Thursday 27 December 2012

Filming - 28/12/12

Filming schedule:

9:30 - 10am :- Indoor filming. Including miming more lyrical shots for the performance aspects, drinking to reinforce the narrative as she becomes depressed and sad expressions.
10 - 11am :- Snuff Mill Field, Cottingham. We would go back to the field from the original place of filming. Where we would continue to film more performance shots to have better lighting than before.
11 - 12pm :- Cottingham train station and alley en route there. We would film solely narrative. The part where Sofie and Blue first meet. Also where Sofie bumps into Blue and he looks back at her walking and she is really confident and happy without him.
12 - 12:30pm :- Lunch! 
12:30 - 1:30pm :- Re-shoot of the break up scene down the alleyways in Cottingham.
1:30 - 2:30pm :- Break and charge camera.
2:30 - 3pm - Filming on the foreshore.

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Narrative Theory


Tzvetan Todorov (1977)
• Stage 1: A point of stable equilibrium, where
everything is satisfied, calm and normal.
• Stage 2: This stability is disrupted by some kind of
force, which creates a state of disequilibrium.
• Stage 3: Recognition that a disruption has taken
place.
• Stage 4: It is only possible to re-create equilibrium
through action directed against the disruption.
• Stage 5: Restoration of a new state of equilibrium.
The consequences of the reaction is to change the
world of the narrative and/or the characters so that
the final state of equilibrium in not the same as the
initial state.

Throughout the narrative in my music video, you are shown all stages of Todorov, only shown in a non linear order. Although still having a chronological order in which it could be viewed in.
Stage 1 - When Sofie (the artist and protagonist of the music video) meets and falls in love with Blue.
Stage 2 - Sofie and Blue encounter a lot of arguments. Although Sofie remains in love, Blue begins to act distant.
Stage 3 - Blue dumps Sofie.
Stage 4 - Sofie goes into severe depression.
Stage 5 - Sofie then realises her relationship wasn't as happy as she thought, and begins to be happy.

The order in which is appears in is non linear, which means not in order of it happening. The reason for this is because I wanted it to give the effect of Sofie going through stages 4 and 5 by having her think back to the times of stage 1, 2 and 3. In other words, due to Sofie being in a deep depression (you see her drinking and being nasty towards people)

Tuesday 11 December 2012

First Draft 11/12/12


This is the first draft of my music video for Dog Days Are Over. I still am yet to film the parts with straight hair. With the occasional curly hair part.

Thursday 29 November 2012

Album Art Research


I have found some album art and disk designs from artists within the similar genre to which I am aiming at. I have found that the artist is most likely to be featured on the album cover which has an engaging effect on the audience as they then would recognise this artist.

Through my research I have come to the conclusion that the disk art from these albums are fairly plain, with a colour or pattern dominating the disk. A majority of these disks have the artist's name printed on it as well as the album name. A practical use of this would be so if the album cover and disk separate then it is easy to match them up again.

I have also discovered that the album cover and disk usually have a similar theme, whether it be colour, pattern or image.

Friday 23 November 2012

Improved Parts



When planning my storyboard I planned to have the cuts to every 4 or 8 harp strums though audience feedback made me change my mind to a faster paced edit.


The making of - Part 1 (18/11/12)

We began filming at 8:30AM on a very cold Sunday morning. I decided this time and date because it would be less busy meaning less interference from the general public. My original plan was to film outside Starbucks Coffee in the outside dining area, we asked permission although they weren't happy with the idea and said no :(

My contingency was to go to the outside dining area for Costa Coffee, where they were more than happy to allow us to film in return of custom.
We stayed in town until I had everything I needed in this setting which was around 10:45AM where we went to my house in order to prepare my main protagonist (Sofie) for her role which curly hair.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Annotated meaning from the lyrics

I have come to the conclusion that the title "The Dog Days Are Over" has a hidden meaning of "When The Happiness Ends" so for an example of when the happiness ends, I am going to include a narrative containing a relationship break up. As well as an inspirational video of the girl becoming happy again to coincide with the upbeat tune. 

Sunday 4 November 2012

Shot list



Shot list
1)      0:04 – (or after 8 harp strums) Pan of Sofie walking down the street. ELS
2)      0:04 – 0:07 (or after 8 harp strums) Blue sat in the outside part of Starbucks. LS
3)      0:07 – 0:09 (or after 4 harp strums) Sofie walking round a corner. LS
4)      0:09 – 0:10 (or after 4 harp strums in changed tune) Sof and Blu sitting at a table. MS
5)      0:10 – 0:12 (or after 4 harp strums) Sof moved hand closer to Blu’s but he moves his away from hers
6)      0:12 – 0:13 (or after 4 harp strums) OTTS of Blu mouthing “I’m sorry” then Sof putting her head down
7)      0:13 – 0:16 (“Happiness hit her”) Half of Sof’s face. Curly hair. CU
8)      0:16 – “like a train on a tra a ack” Sof sat at Cott station
9)      –Train goes by LS
10)   – 0:21 Blu is sat next to Sof LS
11)   0:21 – 0:23 “ack” MS of the couple on the bench
12)   0:23 – 0:26 (Harp strums) MS of Sofie Smiling
13)   0:26 – 0:33 (“Coming towards her, stuck still no turning ba-“) LS of Sofie with eccentric arm movements. Performance
14)   0:33 – 0:34 (“aa”) medium shot from the side of Sof and Blu arguing.
15)   -
16)   – 0:39 LS of door – focusing to half of Sof in a CU
17)    0:39 – 0:41 (She hid around corners) high angle of Stright hair Sof sat in a corner – matching lyrics
18)    0:41 – 0:42 (and she) Straight hair sof laid in bed, puts covers over head.
19)    0:42 – 0:45(hid under beds *clap*) Duvet comes down and curly haired sofie performs and claps
20)    0:45 – 0:46 (she killed it) close up of Sofs eyes opening and closing
21)    0:46 – 0:47 (with kisses) close up of lips pouting
22)    0:48 – 0:50 (and from it she fled) drink pouring into a class CU
23)    0:50 – 0:54 (with every bubble) drinking, medium shot zooming to close up
24)    0:54 – 0:56 (Sank with a) medium shot of straight haired Sof pouring a drink
25)    0:56 – 0:57 (Drink) Close of up a glass being slammed down
26)    0:57 – 0:57 (*Claps*) Medium close up of curly hair Sofie clapping
27)    0:58 – 1:00 (And washed it away) Close up of straight hair Sofie upset
28)    1:00 – 1:03 (down the kitchen sink) Close up of straight hair sofie crying
29)    1:03 – 1:06 (The dog days) Medium close up of curly hair sofie performing on the beach
30)    1:06 – 1:08 (are over, The dog) LS of curly hair in front of the waves
31)    1:08 – 1:10 (days are done) MS of straight hair Sofie from behind next to the waves
32)    1:11 – 1:12 (the horses) long shot of straight hair Sof from the front
33)    1:12 – 1:13 (are comi..) OTTS of straight hair Sof with ball coming in shot
34)    1:13 – 1:14 (..ng so) long shot of straight hair Sof with little girl coming in the shot
35)    1:14 – 1:15 (You better)Straight hair Sof kicks ball into the sea
36)    1:15 – 1:16(Ru-u-n) close up of ball splashing in the water
37)    1:17 – 1:18 (*Drum beats*) flicker of two images of Sofie from behind
38)    1:18 – 1:19 (Run fast for your mother) OTTS of ball coming behind curly haired Sofie
39)    1:19 – 1:20 (and fast for your father) Long shot of curly haired Sofie 
40)  1:20 – 1:22 (run for your children) OTTS of little girl being given back her ball   
41)    1:22 – 1:23 (for your sisters and brothers) close up of curly haired sofie.
42)    1:23 – 1:25 (leave all your love) long shot of Sofie with the waves in front of her
43)    1:25 – 1:27 (and your longing behind..) Medium close up of sofie doing eccentric dancing and arm movements.
44)    1:27 – 1:28 (you can’t carry it with you) shot of the river Humber from Victoria Dock
45)    1:28 – 1:30 (if you want to survive) Long shot of Sofie stood at the edge of the railings
46)    1:30 – 1:32 (the dog days are over) Sofie dancing, throwing leaves in the air MLS
47)    1:32 – 1:34 (oh, the dog) MS of Sofie on the phone to the left of the frame
48)            1:34 – 1:35 (days are) MLS of friend on the phone outside a cinema
49)  1:35 – 1:36 (done) friends outside cinema MS frustrated  
50)  1:36 – 1:38 (can you hear the hor…) close up of toy horse
51)  1:38 – 1:40 (se-e-es cause)close up of it’s hoof, out of focus for distorted effect
52)  1:40 – 1:43 (here they come)MS of Sofie playing with the horse.
53)  1:43 – 1:44 (*boom*) Extreme long shot of the riverside view from Victoria Dock
54)  1:44 – 1:44 Long shot of Sofie climbing on the edge as if she’s about to jump in
55)  1:45 – 1:47 Medium close up of Sofie’s body falling as if going into the ocean
56)  1:47 – 1:48 Medium shot of Sofie landing on her bed – match on action
57)  1:48 – 1:58 (And I never wanted anything from you) Medium close up of Sofie sat on her bed and miming the lyrics
58)  1:58 – 2:04 (except everything) Split screen 
59)  2:04 – 2:05
60)  2:05 – 2:08 (you had and)
61)  2:08 – 2:10 (what was left)
62)  2:10 – 2:12(after that too)
63)  2:12 – 2:14 (oh)
... Continued pattern

Audience Feedback #2

George Gendle

Sunday 14 October 2012

Audience Feedback


Interview with Amy Wright relating to what music videos she prefers.

Monday 8 October 2012

Codes and Conventions


The codes and conventions of a music video can be narrowed down to four main forms: performance, narrative, abstract and animated. The two most popular that I have found within the indie/alternative rock genre are performance and narrative.
Cinematography
Throughout the indie rock genre, I have noticed that the videos contain various different distances. Extreme long shots and long shots are used to show a dancing performance.  Zooms, pans and tracking shots are included in speed to the music. Through my research I haven’t noticed many angles (high, low, Dutch) so I will ensure my music video doesn’t use varying angles. In upbeat songs such as Florence and the Machine's Spectrum, there are dance routines which would require some long shots which would ensure the full dance routine is seen. Though in slow songs such as No Doubt's It's My Life, it contains a lot of medium close ups as the song contains narrative so emotion needs to be seen.

Edit


I have found that editing wise, cross cutting between a performance (lip syncing) and a narrative (lyric related) are used. I believe this is used to show the artist performing which identifies them as well as adding visual meaning to the lyrics by containing a narrative structure. Rhythmic editing, meaning that the music video is edited to the beat of the music. A good example of rhythmic editing in within the indie/alternative rock genre is Coldplay's Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, because there are various cuts and movements that reflect the beat and rhythm of the music exactly.

Mise En Scene
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The existing music video for my chosen song uses a white background which highlights the range of bright colours used. Also the choreography involves various artistic arm movements which reflect the harp music being played. It have found that within the indie/alternative rock genre, the mise en scene (mainly the colour or intensity of the colour) can vary. For example, you can get very bright colours in music videos such as my chosen song by Florence and the Machine, Dog Days Are Over. As well as Coldplay's Paradise,Natalie Imbruglia's Torn, No Doubt's Just a Girl and All American Rejects' Gives You Hell
.
Some artists have known to break the conventions of having a music video in colour such as Lana Del Rey has the whole of her music video Blue Jeans in black and white. Similarly, Christina Perri breaks the colour convention as she uses a lot of darkness in her music video for Jar of Hearts (although the music video is not fully in black and white). Another example of a band/artist breaking the colour conventions is the Evanescence music video for My Immortal.

Sound
It is conventional to have the music non-diegetic so you can’t see where the music is coming from although the person is seen to be singing along to it (performance). Although in The Script's video For the First Time, begins with dialogue of a voice over details what is being written down in a letter, this reinforces the narrative that is being shown within the music video.

Finished Reconstruction of a Media Text



The finished reconstruction of Twin Atlantic - Make A Beast of Myself

Friday 28 September 2012

Deconstruction and Reconstruction of a Media Text

11th October...
Twin Atlantic - Make A Beast Of Myself


Director - Alx Southerington
Producer - Louise Smith
Editor - All
Camera -  Blue Stephenson

Wednesday 3rd October - 3:30...
Newland Avenue.



Friday 21 September 2012

Influential Music Videos


I have looked into the deeper meaning to Dog Days Are Over, and I have found it could be understood as the time when happiness has ended, for example the end of a relationship. The underlining message would be that things work out okay in the end.




Gwen Stafani - Cool,
Similarly to this video I plan to have a short story before hand relating to the narrative.
In this video we are shown more narrative than performance. The narrative relating to relationships and break ups is also a theme I want to include in my music video.
Relaxing. Slow



Paramore - Misery Business.
This shows more performance than narrative and is has very fast paced editing to match with the music. Another music video which the lyrics and video narrative relate to relationships.
Exciting. Fast.



Avril Lavigne - Alice
Although this is a music video which promotes Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the use of editing exactly to the beat of the music is something I want to include.
Slow.

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts
I am inspired from the use of mise en scene towards the end of the video as it changes from dark and gloomy to light and hopeful. This too could be interpreted as a song about the end of a relationship. The light lighting and warm colouring at the end suggest there is something good to look forward to in the future.
Slow.









Friday 14 September 2012

Audience Key Terms

Qualitative Data - Is to do with the quality of people's answers. For example, if you asked people open questions which allows people to put their own answer which lets you have more accurate and valuable results.

Quantitative Data - Is to do with numbers. For example, if you asked people closed questions and collected the numerical date in percentages, you have collected quantitative data. This makes your data more statistical.

Demographic Data - Social class

Psycho graphic Data - Beliefs and values

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Analysis of the "Indie Rock" genre

Cinematography
Throughout the indie rock genre, I have noticed that the videos contain various different distances. Extreme long shots and long shots are used to show a dancing performance.  Zooms, pans and tracking shots are included in speed to the music. Through my research I haven’t noticed many angles (high, low, Dutch) so I will ensure my music video doesn’t use varying angles.
Edit
I have found that editing wise, cross cutting between a performance (lip syncing) and a narrative (lyric related) are used. I believe this is used to show the artist performing which identifies them as well as adding visual meaning to the lyrics by containing a narrative structure.
Mise En Scene
The existing music video for my chosen song uses a white background which highlights the range of bright colours used. Also the choreography involves various artistic arm movements which reflect the harp music being played.
Sound
It is conventional to have the music non-diegetic so you can’t see where the music is coming from although the person is seen to be singing along to it.

Monday 2 July 2012

Lyrics

Happiness, it hurt like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Run fast for your mother and fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too. oh.

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

Run fast for your mother and fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
The horses are coming
So you better run

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
The horses are coming
So you better run

Related Music Videos

In this genre conventionally, would include cross cuts between some form of storyline similar to what the lyrics describe, and the band/artist performing (or lip-syncing) the song. It also would contain some editing which is similar to the beat of the music.

 
 
 
 

Friday 22 June 2012

My Chosen A2 Song


Florence and the Machine - Dog Days Are OverFlorence and the Machine are an 'Indie Rock' band who were first heard of when their song "Kiss With A Fist" was featured on the 2008 teen flick Wild Child. Lead singer - Florence Welch"Dog Days Are Over" was the second single from their debut album "Lungs".Highest UK Chart position - #23Highest US Billboard Alternative Songs - #8Highest US Billboard Rock Songs - #9