Roles

In our group I am in charge of editing. This means I need to be able to edit the video after we have filmed it successfully so it looks as realistic and effective as possible. This would mean that I would need to ensure that lip syncing is good when we are doing the filming so that it is easier to edit on the mac afterwards but also so that it is in time with the music well enough so that the audience do not see that it may not be in time and make them lose interest in the video because it hasn't been edited properly. Also this would be shot timing which would mean that when we edit it they are all of a good enough length to get enough in the shot to make it interesting but also so that what we are filming is clear enough for the audience to see and understand what is happening in the shot.

Dan is in charge of cinematography. This would mean that when we are filming it is important that he is setting up the camera in the right places to get the shot types we may want or a variety of different interesting  shots to make the video look more effective than it may be. Having a good range of shots is important because it helps to avoid viewer fatigue and makes it more interesting for an audience member to watch the video. He is also in charge of the positioning of the camera which is important as that would effect what is in the frame of the shot. So this could be done through the use of the rule of thirds because it is making it obvious to the viewer what is the main focus of the shot so the viewer understands what they should be looking at. Also it is important because if we need a certain amount of people in the shot but it is not positioned well enough someone may not completely be on the screen so it looks weird if they are trying to lip sync.

Luke and Jordan are sharing the role of mise-en-scene but they are both looking at different aspects of it. Luke is in charge of what will be the locations of where we film when we have decided on the song depending on what we choose. This is important because the location can help to set the mood of the video which is important because the viewer may feel they can relate to the video more or have a better understanding of it as the location suits the song and makes it clearer to the viewer what the meaning of the song may be. Jordan is more in charge of costuming and props which is also important because the costuming is important as if we did not wear clothing suited to that genre then it may be confusing to the audience member as they do not see what we are wearing makes sense to the type of music we are putting across. Also wearing clothing that is best suited to that genre is useful because it may help the audience feel they can relate to the video because they know other people in that genre who wear that type of clothing but they might also have similar stuff as well. Props are also important because they can help to sometimes get the message of a video across, showing what the lyrics are meaning and what the video is trying to show from the artists view. Also they may give the video meaning as it's not always clear what some videos may be showing, but props make some of the lyrics clearer and perhaps the whole video easier to understand.

Initial ideas

While planning we didn't fully decide which song or artist we are going to use yet, but we thought or several different artists which are Brititsh and are popular in the hip hop genre. We thought by choosing several different artists it would help us when we later choose one because we have more options to research into and decide upon which artist would be the best to do when it comes down to deciding. In terms of location  we haven't got a decided one until we are more aware of what song and artist we are going to use because depending on what the lyrics in the song are would impact where we film so it makes sense with the lyrics and relates a bit to them. However, we decided that the costuming would be quite casual clothing regardless which song and artist we chose because in most of the hip hop videos we saw they were always casually dressed which is important because it will show we are following the conventions of a hip hop music video well. We decided upon ideas by just talking as a big group making possibilities o artists and tried to agree which we would think would be well suited to us and allow us to do a music video to one of their songs well, so we listed several and will decide which we use when we have looked into them in more detail.

Peer assessment

From both assessments I learnt that i need to use a larger variety of different visual material, such as, a a contact sheet with several images to make the blog post look more interesting and make it clearer as to what I might be talking about i the blog posts. Also I needed to be more specific as to what I am talking about when analysing because I didn't always keep to answering the question fully in some places,for example, if I needed to include something specific I might not have answered that part.

Questionnaire

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGZWd0Fub1JPQlk5SlNqMThHaUIySGc6MQ#gid=0
-Link to questionnaire that I made.

Assessment 23/9/11 MCU

WWW

- Fantastic work Alex. You have worked really hard and produced a really good looking blog which shows good understanding.
- All posts (except one) attempted.
- Well done for keeping up with the workload.

EBI

- The images for the record labels and the album covers aren't showing up???
- Include a link to your questionnaire (or embed it if you can) and explain why you needed to carry out research.
- For post 20, explain exactly what you think you will incude in your video now that you have asked your audience.
- Could you be more creative with your visual material? Use shortened clips as well as screen grabs and full videos.
- Include visual material to show that you understand the theories, this will really help you get the higher marks.

EFFORT - EX

YOU WIN BLOG OF THE DAY AGAIN!!!

Survey responses

-Gender

 -Ages

-Ethnicity

-Amount of people that listen to hip-hop regularly

 -Peoples preferred genre if not hip-hop

 -Conventions people expect to see in a hip hop music video.

- Amount of peole that watch live gigs.

 Amount of times on a monthly basis people would go to watch a live gig.

 - How people consume music.

Many of the questions that I asked were generally aimed around many genres of music, however I did try to have at least a couple of questions that were mainly about the hip hop genre. What I learnt from the answers I got was that in hip hop music videos the conventions are all very simple and what are expected to what you anticipate to be in them. This was useful because when we make our music video we can understand easily what we specifically need to include to ensure that it looks a lot like it needs to so that it best suits that genre. Because all of the people that answered the questionnaire were of the same age group it makes it clear what the target audience is and what we need to do to make our video successful in attracting them and making them like the video. Also it helps make it clear of what the clothing chosen should be to best relate to that audience to show that we are aware of what conventions (mise-en-scene) are needed to make the video best suited to and attract that target audience.

The research shows that it will be important to include a lot of main conventions from a hip hop video to make it clear to the audience what genre it is for example, it was dominantly things that are very expensive like a big house, expensive cars, jewellery etc. which would be difficult to get because our video will be low budget meaning we really can't get many of these at all it will mainly rely on the mise-en-scene of the video to make the genre clear. This would be the location and clothing showing clearly what genre it would be. For the location we could use places such as a street, field, maybe a stage and houses because they are all incorporated in other videos from this genre. Also for the clothing it would usually be quite casual because of the locations we are likely to use but also because hip hop is associated with quite a young modern audience so wearing similar clothing to fit in with that target audience would also be important to do to make the genre clear.

Magazine adverts

The advert above is being advertised for a musician but it is not helping to advertise any type of their  music in the advert. It is them helping to advertise a different product for another company that has chosen them because they are a well known music artist and they believe this will help them to sell their product. This is good for the company selling the product because it gives off the impression that this person is using this product as well and hop that this will encourage people who know this artist to buy this product as well. Although this is not advertising any of this persons music it may still help the sales of their work because people will see that they are still working and will want to know/find out whether or not they are still producing music.

This advert is all about advertising this persons new album. It clearly states whose album it is and if people aren't too sure there is an image of the person as well on the advert to help make it een clearer to an audience member if it wasn't already. This is good because it is so obvious who the artist is that anyone who read/saw the article wouldn't be able to get them confused with anyone else. Also it shows the release date of their new album in big bold writing which is effective because it makes it clear when the album us released and it also says where you can get it from (in stores and online) which is good as well because it is telling people where to go to get this new album and how they can get it. 

This last advert is advertising dominantly a drink but also it is helping to promote someones new album coming out as well. At the top of the page it says 'Your time to shine' which could be making a reference to both the drink being advertised and the artists new album as well. The fact that it is advertising the drink is quite irrelevant to why the musician is on the advert because it is not even showing them using the drink it has an image of them performing, which could show that they was not exactly aware or interested in the drink being promoted at all. It could be that they are both part of the same parent company and they have been put together in the same advert because the image the musician has could help to sell the drink. However, it does also advertise the new album of the musician next to the drink, whicih is not as bold but still there helping to promote the album release. It says that the album is available now and who the artist is to make it clear whose album is being advertised to perhaps increase the success of the sales of both the drink and the album. It seems as if the artist has been put on the advert because they are quite popular and need help to promote the sales of their new album but also they are helping to promote the drink because they are a well known artist and the company are using him to appeal to a specific target audience making them want to buy this drink.

Recored labels

Def jam recordings is a record label that is dominantly focussed on hip hop and urban music. The company is owned by Universal Music Group proving that it is one of the biggest companies in the music industry as it is a worldwide company because it is sponsoring acts in America, UK, and Japan. The company was founded in 1984 by Rick Rubin who works with not only people from the hip hop genre but he had previously worked with artists from other genres like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Aerosmith and other bands proving that he has had a lot of experience in leading up to working in the company and helping promote hip hop. Def Jam had done work with many influential artists in the hip hop genre such as Jay-Z and N-Dubz who are both very influential  artists in the development of this genre in the build up of events to making it such a popular genre. Showing that they worked with such previous big names would encourage new artists to sign with them, for example, Dappy and Ne-Yo who are currently very big right now and are very successful at his current time showing that they are probably one of the biggest companies in the current music industries.

Atlantic records is a company that is now very much associated with the hip hop genre but has adapted with the change in music because it was first founded in 1947 but began by mainly sponsoring blues/jazz music because that was the most popular genre of music at that present time. The parent company of the record label is Warner music group which is also a big worldwide company because Warner is a big sponsor of many films as well so it is a well known company worldwide meaning that it is very popular and successful. The company was founded by Ahmet Ertegun in 1947 who then died in 2006 at 84 years old; the company is now dominantly owned by Herb Abramson. The company had worked with big artists in the development of the hip hop genre with Dr Dre being the biggest figure they worked with during the development of the hip hop genre when it was up and coming to be what it is today. They now work with many big modern day artists in the hip hop genre like 3O3!H, Gnarls Barkley, Bruno Mars and Plan B being the biggest current people working for Atlantic records being from the hip hop genre. Having big manes such as these on their record label shows that they are a big successful company who are managing to sign big names and promote them all well.

G-unit records was founded in 2003 and the founder of the company was 50 cent. 50 cent was and still is a very big name in the hip hop genre and managed to help with it becoming such a big successful genre. The parent company is Interscope which is a very large successful company worldwide which shows that although this company was only founded 8 years it is very successful because of the other parent company of it. It is based in America and appeals to dominantly artists of the hip hop genre, for example,50 cent and Lloyd Banks  have all released songs through the company that were well released and successful. They are a growing company and are signing more and more names that are from the hip hop genre making the company bigger and more and more successful.

Album cover research

The album cover is quite clever because it has got the main two people involved in the group singing which is important because people will be looking for people that they recognise when they are buying an album. Having the two people on the front cover makes t easier for people buying their album to recognise whose album it is and encourage them to buy it. In case people buying the album wasn't aware of what the people looked like they have got the name of themselves on the front (Rizzle Kicks) to ensure that people are able to notice immediately who it is by and just pick out the album because the writing is in quite a big bold font and is contrasting slightly with the background colours to make it stick out from the rest of the album cover. It also has the album name in a smaller font below the name because it is less important because people are less likely to be aware of the album name when searching for it, however they have but it on so that perhaps people become more aware of the album name. This is also in  a quite contrasting colour to the background it is on to make it seem more bold and stand out off the cover and catch somebodies eye. The background of the CD cover is animated and is of what looks like to be just buildings and a fence. Having it animated gives the impression that they are quite new because they are using the full effects on offer for them to use and make them look quite individual to other people in this genre to make them stand out and attract more audience attention.

The album cover for Tinchy Stryder and Dappy is really simply taken but the background imaging and some of the objects used would be really difficult to get to and use. The main object you see in the shot is the two people people who have done the song stood on a boat looking forwards which is making a statement that they are both really successful because they have been able to afford a boat and stand head on making it seem as if it is i the ordinary that they can just get a boat whenever they want to making it clear they have the money to get and have all of these luxuries. The background looks like they have taken the boat out and are just sailing around wherever they want because they can through the amount of money they have.

This alum cover is quite diffrent from the other two because it has no basic theme ot it and the background does not help to indicate what genre of music it could be. However it is a very good album cover because of the variety of dfferent pictures that are on the front that have been made out to fill the cover in the shape of a grid. Each square on the grid has an image of the artist doing something in each, but it is different in each one making it look quite an interesting cover because it makes you want to look at and see what is happening in each different shot/square on the cover. It clearly has the name of the artist on the top of thhe cover to make  it clear to the audience whose album it is and it also has the album name, but in a smaller less noticable font because an audience member is more likely to know the name of the artist than the album name. It looks as if quite a lot of effort has been put into the album cover because he is in a different piece of clothing in each of the shots on the front and is doing something different making it look more appealing to an audience member becuase it looks quite interestnig and different to other albums which could also make it catch an audience members eye more as well.

Main conventions of a hip-hop music video

Cinematograohy:
For most videos in this genre there aren't a great variety of shots used throughout. All of the videos used close ups, mid shots and long shots but also high and low angle shots were quite commonly used as well. There were some other shots used like a pan shot in some of the videos which was also quite effective and did help to add variety to the video. The positioning of the camera was also interesting because it was often in quite interesting positions which did impact in making the video more interesting.

Mise-en-scene:
For the majority of the videos the mise-en-scene was all really simple and wasn't too different. Usually the locations were places such as big fields, the streets, or buildings. This is quite good because when we do our video they are quite simple locations to get to and film at. Although they were quite simple locations they were still effective which was important because it shows that we can use these locations to good effect when we are filming. The clothing in all of the videos is all very casual which is also good for when we are filming because it will allow us to easily wear what is needed to follow the conventions of this genre.

Editing:
Most of the editing is all very simple it is dominated by cut shots for most of the shots except for on a few occasions in a couple of the videos where there was the fade effect between shots to give off the effect they were overlapping each other. Also there aren't any effects on any of the shots apart from in one video where there is the slow motion effect used at oon point which was quite effective because of the amount of people that were on screen for that shot.

Sound:
The sound in all of the videos is just the song being played clearly throughout so that it is clear to the viewer. There dominantly wasn't any other sound used except for in one video when there was dialogue at the beginning which was trying to play a role in creating a story to the video to make the viewer to want to keep watching it; otherwise the only real use of sound was through the song being played.

Music video analysis 5

The camerawork for this video is all really simple it consists mainly of just close ups, long shots and mid shots but from different angles- side on or head on. The close ups are all mainly just of either body parts or there was a couple shots of an instrument being played and some of random different objects as well. All of the different shots come across screen very fast all the time which will definitely avoid viewer fatigue because most shots hardly last any time at all so they are seeing a great variety of shots for the whole video.

The mise-en-scene of the video is very simple as well, it is all shot in one location which looks like it is just a dark room with an overhead spotlight. Although there is only this one location it does not develop viewer fatigue because of the pace that all of the shots come on screen. The clothing thats being worn is also very casual which is expected of the genre so it makes sense that they are in such expected clothing. There are quite a few different people that appear on screen but they are all dressed quite casually as well.

The editing is also really simple it has just cut shots between all of the shots to make it seem so quick while switching between shots. There has been a black and white effect put on the video which does make it look quite good because it makes the video look different to other videos in this genre giving it some individuality form other videos.

The sound consists of just the song being played in which you are able ot hear thelyrics as well. There is no additional sound such as talking in cuts between the song at any point. Also there is no lip sync for the whole of the video I think the person in the main focus of the shot is doing sign language that is showing what is being said in the song.

Music video analysis 4

The cinamatography of this video is quite good because they use a decent range of different shot types; they use close up, mid shot and long shot as expected but then they also use low angle shot a couple of times and there is high angle used as well. The variety of shots is good as it helps to avoid viewer fatigue becuase you are seeing it through a different angle a lot of the time. Also the positioning for the camera at times is effective as the rule of thirds is used at some parts of the video showing what is the main focus of the shot and what the viewer should be focussing on.

The mise-en-scene is also basic but it is quite good. The location is simple because it's just a street in which the whole video is being filmed. It all looks quite empty as if it has been left except for when the people come out and start dancing in the video. The clothing chosen is quite varied because some of the people are dressed in really casual clothing but then others are dressed quite over the top and have really worn some eccentric clothing, for example one person is dressed in a black and gold piece of clothing with a big robot head on.

The editing is really straighforward because it is all basically cut shots between shots and there aren't really any interesting transitions used so it just looks really fast paced and quite simplistic. Also there are fast cuts between the shots and the majority of the shots are not very long so it seems like a very fast paced music video which suite the song and the genre it is from.

The sound is really basic because it is just the song beiong played throughout except for at the beginning. The song is played clearly so that you can hear it well and know what song it is straight away. The beginning ha speech at the start with the two main people walking out and just asking what is going on. This is quite effective because it gives the impressions that there is a side story to what is going on in the video but also because you do not know what has happened at the start you want to know what they are saying because you do not know what has happened and want to know so you would watch the video and try to find out what has happened.

Music video analysis 3

The cinematography of this music video is very good. There are a lot of different camera shots used throughout the video which help to make it interesting and because of the variety it does keep the viewer quite interested while watching the video. They use close up, mid shot and long shot as expected but the positioning of the camera for them is quite interesting because for one of the shots it is a long shot but it is filmed from between two small buildings, using the rule of thirds well because they are basically telling you what you should be looking at because of the way that the camera has been positioned. Also there is a tracking shot used for a lot of the video to get a shot from in front of them whilst they are walking about. Also there is a low angle shot used as well because it adds variety to what is being presented and because there is such a good amount of variety of shots you are never looking at the same thing from one angle for too long.

The mise-en-scene of the video is quite basic it is filmed mainly in three simple places. These are just in a room, down the road or on a field. These may all be quite simple locations but they are quite effective because they manage to get a good enough variety of different shots so that the video is not boring. The clothing chosen by them Is again just casual which seem to be the main type of clothing chosen in this genre.

The editing of this video is very good for the whole of it and makes it interesting for the viewer. They use jump cuts at one point when one person comes over at them and starts dancing, and it cuts between each place he is at and what type of dancing they are doing. This is effective because it does not show the bit between each dance he is doing which also also reducing the likelihood of viewer fatigue because it is cutting out the irrelevant bits of the video. Another clever bit of editing is when they are holding the speakers and there is a box in the middle with another clip of the two people in the video still doing the lip sync but it is interesting to look at because there is two different things on screen that you have the option to see. Also there is a piece of work where it shows them lead against the wall but the camera will cut when they hit it and they will then be on the floor lying in a similar way but on the grass  in a different location instead. This looked really good and was a clever way of changing the location that the video was being filmed at.

The sound was very simple it only consisted of either the music or song, which is a similar thing that has been happening for all videos of this genre. This is still fine because it is clear to see what is being said in the video but also it is easy to hear and know what the song is saying and how it sounds.

Music video analysis 2

The cinematography of this video is quite good because we get a lot of different shots presented on the screen over quite a short period of time. There are many shots such as close up, mid shot and long shot involved shich is expected, but there are also shots such as a high angle shot, a pan shot and others. It is good having a variety of shots becuase it helps to avoid viewer fatigue by showing what is happening through a variety of angles. Also the positioning of the camera is quite effective because it isn't always positioned infront it is ometimes above, or at the side at times which is good because it's adding variety to the video.

The mise-en-scene is alsol quite good in this video. There are quite a good range of lacations used which are quite contrasting. which is effective because it is clear to the viewer that they have changed where they are. The location on the rooftop is really good because it is quite a differemt location to what you normally expect to be used in a music video and is adding good variety to what you would have expected to see in the video. The clothing of the main person in the video is also just casual which is a convention in most videos from this genre.

The editing is also quite good because there are some transitions between shots where there is the fade effect between shots to switch betweeen them. This is good as you can clearly tell that the shots have changed but also it is quite a clear/obvious part of the video that this is happening. Also some shots overlap on top of each other which looks really good and interesting to watch whilst seeing the video. This is adding a bit of varierty to this video because other videos in theis genre do not often have effects similar to this.

The sound is also quite simple because all it realloy consists of is just the song being played over the top. It is done loudly and clearly so that you can hear the song and understand easily what is being said in the song. There isn't any additional sound such as speech inbetween parts of the song to add any additional storyline to the video.

Music video analysis 1

The cinematography of the video is quite good because there are quite a few different shots used in a couple of different locations. For example the shots that are at the beginning where he is by the white background are all quite similar or simple they are all just close ups, mid shots or long shots. Having these shots is still quite good because it shows clearly who is doing what in the video at the beginning and makes it clear who the main focus of the video is on. Also when at different locations there are other shots used used such as a pan shot of places which is effective because it shows clearly the location making it obvious that they have moved helping trying to reduce viewer fatigue. Also the variety of shots makes the video more interesting because we are seeing a lot from several different angel such as high angle shots as well which is effective.

The mise-en-scene is also quite good because there are a couple of different locations used. These were the first shot of just the all white background and there was another location of them in a field filming as well. Using different locations is important because it helps prevent viewer fatigue and also allows more of a different amount of camera shots to be used. Also the locations used were both quite different so it allowed them to do different things in each location. the clothes chosen are quite what would be expected with it just being mainly casual clothing which is associated with the genre.

The editing of the video is quite normal because it has a lot of cut shots in it to change between shots. Also there aren't any sort of special effects on any of the shots or transitions used such as fading. There is a slow motion effect used on some of the shots on the field which is quite effective because it is packed out and has a lot of people so you can see a lot happening and because it is in slow motion you know what is happening better.

The sound is all clear and it has just the music being played just throughout the video with lip syncing being done as well for most of the video. There isn't any additional sound added in like a bit of speech or a cut between the song to have the people in the video talking or having a side thing going on. Because all the sound in the video is just the music being played there isn't any need to have something away from the main focus of the music/song being played.

Mood board of my genre

I think that the genre hip hop is quite large scaled and has a very large fanbase making it very popular. It is becoming more and more popular and has most of the currect big musicians fromthat genre. I chose to represent it by using some of the bigger musicians, such as, Example because he is one is the biggest acts in that genre at the minute and one of the most well known people. Some of the images that I chose are just waves to represent the amount of bass that is used in a lot of the songs from that genre as well. I also got pictures of a lot of the main instruments used because it shows what is being used to make the songs so good and successful.

Thoeries- Bordwell and Thompson

Bordwell and Thompsons thoery focussed on hollywood fioms or continuity editing. Whilst looking at this they found 4 different main focus points in filom; these were graphic, spatial, temporal and rythmic editing.

Graphic:
Film is visual so the transitions between shots can be linked graphically(pictoral qualities). There is a use of of light and dark, shape, volume and depth, movement and stasis which are all able to help create smooth continuity or abrupt contrast. Having smooth continuity is very important in film because it makes it easier for the viewer to understand and follow what is going on in the shot and what reaction is trying to be provoked. There are three different knids of use of graphic effects to improve the quality of some clips:
Graphic match which is the linkage of shots by graphic similarities. This could be through a similar shade of light ar the brightness in the frame at a period of time to allow a smooth transition between shots.
Graphic continuity which is when the centre of interest is constant throughout cuts, maintaining lighting levels, and avoiding strong colour clashes. This helps with the transition of shots because if the background or levels of light seem similar in a transition between shots then it is easier to make the transition between two different shots seem a lot clearer and makes it less likely to have a large jump between the two shots.

Spatial:
Spatial is the film space(location) and the relation between manipulation of different points through similarity, difference snd development. Continuity editing produces space through the use of an establishing shot followed by a smaller range of shots giving the viewer a clear view and understanding of the location that the film is set in. The establishing shot is very important in many films because it makes it clear to the viewer where the film is set in helping to set the scene and mood of the piece depending on what the location looks like; for example if it is set at a dark noght in an old house on the top of a hill, it immediately develops the impression that it is going to be a horror/thriller film because of the location. The is a type of film which doesn't use an establishing shot, and when this happens it is called the Kuleshov effect. This leads to the interference of a single location based on seeing only proportions of the space. By doing this it gives the audience the option to develop their own impression of the location because they are being shown several different bits of the location rather then seeing it as a whole which could also lead to mis-interpretation of what then location could be like.

Temporal:
This technique concerns the time of action and contributes to the plots manipulation of storyline order, duration and frequency. The order that events are presented can be manipulated which could mean there are changes in the story/plot which interrupt the temporal order of the film. For example, flashbacks increase the story knowledge and flashforwards can creatr an enigma. This is a good effect to use because the audience understand more of what happened to these characters or they gain to understand what is going to come of them, which begins to make them think about why all this is happening and how/when it is going to.Temporal also uses a ellipsis which is often in all films which is when they leave out thing we don't need to see but know is happening during the film, for example the characters going toilet; everyone knows it's necessary but that sort of clip is left out because it is not relevant to what is going on in the film.

Rythmic:
This is the duration of shots; the length of each shot in relation to it's pattern involving accent, beat and tempo. The timing of shots is quite important because they help to set the tempo of the clip. For example, short fast paced shots means that there is a high monent of tension at the current point of the film or they are in the middle of a chase. This helps to set the mood as the audience feels the tension when there are faster shots and believes that there actually is the character in a lot of trouble there.Slower shots show that it is quite a calm part of the film whic keeps the audience relaxed and more sure that everything is currently ok in the film. The tempo is very important as it helps to add dramatic effect or tell the audience what to think about the current part of the clip.

Thoeries-Carol Vernallis

Carol Vermallis researched and identified the similarities and differences between a music video and a hollywood film. The main things that she picked up on and spoke about were the differences in editing and identified mainly the differences between each of them.

The main thing that she picked up on was how the order of shots in a music video can be in a random order(montage) and still make sense to the viewer whereas a film has to have all of it's shots in a particular order(continuous editing) so that it makes sense to a viewer and they can understand the whole of the film. The order of shots is not too important in a music video because the variety of locations often helps to put the message across to the viewer, but at the same time helps to keep the viewer interested because if throughout a music video it was all in one location but through a variety of different shots the viewer would still get bored because they are just looking at the same thing over and over; but in a film it is important that some things remain in the same place for a longer period of time because the viewer would need to understand what is happening in that location and why so that the narrative makes sense.

There is a lot of discontinuity in music videos as they do not need to reveal something over a long period of time, they have to show a lot in three to four minutes. A music video often draws away from the narrative by using other elements, such as, the genre it could be. The lyrics used or who is in the video and what it is about. By drawing away form the narrative it can help to make it seem more interesting because it looks as if there is a lot more going on in the short period of time because we see more shot types through different locations making it seem more interesting because they do not have to worry about making it too clear what is happening in every shot relating to the narrative that could be part of the music video. However, in a film it is very important that there is continuous editing used to show the stoey to the viewer and make it clear to them what the film is about. The narrative of a film is important because people want to see the filom and have the story of it revealed to them gradually to make it more interesting. This would mean they have to ensure they spand a lot of time on all of the shots to make it clear why the actors may be in that location and what the purpose of them being there is. This is very different to a music video because the narrative needs to be short lengthed and quick so that the viewer can quickly get why they are watching the video and what it is referring to.

'In video our attention to the song shapes the way we percieve the image, but to an equal extent what we attend to in the image helps to determine how we hear the music.' -Carol Vernallis
This is her saying how important the video tends to be when we watch it because we may have one image of what the song could be about when we hear it without a video; however when we see it accompanied with a video it could change our opinion of what the song is about because of what we are seeing happen on screen. Also we may change our opinoin of what the song sounds like when we see the video, because at first you may think that the song is about one thing when really through the video you then find out that it is referring to something of completely the opposite.

For example the song when I was a youngster has a clear title as to what the song is about and then when you see the video it is clear what they are trying to show through the video. This is good because the lyrics also match because they speak about what they wanted to do when they were younger and also there are parts in the video where there are 2 kids that are probably supposed to be to the viewer what they were like and showed what they used to do in the video as well. It shows them doing stuff they did when they were younger as well as the kids to make it clear that it is them.

Thoeries- Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin's thoery is that every music video follows one of three different techniques whilst making their music video. These three techniques are illustration, amplification and disjuncture.

Illustration is when the music video is meaningful and follows what the lyrics in the song are saying; meaning if in the video there are shots of a couple breaking up the lyrics will be saying about the break up. This would help make the music video successful because the viewer can see what is happening but also helps them to understand what the lyrics would have been referring to so they can undersrtand the meaning. This means the images should help to create a literal meaning or feeling of the lyrics often just showing the musician in the video. The look of the musician in the video would be what is expected depending what the genre is or what the song is about. For example, in a pop music video you expect to see them dressed in casual clothing to match the genre they are from. However, if the musician in the video was to wear something like a full leather piece of clothing with lots of make up and piercings for a pop video they would be showing more disjunction as it no longer makes sense with what they are wearing and doing corresponding with the genre.

Another technique used is amplification. This is where the images amplify the lyrics and a specific narrative is being used which may not be clear to what the lyrics are trying to put across, or if you was to read the lyrics alone you would not be able to fully understand what the song is trying to represent unless you saw the music video and saw clearly what they was hinting at. In this sort of  music video the band would take on the role of fictional people in the narrative showing the story through the music vodeo.

The final technique is disjunction. Disjunction is when the images do not at all relate to the lyrics that are being used; this is only done really by bands/musicians that are well established and can afford to take the risk of doing so because they already have a solid fanbase. For example, the song Da Funk by Daft Punk consists of a person dressed up as a dog walking round with a radio playing music out loud. There aren't lyrics used in the song much as well so seeing a person dressed as a dog strolling around pretending to be part of society which would not make sense to someone if they randomly saw the video. If there is not a strongly built fanbase it may come across as a bad music video as there is not link between the video and lyrics which could confuse a viewer as they do not understand what the song is about or what message they are trying to put across with the music video.

Assessment 9/09/11 MCU

WWW

- Range of videos analysed, good choice for each genre helps you identify the conventions.
- Some attempt to use visual material through the embedded clips.
- Some useful analysis in places.

EBI

- You should revisit your analysis and carry it out in more detail. Use headers- mise en scene, cinematography, sound, editing to help focus on each area.
- You should include screen grabs to highlight particular shots that you discuss.
- You need to finish analysing the low budget videos.

Effort - PR

Low budget music video

The cinematography of the video is very effective there are a lot of sharp shots of just some body parts seen through a close up, but because they are at a fast pace it makes the video look very interesting. The camera has a shaky effect which really suits well with the song because it is quite a fast but dark song so it adds good effect into matching with the music.Also there are so many close ups being shown so quickly throughout the video it goes well with the tempo of the overall video making it seem quicker. However there are many other shots used such as high angle, long shot, mid shot over the shoulder as well which are all relatively close shots to the body. There are even extreme close ups of her lips doing the singing during the video as well. Having so many close shots coming on screen so quickly adds a very good effect and makes it seem very interesting to watch as a viewer because it is difficult to keep up with what is happening in places.

The mise-en-scene is quite hard to understand as to where the location is because you do not see many long shots to gain an understanding of where it could be. However, the props used are all very good as is the costuming as well because all of it is very dark and quite grim which helps suit the song and links in well with it. There was one long shot where there was a silhouetted figure on  hill which looked quite eerie which was a very good use of mise-en-scene because it looked quite creepy and sinister and matched the genre of the song.

The editing was also very good because the clip was very dark for a lot of it which gave a lot of silhouetted figures making it look very sinister matchhing the genre. Also the was a shaky effect on the camera which made it look like there was a lot of panic adding to the effect of the video being dark along with the song as well.

The sound quality was very good and although the song was difficult to understand it was loud and clear enough to hear the music. I think there could have been a bit more lip syncing though because there was so many shots you didn't hardly ever see the person doing the lyrics and understanding who was fully in the video.

Low budget video

 I feel this because they manage to use quite a good video and the cinematography is very good because they manage to use a variety of shots which helps to avoid developing viewer fatigue which many videos do not want to get. They use mny shots including close ups, mid shots, long shots, silhouette, high and low angle shots. They use all these shots and all at a fast pace to avoid developing viewer fatigue and having a boring video. Although they do used fast pced shots it is still clear and easy to see that the lip sync has been done well.

 Their mise-en-scene is good and this is shown clearly by using different locations and always doing something in the shot. Using a variety of shots and locations helps keep the viewer interested because they will not be seeing the same thing happening over and over which reduces the likely-hood of them getting bored of the video. The fact that they used several locations, but the locations also made sense as to what the song was saying made them all even more effective.Also the variety of camera shots and angles in each location made them seem even more better/effective. Also the clothing they wore was very specific to the video because they would wear clothing such as the jeans and shirts a lot of boy groups would at that time, but also when they were wearing the suits seemed effective because it fitted with the lyrics of getting paid.

 Their lip sync is also quite good throughout which is important to do because if there is not sufficient lip syncing throughout the video then the viewer will not see who is singing and this could cause some confusion while watching the video. The lip sync of this video though is very good because at points they even cut between shots and locations while one of them is mid-way through a lyric which is very good and effective and shows that they have done a lot of work into getting in done well enough to cut between shots mid way through a lyric.

The editing is very simple but is done very well. It has all mainly cut shots but they cut between shots whilst they are mid-way through a lyric so getting the cut between the both good enough to still clearly see the lip sync was very good. Also some of the lighting was very effective, for example at the beginning where it showed them all as silhouetted figures was effective because it gave the impression that they had workeed hard on what they were doing but also made it seem very much like they were serious from the start.

Conventions of a good music video

For a music video to be successful it needs to do certain things to keep the audience interested and make them want to keep watching it.
One thing it needs to do is to use a variety of different camera shots and angles. It is important that it would do this because if it was all filmed through one basic shot then the audience would ge bored seeing just the same thing through one angle for a long period of time. Using a lot of different shots and angles would encourage an audience member to keep watching because it gives the impression that a lot more is happening in the video and also enables you to use a range of different locations as well. Using a variety of lacations is also effective because it will make the video more interesting as you will be able to see different stuff happening in each different location meaning that the video will seem as if more is happening.
The lip sync of the video is also important because if it is out of time the viewer will see it instantly and notice that there hasn't been a lot of time or thought put into the making of the video, which cuold put the viewer off seeing anymore of it knowing that there wasn't a lot of effort put into making it. Also if it is out of time then it looks weird while watching the video which is off-putting as you do not know what they are saying at what part of the music.
The song chosen for the video is also important because if the song is quite catchy and has a high tempo then the viewer will enjoy the video more as they are enjoying the song. Also if it is not a song many viewers will enjoy they will choose not to listen to it because they do not like what they hear so not matter how good or not the video is becuase of the song choice they will not want to watch it.
The one thing a music video does not want they audience to gain is viewer fatigue. This is when the person watching the video gets bored of what they are seeing and does not want to watch it anymore. To ensure they avoid this they would need to make sure they are doing a lot in each shot rather than just standing there doing the same thing throughout as it will look boring and the viewer will completely lose interest.

Rock music video

I think that this is a very effective music video through the use of the camerawork being used.For example, there are a lot of different camera angles used rather than there just being a close up, long shot and mid shot but they also use high and low angle shots, pan shots, tranking shots which make it seem more interesting because you see a lot more of what is going on through the use of so many different shots.Using the greter amount of shots and camera angles make the video seem a lot more interesting because you are seeing a lot more happen through a lot of different shots but also because they have a lot of shots it enabled them to have a lot faster paced shots making the video a lot more interesting.

Also the lip sync is good throughout because there is dominantly lip sync done whenever it should be and it is done well. The sound used was good because the song is very clear throughout so the viewer can hear it clearly and easily. Also there are little cut scenes used between shots which are not part of the song where there is their manager telling them what to do to add a bit of narrative to the video but also help the viewer understand why they are doing all of the things that they are.

Also to avoid viewer fatigue they make the video funny to keep them interested and want to keep watching. This is a good use of mise-en-scene because they are dressing up in a lot of dfferent costumes making the video funnier and a lot more interesting because they are making it a parody of other music videos that have been released recently when this song was. There are very few locations being used as well but because of what the band are doing on screen the main focus is just on them so it is less noticable that there are so few locations.

The editing is quite good in the video because they use titles at points showing what they are about to try and do in their music video and try to make it interesting/funny. Also they use editing well for the background at places to help emphasise what they are copying/taking the mick of, to make it clear to the viewer what it is they are doing. It s all mainly cut shots being used as well throughout the video.

Rock music video

We mainly just see the band playing as well which is good because you see the lip sync being done along with then playing the instruments which is good as an audience member to see because you clearly can see the lip sync and whether or not they are playing the song or not. The music is also played clearly throughout the video so an audience mamber can clearly hear what is being said. Also there is nothing else done sound-wise it is just the song being played for the whole video. Also the lyrics are very relevant to the video because at places what the lyrics are saying is being shown through the video.

 Also they manage to make it an interesting video which probably wouldn't get viewer fatigue although it is all filmed in mainly one location. The mise-en-scene is very basic it is all filmed in one of two houses or just outside. However, the mise-en-scene of the two houses is very good because you can see a clear contrast of the two houses and understand instantly how different they are. Also the costuming chosen is very effective because again the contrast between the two is very clear/obvious while watching the video.

The cinematography of the video is good because I think they manage to avoid viewer fatigue well because they use a variety of short, sharp shots so that a lot seems that it is happening although that may not be the case. They may be very simple shots but because they come across so quickly they seem a lot more interesting and effective while watching the video.

They use quite clever editing at places, for example when they split the screen in two showing the contrast between the two people's lives and how they seem/act. Throughout the video you see there is something wrong between the two and at the end see what happens. Also when we see the split screen the whole of the time it is showing the difference between the two poeple. Also there is another bit when rather than having it filmed cleanly they use photos to follow the beat of the music and add a bit more variety to the video which is effective as it is showing how they are being creative and trying to avoid viewer fatigue by making it more interesting.

Rock music video

This is an effective music video because they manage to successfully manage to avoid  viewer fatigue well .They do this well although they are only dominantly in one location and and use very basic camera shots throughout such and the close up, mid shot and long shot. However I think the overall mise-en-scene of the video is very good because the band members are making a big effort in doing a lot to make the video interesting by wearing a lot of different costumes to try and make the video funnier but also interesting at the same time.This would also help reduce viewer fatigue because they will be wondering what they are going to do next so it will make them want to keep watching the video.

The Cinematography of the video is very basic but the main attention of what is going on is on the band members enabling the camerawork to be very basic. There are only dominantly three shot types being used: close up, mid-shot and long shot. Having such basic camerawork could have the video seem quite ineffective had they not been doing so much in the shot making it seem a lot more interesting.

The lip sync is also ok becuase when they do it, it is in time but at parts when they could be they aren't always doing the lip sync but this doesn't have that much of a big effect as the viewer is more likely to be interested in what they are doing rather than seeing if they are doing the lip syncing.Also the music of the video is quite loud and clear so someone watching it will clearly understand what is happening in the video and what is being said. There is a bit of plain talking said at th very end of the video which isn't really relevant but has been put in there.

The editing is very simple again it is only cut shots used throughout. However it is clever when they show theb garage door go down with the band members drressed in one costume and the second the door has shut it quickly re-opens showing them dressed in something completely different. Also there is one point where it is shot in slow motion to show another parody of a different band/music video.

Pop muscic video

This music video uses a lot of different shot types throughout which is good because it helps to keep the viewer interested by seeing a lot happening through a lot of different angles. Again there are mainly close ups, mid shots and long shots used throughout  which is ok but can get boring after seeing too many. However, there are quite a lot of other shots used for example there is are high and low angle shots used quite a lot throughout. There are a lot of fast paced shots throughout the video which take the attention away from the fact that there is only really one location used for the whole of the song, which is quite a good technique because it seems as if they have been and done a lot more than they really have. They mainly use close ups or mid shots when they are being filmed while singing so you can see the lip sync clearly and which one of them is doing the singing.

There is a pice of editing that is very effective because there are jump cuts used but in time with the music which is good because it is a good clever fill for a piece where there isn't any words and it makes the video look more interesting at that point. Also for the editing as a transition between some shots they use the fade effect to change what shot type they are using, for example a high angle/long shot being faded into a close up. Also for a couple of the shots they slowed the pace down of them to add a variety of different paced shots to the video.

The lip sync is good because throughout for most of the video where it is needed there is lip syncing being done. It is important to have good lip syncing during the video because it makes it seem more like they are actually singing it rather than it being the track played over the top. The riff inbetween singing on the guiter is effective because there are no words so it allows them to do other things on camera while there are no words. Also it is effective because it is the only thing being played at parts so people remember that well and would find that bit to bit quite catchy.

I think that overall the mise-en-scene of the video was very basic but still effective. I think this because the location allowed them to get a great variety of different shotsmaking the video seem a lot more interesting than it couls have been considering that it was only being filmed at one location. I feel that this video did well to avoid viewer fatigue because althogh it is filmed at dominantly one location they show several different parts of the place from a variety of different camera angles to make it more interesting and keep the viewer interested. The clothing chosen was very casual but is expected in this genre and age group because they know what image of them people expect them to have so they make sure that they have it.

Pop muscic video

This music video doesn't use many different locations but it gives the effect they have by doing the filming at different times of day. These locations may all be fairly similar but the filming is done at different times of the day which was quite effective because you are able to see a massive contrast of how the location looks during the day in comparison to the shots odne at night giving the impression that this has been done when it really hasn't.Using a variety of locations is good because it helps to avoid viewer fatigue which is important to avoid because it means an audience member will listen to the song more if they enjoyed the video and watched it the whole way through without getting bored. Also they are all again just dressed in casual clothing because of the genre they are in and the location they are at people expect them to wear quite casual clothing.

 There are also quite a lot of different shot types used. They used the main three shots; close up, mid shot and long shot which are all quite effective but they also used high and low angle shots in places, which were effective because it enabled you to see what was happening from a variety of different angles which would make the audience member perhaps feel more involved seeing what was going on through a range of shots. Also it is very effective using a variety of different shot types because it gives the viewer the impression that there are more shots than there really are, which also gives off the impression that there is more going on making the viewer seem more interested and avoiding them getting vieewer fatigue.

The sound is also quite clear so the audience hear the song well and understand what they are saying in it. The lip sync is also good although again it isn't done throughout the whole video but again isn't too important because there is other stuff going on in those shots not making it seem too important. There isn't any background noise or any irrelevant talking, just the singing throughout the whole video. The music however does change when there is a different singer which was quite interesting becuse it did make it clear that it was a different persno doing the singing but also it was like they were trying to emphasise the fact that it was someone different beginning to sing.

The editing was quite basic but they used the fade effect when they showed the transition of filming from the day to the night. This was quite good because it was quite a smooth transition done which fitted in nicely with the camerawork which was quite effective.Also at the beginning of the song they had the title of the group and wht the song was called, this was probably so if a viewer saw the song beginning on t.v they would know who it was and what song it was straight away.

Pop muscic video

The cinematography of the video is quite sinple ity is dominantly close ups, mid shots and long shots filmed at either a different variety of locations or with a different amount of members from the group so it seems like there is a  lot more happening than there really is. The shots however are quite fast paced which works well with making it a more interesting music video and keeping the viewer intesested while they are watching it. Also the pace of the shots goes well with the timing of the music because when the music is of a fast tempo the shots are quite short and quick; also the shot changes at the same point as quite a lot of the music does making the video seem quite smooth and in good timing with the music. There are a few other shots involved such as a high angle shot at a few points. Using a few different shots is important because it keeps the viewer interested throughout and helps to avoid viewer fatigue.

The mise-en-scene of the video is quite basic it is filmed at three main locations and they just use a variety of different shots and camera angles to make it seem more interesting. Two of the locations are quite similar but then the third is different which is important because if all the locations are too similar then it is quite likely that the viewer will get bored of what they are watching. The two locations that are similar are the ones on the beach and by the rocks because when there is a long shot you can still see the rocks on the beach. However, it is quite a good location because they were able to get a lot of different shots which made it seem a lot more interesting. The other location was just at a party which is also a good location because there is a lot going on meaning wherever the camera was there was near enough always something interesting going on. Also it enabled them to get a lot of short shots to make it seem as if there was a lot more going on than there actually may have been. The group are all wearing quite casual clothing, or beach clothes(shorts etc) which is expected of this genre of music because it is recent and the location you would expect them to considering where they are at.

The sound is quite basic because it is just the music playing throughout the video with lip syncing where there could have been. It is not fully lip lynced through the whole video but it doesn't seem to important that it wasn't because it doesn't make the video come across as being poor when there hasn't been any lip syncing.Also the music is clear throughout making it easy to hear and know what they are saying.

The editing is good as they have managed to get a lot of different shot types, and the length of many of the shots is different to the others. The shots tend to cut when the tempo of the song changed or when  it cropped making the different shots come on when there was a change in the music. This was quite a good effect because you could really notice the rhythm of the song because of there it was cutting on each shot. There wasn't any effects on any of the shots or really any transitions, just dominantly cut shots into the next one.