The location of a music video is a essential part of the production, and the final product itself. A conventional location relating to the R&B genre would enhance the interest shown to the music video and would appeal to the target audience even more. We have done this by looking at our audience feedback and coming out with three main locations that our music video would take place at. We also went into deep analysis of each location and what would be happening at each location.
Three different locations and the analysis:
All the locations were equally important as each other so the emphasis on planning each location was the same. The planning of my location helped me understand and evaluate the relevance of each location and also the advantages and disadvantages. With these locations the advantages had over-weighed the disadvantages as this was also a significant factor in determining which location to use and not to use.
Planning the storyboard greatly improves the structure and organisation of the filming of our music video. We would be going through the scenes step by step and coming to an agreement of what would occur during each scene. This erases any confusion within the group about the duration of each scene, frame number, and the amount of scenes that would be used. We created our storyboard as following:
Frames 1-4
Frames 5-8
Frames 9-12
Frames 13-16
Frames 17-20
Frames 21-24 Completing all the frames for my storyboard enabled me to understand the frames and shots that would be taken, and the order that they would be taken at. It also erased any questions regarding the filming process as we were all aware of what filming would be done when.
In this section of our planning we had to decide on who our characters are going to be in our music video. We had to think of suitable characters that would fit in our music video and be able to portray the storyline in the best way possible. Characters would play a significant role in determining the success of our music video as they would have to appeal to the target audience and stick to conveying the generic conventions. The male character that would be featuring in our music video would be Akram.
We came to an agreement that Akram would be suitable to be the character in our music video. The reasons behind this was because he is in his late teens and that would appeal to the target audience as the age range of the target audience is mostly appealing to the teenage audience. The theme of love and relationships would be easily implied as these themes are evident in Akrams own personal life which would make it easier for him to act depending because of him being familiar with the themes. Moreover, the way Akram represents himself through his choice of clothing and appearance would be conventional to the R&B genre as he wears casual mixed with smart clothing. The female character that would be featuring in our music video would be Jessica.
We decided that Jessica would be suitable to play the female character role in our music video. Jessica is also in her late teens which would be conventional to the R&B genre, and also suitable to the theme of the song that we had chosen. Jessica's past experience as being a media student would enhance the quality of our music video as she would be familiar with the conventions that need to be met. She has a innocent look which is conventional to the R&B genre especially as a female character, as she would be more emotional than the male character, as the narrative suggests. Planning the characters of my music video is crucial because the characters used has a important role in the success of the music video. Suitable characters used would appeal more to the target audience and consequently improve the quality of our music video product.
Pre-Production paperwork is essential in planning for our production because it prepares you for the filming of our music video. Pre-Production could be from making a storyboard to completing release forms. Pre-production gives you and your team an idea of what you're going to do and what your finished production would look like. However, above all pre production is relevant because of health and safety. Pre-production is carried out to make sure that the creation of your production is a safe and secure environment.
Risk assesment: The purpose for the risk assesment paperwork is to underline any form of risk that can take place during the filming of our music video. Having a risk assesment reduces the chances of any risks occuring as it enables us to be ready and knowledgeable of risks that could occur during filming.
Location recce: A location recce is a form that documents where each location our filming would take place at. It also includes the route we would need to take to get to the location. This would enable our filming to be organised as everyone would be aware of where we film and how to get to that location which erases any form of confusion.
Client release form: The client release form is used in order for the actors to agree in taking part in the music video. This form also allows them to understand what is expected of them during the filming period. Directors need it, performers need it and the actors.
Location release: A location release form is a form which is sent to the owner of the location asking for permission to film our music video there. In legal terms, this is very important as this would enable use legally have permision to film at that location. Moreover, this covers the production crew for any damages caused to this is also covers my production crew for any damages that may occur to the location during filming.
Production schedule template: A production schedule is used to tell the production crew of who needs to be at what location, the time they need to be there and what will be filmed during that filming period. This is imporant as it improves the organisiton of our filming and would make our production more efficient.
This further planning of pre-production paperwork as the most essential process in the planning of my music video product. This gathers all the imporant information that is required to consider before our filming. This would therefore have a possitive impact on the quality of our music video.
It
is beneficial to analyse existing music videos from a similar genre because it
helps us visualise how a music video within the R&B genre is represented.
Also it gives us the opportunity to study the genre in more depth knowing what
features and factors gain a response form the audience. Our aim is to impact
the audience so looking at successful music video's will give us insight on how
we can do this like those. It is also important to see what is already out
there and what might inspire us to come up with ideas we can use within our own
music video. Developing an idea can be difficult so to have something to work
from or compare to will ensure that the quality of recording within our music
video will be of a high level. Another reason to which viewing other music
videos is vital is so we can know that the concepts and themes within the r'n'b
genre that we will be considering are themes that are looked at positively and
in an entertaining way.
The Script ft Will.I.Am
With
this video, my particular interest is in star performance and how these stars
interact with one another.
In
this video we can clearly see the star representation, as the two artists are
both within the video and have developed a performance based music video. We
can clearly see the two stars lip syncing there lyrics to build a relationship
betwween the song and the audience.
Analysis
of 'Star' represrentation:
Single
shots (mainly MCU and CU) Lots
of two shots (MS) Long
shots of the two artists to show body language Low
angles represent the artists as superior and makes there ideologies seem more
important.
Analysis
of Location:
The
simplicity of the artists location represents their star status
Simplicity
shows seriousness of themes sung about
Urban
location relates to genre vand artists ideologies Aspects
of a low key location with low key lighting appears very effective.
Analysis
of Costume:
Relavant
to age of artsist and genre
Costume
represents genre of the star, R'n'B consist of leather jackets and smart casual
looking
Current
contemporary clothing
Analysis
of iconography:
The
instruments show an understanding of the seriousness of the artsist and the
genre
Analysis
of Lighting:
The
low key lighting allows to understand the seriousness of the theme of the song.
Allows
us an an audience to feel the emotion coming from the artists.
Analysis
of the Editing:
The
editing matches the time of the beat The
camera shots match the lyrics
This
has helped me to understand how the representation of two onscreen artists
shows how serious it makes the music video. Also it enables you to feel the
artists emoiton of how they feel about the values and ideologies of the song.
This enables me to know what my music video will consist of, elements such as
costume and location are key when trying to portray a visualisation of the
ideas i have. Also the jump cuts between a performance based and narrative
based music video has given me ideas how to cross over between the two during
my music video. Other ideas that this music video has given me are how
representing the stars are crucial, and that they must look conventional in
order to impact the audience and get a response from them.
Tulisa - Sight of you
With this video, my
interests are in the narrative within the music video to portray the genre and
lyrics as well as the specific locations that are used to support this.
Analyse
star representation: A broken hearted female through the
use of close up shots portraying her melancholy facial expressions.
Being lonely through the use of her
body language in which we see her crouched down on the floor in a corner. innocent through the narrative in
which we see her arguing with her ex-boyfriend and he pushes her.
Locations:
·The bridge on top of the motorway at
night to show her distress with the world and relationship
·House as it where relationship
narrative occurs
·Pool club shows the narrative further
and typical for the characters to hang out
Costume:
·Leather jacket which portrays her as
having somewhat of a tough side and is conventional to the R’n’B genre as it is
fashionable.
·Red lipstick, hoop earrings, hair done
up portrays her features and allows her to target the male audience as well as
make young females idolise her and want to look like her.
Iconography:
·Picture frame which holds a picture of
the then couple which falls to the floor and the glass smashes.
·Beer which the character within the
music video drinks which leads to temptation of another woman which is conventional
to a broken love theme.
·Bin which the artist throws clothes
and sets them alight.
Lighting
·Lowkey lighting which is used when she
is on the bridge to show that she is feeling like she is in a dark place.
·Highkey lighting used on the artist to
portray her innocence and allow the audience to understand the lyrics.
Editing
·Slow paced editing used throughout the
music video which allows the audience to understand the full lyrics and theme
of the song.
Leona Lewis - Trouble
Using Leona because of the
narrative and the theme of relationships and breakups
‘Star’
representation:
·CU
on artist to portray intense emotion such as when she is crying
·CU
when singing
·MS
when showing in pain
·LS
when in a new location
Aspects
of location:
·House
- where the relationship occurs
·Both
characters shown in bed, where they are most happy as the bed signifies the
peak of their love and relationship
·Outside
in the dark at night at the end of the music video. Signifies loneliness and
being alone.
Aspects
of costume
·Simple
casual clothing for both characters not fancy
·not
much emphasis on the style
·Plain
which is conventional to the age group of the target audience.
Aspects
of iconography
·The
broken glass at the beginning of the music video implies that there are problems
within relationship, and both of the characters are unhappy and heartbroken.
·The
picture on the floor also outlines the problems within the breakup and
relationship theme
Lighting
·Low-key
lighting used when both the characters are together to imply that the
relationship is going downhill and both characters don’t have a ‘bright’ future
together.
·Natural
lighting at the end when she’s alone at night
Editing
·In
time with the beat of song
·Slow
paced to reflect the pace of the song and what is being sung about
·Editing
gets faster when problems occur in relationship
The song that I would be using for my music video is Battle Scars by Lupe Fiasco ft Guy Sebastian.
[Intro: Lupe Fiasco]Hope the wound heals but it never does That's cause you're at war with love You're at war with love, yeah
[Hook: Guy Sebastian] These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle...
[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco] Never let a wound ruin me But I feel like ruin's wooing me Arrow holes, they never close from Cupid on a shooting spree Feeling stupid cause I know it ain't no you and me But when you're trying to beat the odds up Been trying to keep your nods up And you know that you should know And let her go But the fear of the unknown Hold another lover strong Sends you back into the zone With no Tom Hanks to bring you home A lover not a fighter On the front line with a poem Trying to write yourself a rifle Maybe sharpen up a stone To fight the tanks and drones of you being alone
[Pre-hook: Guy Sebastian] I wish I never looked, I wish I never touched I wish that I could stop loving you so much Cause I'm the only one that's trying to keep us together When all of the signs say that I should forget her I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had I wish that the good outweighed the bad Cause it'll never be over (never be over) until you tell me it's over
[Hook: Guy Sebastian] These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle...
[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco] (Then just leave then) You shouldn't have but you said it (And I hope you never come back) It shouldn't have happened but you let it Now you're down on the ground screaming medic The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic stresses Shields, body armors and vests don't properly work That's why you're in a locker full of hurt The enemy within and all the fires from your friends The best medicine's to probably just let it win
[Pre-hook: Guy Sebastian] I wish I couldn't feel, I wish I couldn't love I wish that I could stop cause it hurts so much And I'm the only one that's trying to keep us together When all of the signs say that I should forget her I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had I wish that the good outweighed the bad Cause it'll never be over, until you tell me it's over
[Hook: Guy Sebastian] These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle...
[Bridge: Guy Sebastian & Lupe Fiasco] Cause you set me on fire I've never felt so alive, yeah
No, hoping wounds heal, but it never does That's because you're at war with love
And I'm at the point of breaking And it's impossible to shake it (yeah)
See, you hoped the wound heals, but it never does That's cause you're at war with love Hope it heals, but it never does That's cause you're at war with love!
[Hook: Guy Sebastian] These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away I ain't ever gonna change These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away I ain't never gonna change These battle...
The general meaning of the lyrics is outling the negative experiences and the emotional hurt caused by love and rlationships. This could be from a male or female perspective as the lyrics do not determine whos viewpoint it is from which enables both genders to appeal to the lyrics. I would portray the lyrics by using a combination of both narrative and performance based music video. The performance based aspect of the music video would consist of scenes such as both the artists Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian as singing espcieally at the begining of the first verse as we would be able to see both their faces. The narrative aspect would be the female and male arguing together and them both being upset would be evident through their facial expressions and actions.
Hope the wound heals but it never does That's cause you're at war with love You're at war with love, yeah
This first verse would conssit of a close up on both the artists faces to imply and set the emotion that would be consistant through the music video.
You shouldn't have but you said it (And I hope you never come back) It shouldn't have happened but you let it Now you're down on the ground screaming medic The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic stresses
This verse would consist of the two characters arguing with each other. There would be iconography of broken glass and flowers being torn apart. This would convey the lyrics as having a negative and hurtful meaning to it.
These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away I ain't ever gonna change These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle scars don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away I ain't never gonna change These battle...
This final verse would consist of both characters being in two seperate beds which would give the image of them being alone and lonely in their love. This would be a good way to end as the music start to get slow as this is the final hook.
A part of the planning for my music video i had to identify my target audience. I had to choose an appropriate target audience and outline why and how I would appeal to them. By identifying my target audience I would use the appropriate micro-elements in my music video to keep the target audience satisfied. This would then lead to a conventional product that the audience would be happy with.
The following is the different types of audience categories that each music video could appeal to.
Target audience:
Age: 14-30. This is because the people that belong to that age category is associated with the R&B genre, and especially females within that age category because of the themes of love and relationships.
Gender: Male/Female
Race: Appeal to a wide range of races. However would be predominantly black Caribbean and African people
Audience category: C2 and below
Income bracket: £25,000 and below
Hobbies and interests: Dancing, fashion, music and sports
Why we picked the C2-E category: Our song would appeal mainly to citizens within the C2-E bracket as they would be teenagers, and their lifestyle fits in with the context of the song. The theme of our song is love, therefore they would carry the same morals and attitudes to love and relationships. Moreover, the C1-E bracket would enjoy the R&B genre as they would want to aspire to the artist and their lifestyle with earning a lot of money and fame. The existing target audience for the R&B genre is also from the C2-E bracket as this was also a contributing factor as to why we picked this category. We were aware that we would follow the conventions of the R&B genre and therefore this meant that we would appeal to the same category.
The following table shows the different types of audience reactions:
The music video that I'm going to create will use the audience reaction of audience identification, this would enable me to understand if i have created a successful music video or not. This would also make the audience feel like they can relate to the music video within their own life. My music video would be on the theme of love and relationships. The audience can relate to this as they, themselves could have problems within their relationship. Moreover it is a sensitive topic to most because which would attract the audience even more.
Identifying and researching into audiences enabled me to get a better insight on the audience. This would enable me to plan the rest of my music video product based on this information that i have gathered. My product would also meet the expectation of my audience which therefore would make my product successful.
Project
Manager: Kemal Kargin, Bryan Osango, Onat Hasip
Release Date:
15th January 2014
Product
Overview:
Who are they?
De ’La Cruz is American rapper who started from performing on street
corners with his friends he used to record at his local studio. One day the
studio director witnessed his raw talent and decided to sign him on to his own
record label it wasn’t big but he started of doing supporting acts. This then
enabled him to expand his reputation and name. When performing in front of
large audiences it enabled people to know what his music was about and he then
developed his own fan base. De ‘La Cruz then created his first album and went
on tour. His latest album was his biggest success and the song ‘Battle scars’
has already received a lot of positive criticism and the media hype for a music
video is underway.
The Album concept:
What is it?
We created an album cover best represents the artist star image in
order to pull in a variety of different audiences. We want to create something
that will appeal to our audience and also that will reflect the genre we are making
the music video for. I am planning on using effective images of my artist
because this will then promote the artist star image enabling them to appeal
and encourage people to watch it. We are creating this album as we hope to one
day boost (artist name) star image: this in turn will boost our chances of
having a music video on the top 10 charts.
What are we doing it?
De ‘La Cruz’s debut album will have to bring success. The art work on
the album cover will be crucial in our success. The consumers should be able to
understand the values and ideologies as well as the themes the artist is trying
to portray. The pictures, fonts and backgrounds will allow us to communicate visually
to our audience. The theme of the album cover will allow the consumer to
understand it’s in the R’n’B genre, without even having to listen to the music.
What is the reaction we want?
We want the audience and the consumers to feel like they can understand
the artist. The target audience should be able to build and develop a
relationship that is different from other artists.
How will we know it worked?
We will know if our album was successful from the sale targets. We will
compare these alongside our sales figures to enable us to see if our targets
where hit. If this is met or higher than the target, we will know it was a
success. Following on, we will be hosting a focus group to allow fans and
consumers to look at our first drafts and give us there feedback. From there
criticism we will know ways in which we can improve.
By analysing the three music video choices from our group we, as a group, came up with the idea of using the song ‘Battle Scars’ by Lupe Fiasco ft Guy Sebastian. We thought that our other two initial ideas would not be suitable to use and that this song choice would be the best choice.
Artist: Lupe fiasco ft Guy Sebastian
Song Title: Battle Scars
Genre: R&B
We have chosen the R&B genre and this song because it is a popular genre with a large fan base which we could relate to. We could also relate to the themes within the genre and the song such as love, relationships and break ups as we are teenagers these are the themes that occur in our lives which would make the production easier.
Our final choice was also determined by our audience feedback, which was done in the form of a questionnaire.The outcome of our questionnaire suggested that the theme of love and relationships were popular within the R&B genre and the listeners of R&B. This song was a perfect example of the themes associated with R&B. We also found out from that questionnaire that star image was important in the R&B genre. Therefore we required an artist with a strong and growing star image within the R&B genre and Lupe Fiasco was a prime example.
Music video influences:
The music video for ‘Trouble’ by Leona Lewis was a music video influence. Being the same genre, this music video had similar characteristics to what I wanted to have for my music video. The music video structure was both narrative and performance based which I would want in my own music video.
Connotations from the theme of love and relations are evident and I would want to use it in my own music video. There are close up shots of Leona Lewis crying and upset because of the problems within her relationship.
The music video for Tulisa 'Sight of you' was another music video influence. This music video portrays problems and the negative aspect of love and relationships. Anger and frustration is also a sign that is evident throughout the music video.
Tulisa is shown alone on several scenes to show that her love life is not going accoridngly and she is alone in the relationship. This is something i would want to use in my music video as the relationship between the female and the male characters would be shown as problematic.
The planning of the final idea of my music video was a crucial point in my production. Coming to a final agreement over what music video we have chosen had enabled me to have a clear view on what our music video would consist of. Looking at music videos that influenced us enabled me to have a greater indication of what our final idea should consist of.
