She came in and helped us with the branding of our music video including commenting on ideas in how we could develop our digipak and different things we could add in order to maintain the continuity between all the elements. With this, we were able to show our music video to fresh eyes and get a different perspective. This helped to point out some of the areas that may be confusing to the public, we know some areas that may need improvements.
Carry out the colors throughout your entire branding and marketing design, it helps create a solid image for your song, so incorporating colors and possible iconography from your music video can help the audience identify your song/artist.
To make sure that you know what everything symbolizes and that you have reasons for putting different images, colors, and fonts on/in your digipak.
Make it to your target audience e.g. not using slang if you are wanting to sell or appeal to people aged 50+
The basic idea comes through in both videos, that life has not turned out the way this person planned when they were a little girl, and that they are disappointed in themselves as adults.
From a narrative perspective, the title seems ironic. Where, in this video, are all the other people? :D (Seriously, though, there's not even a little boy even though there's a male lead in the vocals.)
The cemetery shots make me confused.
I think more risks could be taken with purposeful attention to colour, whether as a motif or a storytelling device for particular shots. Example: the memory shots could all have a sepia mask. This is a classic convention for memory sequences, so feel free to subvert.
Think about what the song is trying to communicate, then watch your video with the sound off and ask yourself if the message still comes through.
KAYLA - 12/15
Opening shot is very cool. How did you get that?
Blending of memory, present-day, and performance sequences is handled well, from a narrative perspective. Nice transitions.
Re: the cemetery shots - did the male lead die in a car wreck? Is that the story we're going for here? (Sorry, I just don't get the grave shot.)
Song's climax has some cool cuts, but then the cut you end on doesn't visually match the lip movement of the acting talent. If it were me, I'd use a shot of the female lead's sustained note.
Opening shot is very cool BUT, the overarching 'road' sequence is lost because the opening shot is strong daylight, and then all the car shots and the ending shot shows a road at night. Needed to have shots that transition the lighting, or have the opening shot be a night-time shot
My Response:
After having read this I will now take out my opening shot and try to replace it with a more relatable video that matches the rest of our video i.e. a video we shot ourselves. We may try and get extra 'cut-away' footage in order to replace the scenes that don't make sense.
This is an example of the type of shot we may want to get and redo because it relates to the scenes where our female and male characters are walking down the road together. Instead, this shot will be in the light so it correlates with the sunny images we see of our lead as a young girl.
Our cemetery shots apparently don't make sense so for this we may have to redo those shots and have her sitting in black clothing in front of the grave then later on seen walking away from the grave in the daytime with a white dress. This is to represent the happiness or joy she now feels as she goes on/ moves past this hurdle.
We will add a purple hue through colour grading in order to match the rest of our scenes and mimick the stage shots just to tie everything together.
In order to try and get everything to make a bit more sense, we might get a few more cut-away shots to fill in the missing pages/blank spaces. Right now our feedback is saying that it lacks clarity so hopefully by putting in a shot of for example a shot of our main female character holding a photo looking down at her mum to signify that she is looking back and that the um isn't here anymore.
I was happy with my feedback, there were a few things that may need tweaking for example the opening shot has to be of our video which I will take out and replace. I think the main message I got from it was that we need to make our video clearer with how the mum is now dead and that she is reminiscing on the good times when her mum was around. Hopefully, this will come across to the audience and the grave shots will now make more sense. Depending on the rest of the group we will try and do our make-up shots next week possibly all during the same day so it doesn't drag out.
These were the first shots we got as we filmed it during a school day and it was easier to get access to the sanctuary. In my opinion, these were our most time-pressured shots as we had to try and get them done all at the same time, and because we wanted the lights to be on and we didn't know how to work them so we had to get Duthie to help us in order to get the perfect colours. We had to leave a little earlier because Pastor Peter needed the space to film but we managed to get everything done and I think the shots turned out really well.
Filming wasn't too bad for the first couple of tries we only used the camera and microphone most of the time so it made setting up and packing down a lot easier and faster. We already knew how to use the camera from doing media in the previous year so having to do white balance and focusing the camera was simple.
We did the majority of filming at Grace's house. This is where we got the shots of the mother and the daughter together. We were also able to film our car scenes since the road outside was the perfect backdrop and setting for what we needed. In the beginning we were supposed to be filming more scenes to establish the relationship between the mother and the duagther at the beach and othe rlocations but unfortunatlyey we didnt hvae enough time. Our male actor was suppsoed to be played by Ethan but he was unable to do it and because of this we didnt put a dance into a video which was supposed to be used as cutaway shots on the stage.
During the process, I learned a lot about timing and setting the scene to help maintain the verisimilitude of the video. Because we did a music video rather than a film we had to keep in mind that the footage itself couldn't just be meshed together with random shots, there had to be a logical sequence when the different pictures were put in otherwise it would be too hard to follow since there is no dialogue.
When trying to do my after effects I tried my best to keep it as simple as I could as I didn't want anything taking away from the footage itself, otherwise, it may have been too confusing for the audience. I decided to add a motion blur which was just a simple effect where it lagged behind the actual footage so it almost represents how phoebe is feeling. Another one I out in was a light effect where it emphasizes the light shown in the image and follows the point you decide to pin it on. Both are very simple but I feel add a little extra to the video. I chose to do the light one because of the stage and how we almost incorporated a performance type music video and a narrative into one so we didn't want it to be too flashy or over-the-top but we also didn't want it to be so plain and boring that people would lose interest or forget about the remain conventions of a music video.
Overall I was pretty happy with the way my music video turned out. I do wish we had more time to do it, then I think I may have been able to make my transitions a bit smoother and add more colour grading to make it look more professional but in the end, I feel as though it made sense to the audience and I was confident after my focus group as basically everyone was able to understand what was happening.
1. How does your video represent social groups or issues?
We chose to use a vulnerable storyline where it shows and represents a lot of emotion, we thought that because of this it would be best to use a female actor as our main character as society sees them as more in touch with their feelings and sensitivity. Our male character is seen as a companion to the girl who is going through this hardship. He is almost used as a type of symbol, representing the fact that not only, females/teens/pale-skinned people go through this but that in fact, all people of every nation and ethnicity face the same challenges.
Use of a typical caucasian female with blonde hair, a typically seen character portrayed as the ‘perfect’/’ideal’ female.
The main storyline of our narrative music video is the fact that we are targeting a younger demographics issue, where a lot of young people in the 21st century are struggling against depression and anxiety, so by targeting a topic that we feel is a common occurrence in this day-in-age, we are grabbing our target audiences attention as they may be able to relate to the video or know someone who may be going through the same thing.
At first, we were discussing using different ethnicities so that there would be a differentiation between the characters, but unfortunately, we weren't able to find anyone that could act for us. This was because usually in most films or videos, whenever there are opposite gender roles they are both most times the same skin colour or ethnicity. We wanted to challenge this but because of circumstances were not able to achieve our original idea but were still able to utilise the people in our group, using one of our team members as our male role.
The idea of ‘growing up’ is a key theme that remains constant throughout our video. It is something everything goes through, but obviously, as our music video tries to portray not everyone has the same upbringing or outcome and that the fact is that life can change in the blink of an eye no matter how good life may have been previously.
3. How does your music video engage with the audience?
At the beginning of my music video, I have tried adding a scenic video downloaded from youtube in order to create an intro type start that introduces the song title and engages with the audience as they are left in the dark about what actually is to come but get the sense of something slow or calming, possibly a false sense of security as later on in the video we are able to see what really happens and the death of the girls' mother after having built up the relationship (a rapid climax in the music video)
After having done previous research from our focus group and having gained other information I tried to adapt my video in order to satisfy my target audience's wants. A lot of what was said that possibly needed improvement was the soundtrack to my music. I was able to find the original song and add it so now when audience members watch the music video and then hear the song on the radio or in public they automatically subconsciously think of my music video because it has that relational connection. This means it has the potential to play an everyday part in people's lives.
The video contains both stage (theatrical) performances as well as shots from everyday life. The memories of the little girl and the mum almost act as flashbacks within the mind of our main character like we can see what she sees and have that prior knowledge for why she is now in so much pain. This can help to connect with our audience on a deeper level as if they are going through what she is going through.
Because we have chosen to target a younger audience we have made our music video available on different platforms such as Youtube and Vimeo, which a lot of young people in this generation know how to use, making it easier for them to access and engage with for example, like, share or leave a comment.
I have used editing techniques that make it an ‘easier viewing experience’ for audience members. Certain shots have been aligned with the beats in order to create a satisfying yet immersive viewing experience
4. How did your research inform your video and the way it uses or challenges conventions?
Because we chose to do a narrative-based music video, we included the main story that was not too hard to follow as explained in our focus group. This is a typically seen thing in a lot of current music videos as it gives the audience something to watch and take interest in. It is also in my opinion the easiest theme to cover when filming your own music video.
A common convention in pop music videos is that they use a lot of theatrics for example excessive lighting rather than creating a natural look they go over the top with brightly shone lights that are often coloured in some way. There is often a stage or some type of performance that is seen intermingled with the other footage of the music video, hence why, since our song is from the mid-tempo pop genre, we chose to adhere to these conventions in creating our storyboard and shot list. We were able to make use of the resources around us to make our video look less amateur.
Pop music videos often have a lot of close-ups and mid-shots when filming. Our footage consisted of a lot of close-ups because of the fact that we wanted to see a lot of our characters' emotions and we thought that is best portrayed if you are close to their face and can see the picture of how they feel. This only added to the music video as it became more clear of what type of music video this was and instead of focusing on the external we wanted to draw more attention to the internal.
Due to implications with Youtube, I have had to provide a link in order to watch my A2 media studies rough edit.
In my music video, I still want to add transitions between scenes and try and make the crossovers smoother and give it a more professional look rather than just using the same crossfade between every scene. I have yet to add my colour layers and adjust the settings of the pictures to make them look bolder and help make the image stand out. The after-effects still need to be added and I am still not sure what effects I want to add. I found it hard trying to look for new ideas as since it is a music video I don't want to add anything that will make it look amateur or childish. Some after-effects may take away from the message of the video making it hard to follow and losing the interest of audience members.
A demographic is when objectives/characteristics are set for a certain type of target audience. Relating to our project will be the people who are willing to watch or listen to our music video. Some characteristics may include things like age, gender, ethnicity, etc.
- What are psychographics (quote/ reference 'Young and Rubican')
psychographic segmentation is where the market is separated into groups based on their social standing, lifestyle, class, and certain personality traits they may possess.
Young and Rubican: The explorer: driven by the need for discovery and/or challenge The aspirer: materialistic/care more about what other people think. The succeeder: self-confident/strong goal orientation/organised The reformer: values their own independent judgment/anti-materialistic The mainstream: largest group/core need is security/live in a daily routine The struggler: seek escape/lives for today few plans for tomorrow The resigned: aim to survive/predominantly older people
- What are the TYPES of psychographic groupings? social class lifestyle personality
- What is your initial indication of who your target audience may be based on demographic and psychographics?
Our initial target audience was the younger generation around the i-gen/gen-z age group. We felt that this would be the most appropriate demographic as they were the easiest to relate too and in this day in age music videos are most accessible to younger people as they are more in touch with modern-day technology compared to older audiences that don't know how to use such things as google or youtube which are quite common for streaming media or finding information.
In the 21st century, more and more people are getting diagnosed with some type of depression, anxiety, or mental health problem. This can be a big thing for some, which is why the theme of our video was lament or sadness, the sense of longing and depression. We thought that this may be more relatable and catch the audience's attention more as they can relate to the situation they are watching making them more emotionally vulnerable to the meaning of the media.
what genre does your song belong to: Mid-tempo pop.
What conventions will you use/challenge: often pop type music videos contain a lot of colour and natural lighting, we have in a way adhered to these conventions as a lot of our scenes are filmed outside with the natural lighting, but instead of being happy and 'fun' colours, we have chosen mood lighting that represents sadness e.g. blue and purple-hued stage lighting as well as shots that have been filmed in the dark, portraying a depressed and eerie feel.
Which record company will release your video: Sony music entertainment
What representations are you going to include: In our music video we are using different representations to symbolise different stages in society. We have chosen a main female character, yes, because the main singer is a woman's voice, but also because society sees women as weak and more vulnerable, therefore showing more emotion, hence why we thought using a stereotypical Caucasian, the blonde female would fit the part. Our music video is based on the fact that she is sad and full of grief making it a perfect relationship between story and character.
How will you represent your artist: We have brought in two main focus characters to get across the main point that they have been through heartache and sorrow. She is seen as a happy child carefree with a loving and maternal relationship with her mum but then loses not only that relationship but loses herself in the process.
What type of music video are you going to produce: We have done a narrative-based plot where it tells of a relationship between a young girl and her mum and how she grows and her mum passes away.
What channels would your music video appear on: MTV music channel and our biggest streamer would be youtube since our target audience is a younger audience like the i-gen range their biggest streaming website would be youtube as it is now one of the tops used website.
Music video questions:
- What do you think you worked well
- What do you think could be improved
- Did you understand the main plot of the music video
- Is there anything you think shouldn't be in the music video
Rough edit music video, Focus group
I tried to get a target audience of people who are of similar age as they are the type of people we want watching our music video. Almost every person I interviewed said that I should change the current soundtrack I have. This was because of technical difficulties, and Youtube wouldn't allow me to upload my rough edit because of the soundtrack I was using under the video, hence why the song that I have now is of lesser quality. I will definitely take in the idea of possibly putting in a slow-motion effect in one of the scenes to add more emphasis on the relationship between the mother and the daughter.
No one mentioned anything that should be taken out which was a good sign, the only piece of constructive feedback I got was how Niav and Helena were confused about the ending where the car had turned of its lights, personally, I saw it as symbolism as the journey has now ended kind of thing but I think I might have to make it more clear or possibly replace it with something else if some of our target audience is finding it hard to follow.
This was very helpful and allowed me to realise what other people of this age would like to see in a music video. I only asked four questions to keep it concise and to the point, as people at this age don't want to have long, in-detailed discussions, they would rather see it first hand and exercise brief statements almost as if saying bullet points, making it easier for me when editing my video as I can now go through and try to manipulate a few things in my final edit in order to try and cater for my wanted viewers.
