Research for Music video 8 (costume setting and prop)

We filmed our lip sync video in a park near the college that was very green and what we thought was very natural which is the style we were looking for in the video. The prop we used was a badger mask so then we created an entire badger theme to the video whilst remaining true to the lyrics and what they represented. We filmed on a swing and in a sandbox as well as taking some shots whilst walking near the trees to stay close to nature and we took shots from high and low angles as well as using close ups to recreate the sorrow of the lyrics. we think that the end product works well with our setting and props. 

Research for Music video 7 (Individual HW task)

Costume.
They only change once, the song is about the destruction of the old versions of themselves.
The costume and location both work in unison with the lyrics to help intimidate
It is typical for a metal band to wear outfits that represent the genre. The music is very dark and heavy and sometimes intimidating so it is normal to dress accordingly.

Location.
The location is an abandoned warehouse looking place but there are over 10 places featured in the video
The setting and location link with the costume in the way that they are trying to create an element of fear in their theme.
The fact that you can't really tell where they are or what's happening adds to that fear
It is also very common for strange locations to be used in metal music videos, things like amusement parks or hospitals, insane asylums or abandoned houses all add to the element of fear which make the whole genre more unique.

Research for Music video 6 (Review of a students music video)

Research for Music video 5 (Laura Mulvey's theory)

Laura Mulvey's theory is on representation. She believes that the way that women are treated in the media is unjust. They serve only as objects to be gazed at by men and have no sense of sexual balance with the males in the way sexuality is presented in the media creating controversy and according stereotypes.




In my opinion I dont think any videos objectify women in this day and age as much as Nicki Minaj's videos. Which is surprising as she is obviously a woman. Women are used in her videos to make her look better. All the women in the background will be wearing plainer or less f;ashy colours and then Nicki will be wearing bright colours and jewelery to make her stand out and to make her seem like shes some sort of goddess or hierarchy above all the other girls in the video.
Of course Im not saying this isnt still seen today in male music videos;



Probably the most talked about video of 2013 and by far the most objectifying to women. I understand there a hundreds of videos similar to this one and equally as objectifying to women, but whats wrong about it is that it is a popular artist posting a demoralizing video on a site where anybody can view it. Anybody of any age anywhere in the world can see this and to young people they will see this just as how youre supposed to treat women. Thats how stereotypes are created.
Its not only just objectifying women anymore its a sign of a lack of intelligence and simply childish.

Research for Music video 4 (Carol Vernallis theory)

Carol Vernallis's theory on music videos is in the editing. Her theory being that the editing in music videos is much quicker and carefully thought out to draw the viewers attention as quick and as much as possible to a certain subject using; jump cuts, slow motion, special effects and use of a base track.

Heres a video that features Slow motion:


Jump cuts:
   

obvious edits and multiple close ups



close ups are used throughout and the obvious editing is the green screen and the location with all the people.

Research for Music video 3 (Andrew Goodwins Theory)

Andrew Goodwin's theory is that the narrative and structure of a music video is very different to that of a film or novel. The videos are built around the song which don't have normal structures. A music video uses the singer as a character and a narrator to tell a story in 3 minutes or less whilst giving a performance. Whilst a film or novel takes its time and tactically selects where to place certain peaks in the story a music video throws everything at you at once to gain the audiences appreciation and will use as many techniques as possible to make you feel involved as a viewer.

1. Illustration. (video tells story of lyrics)






2. Amplification (video introduces new meaning)




3. Disjuncture (no connection between the lyrics and video)

Research for music video 2 (Function of a music video)

The function of a Music video is primarily to promote the artist by creating attention on a particular single from the artists album then promoting the rest of the album and the artist themselves from the one song.
The music videos tend to feature the artist in a story or performance so they can show off their talents and become recognisable by fans.

A music video that I think is a brilliant example is "Seize the day" by Avenged Sevenfold
you can watch below:



The reason this video is a great example in my opinion is because of the 3 main reasons.

1. It sells the song in a way the audience will remember the video.
I thought the song was very powerful before seeing the video, and after seeing the emotional and true to life story I felt more of a connection towards it. Now I think of the video every time I hear the song, which is what the aim of the video is.
2. As I previously stated it gives a clearer in sight into the story behind the lyrics. Where as most songs are interpreted differently by different people, the music video shows the audience the true meaning and allows us to gain knowledge about the artist and their lives. I think the subject is brilliant and the story is told even better through the music and story.
3. And most important of all it shows off all the artists talents. Mainly through the singers vocals in the base track of him behind bars and then the lead guitarist in the guitar solo. Other than that it cuts back and forth from the story to the band performing without cutting off the story. which in my opinion what makes a perfect music video.

Research for Music video 1 (copyright clearance)

For this project I personally am using my own music, therefore not needing to obtain copyright clearance from a U.K artist. Instead I thought I would show you the studio in which my song was recorded and a video of a band rehearsing in the studio.

The studio is called "The Camden Recording Studio" it has been running for 4 years and a lot of bands use their studio to record in as well some DJ's for pod casts.  people such as; "Doppelgänger", "Adam Ant" and "Dave Finnegan".

Here are some pictures of the studio:

And here is a video of a band called the Brompton Mix performing "Everybody needs somebody to love"

Reflecting back on the AS year 2.

Skills I developed over the course of the AS year. 

• Improved my camera work (using different shot types and keeping camera steady and focused)
• Storyboarding and shot list (following it closely helps a lot in production stages) 
• focusing on making a minute of footage really good instead of adding loads of shots for the sake of it
• Editing on final cut. making more precise and refined cuts and adding special effects. 
• Making sure there was no intrusive sounds and that everything was heard very clearly. 
• Evaluation and communicating our efforts through different medias on the blog

Reflecting back on the AS year 1

In June we did some research on music videos to prepare us for the A2 year.
We were shown how to analyse a music video, de-construct it and focus on key points of each video that belonged to a specific genre and its key features that made that video belong in that genre.

We looked at stereotypical music videos for each genre and what they consisted of. We looked at the very first music video "video killed the radio star" (although "bohemian rhapsody" was technically first). to see how far we've come from the original concept.

Then we looked at event music videos which are big occurrences in the music industry and usually have a very big budget. "Thriller" by Michael Jackson was one of these event videos and cost $500.000 to make. It was played 2 times an hour every hour the day it was released.

Finally we looked at the most successful music videos. The ones that have a lot of hype or a sense of comedy are the ones that tend to achieve a higher status. "Gangnam Style" continues to be the top music video in the world.