Use of iMovie

For my project I have decided to use iMovie for my editing. This is an application I became familiar with last year during my AS project and I grew in confidence as I was using it. It is a good application to use when putting together my footage as it is easy to trim and edit clips so that they fit in with the song. I have found so far that it has been difficult to get the clips at the right time so that the lip sync fits in with the backing track. I hope to further better my ability to use iMovie throughout the duration of my A2 project also. So far I have got about two thirds of the footage I need to complete my project however I will need to adjust some scenes.

An example of a scene I will need to change is below, the scene was badly lit and the actions of the character don't fit well with the song. I have tried to use editing techniques on the clip for example, changing the brightness in order to improve the lighting, but I still feel that the scene still needs to be re-done.

Further up the blog you will be able to see my new footage with much better lighting.

Character Profiles

Ricky George

Played by - George Ascroft

Age - 22

Address - 2 Park Avenue, SM6 2JQ, Surrey

Occupation - Plumber

Lives on his own and is a lonely guy, having just recently got out of a long term relationship with Natalie and is full of emotion that are counter hegemonic to the dominant male hegemony. He is sad and upset instead of the typical angry aggressive young male.


Natalie Smith

Played by - Siobhan Gormley

Age - 20

Address - 34 Link Lane, SM6 7TY

Occupation - Student

Lives with flatmates and just recently broke up with Ricky.


Here is an image of the two characters together. I will also use this image in my film as a memory for Ricky to look back on.

Shot List

When filming I will make sure that I get lots of close ups of the star, not only to boost his recognition but also to show the emotion that the star is adding to the song. The song is emotional and therefore the character should show emotion as it fits the visuals with the lyrics and by the best way to do this is by using close up shots.

I will also use point of view shots from the stars view looking at the female actor. This complies with Goodwin's conventions about notions of looking from voyeuristic views.

I will include both shots of the two actors together and the star on his own in order to show a contrast and this can add to the emotional effect.



Here is a list of shots I plan to feature:

opening scene
- Opening movement from the sky down to a scene with star Ricky standing there on his own.
- Ricky walking around station from different angles
- Ricky leaning on a pole singing close up, side view and medium shot

change of scene
- cuts to house
- Ricky sitting there with Natalie
- close ups of the two staring at each other (fits with lyrics)
- Natalie leaves
- close up of Ricky upset

change of scene (chorus)
- Ricky walking down an alley way alone
- close up of Ricky leaning against a wall singing
- Ricky gets phone out
- close up of phone sending text, 'I miss you'
- shot of Ricky from behind walking away (fits with lyrics, 'you've got to walk away now')

change of scene
- cuts to Ricky in the park walking in front of the camera singing, relatively close up
- Ricky sitting on a bench singing, close ups, side view, medium shot

change of scene
- Ricky then sitting in a car with Natalie, point of view shot, (notions of looking)
- point of view shots back and forth from characters
- shot of Natalie leaving

change of scene (chorus)
- Ricky laying in bed upset
- close ups of his face showing emotion
- shots of Ricky walking back and forth in bis room thinking
- shot of Ricky looking at old picture of himself with Natalie as a memory

change of scene
- Long shot of ricky sitting in an empty stand
- cuts to close up of ricky in stand singing
- side view of ricky singing
- close up of ricky singing in stand again
- Long shot of the stand again

change of scene (final chorus)

- Ricky sitting in his house alone at a table
- Close up of Ricky showing he is upset
- Medium shot showing the picture he was looking at earlier disguised in the shot
- Close up of Ricky picking up picture
- Close up of Ricky looking at it
- Medium shot of him throwing it away, then getting up and walking off

Final Shot
- Extreme close up on picture of the two together as music fades out

Props and location

For my media product I will need certain props in order to make my product seem more real.

- HD Camera
- Car
- Tripod
- Cheap-ish clothes
- Phone

I will need two characters for my music video, the star and then one female side character.


Also I looked at locations that I could film at using Google Earth. Here are some of the locations I will use.

Sutton Arena - for a shot of the star in the stands on his own singing.

Mellows Park - where I will have shots of the star singing whilst walking in the park and then eventually sitting down on a park bench singing on his own.

Georges road - where I can have him walking around lonely singing, I will also do some footage of him in his house on his own, suggesting that he is from the working class.

A2 Storyboard Animatic

I created a storyboard as part of my planning and from this produced an animatic that I will use as a guide when filming my project.

Photoshop Practice

I used photoshop to design a CD case, this was practice for my actual A2 piece.

The Streets - Dry Your Eyes Mate Lyrics

In one single moment your whole life can turn around, I stand there for a minute staring straight into the ground.
Looking to the left slightly then looking back down the world feels like its caved in proper sorry frown.
Please let me show you how we could only just be for us, I can change and I can grow or we can adjust. The wicked thing about us is we always have trust.
We can even have an open relationship if we must.
I look at her, she stares almost straight back at me but her eyes glaze over like she's looking straight through me.
Then her eyes must have closed for what seems an eternity, when they opened up she's lookin down at her feet.

[Chorus]

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now, its over.

So then I moved my hand off and down by my side, shaking, my life is crashing before my eyes.
I turn the palm of my hand up to face the skies, touched the bottom of her chin and let out a sigh.
Because I can't imagine my life without you and me, there's things I can't imagine doing, things I can't imagine seeing.
It weren't supposed to be easy, surely, please please, I'm begging, please.
She brings her hands up towards where my hands rested she wraps her fingers around mine with the softness she's blessed with.
She peels away my fingers looks at me and then gestures, by pushing my hand away to my chest from hers.

[Chorus]

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now, its over.

I know in the past I've found it hard to say, telling you things but not telling you straight. But the more I pull on your hand the more you pull away.

Dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you've got to walk away now.

E-mail to owners of the song

I decided I wanted to use the song, Dry Your Eyes by The Streets for my music video. This video gave me ideas of how and where to film whilst complying with Goodwin's 6 conventions using the resources available to me. However I needed to obtain permission to use the song from the owners of the rights to the song.

679 Artists - a part of the main distributor - Warner Music group

As this group holds the rights to the song I need to request permission to use the song in order to avoid any copyright issues, so I sent this E-mail.



To 679 Artists,

I am an A level media student and for my coursework project for this year I am required to shoot a music video. Looking at the criteria I have decided what song would work best for me and you own the rights to that song.

Therefore I request permission to use the following song for my coursework piece.

Dry Your Eyes - by The Streets

My video would be used for educational purposes only and would not damage the brand label in any way. It would be much appreciated if you could give me permission to use this song for my video.

Sincerely,

Jacob Paul

Possible Music Videos

The Streets - Fit But You Know It

The Streets - Dry Your Eyes Mate

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

Calvin Harris - I Get All The Girls

Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me

The Offspring - Pretty Fly For A White Guy

Star Theory

   Often these days 'Pop Performer' and 'Pop Star' are thought of as the same thing. However Pop Performer, refers to the musician and 'Pop Star' as the identity/persona and the brand image. Musicians go through the stage of performing and then identify themselves through help of their managers to sell themselves as a brand. Pop Stars will often have taglines or significant poses to be recognised by as a USP. Pop Performers create themselves through producing their own music whereas Pop Stars are created by the record company and they must be sold. Pop Stars begin as real people and adapt to support hegemonies and ideals of 'what people are supposed to be like,' for example women - thin and beautiful or in contrast, fat but still loveable. Pop Stars establish their personality/character after producing early songs and strive for immediate star identity after their first album.

From -http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/Music/music.php?pageID=popstar

Andrew Goodwins 6 Conventions of a Music Video

1 - Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performace in metal music videos, dance routine for boy/ girl bands, aspiration in Hip-Hop).

2 - There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

3 - There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

4 - The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style). These include close ups of the stars face, iconography of the band image, visual trademarks and motifs.

5 - There is frequently reference to notions of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6 - There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

JLS - One Shot

In this video we see the dance routine which is expected in any video of a boyband, there is also plenty of close ups of the band and the lighting is clearly showing that the focus is on them. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals also when the chorus line 'one shot' is sang, the artists hold up the one index finger.

Shakira - She Wolf

In this video we see close intertextual reference to films of a genre horror, the beginning of the video shows a close up of the artist waking up to a full moon and she then changes (her nails grow longer). There is very frequently reference to notions of looking also, there is strong voyeuristic treatement of Shakiras body as the dances around and holds poses showing herself off. There is a link between the lyrics and visuals also, as 'eternal creature' is sang, a werewolf appears - which is also what the song is about.

Outkast - Roses

In this video we see strong notions of looking through the use of pictures on the screen and mirrors to highlight the female character, 'Caroline.' There is also a relationship between music and visuals as the car drives off, the instruments being played and also towards the end when a fight breaks out you can hear all the diegetic sound. There is also close intertextual reference between the characters/ artists and the yearbook, this also creates the notion of looking effect. This shows off the artists also as there are many close ups to create the record label and develop the band image.

A2 G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media Spec

A2 Specification

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with the following two:

•a digipak for the album’s release
• a magazine advertisement for the digipak.

This is a coursework unit. Centres must set the brief from the menu below, though they may define more precise details in negotiation with candidates. 

From these brief, candidates will produce:

•a media portfolio, comprising a main and ancillary texts; • 
•a presentation of their research, planning and evaluation in digital format(s).

•Video 
•Print 
•Web-based 
•Audio
•Games software

Each candidate will evaluate and reflect upon the creative process and their experience of it. Candidates will evaluate their work digitally, this evaluation being guided by the set of key questions below. This evaluation may be done collectively for a group production or individually.

Examples of suitable formats for the evaluation are:

•A blog 
•DVD extras 
•A podcast
•A PowerPoint
•A Website

In the evaluation the following four questions must be addressed:

•In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 
•How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? 
•What have you learned from your audience feedback?
•How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?