Creative Idea 2

For the next section of my music video I intend to mirror image the shots into four segments, each segment appearing separately to give the effect of a kaleidescope.  The same images as used in the previous sequence are arranged in a very different way by multiplying each image and creating mirrored patterns. With each change of image, the colour continues to change to the rhythm.. Another set of images is then used in the same way and alternates with the last set of images.  These continue to change with the beat of the music.
The influences for this idea came from the music video by 'Red Hot Chilli Peppers' and their song 'Zephyr Song'.  In this video the images split into two just as in an ink blot  but in mine I decided to split my images into four parts. The introduction to the TV show 'The Brady Bunch' from the 1970's also makes use of the split screen and unlike the layered background colour of the 'Zephyr Song' uses block colours in the Pop 1970's style which is a similar colour scheme to the one I have chosen for my video.  The effect of this is to make the separate images in the one shot clean cut and simplified.



'Zephyr Song'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fcRa5Z6LmU
Brady Bunch TV Intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou-FeOoKDq4

Progress Report On Editing

All filming has been completed and editing started over a fortnight ago.  This has taken some time as there were several video filters that needed to be added to every single film frame.  These were added in order to create a retro pop art feel to the video.
I removed the backgrounds using the chroma keyer tool and replaced these with bright single coloured backgrounds. I looked at the work of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstien from the Pop Art culture of the 1950's for reference.This had the effect of isolating the black and white images of the performers and creating an abstract feel by putting them in a surreal context.  To present the black and white figures themselves, I used the sepia tool and set it to black. By using the brightness and contrast tool on the images, I managed to give the impression that the figures had been printed or photocopied.  This again gave a sharp contrast between the black and white areas. and took away the realism.
The rhythm of the music ws used as a cue to change the background colour emphasisng the beat.
I occasionally cropped the sides of the frame to get rid of any other background outside the green screen but was pleased that the filming had kept this to a minimum.
The way I have been editing has really brought to life the way I had imagined to be in my head.  All those involved in the project were delighted with the outcome so far. 
I learnt that it is important to be true to your original ideas rather than adapt to the what the filming produces,  It is easy to lose your direction and not produce your certain vision.

Finish Filming/Started Editing

I have recently finished filming all the shots i desire for the present and this week i have heavily concentrated on editing the film. knowing and using ideas from the previous blogs , i have managed to proceed with the editing with ease and i am currently up to the second verse. i hope to bring more ideas as the song progresses for instance i want to show multiple frames in sections of 4 that change in rhythm to the song hopefully creating strange patterns.

Filming Day 2

Day 2 , we mostly focused on the shots of Ade singing and this resulted in improved lip synching. We took more specific shots of objects such as the megaphone and several close ups and long shots of Ade performing.  We also started to film the shots of the guitar played by me which consisted mainly of close ups and including a special shot down the fretboad from the neck of the guitar showing the fingering of the chords and the soloing. several examples of this shot can be found youtube like this video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWEq4mK0XfA&feature=related

Reflections
One more filming day left to film the rest of the drums and guitar shots using Max and myself as players.

Please with the first days filming, especially the guitar point of view shots, this will be used with the other footage.

Filming Day 1

Yesterday,  I started filming my A2 music video. It required the green screen and the lighting kit, in which setting up was very time consuming so I decided to start setting up an hour early (15:00) and then started filming (16:00) . The shots I focused on were mostly the drums, I tried to get a diverse range of shots of the drums ranging from a close up of the snare being hit to a shoulder shot of all the toms being hit. I took a while to set up the drums but it was fairly easy to move around once set up. I filmed most of the drum shots for an hour and then at 17:00 I started filming the vocals , Ades lip syncing was ropey at first but after prompting him a couple of times he started to get the swing of it and started to mouth the words better and more noticabley in sync. In preparation for tommorows filming session (thursday) I have asked ade to start practicing to sing along to the song and exaggerate his mouthing when singing. On thursday we will focus on the vocal shots and the guitar shots, we will try and finish all of the drumming shots next tuesday.

Creative ideas 1

This idea has merely came from simply messing around watching youtube videos. the idea is that the shot is looped again and again in rhythm to the song.  i got this idea when watching a youtube video of a man playing the guitar, for instance this video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw9yk7ZkuGcon my computer typing keyboard , i accidently pressed 2, it repeated the shot of the strumming , i did it again in a rhythm and it looked really interesting and unique. i want to use this idea when it comes to making my own music video but with other shots and instuments like drums.

Album Advert

My Own DigiPack

Recently I made my own digipack. for the front cover i got a picture of a guitar and photoshoped it so it looks distorted and changed the color to look black and white, a sort of alternative rock style, much like the album cover to my bloody valentines "loveless", but not as dark or shallow. in addition i added some pictures of us " pretending" to record the album in our school music recording room , yet i tried to make us look like we were actually recording an album in a proper music studio.

Preliminary Green Screen Task

In preparation for my A2 music video , i decided to test out the school green screen set as this tool will be key in order to film my video. some of it was just a bit of fun , but it has really helped me get to know how to use it and it has expanded my minds eye in what i want to accomplish. i use final cut pro to edit it and used several youtube videos to help me out and give me some creative ideas.

the first and last shots were merely ideas of undergoing certain scenes used in actual films for instance the last shot been my friend ade falling off a building. i achieved this shot by getting him to lye down on the green screen pretending to fall over. on final cut pro i used the chroma keyer to take the green away. i then reduced the video frame scale and rotated it and added a back drop of a birds eye view of a city/town. the sound effect i used is called "the wilhelm scream" a sound effect commonly used in films when someone falls over, originating from the movie " distant drums".

the second and third shots are what i plan to make my music video look like. i got ade to lip sinc to the song a couple of times , in addition some rock and roll posing, hence this has helped ade practise his lip syncing when it comes to the actual filming. the idea for the coloring is that the objects are in black and white and that the backdrop changes bright neon colours in sync to the track.

Music Questionare

Recently i asked several questions to my class, i asked them the following..

1. 3 favourite music genres
2. favourite artist & why?
3. favourite music video & why?
4. favourite music channel
5. least favourite artist and why?
6. least favourite music genre & why?
7. what to expect in a music video & why?
8. favourite music or music related magazines

1.  for this question i mostly got  pop and Hip-Hop/Rnb, some dance, grime and alternative, and a few rock and electro answers.

2. for Favourite Artists i got , Example, ATB, Jessie J, The Beatles, Beyonce, Weezer and JLS. the range of favourite artists is very diverse but most of these artists can be considered pop and a few hip-hop/rnb showing a relation to the first answer.

3. for the 3rd answer the're were a few that said that there was too much to choose, interestinley enough there were only dance/ rnb related answers from Eric Pyrdz : Call on Me to JLS : Everybody In Love. some of these music can be considered sexually provocative and suggestive to younger viewers, also suggesting that there is a small minority that like music videos with adult themes and narratives. unfortunately there were no answers involving spectacle genres.

4. for music channels most people said they liked mtv, a few said they like some hip-hop/rnb channels like kiss and mtv base , one said kerrang and one unusually said youtube , suggesting how youtube has had an impact on music videos and how youtube has raised.

5. for question 5 ( Least Favourite Artists) i got several justin bieber answers,  cee-lo green because of his annoying voice,chris brown presumably because of his previous physical incidents, maroon 5 , several boybands and Slipknot presumably because of there music being too heavy and there horror themed image.

6. for least favourite music genres several answered rock and pop, one answered screamo, grime and dubstep.

7. for this question , the answers were mixed,  one person answered "fit boys" presumably being a female audience of the pop music scene and being one of many girls who idolise a certain boy band. one answer being something interesting and intreging  , another answered saying they a story line, others said they like to see people dancing and another saying they like lots of cuts with the artist lipsyncing in focus, suggesting that some viewers like  music videos that are upbeat and lively with alot of action taking place.

8. for this answer , most  people answered that they don't read music magazines , presumably these days they find out about there favourite artists online, there were several mentions of magazines of billboard and nme

Digipaks/Album Covers

A digipak is a patented style of packaging CDS usually used for CD singles and Albums. it has a gatefold which is a small book (usually with the lyrics inside) and also acts as a cover on the outside , there is also a card stock to present the back and side of the cd and a cd holder all indide a Jewel CD case. the album cd contains all of the songs (including singles). here are some famous album covers...

1. 

   Weezer (Blue Album) ranked 297 on rolling stones 500 greatest albums.  i like this album because it has tastefull lyrics and interesting post grunge/indie rock vibes. the album cover is very simple but very noticable making it one weezers most iconic albums.

   

   Rage Against The Machine (self titled) ranked 368 on rolling stones 500 greatest albums. this album is very interesting because the cover is a picture of a monk setting himself on fire as a form of protesting. the album uses no samples or synthesisers whatsoever, and the cool effects a created by the guitarist Tom Morello. it is a metal album greatly influenced by hip hop, funk, jazz beepbop and rock.

   

   Nirvanas second album Nevermind ranked 17th on rolling stones 500 greatest albums. it is one of the most influential and iconic rock albums of all time. my favourite song is their single " in bloom" but it also features their most famous single " smells like teen spirit".

   

   Radiohead The Bends ranked 110 on rolling stones 500 greatest albums. it is one of the most highly critically praised rock albums of the 90s. features a picture of a maniquin

   

   The Beatles Seargeant Peppers Lonley Hearts Club Band, ranked no 1 on rolling stones 500 greatest albums.

   

   The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland ranked 54th on rolling stones 500 greatest albums.

   
   

White Stripes

White Stripes is a rock band from detroit, michigan, consisting only two members, guitarist/singer Jack White , who is also in the racounters and the dead weather and drummer being his ex-wife Meg White.  they have released many albums, two of them critically acclaimed named white blood cells and elephant and there last three albums recieving grammy awards. they're most well known single is " seven nation army. there music videos are usually spectacle/show case based, and are known for been quirky yet creative. there most unusual being " hardest button to button" which features the technique of pixelation animation, giving the appearence of multiple drum kits, guitars , etc. unfortunatley the band split in february 2011.

aswell as currently being a solo artist and owning his own record label, jack has been ranked 17th on rolling stone magazines 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

meg white is known for her simplistic yet rhythmic playing style on the drums.

White blood cells

Elephant

Letter to third man records (Jack White)

September 9^th  2011

To Third Man Records

Dear  Mr Jack White

My name is John Cattle and I am currently studying A-Level Media Studies at Aldenham school.

As part of my coursework this year, I am creating and producing a music video to a song of my choice. I have chosen  “  Astro ” by “ White Stripes” as the song  I would like to create a music video for , and I am writing this letter to seek you’re permission to do so.

Please note, this video will be used only for my coursework and will not be distributed or marketed in any form. I would greatly appreciate you’re permission to use this song.

Many Thanks ,

John. R .Cattle

Music Video History

in 1974 hit australian hit TV show " countdown" played a vital role in the music video industries early development. clips of music videos was used as a method of promoting new music artists as well as appearing on the show. the music industry eventualy realised the impact and marketing potential of promoting with music clips as one of the most notible artists to appear was hard rock band A.C.D.C , as three of there most notable 80's hits appeared on countdown , which aired in 22 countries.

Before MTV , "video concert hall" was the first music program on american television, airing in june 1981. night flight was also one of the first programs to be shown of US cable tv pre-dating MTV by only a few months. mtv was released in 1981 begining the golden age of Music Television. many pop artists used mtv to create their own image , aswell as promoting themselves. in 1985 mtv launched vh1 ,  featuring softer music for an older audience rather than a younger one. in 1987, mtv europe launched and then in 1991 mtv asia. the most expensive music video made to date is micheal jackson and janet jacksons " scream" costing $7 million to produce. during the mid 90s further international mtv channels were aired, mtv latin america 1993, mtv india 1996 and mtv madarin in 1997. in 1996 mtv also aired another channel called M2 (MTV2) as an alternative or older music video channel. by the mid 00's mtv aired more reality tv shows like jackass, cribs, jersey shore, pimp my ride, my sweet 16, etc rather than regular featurings of music videos.
the typical generic conventions of a music videos, are that there are frequent cuts by far (5-10) being the longest shot. dancing and extras are very common, and the artist is normally lip syncing to the song