Whilst in the process of filming we thought everything was going well. We knew that we would have to go back, because it took a long time ti set up and work out where we wanted to arrange all the components of our set. But we thought the footage we shot was good, but it seemed this wasn't the case. The background we made didn't cover the wall behind the set, so brightly painted words were still visible behind the band. Also, there were a number of other objects in the background of our handheld shots.
Overall, the main problems were:
A - The location just wasn't good enough, it didn't look like somewhere a band would play or the set of a music video.
B - We hadn't been professional enough. We didn't set up our shots effectively or with enough quality. We needed to focus a lot more carefully next time we filmed.
We decided to address these problems when we returned to the classroom, and in the meantime we agreed to look at alternative places to film.
The other thing we needed to look at in the meantime was copyright permission. We couldn't find an email address as we had when contacting Frank Turner's record label. However, Tom was able to find the address of the head office of Capitol Records. Jake drafted a letter to send them, and so this issue was taken care of.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Filming
With our plans ready to go, we got filming straight away. The location we chose was a scout hall in Sutton-at-Hone, Kent. We thought this would have the space and facilities we needed. When we got there we found that it matched up to our expectations fairly well. Despite a few minor problems with camera placement, everything worked well. The safety aspect was also well catered for, there were fire extinguishers on site and we had enough of our own equipment to make sure we were safe.
Friday, 12 March 2010
More Planning
We majorly needed to start filming again so we decided to bring together our ideas and get going as soon as possible. I presented my ideas along with all the other members of the group. We focused on doubling our efforts enough to get a suitable plan together to start filming. With the impressive research we were able to pull together as a group, we were fairly successful. We drew up some of our plans on storyboards, and made an animatic, both of which can be seen below.
Music Video Research: Case Study
CASE STUDY
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
I now need to take a very good look at an example of the kind of music video we need to create. This is the music video for the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. The song was released in May 2005, along with this video. It is purely performance based, and, interestingly, it is all performed in one continuous shot. We wouldn't necessarily do the same for our music video, but it is interesting to look at. The camera work is very interesting in this video. It features very slow movements and even slower zooms in and out. The editing is also interesting, since the footage is slowed down, but still kept in time with the music.
The performance is very impressive from Blunt. It shows dedication to the cause, as obviously it would be very uncomfortable in the conditions he was in. He is also an impressively talented actor, because this wasn't an everyday situation.
I found this making of video on the video sharing site Youtube:
The main problem in making this video seemed to be with the subject himself. He not only needed to be looked after carefully while on set, but also needed to be trained beforehand. This kind of meticulous planning is very professional and I thought perhaps we could look at repeating something similar in our video. Obviously the participants would need to be pre-trained (i.e. they would need to be able to play the instruments they were using). I think we would need to look at making sure they can play our song specifically to confirm that our video would look as real as possible. As in this video, the safety of our participants would also be paramount. In the video above, they were concerned about the participant becoming ill due to the extreme conditions he was performing in. When we film our video we will have a lot of electrical and trailing cables, etc. Obviously, these produce fire and tripping hazards, so we need to be extremely careful. If anybody was injured whilst performing for us it could be catastrophic.
Another problem the makers of the video seem to have is a location. They seem to have searched very thoroughly, which is impressively professional. We should look to have similar dedication whilst choosing our location. The location was one of our problems last time as well, so this time we need to make sure the location is 100% suitable.
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
I now need to take a very good look at an example of the kind of music video we need to create. This is the music video for the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. The song was released in May 2005, along with this video. It is purely performance based, and, interestingly, it is all performed in one continuous shot. We wouldn't necessarily do the same for our music video, but it is interesting to look at. The camera work is very interesting in this video. It features very slow movements and even slower zooms in and out. The editing is also interesting, since the footage is slowed down, but still kept in time with the music.
The performance is very impressive from Blunt. It shows dedication to the cause, as obviously it would be very uncomfortable in the conditions he was in. He is also an impressively talented actor, because this wasn't an everyday situation.
I found this making of video on the video sharing site Youtube:
The main problem in making this video seemed to be with the subject himself. He not only needed to be looked after carefully while on set, but also needed to be trained beforehand. This kind of meticulous planning is very professional and I thought perhaps we could look at repeating something similar in our video. Obviously the participants would need to be pre-trained (i.e. they would need to be able to play the instruments they were using). I think we would need to look at making sure they can play our song specifically to confirm that our video would look as real as possible. As in this video, the safety of our participants would also be paramount. In the video above, they were concerned about the participant becoming ill due to the extreme conditions he was performing in. When we film our video we will have a lot of electrical and trailing cables, etc. Obviously, these produce fire and tripping hazards, so we need to be extremely careful. If anybody was injured whilst performing for us it could be catastrophic.
Another problem the makers of the video seem to have is a location. They seem to have searched very thoroughly, which is impressively professional. We should look to have similar dedication whilst choosing our location. The location was one of our problems last time as well, so this time we need to make sure the location is 100% suitable.
Music Video Research: History
To get a really good feel for what I was doing, I decided to research music videos themselves. I thought I would look at their history and any interesting modern video trivia.
HISTORY
The first recorded use of images accompanying music was in 1894 during the period of sheet music. Edward B. Mansen and Joe Stern promoted their song The Little Lost Child with a series of images. This was the birth of the idea of "illustrated song" which later became music videos.
Many short films were made in 1926 with the introduction of movies and talkies. Warner Brothers produced many of the earliest works, featuring many bands and vocalists. The first series was entitled Spooney Melodies and each was generally around 6 minutes in length.
Slip forward to the mid-1940s and musician Louis Jordan started making short films for his music. Some of them were put together to make the feature film "Lookout Sister" and became the ancestors of modern music videos.
Another jump forward to 1974 sees the Australian TV Show "Countdown" show music and video clips to promote the acts that appeared on the show. The idea became very popular and the music industry began to take notice. They noticed the marketing potential of music clips, and the wheels were set in motion. One of the earliest notable performances was by AC/DC for their song "It's A Long Way to the Top".
The idea of MTV (Music Television) was in production, but it was beaten to the punch by American TV show "Video Concert Hall", which premiered in June 1981. However, just a few months after this, MTV was born and the age of 24-Hour music videos was born. MTV opened with a showing of the classic song "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
This new format was a boon for the biggest stars to not only market themselves, but also to create their image. Artists like Madonna were the pioneers and she herself was part of one of the earliest big stories involving music videos. The video to "Like A Prayer" was released in 1989 and was criticized for it's supposed corrupting of Catholic Religious Iconography. The other big story of the time was the 14-minute release of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video in 1984, still one of the most recognizable videos today.
By the mid-1980s the genre was expanding to include variety and global audiences. In 1985, MTV launched a sister channel, VH1 (Video Hits 1) that featured music aimed at an older audience. MTV was aimed at a younger audience, so by releasing VH1 the market was expanded massively. MTV was made available in Europe in 1985 and in Asia in 1991.
As time went on, more music genres were incorporating this new marketing technique and establishing a firm base in the market itself. In 1988 Yo! MTV Raps was launched, bringing rap and hip-hop music to a nationwide audience. It also helped to launch some of the biggest names in rap to a much wider market.
Time continued to allow a more global audience. The mid-1990s were almost entirely devoted to expanding the world music market. Some of the Channels launched included: MTV Latin America in 1993, MTV India in 1996 and MTV Mandarin in 1997.
However, as even more time passed, the demand was for the channels to produce more than just music videos to keep hold of it's audiences. By the mid-2000s the channels had begun to replace portions of it's Music Video programming with Reality TV produced specifically for them.
While Music Videos are still an important part of the Music Industry, it has seen a slight decline in recent years. This has been for a number of reasons including a decline in popularity and global economic conditions.
HISTORY
The first recorded use of images accompanying music was in 1894 during the period of sheet music. Edward B. Mansen and Joe Stern promoted their song The Little Lost Child with a series of images. This was the birth of the idea of "illustrated song" which later became music videos.
Many short films were made in 1926 with the introduction of movies and talkies. Warner Brothers produced many of the earliest works, featuring many bands and vocalists. The first series was entitled Spooney Melodies and each was generally around 6 minutes in length.
Slip forward to the mid-1940s and musician Louis Jordan started making short films for his music. Some of them were put together to make the feature film "Lookout Sister" and became the ancestors of modern music videos.
Another jump forward to 1974 sees the Australian TV Show "Countdown" show music and video clips to promote the acts that appeared on the show. The idea became very popular and the music industry began to take notice. They noticed the marketing potential of music clips, and the wheels were set in motion. One of the earliest notable performances was by AC/DC for their song "It's A Long Way to the Top".
The idea of MTV (Music Television) was in production, but it was beaten to the punch by American TV show "Video Concert Hall", which premiered in June 1981. However, just a few months after this, MTV was born and the age of 24-Hour music videos was born. MTV opened with a showing of the classic song "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
This new format was a boon for the biggest stars to not only market themselves, but also to create their image. Artists like Madonna were the pioneers and she herself was part of one of the earliest big stories involving music videos. The video to "Like A Prayer" was released in 1989 and was criticized for it's supposed corrupting of Catholic Religious Iconography. The other big story of the time was the 14-minute release of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video in 1984, still one of the most recognizable videos today.
By the mid-1980s the genre was expanding to include variety and global audiences. In 1985, MTV launched a sister channel, VH1 (Video Hits 1) that featured music aimed at an older audience. MTV was aimed at a younger audience, so by releasing VH1 the market was expanded massively. MTV was made available in Europe in 1985 and in Asia in 1991.
As time went on, more music genres were incorporating this new marketing technique and establishing a firm base in the market itself. In 1988 Yo! MTV Raps was launched, bringing rap and hip-hop music to a nationwide audience. It also helped to launch some of the biggest names in rap to a much wider market.
Time continued to allow a more global audience. The mid-1990s were almost entirely devoted to expanding the world music market. Some of the Channels launched included: MTV Latin America in 1993, MTV India in 1996 and MTV Mandarin in 1997.
However, as even more time passed, the demand was for the channels to produce more than just music videos to keep hold of it's audiences. By the mid-2000s the channels had begun to replace portions of it's Music Video programming with Reality TV produced specifically for them.
While Music Videos are still an important part of the Music Industry, it has seen a slight decline in recent years. This has been for a number of reasons including a decline in popularity and global economic conditions.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Video Mood Board
Whilst researching my favoutire music videos I created a mood board of frames from the best selection. This reflects my own personal preferences in quality and production. Present in this are:
Circle of Life - Disney
The Real Damage - Frank Turner
Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Slam - Pendulum
Gives You Hell - All American Rejects
Rock DJ - Robbie Williams
I'm On A Boat - The Lonely Island
Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce
Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) - The Offspring
Scream, Aim, Fire - Bullet For My Valentine
Ignition (Remix) - R. Kelly
You're Beautiful - James Blunt
Get Low - Lil Jon
Beelezeboss - Tenacious D
The Best of You - Foo Fighters
Brick by Boring Brick - Paramore
Here It Goes Again - OK Go
Fix You - Coldplay
Goodbye Mr A - The Hoosiers
Scatman - Scatman John
Warrior's Dance - The Prodigy
A Punk - Vampire Weekend
The Foo Fighters
I decided that I would research the band a bit more to try and get a better feel for their music. The band was formed in 1995 is made up of four members:
- Dave Grohl (Guitar, Vocals)
- Chris Shiflett (Lead Guitar)
- Nate Mendel (Bass Guitar)
- Taylor Hawkins (Drums)
Dave Grohl is perhaps one of the most famous musical icons on the planet. He began his career in the grunge group Nirvana, but left when the band disbanded after the death of guitarist Kurt Cobain. He can play all forms of guitar, drums and is a talented singer. He has appeared in several bands: Scream, Nirvana, Midtown, Foo Fighters, Tenacious D and Them Crooked Vultures.
The band itself come from Seattle, Washington. The name for the band comes from the second world war phrase "foo fighter" which was used to describe unidentified flying objects. They made their live debut in March 1995 at The Satyricon to coincide with their Self-titled debut album. Since then they have shot to fame with five more albums:
- The Colour and the Shape (1997)
- There is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)
- One by One (2002)
- In Your Honor (2005)
- Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace (2007)
The band plan to start recording a new album in September 2010. Over the course of it's existence, three of their albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and all six have been nominated.
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