Weather Issues.

Half Term's weather forecast for Banham, and Bury.

My orignal plan for my narrative filming was to film on Monday and Friday, and by checking the weather in todays lesson I've noticed an issue. Friday's plan for the Banham Zoo location is still okay, and with the chance of sunshine was something I dared to hope for.

My issue is with the filming on Monday at the Tent location, as that will be filmed outside near sunset/evening. Looking at the temperatures and the costumes I have planned, I don't think it will be warm enough for filming to take place as a possible 5C is far too cold to stay outside for an hour or so. Luckily, Wednesday is warmer with a possible 12C, although there is the risk of hitting 0C. It's a risk to change the days of filming, but I think it will be easier for my actors to perform in a warmer situation, so Filming must change from Monday to Wednesday.

Little Mix - DNA (Goodwin)

Little Mix are a good girl band to look at for example of Goodwin. Since they are a relatively new band, and have only produced a couple music videos, they have yet to develop a 'style' or 'motif' of their own, but each band member does have a certain outfit/costume styling. Rather than having the same outfit duplicated, each member has a version of an outfit style, for example, Jade (purple hair) has a more 'cute' version whilst Leigh-Anne (black hair) has a more 'urban' version. This could be seen as a visual style which fits in to Goodwin's Six.

Little Mix also demonstrates the typical characteristics of their genre, girl pop band, which is a synchronized dance routine, which all members contribute to. Again, the band are dressed similarly, but all have their individual styles.

The music video also presents many close ups of each band member, which is a main point in Goodwin's Six, and also, by watching the music video, there is a strong link between music and visuals, like cutting to the beat, which this music video demonstrates very well. There is also a link between lyrics and visuals, with the narrative of the song, and singing about loving someone you don't want to and 'DNA'.

Here's the music video to see the relationships stated above.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (Goodwin)

Lady Gaga is a prime example of an artist that follows the Goodwin Six. As a female artist, she is seen in a voyeuristic way, by wearing underwear or very small outfits. This also ties into the narrative of her music video, as she is being 'sold' to wealthy Russian men.

In this screen shot, Lady Gaga is also performing a dance routine with back up dancers, which is a stereotype from Goodwin, as well as her being voyeuristic.

In saying this, the music video also contradicts Goodwin, or at least change what he means when he talks about voyeurism, as there are shots of Lady Gaga wearing little of no clothing, which shows her as being anorexic, not the traditional object of desire. Lady Gaga is famous for being controversial. 

The music video also includes many close ups of the artist, another point from Goodwins theory, but again, some shots are controversial, but this could be seen as part of Lady Gaga's motif, as she often sticks to outrageous and controversial outfits, narratives and inspirations.

Here's the music video so you can see all these features/points from Goodwin in action.

FILM DATES.

After many texts, calls, skype chats and emails, I've finally managed to organise all my actors and sort out days when they are available for filming. So far the filming dates are as followed:

MONDAY: Practice set up of 'tent time lapse' scene, then if there is time before the sun sets, filming said scene with narrative actors Taylor and Billy.
Location: Karen's House

TUESDAY: The 'band' scenes and auxiliary photographs are to be done all tuesday with no exceptions with actors Olly, Jack, Jordan and Hollie.
Location: Dad's House

WEDNESDAY: Reserve day if tuesday's plan falls through or if some scenes are unfinished.

FRIDAY: Zoo scenes and car shots to be filming during this day, all filming within the zoo MUST be done this day as I cannot return to this location afterwards. Extra shots must be taken as a precaution. Car scenes can be done other days earlier in the week if time allows. Will include narrative actors Taylor and Billy.
Location: Banham Zoo and A14

Hopefully all the scenes will be filmed and ready for editing after the half term. I've given myself an extra day on wednesday just incase weather ruins scenes (e.g, the recent fog for 'tent' scene). If the weather is bad friday, I will have to film 2 weeks later on a saturday, which will only be done if the weather is extremely bad. Friday's filming MUST happen.
The camera so far is booked for the whole of half term, and hopefully it will stay that way, giving me more leverage if things go wrong. Wish me luck!

Time Lapse Practice

Yesterday's lesson was practice day! I've been trying to find camera which had a time lapse effect already on them, but failed in finding such a function on any available cameras. So yesterday I tried to 'cheat', rather than taking photos every second or so, I decided to see what a sped up video clip would look like. I was hoping this would create the same effect I was looking for, and luckily, SUCCESS. By changing the speed to just over 8000% I was able to get the effect I was after, and reduced 37 minutes into 30 seconds. Here's the product of my hard research and work. (Sorry for the quality, YouTube decided to be a silly and reject the higher quality video.)

The director of GIVERS - Up up up

During todays lesson, I decided to do some extra research into the original music video of my song, and did some digging on the director, Tim Nackashi. He's not a director I know of, and his music videos are not made for very famous people either, although he has a very artistic and beautiful style in which he creates moving image.

The first music video that stood out for me was by OK Go - WTF?
It's a very simple performance and concept based music video, having only the band shown in a assume a white room. But the way he uses colours throughout the video is rather spectacular, and on some occasions dizzying. Such a simple ideas by using the colours of shirts have created an awesome background.

OK Go - WTF?

The next video by Nackashi is for Fools Gold - The Dive, which personally I am in love with. The use of colours and effects are so beautiful, it's really given me inspiration for my own music video when I reach the editing stage. The style of this video is magical, just see for yourself, I can't explain the video and give it justice. 

Fools Gold - The Dive

Controversial Music Video

The music video I have chosen to look at is RUN DMC and Areosmith - Walk This Way. When this was first released, music culture was very divided between rockers (fans of areosmith) and Hip Hop fans (like fans of RUN DMC). Both stereotypes hated each other because of their music tastes, and at the time, not many artists/groups were like RUN DMC as black people then did not get the same amount of air time that white rock bands did, like Areosmith. 

That is why this collaboration breaks the boundaries that were constructed by fans and revolutionized way of thinking about rap music, as it was the first to hit the top 5 on Billboards Hot 100. The music video represents this divide of stereotypes by having RUN DMC in one room complaining about Areosmiths loud music in the other room; separated by a thin wall. The battle of music begins and RUM DMC then show the others what they are about, antagonizing each other and representing the hate between their fans. When Steven Tyler breaks a barrier through the wall this could represent them breaking down the boundaries and getting along with each other, because the next shot is the two bands performing on stage together. In this scene you can also see stereotypical fans of BOTH bands there, together, proof that Areosmith and RUN DMC succeeded in what they wanted to do.

        

The MEGA story board.

This is the big storyboard for the stop motion/time lapse tent scene. I've labelled each item/prop that is included, but in this you can see how I envision this scene to be.

This is will be set at 'Karens House' which will serve as the lead girls back garden, where the couple will proceed to make this 'den' area I have drawn above. This idea of this scene is to represent that 'happy place' all couples have, like alice's wonderland. I want the scene to be shot during the evening/sunset and shortly after at night, but I want a soft lighting effect. To create this I will use the fairy lights to give the illusion of this soft lighting, but I will be using high powered industry lights.

Introducing my gorgeous and fabulous actors!

As far as my character roles are concerned, I have two characters for the narrative, and four, maybe five (if I can find another musically capable person) for the band. 

For the Narrative, the girlfriend and boyfriend have been selected! They will be played by real life couple Taylor Cockram and Billy Ruston.

If feel they both can portray the level of happiness and charisma I envision for my music video, and as they are a couple, the romantic side of some scenes should come more naturally and look more realistic. 

As far as the band members are concerned, the current line up consists of:

Harry Withers, guitarist

Jack Golding, guitarist

Hollie Bailey, singer

And Olly West, drummer

Shot Lists

Here are my final shot lists! Here I've written props, location, camera shots and angles and other information. 

Concept Based Music Video

A concept based music video is a often used to describe videos that have no narrative or performance. Often these types of music videos have deeper meaning that are symbolic to the lyrics or mood of music or trying to convey a message its audience. Although some concept music videos have no meaning and make no sense which is the primary objective. But what they all have in common is their experimental use of editing, shot types and choice of mise en scene. My example of a concept music could be read in many different ways, which I think is the main aim of concepts'. The audience can translate what they see into seemingly random images or a deep meaning. 

Narrative Based Music Video

A narrative based music video is usually like a short film, it has a beginning, middle and end. The video will normally have some visual link to the lyrics, or theme  of the song, my example is Katy Perry - Part Of Me, who has broken up with her boyfriend and joined the marines to show her independence. Usually the artist or frontman of a band will perform the lead within the narrative, like in my example, but this is not always the case. When other actors are performing the roles its often a hybrid music video by having the artist/band perform instead of acting; so they're still shown in the music video. The only exception to this is a music video by Owl City, which is only a boy making a racecar. 


 

Performance Based Music Video

Traditionally, performance based music videos are done on a stage, and are stereotypical of the rock genre, like 'Bon Jovi'. They often have close ups of the frontman, lead guitarist and other attractive members of the band. Although all members are shown, usually the more good looking ones get more screen time to please their female fans. Also with performance music videos, often the audience are shown, as if to insinuate you are apart of the crowd enjoying the band's live music. This can be seen in the Bon Jovi video I've selected as an example. Because they are from a 'glam-rock' era/genre the band also costumed very flamboyantly, with multi coloured scarfs, very tight fitting patterned trousers and ridiculous jackets. Not every performance video will be dressed like this, but usually there is some form of 'stage outfit' involved.

Storyboards!

Finally finished all the storyboards! Lots of images are repeated so a couple of them are written, but I tried to detail these as much as possible, so when I go to film, I know exactly what I need and want. The nature shots are the only real vague 'boards as I can't really predict what the animals will do on the day, but I know I definitely want to film:
-Penguins
-Howler Monkeys
-Fur Seals
-"Lemur Encounter"
-Red Pandas
-Meerkats
-Otters
-Snow Cat
-Cheetah
-Tigers
-Leopards
-Giraffes
-Birds of prey
-Maned Wolves
-Zebras 

By filming so many, that way I can choose the better shots or do some fast editing cuts to the music (If the majority of the shots are good).

On the third 'board on 7/7 I plan to draw a detailed single 'board for the whole stop motion sequence (with the tent) so I can have an accurate picture including all my intended props. The box allocated wasn't big enough for a detailed picture.

Audience Research

So before planning my music video I created a questionnaire to gather research from my potential audience for my music video product. The questionnaire consists of 11 questions which will all affect my decisions when creating my products as they must appeal to my target audience.

Music Video Questionnaire

1) Please circle appropriate: Male/female
2)Age?
3)What genres of music do you generally listen to?
4)What was the last song you listened to?
5)Do you often watch music videos? If yes, why?
6)How do you get your music? (E.g. download, CD)
7)Circle appropriate: Do you like fast paced or slow paced?
8)What music video features do you think would be most effective?
-Narrative
-Performance
-Concept
-Performance and narrative
-Concept and Performance
-Mix of all three
9)What do you think makes a good music video?
10)What the CD/Poster of a song make you what to buy a song more?
11)What is you current favourite band/artist?

See results here in this SlideShare!

Audience research results from Pickwicken


Here are some quick photos of the hard copies of my questionnaire:

And a copy of a facebook message questionnaire:

age: 16

What genre of music do you generally listen to?: I don't really have a particular genre, i will listen to rock, metal, rap, pop,indie
What was the last song you listened to?: Dissolve me by Alt-J
Do you often watch music videos, if yes why?: Yes, I do. I like to see what they do with the song whether they act out a scene or its just a concert of them singing or messing around
How do you get your music(e.g download, CD)?: Either Itunes or Spotify then youtube for videos
Do you like fast or slow paced music?: Depends on my mood. Fast when I'm happy but then when I'm a bit under the weather it would be slow.
What do you think makes a good msuic video?: A good story line to it.
Would the CD cover of a song influence whether you bought the CD?: Definitely, if it has an appealing cover t make me want to buy it more. Iron Maiden for example have very good covers and I like to just look at the covers.
What is your favourite artist/band?: I haven't really got one really s:

Based from the research I have gathered through the questionnaires I can now summarise the "ultimate fan" for GIVERS, my chosen song. 

The ULTIMATE FAN (drum roll please)
The fan shall be male, and have a wide music knowledge and taste with alternative and indie music, such like Alt-J, Foals, The Lumineers, You me at six, Iggy Azelia and others. He would typically be dressed in turned up jeans, an indie branded ombre faded tshirt (Friend and Foe Apparel or Urban Outfitters) with boat shoes. He may have a habit of wearing fat peak hats or large beanies, again by another indie clothing label. He'd have a job in a non mainstream shop, possibly in a music store or book store. He could have several tattoos if he's old enough, all from a traditional "sailor Jerry's" style. He'd be heavily involved in a friend circle of social life, spending a lot of time outside in the sun, maxin' and relaxin'. He's also be with a long term girlfriend (so he can relate to the music video!) who is like him, but female (The FEMALE ultimate fan). His personality would be friendly, outgoing and the life of the party, or in his case camp-out as summer is clearly his favourite season. 

Tent Location

Location: Dani's back garden.

These photos are for the location of the 'tent' scene, although I am unsure on which angle to choose from for the tent and object placement. In a later post I shall show you my exact plans for the tent location and mise en scene placement, ect.

Here are the photos!

Scary Phone Calls, COMPLETE

YES. An hour later, I phoned Marketing for Banham Zoo and the assistant, who had already received my email from early in the week, has allowed me to film in Banham Zoo! I'm allowed to continue with my original plan, but the only problem that she had was if I tried to sell the footage/photos I take within the zoo. This wasn't something I was going to even contemplate anyway so everything is fine!
OH YEAH. 

This also means I can continue with my storyboards and finish them by next lesson!

About the band; GIVERS

GIVERS are an indie pop group that was formed in Lafayette, Louisiana in 2009. The current band members are:

-Tiffany Lamson (Vocalist and Percussionist)

-Taylor Guarisco (Vocalist and Guitarist)

-Kirby Campbell (Vocalist and Drummer)

-Josh LeBlanc (Bassist and Guitarist)

-Nick Stephan (Flautist, saxophonist and Keyboardist) 

All previously been active in Cajun and Zydeco music communities in LA.

On 1st February 2011, GIVERS signed with Glassnote Records and in March the same year TIME named them 'Ten Acts That Rocked South Southwest'. They also performed their first single 'Up Up Up' on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, it features on EA Sports Fifa 12 and US television series Glee (Season 3, Episode 15)

Glee's Version

  

Unknown to me until todays lesson, Glee, the US TV series, covered Givers - Up Up Up in there latest series. In there version they use the song in a very uplifting way. The majority of the Glee kids head off to a theme park and enjoy their day off school there having fun. Quinn had recently had a car accident which had left her temporarily disabled so couldn't go with the rest of the kids. Artie, the permanently disabled character, takes Quinn to a skatepark where a whole group of disabled people are skateboarding, BMXing and other sports. This of course is very uplifting for not only the upset character Quinn, but for the audience as these kids we assume cannot do regular sports like this, but are proving that they can. They show us that although they are not as physically on par with normal people they can still partake in the same activities, even some that even abled people cannot do.

This in itself is incredibly uplifting and rewarding for the audience to watch, and also a different take of making the audience happy and associate happy connotations with the song. Although I will not be using disabled people in my music video, I do hope to create the same level of excitement and happiness that Glee's version does.

Scary Phone Calls.

So today I phoned up Banham Zoo and asked for their permission to film within their zoo. The assistant on the line asked me what I would be filming, and for what reason and then directed me to another phone number which I needed to call in order to obtain their permission. At this moment I'm unsure whether they will allow me to film or not as this number went straight to an answering machine so I will try again later today, or tomorrow.

Just an Update on Today's Lesson!

Today I continued with my storyboard, I've now finished all the scenes for the beginning instrumental part of the song. Whilst storyboarding, I've realised how many shots must be taken in such a short amount of time to look effective, so currently I have 17 'boards for the first 30 seconds. Unfortunately I cannot draw anything more from this point on-wards because I plan to use the 'Banham Zoo' location, but there is a risk that I may not be allowed to film within their zoo. 

So, I have sent an email to Banham explaining my situation and my aims and am awaiting a reply. If they say yes, then I can continue with the zoo idea. If they say no, I'd have to put 'Plan B' into motion, and use different date scenarios within Bury St Edmunds. This would also be the most cost effective second option, but hopefully still look authentic. If not, I'll have to quickly brainstorm some other possible locations for a realistic looking music video.

Fingers crossed the zoo says yes!

Locations: Banham Zoo

The main setting for the narrative of my music video is with 'Banham Zoo'. I've chosen this zoo as it is very close to home, so will cost little to get there, can entrance fees will be free due to Tesco Vouchers. But the main reason of choosing this zoo is because of the variety of animals and the possible film opportunities it presents. The zoo has many opportunities to get up close to the animals, like the meerkat or giraffe feeding experiences, which could present some awesome shots for animal close ups and such.

"Meerkat Feeding Experience"

"Giraffe Feeding Experience"

Banham also has an interactive area were visitors can get close to goats and pigs, which again, presents more chances of close up animal shots, and also scenes involving the characters for the narrative. The Zoo also has a "Birds of Prey Demonstration" where eagles and vultures fly around a paddock above the audience. This could be a great chance for shots, but I'm unsure if this particular event is running during October, as the website is unclear. 

But what I'm most excited about, is the chance to film Ring Tailed Lemurs, face to face, with no fence or glass separating them. This area of the zoo is called "Lemur Encounters" which is where you can walk about this small area and interact with the lemurs. This could incredible for the narrative, and great for animal close ups too. 

                 

Overall the zoo has many good points and excellent chances for filming. I'll definitely try and use this location for filming, if allowed. I've just sent off an email to the zoo asking permission to film there, stating my objects of the day. Hopefully Banham will contact me back soon so I can continue my storyboarding of the Zoo section. 

Here is a link to the website of banham zoo if any additional information is required/wanted/curious about!

 http://www.banhamzoo.co.uk/Default.aspx

Media Concept Presentation

This is a presentation containing my original ideas in detail that I presented to the class.

Stop Motion Practice

TAA-DAAA

During last media lesson, I practiced using stop motion, as I want to incorporate it into my music video. Here I used lego characters and a toy car to make a short video of a woman being scared of a ghost. The lego base plate moves a bit during the film, but I think overall I did this quite well for a first attempt. I was using the method of connecting a HD video camera to a macbook and taking individual pictures, which for this practice task proved very effect. Although, when filming my music video, I think I may use a different technique, of taking lots of photos non-stop on a DLSR camera, as I want my characters to build a tent and 'den' area without stopping. This should also give the effect that time is passing more quickly, which is effectively what I want to achieve. 

My Song for my Music Video!

Givers - Up Up Up

This is the song that I have chosen for my music video. It's upbeat, happy and very summery, and I feel I can make a great music video for this song. It's super fun.