The Recce

the ‘recce’

Provide answers in paragraph form to the questions below that

are relevant to your production.

1.    Are there any potential hazards that could pose a health and safety risk where your photo shoot will take place (trailing cables/traffic/other objects )?
Someone could fall over the drum kit. They could bang their head on the door. Snap a string and flick someone in the eye. Could swing a guitar off someone. Could fall over the wire that attaches the guitar to the amp. 
2.    What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?
Tape the wires to floor. Make sure that they all know where the instruments are so that they don't trip over any of them. with the guitar strings snapping make sure that no one is near them so that they can be hit by them. 
3.    Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?
the time of day will not effect my filming as it is all done indoors. 
4.    Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?
for the backgoround of my video it is going 
5.    Have you considered lighting? What about the ‘problems’ of natural lighting, either outside, or streaming through a window? Will you need to use a flash? Have you considered reflective objects that might spoil the effect?
the lighting for the film will be from the lights in the room that i am filming in. a flash was used on one shot for the filming on the drummer but it hasnt affected the colour difference. 
6.    Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?
the only permission i will need will be from Dom who is in the band as it is in his house so he will need permission from his parents.
7.    Do you need to book time in a room (eg the photography studio at Shiney)?
no i will not
8.    Are other people/crowds likely to be an issue for you? What have you done to ensure that it will not spoil the effect?
no it wont be
9.    Are you reliant on lifts/props/friends’ equipment/models? How have you planned that these things will come together at the appointed time? Plan B?
reliant on the bands equipment which will already be at the house i am filming at so when i choose to film they will already be there.
10. Finally, have you thought of every eventuality…?
yes i have

Audience Research

the type of music that most people listen to is pop music and indie music. 

84.5% of people who have answered my survey said they preferred narrative and performance together therefore i will keep my music video to being a narrative and performance.i then asked them why and these are some of their responses where saying that it is interesting and i want people to find my music video interesting so ill keep it to having a performance and narrative.

Since the most people chose that a you me at six video that the lighting for it should be dark therefore i shall keep my lighting dark. most people hear about new bands through the internet. i am not doing a website but my poster that i am creating could be used on the internet. people also chose magaines so my poster could be in the magazines like NME.

i then asked what people would like to see in a music video and this is what people responded saying. one of them says that like seeing people play instruments so i shall keep the band playing the instruments in my music video. they like  main character also so i shall make sure my storyline has a main character.

Schedule

Action	Deadline	Who	Misc
Test filming the band	1st October	The band (Dom, Dan and Stuart)
Finish the storyboard	1st  November	Jenna
Finalise an idea	20th September	Jenna
Breakdown lyrics	1st November	Jenna
Scout locations	31st October	Jenna
Arrange actors	28th September	Jenna and the band and the other people in my film
Produce a script	30th October	Jenna
Production company logo	30th November	Jenna
Make up tests	30th November	Jenna and Caitlin
Health and safety	1st December	Jenna
Edit rough cut	Christmas holidays	Jenna
Complete filming	Christmas holidays	Jenna and the people in the film
Produce poster	1st February	Jenna
Produce digi pak	1st February	Jenna
Flat plans for poster	1st December	Jenna
Flat plan for digi pak	1st December	Jenna
Take images	Christmas Holidays	Jenna and the band
Screen rough cut for feedback	10th Janurary	Jenna

Characteristics of a music video

There is 7 characteristics of a music video and Andrew Goodwin published a book about them after studying music videos after many years.

1. 'There are often intertextual references- mostly to film, other music artists, television and popular culture' - a perfect example to this could be any of Eminem's songs as he refers to lots of different artists in his songs, like in We Made You he refers to Lindsey Lohan. Another example of this could also be Taylor Swift singing about Romeo and Juliet in her song Love Story.
2. 'There is frequent reference to the notion of looking' - this is where the artist will look into the camera during the music video. This will seem as they are directly singing to the audience. 
3. 'Music Videos demonstrate certain genre characteristics' - this is meaning that certain genres have the same aspects in their music videos. For example boybands and girlbands have a dance routine in their music video. A prime example of this would be any of JLS' music videos as they always seem to have a dance throughout the video. 
4. 'There is a link between the lyrics and the visuals' - this is the lyrics and the visual image linking together. 
5. 'The Demands of the record label will include the need for lots of closeups on the artist' - this is the record label selling the artist along with the record. Having a lot of close ups on the artist this makes you connect to the artist which will boost sales.
6. 'The Artist may develop iconography that recurs across their work' - this is where the artist will have their own thing that they use through out their music videos. Micheal Jacksons moonwalk is an example.
7. 'There is a link between the music and the visuals' - this could be where the cuts are in time with the music.

Artist History

I am going to be using the song 'Underdog' which is by the band You Me At Six. Ymas are a British rock band who are from Weybridge in Surrey. They formed in 2004 but didnt come to fame until 2008 which was due to their album 'Take Off Your Colours'. This album included Save it for the Bedroom and Kiss and Tell. The band consists of 5 members who include Josh Franceschi, Max Helyer, Chris Miller, Matt Barnes and Dan Flint. The song i have chosen is from their second album which is named Hold Me Down which reached no 5 in the charts. Their third album is Sinners Never Sleep which was released in 2011.

Digi Pack Deconstruction

The pros and cons of a digi pack:

• they look very attractive and artists like to use them as there is more room for designs as there is three places for it unlike a normal jewel case
• they do not crack and break like jewel cases
• they are more environmentally friendly as they are usually made from recycled paper
• they are more likely to eventually rip and tear because of the material that they are made from 
• there is nothing holding the cd in besides the teeth and when the teeth break the cd will fall out which isnt like the jewel case as they have the teeth and the plastic covering which holds it in place.

this is green days digipak for their greatest hits. the colour that has been used throughout all three parts is green which is symbolic and it links with the bands name. the green filter which is over the top of the images of the band on the second and third panel also links with the bands name. the photo of the band behind the cd holding is emphasizing the band and will normally be new photos which have been took for the digipak which makes fans want to buy it more to have new photos. the images on the actual cds themselves is the same as the one on the first panel. there is little images on the first panel which are the other albums which the band have released which is significant as they are also promoting their other stuff along with their newest album. the image on the first panel is a man being struck by lightening which could mean there is danger which could mean the CD has elements of danger within it which could entice the audience to buy it. the white writing on the first panel will be the information of who produced the album and the band thanking people who helped with it.

on the track list there is missing letters which have been replaced with actual images of candy. this is a theme which is throughout the digipak as there is the artist lying on a cloud of candyfloss and the CD's look like doughnuts and candy swirls. this could link with the fact she is a fun artist and isnt to be taken serious. she seems very innocent on the cover with the fact everything is all sweet but the fact she is naked contradicts this. this is a clever image as the fun and sweet candy side can intice her younger audience to buy the cd but the fact she is naked could intice the older male audience to buy it. the colours of the digipak are very bright which makes it more eye catching. the image of the artist looking straight at the camera is inticing as she is looking straight at you. the image on the right is used in her music video so the audience will recongise it and since it is used on the front cover it will increase sales.

the whole digipak is huge pictures of Rihanna which she feels must be her biggest selling point. the red colours are provocative and can increase the males wanting to buy a album which would normally be aimed at women. the album name 'Loud' links with how the digipak is loud with the huge photos and colours being so bright. there is a large image of the artist along all three panels. the way the whole digipak is just photos of the artist links with the fact she must be well known for the way she looks and that could help increase sales. in the digipak the photos are styled in the same way to her music videos which can increase sales as they already know what they are buying into.

Practice Editing

This is practicing editing on Adobe Premiere Pro. By doing this i have learned by doing this is how to actually use it so it will be easier to do on my actual music video editing.

Inspirational texts

i like how this music video is narrative and performance in the same scenes rather than cutting back and forth between them. i also like the writing which has been editing in as it gives you an idea of the type of band that they are.

i like this music video as again it is narrative and performance together. i also am going to be doing it as a party scene so this has gave me idea on what type of shots to use and what the models should be doing during my music video. its also made me think about if i am going to make my music video hand held or steady as this music video is all hand held and it works really well.

the last two i have chose as they are both narrative and performance.

Deconstruction Of Main Texts

this music video is how i want to do my own, narrative and performance. it starts off with a shot of a car driving down a road and then cuts to a closer shot of the car driving. then to two very quick shots of the singer and then the guitarist. then to shots of the drummer. the cuts at the start of the video are very fast paced and most of them seem to be close ups or medium shots. as the music then slows down so do the shots. the shots of the band are all mainly focused on the singer. parts of the song where is the music is more sad they show the man looking sad so it reflects the song quite well. there is then extreme long shots of the people walking through the field and then straight after straight back to a high shot of the lead singer. the colour pallete in the music video is very warm which is in contrast the clothing that the band is wearing. all the shot throughout this music video arent still shots and there is lots of high angle shots on the singer. as the chrous comes and the music gets more fast paced the cuts increase to make the music video as fast as the song. there is shots where the person in shot is off focus and then the camera focuses, i really like this camera effect. the end shot is a pan up into the sky.

the video starts with a mid shot of the drummer which then the camera zooms out slowly, it then cuts to another shot of the drummer but from a different angle. They have used low key lighting which is not what i will use in my actual filming, but im going to use the mid shot of the drummer at the start of the song as it goes well with the song as its just drumming at the start. When the camera zooms out you can see the album work and the name of the band behind them, this is a good way of making sure the audience know who the band is while watching the music video which makes it easier for the viewer to get the bands music. i like the way the band is playing along side the actual story line as it lets the reader know the band and the story that the song is trying to tell us. there is various shots of the band playing at the start but these are mainly focused on the lead singer. the shots of the main singer singing are very precise. the shots of the girl and the boy arguing work well with the lyrics. as the song speeds up so do the cuts which is making the music video faster along with the song which works well. at parts of the song there is slowed down shots when the music increases which is giving an idea of contrast. there is pan shots of the band from behind. the video ends exactly the way it started, a shot of the band and then the lights fade out. the narrative links with the musics pace along with the actual lyrics.

this music video starts off without it actually being the song starting. it starts with a long shot of the lead singer and some fans talking to him. when it cuts to the shot of the fans there is writing all over the screen detailing about the people in the shot. when the music starts it cuts to a shot of the singer singing and a tracking shot is used as we follow him and the band out of the room. at this point there isnt many cuts but throughout it there is cartoon writing on top of the video, this could give an impression that the band dont want to be taken serious and are very childish like their target audience. there is lots of different cuts used and there is shots which are fasted paced and then slowed down. the words nothing personal appear in this video a lot which is synergy as that is the name of their album. there is lots of close ups of the whole band but are mainly focused on the lead singer. there is shots of the band which then zoom out to show the crowd with them. the music video ends with the band playing and various shots are used on them.

the music video starts with a pan up on the lead singer. the lighting is low key giving it a mysterious and chiaroscuro feel. it cuts to a shot of feathers flying down which is high key lighting which contrasts with the low key lighting in the shots before. cuts to a shot of the whole band then to a shot of the singer and then of the drummer and guitarist. then an extreme close up of the lead singer. the lighting throughout these shots is still low key and you cant see their faces. there is more shots of the band and more close ups of the singer. as the chorus starts it cuts to a shot of the band and the lighting becomes high key. then the narrative starts and there is a two shot of a man and a woman on the bed. the lighting is high key natural. the shot has been slowed down which is in contrast to the song as it is more upbeat. there is contrast between the performance shots and the narrative shot as the performance shots are low key and the narrative shots are high key lighting. most of the performance shots are close ups of the main singer or a long shot of the whole band. the narrative when they are happy the shots are slowed down but when they are shouting it is normal, the performance is the same. all of the shots through out the music video are all moving so there is no sill shots of them performing. this gives it more of a real feeling to actually watching them perform. as the songs beat changes the lighting on the band changes. the lighting changes to high key during the song but as it changes the lighting changes along with it to low key lighting. there is repetitive shots of shower and of the feathers falling and of the lights behind the band. there is close ups of the guitar which cuts to a medium shot of the singer.as the song slows down the lighting on the band again changes to high key lighting. the performance of the whole band is very energetic through out but as the sng slows down they are all calm which the lighting reflects also. as the music video ends it is a extreme long shot of the band which the light fades along with the song fading out. 

Research into previous students work

this music video i find is good as i think the shot types are used very well throughout the whole video. the song and the story line work well together too. i think for my actual music video if i do a story line along side the band playing id use some of the shots that are used in this video. the shot where he is stood on the bridge and the focus shifts from her to him behind her is a shot i would use in my music video at some point. the way the student has put cartoon writing over the top of the video is very clever and looks really good as its different to other previous work i have looked at and its very creative. his idea for the music video isnt actually very creative as this song already has a music video and the story line is the same which is something im trying not to do as its not an original idea. the editing for this is really well done as the lyrics match with what he is saying which is hard to get it exactly right so it makes it look more professional. the whole music video is very well organised and goes well with the song. if there was any critism for this music video it would only be the concept of it as it copies the idea of the actual music video, the cuts and shots all work well within the music video and it looks well done.

This music video is more how i am going to set mine up. Mine is also going to have shots of the band playing alongside a story line. the shots of the girl and boy walking which fade into the boy walking alone are very well done and look suitably placed. the fact the music video keeps going from black and white into colour is very disorienting and think it would look better all shot in either one or the other. the editing is very good also in this music video as the lyrics are in time with what the singer is singing. the cuts are on the beat of the music which makes the music video look better and more professional. i like the shots of the band members playing as i am wanting to do that for my music video and it works well. the editing also on the band playing is very good as they look like they are also playing in time with the music.

i chose to analyse this music video as it again is like the music video i am going to produce with the band playing and a story line alongside it. the shot types in this music video are really impressive and at 1:15 the shot (dolly zoom) is really impressive and works really well within the music video. i like the story line that goes alongside the song as it works well. Again like the other two music videos the editing is really precise as the singer is singing along and in time with the music playing over the top. the fast forwarding of the shots of the cars looks really good and the colours work well within the music video. the lighting that is used on the band keeps the colour pallete the same which makes all of the different cuts work well together and there is no drastic changes in them. some of the cuts are just placed randomly and not when there is a beat which would make it look better.