LOCATIONS FOR OUR MUSIC VIDEO

Fifth Avenue - Lorens' route
Brooklyn, alley ways, graffiti walls  - Nishas' route
Dance studio - Performance and audition room.

NISHA AND LOREN LIPSYNCH

This is our lipsynch that we used as practice for our real video.
From watching this we have decided that Nisha will be better singing the main vocals and Loren will be better singing the backing vocals as Nisha looks as if she has a stronger voice.
Both Loren and Nisha work well in front of the camera, therefore we both equally be performing in our music video.
The voices look a lot older than the actresses, therefore in order to make the lipsynching look more realistic we will need to dress up very sophisticated with lots of makeup etc.

IDEAS AND ANALYSIS/INSPIRATIONS

Here is a clip from the Dolce&Gabbana advert starring model Tyson ballou. I think its a good clip to analyse as there are many great ideas throughout the advert which we could take a closer look into as the narrative is very similar to our own music video idea.

Firstly, the camera following Tyson into the backstage shooting room is similar to the idea of our music video, in which the members of the band are being followed into the audition room. In the advert, the camera is hand held and therefore gives a real sense of chaos, allowing the audience to empathise with the performer and how he is rushing to be on time. I really like the black and white in the shot as it makes the sequence look more professional and gives a real sense of the camera going 'backstage.' I think we could co-operate this into our own idea, either for the scenes where the camera follows the performers or just the beauty shots. The beauty shots being in black and white would really set apart the performance from the narrative, making the music video easy to follow. At 0.40 there is an extreme close up of the sign on the door which reads 'D&G UNDERWEAR SHOOT, CLOSED SET!!!!!' I think this idea of showing a sign on the door is clever as it gives the audience a direct sense of where they are and what is happening. Another thing which works really well is the lack of music in the bit where Tyson walks into the shooting room. When the performers in our music video walk in to the audition room, I think the music should stop and the footsteps of the dancer walking into the room echoes and is the only sound the audience can hear for roughly two seconds. Then suddenly the music starts again and the girls start their dance routine. The idea of the camera and shooting equipment being in the shot works really well, giving a sense of a 'backstage pass into the closed set'. It makes the advert look expensive and glossy, which I reckon could also work very well in our music video, whilst shooting in the audition room.

IDEAS

So after a few meetings with each other and also Miss Blackborrow  we have come to our final narrative idea. The narrative is based around two girls coming from very different backgrounds who join together and become best friends through their passion for dancing. Loren being the more affluent girl of the two will be dressed in a red coat, red heels and red alice band to connote the poshness in her. Nisha however, would be dressed in jeans, a hoody and nike high tops, making her look more street and trendy as opposed to posh. The different lifestyles would also be shown through different locations. Loren will be walking through Fifth Avenue whereas Nisha will be walking through Brooklyn. The destination is an audition room where they will be assessed on their dancing by three judges.

Jake Wynne's advice

- Whilst doing the dancing shots, always have a wide shot shot, otherwise the audience will get confused and won't know where the location is or what they are doing.
- Whilst shooting the beauty shots, have mostly close-ups. Therefore it wont matter what background we choose. Also, if you want the background out of focus, stand far away with the camera and zoom in. The performer would be in focus but the background would be out of focus, keeping the attention on the only them.
- Whislt shooting in New York, have a lot of wide shots. Don't hide where you are; embrace it.
- To avoice the video looking like a home video, use a lot of shot types. I. e close ups, long shots, tracks, pans e.t.c
- Capture random shops and movements to make the music video more exciting and to stop if being very linear.
- To create more of a narrative, have the two dancers coming from different sides of town. One from a rich, classy area, and another from the less affluent area. To expand on this, the well-off girl can have a really confident personality (which is shown as she strutts through town and flicks her hair) whereas the other girl could be more down to earth and anxious about the auditions.
- To really emphasise that the two performers are completely different people, have them walking in different directions with different backgrounds. (I.e the upper classs girl walking past desgigner shops and the lower class girl walking past a basketball court)

UPDATE

Loren and I have chosen the RnB path to our music video. We have decided on a final track

PUSSYCAT DOLLS - TOP OF THE WORLD.

Seeing how we're both going to New York and staying in the same hotel this half term (coincidentally) we've decided to shoot some footage out there. If plans don't go according to plan we can just switch to shooting in London City.

Our treatment is ready to pitch in Mondays lesson, where feedback would be crucial to make our music video the best it can possibly be.

GROUP UPDATE

After our last meeting, we are considering whether or not our group is working to its full potential and individual strength. Due to diverse music tastes we considered giving the project one more week as a group. If the team shows progress in working together we will stick as a group. If not, we will split into two smaller groups as that may be better for us individually.

FINAL IDEA!

So we've FINALLY got our track, after days of searching and all of us can't be more happier with the track idea!

Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna - If I never see your face again

Now as the summer fades
I let you slip away
You say I'm not your type
But I can make you sway

It makes me burn to learn
You're not the only one
I'd let you be if you
Put down your blazing gun

[Chorus:]
Now you've gone somewhere else
Far away
I don't know if I will find you (find you, find you)
But you feel my breath
On your neck
Can't believe I'm right behind you (right behind you)
'Cause you keep me coming back for more
And I feel a little better than I did before
And if I never see your face again
I don't mind
'Cause we gone much further than I thought we'd get tonight

Sometimes you move so well
It's hard not to give in
I'm lost, I can't tell
Where you end and I begin

It makes you burn to learn
I'm with another man
I wonder if he's half
The lover that I am

[Chorus]

Baby, baby
Please believe me
Find it in your heart to reach me
Promise not to leave me behind
(Promise not to leave me behind)

Take me down, but take it easy
Make me think but don't deceive me
Torture me by taking your time
(Talk to me, talk to me)

[x2]
'Cause you keep me coming back for more
And I feel a little better than I did before
And if I never see your face again
I don't mind
'Cause we gone much further than I thought we'd get tonight

MY TREATMENT
This video would be based around the division of genre, gender and style. (using walk this way - Run DMC feat. Aerosmith as a reference)
The music video open with the band in the middle of the stage with the lead singer in the front. As soon as the female voice takes over the girls come in and take over the stage. Throughout the music video these two groups would be competing and challenging each other.

It is a performance based video which would also involve the effects of the ipod advert. On one side of the screen would be the male singer singing into his microphone or playing the guitar, and on the other side of the screen the female dancer.
At the end the main female and male swap characters. The female wears indie clothing and the male wears more slick and hip-hop. clothing. This portrays the fusion of the two divides. The last shot would be of the whole dance floor. The two main singers in the centre of a crowd of people facing each other, singing into their microphone stands and the lights go out.

MY FINAL TWO

Akon feat Keri Hison - Change Me

I think this song could work really well for us, especially because there is both a male singer and female singer and this would make the video as a whole more interesting.

MY TREATMENT: The song is based around two good friends. They both love each other but aren't aware of it. The girl constantly sees him 'check out' other girls and decides to release her frustration and sorrow at home through smashing valuable objects in her house. (see below for referencing) She then tries to change herself and become someone she isn't just to make him like her back. She changed from being a plain and simple girl into a plastic, girly girl.



I love this video (Enrique Iglesias feat Ciara - Taking back My Love) and think we can use 0.57seconds -1.09 seconds for inspiration. The other scenes are also very well shot and directed but i think it would be out of our budget to splash paint over a car or smash a glass table!

Runner Runner - She Will be loved

MY TREATMENT: A girl sees her boyfriend in bed with another girl..she is distraught and runs away. The whole setting of this music video will be black dominated as it is a depressing narrative. The boy does everything he can to win her heart back. He sends her flowers, waits for hours on end outside her house in the pouring rain, calls her numerous times etc. In my opinion this music video would work really well in black and white to emphasise on the vulnerability and sorrow. There would also be constant montages throughout the music video of the good times they had spent together. These shots however, would be in colour.

second group meeting

SHORTLIST:

Rise against - The Dirt Whispered



She will be loved - Runner Runner


Impression that I get - Mighty Mights Bosstones


Arctic Monkeys - Still take you home

Track ideas

Casely - Emotional.

I think this song is a great song to do because there are a lot of various ways we could narrate the lyrics.
This song should have 3 main locations. One beauty shot - of the singer singing. Second, the setting would be in a club - The camera would be switching form the main actor to his ex girlfriend with another guy. Finally, the last shot would be flashes of memories he had with her.

Something more dance related ..Pretty Young Thing - Michael Jackson remix feat Will.i.am

Party All The Time - Black Eyed Peas

GROUP MEETING

Today was our first group meeting. The group consists of four people: Loren, Jack, Shaun and myself. Today we discussed the song ideas we had and then cut it down to the best three.

I Want It That Way - Dynamite Boy

Sunny Days - Kid British

Rock Your Body - Black Eyed Peas

Until the next group meeting, we have all agreed on picking a song we want to base our project on and create a treatment for it. It's all starting off!

FILMING

Yesterday, we had a professional director, Jake Wynne (director of 'it's raining men') come in to help us film a replicate of 'Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus'
We started at 8.30 and filmed every shot in order of the location. This made shooting far more easier as there were fewer camera set ups to make. The sequence was shot on HD cameras which was connected to a monitor (where the rest of the group can see how the image will look like on screen'. We also had tracking rails which made forward and backwards track much smoother than handheld shots.
We had to take each shot several times - acting, lighting and timing were major issues we had to consider.
The shooting started at 9.00AM and finished at 5.45PM.
During the performance in the sports hall, each band member had to be shot individually with the camera solely on them, this would make editing much easier as we have a variety of shots to choose from.

Here is a clip of the original music video:



What I learnt from this workshop-Technical process; setting up the set takes a long time and has to be perfect before we start shooting the video.
- Taking a numerous amount of shots is beneficial as it allows the character to get into role and makes the editing process much easier as we have a wide choice of shots to choose from.
- We were aware of how important pre-production is. Having a schedule is vital as it allows actors/directors/cast to see how long will be needed to shoot certain shots.
- Discipline on the shoot is essential, we must take it seriously otherwise it will over run and we will have to spend another day on shooting shots we didn't finish.
-lighting had to be perfect to make create a good viewing experience. Filter paper and artifical lights were used to prevent shadows from forming on the faces of the actors.

What did i enjoy the most?

Overall, the whole day was absolutely brilliant, but the best part of the day had to be the dancing! All the media students (apart from the 5 boys lipsynching) had to be background dancers. I really experienced how a real music video works and how much fun it can be despite all the hard work!

How I think this will impact on my group coursework
-It makes us aware of who to choose as our characters - Using media students, perhaps in within our group, seems like the best idea. I also think it has given each member of my group and insight into what kind of song to choose - one with music, lyrics and a narrative. I also think we are aware of how important it is to be organised and stick with the time schedule in order for the project to run as smoothly as possible