Editing On Adobe After Effects

From the feedback I got from Hot Desking, I decided to stabilise some of my footage in Adobe After Effects. I decided to stabilise some of the footage because in the feedback, a couple of people thought some of the footage was shaky or even hand held because it was that shaky. 

I stabilised a piece of footage by dragging the clip I wanted into After Effects. I then searched "warp" in the search bar on the right hand side. I clicked the "warp stabiliser" which then stabilises my footage the best it can. To then complete it, I then go to "file", "export" and then "add to render queue".

I overall think that the stabiliser improved some of my footage a lot. It made my footage less shaky which is really good. However, there was some footage that even the stabiliser couldn't 100% fix so I will be doing some more filming to see if I can use the footage I re film instead. 

First Edit For Music Video

This is my First Draft for my Music Video. If I am completely honest, I do not think this is the best to my ability which is why I am going to re film some of the footage such as adding cutaways to make the music video flow a little better.

I think as my first draft it is good but it can definitely improve. Some of the improvements I will be making is filming some cutaways of trees and leaves. I will also be doing more close ups of the actresses face. To send the message more clearer to the audience I want the video to look as if her boyfriend is filming this instead of assuming the director is doing it so I want to have an old camera style effect on it to suggest that is what he sees when he looks at her (referencing back to the idea of Narrative; relationship between the lyrics and the music).

Weather Forecast

To do some more filming for my music video, I did some planning in advanced. I looked on the weather app on my phone (top photo) to see what the weather is going to be like in the weekend. From looking at the weather app and what the weather was supposingly like by also looking on the internet. I found that the weather is going to be sunny on Saturday and cloudy/raining on the Sunday.

This gives me the opportunity to try and do some filming on Saturday or even see if Sunday is clear enough to film. 

I have to make sure that I have the right weather (blue skies) because when I shot the last lot of footage, it was very sunny and Autumnal. However, as the season is changing, I have to improvise with the trees and the setting as the locations are going to look different, 

Feedback From First Draft

Feedback from first draft

My class decided to do a "hot desk" where we all watch each others videos and then we answer the questions that they want us to answer.

I found that I had a wide range of comments and I am happy to say that they are honest opinions and feedback as there is a mixture of positive feedback and constructive criticism. Some of the constructive criticism e.g "filming is handheld" isn't accurate because I actually did not film hand held, when using the fig rig, it was to do with the shakinees of my hands holding the fig rig.

My next step is to take on the improvements that people thought I should do and do some re filming and add more footage in so they understand message/narrative of the video because half of the people found it unclear. I am also going to do some editing in After Effects by stabilising some of my footage as some are shakey.

Making Changes With The Video

From editing my Music Video, I found that their was a couple of clips that needed to removed or edited because they were either out of focus or did not flow nicely with the continuity editing. I decided to add shorter clips because I felt like some of the clips were too long which could lead to the audience getting bored quickly.

My aim to improve my music video is too add more cutaways to make the continuity flow better and so there are is different scene instead of footage that has the same shot/angle.

Editing Music

The music that I am using in my Music Video is way too long (roughly 4:00). My aim was to cut the song down to a maximum of 3:00. To achieve this, I used Adobe Audition. To cut down the song I highlighted the part I wanted to cut down (for me was the last 40-50 seconds). When I highlighted the the part I wanted to get rid of, I simply pressed delete. 

After that, I saved it as a MP3 file. When I opened it up in Premier Pro, I dragged the file into it. By having it in Adobe Premier Pro I was able to fade out the ending by putting a fade effect on it. 

Photos From Filming My Music Video Part 2

This is the photographs from each shot in my music video footage. I really like how I have stayed within my storyboard but have added extra scenes/shots to fill up the time and make the video flow more. I feel like I have stuck to my storyboard very well as I found that the Narrative fit well within the location and the music (Joan Lynch). 

Editing On Adobe Premier Pro

Today I did some editing on my Music Video and the main tools I used was the razor tool that is on the little tool bar between the footage and the editing section on the bottom half of the screen. The razor tool is one of the best tools when cutting off bits of footage I didn't want so my video can flow a better or if a certain bit of a clip isn't as good as I wanted but there is a good bit there where I can keep it. 

I have also shown how I have unlinked the sound from the footage and the clip itself. I have done this because I don't need any sound from the footage because I haven't got any lip syncing in my footage because my video is a Narrative video so I do not need to match the lip syncing with the song so I can delete any sound that is on the footage.

Photos From Filming Music Video Part 1

                                   

                               

I have took some photographs of the first minute roughly. I have used these photographs that are still images that I have screened shotted from my footage because it shows that I have followed my storyboard and the ideas that I have had in my head. I really like how the footage came out in this part because it gives a good concept of Narrative as it is clear that is all about the girl and she is the main focus but the location adds that feel of Autumn to it. 

Test Shoot

I have done a test shoot on what sort of shoots I want to do for my actual Music Video. I used shots to establish the setting such as trees and the church.
I used a lot of close ups on the feet, hands and face. This created a soft feeling but it gives the audience the feeling of getting to know the girl from looking at her features.
To get a good perspective of how my video will possibly look or similar, I even put my actress in similar clothes that she will be wearing like the Parker coat and Tartan Scarf.
For the first clip of the trees and lamppost, I slowed the footage down to 80% because I think that an intro shouldn't be too fast at the beginning especially for the song I am deciding to use as it is quite a slow intro.

Time-Lapse on iPhone 5S

This is my second attempt of time-lapsing to see if I could do an improvement time-lapse video from the first one I did. I decided to use my iPhone 5S instead of the Canon 1100D because I wanted to get a better flow and also there is a setting for time-lapse on the iPhone. I found that the time-lapse I did on the iPhone actually turned out better than the one I did on the Camera.

When I was editing this clip, I cropped the begging out because it was when I was setting up my phone. I cut this out by marking in and marking out the clip that I overall waned to use. I also sped up the speed and duration of this clip so the clouds would move faster. 

Overall, It was a much more better experiment than the first one. By doing this, it has given me the idea that I should include a time-lapse at the beginning of my music video.

First Attempt At Time-Lapse

I decided to do some time-lapsing experimenting in response to researching music videos such as "Ben Howard - Old Pine" I looked at this because it seemed like it would fit very well at the beginning of my music video with the sun rising or at the end with the sun setting.

I really like how time-lapse works because it makes the scene look like the sky is moving very fast but everything is standing still. This can give a good representation of how time flys and time goes quick.

When filming my first attempt at this, I used the Canon 1100D on a tripod, sat upstairs in my sisters room with her window just filming the sky. I found it quite difficult filming with this camera because it would only film 20 minutes at a time so it would cut out and then when filming again, the camera would automatically change the exposure so the lighting looks different in each clip.

When it came to editing, I edited in Adobe Premier Pro. I imported all of the clips. I then split the video and audio and deleted the audio out of the clips. To get the speed for the time-lapse, I right clicked the clip and then clicked "Speed/Duration" which gave me the option to change the speed so I changed it too 20000%. After that, I rendered the video and then exported it to then publish on YouTube.

Overall, I think this experiment went okay but there could be improved. I think it when well in terms of the time-lapse of the sky. The thing I would improve on is that it should flow a little better and the lighting needs to be similar instead of jumpy.

Storyboard For Music Video

This is the storyboard for my music video. The purpose of this storyboard is that if I was unwell to film the music video, someone would be able to film it and it should come out the way I wanted it to come out.

The storyboard also helps to keep me organise and break up my music video into steps so I know what I am doing on the day of filming. I think doing a storyboard is a good idea because then I don't forget what I are planning on doing and makes me realise what I need to do e.g. what equipment I need, what angles and shots work best and gets me prepared for filming day in a mind set of what outcome I want.

Minor Photography/Filming Consent Form

This Minor consent Form is another legal document that I had to get completed because I am using a Minor in my music video. This form had to be completed by the Parent/Guardian of the Minor because this form is to make sure that they are happy for me to film and use the footage of the Minor to create my music video.

The form is there to explain to Parent/Guardian what this includes. This is also to protect myself so that the Parent/Guardian cannot sue me if they are not happy with footage of the music video.

Participant Release Form

For planning my music video, I gave the person I am using for my music video, a Participant Release Form to complete. This form ensures that she has agreed for me to use footage of her for my video.
This is a legal document that means that I can use the footage and so she cannot sue me if she is not happy with the video because she understands and has has allowed me to do this.

In this form, they have put their name, contact address (so if I need to contact them) and also telephone number I will need to reach them somehow. I have blacked out the contact address and telephone number because it is apart of the data protection and the exposure of the minors contract address and number would be wrong against the data protection.

I am only one person so this means that I only had to get 1 copy of this form. If there was more than one person in my video, I would have to do more more than as it has to be completed for every person that is in the video.

Reece Checklist On Location

Recce Checklist(1)

The whole point of the Reece Check list is so that I am organised when it comes to filming. This check list tells me what is necessary when it comes to filming, what I need to consider about the location e.g weather, safety and accessibility. I really like this check list because it shows all of the factors that have to be considered when filming a music video when using a location and other people to be in the music video.

Hair Outfit Inspirations

For my music video, I have looked into hair/outfit inspirations that would like to include for my music video. The look I am going for is a very Autumnal look of the red tartan scarf, ankle boots, knitted hat and the traditional green parka jacket that a lot of people ages 16-25 wear. I really like the outfits that the girls in this collage are wearing because the outfits are the outfits that "Indie" people wear around Autumn time and actually, a lot of girls who are interested of what is in trend around Autumn time.

This collage gives me a good idea of what I want my actress' hair to be like. The actress I amusing for my music video, has fairly long dark blonde hair. The look I am planning for her, is to have either wavy, thick messy hair and have knitted hat on. The other look I really like is the "messy bun". I love the messy bun because it is Autumnal because the style goes very well with the big green parka jacket, red tartan scarf and ankle boots.

These hair styles and outfits go really well with the location and song because the location and song are very relaxed so the hair and outfits are not going to be over the top or "too done up" because it will not look right with the location and song. With these outfit and hair, it is seen more casual and girls would easily be able to recreate the look without it being "unnatural".

Clothing & Make-Up

I decided to create what my actress will be wearing. I feel like this was a good idea because it gave the audience and also the actress of what sort of thing she is going to wear.
This links to my song and location because the song is Autumnal a relaxed which means that the outfit needs to be more relaxed to have that relationship between the song and music video.
The location is a typical "Indie" location which is set in a forest. The outfit matches the location because the forest at the end of October is very Autumnal where all of the leaves are on the ground with the crisp colour of oranges, reds and browns. The outfit is mainly Autumn/Winter clothing because filming at the end of October, it is going to be relatively cold and the outfit is a perfect representation of the location of it being Autumn.
I have also shown the make-up that I am going to use on the actress. I choice to have browns/nuetrals because the actress have bright blue eyes and these colours really bring out the brightness of blue. Another reason why I chose these eye shadows because Autumn is all about the nuetral colours with a smoky eye. I really want to stay on trend of what girls my age (16-25) are wearing because what they wear, influences the audience because in some music videos, the clothes they wear in the video boost sales up in shops of the outfit.
I got this idea because the style of this music video, location and the song is also my style. I did a lot of research by looking in high street shops such as New Look, H&M, Topshop and places like Urban Outfitters to see what is "in" and also being at a college where there is no uniform means I get a good insight of what girls our age wears around Autumn time.

Green Screening Testing

In this, we experimented with the Green Screen studio at College. We were lucky enough to go to the studio and experience how the Green Screen was used and what it is like to use it so it got us familiar of what to do if we decided to use the Green Screen for any of our Music Videos.

With using the Green Screening, we found out that it was important to get the right resolution photograph for it because it will fit properly on the screen and wont be pixelated. I also found that positioning of the camera is important because the size of the person has to be a certain size because it has to look realistic as possible so we had to move the camera around to make the us and the camera feel like the same size.

From this experience I have learnt a lot about what the Green Screen is about and what is involved when working with the Green Screen. I think Green Screen is a very good idea if you want to change locations or have certain illusions and effect backgrounds but in my case, it is not what I want to do because I was to use a natural background which I am going to film in a forest. Overall, I have learnt many skills about Green Screen so if I need to help someone with their music video or future coursework in this I am aware and able to use it.

Location For Music Video

This location is set in the middle of the countryside in Santon Downham that is in Nofolk near Thetford forest and Mumford. I chose this location because it is fairly close to where I live. I really like this location because it has different features such as a forest, river with an old bridge, a little church and miles of fields which is perfect for my style of music video which is an Indie style. 

I think this location is perfect for a Narrative music video (Lynch) as the setting is interesting and it help to keep the main focus on the subject I am focusing on (the girl) because the location isn't full of people or business. 

I found that the best time for me to films is in the afternoon, after about 2pm till about 6pm as the light then is getting at is lowest but brightest which is great for me because I want the Autumn feel in my Music Video. 

Audience Profile

I created an Audience Profile for Indie/Acoustic genre. This genre suits the song I am using because the song is an Indie song but a lot of the music is Acoustic and is a gentle type of Indie music. Thinking of what to put in my Audience Profile was quite easy for me because I felt like I could put myself in this category because I listen to this type of music so I interpreted my own interests and also picked out some of the stereotypical interests for people that are into "Indie Acoustic". 

When creating the Audience Profile, I described the person that I could imagine in my head in the music video. I imagined that it would be a girl around 16-25 and is a student who is into fashion from high street shops such as Topshop, New Look, H&M, Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters. I gathered that because the music genre is Indie Acoustic, I used the target audience to being into artists such Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding and Ben Howard because they all share the same genre and the lyrics in their songs are very similar. 

When it came to interests, I know that they would be interested in Photography, fashion, Autumn time, music festivals such as Reading and Latitude. I also know that they would be into Tumblr because of the style they share in photos and also they would be into Twitter because they like to keep up with what's going on. I also believe that they would be into YouTube because the music they would be into, are not always in the "Top 40" but would find music on YouTube or even on BBC Radio 1 as they play Indie Music. 

Music Video Analysis: Ben Howard - Old Pine

"Old Pine" by Ben Howard is a indie style of music video. In the first scene, there is a close up of over grown plants with Ben Howard walking through it which is also a point of view shot. Just from looking that this first scene, there is indication that this music video was filmed around the end of Summer/beginning of Autumn because there is bright, low lighting which is natural light which is the sunset causing this light. There is a lot of out of focus shots to emphasise the facts that that it is sunset.

Within the beginning of this music video, it cuts to different locations but showing the beauty of those locations in slow motion. From then, the video shows various close ups such as Ben Howard' feet walking and his arm and hand. It has a lot of shots of his feet close up form behind and at the front of him.

There is a lot of sun glare which creates a lovely red light on the footage which creates a relaxed and calming feeling because the sun is bright and also the music is soft so it emphasises the sunset.

There is a wide/long shot of him out focus but in the distance walking towards the camera. The camera is focused on the tree.

The video then cuts to a complete different location which is to the sea with waves crashing against the cliff. I always find that the sea is a very relaxing sound. Even though we can't hear it but when I saw it, it made me picture myself there and listening to the song and also hearing the sea. The sea I think represents how relaxing the song is. There is a tilt as the camera is aimed at the sea and then tilts up to the sky and more of the cliff which gives the audience a sense of what the location is like. This then leads to a close up of the sea, mainly focusing on the waves of the sea.

After that, there is a lot of close ups of Ben Howard and they do this by having a tilt but they stay close up to him. They then have a track following him walking towards the camera and this is when the lip syncing starts (performance) but there is still narrative involved (Lynch).

There is a time lapse at 1:35 of the sky going from sunset to dark. This shows the audience the idea of time moving forward and is a good type of editing by video hours of footage but then speeding it up so it is only a couple of seconds long.

There is a point of view shot in the sea to look like someone is in the sea watching him surfing and there is a lot of long shots and medium shots which suggests he is the main focus within this video but it is shown as a narrative because there is no lip syncing so it shows a story/journey.

After some close ups and lip syncing from Ben Howard, there is a clip of a forest with the sun beeming through and then there is some clips of him and friends jumping from cliff to another cliff. This suggests that they are travelling and it is as if they are documenting their journey and experience.

There is a part of the lyrics that stand out to me "free as a butterfly". As that is sung, that is when the footage of the cliff part comes up. However, I feel like that part of lyrics really makes a deep relationship between the lyrics and the video (Goodwin) and it really shows it because the whole video is based around nature, the sea, sun and it makes you feel free when you watch this video.

Around 3:00 the music speeds up to which then there is a lot of time lapsing of the sky and the sea which suggests time moving quickly and also he then starts walking quicker which suggests excitement or even dedication of his journey and actually ends up running in the opposite direction. This could indicate that he is taking a different route in life or even just on the journey. The music is moving quicker which means that the time lapsing editing gets quicker and also the cutting of editing to different locations get quicker.

Overall, this video has given me many ideas for my music video such as, doing some time lapsing editing, using natural places such as the forest and also use a lot of close up but also a lot of natural lighting (especially around sunset or before) as it gives a calming and relaxed feel like the song I am using.

Music Video Analysis: Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars - Safe & Sound

Director: Philip Andelman

Released: 2012 (From The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond)

"Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars, was released in 2012. This song is a synergy as the song represents/promotes the film: The Hunger Games.

 In the first scene, it starts with a zoom of the old cottage. This gives an indication of what the main focus is and that the location is set at night around Autumn/Winter time. Then the video cuts into the cottage with The Civil Wars sitting in the living room which there is a two shot taken from behind of them playing an instrument which indicates performance in their music video and also that they are engaged in a some kind of relationship, in this case the music. The lighting is very dark and gloomy which suggests an old, rusty, Autumn or Winter type of feel as there is a fire on and that the cottage is old, run down.

Then the video cuts to outside where it is dull, cloudy and foggy. The main camera shots are long shots such as the tree on its own and then close ups of a little branch from a tree and then a zoom on some more trees. This suggests that these trees have a meaning to them e.g connection to The Hunger Games. This also shows narrative within this music video. This signifies isolation.

This then moves into a track which follows Taylor Swift vertically. There is a lot of continuity editing with the shots going from a long shot/establishing shot to mid shot to close ups. The lighting is very dark and looks like they have used natural lighting for the video. The outfit Taylor Swift is wearing in the forest scenes is a white/off white long dress that looks a little tattered. This suggests innocence or survival. As Andrew Goodwin pointed out in his research, that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the video. I get this impression because it is just her in the forest as if it is just her survival and the song talks about danger. The synergy also relates to the video because in The Hunger Games, it is the last one standing and it seems that Taylor Swift is the last one standing in the forest.

The next scene then moves back to The Civil Wars where the male is singing with a close up shot so you can see that he is singing. This then goes into a shot which uses a small depth of field (low aperture number) so that only the man is in slight focus. With the low lighting and the small aperture number used on the camera, suggests that they feel isolated and it is meant to give a sad/lonely type of feeling.

Going back to the forest with Taylor Swift in it, there is a lot of wide/long shots of her walking into the distance. There is a lot of close ups and zooms onto her feet to which she is walking bare foot. This can represent the natural look they are trying to portray or it is another reference to The Hinger Games because district 12 that is shown are all dressed in tattered clothing, bare foot which signifies poverty and isolation because they are controlled by people that are higher up than them.

Taylor Swift is then sitting and then laying on a grave in a cemetery which suggests a lot of loss and hurt within the song and video as she seems very down and upset about something because the facial expression is not a happy, good feeling emotion. The grave and the cemetery can represent The Hunger Games because a lot of people die within the film because the outcome is that there is only one survivor at the end of the games.

At 2:20 Taylor Swift walks into a dark, run down place where she picks up a badge which is the . This symbolises The Hinger Games. This can be used to promote the film as anyone who has read the books will want to watch this music video as it gives good representation and they do this by having a close up of the badge in her hands.

Throughout the scenes in this music video, I have noticed that there is a lot of fire and smoke being shown. This can suggest destruction or even a representation of how Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars are feeling e.g fire represents anger or passion. There is a extreme close up of the fire at 2:38 which goes with the music because the music gets louder and more dramatic which makes the extreme close up of the fire is dramatic and expressing anger.

There is also a point of view shot of Taylor Swift looking at a Form. To me a Form always makes me think of freedom. It also suggests isolation because its on its own but it can be seen as freedom or it can be seen as isolation. At 3:30 the form then disappears into dust as if it has died which refers back to the graves and that there is nobody in video apart from Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars.

Towards the end of the music video, there is a close up of the male' tapping his foot along with the beat of the music which suggests relationship between the music and the video.

Music Video Production Treatment

Music Video Production Treatment

For this part, I completed a Music Video Production Treat for 1 of the songs I have chosen and definitely want to use. I included the lyrics so it shows what sort of song it is and the style of it which is a "Love" sort of song but it gives me a Indie sort of feel.

I then included the running time which is quite long but I am going to cut it down a little bit so its a good length.I decided on 3:00 as it is a good running time for a music video.

Then finally I filled out the image that popped into my head. The ideas that I got was that I wanted to do a lot of close ups with the face, shoes, hands and with the location a lot of pans, tilts and then some long shots of the person I want to use. The location I got in my head was, autumn leaves, forest, a river, the person wearing a coat, scarf and hat. I also saw a lot of bright light from the low sun.

Music Video Proposal

Music Video Proposal

This is the Music Proposal that I did for the song I am using for my Music Video. This Music Video Proposal gives a good idea of how long the video will be, the style of the video (linked to theorists), the brief idea I have for the video (camera shots, lighting, equipment), if I have done any test shots to see how my development on my filming has gone, who I will use to make sure it is reliable and then finally when I will start filming. It is important to find out when I will start filming because with deadlines, I also need to fit in editing within the time. I think all of these factors are important such as "Who I will be using" because I need reliable people (person) so I can actually successfully film this. I think the running time of the track is very important because if it goes on for too long, it will start to be boring because there is so much you can do in a music video, so I have decided to cut it down to roughly 3:00 when I start editing the music video.

Experimenting With Continuity Editing Techniques

For this task, the class was split into pairs or threes. Our task was to experiment with continuity editing. We decided to do continuity editing on me walking through the door and coming out somewhere else. The aim was to use different types of camera shots and editing techniques to make this clip flow smoothly with continuity editing.

The first shot we did was a long shot of myself, walking towards the camera. This was to get a sense of the setting and where I was walking and then then led to a mid shot (from shoulders above) to shows I am getting closer to the camera.

The next shot we decided to do was a close up going into a long shot of the back of me, going towards the door. This was to get an idea of where I am going. Then from the close up, long shot, it went to a point of view shot of me opening the door and it goes into a extreme close up of my hand in of opening the door.

From then, we changed location to make it look like that was where we were going. By doing this, we had to find a door that opened the same way as the one we used in the previous shot. This was a close up of my face going into a long shot going into a medium shot.

My group made sure that we stuck with the 180 degree rule. We decided to film on the left side of me and the right side of the back of me so it the editing and the video flows properly and do not break the 180 degree rule.

We then decided to then reverse the video for effects to show the shots in a different unique way.

We chose this type of music because it seemed bubbly and funny and went well with the video because it gives a good funny feeling to the video.

Permission To Use Song

In the Summer Holidays before starting A2, I decided to email Landon Austin (YouTuber/Singer) if I could use one of his original songs. I found his enquiries email b looking on his Facebook page on info and emailed him asking for permission ad explained that all rights go to him.

I decided to find a song that wasn't very popular and wasn't on a big record label because of the issue with copyright. I have heard of Landon Austin because I love his music and found him through YouTube about a year ago. The song I wanted to use "Once In A Lifetime" is one of my favourite songs so I was so happy when he replied and said I could use it for my music video. 

I emailed him very early just in case it took months for hi to reply but he replied the next day which is great.   

Definition Of A Music Video

Defining what a music video is is never going to be a broad answer as everyone has their own interpretations and opinions in what a music video is. I personally would define a music video to being a way of visually displaying music. The way I see it, is that it is "placing a face to the name". I always feel like the video is there to visually represent/support the music. This could be to promote the song itself, a film or even a brand.

There are so many ways that a music video can be defined. It can be defined as being for promotion, concept or the artists interpretation of the song.

There are Theorists that look at Music Videos that have came up with some key Codes and Conventions that are shown in many Music Videos.

Andrew Goodwin:  

Andrew Goodwin studies hundreds of Music Videos while researching his book and came up with some key Codes and Conventions.

Andrew Goodwin highlights that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music) and there is a relationship between the music and the visuals.

Another point Andrew Goodwin makes is that particular music genres have their own music video style and iconography (such as live performance in heavy rock or choreographed dance routines in R&B) and that there is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist.

The artist may develop their own iconography in and out of their music video. This might then become a part of their star image over time and that there is most likely to be references voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screens within screens, binoculars, film and movie camera, etc) Andrew Goodwin also points out.

 Finally, Andrew Goodwin mentions that there are likely to be inter textual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts (this may or may not feature actors/actresses from the original film or TV programmes).

Joan Lynch 

Joan Lynch'84 said there was 2 basic video structures.

Performance - based on live performance e.g. concert videos. Rock artists use this more.

Concept - videos based on concept art e.g Arctic Monkey - Do I Wanna Know?

Narrative - Purely like story telling, no lip syncing, linked to the lyrics

John Gow 

John Gow'92 identified 6 genres of music videos.

The anti-performance piece - videos that don't have performance of the song

Pseudo-reflexive performance - videos which display the process of video production

Performance documentary - videos which contain documentary footage of onstage/offstage performance.

The special effects extravaganza - videos in which human performance is over shadowed by imagery,

The song and dance number - videos which focus on the physical ability of the dancing performer and the vocal presentation of the song, normally through lip-syncing.

The enhanced performance - videos that blend performance elements with other visual elements. It's a blend through associational, narrative or abstract forms of motivation.

Music Video Director Research: Ben Coughlan

Ben Coughlan is a Music Video Director. Coughlan directed "Ellie Goulding - Your Song". From watching "Ellie Goulding - Your Song" made me want to look into Ben Coughlan because the music video for "Your Song" is very much the style of music video I want of my music video. I find that the music video is very "Indie" and is set in the Autumn/Winter time of year which is the time of year I plan to film my music video.

In this music video, Ben Coughlan has created a delicate visual style. He includes a lot of close up to Ellie Goulding' face to show a lot of detail. Ben Coughlan uses a lot of Mise En Scene to create this video and it plays a big part in this video. The Mise En scene that is used in this, is the filming of objects such as the train tickect, locations and the natural lighting to give this video the natural feel to this song.

Ben Cooughlan hasn't just worked with Ellie Goulding but also Tom Odell and Snow Patrol filming their live performances/sessions and making it into a music video. This shows that the artists that he works with are seen as "Indie" and he does calm and natural kind of videos that include in natural light and close ups and uses props, locations and outfits as Mise En Scene






Snow Patrol - Live @ RAK "Called Out In The Dark" from Sneek Films on Vimeo.

When I was trying to find a bit of information about Ben Coughlan, I found his Pinterest and can see what he was into and what his style influence is. I found out that he is very into the vintage, retro style including vinyl, pictures with artists/model in the forest and people in rabbit masks. I also saw a picture of The XX which is an Indie group which suggests that he is very into the Indie style videos in forests and music that is on vinyl and also there is pictures with artists performing live, which shows he likes live performances.

The editing style of Ben Coughlan' music videos, are very smooth because he will go from a medium shot and then jump into a close up shot. He will also include Mise En Scene so it makes the editing smooth but also jump but this gives the audience an insight of what is going on and the surroundings.

I really like Ben Coughlan' work because I really like the retro/vintage style of his videos and the natural lighting he uses. I also like the idea of close ups and using a lot of Mise En Scene because it shows a lot about the artist/band and the video is not "too much" or "over the top". The videos are just so natural and honest because you see a lot of detail of the artist/band which has inspired me a lot for my own music video.

Transition Music Video

Outkast - Hey Ya 

By Holly, Lewis, Kayleigh and Evie

Before we broke up for the summer, we had an insight of what A2 Media Studies is going to be about. We had to create an video for "A2 Transition". The whole idea of creating a A2 Transition music video, was to explore with with the video cameras, editing software (Première Pro) and also learning to use filming techniques (camera shots) such as, close ups and medium shots. The main concept of this music video was to experience "Lip Syncing" when filming and editing.

When filming this video, it was harder than expected. This is was because we used a song that included a lot of lyrics/ rap so making sure got the lyrics right and in time was difficult. However, I did all of the filming because I did not feel comfortable in front of the camera. The problem with the camera is that the picture was very "Grainy" and we did not know how to change that. I found it strange filming as I was not used to the video camera because it is different to what I am personally used to.

When it came to editing the Transition Music Video, we noticed that the picture came up darker than it looked on the camera which was a little problem with us because it was too dark. However, it was good to explore editing as I had never had ago to editing a music video. I did not realise how difficult and time consuming with trying to match the lip syncing with the track.

Overall, from doing the Transition music video, it has taught me skills and initiatives to when it comes to my actual independent music video for A2. Even though. this video did not go as well as I thought it would, it has shown me what I need to improve e.g. cut the song down to at least 2:30-3:30 minutes long, take time with editing and persist with it and to make sure I have the right settings on the camera when filming.

Welcome To My A2 Media Blog

This is my Advanced Portfolio In Media for my A2 Media course. This is where I will be posting regular updates where I show my research, planning, skills development construction, audience feedback,final artefacts and my evalation over the next year of my A2 Media course.

This year, I will be creating a Music Video and Promotional Packing and my blog will will continuously updated to show th progress and to give an update of what stage I am at.