Thursday, 18 March 2010

Stacey Luscott evaluation -

The questions that I chose to write about are:




  • In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.


  • How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?


The ways in which the media product that we have created has developed already existing work that has been created by other drum and bass artists, such as Pendulum. We have tried to incorporate examples of what would normally go into a standard drum and bass themed video, such as the video and syncing meeting the beat of the song, a running narrative that matches the lyrics of the song (but this can only be done if there are any such lyrics to speak of). However, we must remember that there are not many drum and bass genre'd videos made, so there aren't really that many conventions to follow.


The technology that we used to create the music video, was first of all, Final Cut Express on the Apple Mac computers. we found this difficult to use at first, but when we got used to it we were fine and we learned how to put in fades and other special effects into the video. We also used Corel Paintshop and Microsoft Word to create out digipak and the advert. Corel was difficult at first to use, like Final Cut, but it was fine after a while. The camera's and the lighting that we used were pretty easy to use as we had used them before.

Will Gough evaluation - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? and What you learned from your audience feedback?

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

How well do the parts of scenes of the video work together?
The video is made up of twenty seven scenes which then break down into shorter clips.
Scene one is the establishing shot, this is around 30 seconds long and consists of the singer walking down a pathway getting closer and bigger to the camera, this then ends with a fade-in-fade-out cut which then moves onto the next clip. The camera shots used in this scene are a long shot and slowly moves into a mid-shot and then a close-up as the singer gets closer.
Scene two is where the mood changes and the singer is now in dark clothing drinking a bottle of alcohol, this gives the impression that he is depressed and looking for trouble. This scene lasts for 8 seconds before moving into another fade-in-fade-out into a clip of the bottle of alcohol being thrown, and then hitting an individual. The camera shots used in this scene are first a mid-close-up and then it moves into a close-up as the singer gets closer, the camera angle for this scene is a low angled shot making the singer look big and important. We then get a high angled shot as he throws the bottle at the individual which makes him look small and less powerful to the individual.
Scenes three, four and five are of the individual chasing the singer. This builds up a lot of tension in the video and the audience are left waiting for either the singer to be caught or to get away but it is not clear until scene nine where the singer gets caught. These scenes are made up of a mixture of high, low and level angled shots with fast editing to keep up the tension.
Scene six is of the singer telling the individual chasing him to ‘FUCK OFF’ this has been used to create more tension and show the anger that the singer is feeling. This scene uses an extreme close-up of the singers face so you can see him say the words ‘FUCK OFF’.
Scenes seven and eight are then of the singer being chased and the individual getting closer and closer to him building it up for scene nine where he is caught. These scenes use very fast editing to build tension and long range shots so that all of the action is captured on the camera.
Scene nine is of the singer getting caught and beaten up, this has a lot of action involved which interests the audience. Scene nine keeps one low angled long shot so that the action is not lost and everything is captured.
Scene ten is where the singer comes-too and pulls himself up off the ground and starts dusting himself down and then wiping blood off his face, this gives the impression that he is very injured and something else could happen in the video due to his injuries. This scene uses a long shot which is low angled to make the singer look important again.
Scenes eleven, twelve, thirteen and fourteen are then short clips of the singer making his way back home in pain and still wiping blood off his face. These clips use a lot of high angled shots and tracking shots to follow the singer as he is on his way. This gives the impression that he is not important and may give across the impression that something else is gong to happen to him.
Scene fifteen then starts off with the singer walking down an alley way still on his way home but then it jumps between this clip and clips of what’s happened so far in the video, this gives the impression that his life is flashing before his eyes. The camera shot used in this scene is a low angled shot looking up at the singer. And the editing is very fast.
In scene sixteen this then changes as the individual comes back and grabs the singer from behind. In this scene the individual looks bigger and more in power when he pins the singer against the wall.
Scenes seventeen and eighteen are then of the singer running away from the individual. The angle of this shot is high angled looking down on both of the actors.
Scene nineteen is then where the singer decides to face up to the individual chasing him and pins him against the wall but the individual then pushes the singer off him which leads into the fatal scene twenty. The camera shot used in scene nineteen is a long shot showing the whole body of both characters as they argue.
Scene twenty is then of the singer in the middle of the road as a car speeds at him and hits him. Scenes twenty one and twenty two are then of the singer on the bonnet of the car going down the road, the singer then fly’s off the bonnet of the car and bounces down the road. The camera angle for these shots is a long mid-levelled shot so that everything is caught on camera and nothing is missed out.
Scene twenty three then jumps through three clips of the camera getting closer and closer to the dead singer. It starts off as a long shot, then to a mid shot and then into a close up. This creates a mood that gives away that the singer has died.
Scene twenty four is then made up of sixteen short clips as the singers life flashes before his eyes.
Scene twenty five is of the singer lay in a hospital bed dying which creates a very emotional atmosphere for the viewer. This is a high angled shot looking down upon the singer as he lies in the bed.
Scene twenty six is then of the singer walking away from the camera down the same track that he had walked up in the first scene. The light has been modified in this scene to show that he is dead and is making his way to heaven.
Scene twenty seven is then a silhouette of the singer as the music dies out.

What discussions have you made in the production of the video?
During the production of the video we had discussions on a variety of things including what we would include, what camera angles would work best for what shot, who should do what and so on.
Here is a list of the job roles we had:
Will Gough:

Filmed scenes 1 and 26.
Acted in all 27 scenes.
Edited the video.
Created the storyboard/story line.
Chose camera angles and shot types.
Produced the digi-pack.

Stacey Luscott:
Filmed scenes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 25 and 26.
Acted in scenes 20, 21 and 22.
Chose the song.
Sent e-mails to gain copyright.

I had help from friends when filming scenes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.

How well do the parts of the digi-pack work together? And what discussions have you made in the production of the digi-pack?

During the production of the Digi-Pack we have made various discussions on what we should include, what layout we should use, what images to use and so on.
The following is how I created the digi-pack:
The three sections of the digi-pack; the outside cover, the inside cover and the advert all work very well together. This is because they are very similar in theme but very different in style so as not to be boring.
The front cover of the DVD contains a large image of the singer, which is a still from the video but I adjusted the colour using coral paint shop pro-x so that it is now different shades of blue. I have done this as the genre of the song is Drum & Bass which is very different and obscure so modifying the colours in the pictures fits in well with this. There are then six smaller pictures arranged across the top and the bottom of the page. These are of different scenes in the video which will interest a consumer. These images have also been modified, with these images I modified them making them into negative image also on coral paint shop pro-x, this gives a great effect with very odd colouring in strange places. The final thing on the cover of the DVD is the text, for this I used Microsoft word art and used the title ‘Chase & Status’ and ‘End Credits’ in Haettenschweiler font. I chose to use this as it is a very clear font which I have used a yellow outline and transparent fill to create; this means that you can see the background image through the text.
The back cover of the DVD is made up of three main images which make up the background; these three images are of the car scene in the video and have been cropped down and modified in colour, this time to a bright green. I have then placed eight smaller images of scenes in the video on top of these which have been put into black and white so that they stand out against the bright background. At the bottom of the page is a strip which informs consumers about copyright. Over the top of all of the images is a semi-transparent yellow text box which contains the track listings, this means that the track listings are visible but also the images in the background are visible too.
The backing strip on the DVD is made up of a black background with a yellow text which says ‘Chase & Status’ which is very eye grabbing. It is important that this catches your eye for when the DVD is stood on a shelf in a shop.
The next part is the inside cover for the DVD case, this is made up of nine modified images created from stills of the video, there are three that have been changed to negative, three that have been made into black and white and three that have been colour modified which makes them stand out. This has been done along with the random layout to keep with the genre of the music which is very down beet and different.
My DVD advert is made up of a solid background with the DVD front cover placed in the centre of it; this stands out against the black making the DVD jump out at the consumers. The advert also has a title which is in Haettenschweiler font with yellow outline and red fill which is done to stand out from the dark background. The other thing that is on the page is the release date and three ‘Quotes’ from magazines about the video. I have kept the advert plain and simple so that it stands out to the consumer and follows its purpose rather than being too overwhelming and not selling the product.
The images I have used were chosen as they are of some of the more exciting aspects of the video; this should intrigue consumers into buying the video as they will want to know what is in the video as well as wanting to buy the song.
The font I have used is Haettenschweiler, this has been used as it is very clear to read and understand and it seems to flow and fit in well with the images and layout we have used for the piece.

How well does the digi-pack fit in with the video?
The digi-pack created for the DVD fits in with the video very well; this is because it is quit dark and gloomy like the video and also it contains a lot of stills from the video to create it.

What you learned from your audience feedback?
I have posted the music video and the ancillary product on the blog to gain feedback; I found out that not many people were using the blog and so I decided to post the video on facebook, this gained several comments which have helped me make decisions about the video. From this feedback I have learnt that the establishing shot for the video is a bit long and starts to bore the viewer “the starts really long tho :/” this is a quote from one of the comments left on the video after I pout it on facebook. Despite this comment I have not changed the video as the vast majority of people liked the video as it is: “it's good 2bf :)”, “thats really good :)”, “That was pretty good :)”, “pretty epic will :) x” these comments have all made me decide that the video is fine how it is.

Will Gough

Friday, 5 March 2010

Draft DVD advert


this is my draft design for my DVD advert
Will Gough

Textual analysis - Pendulum



This is the music video that i have decided to do the second textual analysis on. The song is "Other Side" by drum and bass artists Pendulum.

Genre Characteristics: This video is seen to be very futuristic, much like the music involved. It also includes a sophisticated look, with the way the actor in the video is dressed and the way that the futuristic technology has been portrayed. Bearing in mind, there are not many drum and bass videos, this one has similarities with other Pendulum videos, such as Granite. 

Relationships: The relationship between the vocals and the visuals are sometimes seen within this video, as the CGI head sings all the female vocalist's parts, but there is no other real vocal parts in the video that are obviously sung by someone. Also, some of the other lyrics match the video, for example, when the CGI head says "the ship is going down", the actor is portrayed to be falling in a lift. 
The relationships between the music and visuals would be that the lighting within the video goes along with the beat of the music. Also, nothing is really ever in true technicolour. The colours are always tinted blue or other primary colours, like red or yellow. There is also use of strobe lights, which would be reminicent of gigs that the artist may play.

Artists: There aren't really any close ups of the artists, as the artists do not make a cameo appearance in this video. In this particular video, there is only a single male actor.

Notion of looking: there is sort of notion of looking, with the bright lights and computer technology used. For example, the bright lights and the actor in the suit. But, the actor is not portrayed to make the viewer look at him in a some sort of sexual way, and there is some connections to the actor and his emotions within the video.

Intertextual references: There are many references to sci-fi films, such as the Matrix. This is shown with the use of technology and computers.

This video is also mostly concept based, but some of it is narrative based, with the acting and the technology used.

By Stacey Luscott :D


Thursday, 4 March 2010

Treatment: proposal for music video

Song/Artist:
End Credits by Chase and Status

Duration:
3 minutes 5 seconds

Genre:
Drum and Bass

Cast:
Will Gough - Singer
Graeme Wilcox - Man who beats singer up
Stacey Luscott - Car driver

Setting/Location:
The video is set in back alleys in Ludlow, this gives a scense of depression which fits in with the song. the areas we have used are:
Camp Lane - Ludlow
Whitcliff (by the side of the river) - Ludlow
Media Room - Ludlow College

Narrative:
The video is based on a story line i created involving a day in a mans life where he goes form happy to very depressed and moody and gets into trouble with someone who then beats him up and throws him infront of a car. The video has a linear narrative and contains several flash backs throughout the video to keep reminding the audience what is going on.

Influences:
The influence for the video was the original video for the song, it is very dark and depressing which fits great with the song. Also something that has influenced the video is my idea of how someone suffering from depression would act in day to day life.

Mood:
The mood of the video is quite dark and depressing to fit in with the narrative of the song and also to link to the origional video.

Format:
Mini DV

Camerawork/Type of shots:
The majority of the filming was done using a camera fixed on a tri-pod for maximum stability.

Length of shots/editing:
The shots used in this video are a mixture of long walking scenes which are gradually faded indo eachother and short scenes which are edited together very quickly and sharply for maximum effect.

Movement and action:
The movement in the video is mainly running and walking, there is very little without movement.

Visual qualities:
Light:
The lighting of the piece is quite dark to fit i with the genre of the song although in the end scene we used a bright light in a dark room to give the effect of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Colour:
The video is all in complete colour.

Use of voice and sound:
In this video i have not used any voices or sounds just the song.

Use of target audience:
When creating the video i took great consideration into who the target audience would be for this video and also what i would have to include to reel them in.

Technical aspects:

People:
Will Gough - Singer, Director, Camera man, Creater, Digi-pack designer
Stacey Luscott - Car driver, Camera work
Graeme Wilcox - Man who beats singer, Camera man
Jamsine Underhill - Camera work
Rihannon Morris - Camera work
Katy Ulyatt - Camera work
Cat Halstead - Camera work

Equipment?
Camera
Tri-pod

Time:
The video has taken me around 2 months to film and around the same amount of time to organise.

Budget:
£0
Costs:
£0

Why the video is worth making?:
the video was worth making as it is a well saught after song and so has a large audience and would be watched by loads of poeple who can all leave feedback telling me what they think of my camera work, editing and acting.

Will Gough

Wednesday, 3 March 2010

DVD inside cover draft

This is our design for the inside cover of our DVD

Have found a problem with the cover, i have not used my own images so i am going to have to take more pictures t take their place.

Will Gough

Tuesday, 2 March 2010



This is our music video so far
please comment and tell us what you think


Will Gough

Friday, 26 February 2010

Draft of DVD cover




This is our first draft of our DVD cover.
Will Gough

Covers!







Well, we have had a look through a book called "1000 Record Covers" by Michael Ochs. We discovered that many of the record covers from predominately the 1970's had sexual images. these, we thought, would not be appropriate for our particular album cover. We then look at the the record covers from the 1960's, and found that the plain look, with only the band pictured and a straight-talking headline would fit our choice of song much better than an over sexualised one. So, this is why our album cover will be to the point, with stills from the video and other images that are relevant to the artist and song, rather than obscene images. We have also used bright colours to attract attention.
Stacey Luscott

Friday, 29 January 2010

Storyboard



Created by Will Gough


posted by Stacey Luscott

Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Started filming, first snapshot


this is a print screen of some editing we have started doing.

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Recci shots


The two images above are of the market square in Ludlow, this is where we hope to film some of the chase scene.





These images above are of the pathways around the back of the castle, this is where we hope to film some of the chase scene and the scene where the singer is beaten up.




The images above are of a little narrow lane in Ludlow where we hope to film the car scene.



these three images above are of the alleyway by one-stop, here we hope to film the scene where the singer gets in trouble and the chase scene begins.

Will Gough

Thursday, 21 January 2010

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Friday, 15 January 2010

music video questionnaire

1. Are you Male: Female:

2. What age range are you -15: 16-18: 18-25: 26+:

3. What music genres are you in to? (Write down more than one if you wish)

4. What do you like to see in a music video?



5. What do you think would suit a Drum and Bass song?



6. Do you like the song ‘End Credits’ by Chase and Status?
Yes: No:

7. Do you prefer animation, special effects or just plain acting in a music video?

8. Do you like to see dance routines? Yes: No:

9. What is your favourite music video?

10. What is your least favourite music video?


Will Gough

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel; October 22, 1969) is an American director and producer, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Charlie Kaufman, which include the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 film Adaptation., and for his work as director of the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. He is also credited as a co-creator of MTV's Jackass.[1] He is currently the creative director of VBS.tv.[2] He is also part owner of skateboard company Girl Skateboards with riders Rick Howard and Mike Carroll.[3]

He also co-founded Directors Label with Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry.


YearSongArtistNotes
1992"High in High School"Chainsaw Kittens
100%Sonic Youth
1993"Cannonball"The BreedersCo-directed by Kim Gordon
Produced by Steve Reiss
"Country at War"X
"Daughters of the Kaos"Luscious Jackson
"Hang On"Teenage Fanclub
"Time for Livin'"Beastie Boys
1994"All About Eve"Marxman
"Buddy Holly"Weezer
"Ditch Digger"Rocket from the Crypt
Divine HammerThe Breeders
"Feel the Pain"Dinosaur Jr.
"I Can't Stop Smiling"Velocity Girl
"If I Only Had a Brain"MC 900 Ft. Jesus
"Old Timer"that dog.
Ricky's ThemeBeastie Boys
"Sabotage"Also writer
"Sure Shot"
"Undone (The Sweater Song)"Weezer
1995"California"Wax
"Car Song"Elastica
"Crush with Eyeliner"R.E.M.
"Freedom of '76"Ween
"It's Oh So Quiet"Björk
"The Diamond Sea"Sonic Youth
"Who Is Next?"Wax
1996"Drop"The Pharcyde
1997"Da Funk"Daft Punk
"Electrolite"R.E.M.
ElektrobankThe Chemical Brothers
"It's All About the Benjamins" (Rock RemixPuff Daddy
"Liberty Calls"Mike Watt
"Shady Lane"Pavement
" Sky's the LimitThe Notorious B.I.G.
1998"Home"Sean Lennon
"Praise You"Fatboy SlimCredited to "Torrance Public Film Productions"
"Root Down" version 2Beastie Boys
2000"Weapon of Choice"Fatboy Slim
"What's Up, Fatlip?"Fatlip
"Wonderboy"Tenacious DAs Marcus Von Bueler
2002"Island in the Sun" (version 2)Weezer
"Guess I'm Doing Fine"Beck
"It's in Our Hands"Björk
2003"Big Brat"Phantom Planet
2004"Get Back"Ludacris
Y ControlYeah Yeah Yeahs
2005""Triumph of a Heart"Björk
Blessed Evening"FoetusCinematographer only
Directed by Karen O
2008"Flashing Lights"Kanye WestCo-directed with West
"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)WeezerAnnounced - never filmed
2009"Heaven"UNKLE
"25"AsDSSkaWith Crysal Moselle

In 2006, he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for "Outstanding Achievement in Commercials in 2005." He was nominated for a body of work that included "Hello Tomorrow" for Adidas, "Penguin" forMiller Beer, and "Pardon Our Dust" for The Gap. He was a producer and co-creator of MTV television series Jackass and Jackass: The Movie, also directing some of the segments. Jonze has acted in some videos and films; his most prominent role was in Three Kings as the sweet, dimwitted, casually racist Conrad, in which he was directed by friend David O. Russell. Jonze was also a co-founder and editor of Dirt magazine along with Mark Lewman and Andy Jenkins, as well as an editor for Grand Royal Magazine and senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding. In the past, Jonze shot street skateboarding videos, most notably Blind skateboard company's Video Days in 1991, and Lakai Footwear's Fully Flared in 2007. He also co-directed the Girl Skateboards film Yeah Right! and the Chocolate Skateboards video Hot Chocolate. In the closing credits montage of Yeah Right! Spike is shown doing a nollie heelflip in loafers. He is also co-owner of Girl Skateboards. Jonze has many alter egos, including Richard Koufey (alternately spelled Coufey or Couffe), the leader of the Torrance Community Dance Group, an urban troupe that performs in public spaces. The Koufey persona appeared when Jonze, in character, filmed himself dancing to Fatboy Slim's "Rockafeller Skank" as it played on a boom box in a public area. Spike showed the video to Slim, who loved it. Jonze then assembled a group of dancers to perform to Slim's "Praise You" outside a Westwood, California movie theater and taped the performance. The resulting clip was a huge success, and "Koufey" and his troupe were invited to New York City to perform the song for the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The video received awards for Best Direction, Breakthrough, and Best Choreography, which Jonze accepted, still in character. Jonze made a mockumentary about the experience called Torrance Rises. He also has a speaking part along with Dave Eggers in the Beck song "The Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton" from his 2006 album, The Information. He appears in the "Exoskeleton" part. Since 2007, he has been the creative director at VBS.tv, an online television network supplied by Vice and funded by MTV. Spike Jonze was part of the Detour-Moleskine project in New York in 2007. The project invites authors to compile and illustrate Moleskine notebooks with experienced knowledge, to provide an intimate insight into the artists' creative process. Most recently, Jonze directed Where the Wild Things Are, which opened in the United States on October 16, 2009. It is arguably his most anticipated film to date, the product of an almost decade long collaboration with author Maurice Sendak. In July 2009, Jonze acquired the rights to make a film adaptation of the Shane Jones novel, Light Boxes. It is expected that Jonze will act as producer on this project with Ray Tintori attached to direct.

*All info taken from Wikipedia.org*

Stacey Luscott