Reflecting on Music Video Challenge

Overall I think that our 'In the Sun' music challenge was a success. I think that as a class we all really got involved, and worked well together even though we all had different job roles. Everyone was prepared for filming, and were organised when bringing in props or other useful equipment. We also often gave eachother constructive criticism throughout, for example if somebody was forgetting a certain dance move or filming a shot at the wrong angle then someone else in our class would address this and we would overcome the problem. If I'm honest I think that this is the best my class has ever worked as a group, as we all came together and no one messed around and we individually contributed something. Everyone played their part extremely well, especially Nathan who was our male lead role as he really studied the posture and body language of the lead male which made his character really believeable in our music video.
Something that we could have improved on was time management, as even though we all got on with it and worked well it still seemed to take us a fair amount of time and we ended up overrunning. I think this is important to improve on when creating our own individual music video as this could result in us falling behind in our filming and then having less time to edit our film to our best ability. Another thing I wold suggest for us to improve on is the steadiness to our shots, as some were extremely shaky. This was because we didn't bring a tripod, and therefore that is another thing that we could have improved on as if we don't always come fully equipped then we're not going to be able to perform to our best ability.
However overall I think that the positives out weighed the negatives as this was a good practice for when we film our own music video. We were able to learn from mistakes that we made to help us in the future for when we start creating and filming for our own music video.

My Job roles

One of my job roles that I was given was to organise the music for filming. I worked with my partner Tom and we planned what shot went with a section of the song. Once we planned this we handed it out to everyone in our class, so they were able to have a copy of their own.

I realised that neither me or Tom had a portable CD player or a blank CD that we could use, so I emailed our Media technician and asked if we were allowed to borrow a blank CD and if he knew where we could borrow a portable CD from. Luckily he was able to lend us both for when we were filming our music video.

My other role was to film two shots in our music video, which took a lot of patience as I had to make sure that the framing of the shot looked good, as this was everyones music video and not just my own. I really enjoyed being behind the camera as it gave me an insight into what directing was like, even though I filmed the majority of my thriller opening sequence during Year 12. However, filming a music video is slightly different as you have to make sure everyone is in time with the music, and that everyones lip syncing is on point. It was also fun re-shooting it a couple of times as it then gave you a variety of shots to choose from with allows your shots to be of a high standard.
Here are a few shots that I filmed.
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My final role was being one of the dancers in the music video. I feel that this role especially went really well as me and the other dancers were really committed as we met up numerous times during our free time to learn and teach other the dance. Our choreographer Charlotte was especially committed as she took great time in learning the dance to teach us all. On the actual day of filming our music video everyone performed with great enthusiasm and performed the routine correctly. Even the shy people within our dance felt comfortable dancing in front of the camera and others around them, which I think proves how well we all worked together as everyone felt comfortable with what they were doing.

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My progress from Year 12 into Year 13 in Media

My approach to A2 has been very positive and enthusiastic, committing myself to this subject to try and achieve the best possible grade that I can. Like in Year 12, I thoroughly planned my video through a story board, to help invisualise what I wanted to create. By drawing and noting down what shot types that we were going to use, this helped me and my group become more organised when it came to actually filming our video. Here is our storyboard from Year 12 when we planned our idea's for our thriller opening sequence.

However, last year I think that I underestimated how much patience and committment that would have to be given, as when you're planning and preparing to film a music video/movie it doesn't always go to plan and can become at times extremely frustrating. Although once you have finished and everything in your video has come together it is very rewarding.

Here is a video for my thriller opening sequence and some comments that we had recieved.

Then for A2 we were given a task to create a video where we would practise our lip syncing to develop our confidence infront of others and in front of the camera. Me and my group, which consisted of Jade and Charlotte decided to have some fun when we were filming our video and went away individually to rehearse and learn our lyrics in our free times. This has shown our development through year 12 through to year 13 as we regulary stayed behind after school to edit our video, specifically arranging times where we all could attend.
Here is the final outcome of our 'In the Sun' Lip Sync task, and the comments that we recieved from it.

 

This lip syncing task most definately help me with my confidence in front of the camera, as beforehand I was pretty self conscious and aware of everyone around me and watching. However, observing everybody else in their groups and seeing how helpful and kind everyone was to eachother really made it easier for me to get fully involved and enjoy my time in front of the camera. If I am to be honest I think that that has been my greatest improvement from Year 12-13 as by working hard and getting good grades it has built my confidence and pushed me to try even harder.

I think that because we were given plenty of opportunities to watch other schools music video's (the good and the bad) the comparisions allowed us to understand fully what works well in a music video and what doesn't.One very important thing that I learnt about when researching different area's of music video's were that you must create various shots in different locations so your audience doesn't get viewer fatigue. If you were to have the same framed shots or simialr locations used then the viewer could quite easily get bored and stop watching. Here are the two examples that I used to compare with one another so I could fully understand what makes a successful video.

What I really enjoyed about 'The Fix-Just Got Paid' music video was that through their video us as an audience were able to identify how much time and effort that they had invested, as their lip syncing was perfect throughout their performance from every member of their group. Even though their locations didn't vary as much as their shots did, by using different angles and lighting they allowed their music video to be cliche but still very entertaining. What I also admired about this video was that they didn't try and be really fancy or to dramatic with their idea's but instead developing their idea's to expand their knowledge on the key factors of a boybands music video.
I think that that has personally given me an insight as to what I specifically need to do when I'm organising and preparing for my music video as I need to really relate to my target audience.That is another area where I feel as though I've progressed, as I've learnt that what I want in a music video/trailer may not always necessarily be what my target audience wants.
What was also successful in their music video was their shooting material that they used when filming, using strobe lights to highlight their faces and dances moves which was very appropriate to the concept of their video. They also made quite a few of their close up shots over the top and cheesy, as they knew that their targeted audience would be teenage girls who'd be swooning over them. Overall I think that their music video is definately a level 4, and I think that the only thing that they'd need to improve on would be to use other images rather than just them.

What Makes A Good Music Video?

What Makes A Good Video
A good video should always have steady shots when appropiate, otherwise the video will look unproffessional and quite tacky. Using steady shots also shows that you're able to use media eqipment efficiently and that you have taken great care in taking your time to perfect a shot. Framing a shot is also important, because if you're unable to do this it could result in your audience losing interest, whereas you should be captivating them. Using a variety of shots and distances to avoid viewer fatigue, and adds a new dimension to the video. It can help create a mood or atmosphere, as close ups enable the viewer to understand and relate to a character, given by their facial expression or body language. Mise en scene attritbutes a lot to a video, and therefore is key when filming. The group filming should have planned and prepared for their film, discussing and deciding what probs they're going to use, their lighting and different locations.; this again diverts the viewer from having viewing fatigue. A variation of shot transitions should be used, allowing the video to flow easily and avoiding any jump cuts as this again allows a video to look more professional and adds realism. The key thing for a music video is lip syncing and therefore members of the group should take a lot of time out to really analyse and learn the lyrics to ensure that their lip syncing is excellent, to again make it look proffessional and of a high standard.

One of the video's that I have chosen for 'what makes a good music video' is Ed Sheeran's 'The A-Team.' I think the video for this is incredible as it really tells a thought provoking story by depicing moments from a girls life. Every shot is perfectly framed and balanced, and a great variety of shots are used to retract the audience from getting viewer fatigue. Something else that is extremely key in this video is that it really connects to the audience emotionally as it tells a mininature story, drawing the audience in from the very first few shots. Even though there is no lip syncing used in this particular video, I still believe that it is a great example for the different types of shots and the various locations that are used.

Here are a few screen grabs that I have taken from the video and why I thought that they were amoung the best.

 The girl used in this shot is facing backwards to the audience, which connotes that maybe in society she feels as though she doesn't really have an identity, given that she takes drugs and prostitutes to pay for them she feels as though she hasn't made a mark on life. The lighting used in this shot could represent her looking for a way out, for some positivity. However it could be interpreted that she feels like giving up on life, and therefore she could be embracing death. This shot is almost symmetrical,which demonstrates that the frame was well thought out and planned. The angle of the shot is also cleverly filmed as the girl is looking up to the sky, just as the camera is tilted upwards so it appears that we're looking up at her looking  up at the sky.

 

Like the previous shot, this is also pretty symmetrical. What I think works incredibly well with this shot is that the location was specifically chosen to connote with the emotiveness of the whole music video. The stranded park is metaphorically used to represent life, no matter how big the world is or how many people are in it she has never felt more alone. Once again, the lighting is also cleverly used to connote with the emotion of the song and the music video as by filming in black and white the sky is purely white, emphasising the fact that she see's death as her only option to happiness. This contrasts to the lighting used in the locations as foggy, dark colours are used to perhaps represent the negativity that she is faced with in life.

 I think that the frame of this shot is extremely interesting, as all of the shots should look like a series of photo's. I think that even from just seeing this shot it would automatically grab someones attention, and engage them into wanting and to continue to watch more. By using yet another location it diverts the viewer from having viewing fatigue, which is something that you most certainly avoid. I also think that the lighting is incredible in this shot, as they've only allowed you to see the outline of her body. This again connotes with the girls identity, and therefore links with other shots within the music video. It is focused upon the lower half of her body, revealing her high heeled shoes and short skirt. The props have been carefully selected and I think that this is evident. Lastly, by using heels and skirts as a prop it is using the stereotype of prostitutes so the audience can understand, as I think when creating the music video you must always think from an audiences perspective so they can follow the direction you're pointing them in.