Pre-Production

Shooting Schedule

Times	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri
Period 1+2	Media lesson	-	-	-	Filming media video
Period 3+4	-	-	Media lesson	Filming media video	-
Period 5+6	Filming media video	-	-	-	-

These were the hours that our group had free lessons and so we decided that these were the hours that we would shoot our music video. We will also need some extra hours for editing once our video is completed and therefore we may need to do this independently to be able to reach our full potential in our media coursework.

The roles and responsibilities of each member of the group:

Charlotte: Editing, actor, takes care of and prepares props.

Luke: Director, camera assistant, editing.

Marianna: Editing, actor, sound recordist.

Molly: Actor, editing, costume designer.


Shooting Questions

a) What is the videos theme?

As a group we have decided that we want to represent today’s youth society in our video; the song states a ‘messed up generation ‘therefore we want to show a realistic insight into today’s youths.We want the video to be fun an exciting and be something that youths can relate to, exploring different dimensions such as different perspectives from different types of people. We don’t want the video to be a cliché; we want to bring something unexpected and unique.We want the video to be fast moving, suggesting that young people’s lives are fast tempo and independent however we want our viewers to get a gritty insight into the lives of some that they would rather not see.

b) What are its mood progressions?

One of the aims of our video is to show the fast moving mood changes in the characters.We want the video in theory to be ‘messed up’ therefore there needs to be many highs and lows and changes of happy moods to depressing moods, one of the ways we are going to show this is by the use of colours and lighting, deep blues red and black obviously represent dark down times however bright natural greens and pastel colours can show a fresh organic attitude.

c) What kind of location should each sequence have?

Each location should be suited to the scene; one of our group’s aims is to incorporate as many different scenes into our video as this will show the fast moving tempo and the different stories we are trying to represent this will also portray the different cultures and unique styles that youths society has.

d) What statement should each location make towards the videos premise?

Our theme is to make the video as vibrant and loud as possible and each location should match the theme for example if we are trying to show fresh or new attitudes we may plan to film outside as this can be symbolic to the point we are trying to make.Our idea is to show different reflective moods therefore we may need to film in a number of different places, for example we want to show real aspects of youths lives; not everyone enjoys the same social things therefore we may need to film in schools, pubs clubs or even in a home location.

e) How should each set be lit?

Each set should be lit according to the mood we are trying to portray, for example if we want to show love then the colour reds may show this or if we want to show a ‘dark side’ to someone then black would show danger and being lost.

f) What kind of props goes with the set?

We will need to make a full schedule plan of what needs to be in every set, props play a major part in showing a scene and making it believable, therefore we need to think about what is being included. We are also working on a very tight budget therefore we may need to think about what is necessary to make our final piece to the standard it should be.

g) What kind of belongings do the characters need to keep around them?

We want to show diversity in our characters therefore each character will represent a different sort of person for example the ‘bad child’ may be carrying alcohol, cigarettes and maybe even drugs. We want to show the path that a child may be lead into. However some of the other characters may represent the good in today’s youth as in the media today’s youth are always seen as being bad rather than doing anything positive towards society.

h) What kind of clothes does each character wear and what do the clothes tell us?

Clothes play a major part in our video as it will be one of the things our audience will be looking at first, as our theme is pop we want to show popular clothes that people wear as these people will be our main target audience and want to relate to our video. High street brands will be included as we want our video to represent today’s youth society and show a normal society.

I) What colour palette and progression would promote the videos thematic development?

We want the whole of our video to be fast moving as the song itself is very fast tempo with scenes constantly changing, the theme is gritty British society therefore moods need to be up and down to show reality, colours need to be vibrant and loud.

Shooting Script Questions
What do you need to show to establish 

environment?

During our video we will need to establish the environment, not just the physical environment but also emotionally. The words ‘we found love’ shows that there is also an emotional environment that will need to be portrayed to the audience. In order to do this we will need certain props that symbolize love or affection. These may include, lockets, rings etc. The external environment will need to be quite dark and gloomy to represent the message of the song. The song lyrics say ‘We found love in a hopeless place’ so as a group we will need to establish our environment using scenery and scenarios that symbolize failure and gloom. Options that we thought of were

• Dark windy night

• Rain

• Girl walking home after a night out alone

• Alcohol

• Partying (to symbolize the waste of life)

When do you show establishing information?

As a group we believe that the establishing information should not be shown throughout because from the point of view of the audience it is a good method to leave the audience wondering. It is important to show the information enough so that the audience can establish a story line however too much could make the video tedious.

When do characters move and how to show movement?

When characters move we can use a wide range of camera angles, some of these are;

• Wide camera shots, wide shots give an outside POV, from somebody watching at a distance, if the camera angles then zoom in this can show somebody on the frontline of the shot but still from an outside perspective.

• Panning shots to get an outside perspective of the characters movements, this can follow the character to give an insight of the footsteps, it is as if the outsider is watching the character, so this enables the audience to really

• Over the shoulder shot, this gives the audience the perspective from the characters viewpoint; it allows the audience to be interactive with not only the music video but also the star.

• Let the character leave the frame, this shows that the character is moving as the camera is not following her, this movement is subtle and only really gives the POV to the audience that they are behind the camera filming the character, and that their movement was a quick glance.

• Let the camera move around, shows a substantial amount of movement as it gives a varied POV that show different shots.

• Fast shots show movement, as the different shots show that it is fast paced which often can represent movement but show the POV from behind the camera

What are significant eye lines and when do they change?

• Looking directly into the camera shows a connection between the viewer and the video itself, this form is often used during emotional scenes an typically your ‘love song’

• Looking up at a camera is often symbolizing a message

• Looking back at the camera can represent a goodbye

• No eye line at all, no eye contact can give an outside perspective

When and why does the camera move?

The camera can move for a number of different reasons, for example during a panning shot the camera would be following the character and would therefore need to move, by the camera moving –this shows movement through the camera use rather than editing. Camera movement can seem messy however often it is used during party scenes, to make it seem as if it is an amateur camera man.

G) Focals and composition can affect the narrative of the story, if a certain image is focused and another is not focused, this makes the audience look at the focused image, contrast can distort the background so really makes the audience view the image/shot up front. The framing of the shot can make the audience target the characters movements, these editing settings help the audience focus on certain images. If a certain character is less focused than another then the audience will focus on the focused character. If a character is in the centre of the frame then this is the character that will be most recognised.

H) If the shot is imperative for the narrative then it is important to not only spend more time on this shot but also include more editing techniques, however in certain situations it may be necessary to keep the shot simple rather than over edit and ruin the shot. Impact shots need to make a statement, and to do this the audience need to remember it, often this is done with memorable situations or something that creates a stir/buzz, this then ensures that the audience remember this particular shot and can then link this to the narrative.

Health + Safety issues 

We have had to take many steps into minimising the health and safety issues whilst planning the shooting our video. First of all, we wanted to shoot scenes of people dancing in a club, as this fitted our brief, but we realised that we may not be able to do so. This could also be a threat to us a group as we would be in an unreliable environment and the camera could become damaged or we could even end up injured. Another health and safety issue could be that if we posted on our blogs where and when we will be filming, we are broadcasting it worldwide and therefore this could become a danger to us. We need to keep the location and times to our group to minimise these issues.  There will be shots in our video where we need to use high angle shots. This would mean that someone will have to climb up on a ladder or chair for example, but these will arise the safety issues. Therefore we decided that we would tape the camera to a wall at the angle that we need to prevent anyone from being in danger. 

The costumes and props in which we intend to use:

Blackberry messenger represents a lot of different emotions and ways to communicate in peoples lives these days, as a messed up generation theme. It promoted violence in the London riots but also promoted fear and togetherness in this case, this is why this and social networking fit in well with the theme.

David Gauntlett’s Media Studies 2.0 theory

David Gauntlett is a British sociologist and media theorist. He specializes in the study of contemporary media audiences, the everyday making and sharing of digital media, and the role of such media in self-identity and self-expression.

Gauntlett’s Media Studies 1.0

This traditional approach to Media Studies, which is still dominant in a lot (but not all) of school and university teaching, and textbooks, is characterised by:

-          Expert fetish

-          Classics and canons

-          Traditional media focus

-          Critical resistance to big media

-          Teaching students to read critically

-          ‘Conventional’ research methods

-          Division between audience receivers and expert producers

-          ‘Sit back and be told’

Craftsman theory by Richard Sennett

Richard Sennett is Centennial Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and University Professor of the Humanities at New York University. The craftsman theory is an eternal complaint of the craft communities that craft is marginalized, ignored, and simply not accepted as a subject worthy of attention by the media or critics.

The book is about perfectionist skills and the desire to do things well. When we downgrade dedication we do so at our peril, Sennett argues, in great knowledge and thought-provoking work. He says that doing a job properly takes the time it takes and that doing our own work well enables us to imagine later categories of good in general.

Sennett does is put a stake in the ground by asking rhetorically whether our commitment to work, our craftsmanship, is merely about money, or about something deeper and more human. He argues that our work commitment, the skill, the late nights, the pride and the problem solving that go into our work, is a lot more than about the money.

The Conventions of Genre: (Pop)

The music video I chose to analyse was Pixie Lotts ‘All about Tonight’ and i looked at all the different features and conventions to represent this. 

The cinematography consisted of a range of various shot types and camera angles. The first example was the full body shots. It was portrayed in the video when we saw Pixie and the backing dancers dancing in the street. The full body shots create emphasis on the location of where the artist is, which in this case she is dancing in the middle of the street at night with the spot light on her. Another popular shot in this music video is the close up shots. These shots were more common when the music slowed down. The close ups in this video tend to show the emotions of the artist but reflect the words of the song with the movement of the lips of the artist. The last common camera angle is over the shoulder.

Most of the lighting in the video is artificial, and there is hardly any natural light used. This may be due to the fact that the video is filmed in a night setting. There are bright spotlights on Pixie Lott herself throughout the majority of the video. This is to show the artist in detail and also to see her beauty.

There are a few different editing techniques which have been used in this video. Some shots have no transition at all and it flashes from shot to shot but in other parts of the video, two scenes have been merged together. An example of this is where there is a shot of the artist which is a close up shot and the shot of the destination is a long shot so you can see the detail and work out where the location is. (New York)

The mise-en-scene in this video consists of mainly minimal clothing, dark colors, glamorous outfits and popular cities, The location used looks like it is in the middle of a street. This could be as they are on their way out and are so excited to get to the club that they feel the need to dance on the way there. They want to be the centre of attention as the lyrics state that it is ‘all about tonight’ and therefore they want to make the most of it. Pixie is wearing very minimal clothing throughout the whole video, however she looks very glamorous, especially with the neat make up and bright red lipstick. Considering it is nighttime in which the video has been recorded the lighting is very dim and the backgrounds are very dark but spotlights are seen to be added to make Pixie stand out from the rest of the dancers.

 

There is a close up shot of Pixie texting a friend saying ‘Ready to go?’ which has been exaggerated to make the viewers feel involved in her night out. It is also very realistic and shows to us that she is just like every other normal young girl. It also is an advertisement as we see the Nokia logo on the phone, and so her fans may want to be like her and buy the same phone.

The audience is left to feel on edge throughout the entire video. There are very regular outfit changes and therefore the viewer doesnt know what to expect or what she will be seen wearing next. 

The Long Tail

An example of a power law graph showing popularity ranking. To the right is the long tail; to the left are the few that dominate. Notice that the areas of both regions match.

 The long tail is a frequency distribution pattern which shows how online advertising can make a brand expand as certain shops do not have enough shelf space in store, so therefore they can sell from warehouses and stock more space that they could in a superstore. This means the company can therefore sell more products. Occurrences are most densely clustered close to the Y-axis and the distribution curve tapers along the X-axis. The long tail refers to the low-frequency population displayed in the right-hand portion of the graph which is represented by a slightly sloping curve that becomes asymptotic to the x-axis. In most cases, the number of events in the tail is greater than the number of events in the high frequency area. This is simply because the tail is long. The long tail is important for media because it expands the general advertisement of products. It places advertisements on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.