Ancillary Research: Adverts

I've created this keynote presentation deconstructing magazine advertisements for various music albums. This was useful in studying so I could get a better idea for what I need to do for my ancillary tasks. The adverts I looked at are going to be very influential as I go about putting together my own adverts.

Ancillary Research - adverts

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Videos and Cover Art

During my research it has become increasingly obvious that music videos and artist's covers are very much interlinked and that the themes from the song and video are transferred into the marketing. Thus it's important to make sure the single cover I make completely reflects my music video and vice versa.


Sometimes the themes are even stronger as stills from the actual video are used as the cover art. Therefore I need to make sure that my video keeps a constant in its quality. 

Cover Art

Calvin Harris has been a big influence on my music video. His video for Feel So Close has a very intense feel while being beautiful to look at and reflecting the themes of the music. It's an example of an interlinked video and single cover. I like that it's very direct and to the point and very simple - just having the title and artist name.


The themes of the song I've chosen are about a break up. The female is singing about how their relationship could have been good (suggesting she was angry over the break-up) but she's glad it's over now (implying he dumped her) as she can now see that he 'played' her and that she's much better off without him. I see this as a positive message which is why I want to make sure the song ends on a positive note. 
Also as I'm using a remix it has a different sort of edge to it. It has a sort of caribbean feel and the extra use of drums makes it almost more aggressive and has a faster pace. 

Source

I need to remember, whilst editing, these themes and try to continue them through as I start to put together drafts for my ancillaries. 

Permission Letter

Today I sent off this permission message to XL Recordings, the record company for both Adele and Jamie xx.


"Dear XL Recordings,
I am currently studying A-Level Media Studies at The King's School, Devon and as part of my A2 coursework I need to create and produce a music video.
As a big fan of Jamie xx’s remix of Rolling in the Deep by Adele I have chosen to use this song and am writing to whomever it may concern, to ask permission to do so.
As it is part of my coursework, the song will be used for educational purposes and so it won’t be distributed or marketed for financial gain in anyway.
I hope that you would grant me permission to use this song for my Media Studies coursework and I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours Faithfully,
Sarah Williamson"


As I couldn't find an email address I used this contact portal on their website to submit my letter...

River/Interlude Shoot: Shot List

Above is the shot list from my river shoot a couple weeks. I've found producing shot lists for each shoot incredibly useful as it has meant I haven't forgotten any shots, something I learnt from my pre-lim filming. Also during the editing stage it means I can keep track of which shots I got from each location so I know what I have available.
I'm now working on putting together some rough cuts so I can see how it looks so far.

Notes to Actress

Before we started shooting I gave this...

...to my actress to help her through the shoot. The lyrics were obviously important as lip-syncing is a huge convention of a music video. Noting which part of the song is in each location will help her prepare for each shoot as well what costumes to bring along. In terms of what she needs to do in each shoot I decided to do briefings at the start of each filming so as not to confuse her and so we can discuss what I'm aiming for together to make sure she gets a good feel for what I'd like to achieve. I found this a very useful technique as it meant that whilst filming I could direct her and she can ask questions as we went along. 

Beach Shoot: Shot List

Yesterday was the first day of filming and it couldn't of gone better!
In order to be fully prepared I wrote down a detailed shot list of all the shots that I needed to get, which meant I got most of what I needed. 
I found this incredibly useful and I definitely learnt from the preliminary filming and had no problems with the camera. I'm looking forward to editing what I've got so far.

In the preliminary filming it took quite a long time (because we were getting to grips with the filming process) so I overestimated how long this shoot would take. The rose and match scenes were originally going to be shot, but I knew we would have to return as we wouldn't be able to fit everything in. Instead I focused on all the shots without the props so the second shoot would mostly centre around them. I also wasn't able to do the last shot in the sunset because we ran out of time so left that for the second shoot. But I have a better understanding of the environment, the equipment and of the timings now so I am confident we will get all that I need tomorrow when the weather brightens up (today it is too cloudy).
I brought my iPod with me, as well as the lyrics printed out, so we could get the lip-syncing in time with the music. I did lots of takes of the same scene from different angles so I would have lots of options when it came to editing. The lighting was great and we weren't caught out by the tide - something I still need to be aware of on tomorrow's shoot. 
There are still a few crucial shots left using the props (a rose and a match) which we will shoot tomorrow. Otherwise everything went very well and I'm very happy with my progress so far. 

Filming Schedule

My first preliminary shoot was on Sunday 2nd October and I will post my rough cut of what I did in the next couple days, along with what I learnt and how I can improve looking toward the future.

My next filming date is Friday 7th October (today) from about 4.30 onwards until it gets dark. The filming is centred around the lighting conditions. I want to get lots of shots of the artist dancing and get the first 18 seconds shot done as that is one of the most important shots as it establishes the tone of the video as well as the narrative and introduces the artist to the audience. Then going into the sunset/twilight to get the match scene and end shot done so that it parallels the establishing shot. Doing this on the same day will mean that I have a higher chance of getting them in the same place and so will be more effective. 
I am looking forward to getting these crucial shots and seeing how they work. 
Another point that I need to look at is tide times so that we aren't caught out by the tide when filming on the beach.
Then on the Saturday 8th October we will go back to the beach to film any pick-up shots that we need. I have briefed my actress of this, so that she is aware.

On the 11th I will then film (on my own) by the river a shot of the rose floating down the river as I think this is a good symbolic image, and needs to be shot before the rose dies. 
After that the next filming day with my actress will be Sunday 16th October focusing on the forest location.
Then on the 22nd October we will shoot the river location and reshoot the interlude. All of these dates have been decided in advance so myself and my actress are aware of what is going on and so I can prepare and plan for each shoot. 
After half term I will need to look at the urban scenes and how/when I (on my own) shall go about getting those shots, but beforehand I will make a rough cut to make sure that they still fit in with the rest of the video.

Costumes

I've put together a sample outfit for my artist of the sort of clothes I think my female protagonist would wear...

 

On Sunday I met with my actress and we discussed costume ideas. We came up with these outfits for the different locations.
For the interlude we decided on a black dress, with natural hair, red lipstick and a white blouse. It is quite intimate and as I wanted the shots to be black and white I felt the black and white clothing would work well and I think sets it apart from the rest of the video, highlighting the change in pace. Also it keeps the floaty feeling of the rest of the video.

During the preliminary interlude shoot

Next we discussed the river location outfit. We wanted something more akin with the location so chose a blue and white striped maxi dress, with a grey trilby. This is a very natural, laid back, indie style outfit which matches the location well. It reflects what the target audience would wear as well as being floaty, so looks good on screen.

On the preliminary river shoot

The beach location is also going to feature the above dress but with a sandy coloured cardigan for when it gets cold. 
The coat above is very similar to one my actress owns so we will use that for the  last shot as well as in the match shots.


The forest location will feature the white blouse, black skinny jeans and brown boots. The blouse will look great in the forest as she runs in slow motion so it will billow in the wind. 
For the river location, she shall wear a hoodie to give it more of an urban edge as well as the same dress from the beach location, so it will become a reoccurring motif.

Special Effects: Match

One of the effects I'm going to use is of the match on the beach. I decided to do an experiment shot at dusk to see what the lighting is like. It was also a good idea because I learnt that you need to hold the match at the right angle for it to burn correctly. Also I need to be aware of the wind on the day of filming as it effects how it burns and the overall effect.

Risk Assessment

I need to do a risk assessment in order for my artist and myself to remain safe during filming...


Location 1 - River

Location 2 - Beach

Location 3 - Forest

The forest location is a public footpath and I will bring a map, torch and phone in order to not get lost and stay on the official paths. 

Location 4 - Plain Walled Room

As this is in my house, I feel this location is reasonably safe. I will make sure my artist knows where she is going and that all furniture and wires are in safe positions so no one can trip up.

Scouting Locations #4

The interlude needed a separate location in order to fully signify the difference in tone. For this I wanted something simpler, so looked around my house for a plain wall. I eventually found one, except it had a picture hook and plugs, so I will need to work around them, but otherwise I think this wall will be good...

Experimenting: Forest Location

While I was scouting my third location in my local woods/forest, I filmed some shots to get a feel for the place as well as trying out different angles I could use. 
I forgot to take my tripod along, which I obviously will for the actual shooting, so tried placing the camera on rocks instead to see what effect that had. The lighting was really good when I went, which I hope will be similar when I film as it was really atmospheric. 

Mind Map

I've made a mind map of my progress and ideas so far to get an overview of my plans...

Scouting Locations #3

Today I went to my 3rd location which is the forest. It was a great sunny day so there was a great atmosphere, something I'm hoping to capture when it comes to filming. 

As you step down the steps there is quite an impressive clearing which might make for a good extreme long shot, zooming out from the artist.

It is quite lush which I think will look great on camera.

 The photo above is my favourite are, where the majority of the filming will probably take place. The tree I think will be the perfect place for 2:47-2:57, where the artist will lie in the trees where I shall film a high shot from above. 

I'm very happy with this location and am looking forward to filming more here. I've put together a video of shots I filmed in the location which can be found here.

Casting

I have casted the female lead for my music video...

I think Kati will be a good protagonist as she is very engaging on camera as she was also my model for my music magazine last year. She is also quiet a good actress and I think fits well with the genre and the effect I'm trying to achieve as she is natural, fun and energetic. 

We are meeting up this weekend to arrange when we are both free for filming.
We shall also discuss costumes, which I will then post about. We may rehearse a few shots and I'll make sure she has a copy of the lyrics which she can practise so the lip-syncing looks professional. 

Equipment List

Here is the equipment I shall be using during the production of my music video...


1. Panasonic HD60 Video Camera

2. Sony a330 DSLR Camera

3. Tripod

4. Relevant costumes


5. Relevant props including:
- a rose
- paper boat
- match


6. Blanket for Artist to lie down on in the grass and forest locations.

New Ideas

After talking over my ideas so far in class, I have come up with a few new ideas that I'd like to integrate into my video.

As one of the lines is "lay your ships bare" and I'm setting a portion of the video on the beach I thought shooting in front of the fishing boats would be an excellent visual signifier for the audience. 

Also reoccurring motifs are a good way of making music videos successful so I am looking to include one in mine and thought a paper boat might fit in well. I could use it in most of my locations; the beach, the river, the forest. The visual image of the paper boat floating out to see is a strong image, something I have looked at here. Otherwise on the river rapids would also look good. 

Another great new idea is to have my artist throwing rose petals into the water. I think this a really strong visual code for romance, being thrown away - akin to the line "we could have had it all". However, I want it to be a positive action so will probably have the artist smiling as she does it as she is glad to have moved on from the relationship.


I also realised I need something a little more unique in order to stand out in the market, which is why I had an idea to shoot some scenes at night. I'm not sure which scenes would benefit from darkness but my initial thoughts were the beach scenes - especially with the match falling shot as it would really stand out in the night. The scene doesn't have to be entirely shot at night, in fact intercutting day and night might up the pace even more, but the darkness would give it more of an edge. 


Lastly, I'd like to look a bit further into the representation of my female protagonist and how female artists are portrayed in music videos, which I wil put in a seperate post. 

Experimenting: Shot 2:25-2:27 (Cutaways and Transitions)

Whilst scouting the beach location, I also filmed a few shots to experiment with a few crucial visuals, including the 2:25-2:27 shot that leads out of the interlude.
I also looked at transitions that could be used and a few other shots that could be used as cutaways... 

Scouting Locations #2

I stepped out on a gorgeous September day last week to scout out the Beach location for my video. 

Below is where the first 18 seconds will be filmed with the artist singing the first few lines of the song. 

Here I focused on the waves with the pebbles on the beach, which will make a nice cutaway shot.

The waves were looking really good, so I filmed some practice shots of the waves crashing. 

I then walked over to the fishing boat area which is a new idea I had as part of the video. I think having the artist walking between and sing amongst the boats will look good.

Then I went over the bridge to look at the cliff area. 

In the sun it looked really beautiful, but perhaps the sun isn't the right atmosphere for the video. The twilight and the darkness might be more edgy, but the start of the video may begin in brighter light, so as to contrast with the rest of the video. Then so as to highlight the parallels between the start and end of the song, I could revert back to brighter light, so as to visually signify that she has 'come through the darkness' and is now moving on.

The cliffs will be a great backdrop for 0:37-0:45.

And the above angle will be brilliant for 0:19-0:36 and 0:46-0:53, especially as it is usually quiet along this section of the beach so it will look even better.

One thing I realised as I walked onto the beach was that the tide was coming in, reminding me that I will definitely need to check the tide times before shooting, so as not to be caught out.