Storyboardy - little mix prelim

The final Video...

This is our final video, we have added the original to the bottom left corner so that you can easily compare them.

We Today we filmed he last few shots we needed for our prelim task, this involved getting a few members of our class to be our volunteers. This was very helpful of them because it allowed us to make our video as similar as possible and we even tried to make their outfits accurate too. As you can see from the image below that the boy on the far left 'Tom' is wearing a denim jacket and white shirt, this is very similar to the one in the video, he is also making the same facial expressions. The male to his right is also wearing a similar shirt to the one in the video as it has white patterns and writing on it. we also chose to use a girl with blonde hair so that it resembled the video better.

Today we filmed the majority of the shots that we needed to be in the 60 seconds that we are recreating, from the Little mix music video. We filmed some of it in a drama classroom and the other scene in the Diner. We used these locations instead of Primmer assembly hall because it was being used after school so to ensure we got our filming done we used the Diner instead. This worked just as well because it was a well lit large room with a similar colour flooring to in the original video. There is a lot of natural light streaming in through large windows behind the camera so we did not need to manipulate the lighting by carrying over some large lights which would be quite tricky anyway. Filming after school ensured that we would not disturb any classes with the song we had to play during filming and also we did not get lots of people walking into our shots. we used a tripod to film the still shots of us walking, and the shots of us 'flying' and seated in the bedroom scenes. this meant that we were able to get level un shaky shots. we also hand held the camera so that we could get close ups and moving shots. We then uploaded them to the computer so that we could begin to edit them tomorrow.

Lyrics - little mix prelim

00:58
Get your boy on his knees and repeat me after me say   Leigh-Anne (Bonnie)

Take a sip of my secret potion   [ALL]
I'll make you fall in love   [ALL]
For a spell that can't be broken   [Jade (Olivia)]
One drop should be enough   [Perrie (Lcy)]
Boy you belong to me   [Jesy (Sophie)]
I got the recipe   [Leigh-Anne Bonnie)]
And it’s called black magic (and it’s called black magic)   [ALL]
One taste and you'll be mine   [ALL]
It's a spell that can't be broken   [ALL]
It'll keep you up all night   [ALL]
Boy you belong to me   [ALL]
I got the recipe   [ALL]
And it’s called black magic (and it’s called black magic)   [ALL]

If you're looking   [Jesy (Sophie)]
For Mr. Right   [Jesy (Sophie)]
Need that magic   [Jesy (Sophie)]
To change him overnight   [Jesy (Sophie)]
Here's the answer   [Jesy (Sophie)]
Come and get it   [Jesy (Sophie)]
While you still got time   [Jesy (Sophie)]
Hey   [ALL]
Get your boy on his knees and repeat me after me say   [Leigh-Anne (Bonnie)]
01:5

Recce shots - little mix prelim

Today we went out looking at all of the possible locations in which we could film the scenes of our music video. We first looked at the 60 seconds of the music video that we are recreating as part of our prelim task and noted down all of the places in which they filmed, including main features for example windows and doors.

From this we then looked at all of the places available to us and decided on where would be best to film these scenes. We looked at using our drama studio for the bedroom scene as it contains a window a cupboard a chair and desk which we could re-arrange to look like the bedroom. 

we looked at using chairs and covering them up with a duvet cover to give the allusion of a bed. The only downfall to this room is that it wouldn't be 100% available whenever we needed it, and the lighting isn't very good.

 we then looked at using the school stage for the bedroom scene as the lighting is far better the floor is wooden like we need and there is a lot of space in which we could film in. we figured that we could always move things to make it look more like the bedroom scene for example a desk and chair. (we decided to go with the stage)

We then went to our assembly hall where we looked at where we could film the 'made up' walking scene, we looked at filming here because of the high walls wooden flooring and the large windows. but we soon released that 

practice lip syncing

This is a short video showing two scenes from the little mix video which we have tried to copy. we created these as a practice to see what the shots were going to look like and how we could do them. This allows us to practice walking in time with each other, moving the way the band do and also getting the framing right.

Costumes - Little Mix Prelim

These are the costumes that we have put together to match the second part of the video. This was the more glamours section where there were a lot of long shots meaning that our outfits would be on full show, therefore we had to make them look as similar to them as we could. I believe that we achieved this, although one of the outfits doesn't look as similar it still carries the same connotations and presents her in the same way. 

This is Bonnie's outfit, she would be playing the part of Leigh-Anne, so here she would have to wear the bottom half of her hair down and the top in a high bun, she would also have to wear a pale pink cardigan, we managed to find one that was very similar to hers. she would also be wearing a cream white tube skirt and crop top.

This is my outfit, we tried to find something that closely resembled the outfit that Jesy wore, we managed to find a pair of shorts that closely resembled the ones she wore, they were red and also had an Aztec pattern on them, i also wore black strappy heels similar to the ones she wore. i was not able to find a matching shirt as the only cropped one i had was black i wore this one as like hers it had a sweetheart neckline and was cropped.

 Olivia's outfit is the one that resembles the original the most as well as being the most creative, she wore a plain white shirt and overlayed it with a red cardigan. she also wore black heels that were very similar to the ones that Jade wore in the music video. we couldn't find a skirt that was similar to the one that she wore so we had to be creative. She wore a black skater skirt to resemble the black strip at the bottom, and over the top tied a red check tea-towel, this added contrast to the skirt and it actually looked very similar to the original.

Lucy's outfit also looked very similar to Perrie's, she wore a lase white crop top, and a white lase short skirt these both looked very similar to the original ones. she also wore silver strappy heels which were extremely similar to the ones that were worn in the music video, a necklace although the one in the video was a lot larger it was still able to add to the look.

Today 22/06/15y - little mix prelim

Today I set myself the task of figuring out how to do all of the special effects for our prelim task. I had been recommended Tom Richardson to watch a youtuber who's channel is named 'film riot' he posts videos and tutorials on how to do special effects on all types of software. after clicking around i figured out how to do the effects needed on our video. after we had filmed all of these I applied these but really struggled making lucy's hair change from blonde to purple without changing the colour of the background as well I looked around on google and youtube and stumbled over a video explaining exactly how to do it, the only problem was that it was a really long frame by frame process and we didn't have much time so i was un able to do it to the standard that i would have liked.

Props - Little Mix prelim

For this to look remotely realistic, we are not only going to have to replicate the shots and the editing but we are going to have to match the Mise En Scene as closely as possible, this meant that we would have to match and create costumes and props that closely resembled those in the shots. we would also have to find locations that are similar to the ones in the original video.

The Book

One of the main props in this video is the hardback red spell book, this is in a lot of shots, therefore we would need to find one very similar, otherwise it would look very weird in the shots that we were to be singing around a book and there was nothing there. In my house i have a wall full of books but i found finding one similar very hard, this was because the majority of the book i own have illustrated covers on them, although i was able to find two that were remotely similar. Here is the book that we have found and are going to use in our video. 

Other than this we wont need any other props, this is because all of the other props such as the rug all are really more part of the scene than their own thing.

Introduction to our preliminary task video.

Today we started our prelim task, for this we were set a music video to which we had to re create making it look as close as possible to the original. Before we were revealed the music video we were set we were placed into groups. My group consisted of Lucy Harding, Bonnie Fitch, Olivia Plumpton and I. We are all quite close friends which was good as some people may find this task quite embarrassing, it meant that we could be comfortable and confident around each other without feeling awkward, this then helped even more as in the music video we were set we had to be very sassy, like the artists in the video.  The song that we were set was called 'Black Magic' by a band called Little Mix

As there are four members in the band this worked well that there were four of us in our group. After being told the song that we were doing, the first thing we decided on was who was going to be what girl. we decided that Olivia would be Jade based on the fact that they both have the similar hair colour and style and are both roughly the same height.

Lucy is going to be Perrie, this is because they are both the tallest of the group and have extremely similar hair colours and styles.

I am going to be Jesy, this is because i am the only one in the group with brown hair, it is also very dark like hers, i also have a similar skin tone and eye colour which made it more believable.

And finally Bonnie would be Leigh-anne this was mainly because of her height and build as they dont look much alike. Although they do have similar cheesy grins.

Carol Venallis

Narrative
A video is a visual response to the music. In the music video for Latch by Disclosure and Sam Smith, the video suits the style and the genre of the music and the look of the artist. The music video also contains many thought beats.

There is not always a balance between narrative and performance. the narrative is not always complete, it may have only fragments of a narrative. for example in this video there is not a structured narrative, it is more fragmented than anything. The structure of the music video may also feel disjointed. 

Videos often have something that drives the video forward, but often it is the music, performance or a mixture or some other element. 

There may not always be a clear resolution (closure) at the end. 

The video may pose questions that it doesn't actually answer.

This video uses similar shots (a lot of close ups) but it also uses a wide variety of others this is to show the setting and to give the audience a better fell for the theme for the song. The narrative doesn't really amount to anything as it doesn't contain a strong story line. The video seems to make sense, however their is not many lyrics for this particular song, which means that the artist would have found it harder to include a link between the lyrics and visuals. 

There may also be a narrative or running theme through the video, but in a montage style. The style of this video shows a theme of a certain style. Everything included in the mise en scene is modern, many of the scenes are set at different parties, some of the scenes are of bedrooms or lifts this also reinforces the modern feel to it. this is shown through the use of different camera work and editing. Making it feel natural and seamless. 

Editing

This can match the musical phrases to the beat (Thought Beats)

The video in general cuts to the beat of the music or in time with the lines within the song to run fluently alongside the music. 

For example, in the the first ten seconds of the music video their is 19 different shots. 

the video may disrupt/ break many of the 'rules' of continuity editing - this is a clear convention of a music video editing. 

This video breaks the rules of continuity for example during cuts alternating between two or more colour filters, drawing attention to the cuts/transitions.

editing may become more obvious, to draw attention to to themselves as opposed to invisible, continuity editing. 

Camerawork

when it comes to shot types, extremes are very common. (extreme close up) however aren't as common as mid shots and close ups, familiarising the audience with the face and look of the artist.

the style of framing and movement may run through the video and be distinctive to that video.

the camera may move with the music

the camera may move to the lyrics

the master shot (or other establishing shots) is used to develop the scene and feel of the music video.

Diegesis

This may be revealed quite slowly throughout the music video.  It can often include actions that are not always completed, they are often disrupted or interrupted in some way. characters and objects may move within the music video. There can also be gaps in the audiences understanding of the diegesis this can be in things like performance and narrative for example. There may also be repetitions of shot styles and icons within the shots.

What Music Means To Me

To explain exactly what music means to me I have picked three songs from different periods of my life and that mean something to me.

The first video I have picked is Sk8ter Boi By Avril Lavigne. I have chosen this because it is the first song that I can remember listening to. when I was about 11 (year 7) Avril Lavigne was my favorite artist and I aspired to be like her, I loved her confidence and edgy punk look, I was also really really rebellious towards gender stereotypes at this age, so like her I would live in jeans and oversized shirts and never be seen in a dress. I believe this is a song that stuck out to me a lot because of the lyrics. Sk8ter Boi was one of the only songs on my I-pod therefore I was almost forced to love it and I think that this is mainly why its imprinted on my mind so much. From here this is where I learnt it's okay to be different, it made me expand on the variety of music I listen to venturing into different genres of music.

The song that reminds me of being a teenager would have to be 'The Spark' by Afrojack this is because it caries a lot of sentimental value. In a time when I was struggling a lot in my school work,  and had no idea what i was going to do in the following year (when i left school), Me and one of my close friends discovered it over a skype chat, we used to sing it all the time and it became a song that i associate with them. every time i hear this song i think of the good memories associated with high school and being a teenager having fun with friends. I believe that the things that drew me to this song the most was the lyrics about everyone having a 'spark' something that makes them special and powerful, it is also about following your dreams 'because everything is gonna be alright'.

The song that reminds me of now is Against the Currents 'Fireproof' this is because it is one of my favourite current songs and for some reason i tend to play it on repeat constantly, it is a powerful female vocal track, I really like the edgy rocky style of it, It's one of those songs that you feel you have to play at full volume when tidying the house, or doing homework, it is the song that i just cant resits singing at the top of my lungs to.

Over all i believe that music means a lot to me, it is a very powerful thing and can get make you feel such a wide range of emotions, it can change your mood in an instant. It allows you to become who ever you want when listening, whether that be the uk's number 1 vocalist, the best dancer that had ever danced or just makes you feel relaxed and at home. Music has affected me a lot, it has allowed me to create friendships that i probably wouldn't before.

Dry The River

In class today we all sat down round the tables and closed our eyes, our teacher then played out the audio to the song No Rest by a band called dry the river, we had to imagine a narrative to what we would expect the music video to include. Whilst listening to the song I began to imagine the lead singer of the band singing towards the camera, in my mind he started walking on a beach (this was because the start of the song was quite slow and mellow and romantic like beaches) and then the camera turned/panned really quickly to see him in the same framing but walking in a different location this time through an alleyway. The same camera motion happened revealing him in a house walking through, in the background there was an arguing couple throwing things at each other going through a dramatic break up. I imagined this to be him and his ex partner who i thought from the lyrics he was singing about. The woman in the background then comes closer to the singer pushing past him and the camera in tears leaving the scene. The camera would then continue leading him and spinning to change shots, there would be locations like a busy street where he would be pushing through the crowd. The couple that went through the break up would be featured as passers by as the song goes on, you will see them with other people and the male always looking over at her missing what he once had. The fast panning and focus on the main artist along with the lack of special effects increases the integrity and realism. Other people in the class came up with a variety of ideas lots containing the idea of flying doves, there was also one really imaginative idea where the band were kings in a large castle singing to their beloved princesses.

we then watched the video and i was really surprised at what it actually was, i loved how they interpreted all of the formal elements into the video. i also really liked the fact that it was all from the same angle and framing throughout the video i thought this was very artistic and clever.

What we did in lesson today...

Today in class we looked at the song Street Spirit by Radiohead. We first listened to the song without the video and noted down all of the things that we could imagine being in the video based on the genre and the style of the song. Some of the things I wrote down before watching the video were that they would be wearing dark scruffy clothing, it would be in an outside night setting, there would most likely be death drugs and alcohol. We then watched the video filled out a table on all of the things that were actually in the music video.
Transitions 
- Fades (illustrates the lyrics 'fade out again')
Order of Narrative
- No order to the narrative
- It jumps about a lot
- There is a lot of contradiction.
Pace
- Slow
- Extreme slow motion
Special Effects
- Slow motion
- Cut of body parts (for example the vocalists arm is missing)
- Duplicates (the vocalist is swinging a stick as he is also jumping over it)
- Black and white
- Fast and slow motions are crossed (young boy runs fast, vocalist runs slow)
Framing
- Mainly central
Camera angles
- close up
- crane shot
Movement
- slow movement
speed of people is different
Mise En Scene
- black framing
- capes
lighting moves to frame face
scruffy dirty people/place
- Angles of death
- performance

As you can see some of the things we predicted actually came up this is due to genre stereotypes.

dubsmash - little mix prelim

On iPhone there is an app called Dubsmash on here you can select from many of audios, and record a video to go along side it of you speaking/singing the audio it including famous vines, lyrics, film qoutes and even TV ads.

Lucy Harding, Olivia plumpton and Bonnie Fitch due to it being the song we were set to recreate for our preliminary task decided to create one and put them all together... The results are below... 

Applying Andrew Goodwin's Theory To A 'Pop' Music Video

The fourth video that I have chosen to analyse is called Fire and Gold by an american artist Bea Miller, whose music falls under the genre of pop.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory.

This particular music video ignores a common narrative complying with Goodwin's theory. The conventions of Goodwin's theory applied  to Fire and Gold. 

• Relationship between lyrics and visuals. In the video Bea makes a gesture with her hand over the top of a candle this amplifies  the lyrics 'Fire and Gold'. Her facial expressions and  movements also help to Amplify the lyrics.

• Thought Beats. In this video we see a selection of cuts which go alongside beats, this video also plays with movement for example she makes fast pace jolty movements on each beat. For example she falls to onto the bed in time with the beat. 
• 
  Genre related style and iconography. The genre of this music video is pop and we can see this through the dancing and party aspects, makeup and large crowds.

• Star image, multiple close ups of the main vocalist are used throughout the image this is to promote a recognisable brand image. Especially in the opening shot presenting us with the artist.

•  Voyeurism is where males but typically females are portrayed as sexualised objects, in this particular video and due to the age of the artist women or men aren't really shown in a sexualised way, the only shot that may be seen as voyeurism would be one of Bea in a low cut chest baring top. As this is not really shown to be to sexual I don't think it count as voyeurism.

• There is no intertextual references in this particular music video un like other pop music videos like Taylor Swifts music video for Love story which contains references to the Shakespearean play Romeo and juliet.

Applying Andrew Goodwin's Theory To An 'Indie' Music Video

The third video that I chose to apply Andrew Goodwin's theory too Robbers by The 1975 a british Indie Rock band.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory.

This music video complies with Goodwin's theory as it does not follow a traditional narrative.

• Relationship between lyrics and visuals, In the video we see the vocalist Matthew Healy and his screen girlfriend messing about which soon progresses to them robbing a store an Matthew getting shot. This Illustrates the lyrics and song title. The dull dry colours of the video help to Amplify the lyrics and genre.
  
• Thought beats are an aspect of nearly every music video, this video contains many with the shots changing on the beat and on the half beats. this makes the video look more realistic and allows the viewer to keep wanting to watch the video

• Genre related style iconography. This video contains iconography and style that relates to its genre. Some examples of iconography that is shown in this music video relating to its genre are cigarettes, alcohol, violence, musical instruments, sex and drugs and performance. 

• Star image, This video contains many close up shots of the vocalist, as it follows him round throughout the video allowing a narrative to be created. These types of shots allow the band to promote a recognisable brand image.

• Voyeurism is a prominent feature in this video as we see some very sexual scenes, that emphasise on the male gage. 

• intertextual references don't appear in this music video

Applying Andrew Goodwin's Theory To A 'Punk' Music Video

The second video that i have selected is called In Too Deep by Sum 41. Sum 41 are a pop punk band.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory. 

This particular music video contains a narrative which contrasts Goodwin's theory that music videos ignore traditional narrative.

• Relationship between lyrics and visuals. In this video we see the band standing in an empty pool this is Disjuncture alongside the lyrics 'Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, Up above in my head, instead of going under.' which is irony as they are in an 'empty' pool talking about not going under water. The facial expressions, clothing and humorous narrative help to amplify the lyrics.

• Thought Beats, This video contains limited thought beats, but near the middle of the music video we are able to see more as the shots are shown to change with the lyrics and guitar melody.

• Genre related style iconography. This video contains iconography related to genre including guitars, skateboards the typical colorful spiky hairstyle.

• Star image, multiple shots are shown of a close up view of the band and their members showing lots of the main vocalist. This is to promote a recognisable brand image.

• Voyeurism is not particularly used in this music video although it does contain shots of the band and their 'diving rivals' in swimming trunks and a high angle shot looking down on a woman emphasising her breasts.

• Intertextual references are a way of giving a music video a humorous feel or a relatable reference. This particular music video doesn't contain any intertextual references.

Applying Andrew Goodwin's Theory To An 'Alternative' Music Video.

The first video that I have chosen to analyse is called Talk by Against the Current. Against the current are an Alternative (pop/punk) from america.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory.

This particular music video ignores a common narrative complying with Goodwin's theory. The conventions of Goodwin's theory applied  to Talk. 

• Relationship between lyrics and visuals. In the video Chrissy Costanza makes a gesture with her hand mimicking the movement of lips when talking this Illustrates the lyrics 'all you do is talk'. Her facial expressions and aggressive movements help to Amplify the lyrics. In the video we see that a man (the lyrics give us the impression that he is her ex) is tied up to a chair with tape over his mouth which is Disjuncture due to the irony of him not being able to talk.

• Thought Beats. In this video we see a selection of cuts which go alongside beats, we also are able to see the drums being hit at the same time as we hear them, this video also plays with movement for example she makes fast pace jolty movements on each beat. 
  
• Genre related style and iconography. The genre of this music video is Alternative and we can see this through the lighting, instruments and dark costume almost gothic costume and large feature jewelry.
• Star image, multiple close ups of the main vocalist are used throughout the image this is to promote a recognisable brand image. Especially in the opening shot presenting us with the band.
  
•  Voyeurism is where males but typically females are portrayed as sexualised objects, in this particular video and due to the genre of the band women or men aren't really shown in a sexualised way, the only shot that may be seen as voyeurism would be one of Chrissy from a low angle moving from side to side. As this only shows a small section of her belly and is not presented to be sexual I don't believe that this video really contains voyeurism.
  
• Intertextual references can be seen in lots of alternate music videos especially by bands like All Time Low but this video doesn't contain any.

Key Aspects Of Andrew Goodwin's Theory.

1 - Thought beats.
Goodwin categorised this in three steps.
Step 1
          this is when you look into the music and interpret it by looking at the verses/chorus.
Step 2
          Goodwin says this is 'the voice within the song' this is basically when the voice is extremely unique and instantly recognisable a prime example is Ellie Goulding or Michael Jackson.
Step 3
Goodwin states that this is the step where the artist is telling a story within the song and therefore generates their reputation as a 'storyteller' the music video in this case is created to emphasise the lyrics.

2 - Narrative and performance.
here he States that music videos should avoid the common narrative as the role is more to advertise than to become a story.
Lip syncing and other actions featured in the music video increase realism.

3 - The Star Image.
Goodwin  identified that the star image is another key aspect within music videos. He believes that an iconic star image can increase the audience awareness.

4 - Relation of visuals in a song.
There are three types of visuals in a song these are to illustrate, amplify and disjuncture.

5 - Technical aspects of a video.
These cover everything that the directors have to think about before filming,
Camera - Movement, Angles and composition.
Sound - pace of song and pitch, change different types of genre within the music industry.
Mise - En - Scene - the location - costume make up and anything to make it more believable
Editing - Effects, change pace anything to keep audience interested in the visuals.

Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin's music video theory.

music videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements for the artist and song. As consumers we make up our own meaning of a song in our minds: a music video doesn't need a narrative.

conventions.

• Relationship between lyrics and visuals which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics

Illustrate Lyrics - Lego House by Ed Sheeran, In this Rupert Grint (Ron Wesley) picks up Lego pieces and builds a literal Lego house

Amplify Lyrics - This is used typically to emphasise the emotion of the song, for example it is used in all of Adele's songs as she sings about broken relationships, the emotion here is shown by the expression on her face and the setting and costume.

Disjuncture Lyrics - This is similar to Illustrate but instead of relating to the lyrics it contrasts them, for example in Jessie J's music video for Price Tag where she is dancing in front of a money tree, whilst singing 'it ain't about the money'.

• Thought Beats allow the viewer to 'see the sound' (the relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the music) movements are usually made on beat.

• Genre related style & iconography present this is what would be expected to be seen in the videos for example the classic teen sensation boy band would have to have their shirts of at some point in the video if not open.

• Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognisable brand image. 

• Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females.

Male artists often feature female onterrages to portray the male gorge. videos often sexualuise the artist and cause fetishistic connections for the male audience.

• International references to other media texts may be present especially in humorous videos for example All Time Low's video for 'I feel like dancing' which mocks the process made to make a music video and how companies sign artists in order of making money and not for the music. in this video we see the band re-creating the videos from classic videos like katy perry's Teenage dream along side Lady Gaga and many other artists.