Research into costume

This is the costume that I'll artist will be wearing this is because we wanted our artist to reflect the electro-pop artists general dress code. So we went for the ''Smart Casual'' dress code with a buttoned up shirt and slim jeans.   

Research on Locations

Analysing Music videos in our genre

Lily Allen 
Smile

The music video narrative is quite clearly an illustration of what the singer lily Allen is singing about. The song is about a guy who cheats on a girl with another girl. The girl acts swiftly and tries to get her own back by setting up all these horrible and nasty things to happen to him. The man always goes back to the girl he cheated on always complaining about what has happened to him, little does he know it’s the girl that he’s speaking  to that’s setting it all up. The sound or tune is very much a juxtaposition with what’s actually going on since the video is a man being beaten up and his life getting ruined and the tune is a very happy one. At one point she say’s “I felt bad for a while but now I just smile” this shows that she felt bad at the beginning but now she doesn't care and even enjoys ripping apart his life. Most of Lilly Allens songs are about ex-boyfriends and how they ended badly and this is just like the rest of them, whether or not this is a true story is uncertain.

The genre of this piece of music is very indie and unique so to give it an easy label would be incorrect however if I had to choose one I would probably have to go with Rocksteady,  pop, reggae fusion, funk, R&B which is what it is listed as online. The song was released on July 3^rd 2006, was written by Lily Allen, Iyiola Babalola, and Darren Lewis and was directed by Sophie Muller. Soon after the video was released it was banned from MTV after school hours because it had the use of a swear word. Lily Allen addressed this issue in an interview and said “I got really offended when my single 'Smile' got banned during after-school hours from MTV in the U.K. because it had the word f*ck in it. They said, 'We don't want kids to grow up too quickly.' But then you have Paris Hilton and the Pussycat Dolls taking their clothes off and gyrating up against men, and that's acceptable. You're thinking your kids are gonna grow up quicker because they heard the word f*ck?” A DJ called DJ Ron Slomowicz commented on the video on the website about.com and criticized it saying it was “mean-spirited” and implied that if a man did this to his ex-girlfriend then he would be shown as a violent person and therefore so should a girl that does this to a boy. He ending his comment by questioning her taste in music.

For iconography, this was her first ever debut song that was actually released so not a lot of people knew her music unless they were already a fan of her samples. Before this she was given £25,000 by regal records (which was who she signed with) to create a whole album. To get some attention she created a Myspace account and started to release a few sample songs. She became extremely popular as she gained tens of thousands of fans. She made 500 vinyls and they sold for as much as £40 each. She also created two mixtapes which were also released on her Myspace page to try and gain even more fans. Before the album was released she was given better mainstream producers and top-line writers. Smile was one of the songs she was extremely happy with and claims that is the first song she ever wrote. 

 The structure of the music video is very clear as it is literally telling a story. There are a few special effects when it comes to the transition from scene to scene. There probably wasn't enough money for amazing special effects since this was her first real song and they didn't know if the song was going to do well. On the other they may not have included special effects because they weren't needed. Without lots of special effects music a video becomes very clear and keeps constancy. An example of a music video that uses special effects and creates confusion is nicki minaj’s fairly new song pill of potions.

The main shots that are used in the music video are mid shots so the audience is able to see the emotions of each character and follow the narrative. if the all the shots were long shots/extreme long shots then the audience would have no idea what is happening. Its all the smirks and smiles that the female actress does that tells the audience that she enjoys torturing him.    

In conclusion I believe the purpose of the video was fulfilled. The purpose was to demonstrate how a relationship can end in a bad way and what happens to the people after it ends. In this case it displays how a woman can take vengeance on the opposite side of the relationship. In this case the story arc was clear in the actually video and the lyrics

Risk assessment

Risk Assessment

Hazard	Risk Before	Risk After	Control Measure
Crossing the road When crossing the road we may not be aware of the cars	3	1	Look for cars whilst crossing the road.
Falling over leads There may be a risk of falling leads whilst filming which could damage equipment.	6	4	We will make sure that the leads are taped down so we won't fall over them.
Weather  If it is raining heavily or very windy then the filming equipment could be damaged	9	6	We will try and get protective equipment for the cameras so they don't get wet.
Plate Smashing During filming we will smash a plate which could cut someone.	8	4	We will stand away where the plate is smashed.
Uneven ground on the field Where we are filming could be muddy which means we could slip.	9	7	We will find even ground so that it'll be safe to film.
Tripping over branches and roots There's a chance that we could fall over branches which could damage equipment that we're holding and ourselves	7	2	We will film away from trees so they'll be less branches and trees to fall over.
Dropping equipment There's a chance that we could drop the equipment whilst filming.	5	2	We'll take extra care when holding the camera to make sure we don't drop it.

Results and analysis

Shots technique analysis

Mr Probz - Waves

Shots

Extreme long shot = 0.00 - 0.04
Extreme Long shot = 0.05 - 0.10
Close up = 0.11 - 0.11
Long shot = 0.12 - 0.14
Long shot = 0.14 - 0.16
Long shot = 0.16 - 0.17
Long shot = 0.17 - 0.19
Mid shot = 0.19 - 0.21
Mid shot = 0.21 0.22
Mid shot = 0.22 - 0.25
Long shot = 0.25 - 0.27
Long shot = 0.27 - 0.29
Close up = 0.29 - 0.32
Long shot = 0.32 - 0.35
Mid shot = 0.35 - 0.37
Close-up = 0.37 - 0.39
Mid shot = 0.39 - 0.43
Close-up = 0.43 - 0.45
Mid shot = 0.45 - 0.47
Mid shot = 0.47 - 0.48
Mid shot = 0.48 - 0.50
Long shot = 0.50 - 0.53
Long shot = 0.53 - 0.55
Long shot = 0.55 - 0.57
Mid shot = 0.57 - 0.59
Long shot = 0.59 - 1.01
Close-up = 1.01 - 1.04
Close-up = 1.04 - 1.05
Close-up = 1.05 - 1.06
Close-up = 1.06 - 1.08
Close-up = 1.08 - 1.09
Close-up = 1.09 - 1.10
Long shot = 1.10 - 1.11
Long shot = 1.11 - 1.13
Close-up = 1.13 - 1.15
Mid shot = 1.15 - 1.16
Mid shot = 1.16 - 1.18
Long shot = 1.18 - 1.19
Long shot = 1.19 - 1.20
Mid shot = 1.20 - 1.22
Mid shot = 1.22 - 1.22
Mid shot = 1.22 - 1.24
Mid shot = 1.24 - 1.27 (Flicks between two shots)
Mid shot = 1.27 - 1.29
Close-up = 1.29 - 1.32
Close-up = 1.32 - 1.39
Close-up = 1.39 - 0.41
Mid shot = 1.41 - 1.43
Close-up = 1.43 - 1.45
Mid shot = 1.45 - 1.47
Mid shot = 1.47 - 1.50
Mid shot = 1.50 - 1.53
Mid shot = 1.53 - 1.54
Mid shot = 1.54 - 1.56
Mid shot = 1.56 - 1.58
Mid shot = 1.58 - 2.00
Mid shot = 2.00 - 2.01
Mid shot = 2.01 - 2.03
Mid shot = 2.03 - 2.04
Mid shot = 2.04 - 2.06
Long shot = 2.06 - 2.08
Mid shot = 2.08 - 2.09
Mid shot = 2.09 - 2.10
Long shot = 2.10 - 2.12
Mid shot = 2.12 - 2.15
Mid shot = 2.15 - 2.17
Mid shot = 2.17 - 2.18
Mid shot = 2.18 - 2.19
Long shot = 2.19 - 2.21
Mid shot = 2.21 - 2.22
Mid shot = 2.22 - 2.24
Long shot = 2.24 - 2.26
Mid shot = 2.26 - 2.27
Close-up = 2.27 - 2.34 (Flicks between two shots)
Mid shot = 2.34 - 2.36
Mid shot = 2.36 - 2.38
Mid shot = 2.38 - 2.39
Long shot = 2.39 - 2.44
Mid shot = 2.44 - 2.46
Close-up = 2.46 - 2.47
Mid shot = 2.47 - 2.49
Mid shot = 2.49 - 2.51
Mid shot = 2.51 - 2.54
Mid shot = 2.54 - 2.56
Mid shot = 2.56 - 2.59
Mid shot = 2.59 - 3.01
Mid shot = 3.01 - 3.03
Long shot = 3.03 - 3.05
Mid shot = 3.05 - 3.08
Long shot = 3.08 - 3.09
Mid shot = 3.09 - 3.10
Mid shot = 3.10 - 3.12
Close-up = 3.12 - 3.13
Mid shot = 3.13 - 3.16
Mid shot = 3.16 - 3.17
Close-up = 3.17 - 3.20
Close-up = 3.20 - 3.22
Close-up = 3.22 - 3.26
Mid shot = 3.26 - 3.37
Close-up = 3.37 - 3.38
Long shot = 3.38 - 3.43
Long shot = 3.43 - 3.50

Techniques

Close-up- The shot is filmed closely to a person or object.This can show a face to see expression or illuminate the importance of an object.
Mid shot- This shot is filmed further than the close-up, it generally shows the upper half of a person. This can show more of the person and more of what they are wearing to give an idea of what the person is like.
long shot- This shot is filmed from a distance and generally shows a multiple people. this can demonstrate body language and interaction.
Extreme long shot- This shot if filmed from such a distance that it can contain whole buildings, the setting or environment. This can be used to show the surroundings and establish the scene of the video.

Examples from this video

In this particular music video all the close-ups were used to show the facial expressions of the main male character or the main female character. During the beach scenes there are lots of close-up focusing in the mans face to show how stressed he is since he has just washed up onto a beach. One example of where this is used is when you see the mans face covered in sand at 0.30. Other close-ups are used within the flash backs where they shows the relationships of the two characters.

The mid shots used in this are used to explain what is happening in the in the narrative. These kind of shots are perfect for this because you are able to fit a lot in a these shots but its not to far back that the audience cannot not see any movement or facial expressions. One example of this is at 0.47 where the main character is drinking out of a coconut because he has been stranded on an island and is trying to survive.

In a music video long shots can be used to show a group of people (normally dancing). This can get the audience attention because normally dance routines are eye catchy. The long shots in this music video are used to show the man and the situation he is in at that particular instance. e.g. at one point there is a long shot of the man lying down in the sand where you are able to see his entire body. This tells the audience that he has been washed up onto the beach and is now stranded. Long shot are also used to display the relationship of the man and the woman. It seems that more long shots are used when the man and woman are angry at each other. This can be linked to how their relationship is falling apart.

The use of extreme long shots are used a lot in this music video. An extreme long shot is normally used to show the setting of the video. A long shot in music video can be used as a transition from scene to scene. e.g in this music video you can see the man walking on the beach then a long shot of the sea appears, after this it cuts back to the man trying to get a coconut out of a tree. In this example a long shot was used to speed up the course of time because the only information the audience need are key parts.

Celebrity branding

''Kanye West, Drake and Bruno Mars to headline Wireless Festival 2014''

This is an example of celebrity branding being used by newspapers, the newspaper advertises the wireless concert and the artists performing in it Kanye West. This advertises him as it means that he'll get more exposure because there newspaper gets shared 29.4 million times which means they'll all know that he is performing. 

Conventions of genres

Synthpop artist moodboard

How the artists can advertise their song

Group analysis of Lyrics

Lyrics timing

Artist Permission

Conventions of a music video

Camera shots
The camera shots of a music video is normally long shots and extreme long shots this is because there is normally a lot going on in the scene so they need a long or extreme longshot to get all of the mise en scene in the shot. For instance a lot of shots start showing the location of the music video so in this case it has to be an extreme longshot so the audience knows where the music video is set. Although the shots are mainly dominated by long shots there are a few close ups and extreme close ups this is for the artist mainly and is normally used on a performance video to promote the artist. The way that the close ups are normally used is through shots like lip movement or close ups of their eyes or entire face. These shots do not happen in narrative videos because the camera is not always focused on the artist. In narrative shots we see a variety of ways to shots as there is different ways to tell the story.    

Mise en scene
There are many mise en scene used in music videos and in no genre is the mise en scene the same to another. Although in the same genre there are some conventions that music videos follow. For instance in Hip Hop videos the characters and props that are used are suspension cars and bikini girls and artist normally wears gold chains and rings. In comparison what we normally see in heavy metal videos is electric guitars, long hair and black clothing. These two genre conventions are very different but shows that there is still convention in each genre.

Editing 
Jump cuts are normally the transition between each scene because it keeps the music video following and allows to get more into the music video. Although with slower song the transition is much slower to go with the song. These transitions are normally a fade or dissolve.

Lighting
Normally we see non ambient lighting because they have to make sure that the lighting is how bright they want. But when they film outside we see ambient lighting because there is no need. Normally with rock and metal we see less lighting to show its dark nature but with pop songs there is high light to show it's lighter.

Our music video choice

Questionnaire

1. How Old are you

• 13-16
• 17-20
• 21-24
• 24-27
• 30+

2.What Genre of Music do you listen to

• Hip Hop    
• Classical
• Rock
• Heavy Metal
• R'n'B
• Other.....................

3.Where do you first hear about music videos 

• Word of Mouth
• Music Programs
• Radio
• Internet
• Other..................... 

4. What tempo of music video do you like

• Very Fast
• Fast 
• Medium
• Slow

5. What type of music video do you like

• Narrative (tells a story)
• Performance (the artist or band is performing)
• Concept (unusual or obscure) 

6. Would you go out of your way to watch music videos 

• Yes 
• No

7. What would you say is your favourite music video and why

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. How many times a week do you listen to music videos

• 0-1
• 2-3
• 4-5 
• 6-7
• 8+

9. How long do you prefer music videos to be.

• Under 2:00  
• 2:00 - 2:59
• 3:00 - 3:59
• 4:00 over

10. What is your least favourite genre

• Hip Hop    
• Classical
• Rock
• Heavy Metal
• R'n'B
• Other.....................

What is a Digipak

Digipak Production

This is our remake of the digipak Gorillaz 

The Gorrilaz digipak is a fold out digipak which is unconventional to many others it. It shows their straight faces and then when you fold it out it shows an different expression. As you can see we tried to make it as authentic as possible with the characters and facial expressions and props. We had some problems throughout making it because we didn't have the hats and the way to fold it was different than we expected   

                                         

Britney Spears Preliminary task

Annotated lyrics

What Music means to me

Lip sync Practise

Website Analyses

Teacher Assessment

A Level Media Progress Check - Denzil
Assessed by	NSE - Teacher
Focus of assessment		Music Timelines
Relevant assessment criteria		There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience.
Evidence of progress/ evidence of meeting criteria		You have shown the range of research you have completed about music over time.
Areas to work on next/ ideas to consider		You need to reflect on each era and consider the changes between them.
Additional comments		Good use of a new web 2.0 tool

Music videos 2010-Present Timeline

Music video 00's timeline

Music video 90's timeline

Music Video 80's Timeline

Music Video 70's Timeline

Creativity and Originality essay

I thought as a horror film opening our was quite original in comparison to other film openings. I fell it had our own twist on the film opening. One original part of the film was the start and mid way through where it was black and white was unique because there are few horror films in recent times that start and continue in black and white. Another unique feature that we added was the unique ending where the film opening cut out this added tension to the film opening and with the audience created a sense of enigma. Another part where we were original was that we incorporated speech into the opening which is quite original and no one has really done before. The reason we done this is because it meant the targeted audience could relate to them instantly. Another thing I think we were original in was the titling of the film it added to the conventions of a horror film but still was unique.

There was some parts though where I thought we could of been more unique in the film opening and put more of our own twist on it so going forward in this task there could be some things we could improve. One thing we could do in this task is be a bit more unconventional whilst still being recognised as the genre of music.

Codes and Conventions essay

Looking back on the video that we done I think there were many aspects where we followed conventions but there were some aspects where we went against convention and went down our own path. First of we had to research all the conventions of a horror film and then what conventions we wanted to follow. One of the codes and conventions that we followed were an establishing shot to show where the asylum is. We thought we needed an establishing shot at the start because it shows the place that they were going into and the troubles they faced.  Also another thing that we thought was needed to be recognised as a horror film was the setting. There was two main areas where we filmed one was the woods on the way to the asylum. The other one was the asylum itself. these are two typical settings for a horror film and we thought were important which were needed to be recognised as a horror film and also create suspension and anxiety amongst the audience. The logo at the start was also very conventional of a horror film and we thought we needed this because it tells the audience what to expect from the film and tells the genre. The last convention that I feel that we followed during the film opening product was the sound track of the film opening this again created suspense amongst the audience and was an important aspect. 

Although there were parts of the film opening where I thought that we went against the conventions of a horror film. One convention that we went against is the characters that we choose. The people that starred in the film opening were two teenage boys who came from there sixth form. I feel this was against convention because what we normally see in a horror film is children and dressed less formally. I think this was necessary because it means that the audience we was aiming at could relate to them more. Another convention that we went against was the three weeks later part where we see bobby one of the main characters put up a poster for he's missing friend ben. I thought this was needed as told the audience what the movie will be about.  The last convention that we went against in the film opening is that the main part of the film opening was filmed in black and white. We thought that this showed that it was in the past and a nightmare.

Looking back on this I think that we would of went against some more codes to make the film opening more original. I feel what I'll do this time is put more of originality into our video. Also in my A2 work I'll make sure that the codes that we do, do are more clear.

Research and Planning essay

Research and planning In AS media the research and planning I did plenty of work in preparation for the film opening itself. The kind of preparation that I did was answering questions from ‘’The Art of The Title’’ some of the questions that we answered were questions like what is the function of a title and Select another film title that shows a story. Answering questions like this helped us because we then knew what we were required to do in our own title sequence. One more thing that we done in our research and planning was a questionnaire this was necessary and helped us because then we knew what kind of film opening that the public wanted and which film opening would be the most successful.

We researched the male gaze, Tordorov and Reception theories this helped us because we knew if we wanted to follow media convention or go against it. We also researched about some Budgets of films we researched a high budget film and low budget films to see what the differences is and how they utilised there budget. One more piece of planning and research that we done was camera angles of certain film openings this helped show us the range of camera angles that we could use.

The research and planning that I did had some strengths and weaknesses. Looking at mine in comparison to other research and planning that was done by my classmates and the media class that was done before I could make a good judgement on what I done good and bad. The things that I feel are my strengths in research and planning was the detail I went into the things that I done like the theories and the ‘’Art of the Title ‘’ I really tried and explain everything fully. The weakness that I feel that I have is not doing enough planning and research. This meant I wasn’t fully prepared for the filming of the film opening and it also meant I dropped some marks. For this year how I plan on being better and getting my research and planning mark-up is to fully complete all of my research and planning whilst putting as much detail in them as I did last year. How I will do this is by devoting more time to my media work.

Teacher Assessment: video analysis

A Level Media Progress Check - Denzil
6/10/2014	Assessed by		NSE - Teacher
Focus of assessment		Video analysis
Relevant assessment criteria		There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience.
Evidence of progress/ evidence of meeting criteria		You have begun to use media language and consider its placement in the video. You have considered the background behind it.
Areas to work on next/ ideas to consider		You need to analyse in detail many more aspects of the video. Consider specific mise-en-scene choices and how the music fits the lyrics.
Additional comments		Consider taking more screen shots of the video to exemplify your points.