Wednesday 29 June 2016

Research- Marketing package 3

Marketing package research- 'Dangerous Woman' Ariana Grande 


I have decided to analyse different types of marketing packaging so I can gain an understanding as to how they market the artist and promote the album. Therefore I aim to analyse a variety of different artists who are associated with different genres of music and how they are represented differently to one another via their advertisement. The reason for this is so that I can possibly gain inspirations for when I design my own marketing advertisements and hopefully this will help me come to a conclusion as to which genre I would like to choose.

The second artist and album I chose to analyse was called 'Dangerous Woman' by an artist called Ariana Grande. This album was released on the 20th May 2016 via Republic Records, which is the record label in which Ariana is signed to. I decided to chose her album due to her music being associated with the pop and contemporary R&B genre, which I personally am a fan of. Therefore, if I decide to create a music video associated with the pop or R&B genre, then I can possibly include particular camera shots or editing transitions that often appear in Ariana's video's as an inspiration. 


Video advertisement: 



Throughout the video advertisement, the main track off her album is playing in the background, which is called 'Dangerous Woman'. This song had inspired Ariana to name the album after this song and therefore promotes the single as well as the rest of her album. During the advert, Ariana Grande is shown to be walking backstage whilst wearing the signature costume for her album; the tight, black leather tube top as well as leather bunny ears. This image represents Ariana as dominant, youthful and as having sexual connotations , which have recently been associated with her name. In addition whilst Ariana is walking backstage, the production lights are shown to be blowing up, however Ariana is showing now fear of the danger around her. Therefore this again presents her as being a 'dangerous woman' which is matched to/reflected in her album title. 

Furthermore the advert informs the audience about the album's name, who its by and how it is available to purchase. I personally like this video advertisement as it's effective and engaging and makes the viewer intrigued and therefore encourages the audience to listen to her new release. All in which meet the general conventions of a music video. 

Digipak: 

 

 




The digipak for Ariana Grande's new album is very feminine and uses the black and white filter to present her glamour, beauty and transformation into a young woman. What I like about the digipak is that the style is simplistic but still manages to be eye-catching by presenting Ariana as being seductive and saying goodbye to her good girl image. The digipak also suggests that the genre of her music will be pop-based ,due to how she is presented and the overall style of the album artwork. In addition, I also like the black, serif text against the white background as this is eye-catching and engaging. Furthermore the style of the digipack has inspired me to create a similar design for when I am creating my own digipak, as I personally am a fan of this retro and Hollywood Glam style/photography. 



Poster:




The official posters in which Ariana Grande has released, are all shown to be fairly similar to one another. All three images represent Ariana as a newly , mischievous woman who now comes across as seductive and fun, whereas before she had been represented as innocent and a good girl as shown via her previous albums. Therefore this newly attached association suggests that that songs featured on her new album are about her transformation into an independent young woman, her love life and about her having authority when it comes to issues with men. Therefore represents her album as entertaining and engaging.

 In addition, the poster designs are again very simple with the black and white filter, but still remain effective and eye-catching and present her beauty and character. Another point to note is that, I personally like how Ariana is shown to be holding a sign in the bottom image, which presents the text; 'TRACK 14 KNEW BETTER/ FOREVER BOY' and therefore this is promoting her album as well as one of the tracks that is featured.

Furthermore, I have been inspired by the use of a black and white filter and the simplicity of Ariana Grande's album and therefore may consider this style when it comes to designing my own posters.   

Magazine advertisement: 










The image on the left is from the Billboard magazine- http://shop.billboard.com/products/billboard-back-issue-volume-128-issue-14 and is presenting the new representation , in which Ariana Grande has associated next to her name. This glamorous and youthful image is again reflected via her new album 'Dangerous Woman' and puts forward the view that her new album is about her transformation. In addition, this magazine cover includes the text '#DangerousWoman' which is promoting the album as well as the artist. Also, inside the Billboard magazine issue, there is an article about her new album and an interview with her about her journey to success, in which she quotes 'I feel like i'm just getting started'. Therefore this represents her new album as a great success and a new journey. 

Furthermore, the image on the right is from The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/22/ariana-grande-dangerous-woman-review  and again promotes the newly released album as well as providing a review about her work. In addition the article informs the reader about the genre of the album and also represents Ariana as having a 'sky scraping voice' which therefore engages the reader and makes them want to hear the album for themselves.  



Research- Marketing package 2

Marketing package research- Drake 'VIEWS (from the 6)' 


I have decided to analyse different types of marketing packaging so I can gain an understanding as to how they market the artist and promote the album. Therefore I aim to analyse a variety of different artists who are associated with different genres of music and how they are represented differently to one another via their advertisement. The reason for this is so that I can possibly gain inspirations for when I design my own marketing advertisements and hopefully this will help me come to a conclusion as to which genre I would like to choose.

The first artist and album I chose to analyse was called 'VIEWS (from the 6)' by an artist called Drake. This album was released on the 29th April 2016 via Young Money Entertainment, which is the record label in which Drake is signed to. I decided to chose his album due to his music being associated with the hip/hop and rap genre, which I personally am a fan of. Therefore, if I decide to create a music video associated with the hip/hop or rap genre, then I can possibly include particular camera shots or editing transitions that often appear in Drake's video's as an inspiration. 

Video advertisement: 



Above is an advertisement video which has appeared on different types of media, including sites such as; Facebook , Twitter and on TV. In this short video, Drake is represented as having an attitude, being mysterious and as having authority in this video and the reason for this is possibly due to the dark lighting have these associations. In addition, during the video one of the songs that features on his album, called 'One Dance',  is playing in the background, which has possibly been added so that the audience can be informed about the type of genre the album is , as well as promoting the single itself. Furthermore, in this video it informs the audience about how the album is available to purchase and at the end of the advert, it includes the Apple Music symbol to possibly imply that the album can be purchased on that site. 


Digipak:

 













The Digipak for Drake's album 'VIEWS' is presented as fairly simplistic and modern. The colours used; grey, black and white are stereo-typically associated with the male gender, although it could be argued that a large amount of Drake's fan's are actually female. Another point to note is that these colours could be considered as being associated with mystery, danger and power, which is what Drake could have been aiming for. Overall the songs featured on Drake's album are about love, relationships, mind-games, his authority and his attitude, which I personally think are shown via again the digipak's colour choice

Furthermore in a recent interview, Drake stated that the album artwork reflects the 'passing of the seasons in Toronto, from winter through to summer and back again' which therefore could possibly be the reason behind the dark, cloudy skies. In addition, Drake is also shown to be sat on top of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, and from my own knowledge I know that this is Drake's hometown. Therefore he may want to be representing himself as a Godlike figure, due to him being sat on top of the building and as almost looking down at reality. 

I personally am a fan of this digipak for Drake's album. The reason for this is because, I like the colour choice and how the simplicity of the design is still effective and eye-catching. Therefore this particular digipak has inspired me to consider or even create a simplistic digipak for when I have to design my own. 



Poster: 



The images above present the official posters for Drake's album 'VIEWS'. As you can see, the picture above, on the right, is the same image which is used for the albums front cover. Therefore this suggests that Drake possibly wanted the same image to be advertised via different media sites so that the public will automatically associate this image with him and are aware that this is what his new album looks like if they are wanting to purchase it. In addition, the image on the left presents the text 'VIEWS' in bold, black sans-serif font which therefore stands out against the white background. The reason for this may be due to Drake wanting his album advertisement to be eye-catching and easy to read for the audience. 

Furthermore this picture is also the same image as the one which features on the actual CD disk, which therefore again suggests that Drake wanted people to associate this image with his album. 

Magazine advertisement:


After doing some research into the  advertisement of Drake's album, via magazines, I was able to find an online article in Hollywood Life's magazine-http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/04/28/drake-views-review-new-album/. This particular advertisement promotes the new album and provide's a positive review about the artist and his album. In addition, in this particular article the artist is represented as a great success as well as someone who puts a lot of time and effort into their music , which is shown via their album. 

I also noticed that the online article features an image of the album cover , which is the same image as the official poster in which Drake has released. Therefore this suggests that this particular advertisement is the same as other methods of advertisement and also informs the audience about what the album looks like so that if they are wanting to purchase the album, then they know what they are looking for. Furthermore, the article also provides a link which allows the reader to listen to one of the most well-known songs from the album called 'Hotline Bling', again which is shown to be promoting the artist's work. 

Research- Marketing package 1

Marketing package research- Lana Del Rey 'Born To Die (The Paradise Edition)



Tuesday 28 June 2016

Preliminary task- Evaluation

Evaluation

Overall, I think that the preliminary task went really well and I felt like we had managed our limited amount of time efficiently. Although our final piece has minor differences to the official music video for 'Knock You Down', we still managed to create a successful and effective video. In addition, the main reason as for why we did this task was so that we could learn and understand the different shots and editing transitions , ready for when we film the final piece later on in the year. And now after completing the preliminary task, I feel that this aim has been achieved and I now feel more comfortable and confident with planning and filming my own music video. Also, after this task I now understand as to why a variety of different camera shots and editing transitions are used for the video.And this is because, each individual shot has different purpose to one another and therefore the shots help to show diversity within the extract and therefore makes it more engaging for the audience to view. 

I felt that all members of the group, including myself, equally contributed in the task, and this was done by ensuring that all members took part in the acting, filming and editing. However, due to Abi playing the role of Kanye, her character featured more in the video than Izzy and I, and this was due to it being his song, but this wasn't an issue as it meant that Izzy and myself we still able to contribute in other aspects of the task. For example, I prepared and created the props, whilst Izzy filmed some of the footage. In addition, we all appeared in the music video by lip-syncing to our set role, and in this case, mine being Keri Hilson, and therefore this ensured that the task was fair and we all had a role/job to be doing. Furthermore, after we captured the footage, we made a quick start with the editing, which overall went well. I felt that we had more knowledge about using the editing software this year due to us being introduced to the editing software for our preliminary task the previous year. Therefore this meant that we worked at a faster pace and attempted to make the footage look as professional as possible. 

Preliminary task- Final video

Final preliminary video


Below is the completed and edited preliminary music video for 'Knock You Down' By Kanye West and Keri Hilson: 


Preliminary task- Filming and editing

More filming and editing 


During this morning's media lesson we decided to film the last few shots required for our preliminary video, so that we could then make a start on editing the footage. Therefore Izzy, Abi and I changed into our costume's and started to film. After spending the first 30 minutes of the lesson doing this, we then went back into the classroom and uploaded our footage from the SD card onto the computer and imported all the files into the editing software program, Adobe Premier Pro. Although at the start of this process we found the importing to be fairly difficult as we weren't used to the new computers in which our school has provided and therefore finding out how to import the footage took a while for us to understand.

After we got used to the new computer we finally managed to import the footage onto the software. We then inserted each individual piece of footage on the software's timeline, in chronological order, so that we were in sync with the official music video, which was visible at the bottom right hand corner of our footage. However due to the official music video using a split screen that showed two different sets of footage at the same time, we found it difficult to do this to our own footage. Although this problem was soon resolved due to our media teacher informing us on how to do this. In addition, after this stage we used the 'razor' tool and started to crop down the footage if it had a duration that was too long and then ensured that our footage was in sync with the official video. Therefore we then inserted the transitions between each individual shot and applied a black and white filter over the required shots. 

Monday 27 June 2016

Preliminary task- Filming day

 Filming day

Last Thursday, Izzy, Abi and I managed to make a start on filming our preliminary task. We decided to film during our 2 hour media lesson due to us all being available during this time and felt that it was appropriate to use the 2 hours, as it meant that we didn't have to film after school or at other times outside of the lesson. During the filming we found ourselves managing our time well and felt that we worked well as a group. In addition, we found that creating a storyboard and deciding on who would play which character before hand helped us to be more prepared and organised on the day. After we had a quick change into our costumes we decided to make use of the recording/photography room, as this is located next to our media classroom and already had the required equipment, such as the camera stand and lighting, set up ready for us to use. 



After this we felt that It would be a good idea if we played the music video during the filming, so that we could lip sync to the actual audio and match the footage as best as we could. In addition, having the story board with us made the filming much more easier too as we were able to view the camera angles, as well as the character's body language/facial expressions. Although, due to there being a lot of footage to capture we didn't have time to film the last few shots, therefore we will use 20 minutes of our next media lesson, on Tuesday, to finish off the filming so that we are ready to download and edit the footage on the editing software. 

Friday 24 June 2016

Research- Analysis of another Students work

Strengths and weaknesses of another students work 

Again, the reason for analysing another students work is so that I can get a general idea of what is required in order to achieve a good quality piece of work and also what to avoid to ensure that I don't loose valuable marks for simple errors. Furthermore I have decided to analyse Samantha Milne's blog, who again was a student who went to my school in the past. The reason for analysing her blog is because I felt that she had a well written blog that was detailed and that I found to be a good example to view. 

Here is the link for her blog: http://gsa2media2011sm.blogspot.co.uk/


Research:



Strengths- After analysing another students research, I noticed many strengths on how they presented their work as well as their general approach to the work set, which is obvious via their large amount of research conducted. For example, I really liked how the student included a numerous amount of different graphs to present her findings from her own survey , regarding a survey for the audience. The reason for this is because I personally find graphs to be a more understandable and appealing way of of presenting results and therefore by providing graphs, the audience is much more likely able to follow and engage with what the student is discussing. In addition I also liked how she provided video links to her posts when she occasionally discussed music videos, as again this was useful as it gave the audience more of an understanding regarding as to what she was discussing about in the analysed video. Furthermore I felt that she had put a lot of detail and effort into her work, which made the blog easier to read and therefore made it more engaging. 

Weaknesses- Although the majority of her research was detailed and done to a high standard, there were a few minor errors that I had noticed. For example, I often saw general format errors, such as; An inserted table had over-lapped the blog posts boarder and therefore looked un-professional. However this could have been a technical fault and not her own. 

Digipak:




Strengths-  I personally liked how the student decided to analyse more than one digipak, as this enabled both the student and audience to view a variety of different genres/styles that are available. Therefore this could have inspired the student to choose a specific style in which they would have liked to use for their own digipak/album cover. Another strength was that the student conducted a lot of research into the digipak's whilst showing a detailed analysis of each individual cover. In addition, I also liked how the student used different software programs and websites to present their text and images, such as; Prezi. This was therefore effective as it made the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience and I felt that having different methods of portraying the media and text made the blog more engaging/entertaining. 

Also, after analysing the student's final digipak, I noticed many strengths. For example, I felt that the images were very successful and effective. This is because, the band members are within the main frame and close up shots have been used so that the audience has an understanding as to what the members look like. In addition, this also informs the audience about what genre of music the band will be associated with, as the members are shown to be holding guitars and wearing casual/modern clothing, therefore creating more of an indie/pop look. Furthermore, I also like how student has used a black and white effect on top of the images, as this makes the digipak more eye-catching and engaging due to it being more dramatic.

Weaknesses- The only weakness that i could pick out was that maybe the student could have analysed a few more digipak's to get even more of an inspiration and a detailed analysis. 

Magazine advert:



Strengths-  One noticeable strength was how the student provided different images of magazine adverts in which they had chosen to analyse. The reason for this is because it allows the audience to understand about what magazine advert has been analysed, and therefore made the post more engaging and understandable. Also another advantage of this was that the student would have been given more inspirations and an idea as to what style/genre to go for. 

In addition, I also personally like the students final magazine post (top left image). The reason for this is because it's cool and casual and the black and white filter makes the advert more dramatic and engaging. I also feel that the black text is eye-catching, and therefore is more likely to engage the audience. Furthermore, I like how she included the symbol for iTunes at the bottom right of the advert, this is because it would inform the audience where to purchase the album, whilst promoting the site as well. 

Weaknesses-  I personally found it hard to find many weaknesses with the students analysis on magazine adverts. Although, due to the student having a set style in mind to follow/use, perhaps maybe she could have been more adventurous and spoken more about styles/genres that were more out of her comfort design. The reason for this is because she could have possibly preferred the different genres other than indie/rock or even have been inspired.  

Planning:



Strengths- After analysing another students plan, I found many strengths throughout. For example, I really liked how the student used a storyboard, a shooting schedule and a risk assessment to plan their time wisely and the when to record the video. This is because this is an effective method which enables you to become more organised and can help you save time later on in the construction stage. In addition, I also liked how the student decided to use a song which was made by a local band, as this would therefore have been easier for the student to film/record as it suggests that they wanted to be more original and also could have helped the local band gain more of a following/recognition. Another strength I noticed was how the student again used different software programs and websites to present their text and images, such as; Prezi. This was therefore effective as it made the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience and I felt that having different methods of portraying the media and text made the blog more engaging/entertaining. 

Weaknesses- I found a few simple grammatical errors throughout this section which were often very eye- catching. Although these were only minor mistakes, this could have effected the students overall grade.

Music video:



Strengths- I am personally a big fan of this video. This is because it is obvious throughout that many different camera shots had been used , as well as numerous transitions between each shot, and therefore made the video very entertaining and engaging for the audience to watch. I also really liked how the student came up with an interesting narrative/story for the video, as it revolved around the female character who had broken up with her boyfriend. However what made this narrative even better was the fact that she had recorded the actual artists performing and inserted this in between the other storyline. This looked professional and effective due to the student placing a black and white filter over this particular footage and therefore informed the audience that the band was performing at a separate time to the rest of the story. Another strength was the characters acting. This is because I felt that they presented themselves as professional actors/artists who remained appropriate and serious whilst recording and helped the video be the success that it was. 

Weaknesses- I couldn't find any faults within the video as I felt that it was a great success as well as a good example of a music video. Therefore the only thing that I can say was a weakness was the quality of the camera, although this maybe due to the music video being filmed in 2012 therefore technology then isn't as professional as it is today. 

Evaluation:



Strengths- What I like about the student's evaluation is the fact that she used social media to advertise her extract and therefore gained audience feedback via the site, Facebook. I personally think that this is a good way for the audience to view the video as it is a quick and easy method. In addition, I also liked how the student expressed their views about both their strengths and weaknesses of their work and how they could have performed to an even higher standard. Another point to note is that I liked how she again used different ways of presenting the text and media as shown via the use of a word map as shown in the above image. The reason for this is because it made the work more effective due to it making the blog more interesting and entertaining for the audience. 

Weaknesses- The only issue that I have noticed is that her audience feedback may have been perhaps more biased due to her sharing the video on a social media site, in which her family and friends would have viewed. Therefore the audience feedback could have been exaggerated or false. 

Thursday 23 June 2016

Research- Analysis of another Students work

Strengths and weaknesses of another students work


 I decided to analyse another students work in order to get a general idea as to what is required within the blog posts. In addition I was able to find out about how I can make my own blog , the magazine advert and the digipak to be as appropriate as possible and to meet an overall higher standard piece of work. Therefore in-order to do this I have viewed examples of a blogs with slightly less quality and detail so that I have been assured as to what to avoid when it comes to creating my own. Furthermore, I have analysed Katie Morrice's blog, who was a student that went to my school in the past. 

Here is the link for her blog: http://km2012gsa.blogspot.co.uk/


Research:

 

Strengths- After viewing another students research, I noticed many strengths on how they presented their work and their general approach to the work set. For example, I really liked how the student used different software programs and websites to present their text and images, such as; Prezi. This was effective as it made the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience and I felt that having a different method of portraying the text made the blog more engaging. Another strength which I noticed was how the student provided an attachment of the official video to the blog post. This was effective as it made it easier for the audience to view the video, due to it allowing them to just click on one button,  rather than having to search the video up for themselves. 

Weaknesses- Although the blog had many strengths, I managed to pick out some general mistakes and format errors of their work. For example, I frequently noticed simple spelling mistakes that were eye-catching and suggests that the student didn't check their work over once completed. Therefore after realising how much of a negative effect this had on the students work, I now know to double check my own work afterwards to prevent these simple mistakes. Another point to note is that I felt that the student would have benefited more if they used detail in certain areas where it was lacking, as I know that this can possibly bring your grade down. I also noticed a few presentation issues that again were very eye-catching and looked un-professional. For example, in some cases the black text had been highlighted white whereas the rest of the text hadn't been and therefore this didn't look appropriate.  


Digipak:

 

 

 


 Strengths- I really liked how the student provided images of their chosen digipak's to analyse. The reason for this is because, it allowed the audience to know about what the student was discussing, and therefore made the post more engaging and understandable, which I personally feel is a significant function for a successful blog. In addition I also liked how the student decided to analyse more than one digipak,as this then enabled both the student and the audience to view a variety of different genres/styles available. Therefore this could inspire the student to chose a specific style in which they would like to use for their own album cover/digipak. 

After analysing the student's final digipak, I personally like the simplicity and use of bold, engaging colours. The reason for this is so that the cover is eye-catching for audience and can therefore engage them to listen to the album. In addition, I also like how the student has used the same theme throughout, which is presented via the similar images used. Another point to note is that, the CD disk itself has a good design and I like how the student has included multiple images of the artist and placed them all around the disk to make it look as though all the pictures are looking at each other. 

Weaknesses- Although the student had many strengths, I noticed a few minor weaknesses, for example, I could pick out again where simple spelling mistakes took place and therefore these sorts of errors can have a large affect on the work.  Also for her own final digipak, I felt that the design could have been more original and less generic, as I feel that a hair flick is a very common action in which many artists tend to do.

Magazine advert:




 Strengths-  After viewing the students research and analysis on magazine adverts, I felt that again the work had many strengths. For example, in general the student provided a lot of detail and puts forward the view that a lot of time and effort was spent on their work, which therefore clearly had a positive affect on their work. Another strength was how the student provided different images of their chosen magazine adverts to analyse. The reason for this is because it allowed the audience to know about what the student was discussing and therefore made the post more engaging and understandable.

For her final magazine advert, I like how she used different fonts to present the text and how she made this text red and black. The reason for this because, these colours tend to be eye-catching and therefore this will engage the audience. Furthermore, both these colours have connotations of danger and passion, which perhaps may have been what the student wanted to associate the album with. 

Weaknesses- Perhaps the student could have analysed more magazine adverts to get even more of inspiration and understanding. Also after analysing the student's final magazine article, I personally again didn't like the hair flick, again due to it being very common. 




Planning:




Strengths-  I personally felt that there was a good selection of images provided, for example the student frequently used mood boards to present their ideas and examples, which suggest that the student had a creative approach to the task. Another point to note is that the student again used different software programs and websites to present their text and images, such as; Prezi and Tables which had been created on Microsoft Word. This was effective as it made the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience and I felt that having a different method of portraying the text made the blog more engaging. Furthermore the use of the tables suggests that the student was more organised and used their limited time efficiently. 

Weaknesses- Although I felt that perhaps the student needed to apply more detail in their work so that the planning could have be more easily understood, as well as them taking on a more appropriate and formal approach. 


Music video:



Strengths- Overall I felt that the final music video was effective and had many strengths. For example, the student used engaging transitions from one scene to another and I liked how the fast paced edits as well as the slow paced edits were implied. The reason for this is because, it made the video more dramatic which I'm guessing that this was something the student aimed to do. Another strength is that I like how the student used a large variety of different camera angles as this made the extract again more engaging and gave a more professional approach. In addition, I personally liked the extreme close up of the character when she was shown to be crying black tears, and again this is because it made the extract more entertaining, especially for those who are a fan of the horror/thriller genre.

Weaknesses- Although I felt that the mouthing needed to be improved as I wasn't convincing enough and often looked un-professional. Also I would have been better if the student used a change of scenery now and then as the video itself got a bit boring after a while.  



Evaluation: 


Strengths- I personally liked how she again used different ways of presenting the text and media. The reason for this is because it made the work more effective , due to it making the blog more interesting and interactive for the audience. In addition, I felt that having a different method of portraying the text and media made the blog more engaging. Another strength was that the student provided a lot of detail in their work which made the work come across as more professional and thought about. Another point to note is that the student expressed their views about both the strength and weaknesses of the work and how they could have performed to a higher/more efficient standard. 

Weaknesses-   I frequently noticed simple spelling mistakes that were eye-catching and could have effected their overall grade. 

Research- 30 seconds video analysis

Video analysis- 'This Is What You Came For' by Calvin Harris ft Rihanna

Official music video: 


I have decided to analyse the first 30 seconds of a music video of my choice. The reason for this is so that I can gain an understanding of the conventions of a music video and how different types of camera shots and editing transitions tend to be used. In addition hopefully I am able to be inspired by certain aspects of this video as well as others in which I will analyse. 

I have analysed the first 30 seconds of a song called 'This Is What You Came For' which is by Calvin Harris and features the well known artist, Rihanna. I have chosen this video as I am personally a big fan of both artists and am very fond of their music. Calvin Harris is currently signed to many record labels, including; Sony Music Entertainment and this may be due to him being a DJ as well as a vocalist. In addition, Rihanna is also signed to Sony, therefore is perhaps why both artists have collaborated with each other. 



Below is the recorded shots from 30 seconds of the music video:














After analysing the video I have found that in the first 30 seconds, the main camera shot used is a long shot. The reason for this maybe due to the director of the video wanting to inform the audience about the artist's whereabouts as well as their physical appearance/outfit. Therefore I have learnt that, in some cases, taking a long shot via a long take could be ideal and more efficient due to it capturing more footage and informs the audience about the current location or setting, as well as them being able to identify the characters within the extract. Furthermore this particular camera shot could be considered as appropriate at the start of a music video, rather than for example; a short take or close up. I have also learnt that using a straight cut edit between transitions is the easiest and most convenient cut to use , which therefore will save time and would allow more footage to be captured/inserted in the video, whilst still being an effective transition. 

Wednesday 22 June 2016

Preliminary- Character & costume plan

Characters and costumes 

After completing the analysis task we decided as a group as to who would take on the role of Kanye West and Keri Hilson. Although due to our group containing three members, including myself, we felt that it would be right if Abi took on the role of Kanye West due to her already knowing the sung lyrics within our chosen section. In addition with us only having a limited amount of time to plan and rehearse the video we felt that this wouldn't be long enough for myself and Izzy to learn the verse, so therefore felt that it would be wiser for us to share the role of Keri as we had more of an understanding of her lyrics. 

Kanye West played by: Abi                                          














Keri Hilson played by: Izzy and I 

 

Within the music video the costume choice is shown to frequently alter, especially Keri's. Therefore we decided that we would be more efficient if Izzy had 1-2 different outfits and also for myself to have 1-2 different outfits, as Keri has more than one costume in the extract. Therefore the reason for this is because we would be able to spend less time changing our costumes and makeup, resulting in more time and effort spent on the actual filming/recording. 

Kanye's costume choice:
  • Black sunglasses 
  • Gold chain and watch 
  • Denim Jacket
  • Orange T-shirt
  • Black leather gloves 







Keri's costume choices:

  • White vest top
  • Gold hoop earrings
  • Black leggings 
  • Black waist coat
  • Black and white leather gloves 


  • Long white Vest top
  • Green mini skirt
  • Blue/purple leather jacket
  • Gold hoop earrings 
  • Gold necklaces  

  • Beats headphones
  • Baseball Jacket
  • White vest top








Fortunately we have managed to find costumes and props that would be appropriate to use for the music video, although due to official video being released in 2009, the style of fashion was different and much more vibrant during that era compared to today , therefore some items of clothing isn't owned by ourselves or our peers so instead we are going to wear similar styled clothing that we felt had a close match to the costumes worn by Keri in the video. 

Tuesday 21 June 2016

Preliminary- First task

Preliminary planning- "Knock you down" Kanye West and Keri Hilson

For our preliminary task we had to chose from a selection of different music videos, that were provided by our teacher , and then we had to re-create a section from within the chosen music video. In this case, Izzy, Abi and I chose a song called "Knock you down" by Kanye West and Keri Hilson and this was due to us all being a fan of both the artists and the video itself. Following this we all decided to individually select 20 seconds from the video each which in total would make up exactly 1 minute due to us being a group of three, in addition we felt that this would make the analysis task much more easier and quicker to do so. Therefore Izzy took shots from 3:00 minutes to 3:20, I took shots from 3:20 minutes to 3:40 and then Abi took shots from 3:40 minutes to 4:00 minutes from the extract.  Furthermore after being given a specific section to analyse we started to take down shots, lyrics which were sung within the frames and which artist was singing. 
 

                Official music video- "Knock you down" by Kanye West and Keri Hilson

 


Below is our combined storyboard which contains the analysis of each individual shot: