Feedback #4 - research assessment

Well done, as a group you are working effectively to plan and research the production and are all working at approx a mid-A grade level (18/20). As far as I can see, Sam and Jake have contributed slightly more in the way of edited recce shots and ideas development, although Rob has improved detail on research posts . General feedback to all three:

• excellent use of ICT in blog and prezi for pitch.
• Clear contribution of relevant focused research into similar products, with a progressive improvement in using using critical frameworks to inform analysis (excellent use of semiotics, although confused use of Adorno)
• At this stage, time management very good
• Ideas communicated effectively on blog
• Pitch very well presented visually, however could have been clearer in actually clearly explaining vision for video.
• Use of recces as a planning tool has been very effective in beginning to resolve issues with concept

Key points for securing A grade planning:

• Audience research findings need a clear evaluation of results with a link to concept development
• storyboard sketches - take photos and upload to show progress towards animatic
• Rob - you need to use more images to illustrate posts
• Jake - I would have liked to have seen changes to posts as discussed, particularly product evaluation
• Rob - you need to post separately on initial digipak ideas that you presented in pitch too
• The actual Pitch post needs to have a clear list of all the areas covered in the prezi, so the moderator can see what it contains

JD - Hastings Shoot #1

Unfortunately we were not able to do the shots with the female singer as she had to look after her horse that has fallen ill.. We have rescheduled the shoot for next weekend. We still went to film in Hastings and used the time to practice smooth camera movement and find more locations for the performance shots as well as using the time to get some shots that we will be able to use in the video. This will enable us to concentrate fully on the performance shots next time.

RB - Mrs Fernandez...

I have added to these posts:
 - Responding to a track
 - Mini analysis
 - Technical analysis
 - Deconstructing print texts

I have also posted our concept ideas so far.

RB - Concept so far...

So far in our concept we are planning to use a variety shot styles in our video. Our concept mainly consists of arty shots in which we will use lighting and slow motion effects to make them effective. It will also be very slightly performance based where we will have a singer walking/running while singing the lyrics. These shots will mainly be close ups and mid shots. Another idea we were thinking of using is the use of instruments, mainly being the drums. close ups of the instruments being played to the song will help link the video to the track.
Order wise there isnt a set order, our shots are going to be storyboarded however may be subjected to change in order during the editing process.
The majority of the arty and instrumental shots will be shot in a studio where we can controll the lighting so we can be sure to get the effect we are looking for, however the performance shots will be in public outdoor locations.

SA - Half Term Filming

In our half term we are planning to go to Hastings to the locations we found on our reccie.

• We will be filming the majority of our shots that need the female singer in this location and these shots wil need to be lip synced and matched to the track in editing.
• The shots will have some movement to them but not be too jerky, they will be MCU mainly with a few close-ups and longer shots to fill in between the singing parts of our remixed song.
• We will film much more than we need on location as it would be an inconvience to go back there for a reshoot.
• We will have the school camera, and Robs two cameras in order to get different angles of the same shot and the different cameras have different looks and effects that can be adjusted on them.
• For example, we will use Robs DSLR camera to film the shots with pullback focus and depth of field effects as it is easier to change the focus while recording, with out too much jerky movement on the camera.

Feedback #3

Have a look again at Don't Stop by Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their use of Erwin Wurm's minute sculptures. What is interesting (although it does focus on band) is how they bring together lots of very random visual "gags" and ideas.

Feedback #2

Well done - your blog continues to be a thorough reflection of the creative process. Use of ICT was excellent in the prezi presentation and it demonstrated thorough primary/secondary research. I am interested in your visual ideas - where are you planning to shoot them? It would also be a good idea to practice some of them.

Rob / Jake - what can you add to this post? Any ideas/issues?

SA - More Shot Ideas following on from Pitch

Below is a more detailed list of specific shot ideas and concepts that we have decided on. We will need a lot to fill our long song.

• spinning in slow-motion
• speakers with things bouncing on top to the beat
• panning up and down to change location
• slow motion of flour being dropped
• slow motion close up of bass guitar strings
  
• words on screen as female sings
• vinyl record being dropped and smashed
• popping balloon in slow motion
• tap dripping
• water splashing in puddles
• MCU and CU of female singer standing up against different walls
• Various different creative shots using Jakes parachute
• Close up slow motion shots of rob on bike
  

Filling shots in between our main concept ideas will include:

• Handycam shots of interesting patterns in locations
  
• Quick shaky CU shots of costume

SA - Why is Storyboarding Important?

Storyboarding is useful as it allows us to visualise our ideas on paper and we can experiment with different ways of shooting the particular ideas that we have come up with.

• Last year for our two minute opening of a film we made a storyboard and animatic which helped us to plan each shot and gave us a sense of how long our production would be.
• In our production of our music video we will need to storyboard extentsively in order to have enough shots planned to fill the length of the track, and keep interest throughout the track.

Below are some examples of storyboards:

RB - Pitch Evalation

The feedback from our pitch was generally quite positive. However there were a few things we need to adress:

• The track is too long. 5 minutes is the maximum length the exam board will allow and ours is 5:30. We have a 2 points in the track where we can cut it. This is makes the track only 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
• We need to add examples and our own tested shot ideas into the pitch. To show the kind of feel were going for in the video.
• We need to come up with more ideas to keep the video interesting while at the same time not repeating anything.

Once we adress these issues the pitch will be given the green light and we will be allowed to begin filming.

JD - Prezi Pitch

We decided to put our pitch together in prezi. This was a collective decision as it allowed us to make a more creative and slick looking presentation. Prezi also showed good use of ICT as it's harder to use than powerpoint and shows that we have developed another skill.

JD - Audience Research

When we were putting our questionaire together on Survey Monkey we decided that we were going to go with quantitive rather than qualititive as we wouldn't have time to organise a meeting of people and we also didn't know enough people that our into that sort of genre of music to be able to give relevent feedback. If we went for quantitive we were able to post the survey on various Drum & Bass forums and Facebook.

RB - Deconstructing Print Media

• The visual signifiers on the album cover are the woman with motion blurring on her face to give a ‘two sided’ sense.
• The linguistic signs are the band’s name (Placebo) and the title of the album (Meds), both of which are in a fairly generic font, as a fancier font that would commonly be found on a more popular, trendy album covers intended for a mass audience wouldn’t suit the bands own unique style.
• The title ‘meds’ coupled with the image of the woman with what appears to be two faces suggests that the album could relate to two sidedness or things like schizophrenia. There are no non-representational graphic signs on the cover art.

• The woman on the front of the cover is positioned in the centre of the image. This challenges the common ideology that males are more important/more dominant than females.
• The woman is also not wearing any clothes, which reinforces the common ideology that women are seen as objects. However she does look almost too thin to the point where she looks ill. She is also quite pale. This not only challenges the dominant ideology that beauty is shown through thin bodies and smooth skin (as the woman has both of those attributes) but creates a connection between the album art and the title of the album by relating the word ‘meds’ (short for medication) with an image of an ill looking woman.
•  When you look at this album art your eye is first drawn to her face(s) then it follows the bit of hair on her right, across her right shoulder and down her arm to the band name and title. This sort of cover reinforces the bands alternative/indie-rock style as it quite odd and almost disturbing.

• Social myths conveyed in this album cover are: album art is quite strange, which adds to the authenticity of the band by representing their alternative style. The cover is also sort of disturbing which again promotes the bands wierd style of music.

• The indexical signs in this album cover connote the buyer’s taste of music, and the fact they are diverting from the trends in society by buying an album different to the popular, trendier style. This also allows them to construct their personal identity through the products they consume, as the band is quite strange and odd the consumer will want to relate to that and create their own identity around that kind of style.

JD - Hastings Reccie

When Sam and I decided to go to Hastings th weather wasn't great, but we managed to get round this by finding an underground subway and underground carpark to get some practice shots in. We felt that the carpark may be a good location for us to film due to the colours on the pillars and the reflections in the puddles.



During the practice shots I have found that I need to work on using the tripod and focusing at the same time as sometimes it comes out juddery and not as smooth as it could be. This could be resolved with practice or using 2 people.

JD - Deconstructing Print Media

I have chosen to deconstruct the album cover of a High Contrast album, as he produces music in a similar style and genre to that of Netsky, who remixed the track we have chosen for our video

- The visual signifiers on this album cover are the artist himself, the lights on the wall, the obviously textured wall and the writing on the top left of the album cover; 'True Colours' in a rainbow colour and 'High Contrast' in plain white. These are all the iconic signs of the album cover.

- The album cover appears to be fairly unconventional with artist appearing in the centre of the cover, making him seem like he is not what your eyes are meant to be drawn to first. This is also enhanced by the fact that the whole background is in black and white. The light in the top left corner helps to create a leading line diagonally downwards through the writing and finally to the artist. The fact that the album name 'True Colours' is in the colour spectrum, connotes that the music may be happy, but on the other hand the 'True Colours' could be another reading, that the music is more about the artist and how he feels; his true colours, which may not necessarily be happy or good.

- The way that the album cover is laid out helps to create a star persona around High Contrast. It connotes that he is a very independent artist, which is a generic theme surrounding DJ's, but this dominant ideology is beginning to be challenged as DJ's are beginning to work together to bring new music into the genre. An example of this is Magnetic Man, a collaboration of three very 'famous' DJ's: Skream, Benga and Artwork. These artists are trying to bring Drum & Bass to the wider audience by creating a buzz factor around their work by using Web 2.0 and the radio to 'tease' their audience and attract listeners that may not have thought of listening to Drum and Bass before hand.

SA - Deconstructing Print Media

I have chosen to deconstruct this album cover from the Chew Lips, as they are the band that our remix originates from.

- The visual signifiers in this album cover are the three people, who are the band members, the overlaying images of the peacock and the two parrots, and two sets of font, one is the name of the band (Chew lips) and the other is the name of the album (Unicorn). These are all the iconic signs of the album cover.

- The female is situated in the centre of the cover and dominates over the two males in the background, this shows her challenging the residual ideology that males dominate over females. Although she is still very feminine, and shows this by seeming to be wearing nothing, and this reinforces the dominant ideology that beauty is shown through smooth skin, make-up and a thin body. The overlayed image of the peacock connotes beauty and finesse, reinforcing her as a 'beautiful' women. The two males have the overlayed image of a parrot, which isn't as beautiful as the peacock, connoting that the two males are there to make the female look good. Although it is not quite as simple as that, another reading could be that the abstract/indie nature of the band is reinforced in the construction of the album cover.

- I think the use of the over-laying of images shows the band authenticity of creativity, and the use of the female singer as the centre of the cover shows the social myth of feminine beauty, with the near perfect look to her.

- The indexical signs present in this album cover are ones that make the listener feel like they are part of the quirkiness and authenticity of the band. There are signs, like the fashion and 'indie-ness' that the buyers can use to construct their identity through what they consume, making this album cover quite postmodern in its stylings, also another way it shows postmodern qualities is the use of the overlaying of images, this has been used many times in photography and art and the band have 'borrowed' and used this technique quite effectively.

SA - What is a Digipak?

• As well as our music video, we will have to create an advertising poster and a digipak for the CD to be placed in. A digipak is different from a traditional CD jewel case, it is made out card and is significantly more graphically appealing.
• They are made up of at least on folded piece of card with a sleeve or clip for the CD to be placed in. On a digipak all the sides have to be covered with graphics, text and information that adds to the overall aesthetics of the digipak.
  
• The difference between a digipak and a jewel CD case is that the digipak is a form of subsidiary media that helps to construct the star persona of the artist as it can include unseen photos and other seemingly exclusive things that make the consumer feel close to the artist.
  

Below are some examples of digipaks:

JD - Representation Of Females in Drum & Bass Videos

After looking at Katy B's Louder in terms of a full analysis, I thought I'd look more closely at how females are represented in the video. All of the main characters in the video are shown as being fairly young and full of energy. The other people in the video, for example the old lady walking past the camera at 0.12, look to be less happy, maybe even depressed, than the 3 girls are shown to be in the cafe. These people are also shown to maybe in a rush and busy with a job, unlike the youthful characters that are enjoying being free and able to socialise. The girls are also shown to be very genuine characters. Throughout the video the females are the main focus, with the few men being fairly insignificant in the narrative which may challenge the residual ideology of men being more important than women.

SA - Representation of Gender in Abstract Music Videos

• I have looked at Kap Bambino's video for 'Red Sign' before and after looking at other videos for their songs, I have seen that they are a duo made up of a man and women.
  
• This symmetry of genders this challenges the residual ideology of men being 'better' than women, as they are both equal in the way they are positioned on screen and their actions in the videos.
  
• This representation of the artist is also shown in the way the social group of gender is shown with the other people in the video for 'Dead Lazers' by Kap Bambino.
  
• In this video a group of men and women are running through a tube station and they are all equal and no one person is leading. This reinforces the Emergent ideology of men and women being equal.
  
• However in this band the female is the lead singer, so in the shots I have taken from the video below, she is in focus and the male is further back and out of focus, this is one exception where the residual ideology about men being more important than men is challenged.

Kap Bambino - 'Dead Lazers'

Kap Bambino - 'Red Sign'

JD - Questionnaire Questions To Question the Questionnairees With

Listen to the track below before you answer the questions.



1. What visual ideas would you associate with the d&b genre? List a few ideas
2. Do you prefer videos that are narrative based?
3. Do you think this style is appropriate for our video? If not, why?
4. What locations would you expect to see in a d&b video? Select 2 from the list below
- Club/Party
- Industrial Places
- Council Estate
- Abandoned Places
- Park/Field
- Town/City
5. What type of clothes to think characters would wear in d&b videos? Select one from the list below.
- Suit/Formal
- Worn Out Clothes
- Casual Clothes
- Uniform
- Unusual Clothes
- Bland Clothes
6. What other music videos have you seen that are memorable? List and explain why below.
7. Do you think that a female singer would be appropriate for our video?
8. If so, what would expect her to look like?

These questions are to going to be made into a survey on Survey Monkey and this will then be posted up on some Drum & Bass/Dubstep forums so that we almost get a mix between qualitative and quantitive results as the people we are surveying are actually interested in the genre of music we are creating the video for. As this is aimed towards quantitive results we will be able to also post the survey up on Facebook if we need more numbers.