Costumes

All Black Everything

The images below show one of the outfits which will be used in the video. It consists of a black lace crop and a long black tulle skirt. The outfit has been accesorised with an all white crystal choker necklace. The hairstyling was left quite natural and casual with a messy high pony tail. The make up on the other hand was very dramatic consisting of long false eye lashes with thick black eye liner and rich red lipstick. Also, the artist was wearing long false nails which we painted black. 

The outfit is quite revealing and sexy, Amelia's midriff-baring top is conforming to Tessa Perkins' "stereotypes" which are commonly found in music videos. Such stereotypes include female pop artists who are usually blonde, attractive and slim such as Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze" suggests that women in media texts are dressed in ways which appeal to men, Amelia's outfit although is not very overly sexy or provocative, it will still fall under the term "voyeurism". Amelia's target audience is 15- 21 male and females, predominantly female, however, this outfit will appeal to the male demographic.

The importance of Accessories:
Accessories or very important in terms of making an outfit stand out, however they play a different role in music videos. Modern day music videos are bombarded with product placement and endorsements, some products are even advertised in the lyrics. Identifying product placement in a video is fairly easy (a close up or extreme close up of a product). 

Filming: Day 1

Day 1: 19/12/13

Our first day of filming was successful although, we did not get much footage, I feel more confident with filming and satisfied with the results of my first attempt. A disadvantage we faced was time. We had a two hour time slot and hair & make up took an hour and a half, leaving us with just thirty minutes to film. I have not yet decided when we will film next however, I will be more prepared for our next shoot. For example, I will make sure allow extra time for hair & make up as it has proven to be very time consuming. 

As for the performance by Amelia- it was brilliant! Amelia's drama skills were really on display in the video for example, her facial expressions truly represented the lyrics and emotions the song is trying to convey. Her hair and make up represented the pop-rock genre through her all black ensemble. Her dramatic make up emphasized some of the emotions such as anger, found in the song. Her long blonde hair and exquisite jewels reinforced her Pop Star status and represented the glamorous image pop artists are know for. 

In terms of cinematography, I kept it very basic. All footage consisted of either a mid shot or close up of the artist. However, I intend have more camera movements during the next shoot as I feel more confident with my camera operating skills. The lighting was bright, convention of pop videos, it also emphasized Amelia's costume and hair & make up.

The videos below are the footage we shot on our first day of filming. The footage has not yet been edited:

Filiming Schedule

Filming Begins...

Theories: Moral Panic Applied

Applying the Theory

The following video shows an example of how music videos can cause an uproar among the general public or also known as a 'Moral Panic'.

Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball"

2013 was Miley Cyrus' breakout year. She debuted her new look with a platinum blonde pixie crop, a far cry from Hannah Montana's long flowing golden locks. Her album 'Bangerz' was one of the most anticipated pop albums of the year and Cyrus did not disappoint. The debut single 'We Can't Stop' went to Number One and Cyrus was the only artist in 2013 to have a 'chart double' on the the Official UK Charts with 'Bangerz' and 'Wrecking Ball' taking the top spot in the same week. However, it wasn't her chart success that had everyone talking but it was the video for the now infamous 'Wrecking Ball' that had the whole world into Miley overdrive and successfully landed more than 19 million views in the first 24 hours of it's release.

 In the video, Cyrus is naked and singing on a wrecking ball, she also licks a sledgehammer and rolls around in the wreckage. This started a moral panic among the public with the public scrutinizing Cyrus for her behavior and making her a 'folk devil'. Many parents were outraged as they considered Miley to be a role model for young girls (still see her as Hannah Montana).

BREAKING NEWS!!!

BEYONCE- "VISUAL ALBUM"

Queen Bey
On December 12th, 2013 shortly before midnight, Beyonce released a brand new album on Itunes. The self-titled album is Beyonce's fifth studio album and was a record breaking release. Although, the album is self-titled 'BEYONCE' she is calling it a "visual album". There are 14 new tracks all of which are accompanied with music videos plus 3 extra videos, making it a total of 17 new music videos. Along with the surprise release, Beyonce also released a 30 second trailer/preview for each individual video.  

The sudden release is ground breaking! A typical album release relies heavily on months of promotion which consists of releasing singles, going on tour and not to mention the endless talk show and radio show appearances. However, Beyonce made a very bold and brave decision and chose to release the album as it is and without any prior warning. Industry 'Big Shots' would call it a disaster however, given the power and popularity of Mrs Carter, she has defied the odds and made the album a commercial hit. 

Itunes has confirmed that "BEYONCE" is the fastest selling album ever, with sales over 800,000 in just three days. Other record breaking accolades include 'the most talked about' story of the day, on the web. Beyonce's release also highlights her popularity among her fans. For more than decade she has built an empire and an enormous fan base. The record breaking sales show the devotion the fans (customers) have for the beloved artist. There is no doubt that other artist will take note of the trend-setter and follow suit. 

  The videos below show the announcement and release of Beyonce's self titled "visual album".

 

The images below show some of the articles written about the "game changing" album release.

THE STAR

        INTRODUCING...

Amelia Grimes

After meeting with both girls and going through an 'audition' process, I have decided on Amelia Grimes to star in my music video. Amelia is an As student here at Wyke and she studies Performing Arts, Drama Studies and Dance all of which were the determining factor for my choice. I am confident that I have chosen the right candidate and very pleased to have found Amelia. 

Although, the music industry has become more diverse in terms of image (e.g race, size, background etc.) Amelia falls under the stereotypical category of the 'Pop Princess'. Her long blonde hair and her cute features..

I will be creating a new identity for Amelia  in terms of the genre the song. This new identity or image must be a clear representation of the genre but also the beliefs and ideologies I want her to reflect. 

More Emails

These images below show the final emails between the talent and I.

These images below show the emails reply from tow of the potential stars of my video. 

Auditioning

Finding A Star

After my ad in the tutor notices and on the college screens proved ineffective I decided to make an announcement in a few Performing and Arts classes. In my announcement I explained how part taking in my music video will be beneficial as it will go on their performing CV. I immediately got responses from two girls who showed interest. The emails below show their response to my announcement.

My Reply

I replied to their email by informing them of the audition process which I go through to find the most suitable person for my video. In my reply I asked if they could meet up up with me so I can go through exactly what I need them to do for my video. The emails below show my request for a meeting. I am waiting for a reply.

Editing

 Practicing

The following video is one of my test shots which I edited on the Macs using Final Cut Pro. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZsAl3zJZwg

When researching other existing pop videos I found they follow conventions such as fast paced editing. I have also applied this convention to my video by including fast jump cuts to match the fast beat of the song. I created the jump cuts by using the blade tool which is found in Final Cut Pro. The original video is only 40 seconds long which meant that I had very little footage to edit and is the reason why most of the footage is repeated throughout the video. 

I have also added some special effects to improve the quality of the video. For example, the video opens with text which reads '"Heart Attack" Test Edits' I have added text to the video so the audience know the title of the song immediately. Although, including the title is not a common convention found in music videos it is still relatively used. 

The video below shows the use of text in music videos:

Enrique Iglesias ft Ciara "Taking Back My Love"

Test Shots

Testing
The following videos are the first videos i have filmed throughout this course. As it is my first try at filming the videos are very 'amateur-ish'. The following videos demonstrate the lighting which has been used. Having researched existing pop videos I found that there is a lot of bright lighting especially when the artist is singing against a white backdrop. My final idea consists of the artist singing behind a white backdrop for some scenes therefore I tested out the lights which are available to use in the college media room. 

Test Shots- Lighting


In this first video, you can see, I filmed with all of the lights on. 

  

In this second video, as you can see compared to the 

first video, I adjusted the position of the lights and brought them 

closer to the white background. I noticed that by bringing 

them closer, the footage was more illuminated and clearer 

thus looking very professional.There was three lights and 

they were positioned in a 'triangle'. For example, there was 

light coming from a left, right and high angle.

This video shows what the footage looks like without any lights. 

As you can see, it is dark and fairly unclear. It also looks very 

unprofessional. 

Test Shots- Cinematography

In this video, as you can see that I have started to 
move the camera. I have began to tilt the camera
going from high to low angles. I have also zoomed in and 
out. 

Animatic

Animatic- 'Heart Attack'

I created my animatic on Windows Movie Maker. The storyboard is not in sync with the music because of the limited tools movie maker offers. However, my shots are all in order and the animatic shows what I intend my music video to look like. 

You can also find my animatic at the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7vCeb89i84

Storyboard

Update: Location

Change of Location

In my location post I stated that I will be using the college photography room as one of my locations. However, having consulted Paul (Head of Photography) he advised that the photography room is not ideal for filming. Paul suggested I film outside and use the natural light as it gives a better effect than the lights used indoors. 

Although, I would like to film outside and use the natural light because of the current season I will be unable to film outdoors. I intend to do most of my filming after college hours as it is more convenient for myself and my artist. We are currently in the middle of winter which means the daylight will not last until after college hours.

I have found an alternative location to film scenes for my music video. I will be filming in the greenroom situated in the media department. I will not be using the green screen but the plain white in the room. The room is equipped with the correct lighting which I will need to use whilst filming. The images below show the media greenroom and the white which I will be using to film.