The new music video I have come across is Adele- Hello
After so long she has finally come back with awesomeness. Love her music to say the least. Her voice completely touches you.
The music video takes on a narrative storyline of Love. But not no rosy fairtale, it a sad love song, about breaking someone's heart and you can see clearly see that. From the happy life they started at, to going their seperate ways. Though that wasn't the intention, they were meant to last. It is a 6:06 minute long music video. Allowing it to fully tell the story from start to finish, as a typical music video lasts about 3mins give or take. Therefore, breaking the typical convention of the length of a music video. It goes through flashbacks, helping to tell the story of the love they had. Making the audience connect with the song, as you can actually see what was going on.This is shown through the jump cuts throughout the song, allowing you to see different aspects of the song, as they all have different meanings and level of signicance.
Adele takes on the role of being a narrotar and a performer. Giving the song more empathsis. Like in the scenes where shes on the telephone crying, then when shes outside singing. This is called Cameo. It works so well with this type of song and makes you have sympathy. Another way in which that was also achieved was through the way she would look directly at the camera. Completely capivating you and holding you in that moment and makign you feel as though you are part or it or going through something like that.
The most signifcant prop used in this is the telephone. As she sings about calling a thousand times to say she's sorry.In terms of mise-en-scene location, it takes place in like a house in the countryside somewhere in probably in surrey. To me, the house is probably where all their memories were created and thats shown because of how familiar she seems with everything and the fact that she taking off cloths from the sofas and all. The shot just before the song actually starts, looks as though she is reminising because of how she's inhaling the scents. The use of filter is effective at setting the mood for the song. It makes it so sorrowful and heartfelt. Adele really has that effect on people and most of the time is down to her voice purely.
The transitions are useful at telling the story as I've previously mentioned about the jump cuts. They are so smooth and seamless. There;s diegetic and non-diegetic sound which I love, because they are so good and work well with the song.
The scene I love the most, is the scene where its raining. As the rain is a representation of the sorrow, the way that its pouring down. means that it must be extremely painful. And the pain of having to walk away
The aspects of Carol Vernalis I have identified overall are as followed:
1) The use of continuty editing to make the sequence of the music video and give it structure
2)The use of based tracks that were made into jump cuts in and out of different scenes and shots.
3)Obvious editing that is in this music video is the use of the filter, its made to look vintage like, therefore adding to the authenticity of the song.
4)The use of slow motion, you can see this when you see Tristan Wild in one of his shots.
5)However, it doesn't have the camera moving in sync with the music, as I feel that would have made it harder to achieve the narrative of the lyrics, it would have limited the level of performance and not told the story as well as it did.
Aspects of Andrew Goodwood that I feel this music video can be classified as is illustration this is when the performance/image reflects the lyrics that is being sung/rapped. I don't thikn that it is a amplication because the narrative of the performance is far too brief to be that, its more so based on connecting the lyrics to the music video is the must interacting yet simple way possible. There also isn't any use of objectification of women in this music vidoe, or in Adele's music videos in general. She presents women in a way that is repectful and not allow them to be surbordinated by men, whereby there is no dismembered women seen in this music video.
In terms of the digipak, I have come across an album work art for one of the single's called "Song Cry" where I love the concept of it. From the new album August Alsina's currently working on:
He's a 22 year old American singer, who just like Krept and Konan and Krept and Kapone, have come up from nothing and have made something of their lives. He has gone through his own trials and tribulations in life, like dealing with his older brother be murdered and being a drug dealer himself. However, he has managed to turn his life around, in the right direction more or less. I particularly like this because it symbolises that greatness can occur. Which is shown through the rose growing through the ground. The use of rain, indicates the storm before the calm. Similar to Tupac's quote:
Rest in peace beautiful.
What I find appealing is the use of the editing of the colour. I love how the rose still has its colour. I feel as that approach can be applied to our digipak. Therefore, the globe in our digipak can be of colour with a glow surrounding, to indicate the greatness they are achieving. Whiles there's like a fade out of the other things on the album cover. Meaning that most the colour will consist on the globe and kind of fade out into the surrounding of a grey-ness just list that of August Alsina's album cover.
The way in which our digipak will differ from August will be as we don't have the name of the artists on the album cover. This is because August is still a up coming artist, whiles Kwabz and Kapone are well established and known, therefore, the need of their name to be on the album cover isn't really needed, as it will take up valuable space. Which is why we will only use the name of the album on the front cover. As it pretty much sums it all up.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media product? They vary depending on the genre
Codes and convention vary between genres, you will never see the same conventions of a indie and hip hop, as that's too confusing for the audience and that makes it harder for people to identify them if they're too similar. They also provide a structure for the music video
Technical- How meaning is conveyed used technical equipment, e.g the way the camera is angled, different type of shots, sounds non-diegetic and diegetic. The pace, the style of editing and the genre.
Throughout our music video, we have tried to maintain the influence of the use of camera work to help show the message we are trying to portray. For instance, we have used close up in scenes where the facial expression of the artists is critical in linking the performance to the music video. As it builds a stronger understanding to what we want to achieve. It is also for showing different elements of the music video to the audience, so that they see things from more than one angel. As angels are effective at giving meaning and significance.
Symbolic techniques- are the ways of showing meaning beyond, e.g facial expressions, body language.
We have used this throughout our work. We try to symbolise our lyrics with the emotional performance of our artists. So you can feel that connection with the lyrics and the video itself. Like you can see when the performance is presenting pain and heart ache.
Notion of looking- Stereotypes:
We break the convention of the females on this music video being subject to the male gaze "sex sells", as it doesn't match the type of song it is and it just degrades women. It subliminally means that in order for a women to fit in to society, she must allow herself to appeal to men the way they want you to. However, we do stick to the use of the 9 give or take base tracks, as it helps us to achieve a structure for our music video.
Mise-en-scene (Costume)
The use of costume was effective at presenting the combinations of genres that our artists were from. As the artist Estelle Da La Rose has taken inspiration from Emeli Sande, it's only right that we try to maintain her style. Emeli is know for always being so well dressed. She always looks elegant and she is a prime example of how women should represent themselves. Unlike so many female artists that are subject to the male gaze. She breaks free from that stereotype, and represents herself in a more lady like way. She covers are imitate areas accordingly. It is respectable, as she has a target audience consist of grown women, ranging from the ages of 40-55. So its prime that she is appealing to them, as they are grown women, that have experienced life and realise that one should dress accordingly. Likewise, it is also great for younger females to, as it shows that you don't have to show a lot of flesh in order to be seen as sexy. A women with class, is what is sexy. Don't degrade yourself to fit into the male gaze stereotype and lose your own self value. Keeping the convention of the artist Emeli Sande, this is also evident in her own music videos
With the male artists Kwabz and Kapone. We also used the typical style that Krept and Konan use. In order to appeal to their audience, which are the youths, where girls are attracted to that danger they represent as well as showing true emotion, and where the boys can relate to via costume. That urban attire, shows the authentic-ness of the artists. Keeping it in sync with their genre's stereotype. Sticking to the convention. Mise-en-scene (Prop):Things such as the family photo are used to draw the connection between the lyrics and the music video. The glass of drink is to show it is a depressant, as Kwabz is going through a hard time and all he knows is to drink away his sorrows, though it isn't helping him because it dragging him into more depression. The use of iPhones, is to represent the latest gadgets that artists get, it shows their wealth and its also something that helps to appeal to the target audience of aspirers. Showing that, if you work hard, you can end up with all the materialist things you so deeply desire. Keeping the conventions of this genre, as props like this are clearly seen in various real life music videos. As it helps to keep it authentic and ties in with the meaning very well.
Here you see the use of the family photo, as well as the prop of alcohol. Therefore, justifying my view of effective props to help signify the meaning of the song. As it makes everything more heart felt. At the same time, you could also justify that the use of alcohol wasn't used in its conventional role considering the genre. As whenever you see alcohol it is usefully used to present an artists wealth, because they will be popping bottles and having a good old time: Nevertheless, the use of this prop we used was in the right context we feel.
Mise-en-scene (Location):
The location ties in with the Urban lifestyle we are trying to achieve. We use Joel's South London home to draw the connection of Krept and Konan, as they live in South London. And it also helps to represent that home is where the heart is, as even though they have made it, he will still go back to the ends as that's were he is still comfortable in. Though they have made it to the mainstream platform, Krept and Konan are great at still sticking to their roots, which is what lead us to decide to use the urban setting in the first place, as realistically it was easy for us to achieve, because we don't exactly have any access to lavish housings. That would have probably been costly and long to gain the access in the first place. The use of the church is to link the lyrics with the music video, when they talk about praying. As it shows that religion pays a functional role at helping people cope with hard times, you are more likely to be draw to religion is time of great loss and experiencing hardship. It is also a beautiful location, which is why we wanted to use it in the first place. The location of Alexandra Palace is to draw the audience to a familiar location. It is used in various music videos with artists from North London, such as Chip in "Are you really from the Endz". Likewise, it is a beautiful location and looks good both at day and night. It is easily accessible with no restrictions making it a useful location to use. Keeping with the convention of the type of emotional song this is, but due to the fact that Kwabz and Kapone are meant to be grime artists, it should be based in the streets or more urban setting than what we managed. However, it is good in the sense that because they are mainstream artists, because it drifts them away from the urban like appeal because they are more shifted towards a pop audience. Mise-en-scene (Lighting):The use of lighting is important within our music video. In Kwabz scene, we use a spot light, to draw all the audiences attention purely towards him. As it stops them from losing connection to what he's trying to say. And it helps to show that the only thing you must focus on is him. whether its the props he's holding or his body language and facial expression. Other than that we try to see natural lighting through out. As it makes everything present and specifically happening at that moment.
Camera: We range the camera angel and shot styles throughout the music video. The use of close ups are mostly used to expression a facially expression or a body gesture. The use of a wide shot is to show some of the mise-en-scene location. The bird eye's view is to create the impression that your loved one, though no longer with you, is still here in spirit watching down on you, so you are not alone. The use of tracking shot is to justify that you are being watched, whether that being watching by Estelle Da La Rose or by the loss one, its ambiguous in that way. The use of the POV shot is to symbolise that the performer felt the presence of their love one, which is why she looked up towards the sky. We took base tracks of the same scene but from different angels, in order to allow the audience to see things from different viewpoints and for them to gather different meanings from them. I feel like we've kept the convention of the use of camera, as it works well with the meaning we have tried to portray.
Sound:
We purely use non-diegetic sound, which is the sound that is placed during the post production. That being the actual song we are using which is Krept and Konan ft. Emeli Sande- Roses. The sound is also parallel, as it matches the mood of everything going on within the music video.
Editing: In the chorus of when we have the birds eye view and the POV shot, we use the shot reverse shot to connect the two and make a significant meaning. The use of jump Shots is to give the music video structure, likewise it enables to see the action going on from different angles. This is achieved through the use of our base tracks that have been cut at particular points. We also use slow motion as it was effective to present what we wanted to achieve. To show that though it may be hard to move on from the loss, one way or another you have to let yourself heal and move on from it. Therefore at the end, the laying of the flowers represent that and when they walk away, it shows the growth we want to symbolise.
The performance- When a music video consists of the artist performing:
The music video we have created , does in fact consist with performance.
Narrative- Where the music video has a story line. our music video has a linear story narrative as it starts at the beginning all the way to the end:
The music video we have created, does have narrative as well, as it is our own interpretation of the meaning of the lyrics.
Mixture of both- both performance and narrative- we have that, as the music video is linear narrative, then at the end chorus its performance of all the artist and ends with a narrative like ending.
We can justify our music video as being a mixture of both, as it cause be described as having a fair ratio of both narrative and performance.
Cameo- we have this throughout our music video:
We have this throughout our music video, as our artists take of the role of being narrators and performers. Whiles Estelle Da La Rose is more on the narrative side, in the church scene where she is seen in the shadows of the performance going on, which is effective as she is still clearly present there in the scene. It also creates some sympathy for those have experience loss, because it shows that though you feel hopeless, one must remember that they are not alone, there is also helped when and if needed. Whereas, in the other scene with her fellow artists, she is performing, as you can only see the singing, there isn't any performance going on at that specific moment.
Ancillary?
There is a song connection between all our products as it has a synergy throughout. We have kept the code and conventions of it very strong. As well as the website looking similar to such artists as Giggs and Krept and Konan. Which will be great in terms of connecting with our target audience. We made sure that the ratio of the text and image was more towards the image, as its best for the audience to identify with the artist. We didn't really try to break any of the conventions as that would have complicated thing for us.
We have had such a successful day, managing to get done the scene as we first intended.
We made sure to get a range of shots, from different angels, to different closeness and style.
We managed to use the props as intended. The glass and liquor. However, we also used extra props, such as a picture frame of "Kevin" and an iPhone 6s, to show some of the materialistic things he has.
Joel's character Kwabz was amazing, totally took on the role and could feel the emotions and message the lyrics were saying.
Due to the fact that the boys are both caught a horrible cold, it has let me to make a executive decision and change our filming days. Whereby, we were meant to start filming as of Friday, as I have previously mentioned. But due to this it wasn't possible. Which is why, now we will be filming as of tomorrow Wednesday 28th October. We will receive our equipment at 2pm. Then after stick the same plan we had for the original days of filming.
In terms of the plot of the music video. It may be changed depending on how much we get done. That means we may remove the idea of the church scene and the performer. However, we don't want to happen, so we're going to see how it all goes and if it all goes to plan than we will stick to that story plan.
New production schedule
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Filming on Wednesday 28th October.
During that filming, we aim to get the therapy scene done. It will take place is Kwabz home. We are planning on doing all the base tracks for that scene and getting any other bits and bobs just in case. We plan on spending a few hours doing this, in order to prefect the scene and will not stop filming until we are happy with what we have produced.
The props: that will be used in this scene are: The glass of Jack Daniels. Which will be there to empathise the depression of losing someone close to you, as drinking is a depressant.
We will also have the prop of the sheet used by the therapist. In order to build the connection that the scene is a therapy session. Lighting will also be used to set the mood of the scene. As in the previous student, this played a huge role at setting them mood for the scene. As it helped to keep focus on the artist and show the pain he's going through.
Mise-en-scene: living room as a therapy room, where the table and sofa will be shown.
Actors: Joel will be playing as Kwabz, there will also be a therapist.
However, we will no longer be using a therapist, we decided that the scene will be wholly about Kwabz and plus it gives us originality from the previous student group's work, as its not like we are directly copying them anymore.
Today we were unable to film, due to Joel's doctor appointment and Tolu being ill. However, this has given us the opportunity to alter the decision of filming at Joel's house on another day or even finding elsewhere to film.
The option we have is to ask if we will be able to film in one of our college's office, meaning that the location of the mise-en-scene will change, so that we have to reconsider the different elements and props that will be available to us here at the college.
However, we could still potentially still film today, when Joel finally arrives, so that we can go to his house and get that sorted.
This is grime music video released in 2014 by Chipmunk featuring Stormzy and Shalo. This video shows all the typical conventions one who expect in a grime music video. Some of these things include:
Hood/Urban Attire
Urban areas
Graffiti and public defacing
large group of people
This music was filmed out south bank, in the skate area. This was good because it has a very gritty urban look about the area, which is perfect for a grime video. The group of males behind the 3 artists consists of other grime rappers, most notably Section Boyz. This helps to promote other rappers in the scene, something done a lot.
The clothes worn as usually branded clothes. Sometimes it is clothes that are worn because the rapper has been endorsed for example Stormzy is always in Adidas because the endorse him. However other items of clothing can be seen for example Nike, The North Face, New York and New Era. However there is also evidence of an artists own brand/clothing for example, Cash Motto by Chip.
The actual video uses a lot of rapid cuts, to show the fast paced movements of the beat and the lyrics. The camera is rarely ever straight, often moving up, down, left and right or spinning because it is keeping up with the rapper. This is done as they are performing to the camera, giving it a more natural feel rather than being in one place while the rapper moves about.
Having done our pitch first on Wednesday I have had a lot of time to reflect on what we did, what we missed and what we could have done better. After doing the pitch we received great views on a whole, giving a near perfect presentation. The 3 things we did well were
Good use of ICT
Great in depth detail
Well organized
In our pitch we used a variety of ICT ranges to present our work and ideas. Some of these included, normal videos filmed on our phones, powtoon, thinglink, moodboard, Prezi and the normal blog. All a lot of our blogs also included hand drawn images, pictures from Google as well as gifs. This gave our presentation a more lively feel, rather than us just reading from huge chunks and chunks of paragraphs. This element made it more engaging for those who we were presenting the work to.
The great depth we used was something we obviously knew we needed to add but it wasn't something I went out of my way to do for the purpose of saying I had a lot of detail. The great depths of detail where because we had so many ideas and so much to say we just kept writing and adding more and more information. Initially I didn't notice how much detail we had imputed but it became clear as we were actually explaining the ideas. For example our reasons for costume and how the audience we were aiming for influenced that. The idea of death and it being one thing that unites everyone and the use of different ICT all meshed well together.
Finally despite various PC problems we had a well organized presentation. All 18 posts were done in order from start to finish. The website we had was made to look as if we were artists. So an image of me and Tolu in our digipak pose was the main image on the page, the background was roses named after the song we are doing.
Overall I think we did a very strong presentation a good 10/10.
The feedback we got from the pitch was quite a success. The mark we got from our class was a 10 out of 10 for our blog. It goes to prove that we have put a large amount of effort into making our blog as good as it can be. We feel happy that our fellow peers and teachers enjoyed our blog and want to continue this work rate in our production and post production.
The Three things we were good at, according to our class mates, were:
- The level of detail in all of our blog posts. They felt that we covered almost everything that needed to be covered.
- The amount of media platforms and technologies we used. Rather than just using blogger, we incorporated other media institutions like powtoon,prezi etc.
- Lastly, they made the point that our research was very well organised. Nothing was jumbled up and the structure of our research was evidently clear.
However, the only criticism that our class and teacher gave to us was for us to put our blogs into a big presentation so it was easier for us to present.
Personally, I feel our pitch was quite was quite good. We put a huge amount of effort into making our blog interesting as well as detailed and useful. For our blog, I would give us a 9/10 as it was as detailed as can be. However it is not perfect, and we could have made it a big presentation as it would have made things easier for us.
We chose a image that could show relation to our artist through the theme of the song we will be recreating. That being Roses. As we though it was automatically draw the connection of the artist adn song choice that we chose.
We go the image from: http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1999/2-5-1999/rose99.html
Once you click on the link above, you see the rose itself and its decriptive. The reason why the image is in black and white is to symbolise, how the process of growth hasn't been complete yet. The image itself is beautiful and it corrosponds with the imagine of Kwab and Kapone, it hads to the color scheme of the blog and its easy on the eye too.
After the Pitch. I can happily say that it was a success for us, as a group and individual. It went better than expected and I'm still so shocked. As I'm really critical of my work this year, so be praised like that, makes me feel so good about myself, as it clearly shows the progression of my work in comparison to last year. I have matured and I'm taking this much more seriously than in the past. The hard work is really paying off.
The three things that we had done well:1)Our research was well organised. 2)Good use of technology .
Whereby, you can visually see our research in different apps, making it interesting and engaging for our audience. 3)The level of details.
The only criticism we had was that we could have made it easier for ourselves by creating a presentation that would have stored all our work. So that when presenting, we wouldn't need to scroll up or down trying to find the next post.
They enjoyed the way we spoke about the audience and synergy, clearly identifying both elements. Marisa particularly loved our concept of loss. Where we spoke about how that will be a theme that we show constantly. Due to the fact that this is a sensitive manner, everyone eventually experiences it in their life and its something that could be used to draw people together, to create a shared consensus and single moral community, in that case. So if we can actually produce that, it will be great.
In all honesty, I can't identify anything I need to improve, I feel like all I need to do is keep up with the level of work, the detail, try out new technologies, expand the range that I'm used to using.
We were told that we got a 10/10. I'm so proud, as we put in so much work to make sure we have literally every element identified and detailed. Which was effective, because even when we were questioned, we were able to quickly justify or clarify it.
Personally, I feel like my work is at least 17/20. As I still feel like my work need a little more push.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE USED
This Music Video was directed by the artists as well as him being a part of it. I really enjoy watching this video, as there's just is much going on and so much to see. It leaves you wanting even more than what you've been given. This is a extended version, where he has merged two of his new songs together, To make a lengthy music video. I've noticed that he may have done this, as he has always idealised Michael Jackson. He grew up loving him. Which is probably why he made his music video in such a way. Chris is always referred to as the modern MJ. Due to his dancing talent and his vocals. He must be making MJ so proud.
Due to the fact that Chris is a mainstream artist, his net worth is $30 Million. Whereby, he is able to financially support his massive productions. For this one video itself, he rented a Lamborghini, simply because he could.
In the first half of the music video, he maintains the connection between the lyrics and the video itself. As from the start of it, he seated at a bar, whiles being poured liquor. The video's ratio between narrative and performance is more performance than narrative. The female character that he's singing to, is subject to the male gaze, both by the use of camera and shown through by the way Chris looks at her. It is also objectified by the way she's dressed and how she's moving in such a provocative manner.
The use of transition from the bar scene to his individual scene is effective. As to me, it showing him with the girl and then him in his conscious. As the use of effects in the post production stage, helps to show how intoxicated he got after having his drink spiked. What's interesting is the fact that rather than having the stereotype of a man spiking a women's drink, its the other way around. To me, it shows that women can be predators as well as men. His performance is effective and keeping the music video and lyric connected, as it keeps on showing how there's "something in this liquor". What I also love is the scene when they reach the apartment. The use of colour is so good. Its impressive as they were drawn by Chris himself. As well as him being a singer, he also is a dancer, rapper, artist, director and father. He really is a talented man. I love the contrast between the bright colours of the painting with him and the lady. Its cool how his eyes glow in the dark. Likewise to how the lady's makeup pops out because of the brightness of it. What I also love is the use of effect that makes things look deformed and just odd looking. It keeps the theme and its just works so well. At the end of the first song, where they're all dancing, I love how the dancing is in sync with the beat. The song overall, works well as a party song and all the elements in it has made it successful.
The slow but sudden switch to the second song is so lovely, the transition is so smooth and helps to interlink the two songs together. So in a sense it comes across like, the songs are part 1 and part 2. Two parts of the story. At the same time its so humorous, to the fact the first song is all about wanting the lady, whereas the second song she no longer wants anything to do with him and so he just has no other choice but to move on. So when he does in fact move on, she wants something to do with him. The irony. the use of base tracks and discontinuous editing is so precise that it just works. The song once again is more based on performance than narrative. The mise-en-scene of Zeros (the shop or what) is good at linking the song to the setting. I'm so in love with the scene of the laundry store, where the dancers and himself are dancing. It makes me so happy and try to join it, though I don't know all the moves yet, its not a bad start. Its helpful at interacting the audience, as I've said it makes you want to get up and dance. the shot of the lady drinking the energy drink, is clearly for promotional use, I'm assuming that he is sponsored by that company.
All in all, its clear to see that I'm a big fan of Chris Brown, the guy is undeniably talented. I just hope that people are able to move on and let go on his past, as we all make mistakes and Rihanna has forgiven then so should everyone else should to. Nobody's perfect. Great video Chris, keep it up!
Aspects of Carol Vernalis I've identified in this music video as followed:
1)The use of continuous editing, to sequence the music video and give it a structure. Which allows everything to flow very well and easier for the audience to link the connection from one scene to another.
2)Obvious editing used in various scenes, like when I mentioned earlier about the shot where only he is seen and it's blurry, which portrays the whole "something in this liquor", I've also noticed the use of the "echo" effect, in the first 1.13 of the video, where he drinks the liquor etc.
3)The use of based tracks that were used as jump cuts from scene to scene. As it gives the music video structure and that allows one to not get bored of just seeing the same thing.
4)There is a brief use of slow motion, this is seen in the second part of the long music video(Zero part) when it's about to go into the chorus and it happens right after a dissolve, when he sings "I was caught up in the aftermath"
5)However, it doesn't have the camera moving in sync with the music. This is because that could limit the amount of time we see the performance of their dancing. As Chris' music videos is highly performance based. So the structure he has for this video, provides him the ability to showcase his dancing skills more freely.
The type of video this is under Andrew Goodwin's definitions is a illustration but I feel that is more so shifting towards the amplification music video. As the performance shown in this music video has so much meaning and it's very specific at presenting what it is he wanted to tell his audience. And likewise, it is something that those who follow his life on social media will under. To me, I see the song Zero about his ex girlfriend Karrueche Tran, that have been in a relationship for year on and off and she finally left him after the issue with his having a daughter was a breaking point. So it's like he says well fine F*** you then, I don't need you anyway. But hey that's my opinion who knows. This music also shows the use of women objectification in the first song Liquor. As the women is constantly being dismembered, first by Chris himself, then by the use of the camera work.
Entering this new year, have have come with a better mindset of how well I want to do with my studies and that is being reflected throughout my work. I have noticed the significant change towards my attitude and commitment to the blogger. Comparing my work efficiency from last year to now, there is a huge change.
I have started to put in so much effect in this project. but trying to make sure that all my blogs are detailed and lengthy. As well as that I have learned to finally properly embed YouTube videos and Prezi. Last year I struggled to present my work visual as I lacked the basic skills of embedding. But now that I know how to, I see the difference of how much it makes my work look better, rather than having to click and opening new tabs. Its so much simplistic and efficient.
The work that I would give myself is 15/20 so far, as there is always room for progress and it is needed. Its more so that I need to still work on my switching up my style of presentation. But in terms the quantity of my work, I feel that it is enough. Now its just up to me to make sure my maintain that quality.
The three things that I feel I need to improve on is how I present my photos. Rather than just uploading it on the blog via the insert photo. I should try to more fun about it, by using a photo sharing site for instance. Secondly, I think I need to use more formats in term of my presentation. But trying out different sites or apps, as well as just Prezi and SlideShare. To expend on my media creativity. Thirdly, would be just simply maintaining the quality of work I have going on at the moment.
It also mentions this:
"- When you post up screen shots/images can you use a photo-sharing app such as Picasa or Photobucket - that way you can embed the photos as a slideshow or similar, rather than load up your blog posts with lots of photos in a line.
- blog post 11 needs visuals please
- blog post 7 - could we have some analysis?
Small points but this will help push your grade even further.
Analysis of the video "Different"
You see the image of the album cover at he start of the clip before the song really starts. Showing that this video is produced for one of the songs in that album. As soon as the song's instruments really starts, you are greeted with the image of the parliament and Big Ben. Which is simultaneous to the cover of the album, as it has the same image.Throughout there's a theme of urban but expensive living. Which is associated with most UK rappers. Such the mise-en-scene of the Penthouse setting, the props of alcoholic beverages, their costumes with icy watches and chains. There is the use of Carol Verallis theory of women being objectified as the camera, tends to concentrate of their bodies(booty). I've also noticed that the shades are symbolic, they are used in the album cover and DVS is also wearing it in the video. It shows that his american dreaming is also on his mind, its like a tunnel vision, to that one direction.
Analysis of the video "Intro"
It is the introduction video of his album. It starts with Tim Westwood doing as he does, chatting the most and bigging DVS up. There are fades in and out of overlapping images of DVS himself and of New York city from a birds eye view, it is noticeable due to the yellow taxis they have in the States. The use of shades(Sunglass) in the album cover is also in the video once again as DVS wears its. Once again showing that he sees the bigger picture, the american dream, and hes aiming for that. The use of costume is similar to that of the album cover, as he's dressed so elegantly. You also see the use of Carol Vernallis theory of women objectification, as you see a women's backside, whiles the camera trails up the two women's body. The use of mise-en-scene: Props like the car, its beautiful and seems expensive, hes got a expensive taste for things. Which means that he won't settle for less. In terms of location, the video takes place at and in/around the nicer sides of London, which is like Central London, Westminister, Paddington etc. The video ends with the image of his album cover, once again reminding the viewer where the track is from.
Analysis of the promo ad:
The promotional material, is a short yet clear sumerary of the album. They maintain the theme font of the title "London Boy American Dreaming". As well as showing the cover of the digipak. Which links everything together. Throughout the clip, there are snipits of various songs that are featured in the album, as well as previews of the videos of the songs. It also contains the names of the various artists featured in the album, such as Castastic, Krept and Konan, Wretch 32 etc. There is infomation about booking enquires, as well as reminding us that the album is available on itunes. The use of hashtag "#L.B.A.D" which helps to interlink it with social media, as that means when people refer to it, they can use that and it will help generate interest towards him, as it is promoting his music onto a wider audience, via sites like Instagram/Twitter. The way there's a voiceover of him speaking about his music is effrective at catching your attention, as it feels like he really is just speaking to you and promoting himself directly to you, so its building that connection.
Overall, I feel like the key features that were used to help create a brand identity for the artists across all the products, were the use of theme. This was consistant through out, you could always see that they were all connected, with the theme of "American dreaming" . He made sure he maintained the use of Shade(Sunglass) props, as I keep refering to him showing that he's seeing the bigger picture, that he wants more out of his life, that he's ambitious and optimistic about where he sees himself in the near future. The use of costume is also consistant throughout, he maintains the smart attire and expensive jewellery. These all help to identify him, in conparion to other UK rappers, he stands out, as he's different. Literally from the song "Different" he really is, in the style of his music, in the way he presents himself.
We're filming in a public area, which means that we have to make sure to keep an eye on equipment at all times. To avoid losing things or things getting stolen. Meanwhile, having to bare in mind that we must try to not get disturbed by other people. So to minumise the chances of this, we will kindly ask people to move elsewhere whiles we film, or try to find a section of the area with less distractions.
If it is to rain on the day of our filming, we will make sure we are well equipped for this, as we will carry an umbrella. To ensure that there is no damage to any of the equipments we will sure whiles filming.
In terms of equipment, we have to make sure that we put them on in the right way, because sometimes when you place the camera on to the other equipment it isn't adjusted properly. So that it doesnt fall or get broken or even worse. Because through be told, nobody's trying to pay for damaged equipment.
How we plan to do the music video We plan on starting the filming on Friday, 23th of October.
During that filming, we aim to get the therapy scene done. It will take place is Kwabz home. We are plannig on doing all the base tracks for that scene and getting any other bits and bobs just in case. We plan on spending a few hours doing this, in order to prefect the scene and will not stop fliming until we are happy with what we have produced.
The props: that will be used in this scene are: The glass of Jack Daniels. Which will be there to empathsise the depression of losing someone close to you, as drinking is a depressant.
We will also have the prop of the sheet used by the therapist. In order to build the connection that the scene is a therapy session. Lighting will also be used to set the mood of the scene. As in the previous student, this played a huge role at setting them mood for the scene. As it helped to keep focus on the artist and show the pain he's going through.
Mise-en-scene: living room as a therapy room, where the table and sofa will be shown.
Actors: Joel will be playing as Kwabz, there will also be a therapist.
We plan on doing Konan's scene on Saturday, 24th of October.This will consist of getting the family photo and phone call elements of the scene done. Which means getting all the base tracks we need. We will only call it a day once we feel that we have gotten enough out of the day and that we are happy with what we have produced.
The props:Family photo album, as this will match with the lyrics "Family over everything, what am I talking about, family is everything". The iPhone, this will be used for when he's talking on the phone to his cousin, wishing him well and telling him, he can call him for anything. As we thought it would be symbolic if, st the moment of the verse when he talks about his cousin, that he actually does call him and so that he can be rapping down the line all those things hes saying to his cousin. As it will give the scene so much meaning.
Mise-en-scene: Kapone's house, in order to represent that hoome is where the heart is.
We plan on doing the Church scene on Tuesday, 27th of October.
This is because, we have managed to get a time slot at the church for that afternoon. The aim for that day is to get all the shots needed for that scene. That includes the shot of the church window, the shot of Emeli Sande playing as a narrative, whiles co star performs her prayer. Hopefully we can also get all the base tracks done for that scene too.
Mise-en-scene: St. Ann Church.
The Props:The church windows, due to their pretty details, so that thr audience can clearly identify that we are in a church.
Actors: Esther playing as Estelle Da La Rose and co star Arnelle, who will be playing as the person going through the loss of someone dear to them.
Though there isn't much change from the draft. I have changed some of the shots. Because I thought that rather than showing the roses literally, we could have the performer be the symbolism of it. As to say that the three roses that mum planted, is reference to maybe the loss person's siblings. Showing that though they are no longer there, their siblings have grown, in terms of age, maturity etc. Whiles before, we literally meant that the flowers were planted in tribute to the loss person and hat every summer should would plant them in memory of the past. With this new shot, you can interpret both of these elements, as it leaves the story a bit ambiguous.
We have stuck with the intital ideas to say the least though.
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This is the Draft on the music video storyboard. There will be a second and final draft, aftyer we disscuss what we will keep or change or replace. However, this isn't a bad start, as it's got most the elements we wanted fro mthe previous post of the moodboard. Yes we know, the drawing horrible but at least it makes sense.
Though there isn't much change from the draft. I have changed some of the shots. Because I thought that rather than showing the roses literally, we could have the performer be the symbolism of it. As to say that the three roses that mum planted, is reference to maybe the loss person's siblings. Showing that though they are no longer there, their siblings have grown, in terms of age, maturity etc. Whiles before, we literally meant that the flowers were planted in tribute to the loss person and hat every summer should would plant them in memory of the past. With this new shot, you can interpret both of these elements, as it leaves the story a bit ambiguous. 
