name and go with Tempany.

After I had chosen my artist name, I had to re-experiment with the 3D letters which I experimented with when creating my photographic storyboard. I was missing the letter Y and the letter E with the 3D letters. Therefore I have decided to use flat felt letters for my artists name Tempany. The different colours they are in still work to create a fun opening to my music video to help attract my target audience. I am still going to use light to create a shadow with the 3D letters to create a extra dimension with the shot.  Below is a picture of my experiment with the new felt letters.

 

Filming Calender

Filming Calender 

    Now I have completed my pre-production planning for my music video, the next step is to film my music video. I need to arrange time to travel to different locations with the video camera and tripod where I can film with my artists. Because of the several locations I am using in my music video, the times I am filming need to be planned at times where both me and my actors are free.

I will not be filming my music video in chronological order. I will instead be filming bits which are at the same location at the same time. The shots on the beach need to be shot before the shots at the home location due to the graphic match of the photograph.

24TH SEPTEMBER 2012

On this day I am planning to shoot the opening sequence where the artist name is brought on screen using stop motion animation in my media studies lesson. After this lesson I have free periods for the rest of the day so I am planning to shoot the shots in the bishops palace gardens locations during the day to minimise the amount of people walking past the shots. On the 23rd of September I am buying the 3D letters I need for the bishops palace garden shots from Hobbycraft. Therefore I will be ready to take the shots on Monday in the 'bishops' location. The shots at the end of the music video would also be filmed on this day.

I need both the lead female and male for the bishop palace gardens shots.

25TH SEPTEMBER 2012

On this day I would like to try capture the shots I need at Bognor Beach. For this I need the lead female and briefly the lead male for the photograph. These shots depend on the weather conditions as I am not using any artificial lighting so if it is not a bright day, these shots may have to take place another day.

26TH SEPTEMBER 2012

On this day I have a triple media lesson. Therefore, all the shots that have the location at the school apart from the opening sequence I am going to try film. I only need the lead female for these shots.

27TH SEPTEMBER 2012

I would like to shoot the shots in the cafe location on this day. For these shots I need both the lead female and male. I would have to film after 3 O'clock on this day because that's when the cafe closes.

29TH SEPTEMBER 2012

Finally, on this day I would like to shoot the shots at my house on the sofa. By doing these shots last, it gives me time to sort out and print out the photo prop taken on the beach location earlier. I have arranged travel for both the lead female and male to my artist  and back to Chichester already.

This would be my ideal filming schedule. However, all of these proposed dates depend on the availability of my two actors, as well as the weather for some of the shots.  

Actors

Actors

I have to now decide on who I would like to use to become my new female indie solo artist. This is because of the proximity of filming my music video.  Picking the right person is important because they need to target and attract my target audience of mainly females, but males too aged 15-20.

In my music video, the narrative is that a boyfriend and girlfriend break up. Therefore, ideally I would need my lead female to attract my target audience and have a boyfriend so when I film, I can have more realistic emotions. making the music video more attractive to my target audience.

POTENTIAL ACTORS 1.

Above on the left would be my lead female. She is now 18 and so would attract most of the target audience range. The male on the right is her boyfriend aged 17. Therefore he would also attract the target audience. He also looks older than his age which helps this too.
This couple were going to be the people I was going to use for my music video and promotional package. However, when I asked the lead female if she would like to participate, there were several issues with the times that she was available, together with the lead male to film. Therefore I had to discount the couple.

POTENTIAL ACTORS 2.

The female in the right hand picture would be my lead female artist. She is 17 years old so therefore would attract most of the target audience with her appearance and music. She is pretty meaning she will attract both male members and female members of the target audience to her music too. On the left is a picture of the lead female and her boyfriend which would be the lead male. He is of a similar age to my lead female making him attract the target audience also.
Initially both the lead female and male agreed to star in my music video. However, there were several complications arranging a time convenient for all parties. After many delays I decided to use a different set of actors.

POTENTIAL ACTORS 3

The lead female and male are both aged 17. Therefore would target most of my target audience. Although not my initial choice,  the lead female attends the same sixth form as me so is therefore available for all of the shots in school a lot of the time. After asking both the lead male and female they have both agreed to star in my music video.



Locations

Locations

In my shot list, I stated several different locations which I would ideally like to use for my music video. However many of the locations I would love to use are not possible to film in. Therefore I have scouted around my local area to find locations which i can film in that still work for my music video

LOCATION 1

My first location for my music video is in Bishops Palace Gardens in Chichester. I wanted a remote pretty location and this is what Bishops provides. Since it is located in Chichester It should be easy enough location to film at with my artist. The potential problems include the props I need for this scene which is two numbers. I am going to have to either make them or buy them as in my story boards i tried using a piece of paper with a number on and it didn't show up in my long angle wide shots. Another issue is the mise-en-scene of the shot. As it is a public park, I may have people walking past in shot. Therefore I am going to have to film at a time where the park is quiet such as early morning.

LOCATION 2

  For the first chorus, I needed a blank background. Therefore I am using one of the corridors in my school. I have chosen this location as it works effectively and is easy to access. I don't need any permission to use it.  For this shot I experimented with lighting to give the shot a extra dimension. I used one of the lights from the media department to create shadow behind my model. This worked effectively exspecially with the hand movements that will be used in this sequence of the music video. Therefore I am going to use the same shot set up for when I film my final video. The possible problems with using this location would be noise and people walking past my filming location. Therefore I would have to film either during lessons using notices  on the double doors so people don't distract my artist and walk past.

LOCATION 3

    I wanted a home like location for my next section of my music video. This is where their is a flashback through time to see the boyfriend and girlfriend arguing then a graphic match to the present time to see the lead singer sitting alone. The location I am going to use is the sofa in my own house. There are desk lights located on the other side of the room which are effective in putting light in my actors eyes. I don't need any permission to use this location. The background behind the sofa however does need to be changed. For example the photos off the walls and out of shot. This is something I can do before commencing my final filming in this location. The possible problems of this location is getting my actors there at a mutually convenient time. However if the time was arranged in advance and travel planned this shouldn't be too much of a problem

LOCATION 4

      I wanted a remote location for my graphic match of a photo to a new location such as the top of a hill or a field. However I have decided to use a beach instead. Above is Bognor Beach which i have chosen to use due to it being close to where my actors live. There are several potential problems with this location. The first would be light. Due to no electricity supplies, I cannot add any artificial light to any shots I might take. Therefore it needs to be a bright day when I film so the shots are not too dark.  The other problem is litter on the beach which can be seen in the picture on the right. I need to chose my section of the beach carefully to make sure the mise-en-scene is correct and there is nothing that shouldn't be in shot. It is a pebble beach meaning there may also be issues balancing the tripod to get the correct shot. This will have to be something I need to experiment with on the day of filming.

LOCATION 5

    This location is in the cafe in Chichester where I work. Therefore I have consistent access to the cafe after hours and full permission from the owner to use this cafe for my music video. The mirror by two of the tables in the cafe helps to create a interesting visual shot so therefore I will use in in my shot. This section will be edited to be in sepia so the colours of the shot are not important. However I need to make sure there is always enough light in the shot and that the mise-en-scene is correct. I experimented with the use of coffee glasses on the table with my storyboard and decided that the shots would look better with some coffee on the table as it looks more realistic. The central location of the cafe in Chichester makes it easy to film in as a time can be convenient time can be arranged easily between myself and my actors to film. The potential problems would be people in shot walking past the window and light. By using the mirror I also need to make sure I can not be seen filming with the camera in the mirror. However I practised the series of shots and found good positions where I cannot be seen.

LOCATION 6

    For the last chorus of the song I am having a extreme close up of my artists red lips singing. Therefore I just need a blank background location where there is a electricity supply for extra lighting. Therefore I am going to use the same location as my first chorus, a coridoor in school. I am have chosen this locatiopn because of the convienance of it. Howevrer I will have the same problems as before with noise and distractions from people walking past. I can film this section at the same time as the first chorus to save time in setting up the shots.

Storyboard

Final Storyboard

 

    To finalise some of my ideas from my shot list and more accurately plan out some of my shot sequences I have created a storyboard using the programme Microsoft Word. I chose the sequences on the storyboard to plan in further detail than just my shot list because they are complicated either in types of shot, or in location. I am going to create a photographic storyboard by doing mock ups of shots using other people that are not my actors I am going to use in my final music video. This is because of time factors in using my actors in several different locations for just a photo. The mock up photos for my photographic storyboard will allow me to play around with lighting and camera angles which will help reduce time when it comes to filming my final music video.

"The Script - Breakeven" Music Video Deconstruction

The Script - Breakeven

The script, like coldplay before, are a very successful indie band. I was searching through their music videos to find a video that had a similar narrative to my own; a breakup of a romantic relationship. I watched this video through and as well as finding it did have a similar narrative, it also has flashbacks into the past where their relationship still existed. This means this video can be of great use to me as I shalll be using flashbacks in my video to demonstrate my couples break up.

    The establishing shot for the video is taken in his car with a male driving. Fans of the script and some of the target audience for the genre will instantly be able to recognise the driver of the car as the lead singer. He is framed in a close up but off centre. This links with the black and white colour editing of the shot and helps to suggest he is upset and his life has gone wrong.  The location of the shot has also reinforces this idea. The weather is stormy to relfect his emotions.  The mirror is framed centrally and in the mirror his face can be seen in shot. This suggests this shot has been carefully constructed and helps the music video look more visually interesting to all audiences.

     Within the opening sequence, there is a flashback for less than a second to a woman's face which can be seen above. The flashback is edited in time with the guitar chords at the beginning of the song to help the music video flow.  She is framed off centre but in a close up shot. The flashback stands out clearly against the other shots since they are coloured in black and white. She is smiling suggesting that this was a happy part of his life that he is remembering. This is reinforced by the fact the shot is in colour. The target audience  are able to recognise the fact she is an ex girlfriend  by the sound clip playing of her voice in the establishing sequence talking about how she cannot live without him. By being able to recognise her role in the video instantly it helps the audience start to understand the narrative and helps to get them interested in it.

    This next sequence takes place during the second chorus of the song starting at 2:06 seconds into the music video.  Above is a high angle long shot of the lead singer and guitarist in the background. The high angle helps to make him seem venerable in the present as he has split from his girlfriend. The band are seen in several different shots throughout the first and second chorus' playing their instruments to keep to the generic conventions of indie/rock band music videos. The location is at a gig meaning these sections of the music video have some interextuality. The target audience will be able to recognise this location and it will encourage them to attend one of the scripts gigs. There is low key lighting in this shot to symbolise the emotions he is feeling.

    The next shot in the sequence is a flashback to one of the lead singers memories of the past with his girlfriend. The shot is a close up of both the lead singer and his girlfriend. They are both framed centrally in the shot to help symbolise they are happy together. This shot contrasts strongly with the last as it is in colour which reinforces the happy emotions both characters are feeling. The shot is naturally lit. It could have been brightly lit to carry on enforcing the large contrast. However, as it is naturally lit it helps it seem more realistic and therefore helps to provoke a more emotional res ponce to the audience following the narrative of the music video.

    The final shot in the sequence is a close up of the lead singer back in the gig location. The audience in the background are blurred out this time so the focus is on the emotions which link the the flashback the audience have just seen in the narrative of the music video. This shot is once again black and white to relfect the narrative has returned to the present and the lighting is low key again to reflect his emotions and the emotional lyrics of the song. 

This music video has been a interesting useful one for me to deconstruct like I predicted. The narrative throughout the video is similar to my own so i wont be subverting any conventions in my music video. I think it is a good thing that I wont be subverting conventions with my narrative because then it will be easier for my target audience and other audiences to follow my narrative and get more interested with my music video. The flashbacks were constructed in a similar to way to what I had planned. In this music video there would be a straight cut on the beat of the song to the flashback and a straight cut back to the present. I planned to do this on some of my flashbacks but also to use a crossfade. I still think a crossfade in some places of my video will be effective as it will demonstrate that I can use a wide variety of editing techniques.

 

The song: "BreakEven" by The Script is a emotional sad song with lyrics to match. The colour editing techniques on their video were that it was colourful and happy in the past while in the present it was black and white and sad. This is the opposite to what I have planned in my music video. I was going to use colour editing for the flashbacks. The song lyrics for the song  I plan to do: " Nina Nesbitt- Glue" suggest that the female lead artists is happy about the break up of her relationship. Therefore I am going to keep my colour editing in the flashbacks.

"Coldplay - Paradise" Music Video Deconstruction

Coldplay - Paradise



I have chosen to deconstruct a Coldplay music video because of their worldwide success. They are one of the most popular and most recognised indie genre bands in the world. This is highlighted by the fact they played a large set at the paralympic closing cermony which was broadcast across the world on the 9th of september 2012. The music video for the song "Paradise" has 146,965,892 views on Youtube. In the music video the main character of the elephant holds up the lyrics which is a similar concept to what I would like to do in one of my chorus's of my music video.

    Above is the establishing shot for the music video "Coldplay - Paradise".  It is a wide angle long shot which keeps to generic conventions of the shot type of establishing shots in music video. The visuals are un-stereotypical of a establishing shot however. The location is in Africa where part of the music video is set. The colour of the sunset and the acacia tree framed off centre in shadow creates a stunning establishing shot which would instantly grab the audiences eye and interest them about the narrative of the music video to keep them watching.  The establishing shot is followed by several other wide angle long shot location shots of Africa with the sunset which helps establish the narrative and location. Unlike other music videos I have deconstructed, the production company for the music video along with the song and band name are featured in the establishing sequence of the video.  This helps to highlight how large the band are commercially and how successful they are. I will not need to put a production company on my music video as it will have a substantially lower budget than this one.

     The lead character in the music video is the man dressed in the elephant above. The narrative of the music video follows his escape from a London zoo back to the wild in Africa. The elephant costume is amusing to the target audience but as the narrative of the music video progresses, you start to forget the fact its a man in a costume and start to identify with the story. The narrative for the music video has given the song a meaning which the target audience and other audiencescan relate too. The compelling narrative also encourages audiences to re-watch the music video therefore getting the song stuck into their heads making it more likely that they will purchase the song. . The elephant is framed centrally in a medium-long shot above. He is holding up a piece of cardboard which has the lyrics of the song written on. This works effectively to help the audience sing along with the catchy song and to keep engaged in the music video. There are fast cut edits in and out of this shot with different lyrics  to keep the narrative running during this section of the video.

    At the start of verse 2, the lyrics are once again displayed by the elephant character. The background location has changed as the narrative has continued. Before, the location was a London Tube station while above is a backstreet in a city in Africa. Both these locations contrast with the idyllic African landscape shots seen in the establishing sequence and later on in the music video. These contrasts help to keep the music video visually attractive making the target audience more likely to watch it again and again. Throughout this lyrics sequence the camera is kept stationary while several different shots have been cleverly edited together with the elephant holding different lyrics in different 'wacky' positions. The mix of shots and framing of the elephant helps to keep the video interesting. The editing occurs on the beat which keeps to the generic conventions of music videos and helps the video flow.

From deconstructing this music video, I have learnt that my idea about having my artist 'create' lyrics with her hands on the screen can work and can be effective in helping to get the target audience to sing along with the song, get it stuck in their head and therefore purchase the track. By watching how much detail went into creating the lyric sequences, particularly the second one where it is very hard to notice the edits between shots, I have learnt that it may take many practises with my chosen artist before I manage to get these sequences up to scratch.

 

"Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit" Video Deconstruction

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

 

 

 

The next music video I have chosen to deconstruct is "Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit". I have diverted slightly from the indie genre with this music video as Nirvana are a rock band. The reason I have chosen to deconstruct this music video is because of the sepia colours featured throughout it which i would like to use in certain moments of my music video. After searching through many music videos, this was the only one I could find which had sepia colours within it, although it is not edited to become sepia like I am planning to do in my music video. This song by Nirvana is well known all wide to a much larger audience than just the rock genre target audience making it a good music video to deconstruct.

 

 

The establishing shot for the music video is a close up of one of the audiences members shoe. The target audience would be able to recognise that this is a converse shoe and the clothing being shown in the shot is Representative of what the target audience would wear. This helps attract the target audience to the music video as it is representative of them.  The establishing shot is very dark which as the camera tracks left changes to a brightly lit shot(see below). This rise in lighting helps build up the music video as the music builds to the next section. From the beginning, the sepia colours are involved within the music video. The colours and dark lighting are similar to what you would experience at a rock music gig meaning the music video has used interextuality to appeal to more of its target audience.

 

 

 

Above is the next shot you see after the establishing shot. It is a long shot of the band with cheerleaders appearing nearer the camera. The focus is on the Cheer leaders help to appeal to both male and female audiences as they add sex appeal for the males and become aspiring figures for the females as they are pretty. It also helps to represent the bands country of origin, America where cheer leading is a lot more common. This idea is reinforced by the basketball hoop which is framed centrally at the back of the shot; basket ball is also very common in America.  The band can be seen for the first playing playing their instruments in the background of the shot.  The sepia colours continue.

 

 As the music video continues, the narrative becomes more obvious. The narrative is simple and is a audience made up of members of Nirvana's target audience watching Nirvana play in a American style school gym. The audience surround them in a thrust staging style which always makes the band seem central in most shots which helps highlight their importance.  Throughout the video there are several shots of members of the band all in equal measure to show that they all make up the band. Above is a example of one of these shots. This is a mid shot of the lead singer. He is framed centrally to highlight his importance and is shown playing his guitar to keep to generic conventions of the rock genre. The clothes he is wearing would have been Representative of the rock style when the music video was released in 1991. Today, however, they are not to representative of the target audience or the genre because of the changes in fashion. You can see in the screen shot above how orange lighting has been used to create the sepia effect for the music video. Lighting is used throughout to keep the interextuality of the music video; a rock music gig.

 

 

 

This is the only music video I could find that uses sepia colours within the video. This means by using sepia colours I may be subverting some conventions of music videos. However unlike Nirvana's music video that I deconstructed, only parts of my video are going to be in sepia; the flashbacks.  Something I have learnt by deconstructing this music video is how the quality of music videos has increased in the 20 years since the video was released. 

 





'NeverShoutNever - I Love You 5' Video Deconstruction

NeverShoutNever- I Love You 5

The reason I have chosen to deconstruct part of this video is because its a good example of music from the indie genre. NeverShoutNever has a large fan base from across the world and the music is Representative of its target audience. I shall be deconstructing the beginning section of the music video. This is because it has similar ideals using large numbers to what I would like to do at the start of my own music video.

 

     The establishing shot for the music video is a long, wide angle shot. This is a generic convention with most genres of music video as it helps to set the scene for the music video. There are several different long, wide angle shots which are present for the first 15 seconds of the video. Each different shot is on screen for a similar amount of time creating a invisible 'beat' between each edit as there is no music present for the first 15 seconds of the song. The different locations of the shots include a farm(shown above) , train tracks and a street with houses. These very every day locations help the target audience identify with the music video. The video has been edited so it is black and white. This helps to keep it trendy and unique to help draw in the target audience.

 

 

      As the music video starts, the establishing location shots fade to black and above is the first shot the target audience sees. Four large letters have been framed centrally in a mid shot. This links with the first line of lyrics: "I love you one". By matching lyrics and visuals on screen the music video is keeping to generic conventions of all genres of music videos. The black and white editing continues as the music video continues. The word love has had light added to the centre of it to make it stand out and give a interesting unnatural effect to the visuals. This helps to grab the target audiences eye.

 

 

 

                                                                                

    There are then several different fast edits between shots showing or being representative of the number 5. A few can be seen above. All of these edits don't take place on the beat but instead follow the beat of the guitar which helps the music video flow and these different shots mix together nicely. The variety of shots and the cleverness of some of them help to keep the music video interesting for the target audience. The large letters appear once again but spell five. This time they are hanging and floating in the wind which I think is more effective and visually interesting than the first lot of large letters; love.

 

     The large letters spelling 5 then cross fade to the next shot which is a long shot of a male walking down a ice ridden street. He is framed centrally suggesting his importance. He is wearing clothes Representative of the indie genre style. For example the skinny jeans he is wearing are a very popular item of clothing which the target audience would wear. Because of the style of clothing he is wearing it helps the target audience relate to him. He is also wearing a cowboy hat which brings some humour to the video and makes the male look trendy and fun to be around.

 

 

      After the first section of the song has finished with the lyrics: "I love you 5", there is a match on action editing technique to show the mans face. The camera angle is a close up to highlight the fact he is attractive meaning he is a aspiring figure to males and attracts the female target audience too. He is once again framed centrally highlighting his importance and with the use of this close up camera angle. Because of the use of the close up on him here, it tells the audience that he is the lead singer for the music video.

 

 

 

This music video has shown that my idea for my music video of large numbers would work successfully within a music video. The lighting of the words with large letters in NeverShoutNever's music video made it a particularly effective idea. Therefore I will consider the idea of lighting to make the large numbers in my music video more visually interesting. All of this music video was shot in black and white. For my music video I would like to use some colour editing, using sepia to show flashbacks. The use of black and white colour editing in this video shows that I would not be subverting conventions if i chose to use the colour editing technique.