Practise Shots

These are some practise shots that me and Thea tried out to ensure we knew the kind of shots we wanted and needed on our story boards and throughout the production process.

Chosen Genre Deconstruction 5 - Indie

Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

The first couple of images we see are extreme close ups and close ups of the main singer, this is so the audience when they first see it will recognize this and want to watch on further, the fact he is also lying down is intriguing as the wonder what he is doing. The lighting is also done cleverly to make it mysterious using one side of his face in darkness and the other in a warm orange yellow. Again these colours are so stereotypical of indie music videos, the dark colours mixed with small amounts of warm colours which really add to the intimacy of the video. This particular shot allows the target audience to feel close with the person they admire. He has that typical indie look, the scruffy hair and beard, which indicates he doesn't care but also brings a sense of normality to it, that they don’t dress up for videos, they’re just putting themselves out there as they are, which is quite like the way in which they are with their music.

The next shots, we see the lead singer looking confused and nervous before we see an image of a chicken, this is again something which is so typical of an indie music video, the randomness that always makes its way into each video. This also connotes that he might be going slightly crazy or isn’t where abouts he thought he was.

This next image shows yet another conventional trait of a indie music video, the fact it is set in a really rural, private and simple place. This place looks like somewhere no one has been for years as its full of things that look as though they have been there for years, there’s nothing around to suggest it has any modern things or facilities within it. This is something that is often done by indie bands to show that even when they tear every material thing back and they are just them, they still make good music that people want to hear. These surroundings are used to connote the fact they just want people to listen to the music without being distracted by fancy or extravagant things. The lighting again stays the same with that darkness with the dusty yellow light, which gives is a sexier feel.

  

This long shot shows the band in action, again a convention within the indie genre. The lighting still hasn't change keeping that same feel throughout the entire song. The band were indie clothes which most people would deem ‘cool’ but not something they would wear, they are wearing as you can see, vests with waistcoats, long necklaces and bracelets with jeans, or baggy necked tops with a cardigan and jeans, or even no top with a necklace and jeans, this is why usually it is called indie rock, because they come across as a softer version of rockers, the outfits are quite similar as is the long hair in some cases, the music has a different sound.

Chosen Genre Deconstruction 4 - Indie

Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

This first screen shot immediately tells the audience it is likely that it is an indie band, this shot connotes that we should look past the lead singer sometimes and appreciate all of the band members. The convention of them using instruments throughout the video is apparent here, the clothing and hair is also very conventional with the scruffy but cool look. The lighting is again dark background with an illuminating warm light on the singers.

Throughout the video there are montages of them out and doing normal things which lets the audience see them for real and normal people as well as someone they admire, those shots and this shot of them in the studio allows the audience to feel closer to the band in a different way, its as if the band are inviting them to become a part of their lives, which makes them more appealing but also more intriguing, throughout again, the lighting stays dark in the background and illuminates the band members, ensuring the focus stays on them. 

Animation workshop

Chosen Genre Deconstruction 3 - Indie

Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

The establishing shot in this video sets the scene of the song, the surroundings are very American, he looks like he’s outside a flat which is also his office, the colours are very bland and simple which is typical of an indie music video. It comes up with the band’s name in their font along with the title of the song “Lonely Boy”, which is quite unconventional of any music video  in general. The song title puts the African American man’s character into context. This first image makes us feel quite sorry for the man, a lonely older man who is in a place which looks quite awful to be in, but he doesn't look hard done by due to the clothes he’s wearing, but they are black and white which connoted that that is the view of this man and the band itself.

 

These next three images show that the entire music video is just of this man dancing and singing along to the song, it is very simple yet effective in the respect it is very amusing to watch and will be watched time and time again due to the humour of it. The man throughout is very stern within his facial expressions but is very funny and diverse through his movements. This video again is not conventional, as the one I had looked at previously, it is clear that indie videos can go one way or another, they either go for the humour, I don’t care kind of approach or they go for the simplicity where they just want people to listen to their music without distraction because after all they are not seemingly into being famous, they just want people to enjoy their talent.

Chosen Genre Deconstruction 2 - Indie

Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

In music video, it is stereo-typically indie, this screen shot, shows the main singer singing on a stage with his instrument, this is something that you will stereotypical see within a music video of this genre. The camera angle is a low angled mid shot, the singer is staring out wards rather than towards the camera which connotes he is not doing this for show, he’s simply performing in the only way he knows how. It also gives it that distance although we feel quite close, there’s that closed off sense that we get from this image. The lighting is very warm but very simple as are his clothes. This shows that they don’t need a big production and fancy clothes to be able to connect with their target audience as they know that if people like their music they will listen to them for that reason. The shadowing across the face also gives it that sense of mystery that we often see within indie music videos.

This next screen shot shows the crowd they are performing too, this shows that this is not a music video that has been directed in a way, it shows that they care more about getting their music to their fans than putting an expensive music video together. By showing fans within the video, not only does it show how many fans they have, but it also allows them to show their appreciation to their fans, that they do not just think of themselves but think of the ones who put them on the stage too. This again shows the simplicity of it and also sticks to stereotypical things that these music videos have, such as their live performances. The lighting is also very dark but the lighting of the stage illuminates the crowd expressing that the fans are special and deserve to be recognised, which is why they’re being highlighted within the video.

  

 In this screen shot it again shows that stereotypical label we put on indie music videos, the band playing their instruments with passion, and it feels so real unlike other genres of music, as their passion is quite obviously their music, and that they really don’t care what people think because they are doing what they love. The lighting is again very dark with light coming from random bulbs etc, it gives it a very intimate and warm feel and highlights the band rather than other things. The angle is another low angle long shot, this makes us feel like part of the crowd we saw but also helps us to look up to people that make ‘real music’, who create and generate their music themselves.

Chosen Genre Deconstruction 1 - Indie

Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

This establishing shot is a wide angle shot. We can instantly see a variety of people/characters within the first image we see, it is very different from conventional pop songs where they don’t have ‘odd’ characters. There is also a long table where they are seemingly having a dinner party; this makes me think of Alice in Wonderland, but in the case an x-rated type of version. This is very humorous to look at, which is something that corresponds nicely with the indie type music, it shows that they do not take themselves seriously and that they are willing to make a fool of themselves. In a way it is as though they are taking the mick out of artists who create genuine music videos like this, as maybe they feel that people who make ‘popular’ music do things like this to get more people to listen to their music when they don’t even make it themselves and so on.

The lighting in this is very bright, which isn't conventional of an indie music video, but it comes across as it is trying to convey a message that sometimes you need to lighten up and not be taken so seriously. The characters themselves can also be seen as a type of symbol that represents indie people, people would instantly look at this video and think it was very ‘odd’, which is what stereo-typically people do of indie people as they don’t understand such things as their clothing.

Next it flickers from the picture I first print screened to this, this shows that no matter how different and ‘weird’ people are, everyone can have fun. This part is definitely more conventional of an indie video, what the characters are doing is very random, the lighting is a lot darker and there is quite a bit of destruction. Again, this type of scene would then make people laugh and take music video a lot lighter. The music has no relevance to what is going on either which is often the case in indie music videos, it is a typical convention of that genre, as is the randomness of whats going on.

This shot shows the rebellion that the indie genre seem to have, the fact they don’t care what people think. It also shows that their target  audience isn’t really young but maybe from the age of 18+, by showcasing drugs in this way are making it seem ‘cool’ and acceptable to do this and is something younger people may want to emulate themselves. The ring on the finger of the person holding it shows wealth too but it is also very different which reiterates the ‘individual’ label they have. The red clothing and the fire could also be a subliminal message that it is quite dangerous and not something teens should be doing, but again it is mainly glamorising drugs in that rebellious way indie videos like to do.

In this screen shot, once again it has gone back to darker colours with minimal lighting, they are using tambourines in this, this is something that will almost nearly every time will appear in an indie music video; someone playing some sort of instrument, because indie music videos are usually just to showcase their music rather than themselves which is why they try and remove the focus from themselves. They are also using candles in this shot as their light source, this is another thing that is conventional with indie music videos, everything is very plain and simple allowing there to be not distraction from the music. Obviously in this music video that is not entirely the case, they have been quite unconventional in some respects, but that is them showing rebellion and also being random which is a definite convention of this genre. The outfits are very indie and the middle man with the balaclava is their random element, This shot is a wide mid-shot and allows us to not be distracted as much from the music, the lighting is really effective in this part and overall I feel like they have done a good job in entertaining their audience both visually and through audio.

Questionnaire Analysis

 

Music Genre and Song Decisions

After alot of thinking, I think that I would be able to create a good indie/rock music video, I like the music, I have a lot of friends with instruments, there are people that would fit the look and it can be a believable age and I enjoy that music the most so it will be fun to do.
I'm finding it really difficult to pick the music, because although I have instruments, a lot of the indie/rock music uses electric guitars which is something I may not be able to get my hands on, so I have looked at more Indie music with a slight country twang, such as The Kings of Leon and Mumford and Sons. I have come up with several music choices but still am undecided on which one I'm going to pick, I have the same rough idea for each song, but I am going to do some more deconstructions of this genre for better understanding and some influence on how to go about this.

My song choices are;

•              Lover of the Light by Mumford and Sons
•              Back Down South by Kings of Leon
•              Milk and Black Spiders by Foals
•              If You Wanna by The Vaccines

Generic Music Questionnaire

Generic Questionnaire

Please circle the following or fill in where required.

Question 1)      What is your gender?

                          Male                 Female

Question 2)      What age range category do you fall into?

                           Under 12         13-17         18-30         31+

Question 3)      What genre of music do you listen to most?

                           Pop         Rock         Indie/Alternative         Country         RnB         Hip-Hop

                           Jazz         Blues        Other

Question 4)      If you circled ‘Other’, please specify here;

                                                                      

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Question 5)      How do you buy or download your music?

                         

                         iTunes/online         In store on a CD/Album         I download the music illegally

Question 6)      What do you like to see in music videos? E.g. a story line, a lot of celebrities,

                           Something a bit odd and random, something that goes with the lyrics, a performance

                           That shows them actually performing;

                            

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Question 7)      What is your favourite music video and why?

                                          

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Question 8)      What type of things would you expect to see from a typical ‘indie’ music video, in 

                           Terms of their clothing, the setting/location, what’s happening in the video etc?

                        

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Question 9)      How would you describe the music genre “Indie”?

                         

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Deconstruction of a Pop Music Video

Pre-production Deconstruction of a Pop Music Video

Pop music comes from the word popular, which is why it is mainstream music, it is what most people tend to listen to and what makes the charts, it’s a combination of many different genres, but is known for its simplistic and basic format of the verse chorus structure. I am going to deconstruct a pop video to see what the typical conventions of a pop video are.

SHOT TYPE: Mid shot

ANALYSIS: This shot allows you to focus on the main character of this ‘Love Story’, but it also allows the target audience to really relate with this as it is quite clear that the main character is at school from the opening sequence we saw, the background behind her and the books she’s holding. She displays innocence with her curly blonde hair and minimal make up and it covered up unlike in Hip-hop and RnB music videos. This helps create a connection with the younger audience members they are trying to entice and being a role model to them.

EDIT: The edits are very soft and dreamy like the video story line is meant to be like, this creates a connection for the audience because they look at is as something that they want.

MUSIC/LYRICS: There are no lyrics at this point, simply just the music which is soft that fits with the character and story line/visuals.

SHOT: This shot is a wide long shot

ANALYSE: This shot uses a wide long shot to make a more dramatic affect on the size of the castle and make her look really small in comparison to show how grand this place she is in is. It also creates that sense of in touching distance to her and that life. It is very clean and beautiful making it look more fairy-tale like and more appealing and desirable to the target audience, they have dressed her in a princess dress and done her hair in a posh up do to again make the audience want to be like her. The colours used are creams and whites, this shows connotes the innocence. The lighting is cleverly done with the sun shining from the back though making it more beautiful and giving the character an angelic glow that again young audience members will look too and want to have and be like. It also uses intertextual reference to common fairy tales such as Cinderella or Romeo and Juliet to grasp their audience and make them fall in love with her little love story as well as the song itself.

EDIT: This shot is a zooming in shot to her face which allows us to become closer to her and closer to that fairy-tale, it soft to carry on the dreamy feel that it started with.

MUSIC/LYRICS: The song begins here with her singing;

             “We were both young when I first saw you”

This connotes to an audience that she’s reminiscing and thinking about the past due to the past tense and her gaze into the distance.

SHOT: This shot is a high angle, wide long shot.

ANALYSIS: This shot shows the typical conventions of a pop music video as it has a dance routine, this is very common within this genre, even though this kind of dance is a lot different to the usual type that we see on pop videos, but this is because it has to fit in with the story and the time era that it is in. The costumes and the lighting make it seem very surreal, intimate, romantic and again something that young audiences will dream of, the idea of ‘finding their prince’. Pop videos are often very cheesy and cringey for an older audience to watch, which is why it is targeted at a younger audience. The fact we’re looking down makes us feel as though this is within touching distance and that that could be us.

EDIT: The edits are still soft and slow to help the flow of the video.

MUSIC/LYRICS:

       “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone,

        I’ll be waiting”

These lyrics try and express to the young audience that there is such thing as a fairy-tale and a happily ever after. The lyrics don’t exactly go with the visuals on screen but it is easy to see that the point of the video is to show the progression in the relationship through her memories and is singing about the past.

From deconstructing this video and watching other pop videos it is apparent that the typical conventions of a music video are, a few costume changes, different and usually elaborate settings, a cheesy back story, a dance routine, a lot of close ups and direct singing to the camera to make the audience feel as though they know the singer personally, the lighting is often bright and dreamy, the clothing is colourful, they often have a lot of people surrounding them making them look more liked and popular which makes their young audience think that if they like this music and be like this person then they can have those kinds of relationships with people too. When there is a boy or girl band it is quite often each band member will be different from the other as the young audience can then pick their favourite, or the one their most like, or sometimes like JLS and The Saturdays, they have particular colours that each of them wear, this is a simple technique that allows the children to pick a favourite keeping them interested in whats going on. These are the things I have learnt that I will be able to use to understand better how I can put together my own music video.

Deconstruction of a Rock Music Video

Pre-production Deconstruction of a Rock Music Video

Rock music is largely based around heavy musical instruments such as base, electric guitars and drums, rock music is dominated largely by white males. I am going to deconstruct a rock music video to understand and determine the conventions.

SHOT: Long Shot

ANALYSIS: The shot shows us instruments which instantly tells us it is likely that it is of a rock genre, it is apparent that the two people within the shot are only part of the band. This shot is of them practicing which is another thing we know of rock stars, they’re always practicing. The clothing that is worn is that of a rock star too, the long hair, the leather trousers, sleeveless tops, crazy hats this is very typical of rockers. Their body language tells us a lot about their genre too, they are very much focused on their instruments and what they’re doing ensuring that they are giving the best performance they can, it is so apparent within rock music videos that their focus is their music not their audience, how they come across and so on, which is why it always feels so intimate and it feels real and is something that the audience can really enjoy. The lighting is also very dark which depending on what they’re singing can give off different affects, when they sing about death it makes it darker but when they sing about current situations or love it just makes it feel more intimate as if we’re looking in on their lives. It is also filmed in black and white which makes it feel a lot older which is something that we would cherish more as we don’t often see it. The setting is very simple which is what you always see in rock videos as it is about the music and not the fancy places and sets they could record it in, the thing they want to stand out is the music itself.

EDIT: This shot was part of a panning shot, this is like backstage filming, its as though we get an insight into the rock and roll life that is so famous, it gives their audience something that makes them feel closer to the band itself creating a special connection. The shots itself are soft, only on the drums does it do quick harsh shots, this is to emphasis and coincide the visuals with the music.

MUSIC/LYRICS: There is no lyrics at this point just music which is visually matched by instruments being played.

SHOT: Medium Close-Up

ANALYSIS: This close up is to express the relationship between him and the girl that he’s with, again the outfit, and general keep of himself is very much the rock style. The romance element shows the softer side to the rocker letting people see them more venerable.

EDIT: The edits are soft which go with the idea of the song.

MUSIC/LYRICS:

      “I’d hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain”

This expresses the visuals quite clearly and again shows the different side to rockstars.

From doing this deconstruction I understand that rock music videos conform a certain stereoptypical person, they are males who are a bit more 'out there' than others, for instance the clothing (and in some cases not alot of clothing which is where their female fan base comes from), the long hair, the tattoos, the attitude they have. Their surroundings are usually minimalistic as they are focused on their music rather than how they look on a video, there is a lot of camera action on the imsturments being played, there is also usually footage within the music video of them practising or performing at an actual gig, this makes it more apparent that they are not fussed massively about the video but more about the music because they don't spend hours/days performing for a camera in elusive sets for a music video, instead they come across very down to earth and passionate about what they do instead of fame hungry. These are all factors I would consider if I were to create my own rock music video.

Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

Pre-production Deconstruction of an Indie Music Video

Indie music was known as music made from Independent Artists, now it is known more as a genre, such as indie rock, indie pop and so on. It’s a hard category to define, but they are usually bands and the music is quite easy to decipher from other types of music, it is very close to rock music but usually not as harsh.

SHOT: Mid shot

ANALYSIS: This whole music video is filmed by the members of the band themselves rather than someone filming them from afar, they hold the camera themselves or hold it to film each other, this particular shot shows the lead singer holding the camera himself as he sings into it, he’s also looking directly into the camera, both of these combined make this really personal and intimate but also quite intimidating especially with the music, it sounds quite sinister. The clothing is very simple, which is what is different from other genres, other genres have a specific style, where as indie music is just your day-to-day wear, however their hair is usually of a type, the short back and sides with the slick top. They also have a particular singing voice which is often different from others. This is filmed in black and white, which is an element we see often in rock videos, which is why they are so similar.

EDIT: There are no cuts atall within the filming which means that this was very well planned and so it runs slickly.

MUSIC/LYRICS:

       “I guess what I’m trying to say is”

This is good with the lyrics as he is actually speaking directly to the camera, so the lyrics fit really well, as if he’s trying to tell his audience something.

  

SHOT: Mid close up

ANALYSIS: Another thing that indie music videos are known for is their randomness, these women in masks and cowboy hats have no relevance to this whatsoever, we at least in the way their dressed, the lyrics here are ‘Are you mine?’, which does make sense with the facial expressions and so on.

ANALYSIS: This shot goes to another conventional aspect of an indie video, the instrument playing, this is another reason it is so close to the genre of rock, they, like rock music videos, like it to be about the music rather than what’s being presented, that’s their main focus, so it is often you will see them playing for the majority of the song. The location is an empty piece of ground next to a warehouse, which is like what you see in rock music videos, the location to them isn't particularly important, it’s very simplistic so their audience can focus on the music.

EDIT: Again, there is no edit, its one long shot, which means it was cleverly thought about beforehand.

This deconstruction allowed me to understand by doing an indie music video it would allow me to explore different avenues using things I wouldn't usually use as it’s a lot more conventionally random, it often differs to what their saying within the song, which makes it stand out from the usual conforms you see in mainstream music video and also makes the video more fun as well as giving it a relaxed and not taken too seriously approach. It is so apparent that the videos are focusing on the music rather than what people think about them or what they’re doing, this is why their instruments and the randomness is highlighted so much rather than the band itself, it lets the music do the talking allowing people to really understand what the bands about, which is why their audience is such a niche. This will help me when I think about creating my own music video.

Deconstruction of an RnB Music Video

Pre-production Deconstruction of an RnB Music Video

The Genre of ‘RnB’ stands for “Rhythm and Blues”, more modern RnB is known as “contemporary RnB”, which consists of more than just rhythm and blues and includes pop, soul, funk and hip-hop together. I am going to deconstruct a music video within this genre to determine the typical conventions.

SHOT TYPE: Mid shot allowing us to see her facial expressions and in particular her jewellery for this shot.

ANALYSIS: This mid shot allows us to see the diva facial expressions and the confidence of the woman in the shot, this makes women watching feel slightly more empowered where as would make men feel slightly intimidated by this strong woman figure. There is a red table that she is resting on and the colours she’s wearing are a mixture of reds and pinks, this shows her fiery personality but also shows the softer more feminine side to her, this connotes to the audience the way in which a woman should be; strong and independent yet still girlie and soft. The jewellery shows that she is well off and is something that younger girls will aspire to have and be like, the gold and diamonds also show that its not only men that can have these nice things.

EDIT: The edits are very sharp and go to the fast paced beat of the music which in sync with the visuals help to get across that strong attitude they have.

MUSIC/LYRICS: The lyrics for this shot are;

              “Question, tell me what you think about me,

                I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings”

These lyrics show how these women are trying to put across a point about how women are treated and are saying that they are strong independent women who can pave their own way in life without the help of ‘alpha males’ buying things for them, they also show that women can be just like men as the lyrics go on, and men shouldn’t feel as though they are better than women because we can do exactly what they can.

SHOT TYPE: Low angle long shot.

ANALYSIS: This shot is used to show how superior these women are, it also shows how they’re sticking together, the space is massive but yet they stand quite close together, this shows the audience that you have to stick together, this is shown also through the dance routine performed. This shot also shows how even when women are dressed seductively that they do not have to be portrayed in a bad way, these women use their beauty and bodies to their advantages rather than because there is a man about. The colours again are fiery but feminine reiterating to the audience how they feel women should be, as they are proving to be role models.

EDIT: The transitions between shots are still very sharp which coincides with the visuals and the music nicely. 

SHOT TYPE: This is another low angle long shot.

ANALYSIS: This shot is really expressing the idea of the song, this is showing that women  can have all of the stuff a man can. The superior role a women can have, how she can buy things for herself rather than have a man provide for her, that she doesn’t need anyone else. The fire really expresses the personality of the song and the girls. Again the outfits are little but the angle of the shot shows that she’s too good for people and showing that women do not have to be exploited or belittled when wearing little clothing and can be seen as strong.

Edit shot: These transitions are slower and use panning shots around the women to make you admire them so you understand that they are better and aid people, in particular women, to look up to these people.

MUSIC/LYRICS: The lyrics for this are;

                “Charlie’s Angles,

                  All the women who independent”

These lyrics talk about Charlie’s Angles which is one of the intertextual points made within the Goodwin Theory, this again heightens the popularity of the song and single handily ties together the whole idea of the music video itself, women empowerment, a theme that carries on throughout the video and lyrics.

From deconstructing this music video I was able to understand that Rnb is a mellow more soulful version of Hiphop, unlike hiphop it is not majority of males who make this music, it is a range of women and men who create this type of music, Destiny’s Child show that, particularly through this video which creates a strong statement and message. They also introduce an element of pop through their dance routines. These conventions are things that I will think about when creating my own video