Lip sync practice music video.

Music video storyline inspiration-1

Trey Songz - What's Best For You [Official Video]

Case study 3 - Taylor Swift -Style

This music video has lots of Technical qualities creating different meaning and telling a story when all combined. This has very much inspired me to tell a story through visual effects and has overall helped me with the ideas i want to coporate in my music video.

The music video begins with with a double exposure effect of Taylor Swift and a man that we do not yet know about. This indicates right from the start that what we are about to witness is happening inside Taylor's head. There is a fade into this shot. Where Taylor's brain would be is an image of a man on a beach which indicates that he is who she is thinking about and that this is a memory of happier times. The blue sky and the setting of the beach contrasts with the gray background around Taylor's head which draws the audience attention to the man.

As the song is beginning we see taylor holding a necklace which the camera focuses on. This necklace is clearly of some significance to their relationship and the way that she is holding it instead of wearing it suggests that their relationship is over. we see several close-up shots of taylor in the beginning but we do not yet see a closeup of the man which implies she is the most important in the story.

This is followed by a close up on Swift's head juxtaposed with a cracked mirror representing her broken heart. through out

The video then alternates between shots of double exposures with Taylor doing stuff outside and the guy inside a dark room looking very sad. throughout the video, swift and the guy will never be seen together which could be because they cannot exist at the same time. There is only one scene where their bodies are shown together, but we do not see their faces.

The video then alternates between shots of double exposures with Taylor doing stuff outside and the guy inside a dark room looking very sad. throughout the video, swift and the guy will never be seen together which could be because they cannot exist at the same time. There is only one scene where their bodies are shown together, but we do not see their faces.

Projection onto screens is used a lot throughout the video which could suggest, similar to earlier, they are looking back at memories they shared together, which establishes his role within the music video. The man is seen mainly looking at footage of Taylor, which relates to earlier, being on the beach and looking for happiness. The shots of Taylor being projected are close up, demonstrating their past relationship, whereas the shots of the man are either mid shots or long distance, establishing their relationship now.

Pitching our ideas and getting feedbacks

MUSIC VIDEO PLAN.

This is our plan for our music video using the song ' Did i' by khelani.

Technical research -Inspiration music video

This music video has inspired me due to it special effects.

Technical research- inspiration 2

This music video has inspired me to use for my own music video due its effective technical qualities

The beginning of the video starts off in a gallery with photos of Justin lined up on the walls. The camera moves towards one of the canvas's which is black, it then goes through the canvas and Justin fades into the shot. The first minute is Justin singing to the camera and connecting with the audience about his lost love before the beat drops and a number of doodles erupt onscreen and are edited over Justin. This sets the fast pace for the rest of the video, after the doodles there are a lot of fast cuts in  what seems to be a high school corridor at first but is then shown to be the gallery from the first shot and people are painting their own work. The people in the gallery are the ones making the doodles which are edited onto Justin and the video almost has a 'making of' vibe to it because you can see the cameras filming the people doodling. The video then comes full circle and goes back to the solid visual of Justin singing to the camera again before the beat drops again and the doodles reemerge. The video ends with Justin standing in front of a white screen with doodles covering him before the song ends and the visuals fade to black.

Setting

This video is very simplistic in the sense that the only location is a green screen and an art gallery. It is the simple setting which makes the editing a lot more effective. It can be assumed that the video is set in LA because of the good weather which can be seen through the window in the gallery. The canvas like pieces on the walls in the gallery and virtual which means that when the camera is based in the gallery and looking at the walls, the visuals show Justin dancing and moving as well as the doodles being edited on at the same time.

Costume, makeup and props:

Costume and makeup in this video isn't one of the main focuses. Justin Bieber wears a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and a button up shirt over the top which is not done up along with white trainers. Justin himself doesn't use any props he just dances around and sings to the camera. However, in the gallery when the people are doing their own artwork they use props such as paints and paint brushes, as well as handbags and other various items owned by the people doing the doodles.

Lighting and Colour:

The lighting when Justin is singing to the camera is quite dark and there is a single light shining at the back lighting up Justin so he can be seen. When he is standing in front of the white background he becomes a darker colour so he contrasts with the light, bright background. The doodles are a wide variation of colours and are very bright so that they can stand out. The gallery is very light and open in the sense that everything stands out. The people are darker than the white walls so that they contrast the background, especially more so if the person is wearing darker clothing.

Camera and Editing:

The camera work is a lot more simplistic than the editing process. The editing would've been very difficult because in post production the doodles would've had to have been drawn onto the frames so that they match up and work. Also it would've been difficult to link the doodles, the speed at which the frames move and the song itself. The visuals and lyrics/beat of the song have to match. Therefore, when the beat drops, something has to be shown on the screen in response to it happening.

Conventions of R&B AND Grime music videos

R&B

• Uses a narrative
• dance routine usually present in the video
• close ups used mainly on artist
• sometimes in calm locations such as a beache or house ( usually for slow R&B music video)
• can be fast or slow
• hardly ever no performance
• woman usually shown wearing little clothing
• money portrayed positively
• alcohol and party scenes
• use of special effects

Grime

• Mostly set on the streets of cities 
• Having the artists themselves as the characters in the music video.
• Brand image of the artist 
• Narrative behind most grime music video's is realism 
• Many close ups and medium shots used.

Production plan

Task ideas.

we have been given the task of creating a music video, along with CD cover for our A2 Media studies coursework. After watching some previous A2 students videos I have gained some general thoughts on what i wanted to do and therefore got together and began to put ideas forward.

Genre-Personally i will choose to create either a R&B pop, or Grime, or simply just R&B as my chosen genre. I am already familiar with the R&B pop and R&B type but also want to take a different approach with a genre i'm not to familiar with as a challenge for myself but also to apply new skills that i will have to develop throughout.

Actors-Regarding actors i don't plan to do anything complicated but include few actors or even just one.

Song choice- Although i have been advised by my teacher to not choose a popular song in case my own video is highly influenced and ends up being completely similar, i think that i will challenge myself because the song choices i have in mind are popular and i will have to work on making my own different.

Regarding the pace of my song I'm leaning more towards a fast paced song as then i will be able to use variety of different editing skills to gain as many marks as i can.

CASE STUDY 2- EMMY CURL -COME CLOSER

Emmy Curl- Come closer

This music video created by filmmaker Nuno Barbosa features a fantastic projection mapped visuals. this has been my main inspiration to use projection in my music video as it can help me show my filming skills as well as my editing skills. In the music video Emmy Curl uses a similar visual tone, but uses an extra face to help perform the song. When Curl moves her head , the projection mapping visuals shift in and out of alignment, creating a ghostly , yet beautiful effect.

The choreographed piece probably required a lot of practice time as it very organised for every shot. Also from my research i have found out that the whole process was rather complicated and took about three weeks. at first, Emmy performed the same song being covered with different luminous body paint designs, and without them. These images then were used as a projection during the final performance when the singer stood against the black background. The choreography in the final scene was slightly different than in the projection. as result, this trick causes the illusion when it is not easy to realise where the projection is. For my music video i would like to use this same effect. However i will have to consider the amount of time it is going to take me as i might struggle with it which might also require me to practice.

There are a lot of symbolisation used in this music video. for example when she says "I've got wings you taught me how to fly" we are visually presented with feathers projected on her face which connotes her wanting to fly away. Another example is when she sings "If the war it's over, and your eyes don't wonder" we see her putting her hands on her face and another shot of herself is projected on her hands. this could mean she wants to stop him from wondering( looking at other girls maybe)  but it can be impossible as she can't possibly force him to have feelings for her.
this has inspired me to use visual symbolisation on my music video as it can easily help translate the lyrics.

CASE STUDY 1- 'If I was a boy' by beyonce

Beyonce- If I was a boy

Released- October 12, 2008
Recorded- 2008
Genre- Pop/ R&B
Length- 5:05
Writer- BC Jean Gad

Producers- Toby Gad Beyonce Knowles

Synopsis of the video 

Through the narrative Beyonce is expressing feelings of dissatisfaction and sadness towards the gender roles that men and women play in relationships set by the general standards of society, that has affected her own relationship. she has done this by taking the stereotypical male role in a relationship, in this case a hard working instrumental job such as policeman. This challenges the conventions of gender representation in music videos where it is usually the male is in the leading old and the woman in a  position where she is  being portrayed as helpless or objectified. However the story brings a plot twist when the characters swap roles revealing the reality that us women face in this society.

The storyline of this music video has inspired me a lot to create a storyline with a meaning and has message that empowers women for my own music video.

Is the video conceptual, narrative or performance based?

This music video is narrative based as it narrates the lives of a husband and a wife and the roles that they play in their relationship.

Camerawork
The music video contains a range of camera shots, however the most common is Mid-close ups of the characters. An example of this is at 1:45 when the colleagues are seen looking at each other. The close up increases the intensity of the Beyonce and her colleagues relationship as they seen looking at each other making the audience guess what each of the, are thinking. Another example of this is the close ups of the 'husband's' reaction when his wife ignores his call at 2:08. This increases the audience's knowledge of this positions and again make the audience guess how he may be feeling.

Editing
The song is slow and calm and editing enhances the effect along with camera work. at the beginning of the music video, there are slow scenes but fast cuts of Beyonce and her husband saying short words. then, the song starts and there are varied shots, but the cuts are not to the beat. when the song fades out mid- song and so does the shot, it slowly fades out and then shows some dialogue between Beyonce and her husband. At the end of the dialogue the roles her reversed then the shot slowly fades our and so the song slowly fades in. This could imply that she is not acting like the boy anymore. Her role faded and she is facing reality now.The music video ends with Beyonce's face slowly fading out.

Mise-en-scene
At the start of the music video where they say words that you need in a good relationship they are both in bright natural light with natural make-up which shows their true selves. following this when Beyonce is starting her day, the lighting is quite dark which signifies her dark character that she is about to embark to the viewers.

The costumes also help to create an accurate and convincing music video. the police costumes are probably real and don't look tacky or fake. additionally, the clothes they wear when they are out of their uniform are simple with either a black or white shirt with a jacket. props are used such as keys. take away coffee cups , laptops, paper, guns, handcuffs and police cars which are all use to create an accurate atmosphere to the music video. This use of mise-en-scene has inspired me to use as much props as possible that can be symbolise the lyrics for the chosen song.

                            

Overall, this music video has been my main inspiration to create an effective storyline for my music video as it is cleverly produced with the way the lyrics contradict the imagery.