Friday, 12 November 2010
Initial Ideas
From listening again and again to the lyrics of our song, we felt that there was a strong narrative throughout. Our initial idea was to have a flash back of the main character, to when she was younger. She see's her parents fighting and breaking up. This burns into her mind, that she would never be able to find true love. We refined this idea, and instead of having a clip of them fighting, we would use stop motion in the form of a childs drawing to emphasise how this fighting had an effect on her. The image will then zoom out to a video of her holding the pictures in a crowded high street with everyone moving quickly around her. We thought this would be an appropriate use of the green screen. Later on we came up with the idea that she would be recording in a studio at the beginning and as soon as she starts to sing the song, her flashback occurs. There will be constant referance and cuts back to the recording studio throughout the song. For more detailed information on our ideas, see our next blog ( Pitch )
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Filming
The first few lessons we had with our video production specialist taught us of the different camera techniques. This includes: angles - low angle to enhance character, high angle to diminish the character.
Shot types - establishing shots, mid shots, long shots etc.
Distance - Pull focus where foreground begins out of focus but becomes sharp
and Depth of field.
We also learned about simple things to remember when using the camera's, such as using tripods, always taking the camera off the tripod when in transit, remembering to take the tripod plate off the camera when finished, labeling the tapes, and just general care.
We then learnt about the white balance and how to set it.We now know that we have to set the white balance whenever we go from indoors to outside, or vise versa and how to set it - whether it as automatic (AWB) or manual.
The final important thing we learned within the first few lessons, is how to handle manual exposure. This meant we had to learn about how shutter speeds, aperture, and gain affected how the final image would look.
Later on, we learned some directing skills. This includes the use of clapper boards, preperation of the cast, and communication between the director, camera operator, and the actors. From actually being on set and filming, we learn't from trial and error, things that worked and things that didn't. For example we found it was best to use a tripod when filming someone walking towards the camera, because the camera operator could not hold it completely still.
Apart from being on set and putting this knowledge into practice, we learned how to edit in Final Cut Pro, and how to use an Apple Macintosh. We learned about Non-Linear editing - which is acheved through digital editing, the assembly edit ( just to look at the footage), rough edit ( more refined, no effects), and the final edit ( tweaking all the cuts and adding effects)
We had to copy an existing music video in order to practice for the real one. In our case, this video was Teenage Dirtbag, by Wheatus
Copying an exsisting music video
I have been working towards re-creating some of the music video Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag. The experience I have been given by taking part in this task is being able to develop using production equipment, in order to be able to film at a good standard, when it comes to me filming my own music video. I will also be developing skills to be able to plan well, how shots will be filmed, also staging in a shot.
Storyboard
In lesson I was given a storyboard, which was of the Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag video. It features the opening ten frames of the video, giving a analysis of the shot type, camera movement, description of action, also if there is a lyric or audio in the background, when a shot is shown.
Shooting Script and Clapperboard
The shooting script was given of six shots, which we filmed in two groups, it shows an enlarged image of the shot which we had to copy and film. It had a similar layout to the storyboard, as it had the details about camera shots and movements, also write notes about how successful each shot was, each shot has to be logged, to see where each group might be struggling with a type of shot. While learning how to use the shooting script, I also learnt how to successfully use a clapperboard. A clapperboard was shown in front of the camera, before each shot was filmed. There is a procedure, that takes place for each shot. The cameraman has to say "speed" when they are ready to film, so the director knows when starts off the film. Also the director says for example "Shot 4 take 2, action", then the filming can start, and the background actions start.Also after a shot is filmed the director shouts "cut" to notify the cast the shot is finished. Also the clapperboard is useful when editing as you can determine a beginning of a shot, and hear "cut" when a shot has finished.
Communication on Set
Camera health and safety.
Keep the camera steady when holding it.
It is hard to keep just main character in focus and the extras out of focus.
Lighting- had to reposition into the natural light.
Always think about the final edits.
Always take off the plate off of the camera and back on the tripod. Use white balance when inside with artifical light, so on the camera use the AWB automatic white balance. When filming outside, using the sun shaped symbol, and the light bulb button when filming inside. Also put on the manual setting via the message shaped button.
I was shown how to direct a shot, it is important that to keep the production running smoothly, you need to clearly let the participants know of what is going on. In our exercise the director worked with the camera operator to set up each shot, they set up each actor and extra in position. After checking the shot is how it should be is essiental before able to film. Then the clapperboard is shown in front of the lens and the filming begins.
Setting up the Camera
Mounting to the tripod
Mounting the camera to the tripod can give you stability when filming. It is particularly useful for zooming, panning and tilting the camera. The tripods at college have a spirit level on them which enables you to position the camera to an exact horizontal.
Setting the White Balance:
The white balance has to be set before shooting can begin due to the different conditions. The camera reacts differently to varying light conditions. When outside it should be set to "Daytime Filming" otherwise footage could have a blue tinge to it. Likewise when you film outside the white balance should be set to artifical light. Once the camera knows the conditions it can then calibrate the rest of the colours, which should give even results.
Adjusting the exposure:
When using our Canon XM2 cameras, you should get into a habit of using the manual settings to adjust the exposure and not let the camera run on auto. Usual manual settings will give you control over how light or dark the footage is. You can change the exposure using a combination of the Shutter speed, Aperture and Gain.
Camera Techniques
Composition:
You can change the frame size to be like a widescreen film. This is called a 16:9 ratio. Normally the camera is set to a standard frame size of a ratio of 4:3. Which ever ratio used you can apply the rule of thirds to help you compose the frame.
Depth of Field:
This refers to the focal range of the camera. You can use depth of field to centre the audience attention on a particular part of the frame by having it in focus while the rest of the shot is blurred. This is called a 'Shallow or Narrow Depth of Field'. Conversely, if all the frame is in focus that is called a 'Wide Depth of Field'. Shifting the focus from one part of the frame to another is called a 'Pull Focus'.
This is the link to our copying of an exsisting video which is Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B7qMb6ynzP5WMTA4NzIxZDktMjNjYS00Mjg2LTkxMjYtMTBiN2Y2YzIzZjU0&hl=en_GB
Shot types - establishing shots, mid shots, long shots etc.
Distance - Pull focus where foreground begins out of focus but becomes sharp
and Depth of field.
We also learned about simple things to remember when using the camera's, such as using tripods, always taking the camera off the tripod when in transit, remembering to take the tripod plate off the camera when finished, labeling the tapes, and just general care.
We then learnt about the white balance and how to set it.We now know that we have to set the white balance whenever we go from indoors to outside, or vise versa and how to set it - whether it as automatic (AWB) or manual.
The final important thing we learned within the first few lessons, is how to handle manual exposure. This meant we had to learn about how shutter speeds, aperture, and gain affected how the final image would look.
Later on, we learned some directing skills. This includes the use of clapper boards, preperation of the cast, and communication between the director, camera operator, and the actors. From actually being on set and filming, we learn't from trial and error, things that worked and things that didn't. For example we found it was best to use a tripod when filming someone walking towards the camera, because the camera operator could not hold it completely still.
Apart from being on set and putting this knowledge into practice, we learned how to edit in Final Cut Pro, and how to use an Apple Macintosh. We learned about Non-Linear editing - which is acheved through digital editing, the assembly edit ( just to look at the footage), rough edit ( more refined, no effects), and the final edit ( tweaking all the cuts and adding effects)
We had to copy an existing music video in order to practice for the real one. In our case, this video was Teenage Dirtbag, by Wheatus
Copying an exsisting music video
I have been working towards re-creating some of the music video Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag. The experience I have been given by taking part in this task is being able to develop using production equipment, in order to be able to film at a good standard, when it comes to me filming my own music video. I will also be developing skills to be able to plan well, how shots will be filmed, also staging in a shot.
Storyboard
In lesson I was given a storyboard, which was of the Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag video. It features the opening ten frames of the video, giving a analysis of the shot type, camera movement, description of action, also if there is a lyric or audio in the background, when a shot is shown.
Shooting Script and Clapperboard
The shooting script was given of six shots, which we filmed in two groups, it shows an enlarged image of the shot which we had to copy and film. It had a similar layout to the storyboard, as it had the details about camera shots and movements, also write notes about how successful each shot was, each shot has to be logged, to see where each group might be struggling with a type of shot. While learning how to use the shooting script, I also learnt how to successfully use a clapperboard. A clapperboard was shown in front of the camera, before each shot was filmed. There is a procedure, that takes place for each shot. The cameraman has to say "speed" when they are ready to film, so the director knows when starts off the film. Also the director says for example "Shot 4 take 2, action", then the filming can start, and the background actions start.Also after a shot is filmed the director shouts "cut" to notify the cast the shot is finished. Also the clapperboard is useful when editing as you can determine a beginning of a shot, and hear "cut" when a shot has finished.
Communication on Set
Camera health and safety.
Keep the camera steady when holding it.
It is hard to keep just main character in focus and the extras out of focus.
Lighting- had to reposition into the natural light.
Always think about the final edits.
Always take off the plate off of the camera and back on the tripod. Use white balance when inside with artifical light, so on the camera use the AWB automatic white balance. When filming outside, using the sun shaped symbol, and the light bulb button when filming inside. Also put on the manual setting via the message shaped button.
I was shown how to direct a shot, it is important that to keep the production running smoothly, you need to clearly let the participants know of what is going on. In our exercise the director worked with the camera operator to set up each shot, they set up each actor and extra in position. After checking the shot is how it should be is essiental before able to film. Then the clapperboard is shown in front of the lens and the filming begins.
Setting up the Camera
Mounting to the tripod
Mounting the camera to the tripod can give you stability when filming. It is particularly useful for zooming, panning and tilting the camera. The tripods at college have a spirit level on them which enables you to position the camera to an exact horizontal.
Setting the White Balance:
The white balance has to be set before shooting can begin due to the different conditions. The camera reacts differently to varying light conditions. When outside it should be set to "Daytime Filming" otherwise footage could have a blue tinge to it. Likewise when you film outside the white balance should be set to artifical light. Once the camera knows the conditions it can then calibrate the rest of the colours, which should give even results.
Adjusting the exposure:
When using our Canon XM2 cameras, you should get into a habit of using the manual settings to adjust the exposure and not let the camera run on auto. Usual manual settings will give you control over how light or dark the footage is. You can change the exposure using a combination of the Shutter speed, Aperture and Gain.
Camera Techniques
Composition:
You can change the frame size to be like a widescreen film. This is called a 16:9 ratio. Normally the camera is set to a standard frame size of a ratio of 4:3. Which ever ratio used you can apply the rule of thirds to help you compose the frame.
Depth of Field:
This refers to the focal range of the camera. You can use depth of field to centre the audience attention on a particular part of the frame by having it in focus while the rest of the shot is blurred. This is called a 'Shallow or Narrow Depth of Field'. Conversely, if all the frame is in focus that is called a 'Wide Depth of Field'. Shifting the focus from one part of the frame to another is called a 'Pull Focus'.
This is the link to our copying of an exsisting video which is Wheatus- Teenage Dirtbag
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B7qMb6ynzP5WMTA4NzIxZDktMjNjYS00Mjg2LTkxMjYtMTBiN2Y2YzIzZjU0&hl=en_GB
Friday, 1 October 2010
Video Analysis
Click here for the full video:
Paramore- Ignorance
Click here for the full video:
Paramore- Thats what you get
Paramore- Ignorance
Click here for the full video:
Paramore- Thats what you get
Friday, 24 September 2010
Target Audience
According to this National Readership Sales information table in July 2008 - June 2009, ( which is approximately when Paramore were on these magazines) the biggest proportion of readers of Kerrang! were 15-40 year olds and were male. There was a total of 37800 15-45 year olds, and out of the total, 29000 were men.
This outcome is very similar to that of NME. The majority of the readers were aged 15-45 and again, were men. I did notice that there was quite a high percentage of upper class people who read NME and Kerrang!: approximately 0.9% of the complete estimated population in fact.
From these results, I have come to a slight conclusion that mostly teenagers would like Paramore's music. I conducted a short questionnaire to twenty students around my college to find out...
These are the questions, and the results are printed next to the different options:
What age group do you think the band Paramore are aimed at?
Ages 5 - 10 0
Ages 11 - 15 5
Ages 16 - 20 12
Ages 21 upwards 3
What class do you think the band are aimed at?
Upper
Middle 6
Lower 8
Working 4
Would you say there are any sub-cultures related with this band?
Yes 16
No 4
If so, state one of the listed sub-cultures :
Gansters 0
Goths 5
Emo's 9
Punks 4
Ravers 2
From this information that I have gathered, I have come to a conclusion as to what the target audience is for this band:
I believe that Paramore are aimed at lower/middle class male and female teenagers.
They could also be related with the sub-culture of Emo's and Goths.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Email to Record Label
Copyright is very important to the music industry as it ensures that the artist/songwriters songs are not copied or used without their consent - which in fact is illegal. It also ensures that the artists/songwriters get fair pay for their work in royalties.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Song Choice
The song we have chosen to create a video for is Paramore - The only exception. We chose this because it is practically acoustic and it would be easier for an acoustic guitar to play along. Also, we feel this song has the potential for a story line.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcz0tf_paramore-the-only-exception_music
Lyrics:
When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it
And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist
But darlin,
You, are, the only exception
But, you, are, the only exception
But, you, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Or keep a straight face
And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I'd sworn to myself that I'm content
With loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk, but
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't let go of what's in front of me here
I know your leaving in the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream
Oh
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
And I'm on my way to believing.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcz0tf_paramore-the-only-exception_music
Lyrics:
When I was younger
I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind
He broke his own heart
And I watched
As he tried to reassemble it
And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist
But darlin,
You, are, the only exception
But, you, are, the only exception
But, you, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways
To make it alone
Or keep a straight face
And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I'd sworn to myself that I'm content
With loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk, but
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't let go of what's in front of me here
I know your leaving in the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream
Oh
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
You, are, the only exception
And I'm on my way to believing.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Exploring a music video
Queen - I Want to Break Free
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hMrY8jysdg
In this video, the director creates quite a humorous atmosphere. This is because it is set in an everyday situation and the characters in the video are all men dressed up in drag. This reflects the genre of glam rock because of their costumes and make up. For example, the leotard that Freddie Mercury wears in parts of the song. This video could also appeal to its audience because earlier on in his career, Freddie Mercury had revealed his homosexuality. The song 'I Want to Break Free' reflects him coming out and it encourages gay people to do the same.
Tenacious D - Tribute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcJwz7wu8_s&ob=av2e
This video creates quite a lighthearted atmosphere at the beginning, but also becomes quite sinister as it goes on. This atmosphere fits the genre of rock in the mise en scene, as characters such as the Devil are used within it. The target audience of the video is probably teenagers aged about 13 - 19. The video fits that target audience as a lot of people this age aspire to be rock stars, just like Jack Black and Kyle Gass in this video. This is complimented in the mise en scene as they filmed it in a karaoke booth in a shopping mall - pretending it was a professional recording studio.
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE&ob=av3e
This video instantly portrays a very sexual mood. This is shown within the mise en scene as some of the women in the background make provocative movements. It is also shown within the cinematography as there are quite a few shots of the women's legs. The director is giving the message that women are inferior to men because all the women are dressed up in the same costumes with the same makeup, and its only the man who is different. This video is aimed at men probably in their late teens to mid 20's. It fits that audience as the song and video is mostly about sex.
Extreme - More Than Words
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhqge_extreme-more-than-words_music
This video creates a sense of calmness, and also in places, a sense of irony. The irony is achieved because Extreme are a heavy rock band, and this song is acoustic and the lyrics are quite 'deep', whereas you stereotype rock lyrics to be the complete opposite. The sense of calmness is shown in the editing as it is in black and white and the cutting between shots is quite slow. Also in the cinematography, they use a lot of close ups to show their emotion. This video has a faint storyline: The band have finished rehearsing their rock music and now they are chilling out whilst playing this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hMrY8jysdg
In this video, the director creates quite a humorous atmosphere. This is because it is set in an everyday situation and the characters in the video are all men dressed up in drag. This reflects the genre of glam rock because of their costumes and make up. For example, the leotard that Freddie Mercury wears in parts of the song. This video could also appeal to its audience because earlier on in his career, Freddie Mercury had revealed his homosexuality. The song 'I Want to Break Free' reflects him coming out and it encourages gay people to do the same.
Tenacious D - Tribute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcJwz7wu8_s&ob=av2e
This video creates quite a lighthearted atmosphere at the beginning, but also becomes quite sinister as it goes on. This atmosphere fits the genre of rock in the mise en scene, as characters such as the Devil are used within it. The target audience of the video is probably teenagers aged about 13 - 19. The video fits that target audience as a lot of people this age aspire to be rock stars, just like Jack Black and Kyle Gass in this video. This is complimented in the mise en scene as they filmed it in a karaoke booth in a shopping mall - pretending it was a professional recording studio.
Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE&ob=av3e
This video instantly portrays a very sexual mood. This is shown within the mise en scene as some of the women in the background make provocative movements. It is also shown within the cinematography as there are quite a few shots of the women's legs. The director is giving the message that women are inferior to men because all the women are dressed up in the same costumes with the same makeup, and its only the man who is different. This video is aimed at men probably in their late teens to mid 20's. It fits that audience as the song and video is mostly about sex.
Extreme - More Than Words
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhqge_extreme-more-than-words_music
This video creates a sense of calmness, and also in places, a sense of irony. The irony is achieved because Extreme are a heavy rock band, and this song is acoustic and the lyrics are quite 'deep', whereas you stereotype rock lyrics to be the complete opposite. The sense of calmness is shown in the editing as it is in black and white and the cutting between shots is quite slow. Also in the cinematography, they use a lot of close ups to show their emotion. This video has a faint storyline: The band have finished rehearsing their rock music and now they are chilling out whilst playing this song.
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