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Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Diary
September 8th: We started to construct our blogs and added the summer analysis homework.
September 9th: After a discussion, our group agreed on creating a promotional video for Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’.
September 10th - 11th: After choosing the song, we thought showered our ideas and completed audience research in the form of a questionnaire. On receiving the results, we decided that the most successful music video would include both narrative and performance footage.
September 15th - 16th - We arranged to shoot performance footage. We chose to use actors for the band who would suit the genre of the song. We supplied our own instruments to minimize the chance of drawbacks during the filming.
September 21st - 25th: We began filming the narrative and then uploaded our footage onto ‘Premiere Elements’.
October 12th – 21st: After another film shoot we produced a rough cut. This was shown to our peers and teachers and we received feedback. We decided to re-shoot both sections, as we thought it was necessary to gain the highest grade possible.
October 21st – 23rd: We looked at Music Video Theory and the theorists, Andrew Goodwin and John Stewart.
October half term: During the holidays, we re-filmed the narrative.
November 2nd: We began to put together our new video with the narrative footage shot over half term.
November 3rd: I began to create DVD covers and a magazine advert for the video’s release. I decided to complete this individually as I felt I could complete this work to a higher standard.
November 10th-24th: For the last few weeks of the project, I used all the free time I had to complete the final product before the deadline.
November 25th: After editing the vast majority of the video and completing my individual tasks by the 24th, I was able to use the final day to tidy up and improve the work on my blog.
September 9th: After a discussion, our group agreed on creating a promotional video for Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’.
September 10th - 11th: After choosing the song, we thought showered our ideas and completed audience research in the form of a questionnaire. On receiving the results, we decided that the most successful music video would include both narrative and performance footage.
September 15th - 16th - We arranged to shoot performance footage. We chose to use actors for the band who would suit the genre of the song. We supplied our own instruments to minimize the chance of drawbacks during the filming.
September 21st - 25th: We began filming the narrative and then uploaded our footage onto ‘Premiere Elements’.
October 12th – 21st: After another film shoot we produced a rough cut. This was shown to our peers and teachers and we received feedback. We decided to re-shoot both sections, as we thought it was necessary to gain the highest grade possible.
October 21st – 23rd: We looked at Music Video Theory and the theorists, Andrew Goodwin and John Stewart.
October half term: During the holidays, we re-filmed the narrative.
November 2nd: We began to put together our new video with the narrative footage shot over half term.
November 3rd: I began to create DVD covers and a magazine advert for the video’s release. I decided to complete this individually as I felt I could complete this work to a higher standard.
November 10th-24th: For the last few weeks of the project, I used all the free time I had to complete the final product before the deadline.
November 25th: After editing the vast majority of the video and completing my individual tasks by the 24th, I was able to use the final day to tidy up and improve the work on my blog.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Rough Cut Feedback
After submitting a first draft, we received feedback. This was completed by the teachers and other members of the class on what they liked about the video and what they thought we needed to do to improve it. After looking at the responses, it would appear that there was a few recurring suggestions, therefore when working towards our finished product, we will use the key suggestions, to help us progress to a higher quality video.
The first point, I felt was of great significance, was to reduce the length of each shot. By shortening the duration of each clip, it would mean the footage will sustain the fast pace rhythm of our chosen song, which conforms to Andrew Goodwin’s theory that in a music video there must be a relationship between the music and the visuals.
Another way we could improve, which has been suggested in the feedback, was to make sure the performance footage was in synchronisation with the song. I felt this was the most vital change we had to make to our video because without this, it would not appear to be a professionally made product. To achieve this change and make the song look like it is being played rather than mimed; it will require the clips to be edited more carefully in ‘Adobe Premiere’.
Some of our ideas gained some positive comments. These included the locations we decided to shoot both the narrative and performances sections in, the costume and props used and several camera angles we used. The first being a close-up tracking shot of the poker chips being pulled towards the winning player in the narrative segment and the second, an over-the-shoulder shot of the drummer during the performance piece. Due to their popularity, these will all be included in the final draft of our project.
The final piece of advice I believe will help us accomplish a successful music video, is to use a wider variety of shots, including more close-ups of the vocal lines, drum beats and solo riffs in the performance section. By doing this, it will allow us to begin to work towards our first point of cutting down on high duration clips, because we will have more material to choose from.
Although, each piece of advice we received can be used to great effect, I think that to achieve the best result possible, all three must be combined with the existing ideas we gained compliments for.
The first point, I felt was of great significance, was to reduce the length of each shot. By shortening the duration of each clip, it would mean the footage will sustain the fast pace rhythm of our chosen song, which conforms to Andrew Goodwin’s theory that in a music video there must be a relationship between the music and the visuals.
Another way we could improve, which has been suggested in the feedback, was to make sure the performance footage was in synchronisation with the song. I felt this was the most vital change we had to make to our video because without this, it would not appear to be a professionally made product. To achieve this change and make the song look like it is being played rather than mimed; it will require the clips to be edited more carefully in ‘Adobe Premiere’.
Some of our ideas gained some positive comments. These included the locations we decided to shoot both the narrative and performances sections in, the costume and props used and several camera angles we used. The first being a close-up tracking shot of the poker chips being pulled towards the winning player in the narrative segment and the second, an over-the-shoulder shot of the drummer during the performance piece. Due to their popularity, these will all be included in the final draft of our project.
The final piece of advice I believe will help us accomplish a successful music video, is to use a wider variety of shots, including more close-ups of the vocal lines, drum beats and solo riffs in the performance section. By doing this, it will allow us to begin to work towards our first point of cutting down on high duration clips, because we will have more material to choose from.
Although, each piece of advice we received can be used to great effect, I think that to achieve the best result possible, all three must be combined with the existing ideas we gained compliments for.
Friday, 25 September 2009
Storyboard and Animatic
For our video, we intend to mainly use a mix of Close Up and Medium Shots combined with quick cuts, which will be added during editing. By using fast cuts, it will conform to the media theorists as it will mimic the style of the high tempo music. By mainly using a mix of just medium and close up shots, it will allow us to clearly depict what is happening in both the narrative and performance sections. Although we are aiming to use have the majority of our footage filmed using either a close ups or medium shots, we will not discount the use of other variations. This will mean out video will not be too repetitive. Each Shot will last around two to three seconds to allow the footage to maintain a high tempo.
Organisational Timetable
Thursday 28th September
Begin filming narrative section
Friday 29th September
Continue filming narrative section
Saturday 30th September
Continue filming narrative section
Sunday 1st October
Continue filming narrative section
Monday 2nd October
Continue filming narrative section
Tuesday 3rd October
Continue filming narrative section
Wednesday 4th October
Finish filming narrative section
Thursday 5th October
Begin filming performance section
Friday 6th October
Continue filming performance section
Saturday 7th October
Continue filming performance section
Sunday 8th October
Continue filming performance section
Monday 9st October
Continue filming performance section
Tuesday 10th October
Continue filming performance section
Wednesday 11th October
Finish filming performance section
Begin filming narrative section
Friday 29th September
Continue filming narrative section
Saturday 30th September
Continue filming narrative section
Sunday 1st October
Continue filming narrative section
Monday 2nd October
Continue filming narrative section
Tuesday 3rd October
Continue filming narrative section
Wednesday 4th October
Finish filming narrative section
Thursday 5th October
Begin filming performance section
Friday 6th October
Continue filming performance section
Saturday 7th October
Continue filming performance section
Sunday 8th October
Continue filming performance section
Monday 9st October
Continue filming performance section
Tuesday 10th October
Continue filming performance section
Wednesday 11th October
Finish filming performance section
Questionnaire
(Circle answers appropriately)
Male Female
Age?
Under 16 17-25 26-45 46+
What is your favourite genre of music?
Pop Rock Metal Country
Indie Punk Dance R&B
What format do you use to watch music videos?
Television Internet DVDs
What type of music video do you find the most enjoyable?
(Select more than one if appropriate)
Narrative Concept Performance
What would entice you to watch a music video?
Song Band Story/Concept
Other (Please specify) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
How much time do you spend watching music videos?
1 hour or less per week 2-3 hours per week
More than 3 hours per week
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.
September 2009
Male Female
Age?
Under 16 17-25 26-45 46+
What is your favourite genre of music?
Pop Rock Metal Country
Indie Punk Dance R&B
What format do you use to watch music videos?
Television Internet DVDs
What type of music video do you find the most enjoyable?
(Select more than one if appropriate)
Narrative Concept Performance
What would entice you to watch a music video?
Song Band Story/Concept
Other (Please specify) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
How much time do you spend watching music videos?
1 hour or less per week 2-3 hours per week
More than 3 hours per week
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.
September 2009
Andrew Goodwin's Theory
According to theorist Andrew Goodwin, all successful music videos must include six certain conventions. I will explore his theory, by analysing three music promos from the genre of metal. The videos I am analysing are ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ by Iron Maiden, ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ by Saxon and Motörhead’s ‘One Track Mind’. I have chosen to look at these three cinematics because they will give me an insight into metal promotional videos. This will help me to gain understanding, which will support me in the creation of my own video.
The first convention Goodwin thinks Music video directors should observe, is that the music video demonstrates the particular genre characteristics. When watching my chosen videos, i noticed that all of them conformed to this ideology. An example present in all three videos is that each band member fits the stereotypical image to suit the metal genre.
Secondly, he believes that there should be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Although both, ‘One Track Mind’ and ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ maintain performance footage from beginning to end, Iron Maiden’s 1984 release ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ can be applied to Goodwin’s theory. An instance in this video is when the line “...Go to war again...” is sung by Bruce Dickinson the on screen visual is a gun, presenting a literal demonstration of the lyrics.
Goodwin goes on to suggest that the visuals must also relate to the music. Again all three videos match this theory. In particular Saxon’s ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ video, in which for each band member’s solo, the camera focuses on their skill. It is also noticeable that cuts and edits tend to be used in time with the song.
The fourth point Goodwin makes is that due to the high demand of the record label, lots of close ups of the artist will be used as well as frequent usage of band motifs. Once more each video I looked at observe at least one part of this suggestion. On Motörhead’s ‘One Track Mind’ video, the majority is filmed in a low close-up camera angle. Not only does this technique allow the audience to see more of the artist, but due to the fact that the camera is looking up at the band for most of the filmed sequences, it gives suggestion that the band is important. It’s almost as if you are watching the performance from the crowd. Although it does not appear in the ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ video, I am aware that as Iron Maiden have grown in worldwide popularity, they include their mascot ‘Eddie’ in most of their more recent productions. This agrees with Goodwin’s usage of motifs idea.
The Next of Goodwin’s points are that there is a frequent reference to the notion of looking. In Iron Maiden’s video, this is shown in the narrative section, where one of the characters is watching workers through a monitor. Although the audience are not shown what is being looked at, in Saxon’s and Motörhead’s video both lead singers, Lemmy (Motörhead ) and Biff Byford (Saxon), stand on the edge of the stage and focus into where the crowd would be situated. On close inspection it appears that there may not have actually been a crowd present at the shooting of the videos, however by employing this technique, they have disguised this.
Finally, Goodwin suggests there should be intertextuality in the video. This features in the ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ promo during the narrative, when an image of a goat flashes up on the screen. This goat references to the Goat of Mendes which is strongly associated with the devil. The Goat of Mendes, is thought to have originated back in the time of ancient Egypt and the theme for the artwork of the album ‘Powerslave’, which ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ appears on is Ancient Egypt.
After analysing three music videos it would appear that Goodwin’s theory is upheld. There are elements of the theory that can be seen in all three videos. The Iron Maiden video features all six elements, while the other two feature five in each. The missing element in these two videos is intertextuality which would appear to be difficult to include in a live performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPbqQOf41Qc - '2 Minutes to Midnight'
The first convention Goodwin thinks Music video directors should observe, is that the music video demonstrates the particular genre characteristics. When watching my chosen videos, i noticed that all of them conformed to this ideology. An example present in all three videos is that each band member fits the stereotypical image to suit the metal genre.
Secondly, he believes that there should be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Although both, ‘One Track Mind’ and ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ maintain performance footage from beginning to end, Iron Maiden’s 1984 release ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ can be applied to Goodwin’s theory. An instance in this video is when the line “...Go to war again...” is sung by Bruce Dickinson the on screen visual is a gun, presenting a literal demonstration of the lyrics.
Goodwin goes on to suggest that the visuals must also relate to the music. Again all three videos match this theory. In particular Saxon’s ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ video, in which for each band member’s solo, the camera focuses on their skill. It is also noticeable that cuts and edits tend to be used in time with the song.
The fourth point Goodwin makes is that due to the high demand of the record label, lots of close ups of the artist will be used as well as frequent usage of band motifs. Once more each video I looked at observe at least one part of this suggestion. On Motörhead’s ‘One Track Mind’ video, the majority is filmed in a low close-up camera angle. Not only does this technique allow the audience to see more of the artist, but due to the fact that the camera is looking up at the band for most of the filmed sequences, it gives suggestion that the band is important. It’s almost as if you are watching the performance from the crowd. Although it does not appear in the ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ video, I am aware that as Iron Maiden have grown in worldwide popularity, they include their mascot ‘Eddie’ in most of their more recent productions. This agrees with Goodwin’s usage of motifs idea.
The Next of Goodwin’s points are that there is a frequent reference to the notion of looking. In Iron Maiden’s video, this is shown in the narrative section, where one of the characters is watching workers through a monitor. Although the audience are not shown what is being looked at, in Saxon’s and Motörhead’s video both lead singers, Lemmy (Motörhead ) and Biff Byford (Saxon), stand on the edge of the stage and focus into where the crowd would be situated. On close inspection it appears that there may not have actually been a crowd present at the shooting of the videos, however by employing this technique, they have disguised this.
Finally, Goodwin suggests there should be intertextuality in the video. This features in the ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ promo during the narrative, when an image of a goat flashes up on the screen. This goat references to the Goat of Mendes which is strongly associated with the devil. The Goat of Mendes, is thought to have originated back in the time of ancient Egypt and the theme for the artwork of the album ‘Powerslave’, which ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ appears on is Ancient Egypt.
After analysing three music videos it would appear that Goodwin’s theory is upheld. There are elements of the theory that can be seen in all three videos. The Iron Maiden video features all six elements, while the other two feature five in each. The missing element in these two videos is intertextuality which would appear to be difficult to include in a live performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPbqQOf41Qc - '2 Minutes to Midnight'
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