I will be staying tomorrow after school and exporting the last of the footage onto the Macs in order to be ready to edit and have a rough cut finished by the first week back to school.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Exporting The Footage From SD Cards To Mac
James and I have currently exported footage from 2 of our SD cards and are going to export the last one tomorrow after school. Because each clip is quite long, the exporting is taking longer than expected on the Voltaic software on the Apple Macs. I have also been trying to prepare a portfolio for a university interview which has been taking up a lot of my time so I haven't had time to stay after school and export.
I will be staying tomorrow after school and exporting the last of the footage onto the Macs in order to be ready to edit and have a rough cut finished by the first week back to school.
I will be staying tomorrow after school and exporting the last of the footage onto the Macs in order to be ready to edit and have a rough cut finished by the first week back to school.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Focus Group Results
Today I conducted my small focus group in the common room at school. I gathered three people who all have completely different tastes in music to one another. Person A is a heavy-metal fan, person B is a hip-hop fan and person C is a pop/dance fan.
I began by explaining to the group that I am doing target audience research in terms of representation of class in the following video.
This is the official video to Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa which was released in 2010.
The mix between narrative and performance really engaged me with the video. I feel that Unorthodox and Black and Yellow are both very similar in terms of content in the video and how the director has considered the narrative and performance side of the video.
I showed all three of the participants this video the whole way through and then asked them to share their thoughts on it. Their feedback was very interesting and varied a lot. Despite person A liking heavy-metal, he said that he thought the video was very engaging and he felt like he wanted to watch more. I was surprised by this as I know people that despise hip-hop and therefore would not even want to watch this video the whole way through. Person B said they had already seen this video and thought that the performance side of the video is inspiring as Wiz makes the video fun and energetic and that is what hip-hop should be like. Lastly, person C really likes the song but the video didn't really grab her attention and she found it a little boring at times. This goes to show how fans of different genres do not necessarily dislike other genres or cant sit through a music video of a different genre to what they listen to. This is important to consider when editing our footage as we need to make sure we are mainly targeting the hip-hop audience, while at the same time, targeting a wider audience if possible.
Now I got the three participants to consider representation of class and status in the Black and Yellow video. This was interesting and I received again, a mixed variety of results. An interesting point made by person B was that almost every hip-hop/rap video he has seen always includes shots of the artist showing off their money or jewellery. This is a great point and I believe this is true. Being a true hip-hop/rap fan, I also recognise certain typical aspects of hip-hop/rap music videos that occur frequently such as cars, money, girls and bling. Black and Yellow is a prime example of this as there are constant references to cars and jewellery in not only the shots in the music video, but also the lyrics.
Then the three participants began talking about the representation of class and status in the video. Person B clearly knew a lot more about the background of the artist and the stereotypes associated with hip-hop as he is a hip-hop fan. Therefore he made contributions that directed towards connotations of the jewellery and car shown in the video and linked it with the transformation from a low class and status that the artist may have had in the past before he made it to be an established artist. However, person A and person C made followed stereotypes due to their lack of knowledge on the artist. Person A said he is aware of the fact that the majority of hip-hop/rap artists have come from a violent/criminal background etc. This is somewhat true but is not the case for artists such as Example and Wretch 32. Person C made a good suggestion when she said that this artist is obviously proud of what he has achieved and therefore boasts about it in his videos which may be part of the hip-hop/rap culture to demonstrate their power in the industry. It is important for James and I to consider different editing techniques in order to symbolise certain aspects of the video. For example, when I am rapping my verse, the editing should be done so I am clearly the main focus and my character profile is clearly portrayed during my air-time.
To conclude, I feel the focus group gave me a much greater understanding of what people think about hip-hop/rap and how James and I are going to have to edit effectively in order to reach our audience, if not a wider audience.
I began by explaining to the group that I am doing target audience research in terms of representation of class in the following video.
This is the official video to Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa which was released in 2010.
The mix between narrative and performance really engaged me with the video. I feel that Unorthodox and Black and Yellow are both very similar in terms of content in the video and how the director has considered the narrative and performance side of the video.
I showed all three of the participants this video the whole way through and then asked them to share their thoughts on it. Their feedback was very interesting and varied a lot. Despite person A liking heavy-metal, he said that he thought the video was very engaging and he felt like he wanted to watch more. I was surprised by this as I know people that despise hip-hop and therefore would not even want to watch this video the whole way through. Person B said they had already seen this video and thought that the performance side of the video is inspiring as Wiz makes the video fun and energetic and that is what hip-hop should be like. Lastly, person C really likes the song but the video didn't really grab her attention and she found it a little boring at times. This goes to show how fans of different genres do not necessarily dislike other genres or cant sit through a music video of a different genre to what they listen to. This is important to consider when editing our footage as we need to make sure we are mainly targeting the hip-hop audience, while at the same time, targeting a wider audience if possible.
Now I got the three participants to consider representation of class and status in the Black and Yellow video. This was interesting and I received again, a mixed variety of results. An interesting point made by person B was that almost every hip-hop/rap video he has seen always includes shots of the artist showing off their money or jewellery. This is a great point and I believe this is true. Being a true hip-hop/rap fan, I also recognise certain typical aspects of hip-hop/rap music videos that occur frequently such as cars, money, girls and bling. Black and Yellow is a prime example of this as there are constant references to cars and jewellery in not only the shots in the music video, but also the lyrics.
Then the three participants began talking about the representation of class and status in the video. Person B clearly knew a lot more about the background of the artist and the stereotypes associated with hip-hop as he is a hip-hop fan. Therefore he made contributions that directed towards connotations of the jewellery and car shown in the video and linked it with the transformation from a low class and status that the artist may have had in the past before he made it to be an established artist. However, person A and person C made followed stereotypes due to their lack of knowledge on the artist. Person A said he is aware of the fact that the majority of hip-hop/rap artists have come from a violent/criminal background etc. This is somewhat true but is not the case for artists such as Example and Wretch 32. Person C made a good suggestion when she said that this artist is obviously proud of what he has achieved and therefore boasts about it in his videos which may be part of the hip-hop/rap culture to demonstrate their power in the industry. It is important for James and I to consider different editing techniques in order to symbolise certain aspects of the video. For example, when I am rapping my verse, the editing should be done so I am clearly the main focus and my character profile is clearly portrayed during my air-time.
To conclude, I feel the focus group gave me a much greater understanding of what people think about hip-hop/rap and how James and I are going to have to edit effectively in order to reach our audience, if not a wider audience.
Meeting Audience Needs In Editing
Before we begin editing our footage we shot last weekend, it is important for us to consider audience needs. This means that when we are editing, we need to know what the audience will connect with or appreciate from the video. Unorthodox follows the genre of Hip-Hop/Rap very closely; through the lyrics and through the mise-en-scene used in the video.
Due to the fact the song is very catchy and up-beat, it is important to maintain that tempo during the editing process so the audience don't get bored with watching our video. The video also has to have reference to the song lyrics and this is something James and I had to consider when shooting in London. We needed to capture scenes that would reflect the song lyrics and mood.
The song name 'Unorthodox' says it all. We planned to have fun with the performance side of the video, therefore not following a strict structure as to what Nick and I would be doing in each shot. A lot of the footage is of Nick and I messing around in various locations performing the song. We wanted to make ourselves stand out from the crowd to symbolise the song title.
This is what our target audience wants to see.
After reading essays and researching into Hip-Hop audiences it is clear that the Hip-Hop/Rap audience has widened in the last ten years. Ideally, people assume 'rappers' to be black males from deprived urban areas in the USA. This is a stereotype that is most definitely not the case anymore. We see artists such as Professor Green, Example, Devlin and Eminem being up in the spotlight weekly. These are not deprived black males from an urban area in the United States of America. These are artists who have talent and are passionate about music.
Personally, I think people naturally assume that anyone who listens to Hip-Hop/Rap is black and this is 100% not the case as I will prove in my focus group tomorrow.
I will conduct a focus group tomorrow during school with 3 people in the common room at school. I will show them the official video to Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa because it shares the same genre as Unorthodox. Then I will draw conclusions from what they think. I am going to question them on the representation of class/status in Black and Yellow. This will allow James and I to have this information at the ready before we begin editing our footage and therefore having a better understanding of our target audience for Unorthodox.
Due to the fact the song is very catchy and up-beat, it is important to maintain that tempo during the editing process so the audience don't get bored with watching our video. The video also has to have reference to the song lyrics and this is something James and I had to consider when shooting in London. We needed to capture scenes that would reflect the song lyrics and mood.
The song name 'Unorthodox' says it all. We planned to have fun with the performance side of the video, therefore not following a strict structure as to what Nick and I would be doing in each shot. A lot of the footage is of Nick and I messing around in various locations performing the song. We wanted to make ourselves stand out from the crowd to symbolise the song title.
This is what our target audience wants to see.
After reading essays and researching into Hip-Hop audiences it is clear that the Hip-Hop/Rap audience has widened in the last ten years. Ideally, people assume 'rappers' to be black males from deprived urban areas in the USA. This is a stereotype that is most definitely not the case anymore. We see artists such as Professor Green, Example, Devlin and Eminem being up in the spotlight weekly. These are not deprived black males from an urban area in the United States of America. These are artists who have talent and are passionate about music.
Personally, I think people naturally assume that anyone who listens to Hip-Hop/Rap is black and this is 100% not the case as I will prove in my focus group tomorrow.
I will conduct a focus group tomorrow during school with 3 people in the common room at school. I will show them the official video to Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa because it shares the same genre as Unorthodox. Then I will draw conclusions from what they think. I am going to question them on the representation of class/status in Black and Yellow. This will allow James and I to have this information at the ready before we begin editing our footage and therefore having a better understanding of our target audience for Unorthodox.
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Studio Shoot Was Successful
We have just finished filming in my mums studio for the performance side of the music video. We mainly focused on getting shots of Nick and I messing around and dancing to the music. I feel getting footage of this will satisfy our target audience well as the song is based around an unorthodox/happy mood and this is clearly conveyed in the footage we just shot.
Here are some images from todays studio shoot.
Here are some images from todays studio shoot.
Todays Studio Shoot
Today James and I are going to be filming some performance footage from my mums studio at home. James and Nick are due to arrive at my house for 4pm and then we will begin setting up the studio so it looks like a recording studio.
We will be using Nick's studio microphone with my microphone stand and cable. This will be in the centre of the room/frame and we will then shoot footage of Nick and I each performing our verses individually and then together for one chorus.
This footage will be used in the video but not all of it. Some of it may be used to fill in for footage that we were not pleased with.
We will be using Nick's studio microphone with my microphone stand and cable. This will be in the centre of the room/frame and we will then shoot footage of Nick and I each performing our verses individually and then together for one chorus.
This footage will be used in the video but not all of it. Some of it may be used to fill in for footage that we were not pleased with.
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Tomorrows Performance Shoot In The Studio
Tomorrow Nick and James are coming round my house at 3pm to film some more performance in my mums photography studio. This will consist of Nick and I performing and messing around using a microphone and headphones to connote a studio-type environment. This will involve lip-syncing and then we will have footage of Nick and I dancing and having fun to use as backup footage just to fill in if any of the footage doesn't look as aesthetically pleasing as we want it too.
Once this is done, we will be ready to export the footage from the SD cards onto the Apple Macs at school and begin editing.
Once this is done, we will be ready to export the footage from the SD cards onto the Apple Macs at school and begin editing.
Todays Shoot
Today we went to London to film our music video. We got the 8:10am train and arrived at London Liverpool Street at 9:13am. We then immediately began shooting our performance material outside the station on a step which gave a great view of the Gherkin building and surrounding buildings in the background.
We then went to to the multi-story car park we had found on Google maps in Hanover Street which is near Liverpool Street. However, on arrival we did not feel satisfied with the view from the top of the car park as it wasn't revealing any interesting landscape from where we were able to get too. All was okay though as I knew there was a block of flats in Barbican where my friend lives that we may be able to access the roof from. We then got onto the Tube and went to Barbican and to the block of flats. Unfortunately, the key needed for rooftop access was held by the caretaker who was nowhere to be found. This meant we had to improvise and use what we had. We filmed from the balcony between the flats with a lot of high-rise buildings in the back which created a great shot for the performance.
We then decided that we would also use a set on stairs across the road which went up at least 5 stories whereby we used the top of the stairs to film the whole song through twice again. This was also a great location and despite James' fear of heights, he managed to film Nick and I perfectly without any faults in this location.
We then decided to break for lunch at MacDonalds and then go around London and film lots of the performance and have fun with the locations to create the happy mood we want our audience to feel when watching the video. This footage included shots of Nick and I messing around in the street and pushing each other around and just having fun. This seemed to work really nicely and will look great once edited.
Then we went to Covent Garden where I took charge of the camera and managed to get lots of photos of street entertainers to put into the video. I then managed to persuade 5 out of the 6 street entertainers to feature in the video which was great! Unfortunately, one street entertainer was not willing to help as he said that a donation of £5 was not enough so we left it at that. Along with this, I got some footage walking through the huge crowds at Covent Garden to link in with the street entertainers unorthodox looks. This will tie in nicely once edited.
Overall I feel it was an extremely successful day and we got everything we had planned for on the shot-list and storyboard done way before it even started to get dark which was brilliant. We encountered no problems during the day and therefore everything went to plan.
We then went to to the multi-story car park we had found on Google maps in Hanover Street which is near Liverpool Street. However, on arrival we did not feel satisfied with the view from the top of the car park as it wasn't revealing any interesting landscape from where we were able to get too. All was okay though as I knew there was a block of flats in Barbican where my friend lives that we may be able to access the roof from. We then got onto the Tube and went to Barbican and to the block of flats. Unfortunately, the key needed for rooftop access was held by the caretaker who was nowhere to be found. This meant we had to improvise and use what we had. We filmed from the balcony between the flats with a lot of high-rise buildings in the back which created a great shot for the performance.
We then decided that we would also use a set on stairs across the road which went up at least 5 stories whereby we used the top of the stairs to film the whole song through twice again. This was also a great location and despite James' fear of heights, he managed to film Nick and I perfectly without any faults in this location.
Then we went to Covent Garden where I took charge of the camera and managed to get lots of photos of street entertainers to put into the video. I then managed to persuade 5 out of the 6 street entertainers to feature in the video which was great! Unfortunately, one street entertainer was not willing to help as he said that a donation of £5 was not enough so we left it at that. Along with this, I got some footage walking through the huge crowds at Covent Garden to link in with the street entertainers unorthodox looks. This will tie in nicely once edited.
Overall I feel it was an extremely successful day and we got everything we had planned for on the shot-list and storyboard done way before it even started to get dark which was brilliant. We encountered no problems during the day and therefore everything went to plan.
Friday, 2 December 2011
TAF Weather Forecast For Tomorrow
I went onto the TAF website today using my dads login. All the weather is in TAF code meaning I had absolutely no idea what it was saying. Therefore my dad translated the code for me and I now have an accurate forecast for tomorrows weather. The forecast shown gives the accurate forecast from 5pm today to midnight Saturday night which covers the time we are filming well.
The code translates into this;
-Wind during early morning, 10 Knots
- Clouds scattered throughout the day
- Between 6am-9am wind increasing to 13 Knots
- 40% chance wind will increase to 16 Knots with 26 Knot gusts between 10am-7pm
Lip-Syncing Test
Yesterday, I got Nick round my house and we filmed ourselves singing to the song. We then uploaded it to iMovie and edited out the sound and overlapped it with the actual song mp3 from iTunes.
I then had to play around with the footage as the song came in at the wrong time in the video so I moved it around and eventually got it to fit.
Here are both lip-syncing test videos.
I was very happy with how the lip-syncing test went. Both Nick and I managed to sing/rap along perfectly to the song, therefore creating the lip-sync effect.
This means both Nick and I are completely ready to be a part of the film and we both know the lyrics as well which obviously helps.
I then had to play around with the footage as the song came in at the wrong time in the video so I moved it around and eventually got it to fit.
Here are both lip-syncing test videos.
I was very happy with how the lip-syncing test went. Both Nick and I managed to sing/rap along perfectly to the song, therefore creating the lip-sync effect.
This means both Nick and I are completely ready to be a part of the film and we both know the lyrics as well which obviously helps.
Camera Situation
Unfortunately, we have encountered a contraint which is that the camera battery is going to run out if we do not plan our time wisely.
We will take the other camera as a backup incase the Sony camera does run out of battery but we will make sure we conserve the battery as much as possible in-between shooting. We can do this by taking the charger and charging the camera in a Starbucks or an Internet Cafe.
We will take the other camera as a backup incase the Sony camera does run out of battery but we will make sure we conserve the battery as much as possible in-between shooting. We can do this by taking the charger and charging the camera in a Starbucks or an Internet Cafe.
SD Cards
We have decided to take 2 4GB SD cards tomorrow along with a 2GB card as a backup. Fortunately I found one at home and James found a 4GB one and a 2GB one.
Therefore we are all set to film.
Therefore we are all set to film.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Kickstarts by Example Inspiration
The video to Kickstarts by Example is a perfect example of how James and I wish to edit our video. This whole video is made up of letterbox editing but for ours we will probably only use letterboxing for the mix between performance and narrative during the chorus.
Here is a screenshot from the video of the mix between narrative and performance.
Here is a screenshot from the video of the mix between narrative and performance.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Tomorrows Lip Syncing Test
Tomorrow, I am meeting Nick (the singer) tomorrow evening to do a lip-syncing test in advance of Saturday. This will involve setting up a camera in my mums studio and filming Nick and I lip-sync to the song. Then I will edit this on iMovie on my Mac and upload it to the blog.
I am sure that lip-syncing will not be a problem as both Nick and I have performed live in the past and had some experience in this field. We also both know the song very well meaning we will not have problems remembering the words etc.
I am sure that lip-syncing will not be a problem as both Nick and I have performed live in the past and had some experience in this field. We also both know the song very well meaning we will not have problems remembering the words etc.
Covent Garden For The Narrative On Saturday
As a result of not being able to get a girl to act with Toby, we have decided that we are going to take a different approach to the narrative footage on Saturday.
I thought about what the actual story behind the song could be and had no success in finding an idea. Therefore we are now going to use the street artists/entertainers in Covent Garden to feature in our film.
Here is some images of two street entertainers in Covent Garden. I went there a couple of weeks ago with my family and I counted a minimum of 6 street entertainers there on a Saturday so now it is nearer to Christmas, I am expecting more.
I recall that the entertainers were friendly and diverse and this means that they may be more than happy to feature briefly in the video free of charge and if not, we will donate some money to them.
Our aim is to film the entertainers walking along with people around them so they stand out and therefore connote the song title 'Unorthodox'. I feel this will work well and will look great in the video for the narrative side of the video.
I thought about what the actual story behind the song could be and had no success in finding an idea. Therefore we are now going to use the street artists/entertainers in Covent Garden to feature in our film.
Here is some images of two street entertainers in Covent Garden. I went there a couple of weeks ago with my family and I counted a minimum of 6 street entertainers there on a Saturday so now it is nearer to Christmas, I am expecting more.
I recall that the entertainers were friendly and diverse and this means that they may be more than happy to feature briefly in the video free of charge and if not, we will donate some money to them.
Our aim is to film the entertainers walking along with people around them so they stand out and therefore connote the song title 'Unorthodox'. I feel this will work well and will look great in the video for the narrative side of the video.
BBC Weather Update
So far, the weather forecasts James and I have looked at are showing chances of rain on Saturday. This is a problem; however, we have agreed that we will still shoot the music video as London will still be packed and a great location. We will just have to improvise depending on how bad the weather is on the day but I will check TAF on Friday to get the most accurate forecast.
I thought I would check the BBC Weather for Saturday to see what their predictions are. Here it is.
I thought I would check the BBC Weather for Saturday to see what their predictions are. Here it is.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Equipment List For Saturday
There is quite a lot of equipment that James and I are planning on taking to London with us on Saturday.
Here is a list of everything we need to take...
- Two Sony HD Cameras
- 1 Dolly
- 2 Tripods
- My Costumes
- Umbrellas (incase of rain, we will have to improvise but all looks good, weather-wise)
- 4 4GB SD Cards
Here is a list of everything we need to take...
- Two Sony HD Cameras
- 1 Dolly
- 2 Tripods
- My Costumes
- Umbrellas (incase of rain, we will have to improvise but all looks good, weather-wise)
- 4 4GB SD Cards
Actor And Actress For Saturday
After deciding we wanted to film the narrative on Saturday in London, I spoke to my friend Toby Quainton who agreed to come along and be our male actor. I specifically asked quite quirky people who would fit the title of the song perfectly.
Here is a picture of Toby.
I did also ask my friend Leanne Croshaw if she would also be part of the narrative for our video and she said she would happily come along and feature in the video. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware her parents had made other arrangements and therefore can not come anymore.
This means we are currently looking for a quirky girl who can come along Saturday.
Here is a picture of Toby.
I did also ask my friend Leanne Croshaw if she would also be part of the narrative for our video and she said she would happily come along and feature in the video. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware her parents had made other arrangements and therefore can not come anymore.
This means we are currently looking for a quirky girl who can come along Saturday.
Performance & Narrative For Saturday
When we go to London on Saturday, we are going to be taking an actor and an actress who are 'unorthodox'- looking and who are going to stand out from a crowd.
We have a few people in mind but we will confirm the two people we are taking within the next few days.
We are going to film the performance and the narrative all in London and are going to use the city to our advantage and create a short narrative which will feature during the chorus of these two characters doing unorthodox things and going against the ordinary.
Then on Sunday we will film the performance footage from my mums studio.
We have a few people in mind but we will confirm the two people we are taking within the next few days.
We are going to film the performance and the narrative all in London and are going to use the city to our advantage and create a short narrative which will feature during the chorus of these two characters doing unorthodox things and going against the ordinary.
Then on Sunday we will film the performance footage from my mums studio.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Studio Footage
As well as filming in London, James and I are going to be filming Nick and I in my mums photography studio at our house. This will be done using a white backdrop with my microphone, microphone stand, pop shield and headphones and myself and Nick taking it in turns to lip-sync as if we are in a recording studio environment.
An alternative to this was going to be using the local youth centre recording studio; however, it is a fairly old building and would not look great on camera.
Here is a picture I took of the recording studio at the youth centre.
This location is not what we are looking for, therefore we are going to use the studio that my mum has.
We will film in my mums studio the day after London or maybe on the day but we will be very tired and therefore won't look great on camera. As a result filming on the Sunday would be better as we can put on fresh clothes and I think it will all be a lot more aesthetically pleasing.
An alternative to this was going to be using the local youth centre recording studio; however, it is a fairly old building and would not look great on camera.
Here is a picture I took of the recording studio at the youth centre.
This location is not what we are looking for, therefore we are going to use the studio that my mum has.
We will film in my mums studio the day after London or maybe on the day but we will be very tired and therefore won't look great on camera. As a result filming on the Sunday would be better as we can put on fresh clothes and I think it will all be a lot more aesthetically pleasing.
Train Times
It is important for James and I to think about which train to catch to London. As it is now Winter and it gets dark at around 3:30pm/4pm now, we must catch an early train to allow us plenty of time to commute and get all the footage we need in the locations we decide on.
We have decided to catch the 8:10am train to London Liverpool Street which arrives at 9:13 which gives us roughly 6 hours to get everything filmed we need.
Obviously the footage we want some performance footage in my mums photography studio so we will probably film this on a separate day depending on whether we have time when we get back from London. If not then we will most definitely film this footage the following day.
Here is the train timetable for Saturday 3rd December from the National Rail website.
We have decided to catch the 8:10am train to London Liverpool Street which arrives at 9:13 which gives us roughly 6 hours to get everything filmed we need.
Obviously the footage we want some performance footage in my mums photography studio so we will probably film this on a separate day depending on whether we have time when we get back from London. If not then we will most definitely film this footage the following day.
Here is the train timetable for Saturday 3rd December from the National Rail website.
Schedule For Saturdays Shoot In London
James and I are travelling to London on Saturday morning along with Nick (singer) to film our music video. We are aiming to film the performance and narrative for our video from the time we arrive to the time we leave to go home.
Here is a reasonably accurate schedule for Saturday. I have taken into account that London will be packed with people on this particular day due to it being so close to Christmas. However, this is exactly what we want as it makes shots look more interesting and makes us stand out more if we aren't following crowds.
8am- I drive to James' and Nick's house and drive to Audley End Station.
8:10am- Catch the train to London Liverpool Street
9:13am- Arrive at Liverpool Street and catch the London Underground to Oxford Street
9:45am- Film Narrative in Oxford Street and around that area
11:45am- Film Performance shots
1:45pm- Lunch & check footage and see if we need to film anything again or anything more/get some extra footage
3:45pm- Try and persuade the train driver to allow us to film from the cabin for title footage/ head home
Here is a reasonably accurate schedule for Saturday. I have taken into account that London will be packed with people on this particular day due to it being so close to Christmas. However, this is exactly what we want as it makes shots look more interesting and makes us stand out more if we aren't following crowds.
8am- I drive to James' and Nick's house and drive to Audley End Station.
8:10am- Catch the train to London Liverpool Street
9:13am- Arrive at Liverpool Street and catch the London Underground to Oxford Street
9:45am- Film Narrative in Oxford Street and around that area
11:45am- Film Performance shots
1:45pm- Lunch & check footage and see if we need to film anything again or anything more/get some extra footage
3:45pm- Try and persuade the train driver to allow us to film from the cabin for title footage/ head home
Narrative Codes in Music Videos
I will be looking at Barthes Codes in music videos that I have chosen as part of my research. This theory covers five key elements which are; Enigma, Action, Symbolic and Cultural. Enigma and action are the first two codes that allows suspense to be created in the narrative side of the music videos. The first way in which it does this is by creating unanswered questions and the second is by anticipation of an action resolution.
Enigma Code
The enigma code is the code which occurs in the narrative of a text. It essentially means that there is something in the text that has no answer as to why it is in the text or why something happens. For example in 'Whats My Name' by Rihanna and Drake, a man with dread locks holding drum sticks gets air-time for a few seconds at at time throughout the video. There is no answer and his presence is not made clear by the end of the video, therefore this is the enigma code in this particular video.
Action Code
The action code is where the plot events imply further action. In other words, the audience is drawn into a sequence of action and want to know the resolution but the added action draws them away from the curiosity of knowing the resolution and they are drawn into the action in return. Here is an example from the song 'Badman' by Roll Deep. In this music video, we see a group of youths arguing and the action intensifies and one character shows the opposing 'gang' a gun in his waist band. This immediately draws the audience into the action and they no longer want to know the resolution of the arguing between the two gangs.
We then see another example of action code whereby the action then escalates and the suspense from the audience's perspective increases. The boy with the gun then pulls it out and shoots and accidentally hits a young school boy who was on the other side of the road. This is the point where the audience will be shocked and they will no longer be interested in the gun that was shown earlier but now the after-affect of the shooting.
Semic Code
The semic code is essentially where a text shows a sign which describes a character, event or setting in terms of cultural stereotypes. In 'Jungle' by Professor Green and Maverick Sabre, we see a lot of shots that show youth hanging around on street corners. The audience immediately jumps to stereotypes and associates youth in hoodies with trouble. In terms of what we see in this particular shot, the boys are not doing anything wrong but naturally the audience will feel intimidated.
Symbolic Code
The symbolic code in a text is essentially where an object or sign is given to symbolise or connote something. For example, a gun symbolises power, violence etc.
Here is an example of how symbolic code is used in 'A Milli' by Lil Wayne. Here we see Lil Wayne's security guard outside his RV stopping a fan from getting in. This symbolises how famous Lil Wayne is and the power/authority he has.
Cultural Code
The cultural code in a text is a reference to religion or scientific material. For example, if a music video has shots from the 1900's then that is an example of cultural code in that video.
This is an example of cultural code, specifically a reference to a historic event, which is the Vietnam war.
This song is by the rap group, Jedi Mind Tricks and the song is called 'Uncommon Valor'. The whole music video is referencing the Vietnam war with comic book-type images. The lyrics to the song constantly reference the war as well.
Weather Update
As I mentioned, my dad uses TAF to get the weather forcast before he goes flying. I spoke to him last night and TAF only shows the weather accuratly a couple of days in advance.
Therefore, I will go onto TAF on Thursday night and check the weather for Saturday.
Therefore, I will go onto TAF on Thursday night and check the weather for Saturday.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Storyboard
This is a storyboard James and I have created for filming in London. We decided that we would draw up a rough plan of what shots we need to get and locations etc. This mean't that on the day of filming, we know exactly what we are doing and where.
We aim to film everything included on the storyboard and then have some time to go around London and film more footage and film Nick and I messing around to add to the whole 'fun' theme we are trying to portray to meet our audience needs.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Weather For The Shoot
Taking the weather into account is important for James and I. Due to the fact it is a week until we go and shoot our video, checking the weather now would not be effective as it may change within the next week.
However, my dad is a pilot and he is a member of a website called TAF which gives incredibly accurate weather forcasts. I will go on the website early next week and find out the weather in London for Saturday 3rd December which is the day we go to London and film.
However, my dad is a pilot and he is a member of a website called TAF which gives incredibly accurate weather forcasts. I will go on the website early next week and find out the weather in London for Saturday 3rd December which is the day we go to London and film.
Eminem - Not Afraid Rooftop Inspiration
I am a big fan of Eminem and his song 'Not Afraid' has a very similar rooftop shot to the one I aim to achieve in London. In this video we see Eminem standing on the ledge of a high-rise building in New York at 0.21 seconds. He faces away from the camera but it is the location and surrounding environment that inspired me.
I aim to get a similar background in the rooftop shot I get but obviously I am not going to be standing on the ledge or on such a high building as that of the one in the Eminem video. I will be shooting from the top of Hanover mulit-story carpark but I will be able to get some tall buildings and landmarks in the background.
Here is the Eminem video.
I aim to get a similar background in the rooftop shot I get but obviously I am not going to be standing on the ledge or on such a high building as that of the one in the Eminem video. I will be shooting from the top of Hanover mulit-story carpark but I will be able to get some tall buildings and landmarks in the background.
Here is the Eminem video.
Rizzle Kicks - When I Was A Youngster Inspiration
After the song change, I decided that using Rizzle Kicks' song 'When I was a youngster' as inspiration would be appropriate. This is because the majority of the video is all based around the two artists at various locations having fun. The video is performance based, therefore there is a variety of shots used as the artists lip-sync that portray the happy theme of music they produce. Similarly, this is what our song 'Unorthodox' is like.
Here is the Rizzle Kicks video.
At 0.39 seconds into the video, the two artists are center frame in the park and they are messing around and dancing whilst lip-syncing. I will use this shot as inspiration for my video and will film in the street with myself and the singer messing around while lip-syncing.
There are specific shots in this video which really grabbed mine and James' attention and inspired us to use similar shots. For example, in this shot the artists are seen jumping around in a kids park. This is amusing for the audience to watch and it also puts a smile on the viewers face as it is silly and connotes a theme of happiness.
As well as the actions shown by the artist, the mise-en-scene in the video was simple yet effective, particularly the backdrops.
This shot shows both artists standing in a doorway. A simple backdrop yet effective. The door symbolises a house and therefore both artists standing in the doorway could signify they used to play together at each others houses "when I was a youngster". The hats they are wearing symbolise what they wanted to be when they were older. Although our video does not follow the same idea as this video, we aim to use ideas such as the simple backdrops for performance shots in our video.
Here is the Rizzle Kicks video.
There are specific shots in this video which really grabbed mine and James' attention and inspired us to use similar shots. For example, in this shot the artists are seen jumping around in a kids park. This is amusing for the audience to watch and it also puts a smile on the viewers face as it is silly and connotes a theme of happiness.
As well as the actions shown by the artist, the mise-en-scene in the video was simple yet effective, particularly the backdrops.
This shot shows both artists standing in a doorway. A simple backdrop yet effective. The door symbolises a house and therefore both artists standing in the doorway could signify they used to play together at each others houses "when I was a youngster". The hats they are wearing symbolise what they wanted to be when they were older. Although our video does not follow the same idea as this video, we aim to use ideas such as the simple backdrops for performance shots in our video.
Rooftop Progression
As a result of Health and Safety regulations, we have been unable to secure rooftop access. Therefore we are going to use the top of this multi story car-park. This car park is in Hanover Street near Liverpool Street station and I know how to navigate to it from the station.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Shot List For Unorthodox
Due to the song change, I decided to change the shot list a little bit as some of the shots were specific to the old song.
Shot List
Narrative
-Shot out of train drivers cabin of train coming out of a dark tunnel/going into it
-Shot of central London in the day, shots of high rise buildings, panning
-Tracking shots of groups of people walking/buildings surrounding
-Aerial shot of both myself and Nick messing around
-Shot of public giving me high fives around the street
-Shots of people shopping and having a good time
-Shots of me buying expensive clothes, close up on money
-Shot of Nick and I doing dance moves simultaneously
Performance
-Close ups of me rapping
-Medium/Long Shots of Nick singing with me by his side
-Both Nick and I on a rooftop or raised area singing/rapping
-Shots of Nick and I in a recording studio
-Shot of me rapping on the tube
-Shot of Nick rapping in the middle of a group of people
-Shot from London Eye of Nick and I rapping/singing
Shot List
Narrative
-Shot out of train drivers cabin of train coming out of a dark tunnel/going into it
-Shot of central London in the day, shots of high rise buildings, panning
-Tracking shots of groups of people walking/buildings surrounding
-Aerial shot of both myself and Nick messing around
-Shot of public giving me high fives around the street
-Shots of people shopping and having a good time
-Shots of me buying expensive clothes, close up on money
-Shot of Nick and I doing dance moves simultaneously
Performance
-Close ups of me rapping
-Medium/Long Shots of Nick singing with me by his side
-Both Nick and I on a rooftop or raised area singing/rapping
-Shots of Nick and I in a recording studio
-Shot of me rapping on the tube
-Shot of Nick rapping in the middle of a group of people
-Shot from London Eye of Nick and I rapping/singing
Levels Entertainment Never Replied
Unfortunately, Levels Entertainment never replied to my email requesting copyright permission for Unorthodox. Obviously this was quite some time ago before we decided to change the song once and then back again.
This means that James and I are going to have to go ahead and use the song anyway as we need to start filming in a couple of weekends time.
Next lesson we aim to begin our storyboarding for the shoot so that we can take it on the day and use the ideas so we do not waste time trying to work out what we are doing.
This means that James and I are going to have to go ahead and use the song anyway as we need to start filming in a couple of weekends time.
Next lesson we aim to begin our storyboarding for the shoot so that we can take it on the day and use the ideas so we do not waste time trying to work out what we are doing.
Nick Stott Taking the Role Of Example
I am going to use my neighbour and good friend Nick Stott in the video. He will be singing the part of Example which is the chorus. He has a great experience with performing live and jumped on the opportunity to feature in our video. He is a confident lad who has the right sort of image for the video and nows how important this is to me as he also wanted to study Media at University and went on and did exactly that.
Here is Nick Stott performing at a gig in Sunderland.
Here is Nick Stott performing at a gig in Sunderland.
Unorthodox Song Lyrics
These are the lyrics to Unorthodox. They are simple and I already know the lines I am required to rap in the song already so lip syncing should not be a problem. We are going to use my neighbour who is a singer for the chorus and singing parts.
[Wretch 32 - Verse 1]
Yea, I got a good heart
I was born on beat that’s a good start
I had a feeling I pushed past
And now I feel like I’m the reason I should last
And I move like my shit don’t sink
But I’m all in a trance no hit no assist
This is all from the heart intro no script
I’m just about writing it down
So now I don’t sleep man I miss those nights
I take planes like trains I don’t miss no flights
I’m the type of guy that will have no life
Just so I can shine like this gold life
And that sounds sad but I’m happy
And the only plans to stay scatty
Yea unorthodox, I made the bar so I call the shots
Yea, I got a good heart
I was born on beat that’s a good start
I had a feeling I pushed past
And now I feel like I’m the reason I should last
And I move like my shit don’t sink
But I’m all in a trance no hit no assist
This is all from the heart intro no script
I’m just about writing it down
So now I don’t sleep man I miss those nights
I take planes like trains I don’t miss no flights
I’m the type of guy that will have no life
Just so I can shine like this gold life
And that sounds sad but I’m happy
And the only plans to stay scatty
Yea unorthodox, I made the bar so I call the shots
[Chorus - Example]
We don’t follow no crowd, they follow us
Don’t follow no sound it follows us
Go sit in hell, look down that wishing well
We don’t follow no crowd, they follow us
Don’t follow no sound it follows us
Go sit in hell, look down that wishing well
Unorthodox, we call our own shots
[Wretch 32 - Verse 2]Yea I got a good vibe
I ain’t trynna be bait with my hook lines
I had a feeling I could fly
Before I hopped on a plane or a new sky
Yea I’m a good guy
And if you heard otherwise it’s a true lie
I’m hype I don’t do shy
I bark up every tree and I do bite
Syke I’m only playing
We all got freedom of speech I’m only saying
I ain’t got time for beef I’m on the way in
So the 8th day of the weeks my own lay in
And that’s sounds said but I’m happy
But the only plans to stay scatty
Yea unorthodox, I made the bar so I take the shots
I ain’t trynna be bait with my hook lines
I had a feeling I could fly
Before I hopped on a plane or a new sky
Yea I’m a good guy
And if you heard otherwise it’s a true lie
I’m hype I don’t do shy
I bark up every tree and I do bite
Syke I’m only playing
We all got freedom of speech I’m only saying
I ain’t got time for beef I’m on the way in
So the 8th day of the weeks my own lay in
And that’s sounds said but I’m happy
But the only plans to stay scatty
Yea unorthodox, I made the bar so I take the shots
[Chorus]
We don’t follow no crowd, they follow us
Don’t follow no sound it follows us
Go sit in hell look down that wishing well
Unorthodox we call our own shots
We don’t follow no crowd, they follow us
Don’t follow no sound it follows us
Go sit in hell look down that wishing well
Unorthodox we call our own shots
No one can hold us down again
No one will touch our crown again
No one can hold us down again
No one will touch our crown again
No one will touch our crown again
No one can hold us down again
No one will touch our crown again
[Chorus x2]
We don’t follow no crowd, they follow us
Don’t follow no sound it follows us
Go sit in hell, look down that wishing well
Unorthodox, we call our own shots
We don’t follow no crowd, they follow us
Don’t follow no sound it follows us
Go sit in hell, look down that wishing well
Unorthodox, we call our own shots
Song Change - For The Last Time
After a lot of discussion about filming the video to the song 'Jungle' by Professor Green and Maverick Sabre, James and I decided we were both not happy with the plan we had in mind. We played around with a few ideas but realised creating a video to this song would be possible but would not benefit us as we do not feel the song is appropriate. It is a very dark and hard song and James and I agreed we are looking for something a lot more up-beat so we can show off our media skills to our full potential.
We are now going to go back on our old choice and use Wretch 32's and Examples song, 'Unorthodox'.
Here is the video for it.
We are now going to go back on our old choice and use Wretch 32's and Examples song, 'Unorthodox'.
Here is the video for it.
Not Afraid- Eminem
This video by Eminem is based around the story of how he gave up taking drugs and moved on. He expresses his feelings and anger towards his past and how he is happy to have moved on.
He says sorry to his fans for how he was. "And to the fans, i'll never let you down again, i'm back"
"Relax, I ain't goin' back to that now". This connotes the fact Eminem knows how his fans feel and how he isn't going back to how he was as it isn't what he or his fans want.
He says sorry to his fans for how he was. "And to the fans, i'll never let you down again, i'm back"
"Relax, I ain't goin' back to that now". This connotes the fact Eminem knows how his fans feel and how he isn't going back to how he was as it isn't what he or his fans want.
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