Case study 1

Case Study 1 - Jamie Thraves

Jamie Graves is a film/music video director from Romford.

He has studied film studies and has also made short films in University, in which he has used his award winning music videos as his own 'calling card'. so that he could 'get a foot in the door', to  a video production company called Factory Films. He had got a spot at the company, and started with 3 music videos with the low budget of £5,000.

Eventually he managed to get to a spot in which has created 2 successful music videos, one for Radiohead, and one for Coldplay.

The first one is of Radiohead, called Just. It is a disjunctive music video, and the second one is of Coldplay, The Scientist, it does have some form of link to the original lyrics, where the main singer has sung all of the music in reverse, and then reverse it, so that the music links with one of the main lyrics.

The way how it is done is that a commissioner asks 5-10 directors, to be able to create a treatment to the commissioner, they will select a director who has done the best treatment, and only then, the director will be paid for the filming.

One advice in which Thraves has given was to use the lyrics but to try not to be too literal and to go with the emotion of the lyrics

Third Day of Filming

Here is the third day of filming in which we have decided to go through London, mainly within the South Bank/Southwark area, in which we have got our main group, and then some other people in which have joined in within the filming, as even though some of them did not match the genre, we have found a way in which they would be able to fit into the music video. The progress in which we have made for the narrative based story, was pretty good, there is a bit more to do, but on that day, have made more progress on that day.
 

Branding the Spice Girls

Branding is a way how people market an image, in which helps create a brand. A quote in which explains branding is "a name/term/design that distinguishes one product from another."

Spice Girls were a girl band formed in 1994 by Bob and Chris Herbert, to be able to compete with dominant boy bands who were always on the chart.

Their origin was mainly based from the auditions, in which were present in advertisements, as each member had to audition to get their place.

The members of the group are: Posh Spice, Baby Spice, Sporty Spice, Scary Spice and Ginger Spice. Each of them have a personality and the way how they dress, due to their name, represents who they are.

The way how they rose to fame, was at first with a showcase, they have begged for one, to show their potential, and eventually, they have been noticed by Simon Fuller and had become their manager to their group.

Their most notable song and music video is 'Wannabe', in which the music video is in a single take, and the lyrics to the music had lasted 15-20mins to write the whole song, they have first went to the top three, dominating some of the pop bands, in which was mostly dominated by boy bands, and then had followed that with a number one, dominating all of the boy bands.

However, the only reason why they got to where they were, is because of the branding, with advertisements, promotional material, and without any of those, it would be unknown whether they would've became as popular as they were.

Wannabe is the music video in which would show each of the girls personalities, especially with the way how they appear within the video and how each of them act.

Second Day of Filming

For our second day of filming, we have decided to go to the same park as before, but with an additional member, in which he was playing the guitar. Carly was the camerawoman, the costume designer, choreographer, makeup artist. Meanwhile, me and Sam are the actors, acting as lovers. We have added a start segment of the introduction, and essentially, have developed this to be a narrative based music video, not just a performance based music video, in which will contain aspects of the cliches in which we are incorporating, especially with clothing.

Costume

For the music video, we would need to fit into the genre in which we would be making it for, in which is pop punk, so what we have avoided, was wearing clothing in which would be akin to sixth form uniform, as it would not fit/suit the genre in which we are doing, as we needed different clothing to suit it entirely.

My outfit:
Aside from the beanie, there were more choices on the outfit in which our group has selected for me. The first things were mainly band shirts, each of the band shirt/shirts that we have/will be using are all well known within the pop punk genre, such as Green Day, in which we have followed that up with a grey Vans shirt, in which has been covered by a long sleeved red squared shirt, to make the pop punk style fit in further in which would match what is being shown within the genres. Moreover the reason why we have chosen this style of clothing is because they are well known cliches within the genre in which we are reinforcing, as the song is a parody of the genre, in which follows the cliches in which are involved.
Moreover, the other types of clothing in which we have selected were a set of dark jeans, and sneakers/skating shoes to match the top part of the outfit well.









Sam's outfit: For sam, we had to get him a outfit in which would be weird, and would not make any sense at all. The first thing was the blond wig, in which we have made him look like a woman/girl, so the first thing was to put makeup and a blonde wig on him. The next thing was the use of a dress, to make him more feminine, and to be able to make him more believable becoming the main character's love interest.

Collecting Props

Before we have started recording our music video, we have bought some props in which we are going to use for the film. The first thing were props for me, what they are planning on using for me, the first thing was a beanie, in which I would be using within the video, to give me a more pop punk look.

The next things in which we needed to get were things in which would change my hair colour, in this case, hairspray, to give a temporary colour change, not a permanent hair dye, the two colours in which we have used was a red and a blue, this would allow my hair to have a different colour without resorting to dying my hair.

Following that, the next things were for the other people, in this case it was mostly wigs, blonde wigs. In which we are going to use it on some people, as a segment for the music vid, in which the other main character will be using a blonde wig, as they will also be wearing a dress, so that they would be seen as a love interest.

The reason why we use these props, is because it will be able to allow us to differentiate from what we would normally do, as instead of going at it normally, we would be able to go out of control, and weird into the genre, so that we could be able to fit into the genre we are going to do our music video.

Album Art Excercise

Hadena Persimilis - Band name(Based on a moth)
As if Nothing ever Happened - Last 5 words of a quote

Here is the album art in which I have created with a mixture of images, the background was the first third image in which I have got, the followed by the second third image, which was three images at once, as I have used the second part of it. The typography was a weird results, the band title was mixed, as the first part was going down, then the second part was combined with the letter E in Hadena, which I have integrated text within text. It was an experimentation involved, as the first, third and fifth text were normal, and the second and fourth was going down.  The band logo was of a moth, because the band name is of a specie of a moth, so some of the letters became grey. The contrast of the mellow morning colours opposing to the harshness of the foreground colours creates a unique look towards it.

First day of filming

First day of filming



We have done our first filming, in which what we have done was record within Raphael's Park around the area, and to be able to change how I look, I have changed my shirt, and added a jumper with it. In addition, my group had also sprayed my hair different colours to match the pop punk feel.

Copy of the lyrics

Here is the copy of the lyrics in which we are going to do for our work:

[Verse 1]
I was just a boy
Now I'm a man
I hate this town
This deadbeat town
But everything I do
I do it all for you
And everything you say
Makes my pain and sadness go

[Chorus]
This is a song about girl
This is a song about her long blonde hair
This is a song about the way she stares at me
In my American apparel underwear

[Hook]
Na, na, na, na (x4)
This is a song about a girl

[Verse 2]
Parents are mad
Don't understand
They think I'm rad and all
They don't give a f£@k at all
But you're the reason why
I feel like I can fly
And you're the reason why
I just don't care at all

[Chorus]

[Hook]

[Bridge x2]
This is a song about girl
This is a song about her long blonde hair
This is a song about the way she stares at me
In my American apparel underwear

[Hook]

[Chorus]

[Outro]
This is a song about girl
This is a song about girl
I think she's rad and all
I want to f%!k her all the time

This is a song about girl


Read more: Luke Cutforth - A Song About A Girl Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Editing to the Beat

 INFO

This is my work on the editing task, in which I have taken several clips from the sample and then to be able to edit it in a way that each of the segments can be able to match the beat, in which he segments match the beat. The first thing in which I have done was a title screen, to introduce what I am going to do and then put my name as well to show that I have made this, the next thing in which I have done was to incorporate the car, in the beginning segment and then to be able to remove some parts of the clip so that I can be able to match it to said rhythm, following that, I have also decided to add an effect for it, via making it black and white, so I have put a tint on it, so that it can have that effect.

Following that, the next thing in which I have done, was to lock the music, as this would allow me to not remove any segments of the music by mistake, and if i make a mistake with some of the segments, then I would be able to un do it, rather than needing to move it about, and ruining progress in which I have made throughout the segment.

In one part, I have decided to make a two parts into one, by inserting both of them into one frame making them simultaneously play while both are in the frame.
One of the reasons as to why I have done this is because it can be seen as a practical research, as I never have done something like this before, it would allow me to get some skills in which I have never got earlier, and if someone is absent in which edits the work, it would allow someone like me in the group to continue and carry it out instead of just doing nothing at all.
One of the aspects in which needed improving upon was the fact that there were barely any filters/effects used, in which made the work to some degree, mundane, and some of the clips were drawn out for too long, in which may have needed cutting out. One of the positive aspects however, was the fact that clip was edited to the beat, nearly all of it, in which had made the music video feel lively, and brought some interesting aspects to it, such as the dancing segment, the car and much more.
In the end, once everything was finished, the next thing to do was to unlock the music and then delete where it finished, although I have finished it a few seconds ahead, to avoid it cutting one of the verses out, and then to export it, in which before that, shows the layering in which I have placed upon it, using 3 layers of videos, and only a single layer of sound, in which is the music in which I am editing.

Music Video-Added Value

A-HA - Take on Me The music video was created in 1985, to try to get the music back into popularity, in which had succeeded and then had eventually become what is known to this day, as a smash hit, so much so that it has been awarded with the 3rd best music video in the list and it has won the MTV Video Award. The music video has two elements, one part of it is drawing, and another part, in which the way how they have done it is to mix elements, of animation via stop motion, and to make it cinematic with an element of narrative. The reason as to why the comic is mainly based on racing is because of the director, Steve Barron, has read these kinds of comic books at the age of 5, hence he was influence by this style, it had taken the art team 1400 drawings, and 3 months to do this, as the scope of the music video was one of the more ambitious videos, because of the transitioning between both real life and the animation front.

Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2U
It was considered to be a sensation, because of the raw emotions in which is being conveyed within the music video, in which Sinead is living the experience within the music. In which what happens within the second half of the music video, she had started crying, in which had made the music video that more emotional, in which. The director, John Maybury, told Sinead to underplay her own performance, in which most of the music video contains close ups, in which he wanted to stick with it as much as he could, but since he has spent minimum £40,000 to go to Paris, he was going to also use the shots in which he has used and recorded during the time. Once Sinead knew about the song was about, she started to tear up, in which during that time, the people who have being in a set, have also been emotional during that time.

Audience Research

We have asked a couple/group of people to be able to look at the music in which we have chosen and then answer our question,

Without too much thinking give three words that come to mind after hearing this song? There is no right or wrong answer, we want your first impression/emotional response.
A)Cliche
B)Parody
C)Fun

A)Silly
B)Funny
C)Comical

A)Silly
B)Cliche
C)Funny

Which other artist(s) does this music remind you of?
Busted

What are this/these music videos like? What would you expect to see in their music videos?
Parody
Comical
Cliche

How would you describe the mood of this song?
Comical
Silly
Happy

If the song was a colour, what colour would it be?
Neon Yellow
Pink
Light Blue

What picture does the song create in your mind?
Guitars
Girls
Gimmicks
Cliche's
Fan girls

What narrative do you imagine with this song?
A Silly Story
A Comical Romance

Location planning

So in order to give us an idea about where are we going to shoot, we decided to create a group with all of us involved, and then this would be the place where we would be able to give out our ideas/things that we would be able to request. In this chat, Carly decided to give out some suggestions about where we should go, while a few of them are close to our area, there are a few areas, such as more places in London, Newham and one within Southend.

Deconstructing two music videos to identify characteristics of the music video genre

Daniel Powter - Bad Day

The music video in which has been incorporated for the music is mainly a narrative based, in which the two people, the male and female, starting out in the morning, in which it shows their daily life, within the three day period, as it mainly starts with them waking up, and then preparing to go to work, in which is shown that they are not happy with their workplace, as the main link to the video with the lyrics is the phrase "You've had a bad day, in which that is what they are having, the term may be a little bit of a depressing quote, as they are both having bad days, in which they have to wake up early and go to work. Then one of the scenes incorporate a form of foreboding, in which the man and the women doodle on the poster, in which ends with a heart from the question mark, and then it ends with the male holding an umbrella for the female as she is waiting for a taxi, and then, it stops for them. The cinematography in which is being used has a lot of contrasts, such as the beginning segment in which has the two clocks, in which start at two different times, to show the contrast between the two individuals, starting their day at different time points, and at later points, they are seen doodling in which it is split into 4 panels, it all consists of different timings, especially with both of them doodling, in which shows that even though they are two different people, they in some cases, think alike, as they doodle because they, to some degree, are bored of their work, and may not like to work there.







The next video in which I am going to deconstruct/analyse is of Rihanna's Shut Up and Drive from

2007, The music is mainly based on cars, but the video is contrasting to the way how the camera is showing everything, as it prioritizes on Rihanna's body, even though in some elements, there are cars shown, such as the Ford Mustang Boss, the Ferrari 360 and a unknown modified car. Especially with the way how she is dressed can contrast the key elements in which are incorporated, as she is not dressed as if she in doing car maintenance, but rather, as if she is going to a nightclub, and the camera prioritizing her body as eye candy.

Mood Board

Here is the mood board that we have created, what the mood board is is mainly shows what genre we are going to do it on, in which is Pop Punk, and the artists in which are incorporated/known for being in the genre, in which can be our influences for creating our music video.

Permission

One of our members in the group asked the person who has asked the person who had created the music permission to use it, and he had responded, in which surprised us, in which he had agreed with, in which made us happy with the fact that he had allowed us to use his music

Styles of Music Video

Within the genre of music videos, there is a wide variant of styles in which are incorporated within music.

Animation: These music videos will have a wide variation of ways to create said animation, whether it would be created by using items in a stop-motion like fashion, or to create them via drawing and then to place them in their frames, part by part. A recent example is of Deadmau5's The Veldt, in which the whole music video has been drawn and then animated, by Qudos Animations, the whole song, and the music video, references the story created by Ray Bradbury.

Parody: Within music videos, parodies are made to make fun of something, in this case, it can be to make fun of an artist, and/or their music video. A very known artist who is know to make fun of artists and music is Weird Al Yankovic, within his music career, he is a known example of a person who would make fun of the artists music and their videos, and add some comedy to give it the hilarity that people would expect from him. One such example is of Eat It, the parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It, some elements change, like the fact that each gang is using kitchen/eating utensils as weapons.

Narrative based: The music video essentially tells a story of some sort, in which it will have a beginning, a mid and an end to the story/video. An example is of Eric Carmen's Hungry Eyes. The beginning starts of with the artist (Eric Carmen) observing footage within a projector, as it the continues to the artist singing. The people who have created the music have used an actor to tell a story, while at the same time, uses footage from the movie Dirty Dancing.

 Performance based: What performance based is, is basically a video in which the artists perform the music, whether it would be within a studio, a concert or anything in between. The video has to have an artist or the whole band performing the music. A very notable example is of Foo Fighters, and their song 'My Hero', in which the band performs, while the house is on fire, in which it would represent the urgency of the performance.


Pastiche: If the music video is considered to be pastiche, then it must mean that the music video must have imitate a style of an artist and/or the time period, one such example is of Lady Gaga and the song named The Edge of Glory, in which in some cases, has imitated the styles of music videos of older times, such as those from the 70s-80s. It has received critical acclaim, as it has been compared to songs like Papa don't Preach by Madonna and Billie Jean by Michael Jackson.

Intertextual: Intertextual music videos combines multiple elements of each style and combines it into one music video, so it could be a cinematic music video, in the style of pastiche. A very notable example of this is by Red Hot Chili Peppers with the song called Californication, in which it combines animation, in this case, it is video games, while consisting of cinematic elements, while referring to the Blood Sugar Sex Magik era with the hair styles, making it to some degree, a bit pastiche.

Song Idea

This is the song that me and my group are planning on doing.

Lip Syncing 2 - Don't go breaking my heart.

This is the second lip syncing test, in which we have done a second attempt for a lip sync test. In which one criticism, is the very bare opening, in which what I mean is the fact that in the first few seconds, there was nothing, in which the next thing was that the shots, which what I have used a two shot, in which me and Ross were both in the same shot, and then had both of us in separate shots, which in some cases, merged them in separate takes, so when Ross' part was involved, we put him in, and when it was my part, they had put my part. The lip syncing was alright, but in some cases, there were a few errors, mainly within the end part of the test, as it had crumbled eventually within the end portion.

Lip Syncing Evaluation

This lip syncing test was our first attempt at doing a lip sync of a song, in which in all honesty, was not the best thing. One of the reasons why that this was not the best was the lack of enthusiasm for being in front of the camera, as it felt like it was to some degree, a bit of a struggle.

One other weakness was in some cases, the editing, as it had looked a little bit too basic, with the fades and dips into black, does not make it look like something in which is made from a high quality. The lip syncing was alright, but not to the best of qualities, in which some might be a bit off, but in some cases, he was accurate, more or less in sync.

Within the next attempt, we will attempt to improve within the quality, from the better amount of shots, to make it more varying, to vary the edits and fades to improve it, and them to sync the mouths to the music even further.

Sonny and Cher, lip syncing test

This is the lip syncing test with a song from Sonny and Cher.

My group/Team

The group in which I am going to be working with is the same group as my thriller group, this group consists of: Me(Michal Cendrowski), Joshua Collier, Carly Laslett and Samuel Hannigan. Our taste of music is varying, but we are planning to find something in which would allow us to agree on the selection of music that we are going to create.

Brief

Our main goal is mainly something to do with the music industry, in which what I have been given as a brief is to:

Create a promotional music video, in which is up to 5 minutes, in which I will work with a group on this task.

Along with the music video that we have to produce, we will also create six panels, or a digipak for the CD release, and also to create a magazine advertisement for that said digipak.

At the same time, we also develop within the blog along with an outcome, there would be an evaluation to explain what has happened.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my A2 Media Studies blog, this is my first blog in which I will be creating a promotional material for an artist, and that will include a music video.

Since I have previously blogged from the AS portion, so what this means is that I have a sense of understanding about doing a blog, in which I have improved from previous experiences.

Within this blog, I will record my progress from the beginning to the end.