Light Leaks

A 'Light Leak' is an effect which can be used in the editing process to create the idea that there is sunlight being cast across the lense, when in fact, it's only an effect. 

I have included this as a part of my planning and research, because I think it would come in to look quite effective in our final product, especially as there could be scenes when the natural sunlight isn't strong enough to get through the leaves, in shots that show the sky. We were also discussing whether it would look good in the dream/nightmare scene, as our target audience told us that we need to be clear in defining which is real and which is not. 

-Janet

Copyright Permission Letter

In order to use "Bleeding Out" by Imagine Dragons as our proposed song in our music video, we have had to send a copyright letter to request permission to use it. Above are some images to prove that we have asked to use the song as part of our A-level Media Studies project, and that the final product will only be shown to our class, our teacher, and the exam board- it won't be available to a mass audience. 

-Janet

Target Audience Feedback

Here, we have made a video with audience feedback from people in our target audience. We have a mix of both genders, which shows that this is a genre for no specific gender. 
We have learnt through this that our music video idea is very complex, and ambitious, which is a common problem brought up by many people who we have asked. 

However, the general reaction to the idea is very strong and, like said in the video, is different and something our target audience would like to see. I now feel very optimistic about making this video after receiving such positive feedback.

-Janet

Categories of Music Videos

There are three main types of music videos that we, as an audience, tend to see. These include:

• Performance Based
• Narrative Based
• Concept Based

Performance:

This is when the artist/band is shown throughout the video. It is a good type of video for when you have a low budget, or just want to make it simple. An example is "Something From Nothing", by the Foo Fighters:

Narrative:
A narrative based video is when the music video has a storyline that somehow links to the lyrics, which can illustrate or amplify the meaning of the lyrics. This technique is sometimes used for film soundtracks, which are made into music videos. This will include having the musician, and then shots of the film, so the audience knows what the song was written for. The example I have chosen is "Never Close Our Eyes" by Adam Lambert.  



Concept:
As the title says, this method is based around a concept, or an idea. These tend to be less common, as it isn't necessarily what the audience is used to seeing. Concept based videos are really there to get a message across to the audience through metaphors, so the video will probably be one to make you think carefully. I have used "This is Gospel" by Panic! At the Disco as an example:



Our music video, I think, will mainly be a hybrid of narrative and performance based, because we have the storyline of the man in the forest looking for something, but there is also the part where he is singing, which is separate from the narrative. 

-Janet

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Media Language

I made a Wordle, to list all the different types of media language. I did this because it will be a good source for me when it comes to finishing off my storyboard, and to make sure that I have got enough attention to detail, to make the text more complex and meaningful. 

One of the things I forgot to put on the Wordle was the word "motif". This is something we are planning to use in our video, for the girl. She will be wearing a red dress in the wood scenes, but later on she will be wearing maybe a red necklace, so that it is something the audience can link together. 

-Janet 

Lighting Experiments

We had a lesson learning about the different types of lighting techniques, and how effective they are in creating certain shots and emotions. Originally, we wanted a silhouette but due to difficulties with location, and natural lighting from windows without curtains, this caused a problem. 

This was our final photo:

We decided to edit it in black and white, to try and create the effect we wanted, and we later realized that this actually worked quite well, even though it wasn't what we originally planned. Having the two different light sources helped us make a silhouette (or try to, anyway) and a soft focus, as there was light coming from two angles, which we made by putting the light behind, but slightly to my left, and the light coming from the window.

The research we have done on lighting has inspired my planning process further, because it is through lighting that we can create moods and therefore our narrative can be made as clear as possible. We discussed how we would use lighting in the forest scenes, especially to emphasize the significance of the entrance of the girl in the red dress. 

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of our experiments with lighting, and it has taught me that it can be difficult to get it exactly how you want it to look like. 

-Janet

Target Audience

Mood Board- Pinterest

On Pinterest, I made a board with inspiration and ideas behind my music video. There are mainly photos of dark forests, as this will be the main location for my video, but I also found some different photos- I found one particular photo of Red Riding Hood, and I thought it was an interesting concept as people may link the girl in the red dress in my product to be like Red Riding Hood. I liked the idea of having a map as the background, because it contrasts with the idea of being lost, and it can link to different cultures around the world. Finally, I not only looked for photos of Tribal People, but also clothing for both men and women which are related to rock music, my genre, so I could get ideas as to how to do the make up in my video to look effective, along with the hairstyles and outfits to complete the mise-en-scene. 

Here is the link:

http://uk.pinterest.com/janetbargmann/music-mood-board/

-Janet

Preliminary Copy and Director's Commentary

We had to find a music video, and re-create one minute of it, for our preliminary task. As a group, the video we chose was "Enemies" by Shinedown. The reason behind choosing this song was because two of us new the song really well, but also because the video as a whole seemed relatively simple to copy. 



We decided to copy the first minute, because we thought it would be the simplest as later on, the band members get into a physical fight. (which is staged an choreographed... obviously...)

Above is our copy of the video. Overall, I think it's not that bad- there are some things which could have made it better, which we have mentioned in our Director's commentary:

Like I said, for a first attempt at editing and syncing the song and the video to match and go at the same pace and everything, it's not too bad. One of the main differences is the fact that we had three girls and one guy, instead of four guys. I don't think this is a massive issue in some cases, but we needed some people so we went with what we could get. Towards the end, editing the song to sync with the singing part became a bit more difficult, because we didn't have quite enough footage that was long enough for it to flow fluently. However, the majority of the video is relatively similar to the original, and I am proud of our preliminary task of copying a music video.
What I have learnt about recording over our copy for the commentary, is how vitally important it is for the audience to be able to hear what is being said. When we recorded ourselves talking, we were in a classroom, and we hadn't thought about telling everyone to keep the noise down a bit. I now know that when we film our music video, even though we'll be using a song over the top, the extras are going to need to be quiet so as directors, we can think and hear the song alongside with the acting for the narrative.

-Janet

Narrative Theorists

Music Video Codes and Conventions

Andrew Goodwin said that there are certain things that need to be included to make a music video what it is, which are basically some of the codes and conventions you are bound to see in a music video, but may not notice. 

• Thought Beats:
  Editing the clips together to the beat of the music
  Represents the voice of the artist.

• Narrative and Performance:
  Must be able to watch again and again, so there has to be an element of performance.

• Star Image:
  Used to promote the star with certain angles
  Gives them the most screen time
  Proliferation of a close-up on the artist

• Disjuncture- the video has nothing to do with the meaning of the lyrics
• Amplify- meaning is exaggerated through visuals
• Illustrate- meaning is made clear throughout the video and the most common use!

• Technical Codes:
  Camera angles
  Lighting
  Movement
  Editing
  Visual effects

In our music video, I feel that it will maybe amplify the lyrics. The plot doesn't exactly tell the same story that the lyrics do, but I think that it will help exaggerate them. I mean this by having certain visual motifs- such as the girl in the red dress, and then we see her later on with a red necklace. Red will be a common colour in the video, as the song is called "Bleeding Out" and it's also the colour of love, but also danger, which can be associated with many cultures around the world. We are following these codes and conventions, as there is a strong narrative (as we found through our Audience Feedback) and there is certainly an element of performance and star image. Lighting and editing will be really important, as I imagine the video being fairly dark, as well as the fact we plan to start filming mid-October/early November. 

-Janet