BLOG CLOSED

Just a final post to close the blog

Final Reflections on the Video

Overall im really pleased with how the video came out, as it stayed close to what I imagined for it. I'm especially proud of the editing in the video as well as how it opens and closes very distinctively. However if I were to do it again i would certainly use a greater variety of shot types and try and play around with the focus. Despite these factors that I would have wished to experiment with, I think the video ended up going really well and Im happy with the results.

Final Cover and refelections

More artwork can be found on our Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/boyinterrupted430






Overall I'm really happy with our final cover, as I feel it portrays the artist in the correct light. The images used are all very striking and each says something different about our artist. For instance the back image gives the sense that the artist is a dangerous character, while on the front cover, the artist looks provocatively into the camera (showing his sex icon status that we wish to attain). The font looks really rough and gritty, and goes with the artist's edgy image, while the red colouring nicely complements the black and white images, and also suggest aggression (a major part of our artists performance style).

More artwork can be found on our Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/boyinterrupted430

Reflections on Project

Overall I'm really pleased with how this project went, as I feel that over the course of it my skills with editing and working as a group have improved greatly. Not only is this the first project i have ever done at media where everyone had an equal say, but aswell as this by the ened of the project all memers of the group are happy with the final result.
On the actual shoot I felt that my lighting skills were greatly improved, as I learnt how to create mood and atmosphere. This is something that will help me greatly in future media projects.
In editing I also feel I have learnt a lot. This includes the use of Adobe After effects, where i got to concentrate on how to edit noise on clips as well as how to apply dirrefernt effects and transitions. As well as this I have learnt an entirely new way of editing, following Music video conventions.
Overall I'm really happy with how the project went, and would really like to work with my group on another project in the future.

My Proposed Marketing Campaign

WEB

As our artist is signed to an independent label, we thought that Myspace.com would be a good place to start the marketing campaign. Not only has this worked for other artists such as Shwayze, but MySpace would allow us to reach out to our core audience of teenage girls easily and most importantly is free. On our artists page we can also push tour dates as well as promote the video for I Kissed a Boy, and allow our audience to listen to other tracks. We would also focus on making a YouTube channel as well, where we would post not only Boy Interrupted’s music videos but also behind the scenes footage. As out target audience subscribes to the channel they will be able to see any fresh videos we upload, and so we can access a solid fanbase.

TV

Television is another medium for which Boy Interrupted can be advertised effectively to our audience. One particular programme would be E4’s Freshly Squeezed, that shows all the new music videos from a variety of artists, not just the most popular. This and other E4 music programmes target our core audience of 14-21 year old girls, so this would be a good platform to access them. The album for Boy Interrupted we would also try buy advertising slots for around popular teenage shows such as Hollyoaks, which shows around 6.30pm, which means that our target audience would be back from school/college/lectures. We would also push for Boy Interrupted to give some live performances. Although it is clearly too early on in his career to be on the likes of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (BBC1), we would try to get him on the likes of programmes such as The Friday Night Project (Channel 4), when it comes to him releasing the single I Kissed a Boy. We would also try to get Boy Interrupted on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, as this would be a chance for him to promote his Album and connect with our primary target audience of 14-21 year olds.

RADIO
Radio will be a key aspect in selling our artist. First of all we would try to get Boy Interrupted on Radio One live lounge sessions, which would allow him to showcase his music and appeal to our target audience of 14-21 year olds. As well as this we would try and have adverts for the album on Capital morning breakfast show, that plays a wide variety of pop/indie/R n’ B music, and is listened to by our target audience in the mornings before school/college/lectures, judging by viewing statistics and our audience research.

PRINT
Print would be used in our campaign in order to appeal to our audience, especially through magazines such as Kerrang!. We would try and get an interview and press release given to this magazine as it is an indie/rock magazine, fitting in with our genre, and is mainly bought by 14 to 18 year olds. As well as this we would try and put printed adverts in other female teen magazines such as 17, Sugar and Bliss, all of which are bought by our primary target audience.

Questionaire

Here's a quick questionnare i typed out so we can get a greater idea of what people thought of our edit of the video:

Name:
Gender:
Age:

1. What kind of music do you normally listen to?

2. Did you like the video? Why? Why Not?

3. What venues would you expect this to play at?

4. What TV shows/channels would you expect the artist/music video to play on?

5. Would you buy an Album from this artist? Why? Why Not?

6. What do you think of the Artist himself?

7. RATE the following out of ten 10=AMAZING 0=TERRIBLE

The Track ‘I Kissed A Boy’ /10

The Music Video /10

Analysing Myspace Pages - Shwayze

http://www.myspace.com/shwayze

Shwayze is a rap/indie band from LA that has come into the public eye only in the last few months. I think their Myspace is particularly interesting as they have used it to promote themselves in several different ways.
Firstly they have promoted a band image through the design and layout of their page. The yellow and ‘wood’ connotes the beach, which associates itself well with California (where they come from). It also fits in with their laid back look. As well as this images of shades come up frequently on the page, fitting with their image but also becoming a bit of a motif.
The page is also extremely informative, offering tour dates as well as offering some background on the band. It even mentions when the new album is coming out and where to buy it when it does.
A lot of merchandise is also promoted on the page. For instance T-shirts, ringtones etc, which shows that the band is becoming more established and becoming more popular.
The page also acts as an advert for the band as you can listen to their ‘hits’ as well as watch their music videos. This encourages people to listen to their music, get a taste for it and then download it.
Loyalty to the band is also encouraged with links to fan sites and forums, where fans can talk to other fans and build an online community.

How Artist's Images Change - Snoop Dogg

I was thinking of how Artist's images change over time with their music styles, age etc and decided to look at an example.

Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Doggie Dogg)
Snoop Dogg came onto the music scene in the early 90's with his collaboration's with Dr DRE of NWA. Was contreversial when he started to make records due to his the explicit sexual references (even his 'artist name' including 'doggie) and involvement in the Blud vs Crips gang war of the early 90's. This of course gave Snoop a gangsta image that he played up to in many of his early videos and goes with many of the aggressive lyrics in his tracks.



Now... after over 15 years in the business Snoop has changed his image, not only dropping the middle part of his artist name, but now changing the sound of his music from easty coast rap to hip hop. This also means that he has also swapped checks for suites and so appears more suave and sophisticated. This can be seen in his latest video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKz-RXSeIYA

Reflections On Music Video Theory And How This Will Inspire Me

Today’s lesson on music video theory has really made me think about certain aspects I am now interested to incorporate into our own music video.

1) Continuity editing – This can now be more or less abandoned when planning the project, as I now realise how it does not serve a purpose in music video. This is because from today’s study of Scott McCloud’s theories on comics, as like that format of entertainment the audience need to fill in gaps of time and space themselves when watching a music video. I now personally think that using a very disjointed editing style would suit our music video idea, especially as we now do not plan to follow a linear narrative.

2) Marilyn Manson’s Beautiful People – This music video that we watched today was interesting, not only due to its Faustian storyline, but due to it’s style. The way how certain shots were sped up and others slowed down in short succesion, really helped to make the video seem a lot more disturbed as it all appeared very unnatural. With the dark subject matter of our song, I really would like to use some similar effects.

3) Master Shots (or lack of) – Although I may not be inspired to use this theory in the music video that we’re making, I still think it is an important concept. Carol Vernallis believes that while master shots are used in film (especially classical Holly wood cinema), music video’s tend not to. This as a result means that most music videos can take place anywhere at any time, with no set location and time period. As well as this Vernallis believes that instead, the viewer is led through the space by the camera, not knowing what is coming ahead. I think on the whole Vernallis is right, but there are still exceptions to the rule, including the clip below. It is a clip from the opening of the film Irreversible. The audience are shown no master shots and instead led through the location with the central protagonist, through a series of tracking shots. I cannot get the part of the film I want to put up so instead I’ve put up the trailer that includes shots from some of these sequences.



This is a music video that disagrees with Vernallis’s theory as we are shown a number of extreme long shots and master shots which shows exactly where and when the video is set.



Wu Tang Clan – Gravel Pit

Quick reflection on Final Idea

I currently feel really pleased that we have chosen our song at last and feel confident that we will be able to make a good music video for it. After today’s group discussions I also feel that a performance based video is what this track needs, in order to get across the angst in the lyrics.

THR Feedback Individual Blog Progress

Mike
There's some great work here - I especially like how you've taken theories and begun to try and unpick them and apply them for yourself - very well done indeed!
Your posts have been consistent in frequency and you have clearly kept up with the ethos of blogging. However, sometimes the purpose of your posts is unclear - the videos are lovely but why have you posted them? What are you thoughts? Reflections? What have you learned? gleaned?
You, like the others, need to make sure you link your blogs in the group to those in your individual blog - not the same posts but reflections, reactions and analyses of your other posts. For example, ifyou have posted in group, you could/should write up your personal reflection on this. If you've posted in individual what affect does this have on the grp? (and POST it!)
Your research posts are great but I'd like to hear more about your personal feeelings and responses to all this stuff.
Your response to teachers' feedback is excellent and an example to the others as is your linking of other websites and resources to your page.
Your navigational tools are working well and your blog is clear. i just wonder how 'Mike' it really is - could you add some pictures or interesting features that make your blog more individual?
On the whole, you've done a great job! I've referred many in the group to your blog so well done. Just remember to catch up on the details and keep it up!
Mrs T :-)

Rules of Film making (the ones to break for Music video!)

Here's just a few of the rules that set out for film makers in order for the editng not to be noticeable in a scene, and are also to ensure that the audience do not get confused by narrative etc. However with music video's, both of these points are irrelevant due to how the format serves a very different purpose. These are just a few of the rules that I reminded myself of from Amy Villarejo's 'Film Studies The Basics'.

180 degree rule - Belongs to the system of continuity editing, the rule that establishes the axis of action, a line running perpendicular to the camera, such that the camera is understood to have to stay on the same side of this line for each of the subsequent shots, preserving screen direction.

30 degree rule - Also to ensure continuity, the rule that one should vary camera angle shot to shot by at least 30 degrees to avoid jump cuts (figures appear to jump in the frame)

Eyeline Matches - Form of continuity editing which would join a first shot of a character looking offscreen to something else he is meant to see in the second shot.

Here's a scene from a classical Hollywood style film, Casablanca which uses these devices in order to create a cohesive and linear narrative structure.

Brief History of the Music Video

While thinking about the music video project I thought it would be worthwhile to look at the origins of this format of entertainment, in order to help my understanding. The information I used to help me with this was obtained through Wikipedia as well as the March 2008 copy of VIBE magazine

1929 – Bessie Smith’s ‘Saint Louis Blues’
Perhaps the first music video, ‘Saint Louis Blues’ is a 16 minute film where Bessie smith appears and sings her song of the same name. This still very much is of the classical Hollywood style.



1936 – Show Boat
Paul Robeson sings ‘Ol Man River’ in the film ‘ShowBoat’. The reason why I believe that the clip seems important is due to the use of the pan around Robeson, which seems unusual for films of the time, and is a concept that is used in many music videos now.



1959 – Radio DJ J.P. Richardson allegedly comes up with the phrase ‘Music Video’

1961 – Ricky Nelson’s ‘Travelin Man’
The Official first music video as the video does not just focus on the performance, but some images are cut inbetween of the world (thus relating to the title of the song)



1981 – MTV is Launched

SMITH WESSON - GRINDHOUSE TRAILER (putting theory into practice)

Had a couple of days spare and made a short tongue in cheek Grindhouse Trailer in order to pratise my editing. Its made me realise that perhaps having Grindhouse appraoch to the music video might be extremely time consuming and it will need a lot of work in order for it to pull off. As a result I think that perhaps the boyband route is the way to go down, and after looking at Matt and Liam's test shoots in London it has made me realise that it could be an extremely apt location.

BLK feedback

good stuff here mike. Im off on holiday in the morning so just checking in briefly, will have a proper look next weekend when i get back.

what do the rest of the group think? can you chase up feedback and get some sense of their thoughts on your ideas - i'd be interested to know if all 4 of you want to go in this direction or not?? particularly matt who wasn't around at the end of term.

All the Grindhouse Trailers

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Here are all four fake trailers from 'Grindhouse', after watching these i'm thinking more about how interesting it would be to do a modern spin on one of these.

Evolving Ideas

After listening to Max's track idea with pendulum, I think that this could also work with my idea for 'Machete' as it slowly speeds up (the trailer to real life transition) and also has quite a reggae sound (link to blaxploitation). As well as this I'm beginning to consider having the whole music video as one large elaborate trailer, but this will need more thought and I will post more soon.

DJ Hazard - Machete (Treatment)

After todays meeting I have thought more of one of the idea's and have tried to elaborate upon it a bit more. This is extremely rough and is by no means the final idea by it makes the 'vision' I had clearer.

First of all the track itself has a collection of soundbites from a mock trailer for 'Machete', in the film 'Grindhouse' (Rodrigues and Tarantino, 2006). Therefore seeing how the track begins, we could start it like a 1970's exploitation trailer with a character very much like 'Shaft', a 1970's no nonsense cop with attitude (i.e. really playing upon stereotype). This could be shot with an extremely grainy effect, and literally show what the voiceover describes. Slowly the camera zooms out of the trailer, which we now see is being watched on a TV, then...

(Machete Trailer)

(Shaft Opening)

...The main character of the trailer looks at the person watching the trailer, in a non realistic manner, as if he has just realised he is being watched. He then walks through the screen (don't ask me how this will be acheived as I haven't researched it yet), and is brought into the real world.

The rest of the music video would then follow what happens next with this character and the clear clash of times and cultures. I thought this could be played out comically and the 'Film Character' could somewhat be similar to MR T.

Here's your group work on Marketing!

Change of Idea

Since the group's decision to look into other area's apart from boybands, I've been looking into two different styles of video

Abstract Horror
This is the style of video like the Aphix Twin's ones shown below. The video's are nightmarish and extremely bizarre, with lots of disturbing imagery. A lot of these kinds of video's seem to have been inspired by the works of David Lynch. I think if we created a video in this style and created a good narrative it could be extremely effective especially with a grainy film look.




(David Lynches - Mulholland Drive)

Narrative
Literally the music video illustrates the song, and this is most clearly shown by the ICE CUBE video shown below. This might be good if we found the right song as it would be easy to sustain a narrative.


(Ice Cube - Today was a good day)