Rain scene

These were three of our test shots at filming the rain scene. We decided to do shots like these to add to the feelings of loss and sadness which is usually associated with rain.

One of the problems that we had was directing the water so that it was pouring onto us rather than next to us, and also making it strong enough to see on the camera. We also had trouble with finding the right location to film the shots. We first tried to film it against the wall but then decided against it as there was a drain pipe and a door which we did not want seen in our video.

However, we managed to overcome the problems by practising directing the rain and by filming in front of the fence which we decided would be a better setting for our music video and genre.

Editing

First Draft

This is the first draft of our music video. We decided that our music video was going to be mostly performance based with a little bit of narrative showing the separation of the two friends. We encountered the difficulty of finding shots that would be useful as some of the hand held shots were slightly shaky, however, we fixed this by using more fast paced editing to use different shots with parts that were not as shaky.

Performance Construction

As seen here we used a variety of shot lengths and angles to give our music video a more dynamic look. The low lighting fit in with the pop rock genre as it connotes that the music is darker than pop music. However, the lights in the background help to make it slightly pop instead of the music video just being completely rock.

Green Screen

 

Narrative

These are screenshots of the narrative that we filmed at my house showing how the two friends changed overtime, from being best friends to barely speaking to each other. The difficulties that we had while filming was making sure the two girls were in the same position between the shots.

Growing Tattoo

These are screenshots from our stop motion of the growing tattoo on Shannen's arm. We used two different angles, one in the same direction as the arm and one at a perpendicular angle to the arm. These two shots will allow the audience to see the growing tattoo from various angles to show different parts of the tattoo more clearly. One difficulty that we had was the changing light. To counteract this, we set up two lamps, although this did not stop the light changes completely.

Growing tattoo shot

This is the tattoo shot that we filmed. The improvements that we could make are to ensure that the arm and the fingers did not move and to regulate the lighting more so that the changing light can not be seen.

Post 13 - Photo-shoot Plan

This is the plan that we have written up for when we are doing the photo-shoots for our album cover and advertisement. We have decided that we are going to do the photos where we need the green screen on the 5th November, whilst we are at school and then we will take the photos on the abandoned tracks over the half term.
Shannen and I will be the main artists in the album cover as we are the main performers in the music video.

Post 14 - Location Permission

These are the emails that we have written to ask for permission from Sutton and Carshalton Council to use the locations for our filming. This is so that the council know that we are meant to be filming on those specific dates.

Post 16 - Track Permission Letter

This is the track permission letter that we have written to The Veronicas' management company. We need this letter so that we will be able to legally use the track without any copyright issues, especially when we are broadcasting the music video on Youtube and at the Media Showcase.

Post 15 - Talent Release Form

This is the talent release form which shows that I give permission to be filmed and to have the footage shown at events such as the Media Showcase.

Post 12 - Advert Design

This is my idea for the album advertisement. It shows the two main performers in one image, which is split in half. This shows how the two girls are connected to each other through the band and that they are one band but two separate girls. The advertisement also shows different icons which relate to the girls and their style, such as the rose and the broken hearts. The colours pink, purple and red are used to highlight the idea of the band being part of the pop rock genre, as there is a mix between the pop princess and the rock chick.

Test Shot

This is our test shot of the growing tattoo on Shannen. We tested the shot because we needed to know how fast the editing would need to be to make the shot smooth, easy to watch and realistic. The stop-motion idea may have been difficult to do due to the time and care needed when drawing on the tattoo. Another difficulty is that the camera and Shannen's arm would need to stay in the same positions for a long period of time.

We are also planning to make the tattoo extend from the arm onto the background of the shot, by continuing the tattoo onto a piece of card that we are using for the background.

Post 11 - CD Cover Designs

This is my idea for our CD cover. This is based on the idea of the two singers being one band and they are both equal, shown by the split page with half of their faces on each side. Both of them are seen on all of the images which shows that idea that they are both part of the band, not one being the main performer with the other being the back-up.

Post 10 - Shooting Schedule

This is the shooting schedule that we have planned so that we know what days we will be shooting, where we will be shooting, who is involved and what props and costumes we will need. This will allow us to organise our time efficiently during the production process of our music video.

Post 8 - Props and Costumes List

These are the lists that we have created which show what our props and costumes are. Our costumes are going to be the types of costume worn by pop rock artists which shows their rebellious and unique styles.

This costume would be worn by my character to show her pop princess side. The pop princess style is shown through the use of pink with black.

This costume would be worn by my character to show her more rebellious, rock style. This is seen through most of the costume being black with the purple and black tights.

  

The leather jacket would be used to show the two girls' rebellious sides, as the leather jackets are usually associated with rebels and punks.

Post 7 - Storyboard animatic

This is the animatic showing our storyboards in time to the song that we are using.

Post 9 - Location Shots

This is one of our locations due to the fact that it could be seen as a typical teenage girl's room. We would film the shots of Shannen and Lindsay watching films or having a sleepover during the graphic matches showing how the two friends were before and after they started to change.

 

This is one of the locations used for the flashback shots where we are showing the before and after of the two friends. This is because we can show the equilibrium by making the room light and open, and then show the disequilibrium by closing the curtains to make the room seem darker.

  This is one of our photos of London where we will film parts of our narrative for our music video. We would film the parts of the narrative where the girls were arguing and breaking apart from each other.

Post 6 - Concept

 

These were our original concept ideas. We were planning on filming in London close to the Tate Modern and around other parts of London. We are now planning on filming in Sutton on the bridge close to the park and at Carshalton ponds. The concept of the costumes and props have not changed from the original ideas to the final ideas.

 These are our final concept ideas. We are planning on using the green screen to show the difference between the two different genre extremes of pop and rock. The narration consists of two friends moving apart from each other until they are no longer friends. We are showing the contrast between the time when they were best friends and the time when they are completely different from each other.

We plan to film our music video in a variety of locations, including Central London for the narrative and a drama room for our performance shots. This is because Central London is a busy place where friends go on day trips together and there is a lot of activity there. The drama rooms have low-key lighting due to the black walls, floor and ceiling but they are equipped with spot lights.

The two singers in the group will wear contrasting costumes in order to highlight the theme of two friends moving apart from each other and also to emphasise the pop rock genre.

Post 5 - Image Annotation

The image that we wish to create for our artists is a pop princess and rock chick contrast. One of our singers would wear pink and black colours with dresses, skirts and leather jackets whereas the other singer will wear red and black colours with black boots, leather jackets and skinny jeans. We have been inspired by the artists Hayley Williams and Avril Lavigne. Hayley Williams is inspiring our "rock chick" look whereas Avril Lavigne is inspiring our "pop princess" look.

Our target audience is mostly teenage girls who enjoy wearing clothes in the style which is between a  "rock chick" style and a  "pop princess" style and listen to pop rock music. The two main performers are wearing a pop princess look and a rock chick look which gives the target audience both styles to look up to.

Post 3 - Song Details

These are our notes on the details of the song that we have chosen. We chose this song because it is very lively and energetic. There is also a story in the song with a lot of emotions in it, which we could portray in a creative way. We can relate to the meaning of the song which would allow us to create the story in the music video.

Post 4 - Lyrics Annotations

 

Post 2 - Roles

These are our roles for our music video.

Lewis will be a performer and will be in charge of lighting and camerawork.

This is because Lewis is very creative and will be able to make the setting effective even if it was simple. He also plays the bass which would be an advantage in our performance shots.

Ben will be a performer and will be in charge of sound and editing.

Ben is in charge of editing because he is the most experienced in editing, so even though we will all do editing, he will have a main role in the editing. He has had previous experience on the drums which is why he is a performer.

Shannen will be a performer, editor and director.

Shannen is the director because she is able to take a lead role, especially when making decisions. She is one of the singers because the song is performed by two females.

I will be a performer and will be in charge of sound and mise-en-scene.

I am in charge of sound and mise-en-scene because I can be creative when thinking about the costumes and setting to make the music video's mise-en-scene relevant to the song and the concept. I am one of the performers because the song is performed by two girls so I am performing as one of the girls.



Post 1 - Initial Ideas



These are the initial ideas for our music video. The song that we are planning on doing is 'Did Ya Think?' by The Veronicas. We have chosen this song because we like the story that it behind the song and it is fast and energetic for us to create a typical pop rock music video. The type of costume that we have chosen is punk clothing with dark colours for the main costume but bright colours for the accessories. Our location is going to be a dark, urban location in a large city such as London.

Post 17 - Audience Research 2

This is the analysis for our questionnaire results.

Post 16 - Audience Research 1

 This is our vox pop video of asking different people within our target audience what they thought they would expect to see in a pop rock music video.

Our target audience have told us that in pop rock videos, they expect to see a lot of performance shots and a narrative which is clear and matches the concept. In pop rock videos, they expect to see the performers wearing dark clothing and heavy make-up with either long black hair or long hair with a variety of colours.
This is an example of our questionnaire.

Questionnaire

1) What gender are you? Please circle:      Female        Male

2)What age group are you in? Please circle:

10-15       16-24       25-34       35-45       46-59       60+

3) What genre of music do you enjoy the most? Please state:


4) Who is your favourite artist or band and why?


5) What is your opinion of pop rock music?


6) How do you consume music?

• Buy online
• Buy in store
• Use YouTube or Spotify
• TV
• Radio
• Other? Please state

7) Do you have any favourite music videos? If so, which ones?


8) Do you go to concerts? If yes, how often?


9)Where do you find out about new music?


10) Are there any music magazines/websites that you use regularly? If so which ones?


11) Do you listen to more British artists/bands than you do international artists/bands?

• Yes
• No
• Equal amount

12) Please state your ethnicity and occupation.

Post 11 - Pop Rock music video analysis

Music Video 1: Check Yes Juliet - We The Kings

The editing is fast-paced during the performance shots but still cuts to the beats. This makes the music video easier and more orientating for the audience to watch.

Music Video 2: The Best Damn Thing - Avril Lavigne

Music Video 3: Now - Paramore

The establishing shot at the beginning sets the mood of the music video. The mood that has been set here is a mysterious and eerie atmosphere due to the lone tree in the middle of the two people facing off to each other from opposite sides of the screen.


A slow motion effect has been used when the grenade was thrown to show the cliché of time going slowly when something bad is about to happen. The slow motion effect is used throughout the music video to shoe the effect of the battle, as we can see the actions more clearly.


The low-key lighting makes the setting look grim and hopeless for the protagonists. The extras who are fighting the war are all shadows which makes the seem less significant than the lead singer. The low-key lighting is conventional for pop rock music videos, which have a slightly more rock-like element to it.


The continuity editing of the extra throwing the grenade and then it exploding is in time to the beat of the music. The long shot shows Hayley walking through the war while it is going on around her. This is effective because we are able to see the whole situation of the war.


The introduction of the paint smoke is showing a new concept of the video, of bringing colour, and therefore hope to the war that is going on. The band now seem different and more eccentric from everyone else.


A variety of camera lengths and movements are used throughout the music video during the battle. Close-ups are generally used when Hayley is lip-synching and long or mid shots are used to show parts of the war. The camera is handheld which gives the video a more dynamic look, which is typical of pop rock music videos.

Post 12 - Pop rock music video conventions

Playing instruments:

All three of the bands in these clips are shown to be playing instruments. The editing between each of the band members is very quick and goes with the beat of the music.

Rebellious, Casual clothing:

In these clips, the artists are wearing mostly dark but casual clothing. This makes them seem more relaxed but can also give a hint of rebellion to the music video.

Narrative:

The narratives match the lyrics of the song and the mood of the song is conveyed through the narrative. For example, a song with a sad mood would convey the emotions through having a sadder narrative.

Performance shots:

The performance shots cut between the narrative to break it up, they also promote the band as they are shown to be performing their song.

Post 14 - Record Label Research

This is my research on the three record labels, Fueled By Ramen, Island Records and Parlophone

Post 13 - CD Cover Research

Post 15 - Album Advertisement Analysis

Advertisement analysis from Lindsay Brophy

Due to the fact that advertisement 2 is an advertisement for a tour, some of the conventions are different. Instead of having song titles and an album title, the advertisement will have tour dates.

Post 10 - Pop Rock moodboard

Post 9 - Andrew Goodwin's theory: Dancing in the Distraction Factory



An example of an Illustration music video is 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus. The lyrics are telling a story about a boy in high school. The images in the music video also show a boy in high school who is unpopular but finds the girl that he likes. The band are dressed as they would be expected to dress. The editing is always cut to the beat. We could create an Illustration music video by making the meaning of the video very literal and easy to understand, by the performance in the music video matching the lyrics.


An example of an Amplification music video is Paramore's 'Anklebiters' music video. In this part of the song, the lyrics "What do you actually expect a broken mirror to reflect" have been shown by the rose jumping through the mirror, while trying to get away from the "anklebiters" that are seen throughout the video. This is a more abstract way of expressing the lyrics in the song. We could use this in our music video to make the video look more creative and abstract by using more effects and 'thinking outside the box' to express our lyrics.

An example of a Disjuncture music video is 'Da Funk' by Daft Punk. The music video is more like a film rather than a music video, instead of lyrics and lip-synching, there is dialogue. The music video also does not cut to the beat. We do not know whether the lead singer was dressed up as the dog or whether he was an actor but this is not generally how Daft Punk were seen. We could create a disjuncture music video by using off-beat editing to disorientate the viewers and we could look very different from how the band are expected to look.


Another band who could be used as an example are 'Versailles', a J-Rock band who dress like French aristocrats. This would attract more people to listen to their music because they would be curious of their style of costume and then their sound. If we wanted to create a disjuncture music video, we could dress up slightly different from the norm to catch people's attention.

Post 8 - Vernallis' Theory: 'The Kindest Cuts- Functions and Meaning in Music Video Editing'

McFly's video for 'I'll be Okay' is an example of a music video described in Carol Vernallis' theory. This is because there are many different locations which are continuously being changed. There is more than one concept which is shown by the different locations, how feeling down and lost can cause you to do certain things such as drinking more alcohol or watching television all day by yourself.


There is an absence of time in the music video apart from at the end when everything starts getting better, such as the rain stopping.

The band are the visual hooks, they link the non-continuous shots together by being in them performing. The music video I focusing on them rather than on a narrative.

Jessie J in the music video for 'Domino' is also seen as a visual hook because she is seen in all of the shots, even when there is a change in background or costume. This links all of the shots together.


Shots of the artist will encourage us to piece together a 'phantasmagorical body' of the artist. For example, in Kylie Minogue's 'Spinning Around' music video, we are shown parts of her body which allows us to piece them together in order to make an ideal body.

I would use this theory in my music video by using different locations to show more than one concept. We can also use one or all of us as a visual hook to link the non-continuous shots together which would make the video editing smoother to watch.

Post 7 - Low budget ideas: The Fix - Just Got Paid

This is my analysis of the low-budget music video for 'Just Got Paid' by The Fix. I have also included some ideas from this video that I could put into my music video.