Update on Progress

On Wednesday 23rd of October, I have planned to be doing a focus group of about 9-10 people in which I will be able to ask a group of people in my target audience about the ideas that I have for my music video. This will be quite important as I will be able to see if the ideas that I have for my music video suit the target audience. Also it will be a very good opportunity for me to be able talk to the audience and see what they want from the video and to gain some kind of insight into what ideas they may put forward. At the moment I am putting together all of the ideas that I have in order to present it to the target audience.

 

Analysis Of DigiPaks

Further research into industry

Research into Industry

I have used a software called Capzels, to create my timeline of images and stages of the music video industry. It helps to separate the text from the images and creates a better visual, and something different on the blog to keep the blog interesting and fresh.

Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene

I am using lots of different techniques to attract and appeal to my audience. I have thought out and planned all of the techniques I plan to demonstrate.

Clothing- I have planned for my actress to wear a shirt and trousers/jeans. I want her to have pink/purple on her shirt to make the character look like a stereotypical girly girl. This will reinforce the brand and the song. This will link in to the stereotyping displayed in theories like Tajvel and Turner’s Social Identity theory. I want her to wear jeans as this will also demonstrate to the audience the actor as a typical girl, who won’t dress for the right situations. 

Actress- I have chosen to last in a person that is a size 16. I have decided to do this as it is an accurate representation of youth at the moment. I wanted a realistic viewpoint as this will be more believable and felt a size 8 skinny model would not look very realistic. Therefore I decided to discarded Mulveys theory of the male gaze, as this song is about getting out of the friendship zone, so having a drop dead gorgeous model would not be a good representation as the audience would think, ‘who wouldn’t date her?’

Locations- I have decided to use a wide variety of open spaces. I have decided to do this as it adheres to the genre of country and western, which theoretically should represent the genre in an obvious way.  Also, by doing this I am making the character look more vulnerable and this really fits with the song well. This will also correspond to Goodwin’s theory of music videos by matching the visuals not only to the words but the tone and music of the song. The locations I have chosen also have a lot of green in them. This will help to make the audience feel like they are in the video, instead of being on the outside looking in. This will help to get the audience emotionally connected with the video and watch it more and more times.

Lighting- I have gone for a naturalistic lighting throughout the video. This is so that I create a natural atmosphere and people know that this happens in everyday life. Also some of the scenes have been cast in a slightly darker atmosphere. This is good as means that I have the gloominess of the video, but also emotion captured within the video.

Makeup- I have used an actress that does not need to wear a lot of makeup. I have done this so that the model looks like a normal teenager and not someone who is idolised, as I think this will kill the true representation I am aiming for.

Colours- I have used pinks and purples to stereotype so that the audience will appreciate the obvious need for the actress to be ‘normal’ and a fair representation of teenage girls today. I want to represent that girly girl that most girls are today.

 

Communicating genre of the song- I will be communicating the genre of the song through the use of open spaces and the clothes that will be worn. I have done this as it is the most noticed pieces of society today when looking at different videos. Having a check shirt on the actress will make her look more American, the birthplace of country. This will help and guide the audience to know what genre I am representing.

 

I am going to be communicating a narrative for the video. This will be represented by the flow of different scenes and the ability to make them intermingle. This will help the audience to now that the song is actually a narrative as is the video.

I am going to use darker colours to create a dark, gloomy mood to the video. I have chosen to do this as I think it is what the song is all about. I feel that creating this mood will make the audience have more compassion and understanding for the character which I am representing.

  

Equipment List

To film my music video and to complete post production I have a list of equipment that I would need.

Equipment	Purpose
Nikon D5000 SLR and Nikon Easy share Compact Camera	I will need these so that I can take picture of the locations that I will require, and one to take really clear HD videos. Even though the compact camera is not a camera made for film, I will have both of them running so that I have two angles of the same performance. this will allow me to get more film in less time, but also get different views in which I can use as a cut in. I have chosen to use an SLR over a conventional digital camera, as this will record great film and I already had the equipment. Also I know how to use the camera and this will give me the best possible effects, but is also great to handle.
Tripod	I will be using a tripod as this will allow me to be able to shoot smooth film. I will be using it when doing most of the shots as it will give the video a professional edge. I am using a metal tripod and it has adjustable height and you can move the attached camera horizontally as well as vertically.
CD Player	I will be using a CD track to keep my actress in time with the music. While we are filming I will be playing the song. This keeps her in time but also less shy. I also have another use for the CD player. Post production it helps to mach up the actress with the music. This makes it simpler to edit the parts of lip sync I have planned to do.
Card Reader	I will be using a card reader to get the images and videos off the cameras. This method makes it quick and easy to empty the card and makes it easier to put it on the computer ready to edit.
Speakers	I am using the speakers during filming to make the sound from the CD louder. This is because I have to have the CD player quite far away from the actress, just so that I do not get the CD player on shot.
Post production
Computer	I will be using the computer so that I can have a place to download and store all of the images that I will have collected and videos. I will be using a computer to edit the video and put all of the film together. Also, the internet will be a source of information for the research parts of my music video, as well as looking at different music videos.
Memory Stick	I will be backing up all of my work onto a memory stick. I will be doing this so that I do not lose all of the hard work that I have put into the music video. Also I will be using it to transport the video from home to school so that I can edit the video almost anywhere.
Camtasia Studio 8 and Adobe premier elements 12	This is the video editor that I will be using. It has a broad range of different effects including a good interface which is easy to use. I have been using this program for a couple of months so that I could get used to it before I have to use it for the music video. I had strarted to use the camtasia software and it was very good. I used it for some of the cutting and editing. However, school got the new Adobe Premier suite and this took editing to another level. It allowed more scope for things like fine tuning the video, altering the lighting as well and using black and white and sepia tones to the video. This software will be my primary software to use when I am editing.

Crew List

Crew list-

there have been a few people that will be part of the crew in order to make the music video.

1. Mum and Dad will act as equipment and director transport. this s a very important factor to the creation of the music video, and even though it will be indirect to the music video; if all of the equipment does not arrive and on time this has a massive impact on all factors like timing schedule and the quality of the music video from a time perspective.
2. The director, camra woman and editior, will be myself. This is becuase I have allocated myself theese tasks as thy are deemed the most important, and I feel that they should be done according to all of the planning that I have put into the project.
3. Second director will be a freind called Marie Mountford. She has a massive role in the way that she will be on set and telling me if some of the shots that i have taken are right or how they look. she is not a media student, but is in my current target auidence so will have an innocent eye when looking for mistakes or errors in the filming. I trust her judgement and she will help me to achieve a better video in the long run.

This is the crew list for my music video. I have kept it compact toavoid confusion and time wasting in filming, but also that the music video remains mine with the majority of my own ideas that I can haveimput from the auidence.

Costumes

I will be using the same costumes all the way through the music video.

I think that this will be the best thing as it shows that the story is circular and the character is seen as nothing special. This is because the video has to be represented by the costumes and she is a normal girl in the video. I will go for some more generic clothing like a Check shirt and a pair of jeans with a normal pair of trainers. This is because I want to be broader and how that the essence of the song is the actual song and not the outfits worn by the actors. This will really enhance the video, not divert attention away from it. It will also become more relatable for the target audience I am aiming for. This is because I have stated I will be targeting people E/d on the economic wellbeing scale.  Also this is representative of the genre that I am representing. I have chosen purples and pinks for the costumes. This is because I wanted to show that the character has a girly side, even though she is a ‘farm’ girl and that she is like any other teenager in love.

Theese are images of the costumes I will be using for the main girl in the video- Taylor. 
    

Props List

There is only one prop in the music video that I will be using and this is a guitar. This links to the title of the song, and will play a vital role in the music video. It will feature the main artist in the video playing the guitar, and will add another depth the music video.

Hidden props that I will be using will be a little bit of make up and some hair grips and hair ties. I have not put this on the initial props list but will play a pivotal role in the mise-en-scene of the video.

Update on Progress

I have started to film the music video. I am very happy with some of the shots that I have got so far. However, I need more shots when I visit the farm and barn of close ups. this is due to me having mostly filmed medium shots and I have yet to get a close up shot of the artist. Also I have to shoot in another location, So I will get all of the close up shots that I want on that day. Also I may be able to zoom into the video, so some of the shots may not have to be re shot.

Filming Schedule

Proposed Filming Schedule

Date	What I will be Filming
28th September 2013	I will be filming down at Knypersley Pool. I have found a few locations that will work very well in the music video. I will be filming some long shots and medium close up shots, as these short clips will be used a cut in shots.
29th September 2013	I will be looking at the footage that I had shot from the previous day and will be seeing if I need to shoot anymore footage down at Knypersley pool.
5th October 2013	I will be preparing for shooting the rest of the video and will take the artist and explain the shots that I intend to shoot. I will then get the artist to have a run through ready for the following days shooting.
6th October 2013	I will e shooting the majority of the music video over two days. On this day I will be shooting the music video on the farm. This will allow me to get most of the shots that I want. I will be filming the outdoor shots, and the travelling shots.
7th October 2013	On this day I will be shooting the barn parts of the video and will be seeing if I need to film any of the outside space again. This will allow me to be able to get all of the shots that I want and I ill have the artist there to re shoot any scenes. This should be the last day of filming, but if anymore scenes need to be shot, I will do so.
28th October 2013	I will be shooting more in the barn today. This will allow me more time to maximise my assets and be able to have more freedom when I am editing the shots.
29th October 2013	I will be filming more shots at Knypersley pool today. This will allow me to get some shots that I can use in the video and to get them using the right angles. This will allow much more freedom to get shots I can use as a transition and to be able to make the shots really interesting.
30th October 2013	This is a buffer day. This allows me to go back to places if I want a particular shot, or to start to edit the filming I have done.
31st October 2013	This is a buffer day. This allows me to go back to places if I want a particular shot, or to start to edit the filming I have done.
1st November 2013	This is a buffer day. This allows me to go back to places if I want a particular shot, or to start to edit the filming I have done.

 

Update on progress of Story Boards

I have started to storyboard some of the music video. I have been looking at Goodwin's theory amongst others to decide the content my video should have. I have tried to get a balance between using the theories but putting my own spin on the music video. This is good as it helps me to be able to realise, what equipment I need when I am filming and what actors I need and when. Storyboarding before actually shooting the video allows me to go to the shoot and shoot the shots that I want, so that I do not waste the actors time, or not have the right shots for the moment as this would make the video rubbish. I have found that organisation, may be the key to success.

Also I have chosen to use Popplet to present my storyboard. I have chosen this as it gives me more freedom when I making the storyboard, and also makes it look more professional. I think this could be the best tool to use as it makes the storyboard more interactive, and breaks it up into sizable chunks, so that each scene is clearly defined.

Actress Profile

Actress Profile

 

 

Name- Emma Machin

Hair colour- Brown

Eye Colour- Blue/Brown

Build- Medium

Height- 5” 5

Personality: Emma is an outgoing person, who enjoys the outdoors. She lives on a farm and enjoys helping out with various activities. She is very patient and honest, which are amongst her best qualities. Emma is out to please people and has a very good sense of rhythm.

Why should she be chosen for the role?: Emma should be chosen as her favourite music is country, and knows all of the words to the songs featured in Taylor Swifts ‘Teardrops on my Guitar’. This will mean no time will be wasted teaching the song. Also she has a very strong relationship with many farms around the Biddulph moor area, which could be chosen as possible locations. She is hard working and is up for a challenge.