Having the world's largest Bowie fan as a dad, this was impossible to avoid. While usually yelled at my dad to turn it off 24/7 as that was how often Bowie was played, my sister and I loved this song because we could expertly mime to the drums and keyboard at the beginning. I also grew to love this song more when I became able to understand and appreciate the lyrics. Young Teens
Blondie - Call Me
Seeing Blondie live in year 9 is still one of my most memorable moments. Debbie Harry was late on stage and so my friends and I decided to go to the toilet. Suddenly we heard Debbie Harry's voice and the first chords of this song and ran back through Hampstead Heath (it was a Kenwood picnic concert) at lightening speed.
Another time, I was listening and singing to this song with my friends at a bus stop. As the chorus came on and the voice that came out of me is something that my friends still haven't let me live down.
Now Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Spasticus Autisticus
My love of Ian Dury started after I was burnt a CD. I still think he is absolutely hilarious and it was so hard to pick a single song! However I chose this one because it took my a while to understand the lyrics. I eventually learned that this song was written after he became angry, being a polio sufferer himself, at the International Year of Disabled Persons , which he considered to be very patronizing. He even considered naming the band Spastic and the Autistics. The song was originally banned for being offensive, however I was very pleased to hear this song performed at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and love how really great music can be used to make a point.
1. Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?
I really enjoyed the workshop day as it was so dissimilar to anything i had done before. It gave me an insight into how a professional shoot works, and I learnt that I would definitely be interested in a working in a similar environment later in life!
Most of all I enjoyed helping out on set. When we weren't in front of the camera we acted as runners. This predominantly involved helping out with 4 production areas: the set, the production team, costume & makeup, and cast & crew. I most enjoyed helping out with the production team, helping out with things like playback (showing dancers the original shots that they would recreate), cable bashing and laying the track. My favorite part was learning about the lighting, which is something that really interests me. We learnt how to control the lights in the studio, what each one did and I was interested how vastly different studio lighting is to that of film lighting outside of the studio. Something else I enjoyed was shadowing the first A.D. From this I learnt the role of the 1st AD, how vital their job is and how different it is to the director's!
2. What have you learnt from participating in each of the prelim tasks? Task 1: Analyse a music video: From this I learnt the conventions of performance music videos. It taught me the importance of developing a simple idea and single concept. I also learnt how many shots and costume/make-up/set changes are needed to make a video professional looking. Task 2: Audition video: This taught me firstly how important it is to make sure your actors are relaxed, when I looked uncomfortable - you could tell! As an actor you have to pretend that you're confident even if you're not. Task 3: Learn your performance: I learnt from this that the best thing to do as an actor is to give it your all. Otherwise, the camera picks this up and you can tell! It's very noticeable when one person doesn't fit in. I also learnt to relax, no one is focusing on my performance other than me, on the day everyone will have their own concerns. Task 4: Plan and organize your costumes: This definitely taught me importance of costume and mise-en-scene. Attention to detail is what makes a shot! I also learnt from this that if you look hard enough you can find most things you need, so you don't necessarily need large budget to have a professional looking shoot.
Task 5: The One-Day Workshop: This was the day that I learnt the most. Firstly, I learnt that everyone has a very specific job, and it is important that everyone does exactly that for the shoot to run smoothly. I now also understand the specifics of these roles and which task is designated to whom. Also, whilst in the lighting box, I learnt about how live TV is filmed, directed and edited - something I hadn't really expected to learn on the day! Task 6: The Workshop Edit: This edit taught me the importance of timing more than anything else and therefore the importance of planning. If one of the band members does a move half a second late, it is immediately obvious! I also learnt how fast and discontinuous the editing style is. Shots change every split second, so it is very important that actors are giving it their all the whole way through.
This is the lipsync audition video we created prior to the workshop
3. Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?
I'm really pleased with the footage, and its incredible how accurately we managed to recreate the majority of shots on a much smaller budget. It looks so much better than I expected. Everyone gave it their all on the day which dramatically improved the quality of the shots. However, there are some shots where the gesture is done slightly too early in comparison to the lyrics. This shows on the edit as each shot is so quick and the lipsync has to be really accurate.
The edit looks really good, and the grading does not have to be that intense because the quality of the shots is really good. I'm really pleased with the effects that we've put on some of the shots, they really make the video look polished. I'm amazed at how well we can recreate a music video as a school!
4. How do you think your prelim experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework? My prelim experiences will have a massive impact - I've learnt a lot!
Firstly, it has made me realise how important it is to plan everything to the very last detail. It is always possible to deviate from the plan, but if you don't have one, things go wrong.
When making my music video I will do everything I can to make my actors feel comfortable. I've learnt that this is definitely a priority, and it directly affects the quality of the shot.
I will definitely invest more time into styling! If possible, one of us will focus time on the day of the shoot styling the actors. Before the shoot, I will find visual references, and decide exactly what I want in terms of hair, makeup and costume. I will also spend more time designing the set and finding perfect locations and props.
I will spent lots more time researching and testing out lighting because that is something I've become particularly interesting in recently, because I feel that I have often neglected it in the past and that it can make a shot.
I would like to gain more experience on camera, to make my work look more professional, and I will try to do this on the A2 course.
Overall, the prelim experiences will impact my work next term and in the future greatly.
For this homework I will analyse the performance music video "Single Ladies" by Beyonce.
Below I have analysed whether this music video fits the 15 main music video conventions.
1.The music, lyrics and imagery work in collaboration. This is evident throughout. An especially notable physical image during the lyric "if you like it then you should've put a ring on it" is that of Beyonce moving her hand back and forth, making it clear that there is no ring on her hand.
2. The performance drives the music video and it is sustained throughout. There may well be narrative or conceptual elements too. The video is purely performance based, dancing ability is something that artist is renowned for. 3. The band or artist sing/mime throughout. The lip-sync is believable. The lip sync is believable and Beyonce sings/mimes throughout. 4. The role of the band / artist may switch between artist performance and artist-in-character performance. Beyonce does not switch between artist/artist-in-character performance; one persona is maintained throughout. 5. The audience will expect to see singing/ dancing/ movement/ playing instruments. This is likely to conform to their expectations of the genre and/ or the band/ artist. Whilst Beyonce sings/mimes throughout, this performance is strongly based on dance, and no instruments are seen due to Beyonce being a solo singer. This is recurrent in most of her videos. 6. The band/ artist performance will be engaging/ impactful/ visually striking. The performance has been extremely impactful with the dance routine recreated by fans and non-fans worldwide. The black and white grading emphasises the dance increasing its impact and making it even more visually striking. 7. It is likely that the video features highly stylised costume, hair, make-up, backdrops and effects. A variety of sets, backdrops and costumes is common. Whilst costume, hair and make-up are highly stylised, backdrops and sets are not in order to emphasise the formerly stated aspects. This simplistic minimal range directs the audience focus to the most impactful aspects of the music video.
8. A strong sense of development is expected - things change and move on. Whilst a very strong message is delivered, other than this, there is no massive change or development. 9. A strong sense of artist identity is crucial through movement, gestures, costume/ hair/ make-up and band relationships. The video is aspirational to fans of the band/ artist. Beyonce is represented as strong, independent and beautiful in this video. Her appearance, vocals, and dancing ability are aspirational to not only her many fans but to many others that have seen the video.
10. Beauty shots/ money shots are expected by the record label, plus repetitions of these key shots. In this video the focus is on Beyonces body and dancing ability. However there is a notable money shot at the end, when the camera zooms from a long shot to a close up, and Beyonce smiles. 11. Extreme juxtapositions and binary oppositions make the video interesting.
There is very little juxtaposition in this video, the main juxtaposition being in the lyrics "cause cried my tears, for three good years" juxtaposed with the other lyrics connoting and dance moves connoting her strength.
12. Discontinuous editing is standard. Most of the shots are very long (timewise) and so editing plays a more minor role in this music video. A majority of the editing at the beginning is continuous however towards the end discontinuous editing sets in, although there is still no change in set and costume. 13. Audience will gain pleasure from references to popular culture. Minimal references to popular culture beyond the concept of marriage. 14. The video will be polysemic in nature, offering different layers of meaning, despite only being a performance video. The video does not make the song polysemic, however the song arguably is polysemic with the surface meaning being that men should commit if they have feelings for a woman. Other meanings are similar but preach female independence and related issues. These meanings are all of the same subject so arguably the song is not polysemic; the general message is very straightforward and evident. 15. It is likely to provoke a strong audience reaction. This song had a massive cultural impact and provoked a large audience reaction, particularly among women, with multiple cover versions and parodies. The dance is commonly recreated and has been featured in multiple mediums.
For this task we had to re-edit the text titles for the Dexter title sequence, without watching the sequence beforehand. It was crucial that we took into account
The unusual visuals
The text style we used (font, colour, size position)
The timing of our credits in relation to the shot changes
Billing orders for credits
The genre and themes of Dexter
All of these had to work together to make the title sequence seamless and look professional.
Question 2
First of all we watched the sequence through so that we could get a general idea of what would work and what would not.
We then listed all of the different credits that we thought were necessary to include. After this we tried to put these in an appropriate order for a title sequence. We decided at this point that we would reveal the actor that plays Dexter as the final credit when Dexter's face is finally revealed.
After this we decided where to place our credits in each shot; we eventually decided on the bottom left hand corner because it consistently fitted the first few shots and we didn't want to move it around in each shot. When then decided on how our credits should actually look; this involved choosing the colour, font and size of the text. We also decided to include a red shadow on our text. For each shot we then individually decided where they should come, and we made these decisions according to the action in and transitions of the shots.
Question 3
We chose a rather simple font because we felt the visuals were eyecatching enough in themselves and we did not want to distract from them.
We went with a dark red-orange colour because this is deeply symbolic of blood, and this is a central theme of Dexter.
This shadow matched in the colour of the text; we did this because we felt it resembled blood smears.
The text did not take up too much of the screen, but was large enough to ensure the credits were readable.
They were placed at the bottom left of the shots because it consistently worked with the visuals.
A fade out was used so that the entrance of the text could be shocking and sudden; similar to the editing style of the visuals.
We placed the credits in an order we thought to be quite conventional, but we decided to reveal the name of the actor who plays Dexter when Dexter's face is finally revealed, because this adds suspense.
We made our choices considering how best to represent the Dexter brand and keep all of our creative choices in synergy with each other.
Question 4
Overall our titles were fairly similar to those in the original. The colours and size we chose were similar, as was the simplistic font. Both ours and the original credits appeared suddenly on screen, however ours faded out whereas the originals sometimes moved a little on the screen and then suddenly disappeared. We consistently placed our text in the same place, whereas the original differs from credit to credit. Our credits had the role of the cast/crew and then the name (e.g. Chris Bayliss as Dexter) whereas the original just states the name. Our re-edit had less credits than the original, partly because we ran out of time (this is why there is a large gap until the final credit). On the whole however, I am pleased with the similarities between our version and the original, but I will take the reasons for the differences into account when creating our own film opening.
This is our final sequence for 'Boyfriend Bonanza'. In total we had 1 hour to plan, 1 hour to shoot, and 1 hour to edit. Below is my evaluation of the project and the sequence. 1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
I worked in a group with 3 classmates: Rakhi,
Alice, Alicia. We needed two actors, a director and a cameraman. Nobody in our group was great at acting, but in the end Alice and I volunteered. We acted for the majority of the shoot, and Alicia worked on camera and
Rakhi directed. However Alice and I also had the chance to film some shots that
we were not in, so that we could practice our camera skills.
2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?
To start with we brainstormed ideas. We explored
different genres to see which would work given our constraints and decided to go
for a chick-flick because we were a group of all girls in a school setting. We
then generated ideas for the storyline and characters in our sequence. At this
time we also considered what continuity techniques we should use and how. We
scripted our sequence and then made a storyboard so that we would have each shot
clearly presented. We then made a shot list and a shoot schedule planned
according to the different set-ups, and the times that we were able to use
different settings. We took various theories into account when making our sequence. Firstly we took into account narrative theory. There is a clear beginning and equilibrium (Carla is writing in her diary about Tom), a middle and disruption (Alice breaks the news to Ella about Tom) and an ending (Ella drops the book in horror). This makes the sequence seem logical and enables the audience We do not see Alice's reaction to this so we do not know how the situation will end, this creates enigma and a cliff hanger. We also took into accoutn Barthes' Five Codes. An example of cultural code is the clothing that Alice and I are wearing, this suggests that we are quite girly and immature. It also connotes genre, as do the props and action in the sequence.
3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
To complete the task we used a variety of
software and hardware. In terms of hardware we only used a tripod and a camera
(with a microphone) and briefly a clapperboard. We shot all of our shots on the
tripod because there was no need to use shots with particularly abstract
angles. We did not have time to change lighting because we could only shoot for
one hour.We used Adobe Premier Pro to
edit our sequence. Within this we often used the razor tool, the trim tool and
we slowed speed/duration notably for the last shot in which the diary drops in
slow motion.
4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning shooting and editing?
When planning we had to take into account props
and costume, especially because we needed to get across the girly chick-flick
nature of the sequence. We made sure all of the props were pink and girly. We
used the setting of a classroom because we knew we had access to it and it
fitted the genre of our sequence. We only had a short amount of time so we had
to realistically plan how many shots we could shoot and how long they would
take. We also had to take into account the set ups that would be neccessary to shoot this and plan accordingly.
For our shoot we had to ensure that the framing actually worked, and we had to identify any problems there may be and add in extra shots if necessary. We also had to consider when we could use certain locations. For example, another group wanted to use the hall so we decided they should go first and we would follow after. They then needed a back up shoot there so we had to work together to identify the best way possible to do this.
When editing we had to take into consideration our time limits, and we had to check our shots for any continuity errors. We had to cut them appropriately, and consider which shots worked best, and choose them to go into our sequence.
5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do different?
I think I sequence was reasonably successful;
the genre is obvious and the event that takes place is clearly portrayed. I
think the continuity also works well, we used the 180 degree rule for the
conversation as well as the 30 degree rule. Our match on action also worked well
with the dropping of the book, we tried our hardest to make sure that time
appeared to run continuously and that there were no overlaps. We used parallel
editing at the beginning, and the audience can tell this by when Ella and Alice
finally interact. Overall it is quite a logical sequence, and the storyline and genre are clear.
However, there are
definitely improvements that could be made. Firstly I think the acting could be
improved, but this was hard as neither Alice nor I are excellent actors. I also
think the conversation is slightly odd; Alice could have said something when
she came into the room and the entire conversation itself could have been
longer. We could have also been more precise with our match on actions
especially when Alice enters the room.
6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahea, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
From this task I have definitely learnt about the significance of planning. Planning shot orders according to set-ups, actors and all other impacting factors will enable our shoots to run smoothly and reduce the likelyhood that we will need a re-shoot. I also think that drawing out a detailed storyboard helps to identify any errors, such as shots that need to be added, or continuity errors, or any locations or props neccessary.
I also think that we will have to choose our actors carefully, but also not make our script too difficult, because we are not professionals and mistakes will be made. However I think that the acting will be better for our real assessment, because we will be able to select who is in it, and we will not neccessarily be able to act ourselves.
I have learnt that in a group, it is vital that everyone has there own job in order to get everything organised and done. It is also neccessary that in groups of this size that everyone has equal sizes of roles, so that everyone puts in equal effort.
The opening of this title sequence establishes the location, with just city diegetic sounds that you would expect to hear in this location: nothing out of the ordinary. We then hear a train passing and suddenly the volume dramatically increases and we see the train up close, and are then therefore brought into the film and are more involved than when we were watching the establishing shot. The Bee-Gees famous track "staying alive" starts to play and so from 40 seconds in the audience know it is a musical due to the disco track being played loudly. The first diegetic sound after this is Tony's footsteps, and he walks in time to the music, giving a sense that he can almost hear it too, even though it is non-diegetic. As we watch more, we presume he is a dancer. This is also because his outfit strongly matches the disco music. As the music starts to get louder at around 1 minute, we start to hear noises other than Tony's footsteps, showing that he is not alone. He is still however very central in both visuals and sound; he is in the centre of the shots and his footsteps are louder than would be expected. We hear the lyric "I'm a woman's man" and from then on we see Tony turning around to stare at them, and other related actions which make us sure this lyric is about him. The conversation between Tony and the Pizza Lady show that he is a local and that he is known around here. By this point the audience have a strong sense of this character. This is enforced by his conversation with the man in the phone shop, he is confident, laid-back and he knows what he wants. This is the same for most of the rest of the scene until returns to work. We hear the car horn go and we presume he has run across the road because he is running across the road in the shots before and after this. The music quietens down as he enters work and his footsteps no longer match. The music plays very quietly under the diegetic conversation and Tony acts less how we saw him acting in street when he is at work, so we get the idea he doesn't really belong here. However he is still in his comfort zone when he tricks the woman into thinking he is giving her "a dollar off"; he is a very confident person.
This analysis is based on an extract from Amelie (2001)
Master shot: This is used in the bar, it shows the action from a longer shot which includes all the characters. 30 degree rule: This is used when Bretodeau enters the phone box, the MCU is at an angle to make it seem like less of a jump cut and so the audience follow more smoothly. Shot reverse shot: An example of this is the close-ups between Amelie and Bretodeau in the phonebox. 180 degree rule: Used in bar between Bretodeau and bartender. The camera never crosses a 180 degree angle because this would be confusing and would seem as if the characters had moved. Match on Action: Shots are edited so that the action continues to flow even when the shot changes, a good example of this is when the marbes spill out of his pockets, and we then see them on the floor. Parallel editing: This is when shots are edited together and thus appear to happen simultaneously. An example of this is when Amelie is watching Bretodeau from the phone box, we get a sense that this is happening as he opens the box because the shots switch back and forth.
