Progress...

Today in lesson I finished marking up all my footage. When it comes to properly editing which I will begin next lesson everything is organised to where it needs to be. I found that we had quite a few outtakes of footage, but after watching all of them they are each to an extent useable in the video if we are short of footage. This is my overall spreadsheet of all the footage, the codes, description of each piece of footage and also whether the quality of each clip is good or bad. 

Marking Up Footage...

In class today we learnt how to mark up footage, this means to keep footage organised and labelled in a useful way which we can quickly refer to. To keep my recorded footage organised I assigned codes to the footage so that I am able to find the exact footage I need when I need it, instead of having to re-watch footage that is not useful. I created a spreadsheet with each code and a description of what is seen in the clip, the advantage of this is that anyone can refer to a clip and should be able to find the clip they want immediately having followed the coded system. 

• This is my spreadsheet, including the code and the description. The code refers to the scene number for example scene 1 (S01) and the take number for example Take 1 (T01) I also included in this spreadsheet a description of each clip, that way I know what is in the clip and will be able to find the footage I need immediately. The last column in the spreadsheet is the quality of the take, so if I have three takes of one scene I will choose the best quality footage avoiding shaky camera footage or an overall bad take. This will give the best possible outcome of my overall project.

• This is the final cut project, the use of bins and code references makes the footage much more accessible, for this short project that I am making, marking up footage is helpful but not necessarily vital. Raw movie footage for a large project marking up footage is needed so that the editors are able to refer to the scenes that have been recorded as there will be 1000s of hours of footage, to keep it easier marking up footage is completely vital. 

• This particular videos shown below is the contents of the 'scene 5' bin, this bin contains all takes that we recorded of scene 5. When I want to find the best take of a particular scene I will refer to the bin and then to the best scene, referring to my spreadsheet. Organisation will make it extremely easier when editing, and other people should be able to use my system to also easily find the footage.

Techniques key term glossary..

Key Term Glossary 
Techniques

Cutting To Beat - This is a specific editing technique that involves a sharp shot change that is synced with the change in beat of the song. So, when the beat changes in the track you will be able to see the video change to a different shot. An example of this is the track 'Latch' by Disclosure, when the song starts up the video sharply changes shot in accordance to the beat of the song. This is effective because it makes the video appear more creative, without editing techniques such as cutting to beat the music video would look like one continuous film without any sharp changes of footage which is what makes the overall video interesting. 

Disclosure - Latch 

Effects - There are various different effects that can be used in music videos. Post production effects are added to the music video during editing, this can alter the 'look' to your music video. There are different effects such as making it glow, contrasting colours or making it black and white. These are not  as expensive as CGI and effects that cost producers thousands to use. An example of a music video that uses effects is 'Don't turn the lights on' by Chromeo, the effects in this video are really successful in appearing creative, it keeps the audience fixated on watching the video because of how interesting it looks. That is why artists, directors and editors use special effects in music videos because it makes the video more appealing, creative and artistic and much more enjoyable to watch. 

Chromeo - Don't turn the lights on

Miming and lip-Syncing - This means to completely match lip movements with the singers vocals. This will occur during the editing stage, this makes the overall project perfect in the sense that the singers voice is faultless, they will be recorded in the studio and synced up to the artists mouth movements in the video itself. This may also be the case at live performances, some artists might lip sync at concerts so that their voice sounds as good as it does on their music video to the song rather than how it sounds live. Lip syncing must be correct for the video to look professional, if lip syncing is just a second out then it will have a negative effect on the audience as it won't look as though the artist is singing, and the video will not look finished or proper. Any music video is a perfect example of lip syncing however the track 'Yonkers' by Tyler The Creator is a good example because he only mimes certain parts of the song, you can see where the lip syncing stops and starts again. 

Tyler The Creator - Yonkers

Camera Movement and Angles - The use of camera angles and movement is crucial for a music video,  when shooting a music video it will be shot from various different angles so that the overall project will look more exciting as there will be a range of shots and angles. The use of camera angles may provoke different emotions and provide a different experience for each individual viewer. Music videos may include high angles, so that that the person in the video appears smaller and less significant, low angles to give the impression that the artist holds power and status in the video and a birds eye view shot will show the scene from overhead looking directly down on the action. Music videos will also include camera movements, these are the most common camera movements used in music videos, panning where the camera scans the scene horizontally on an axis, Tilting which scans a scene vertically, dolly shots which is where the camera is strapped to a moving vehicle following the action and hand held which is where the camera man will hold the camera in hand and follow the action, this may be used at live video performances to suggest that the video is a fans recorded footage to emphasise the atmosphere. Camera movements make a video appear exciting and interesting, creative and artistic, without a change in camera angles and movements the video would be a continuous flat shot which provides no exciting experience or a change in emotion for the audience. This is why camera movements and angles are used. An example of a music video that includes a wide range of camera movements and angles, is the song 'Anxiety' by Angels & Airwaves. 

Angels and Airwaves - Anxiety

Chroma-Key - This is a technique which allows us to place a person in a background that isn't really there, for example if we wanted to put an artist singing in front of The London Eye we would be able to use a green screen to use London as the background so it looks as though they are actually there, this is used in media pieces from music videos to weather broadcasting. The green screen is replaced by another colour or image so we appear in a background that isn't behind us. Chroma Key is popular for music video directors and producers to use because it saves money as they don't need to visit the actual location, also it is effective in making the music video seem inventive and the audience will enjoy watching it. Again the Queens of The Stone Age 'Go With The Flow' is an example of the use of chroma key, the video sticks to a the colours of red and black and the band have been placed into the background.

Queens Of the Stone Age - Go With The Flow

Oasis - Live Forever 

This is also an example of chroma key as the video has selected parts in colour, and everything else remains black and white. 

Conventions key term glossary...

Key Term Glossary
Conventions 

Lyrical Interpretation - The lyrics of a song are usually either explicit, meaning they are clearly expressed, easily understood and there is no doubt as to what they mean. The lyrics to a song will be exactly what you see in the music video. An example of a song like this is, Taylor Swift - Love Story. On the other hand, the lyrics can be implicit, meaning they are not fully explained but are merely implied. The use of implicit lyrics allow the audience to interpret what they mean. Songs that require us to interpret the lyrics usually have a hidden meaning and can as a result mean several different things at once. An artist may choose to hide the true meaning behind their lyrics because it will allow the audience to create their own meaning and interpret it in anyway that they want, this is effective because the audience can bend the meaning of a song to suit them. An example of this is the song 'Human' by The Killers, the lyrics to this song are very odd, and are hard to make sense of and so the audience are able to interpret them in their own way. 

The Killers - Human

Extending or consolidating meaning - This is the idea that a song itself holds a certain idea behind the lyrics, this can be expressed through the music video. Therefore, a music video can extend the way we interpret the lyrics and add a new layer of meaning altogether or the video will consolidate and reinforce the meaning behind the lyrical content, it will combine the idea of the lyrics and the video into one whole coherent idea. An artist may choose to create an extended meaning in a music video because it may make the the song appear more artistic, consolidating the idea in the video is also effective because if the audience have any doubts as to what the song means they can be reassured by watching the video. An example of a music video that extends the meaning of the lyrics, is 'Back to Black' By Amy Winehouse, the lyrics make you assume that the song is about a break up between a man and a women but when watching the video the hidden message behind it becomes clear. 

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

Allusion - This can happen in any media piece, it can simply mean to refer to someone or something else throughout your piece of work. Allusions are apparent in almost every creative work, whether this be film, TV, poetry or in a book. In a music video an artist could just call something to mind without having to mention it, it could be considered an indirect reference to another piece of work that the audience may or may not pick up on. An artist may allude to another in their own piece of work to show respect or admiration for their fan base to see, this is very similar to paying homage. One example of an artist which alludes to another's piece of work is the Queens of the Stone Age track 'Go With The Flow', I think this is an implicit allusion to the comic 'Sin City' as it follows the unique colours and genuinely looks like a comic book. 

Queens Of The Stone Age - Go With The Flow 

Links to other artists - This is where an artist will simply make links to other artists through their own work either positively or negatively. This could involve the mentioned artists featuring in the video or their name in the lyrics, this will result in the two artists reinforcing each others image and perhaps gaining each others fan base, this is why many artists make links to other artists in their videos and collaborate because they each gain from it. Two well known artists that often make links and references to each others work is Eminem and Dr Dre, each have featured numerous times in each others videos and often mention each other in their lyrics. By doing this they are gaining a larger fan base, and the audience will always link Eminem and Dr Dre together. Eminem gains the popularity of Dr Dre and Dr Dre gains Eminem's popularity which is an obvious positive outcome. An example video of this is 'The Real Slim Shady', Dr Dre doesn't sing in the video, he is referred to in the lyrics and appears in the video for a very short while. Also, this video also makes negative links to other artists such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. 

Eminem - The Real Slim Shady

Style key term glossary..

Key Term Glossary
Styles..

Parody/Pastiche - Parody/Pastiche is used in music videos with the intent to mock or comment on someone else or their pre-existing work. Parody/Pastiche can be specific to an individual or an entire style of work. A certain artist may choose to parody another because it may present themselves in a different way to how they have already been perceived, it therefore attempts to gain a larger audience because of the humour within the video. It may attract attention but the success of a parody music video relies on whether the audience has seen the original piece of work for them to be able to understand the parody behind the video. An example of this is Mark Ronson's Parody of the song 'Just' by Radiohead, he mocks the original idea behind the video. Aside from personally mocking the band, he also ridicules the general seriousness of music videos altogether; as the Radiohead version of 'Just' is very serious Mark Ronson is mocking this.

Mark Ronson's Version

Radiohead's Version

Animation - Animation is the use of a sequence of images to create movement in a music video. There are various types of animation that can be used in music videos, traditional animation which is where everything is drawn on paper, stop motion animation which is the combination of freeze frame pictures to create a moving motion, Computer animation is where all animation is digitally created on the computer, and lastly 2D and 3D animation.  Artists may choose to create animated music videos because they keep the identity of the band hidden also animation videos might differ from all of their previous videos, making it unique which may again reel in a larger audience. An animated video may appeal to a completely different group of people and could entice the audience to create their own perception of the video. An example of an animated music video is 'Freak On A Leash' by Korn, this video gives the audience the opportunity to interpret the video in their own way as it does not follow a typical narrative music video that most artists have to their song. 

 

Korn - Freak On A Leash

In Concert 'live' performance - In concert or live performances will most commonly feature in rock music videos. The video will usually show the band performing live to an audience at one of their concerts, the performance will be broken up with other random parts of footage. Rock bands are most known for using live performance footage in their videos as it fulfils the stereotypical persona of a rock band, which is why they do it. The positive aspects of featuring a live performance in a music video is that it shows the huge amounts of crowds instead of focusing entirely on the lead singer alone, your able to see the band performing together and it appears more real as though your also at the concert; this could be why many artists and bands use their recorded concert footage in their music videos. An example of a music video that features a live performance of the band is the Guns N' Roses track 'Paradise City', it shows the band performing together whilst featuring the support of the fans, it is also littered with random shots of the band backstage and signing autographs on the street, live performances can be effective in heightening support for the band as it showcases their popularity. 

Guns N' Roses - Paradise City

Genre Specific - For a music video to be genre specific it must be created to appear specific to the genre at which it resides in. A genre of music is determined by certain characteristics and traits such as clothing, setting and instruments which are common amongst other similar artists/bands, this is what separates rock music from R&B music and R&B music from Reggae music etc.. So, a music video must be suitable and remain specific within the genre. An artist or band will remain genre specific most of the time because they will want to please their fans and will produce a music video which their audience expects to see, a rock band would not feature R&B back up dancers because it would not suit their genre. This is why not many artists collaborate with other artists outside of their genre because it would not be favoured amongst the fans. An example of a genre specific music video is 'King' by Fireball Ministry. This is genre specific in the sense that it is suitable to the genre of heavy metal music because it has the band playing their instruments, in predominantly black clothing and in a dark, mysterious setting which is what we would expect from the genre of heavy metal rock music. 

Fireball Ministry - King

Interpretative - The idea behind interpretive music videos is to allow the audience to form their own opinion of what they think the significance, story and meaning is behind the contents of a music video, the audience is able to do this by analysing the lyrics. Artists may produce interpretative music videos because it applies an element of suspense, it creates mystery and makes the whole video seem unique. One band that creates interpretative music videos is the band Tool, they purposely produce videos that hide the true meaning of what they are about, also combining animation. Many forums have been created to determine and interpret Tool's music videos and lyrics, but their large fan base have various different ideas, this makes the band extremely unique as they refuse to release the true meanings behind any of their songs. Here are two examples of Tool's videos that appear slightly similar. 

Tool - Prison Sex

Tool - Stink Fist

Narrative - A narrative music video tells a story throughout, it has a beginning, middle and end. A narrative video should be clear and concise so that the audience can follow and understand the story completely. Freytag's theory applies narration to music videos, similar to a film, a music video should begin with exposition, which should turn into rising action, gradually increasing to the climax, which is the most important and interesting part of the video, falling action will decrease the action down to denouement which restores everything back. Freytag's theory should be able to be applied to any narrative music video. An example of a narrative music video is 'Stan' by Eminem. This tells the story of an obsessed fan named Stan who writes to Eminem in the hope of a reply to be together, after he doesn't receive one he kills himself. In the case of this video, the reason Eminem has chosen to produce a narrative video is because he is speaking to his audience through the story of Stan, which may be the reason many artists create narrative music videos. Also, the fact that a narrative video turns the lyrics into a video means that it is literal and easier for the fans to understand and doesn't require interpretation.  

 

Eminem - Stan

Referencing/homage - To reference in a music video is to simply refer to another artist, genre or something/someone completely unrelated to the video. This is seen in many artists music videos, referencing and homage are slightly different. Homage is to pay dedication or respect to another in a music video, it can be hidden in the video or completely obvious. The Lady Gaga video 'Telephone' refers to the director Quentin Tarantino, if you have seen Tarantino movies then the references are quite obvious. The most obvious being the car that Beyonce drives during the video, it was the exact car that Uma Thurman steals in 'Kill Bill' named 'Pussy Wagon'. Another reference is the use of the name 'Honey bee' in the Lady Gaga video, this is similar to Tarantino's choice of the words 'Honey Bunny' in Pulp Fiction as one of the main characters is nicknamed this by their partner in crime, also the diner setting in the lady Gaga video is similar to the opening scene of 'Pulp Fiction'. Another reference is the use of font and colour which appears extremely similar to the 'Jackie Brown' colour and font, lastly the female banter in the car between Beyonce and Lady Gaga is similar to that of the girls in 'Death proof' and many of the shots of Beyonce in the car looks alike to the shots seen in 'Death Proof' of Tracie Thoms. An artist may chose to reference or pay homage in their video because they themselves were a fan of who or what they are referring to and want to feature it in their video, or because by doing that they might gain a larger audience as people who like Quentin Tarantino might watch the Lady Gaga video because of this. 

Lady Gaga Featuring Beyonce - Telephone

Chris Brown pays homage to Michael Jackson in his video 'She Ain't You', this is an obvious homage as it says 'RIP' at the beginning of the video clearing stating his respect, and also dedicating the song to Michael Jackson. However, another homage video which is not as obvious as the Chris Brown video, is the track 'Walk' by the Foo Fighters. They have used a clear reference to the film 'Falling Down' to pay homage to the director Joel Schumacher. The whole video follows the same plot of the film about a man who goes crazy and starts attacking members of the public. This video therefore uses referencing to show their tribute to the film in a very obvious way, only if you have seen the film prior to watching this Foo Fighter's music video.  

 

Chris Brown - She Ain't You

 

Foo Fighters - Walk

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Call sheet

This is our call sheet for the 19th December when we will be filming, all our cast and crew will have a copy of this so they know where they need to be and at what time. Our call sheet is very useful as it provides us with all the immediate information that we need in one place, it gives us every detail about our day of filming.  Hopefully the actors will have no problems understanding where they need to be on the 19th December. 

Filming day rescheduled

Unfortunately due to reasons that were beyond our control we were unable to film on the 11th of December, there was a misunderstanding with the camera and one member of our group was unable to attend filming. We have rescheduled our filming day for the 19/12/12 and we are ready to film on this day as all plans remain the same.