filming- date change

I should have started filming some of my music video by now, however my talent had to pull out at  the last minute so I had to change some of my plans. I've had to allow time for my new talent to learn the song.

50s- Final costume

I re-used an old dress and skirt to get the full skirt and blouse look for my music video. However when I took the first images to upload I wasn't happy with the outcome, something was missing so I added a neck tie and skin colour tights. This made it look a lot more fitting with the research I had done. Because the skirt and dress were separate garments and the waist band one of the most important aspects of the 50s fashion I used spare black material to cover the waist band of the skirt and make it look more like a dress.

Make-up

Hair style
At first I attempted a Marilyn monroe hairstyle however it really didn't turn out the way we had planned. Secondly we tried the victory roll hair style.

 

80s costume

This is my final outfit for the 80s era.
I had an image of what this outfit was going to look like in my mind and I'm glad I tested it all together before filming because its completely different to what I had imagined! I brought a black fishnet top to go with the skirt, but looking at my research there wasn't enough colour incorporated. I'm really happy with the hair we had to re-do it a few times as we tried originally used a thicker material and it didn't work very well it flattened the curls too much, so I used a scrap of thin black material taken from an old dress.

My sister (the talent) had the majority of the jewellery already, I brought the cross necklace in for the costume because religious jewellery was a massive fashion trend in the 80s.















I followed the classic make-up trend from the 80s that I found during my research. Heavy eye liner on both the top and bottom of the eye, gold eye shadow, gold tint on the black mascara and red lipstick. I think this will work well in my video as its such a contrast from the make-up from the 50s and 60s.

If I was change anything about this costume I would add big earrings because this was a big fashion trend in the 80s. Before filming I need to try and find some cross earrings like Madonna is wearing in the top image

costume 1980s

1980s

Clothing

Madonna was one of the biggest fashion icon of the 1980s. Her style was the most sought after and was definitely the most powerful influence on fashion at the time. Religious jewellery, fishnets, beaded jewellery and skin tight clothing were the all the rage.

Punk was a massive trend throughout the 80s with tartan being extremely popular alongside Doc Martins.

Hair and Make-up

Again pop icon Madonna was the main influence on both make-up and hair styles. The perm was a must have look alongside a bow messily tied at a slight angle on top of the head. Make-up was focused mainly on the bright red lipstick and heavy black eye liner. Gold or brown eye shadow was often worn to create a more edgy and rebellious look. I think this make-up is quite simple so will be easy to incorporate in my music video. The hair is some thing I will need to think about, my talent has quite short hair which is also very straight. I will need to curl it which means I need to think of the conditions while filming this particular part, as the curls will fall out quickly if its windy or damp.

costume 1960s

1960s

A 1960s fashion must have was the mini skirt, clothing length changed dramatically from the 1950's. Box dresses were extremely popular, with bold block colours or pattens and large buttons or a tie for decoration.

Style Icons
Twiggy became the worlds first super model during the 1960s at the age of sixteen. She later became a successful film, stage and television actress.

Hair
The talent that I will use to film in my music video has short hair so Twiggy's hair style is the style I need to try and recreate.

Make-up

Costume 1950s

1950s

Clothing
For my music video I have chosen to use the 50s fashion as a costume, I decided to use the 50's because I think its iconic and recognisable.

In the 1950's media was a massive influence on fashion. Films, television, magazines and a new Rock and Roll trend had taken over. The fashion at the time was seen as rebellious and edgy as the term teenager was new. Fashion was a way for teenagers to separate themselves from adults. The sudden burst of femininity during the 50s was also party to the end of world war two. Women during the war took on what were originally seen as male work roles in places such as factories, as the men were away fighting. Fashion was a way to re-instate femininity in a post war world.


Full dirndl skirts were worn with scoop neck blouses
Halter neck dresses were also popular, this look is extremely feminine which will think will work well with my song choice. I will have my talent wearing a dress with a full skirt or a full skirt with a blouse.

Style icons

Marilyn Monroe was the most influential woman in the media eye. A model, film star and fashion icon throughout the 50s.

Hair and make-up
Pink was the most popular choice for make-up in the 50s. Peach colours and pastel colours were used to create a perfect pale complexion. Lipstick either red or pink was bold and lip outlines were often extended to make a more feminine look. Eye make-up was minimal with mascara and an arch drawn on the top eye lid.

Hair with a lot of volume hair was a must have in the 50s. Victory curls were very popular pinning the fringe back with large curls at the side of the head. I think for my music video this style of hair will be the easiest to do so I will try to recreate this.

Research

Dani California- the Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Dani California is a performance video with a change in eras throughout. It starts in the 50s with the band dressed in iconic 50s clothing and the iconic Elvis hairstyle. This section is edited in black and white because this is how it would have been filmed and appeared on the TV. Choreographing is also used to represent the era for example the singer does the Elvis knees. An Iris is used as a transaction into the 60s. This is something I could try with a test video to see how it would look on my music video, I think an Iris would work well because its very in keeping with the era, each era in this music era has a different transaction that is suited and this is something I need to do too. This video is slightly different to the idea that I have because each era interprets one or more bands or singers that were popular at the time and I only want to use the style. Iconic clothing is used again in the 60s. The editing also changes into colour. It then cuts to later in the 60s and the lead singer is dressed as Jimi Hendrix. Hippie style clothing is worn through this section of the music video, however all this happens at only 36 seconds into the song, its very fast paced and I don't want to make the transitions in my video between eras so fast as I am only planning on portraying three eras. A star Iris is used as a transition into the 70s with the band dressed once again in iconic 70s clothing. A Kaleidoscope effect is used during this era this is something I could look into for the 60s part of my music video as it was a trend during the 60s and I won't be using the 70s in my music video. Cuts are used as a transition between the 70s and 80s to reveal the Punk era. Bands such as Guns and Roses and Linkin Park are portrayed through costume,mise-en-scene and editing. The background and camera shots are very simple for this music video with the editing and costume being the main focus points, I like this idea and I want my music video to be simple.

Research

Frank Hamilton- Summer

I chose to look at this music video because I really like some of the editing techniques and effects. One thing I really like the use of is the section filmed against a plain surface with footage projected onto both the wall and artist. I like this because its something I haven't really seen before and I just think it looks really artistic. I think it works well with the editing in this video because its edited with high saturation and the shadows really contrast eachother. This idea with the projector might also work well with my music video, if I was to use this I would need to find a projector that would have this effect.

Male gaze theory

The male gaze theory is the idea that the camera is a man that looks at and objectifies women. Camera shots are used to represent women in a sexual fantasy and from a heterosexual males point of view. Laura Mulvey believes that characters in film are meant to be viewed from the hetrosexual males point of view, and also focusing on how women view themselves. The most obvious camera shots used are pan ups from the legs upwards or cameras focusing and lingering on the curves of a females body
 An example of this is the film Transporters, actress Megan Fox is sexualised during a scene where her character opens a car bonnet, the camera shot lingers on the shape of her body and the scene becomes immediately sexualised as the shot is clearly from a males view point.

Recently singer Annie Lennox quoted...

"I have to say that im disturbed and dismayed by the recent state of overly sexualised performances and videos...You know the ones i'm talking about. It seems obvious that record companies are peddling highly styled pornography with musical accompaniment."

I both agree and disagree with this theory. I think that music videos have become oversexualised because sex sells and this is a very clever marketing technique. However I feel music is now judged solely on music videos, I think music has in a lot of ways has lost its meaning as a song with little meaning and a sexualised video often tops the charts. I feel strongly that music is now based on the celebrity themselves and society's obsession with fame. I do feel that music videos almost have to be sexualised to be acknowledged now as the music industry is extremely competitive. Its pushing the boundaries further and further every time a new music video is released, the next artist has to compete with the last increasing the sexualisation as time progresses. 

Miley Cyrus released her music video to the song "wrecking ball" recently, this music video both challenged this theory and encouraged it. The opening shot is Miley singing in a close up directly to camera, this portrays strength however shes wearing bright red lipstick which portrays sex and passion. The next camera shot reveals her masculine work boots followed by a high angle shot of her sexualising a hammer. Miley is shown in a full length shot with a wrecking ball destroying a wall in the background this gives her a sense of power and control however Mise en scene is controversial as shes wearing a white crop top and underwear. 

Marina and the Diamonds "How to be a heartbreaker" music video is my favourite music video. She is a strong feminist and challenged typical media conventions such as the male gaze theory in almost all of her music videos this is the reason why she is my favourite artist and I adore her music so much. This music video challenged the male gaze theory with a complete role reversal. 

In a typical music video women would be treated as an object for male appeal, Marina changes this and uses males instead. This makes her look very powerful. Mise en scene is used to challenge this also, she is wearing an outfit where she looks visually appealing but its not extremely revealing especially in contrast with the males in the background, the colour of her outfit is also black which is a masculine colour. Typical music videos would portray women as controlled and weak, a camera shot showing Marina checking her phone while receiving male attention shows her as in control and reverses this as the male looks needy and weak instead.

Looking at the ideas based around the male gaze theory and videos that both encourage and challenge it has given me a cleared idea on what I would like to include in my music video. I want to challenge the theory and create a sense of power with my talent. I will use high angle shots, mise en scene and direct mode of address to do this. 

Possible Locations

I went on a recce around my town to try and find locations suitable for filming ym music video. The first was a field that's located near a train track. I thought this may be a suitable location because of the surroundings, its a very pretty area however with a train track near by its going to be loud and this may effect filming quality. This location may also not be suitable as its a 10 minute walk from the nearest parking place, meaning any props or mise-en scene will have to be transported.
The next location is my garden, I think this is a more suitable location as its closer and more accessible. My talent may also perform better because its not a public place. I think a garden is a well suited location with my song choice as its a homely environment, there's also many different location and props already in my garden that I can use where as the field would be quite limiting.

Video inspiration

Camera shots

Jessie J's  music video for the song 'It's my party' is a performance music video. I chose to look at this music video for inspiration as I like the use of camera shots and transitions. At the beginning of the video close up are used, I will try this in my music video because it puts an emphasis on the emotion in the song and my song choice is quite emotional. Direct eye contact with the camera is also used this combined with the close ups make the audience feel involved and gives them a personal view of the song, the style of my song  choice itself will work well as the diction is very clear I just need to ensure my talent portrays the emotion well through expression. I will definitely use direct eye contact in my music video because I feel its key for engaging an audience. The video is based around two locations, a corridor and a room full of people that change into different stereotyped groups through costume, because there is a lot of costume in this music video it makes sense to have a simple plain location, however with my music video although there is costume change there is only three changes,it may be better to have two to three locations to ensure its not boring. The whole idea behind this video is Jessie looking into the keyhole which reveals a different setting completely this may be a good way to introduce the different eras with my music video. I could change the costume on my talent by having a door or object that they step out of or into that reveals them in a different era. Towards the end of this video fast cuts are used to add together scenes from throughout the song it links together all the different costume as the pace increases during the last 40 seconds of the song, this is something I could use as the song I am using starts slowly and builds up.

Marina and the Diamonds performance video of 'Lies' is another music video I have been looking at for inspiration with camera work. Like he Jessie J video close ups are used a lot through out, extreme close ups are also used of just the eyes or mouth these are used when certain lyrics are sung to create emphasis and portray emotion. Pan up is used at the very start and this works well, however my chosen song is faster paced and not acoustic so this camera movement may not work as well, increasing the speed of the pan might be better if I was to use this particular movement. One thing I would really like to use from this video is the use of cuts and positioning of the talent in the shot. At a minute and forty nine seconds into the song the rule of thirds is used, Marina is shown positioned in a mid-shot on the right hand side of the shot after a second it cuts to a close up of her on the left hand side. I would really like to use this in my video I think its very powerful emotionally. It also suits the song much better as its a softer composition than it would be if the shot was central. It also breaks up blocks of singing to camera and makes the video more visually appealing. Cut-in shots are also used in this music video, as Marina is singing the camera often cuts to her hands either placed on the microphone stand or her hips, this would look interesting in my music video as my costume is one of the main parts, it may also work well with mise-en-scene.

'Electra heart' by Marina and the Diamonds is a song that I have chosen to look at because of the editing techniques used. Fast paced cuts are used at the start and end of the song, I won't use this in my music video as the song is very fast paced unlike the song I have chosen and I won't suit the style of the song. However a minute and twenty seconds into the song an Organ begins to play casting a dramatic atmosphere and slows the song down completely for thirty five seconds and during this time a figure can be seen wearing 50s clothing. A black and white effect is edited onto this footage and that's the sort of effect I need to recreate for my 50s section in my video. Possibly with a higher contrast as this part of the video is made slightly darker as it is supposed to appear quite sinister and creepy. It then cuts between this 50s style figure and Marina dressed in a 60s style pink dress and jacket with an editing technique that mimics the 60s TV appearance. Looking at this music video has shown me the sort of editing techniques that I can use in my own video to create the effect that I would like.

To do:

 The deadline for filming is September the 30th. This means I need to start filming as soon as possible. Ive arranged to start filming Monday 16th which gives me a week to complete the following

• Recce of possible locations

• Storyboard (images)

•  costume,make-up and hair research

• camera shots

• look at relevant editing techniques

I have chosen to focus on the most memorable era's in terms of fashion to make the video more visually appealing. I will focus on the 50s, 60s and 80s by doing only three I can concentrate more on perfecting the outfit, make-up and hair. I need to research these further to ensure I know how to portray them correctly.

Research

 

If I am portraying different eras in my music video I think it would be interesting to try and recreate each eras filming style at points during the video. This Fairy liquid advert gives me a good idea of what filming styles were like. It starts with the 1950s black and white TV effect I think this will be the easiest editing technique to replicate. With the 1960s it switched to colour and the colours are quite vibrant and I need to research further and look at real 1960s TV footage to be certain of the style. The next editing technique I look at was at the end of the advert, the 80s this effect had quite a high saturation with a yellow/orange tint, but again I need to research further

Idea for music video

I said previously I wanted to make a performance video, after looking at other music videos I don't think I want the talent to be just singing into a microphone. I like the idea of having my music video based around different eras for example; 50's, 60's, 70's 80's. I would dress my talent and have them perform wearing clothes that represent the era. The talent would remain the same throughout the eras because the talent represents the female characters feeling remaining the same only time changes. I need to research editing techniques for each era, I think it would look quite interesting if each eras filming had a different effect that again represents that era. The order of the genres will go 50s, 60s then 80s progressing forward in time.

Music videos filmed to look old fashioned

This is a performance music video of teen idle by Marina and the Diamonds. I have been looking at this video because of the editing techniques used. I really like the use of a 60s title because it really suits the editing techniques used in this video. It also makes the video look distinct and eye catching.
The footage is slightly out of focus and I think this is used to portray the lyrics in the song itself, teenage years being confusing and blurry. The saturation is also edited to make the video appear old, this is something I could experiment with as I think it works well. I like the use of side lighting in this video its used to cast atmospheric shadows this is something I could include in my video at parts of the song with strong emotion. However I plan to film ouside for the majority of the video so I could only use this inside if I was to use it at all, i also wont have my talent playing an instrument at all so again it may be hard to use.

 I came across Bruno Mars 'When I was your man' and really like the editing effects. Like the Marina and the Diamonds music video its a performance video edited to look older. This video is a meta-video because at the start a camera crew can be seen setting up, its a music video inside a music video, I think this is a really clever idea but I dont think it would work with my song choice. Again I don't want my video to be based around an instrument.

The History of Pop music/ pop codes and conventions

Pop music is an abbreviation of the word popular, it began during the 1950s deriving from the Rock and Roll culture. Pop music is based around current trends wether that be fashion, social networking or media trends. Pop music dominates the charts and is often a mix of different genres based around modern terms.

Typical Pop conventions

• Highly fashionable clothing
• Bright lighting to convey happiness and modern lifestyle
• Song are often based around relationships and love
• A sense of unity in the group- conveys teenage unity between teenagers* which is the main target audience
• Situations associated with target audience
• Sexualisation of artists
• Artistic Make-up/ face paint is hugely used in current pop music
• Editing to create Bold patterns and animated images to create a sense of excitement 
• Dance/choreographed dance groups

An example of this is Little Mix's music video for the song 'Move'. Mise en scene makes this music follows the typical conventions of a pop music video perfectly. Each band member is wearing highly fashionable clothing to the current time. The lighting is bright to create a sense of happiness and content, the location is a bright white room which is a very modern look. Dance is choreographed giving a strong sense of unity within the group which is portraying the strong sense of unity between teenagers. 

song choice

I am not a robot- Marina and the Diamonds

Types of music videos

I've leart from my 'A day in the life...' task that research and planning is essential and I need to do much more to make sure my finished music video is to a good standard.

Here are three most common types of music video:

Performance- this is where the video is based around the artist performing. There are three different types of performance- dance,instrumental and song.

Mumford and Sons music video 'I will wait' is a performance video.This video works so well because of its a high energy atmosphere. There's lots of different aspect to the video and that makes it interesting for the audience.

Conceptual- The audience is watching something other than the artist 


Oh Lets go- 'This too shall pass'
This music video is based around one concept idea and it works really well. While watching you become fixated with the video itself and it becomes extremely memorable and stands out.

Narrative- This is a music video based around the story line and lyrics of a song. Narrative music videos are often used as a music video for songs that feature in films, they promote both the film and the artist.

This example of a narrative music video is Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran 'Everything has changed' Narrative videos work so well because they capture the audiences imagination and the get lost in the story itself.

 This is 'Silver Lining (crazy 'bout you) by Jessie J. This is an example of how narrative music videos are used in film. This song is for the film 'Silver Linings Playbook' Again narrative music videos work well for this, it captivates the audience they immediately want to know more about both the film and artist.

Music Video

For my A2 coursework I have decided to make a music video, I have chosen a music video over a short film or trailer because I feel I would have struggled with the script and story of a short film, a music video is also more creative and I am a creative person so it will suit my style more

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the use of something familiar to the audience to create a connection. Its taking something that has been used previously and is possibly iconic and replicating.

An example of this is Blink 182s music video 'All the small things' in comparison with One Directions 'What makes you beautiful'

Blink 182s music video was released in 2009 and abot forty seconds into the song you can see cuts of the group on a beach singing to camera. This idea and what looks like the same beach is used in One Directions music video two years later.

Types of music videos

Parody

A parody music video is a music video that is created in the style or the artist but over exaggerated to create humour.

Evaluation- Digital technology and post production

Using Final Cut Pro

Before this task I had never used final cut pro and making this one minute film has really taught me a lot. I feel what I have learned is really going to benefit me when it comes to making my final film trailer or music video.


 Uploading and Importing
To edit my film I had to upload the footage from the camera onto the mac, I wasn't sure how to do this at first because I wasn't used to the macs and FCP. To upload you have to connect the camera and then open FCP and create a new event then 'import' footage from the correct camera folder.

                                                      
                                                       Blade Tool

The first tool I learnt to use was the Blade. This tool is used to cut a section of film into however many pieces you want. For example if you wanted to show a woman getting onto the bus, looking down at her ticket, then continuing to get on the bus you would cut the film to put the shot of the ticket in the middle. To use this tool you select it from  the tool bar and then hover over the film until you are in the correct place and simply click.

Trim Tool
The second tool is the trim tool. This tool is used when you want to shorten footage, you trim the footage down by  dragging either side of the highlighted box around the clip until its the correct length.

Coloring

Another technique I learnt while using FCP was altering the colour of a section of film. I learnt how to add shadows and change the appearance and mood of a certain part of my a day in the life. To do this you go to the right hand corner select the wand tool and click show colour board.

Adding Tiles
To add a title to your work go to the toolbar below the screen and click on the 'T'. Doing this will show a range of different titles you can add by clicking and dragging. You can edit the text by double clicking on the 'enter text' on the screen above the tool bar.

Adding transitions
Using the same tool bar as adding titles you can add transitions using the symbol on the left of the 'T' and place them by again clicking and dragging.

'A Day In the Life...' Evaluation

What have I learned from making a film project from scratch?

I came up with the idea of a day in the life of a Whovian because I realised I had an opportunity to film in a location that was different. In the future I will need to make my final decision faster because I have realised just how much planning I need to do before filming even starts. I made my decision a couple of days before I had to film and although I did think of some ideas they hadn't been thought through,and this made it difficult when filming. For my final film piece I defiantly need to do much more research and planning before hand, I looked at some 'A day in the life' short films however I found it difficult to find anything linked to 'A day in the life of a Whovian', I should have looked at videos from previous conventions and maybe that would have given me better ideas and help me workout how to use the space and work with the crowds because that's something I had struggled with.