Taylor Swift is arguably one of the most famous artists of our generation. She started as a country singer in 2006 with her Debut Album 'Taylor Swift', her first music video being for her single 'Tim McGraw'. This is just a little look into her early videos, what made her so famous and where she is now.
Taylor Swift - The Videos by Beth Newton
Thursday, 28 December 2017
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Friday, 8 December 2017
Shot List
I'm a truly awful artist so when planning my video I chose the best thing for me would be to make a shot list rather than a story board.
As you can see, what I did was write out the lyrics to the song and think of something for every single line. Some of the ideas were repeated or based on ideas from my practice piece. I chose to do this so there was always something happening during the song and I didn't end up not having enough footage. However, I didn't think this version was detailed enough.
I made a more detailed version of my shot list deciding to work out what second each line came in on. Because I wanted a sort of 'semi-narrative' approach to my video I needed to see the song in more detail. I wanted to know where the breaks are in the lyrics knowing how much I would need to film to be able to fill the gaps.
By making the shot list more detailed it gave me a better idea of what needed filming, helping work out which lines would be best to use for lip syncing because I don't want the video to be centered around me 'singing' the song. I want the viewer to be more focused on the video itself and the story of it.
Having a really detailed shot list is beneficial for me because it helps me see what needs filming. Because there are a lot of different short scenes for my video I wanted a clear idea of what I wanted to us, how long they'd last etc. The actually types of camera shots and angles I aim to use will be a collection of dissolves that I will add in editing whilst other shots show the camera panning across various items such as lights. I also want to incorporate close ups of eyes to show the idea of 'dreaming'.
Thursday, 30 November 2017
My target audience
In creating this video my target audience is those who are fans of the indie folk genre. This is usually females aged 18-24.
My video is going to be about nostalgia and sentiment so the types of people who would watch my video is those who are very family orientated and who are sentimental about life and memories. Also, my video is about escapism. A brief escapism, through dreams, dreaming of being somewhere else or that time would stop. The target audience for this would be those in the age suggested, people who have just become adults but still think about their lives as children and how times have changed.
The idea of suing lights and colours also makes my video appealing to more artistic and creative people who may enjoy the look and style of the video I'm trying to create.
The video will have a loose narrative, there won't be a main one that people have to follow and keep up with meaning it can just be for entertainment
My video is going to be about nostalgia and sentiment so the types of people who would watch my video is those who are very family orientated and who are sentimental about life and memories. Also, my video is about escapism. A brief escapism, through dreams, dreaming of being somewhere else or that time would stop. The target audience for this would be those in the age suggested, people who have just become adults but still think about their lives as children and how times have changed.
The idea of suing lights and colours also makes my video appealing to more artistic and creative people who may enjoy the look and style of the video I'm trying to create.
The video will have a loose narrative, there won't be a main one that people have to follow and keep up with meaning it can just be for entertainment
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Being the examiner
Our task for this lesson was too look at examples of previous A Level music videos from our own and from other centres. The idea for this was so that we could look at the mark scheme and see why the videos got the grade that they did and use this to work out what we need to do to get certain grades and what we need to do toavoid doing mistake wise.
Message In A Bottle
This video got 38 out of 40 and I believe that was a fair score. There were a lot of different shot types of the band, of the wooden box and the girl which added to the narrative. The style of the video was appropriate throughout and it was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the mise-en-scene and the narrative that they wanted to portray. I think the opening shot shown in the picture above set the tone of the video which continued throughout. I think the slightly washed out colours gave a reflective feel to the video which worked with the narrative of someone looking back on a previous relationship. Another shot which I think worked well was the shot of the girl turning and walking away at the end blurring into the white background. I think this worked well and their use of editing skills was consistent and appropriate throughout. I think the students created a professional looking video with what they had and with a large variety of shot types and editing skills created a very believable video.
Hurricane
Message In A Bottle
This video got 38 out of 40 and I believe that was a fair score. There were a lot of different shot types of the band, of the wooden box and the girl which added to the narrative. The style of the video was appropriate throughout and it was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the mise-en-scene and the narrative that they wanted to portray. I think the opening shot shown in the picture above set the tone of the video which continued throughout. I think the slightly washed out colours gave a reflective feel to the video which worked with the narrative of someone looking back on a previous relationship. Another shot which I think worked well was the shot of the girl turning and walking away at the end blurring into the white background. I think this worked well and their use of editing skills was consistent and appropriate throughout. I think the students created a professional looking video with what they had and with a large variety of shot types and editing skills created a very believable video.
Hurricane
This next video received 32 out of 40 and I think that was about right for the video produced. The lip syncing was a little off in places and the dancing shots sometimes lasted a little too long but overall I think this video worked really well. I liked the style and simplicity of this video and believe the student who produced it made good use of mise-en-scene and lighting to create some really good shots. The picture above is just one of the really good shots the student produced through using shadows and lighting, I think her dancing in front of the view tied nicely into the style of video she aimed to create. I believe this video deserved an A grade because without using a large range of editing skills, the video produced was still fitting to the style and different lighter and darker shots created that mysterious feel to it which the song reflected. I think the student used editing to create meaning, working with the mise-en-scene. I think some more controlled camera shots may have raised the grade but it also seems as though a lot of the footage was filmed by the student and, as someone working on their own, I understand how hard it can be to get the shots you're aiming for when you have no one to help you or the person helping you has never really used a camera before. I really liked the style of this video though.
When We Were Young
I do not have a link to this video as it has been removed from YouTube for copyright reasons but this video received 32 out of 40. I think this video was very simple and, like I wish to create in my video, created a nice nostalgic and sentimental feel. The picture above shows a shot of a collection of photos. I believe the students used this shot really well to start their video and used it again later on to keep the same feel to the narrative. I believe the narrative showing a young couple and an older couple worked well and the shots of the grandparents seemed really natural which gave a video a professional feel, There were some shots which seemed to go on a little too long and I believe the opening lip syncing shot could've been cut down but I also think that the lip syncing worked well in the video and matched up. I think the video deserved the 32 marks it got because it showed use of appropriate material and good use of editing. I believe there had been a little more variety in the footage then the mark would've been higher.
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Changing Song
Due to personal reasons and organisation of actors I am unable to do the song 'When We Were Young' by Passenger because my original idea is no longer possible. However, the idea I am going to go on with is 'Let Me Dream A While' by Passenger, the song I chose for my 1 minute practice piece. The video I produced had the same nostalgic, warm feeling to it which I aimed to create with 'When We Were Young'.
By deciding to do 'Let Me Dream A While' I have experience with working with the particular song and know the pacing and style of video I am aiming to create. I aim to build upon the original shots I took before the summer with more winter based shots showing a passage of time.
By deciding to do 'Let Me Dream A While' I have experience with working with the particular song and know the pacing and style of video I am aiming to create. I aim to build upon the original shots I took before the summer with more winter based shots showing a passage of time.
Friday, 17 November 2017
Thursday, 9 November 2017
Thursday, 19 October 2017
Music Video Pitch
For my music video, the song I have chosen is called 'When We Were Young' by Passenger. I chose this song because it linked to the idea I had for my practice video.
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Sunday, 10 September 2017
Friday, 18 August 2017
1 Minute Music Video
Let Me Dream A While - Passenger
I chose to use this song after watching the original video and thinking that the video did not do the song justice. I felt the song had a very reflective nostalgic feel to it but the original video was very basic and was a mix of exterior shots of a city and then cuts to the artist sat playing guitar. I felt the song needed something more but not too over the top.
To create this video I wrote down the lyrics and wrote what I thought would work for every line of the song, what images came to mind when I heard them. It was through that this video was created and I think what I created works well with the song.
I chose to use this song after watching the original video and thinking that the video did not do the song justice. I felt the song had a very reflective nostalgic feel to it but the original video was very basic and was a mix of exterior shots of a city and then cuts to the artist sat playing guitar. I felt the song needed something more but not too over the top.
To create this video I wrote down the lyrics and wrote what I thought would work for every line of the song, what images came to mind when I heard them. It was through that this video was created and I think what I created works well with the song.
Album CD Cover
All I've Learnt by Beth Newton
For my CD I chose to use Canva as I had never used Photoshop before and found it confusing whereas Canva was something I felt comfortable with. I will look at Photoshop again when I start my main task.
For this CD Cover I knew the kind of colour scheme I was going to use. I chose to use a screenshot from my one minute music video and I thought that the washed out colours gave it a nostalgic feel to it. The same sort of look I had gone for when creating the video.
For the back cover I chose to just use a grey back ground then I used a picture which had the definition of the band's name on and made it transparent so the tack listing could be seen over the top.
For my CD I chose to use Canva as I had never used Photoshop before and found it confusing whereas Canva was something I felt comfortable with. I will look at Photoshop again when I start my main task.
For this CD Cover I knew the kind of colour scheme I was going to use. I chose to use a screenshot from my one minute music video and I thought that the washed out colours gave it a nostalgic feel to it. The same sort of look I had gone for when creating the video.
For the back cover I chose to just use a grey back ground then I used a picture which had the definition of the band's name on and made it transparent so the tack listing could be seen over the top.
Website
Hiraeth - Website
As part of our task we were to use the website Wix to create a website for our band. As I was working on my own and the song I chose for my one minute task was originally sang by a man I wrote on the website that the 'band' don't show their faces in their music video, preferring to us actors so the focus is on the story being told not on them.
In the bio about the band I said they were a mix of male and female vocals explaining why the artist singing the song I chose in my practise task was male.
As part of our task we were to use the website Wix to create a website for our band. As I was working on my own and the song I chose for my one minute task was originally sang by a man I wrote on the website that the 'band' don't show their faces in their music video, preferring to us actors so the focus is on the story being told not on them.
For the homepage of my website I went with a basic theme of having a city landscape picture as a background and white in the foreground. I chose to do this because the band I had created was an acoustic band and I felt as though they wouldn't go for anything over the top and too 'in your face'. I wanted something subtle but pretty. The song I chose for my one minute video was by Passenger so also on my homepage I chose to quote another song by Passenger.
On the website I created a page with the track listing of the band's 'debut' album. I, again, kept this very simple choosing to use the same background image and white box for the text to go in. I thought this made it look neat and professional.
Saturday, 15 July 2017
Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia - the neurological idea that one sensory pathway leads to an automatic, involuntary response from a second pathway. For example, tasting number or hearing colours.
For our task we were asked to listen to a song and write down what we see when we hear it. I chose to do the song Dead Man Walking by The Script as it doesn't have a music video and I thought it would be interesting to work with. This is what I 'saw' when listening to the song.
Dead Man Walking - The Script
As the song starts I think there would be an shot of the lead singer of the band maybe stood on a bridge looking sad. The colours would be washed out to represent the feelings of the people in the video. The video would be set in a busy city showing that although he is surrounded by people he is alone.
As the first verse comes in the lead singer starts to remember situations he was in with his ex-girlfriend showing how he wanted the relationship but she was distant and was moving on. The woman fades every time he moves closer to her.
For the chorus the singer would be watching the woman move on with her life. On the line 'already see it in your face, already someone in my place...' he sees her with her new partner, the two of them look happy whilst he stands looking lost as an essential 'dead man walking'.
For our task we were asked to listen to a song and write down what we see when we hear it. I chose to do the song Dead Man Walking by The Script as it doesn't have a music video and I thought it would be interesting to work with. This is what I 'saw' when listening to the song.
Dead Man Walking - The Script
As the song starts I think there would be an shot of the lead singer of the band maybe stood on a bridge looking sad. The colours would be washed out to represent the feelings of the people in the video. The video would be set in a busy city showing that although he is surrounded by people he is alone.
As the first verse comes in the lead singer starts to remember situations he was in with his ex-girlfriend showing how he wanted the relationship but she was distant and was moving on. The woman fades every time he moves closer to her.
For the chorus the singer would be watching the woman move on with her life. On the line 'already see it in your face, already someone in my place...' he sees her with her new partner, the two of them look happy whilst he stands looking lost as an essential 'dead man walking'.
Sunday, 2 July 2017
30 second music video
For my 30 recreation music video I chose to do 'All of The Stars' by Ed Sheeran. I chose this because I think the video is both simple but effective. As the song was from the soundtrack of the film 'The Fault In Our Stars' I believe the music video for the song works well to convey the emotion of the film without having to use too many clips from the film. I chose to do this music video because of that.
Original
Recreation
To recreate this video I simply used pictures of quotes on the wall which I filmed without a tripod to make it look like the original just looking over the quotes that were there.
Original
Recreation
To recreate this video I simply used pictures of quotes on the wall which I filmed without a tripod to make it look like the original just looking over the quotes that were there.
5 Music Videos
The Greatest - Sia
The video for The Greatest, like majority of Sia's other videos, have Maddie Ziegler dancing in it. This is because Sia doesn't like to show her face and would rather people just hear her voice. Although Sia has never confirmed it people believe the video and song is about the 2016 Orlando Nightclub shooting as there were 49 victims in the shooting and there are 49 dancers in the video. The hashtag 'WeAreYourChildren' was started because of the Orlando shooting, this and the fact Maddie is wearing the rainbow make up it leads people to believe the video is about the shooting. The Music was made by Sia and Daniel Askill.
The video is shot with dark colours with all the dancers wearing dark clothes as Maddie tries to inspire the others to join her in some form of revolution. The brighter colours from the music video only being the red lighting which is in the background of the final chorus of the song which is on a disco ball which could also link to the nightclub shooting. The other colours being the rainbow makeup which Maddie is wearing.
Speeding Cars - Walking On Cars
Walking On Cars is an Irish alternative rock band which released it's first album in 2016. I chose the video for Speeding Cars as my recommended music video because it's quite an unknown song and I think the music video was not what you'd expect after listening to the song.
The video depicts the lead singer of the band stood looking solemnly out as an old couple arrive on the shore. The video then follows the singer and the couple as they meet a group of people on the beach and they are handed the body of a loved one. It is to be assumed that the body is lead singer's love interest and the couple is the woman's parents.
The video is filled with misty exterior shots which give the video it's dark and mysterious feel. By the use of close ups and mid shots it helps establish the narrative of the video. The long shots and wide shots used to show the lead singer and the family walking to the beach work well in the video to help create an emotional reaction as it looks like a funeral procession as they all walk in a straight line.
Hard Times - Paramore
The song Hard Times was released by Paramore in 2017 as the lead single from their latest album. The video was directed by Andrew Joffe. the director said that the band wanted to created an 80's vibe with the video by using hand drawn elements, like what were made famous by the band a-ha with their video for Take On Me. The band also said they wanted to use a loud and vibrant colour palette as well as have themselves performing the song within the music video like a live performance but with the animations around them. I really liked the style of the video because of the 80's vibe and imaginative use of animations.
Wall Of Glass - Liam Gallagher
Wall of Glass is Liam Gallagher's debut solo single. The video for Wall Of Glass is disorientating as the camera rotates at several points. There are moments in the video where Gallagher sits and sings into a mirror but only his reflection is shown to be singing. The video is dark with flashes of read and a blue wash as the camera moves around Gallagher. In my opinion the style of video reminds me very much of the original Oasis videos which suggests despite being a solo artist Liam Gallagher has not changed his style.
Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
Castle On The Hill was one of the two singles that Ed Sheeran released before the release of his latest album Divide in early 2017. The song tells the story of Sheeran and his friends as they grow up an the things that they do. When I saw the video for the first time I was surprised because the video was exactly how I pictured it would be. Through the video a young Sheeran and his friends go driving and just generally have fun whilst there are cuts to present Sheeran sings.
The video for The Greatest, like majority of Sia's other videos, have Maddie Ziegler dancing in it. This is because Sia doesn't like to show her face and would rather people just hear her voice. Although Sia has never confirmed it people believe the video and song is about the 2016 Orlando Nightclub shooting as there were 49 victims in the shooting and there are 49 dancers in the video. The hashtag 'WeAreYourChildren' was started because of the Orlando shooting, this and the fact Maddie is wearing the rainbow make up it leads people to believe the video is about the shooting. The Music was made by Sia and Daniel Askill.
The video is shot with dark colours with all the dancers wearing dark clothes as Maddie tries to inspire the others to join her in some form of revolution. The brighter colours from the music video only being the red lighting which is in the background of the final chorus of the song which is on a disco ball which could also link to the nightclub shooting. The other colours being the rainbow makeup which Maddie is wearing.
Speeding Cars - Walking On Cars
Walking On Cars is an Irish alternative rock band which released it's first album in 2016. I chose the video for Speeding Cars as my recommended music video because it's quite an unknown song and I think the music video was not what you'd expect after listening to the song.
The video depicts the lead singer of the band stood looking solemnly out as an old couple arrive on the shore. The video then follows the singer and the couple as they meet a group of people on the beach and they are handed the body of a loved one. It is to be assumed that the body is lead singer's love interest and the couple is the woman's parents.
The video is filled with misty exterior shots which give the video it's dark and mysterious feel. By the use of close ups and mid shots it helps establish the narrative of the video. The long shots and wide shots used to show the lead singer and the family walking to the beach work well in the video to help create an emotional reaction as it looks like a funeral procession as they all walk in a straight line.
Hard Times - Paramore
The song Hard Times was released by Paramore in 2017 as the lead single from their latest album. The video was directed by Andrew Joffe. the director said that the band wanted to created an 80's vibe with the video by using hand drawn elements, like what were made famous by the band a-ha with their video for Take On Me. The band also said they wanted to use a loud and vibrant colour palette as well as have themselves performing the song within the music video like a live performance but with the animations around them. I really liked the style of the video because of the 80's vibe and imaginative use of animations.
Wall Of Glass - Liam Gallagher
Wall of Glass is Liam Gallagher's debut solo single. The video for Wall Of Glass is disorientating as the camera rotates at several points. There are moments in the video where Gallagher sits and sings into a mirror but only his reflection is shown to be singing. The video is dark with flashes of read and a blue wash as the camera moves around Gallagher. In my opinion the style of video reminds me very much of the original Oasis videos which suggests despite being a solo artist Liam Gallagher has not changed his style.
Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran
Castle On The Hill was one of the two singles that Ed Sheeran released before the release of his latest album Divide in early 2017. The song tells the story of Sheeran and his friends as they grow up an the things that they do. When I saw the video for the first time I was surprised because the video was exactly how I pictured it would be. Through the video a young Sheeran and his friends go driving and just generally have fun whilst there are cuts to present Sheeran sings.
Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Introductions
Our task for A2 is to create a 'promotion package' for the release of an album. We are to create a music video promo together with a website homepage, CD inlay for it's release or a magazine advertisement.
In preparation on making our final music video we are going to make a 30 second recreation of an already existing music video as well as various other tasks. We will also look at various theorists and see how they apply.
In preparation on making our final music video we are going to make a 30 second recreation of an already existing music video as well as various other tasks. We will also look at various theorists and see how they apply.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)