Equipment list

Equipment List

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Call Sheet

Call Sheet

Contact with the artist

In order to be able to use the song I intend to for my music video, it was necessary that I contact the artist and gain permission. I researched Ed Sheeran's managament team and found an email address that deals with enquires, therefore I emailed this address to explain the purpose of using the song, and asked if it was possible for them to grant me permission.

Moodboard

In order to create a rough idea of what will be involved in my music video, I gathered together a collection of images that would be able to convey this. I included images of possible outfits, hair styles, setting and instruments that would be the most successful in the genre of my chosen song and would also be able to captivate my target audience. The images have helped me to create an image in my head of what I would like my performer to be wearing and has also given me ideas as to where I should film scenes for my music video, including places like Black Park and London.

Location Reece

Looking at different types of locations has enabled me to see what potential places I could film in. It is important for me to use the correct locations to convey the peformer's emotions and capture flashbacks of the performer and her friend. Mise-en-scene is an essential aspect of the Indie genre - it is typically kept low key and simple rather than other genres such as pop that typically create extravagant/over the top backgrounds and settings. Therefore, I am going to ensure that the locations I use are modest and relatable to my target audience who can instantly connect with the setting.

Filming Schedule

Filming

Magazine Album Advert Analysis

For one of my ancillary tasks I am required to create a magazine album advert. This is only a rough draft of the layout that I intend to use, and the image I have used is one that I would like to re create for my own advert. In order to understand the importance of each aspect on the advert I have analysed their use and explained why they are necessary in order to promote the artist and the album in the best possible light. When I create my final product, the layout may change slightly but I think that the simple layout used on this one reflects the Indie genre well and therefore my target audience will be instantly drawn to the feature.

Magazine Album Advert Draft

This is the draft for my magazine album advert. This is a particularly rough draft that I have created in order for me to visualise a simple layout that I could use which would be successful in attracting my target audience. The image is one that I found on google images that has given me some inspiration as to what picture I would like to take myself. As the indie genre is genuinely simple and modest, I think that taking an image of nature will capture the attention of my target audience as it is not over the top or too flashy for the genre. On this draft I have only used a basic font in order to see where it would place best - however for the final product I am going to choose a font from dafont.com that will compliment the image and the genre of music well.

Pitch/Proposal

Proposal

Location Reece

Location Recce

Production Diary Post 8

Planning for Magazine Advert

Anamatic

Planning for Digipak

Production Diary Post 7

This week I have been working on my story board in order to visualise how my music video will look on screen. Shot by shot I have drawn what I would like the scene to look like and what lyrics of the song will be played over these shots. I have also included what type of shots or camera angles will be in the scenes for example close up, mid shot, long shot, high angle. This gives me a basis to work from and try to recreate which then makes it easier when it comes to actually filming.

Storyboard

Audience Research

Production Diary post 6

I have currently been researching the purpose and use of a Digipak in order to gain an understanding of what they look like and how they are used in order for me to create my own in the most successful and professional way. Artists use Digipaks to showcase themselves and their songs to fans in order to widen their audience base and increase sales. The front of the digipak with have some aspect of what the artist represents and what their genre is. This links to emphasising the artist brand image which increases the popularity of the artist. All aspects of the digipak, brand image and music video are all interwoven together. Digipaks benefit the artist and their music as its promotional aspect of the music industry which helps bring awareness to the artist thus selling the artist and encouraging consumers to buy and listen to their music. It could be argued that buying a digipak establishes your loyalty to the artist.

What is a Digipak?

Digipak-style packaging is often used for CD singles or special editions of CD albums. They typically consist of a gatefold paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. Digipaks were first created by MeadWestvaco, and their product, called Digi-Pak, is trademarked. However, as the format became more popular it began to be used and made by many more manufacturers. Today, Digipaks are very popular and extremely common within CD sales.

Digipaks are used in order to promote the artist in the most beneficial way, and emphasises to the audience what their genre of music is. There is often a certain theme to the digipak, for example Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" digipak followed a candy/sweet theme which instantly suggests that her specific genre of music is pop. It is used to accentuate the artist's image and create a wider audience base through the creativity of the artist's approach. Digipaks benefit the artist and their music as its promotional aspect ofthe music industry which helps bring awareness to the artist thus selling the artist and encouraging consumers to buy and listen to their music.You could argue that buying a digipak establishes your loyalty to your artist.

The back of the Digipak includes information of the tracks included and also the order making it easier to find a certain track and also to show what is actually included. Due to the increasing use of digital streaming and downloading the demand for digipaks is falling. This is because digital downloads only show the front of an album which leaves the rest redundant. Illegal downloads also stop the sales of digipaks because a track is not purchased at all. This stops any purchase of a digipak. Social music sites such as YouTube, sound cloud and spofity also stop the sales of Digipaks because it is a digital form of music and not able to be bought in a shop.

Media Theory

Production Diary Post 5

I have continued to work on my blog posts this week. I have worked on the lyric analysis of my chosen song 'Ed Sheeran - Autumn Leaves' to be able to understand the meaning behind it which will help me to create a storyline for my music video. Furthermore, it will enable me to match the lyrics to visuals which is common in the Indie genre for music videos as they tend to use narrative over performance.

Lyric Analysis

Research into Music Labels

Research into Equipment

Canon 550D

This is the camera that I will be using to record my music video. It is a professional camera and therefore will make the quality and detail of my music video extremely successful. I am also able to film in HD with this camera which therefore will increase the professional impact that it has on the overall video. This camera is easily accessible to me as it is owned by my school. Fortunately, I have had experience with this camera multiple times before, including GCSE and AS coursework. Therefore I am familiar with how the camera works and its features. I am able to change the settings to fit in with how I want the video to look including depth of focus which will make the video more professional. As the camera is digital, it has a memory card that I can easily transfer onto the computer in order to edit it in Adobe Premiere.


Studio Lighting

The lighting will be extremely important in my video as good lighting will make it look professional. The lights I have access to will be particularly helpful as they are easy to move around and therefore I will be able to make the lighting exactly how I want it to and edit it frequently and easily if I am unhappy with how it looks.

I am able to use the location of the black box drama studio in school, where there are lights already rigged onto the ceiling and positioned in particular locations. It is easy to adjust the brightness on them to make them as dim or bright as I would like and that would compliment my shot well.

 
To edit my footage I will need to use Adobe Premiere Pro. It allows me to cut and edit my footage however I think most suitable to my video. It will bring all my clips together to create an overall final product. We have been practising in our theory side of the course how to use this, therefore when it comes to putting my video together I will be more familiar and able to complete it successfully.

Production Diary Post 4

This week I have continued to work on my blog tasks. Researching more and more about the music industry and about my specific genre will be extremely helpful when I start creating my music video, digipak and magazine album advert as it will give me a better understanding of what I should include and what would be successful and appreciated by an audience. Most specifically, researching into the genre has shown me that the Indie genre is very minimalistic and likes to keep things simple which puts more on an emphasis on the music itself rather than a huge production. I will keep this in mind when creating my products as I want to appeal to my audience in the best possible way.

Channels/Festivals

Music Channels



Viva

Viva is a music video and entertainment channel that broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel was officially launched by Alexandra Burke, with an exclusive live performance of her single "Bad Boys".
 The channel is owned by Viacom International Media Networks Europe and was originally a German channel. It is also the first channel from MTV that is on Freeview. It launched on 26 October 2009.
It was first aired on the 1st December 1993 in Germany and is owned by MTV but led by Time warner, Polygram Records and EMI Music. DoRo Productions were hired to design the chanel. Viva now runs across Europe and is a successful music channel.
As well as featuring music, they have a wide selection of TV Programmes that are extremely popular worldwide.  This includes Pretty Little Liars, Catfish, My Super Sweet Sixteen, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and MTV Cribs.
Viva brought in VIVA to replace TMF.

MTV

MTV is an American basic cable and satellite television channel owned by the MTV Networks Music & Logo Group, a unit of the Viacom Media Networks division of Viacom. The channel itself is headquartered in Los Angeles,
It was launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by television personalities known as "video jockeys," or VJs. In its early years, MTV's main target demographic were young adults, but today, MTV's programming is primarily targeted at adolescents and teenagers.
MTV has spawned numerous sister channels in the U.S. and affiliated channels internationally, some of which have gone independent.


4 Music

4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland. The channel launched on 15 August 2008, replacing The Hits. It is the only Channel 4-branded channel within the Box Television network. It is available on Freeview, Virgin Media, Sky and Smallworld Cable. On 2 April 2013, all Box Television channels went free-to-air on satellite, apart from 4Music which went free-to-view. As a result the channels were removed from the Sky EPG in Ireland.



Festivals


Reading/Leeds Festival

The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festival that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. Campsites are available at both sites and weekend tickets include camping. Day tickets are also sold.
The Reading Festival, the original and senior of the two, is the world's oldest popular music festival still in existence. It has had various musical phases over the years, as detailed below. In the twin-site era, rock, alternative, indie, punk and metal have tended to dominate.
The festivals are run by Festival Republic, which was divested from Mean Fiddler Music Group. For promotional purposes during 1998-2007 they were known as the Carling Weekend: Reading and the Carling Weekend: Leeds.
In November 2007, the organisers welcomed "Reading Festival reclaiming its prestigious name" when the sponsored title was abolished after 9 years.

V Festival

The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park in South Staffordshire. Although predominantly a rock music festival, a wide range of musical genres are accepted; in recent years pop acts have become more common.
The "V" represents the Virgin Group, with the event being sponsored by Virgin Media. It was previously televised by Channel 4 predominantly on their sister channel 4 Music, although for the 2014 edition of the festival it was announced that television broadcast rights would be returned to MTV.

Research into artist

Research into Genre

History of Music Videos

Knowing about the history of music videos will help me in creating my own video as it will allow me to see how videos have developed over time and how I can create a video that will match the codes and conventions of a successful, professional, high quality music video that is available to watch today. It is important to recognise that a music video is a vital aspect in marketing and promoting the artist and the song, therefore my video needs to be able to captivate an audience and keep them interested throughout in order to make it memorable.

Research into Directors

Harold "Hype" Williams is an American music video and film director. Williams first displayed his work by tagging local billboards, storefronts, and playgrounds using HYPE as his graffiti tag. Williams was born in Queens, New York and is of African and Honduran descent. He later attended Adelphi University. Williams' big break came when he began working with Classic Concepts Video Productions. Lionel "Vid Kid" Martin & VJ Ralph McDaniels created Williams' first opportunity with the "Filmmakers With Attitude" moniker, which was Williams' first video company. Awards Williams has received for his video work include the Billboard Music Video Award for Best Director of the Year (1996), the Jackson Limo Award for Best Rap Video of the Year (1996) for Busta Rhymes' "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check", the NAACP Image Award (1997), the 8th annual Music Video Production Association Award for Black Music Achievement (1997), MTV Video Music Award in the Best Rap Video (1998) category for Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy wit It", MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video (1999) for TLC's "No Scrubs", and the BET Award for Best Director (2006) for Kanye West's "Gold Digger". In 2006, Williams was honored by MTV with its Video Vanguard Award, presented in honor of his achievements as a filmmaker.

Francis Lawrence is an American music video, film and television producer and director. Lawrence directed his first music video for Michael Blakey, president of Atico Records and Tidal Force drummer for that band's single, "A Man Rides Through". Soon, Lawrence became known for his original and imaginative music video scripts and visual directing style. He eventually joined a major new production company and his successful career as music video director, having worked with stars like Beyoncé, Green Day, Britney Spears, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Avril Lavigne, Aerosmith, Janet

Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Destiny's Child, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Shakira, and Missy Elliott. Some of his most famous vidoes include Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears - I'm a Slave 4 U and Lady Gaga - Bad Romance.  


Spike Jonze is an American director, producer, screenwriter and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television. Jonze is well known for his music video collaborations with Fatboy Slim, Weezer, Beastie Boys and Björk. He has worked with other major artists such as Kanye West and Jay Z, and was the director behind their video for 'Otis'.












Resarching into video directors

Production Diary Post 3

This week I started to complete the tasks that I have been given in the build up to creating my music video. It is essential that i research, know and understand the way music videos work and come together, and what is necessary in making them successful. To begin understanding this, I chose to research the codes and conventions of music videos. This helped me to learn about the different ways in which camera, editing, sound and mise en scene can effect the music video. I learnt that it is extremely important to use the right camera angles to capture the artist in the music video, as it determines how they are presented. For example, a low angle shot would make the artist seem dominant and powerful so if I wanted my artist to come across this way, I would use that angle. However, a high angle shot would do the complete opposite and make the artist seem vulnerable and modest, so it is essential that I use the correct angle in order for the artist to come across how I want them to in the video. As I am leaning towards doing a narrative video, mise en scene will be very important as it will help to tell the story and add more depth to the video. This will include things like props, costumes and make up.

Work That I Admire

Looking at different music videos by a range of artists has allowed me to discover the different types of emotion and style that come across in them. Each of them have their own storyline and/or a message that intrigues the audience and makes them pay attention to what is happening on screen. From these videos I have concluded that a strong story line is important in keeping the audience's attention throughout and ensuring that they don't lose focus. Therefore in my own video I will follow a storyline and try to make it as interesting as possible to keep the audience entertained. Furthermore, I think that including some kind of message in my music video will impress audiences and make them remember my video therefore this is also an aspect I would be keen to develop.

Codes and Conventions of a Music Video

Analysis of previous student's A2 work

Production Diary 2

This week I have continued to look at different things that I could use in my music video to make it professional and enjoyable to watch. I like the idea of having close ups on certain objects that are significant in my music video, as I feel that this gives a wider variety of shots and also allows the story behind the music video to develop. I think lights are a great thing to focus on in music videos, for example, close ups of candles, fairy lights and spotlights. This would make the video interesting and allow the audience to enjoy the video. I think that a good effect to use on a video is having lines across the screen like an old movie as this gives it an authentic feel and varies what is happening on screen. I would like to try and find a way to fit this into my music video as I think it would be a nice feature to add to make it interesting. Another idea I have had is to make a 'memories box' to use in the video filled with pictures and small objects, that I could do close ups of and make an important feature of the story, however I have not yet decided on a definite idea for my video so I will have to wait until I do so that I can develop this idea. 

Similar Product Research 2

Similar Product Research

Production Diary 1

In our first lesson of Media, we were introduced to our A2 coursework topic. We received a list of all the possible tasks that we were allowed to choose from, including a music video, a short film, a magazine, a radio broadcast and a few more things. These also included subtasks that contributed to the overall package. I have chosen to do a music video as I am interested in learning how they are shot and put together professionally. As well as creating the music video, I have to create a digipak which is a type of packaging for CDs or DVDs, typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs. Also, I will be making a magazine advert/poster to accompany the song I choose and the overall music video. This will help to bring the project to life more as there will be many components to make it as real and professional as possible.

I have started watching various music videos in order to help me come up with ideas. Personally, I think that less mainstream songs work better as they allow the video to develop more emotion and work better to tell a story, which is what I aim to do. I also like the idea of making the video black and white as it gives it a monotone feel and also makes it stand out. I really like the video for Ed Sheeran’s ‘The A Team’ and for Avril Lavigne’s ‘Nobody’s Home’. I think I want to create something like these videos as it will leave an impact on the audience. I like the idea of making a music video with a narrative as it engrosses the audience and captures their attention, whereas music videos with performers can becoming boring after a while, and I am to have an effect on the audience and not leave them bored.

I think I will use a song with meaningful lyrics that can be used to bring the narrative to life and inspire the audience. My friend, Francessca has attended a performing arts school for many years and is now also in a band. She has agreed to be in my music video which I think will enable me to create a professional piece as I know she will perform enthusiastically.

Here are some videos that I think use a narrative storyline really well:







Currently, the song 'Autumn Leaves' by Ed Sheeran is the one I am most interested in developing ideas for.