Unit 29 Music Videos- Assignment 2- Production Documentation

Storyboard

Producing a storyboard is an important part of pre-production documentation because it helps to visualise what the most significant frames within a music video are going to look like. This is incredibly useful along with the shot list to help follow what needs to be done when shooting different scenes. A storyboard works along with a shot list, detailing the actions that are meant to be occurring as well as what camera movements or angles need to be used. Altogether this makes the process of shooting the footage a lot easier as you will instantly know what needs to be done for what shot.

1

2

3

4

5

Shot List
Using a shot list will breakdown exactly what we will be doing in every single shot throughout the music video including what the scene is, what location the scene will be shot in, what the shot type will be, what lyrics will be heard on screen and how long the shot will be. The shot list gives us an order of events within the music video and helps us to know what order to put footage in when editing and what order to shoot the sequences in. This is especially helpful as the shot list in chronological order. Since the shot list also lists what actions need to be done it is also useful when directing actors.

Shot list- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92DuxSHNJMWk1TEFPTEE


Selection of technical and performance crew
This document breaks down what each piece of technical equipment will be, how it is used, why it is being used and who the personnel is that is responsible for operating that piece of equipment. I think that this is an important document to have so that we know exactly why we are using the equipment and who is responsible for what piece of equipment.

Selection of technical and performance crew- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92DuxZnRhOHRCcjI5em8



Team roles and responsibilities
The team roles and responsibilities are useful so that everyone knows their place within the production team and knows what role they are supposed to take on. This is useful so that everyone knows the exact thing that they have to do to help the production of the video and know how they have to do it. This will also break down what specific equipment the person taking on this role will use in order to aid production.

Team Roles and Responsibilities- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92DuxTnZuWlJEV01zZFE


Production organisation schedule
The production organisation schedule will get everyone organised so that everyone knows when and where they have to. It is similar to a call sheet and outlines what scenes will be shot and when. We have also drawn up a schedule leading up to production detailing when people need to be at the location and the steps we will take on the day in question leading up to the first call for production to start.

Production organisation leading up to the shoot- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92DuxUzJOWnE5Rm9ETXM

Production Schedule- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92DuxVkdTbjRwLWNoT2c



Location recce
The location recce outlines each of the different filming locations whether it is a number of different rooms within one singular location or if it is multiple locations altogether. The location recce that we have come up with details the different advantages and disadvantages of the locations as well as a bit of information so that we know what to expect of each location on the day.

Location recce- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92Duxc0xteUotQTdwMnc


Risk assessments
A risk assessment is important to ensure that we know about the potential dangers/risks that there are with certain locations or using certain equipment. It is important to do this beforehand so that the risks are eliminated before shooting commences. This is so that no one part of the crew or the actors have any harm come to them. The risk assessment entail who is responsible for eliminating the risks and therefore people should know what they have to do to reduce potentially hazardous dangers or to resolve any issues with the technology.

Risk Assessment- https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Yd_6H__r6gIJv0KNZAEgCKvhzGy42N-AN2p34BzvML0

Permission to film
In order to actually be allowed to use a location to film on location permission needs to be given to the production team by the person that is in charge of that place. Permission to film is done in two steps, firstly there is a letter that is written to the owner/manager of the location asking for permission to use the location, stating the reasons why and whether or not the person will be compensated if there are any problems. The second step of permission to film comes in the form of a permission slip where the owner of the property gives the production team written consent to allow them to film within the property, giving/stating certain terms that do and do not allow the production team to do certain things.

Location permission request letter- https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_4lfFO92DuxMU8xb1A0bDRwNmM/view?usp=sharing

Location permission slip- https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4lfFO92DuxX1RVMUcySWJnMnc

Clearances
Due to the fact that this is a student music video and we will not be making money off of it, there's not much of a need to have to get clearances to use music or use a persons image (whether its for a reference or for comedic purposes). Should the video have been monetised (meaning money would be made off of it) then therefor I would have had to get clearances by the production company or any other stars in order to ensure that I am allowed to be using this music or an artists image as they would then be entitled to a cut of the money.

Unit 29 Music Videos- Assignment 2- Location research

What location have we chosen and why?
In terms of the location we have decided to use one of our houses as this is a location that is very representative of the song itself. Since the song is about being lazy and tells the story of a lazy day at home I feel that it only makes sense to shoot the music video within a house. The house we have chosen will accommodate for the different scenes, sequences and scenarios that we have in mind. I think that it is important to use the right location for a music video as it needs to help to represent what the song is all about. Some of the lyrics that the song has would only be achievable to show visually within someones home and therefore we want to properly depict this onscreen. I also think that by using one of our houses rather than someone else's it gives the video a more personal touch. Lastly since it is a low budget student film this is a location that is readily available and where not a lot of permissions or clearances are going to be needed. This means we are a lot less restricted with what we will be able to do as well (within boundaries obviously)

Unit 29 Music Videos- Assignment 2- Originate Ideas

Song Choice
Our choice of song for our music is going to be 'The Lazy Song' by Bruno Mars. The song itself is simply about doing nothing. It is highly reflective of what a lot of people tend to be like whether it is on a weekend or during a day off from work or school. The song follows the day in the life of a lazy person, doing a number of meaningless tasks and activities in an attempt to fill time. The song has its comedic aspects which can be quite awkward such as "hand in my pants", "have some really nice sex" and "strut in my birthday suit and let everything hang loose". I feel that this adds to the entertainment and the fun of the song. It is a very upbeat and happy song that I would consider pop. The song itself was even written by Mars when he was sitting in the studio one day, literally doing no work. The song makes a couple of pop culture references including MTV and The Dougie which is a type of dance. The song is quite reflective of procrastinators as some of the things brought up are simply meaningless or overall just 'lazy'. The song opens up even with Mars stating he "don't feel like doing anything" and just wants to lay in bed. As well as this he talks about staring at the fan, lounging around on the couch and avoiding getting a college degree as he simply wants to do nothing as we all feel like sometimes doing. I feel that this is a fun song and within our music video gives us a level of creative freedom as we will be able to create comedic, awkward and fun situations that show off the entertainment factor of the song.

Performers Style and Image
Bruno Mars like all artists has his own particular style which can be seen through his public image and during his music videos. His clothing style consists of a shirt to t-shirt, chinos or skinny genes and usually a hat whether it is a cap, snapback or a fedora. He sometimes will wear sunglasses within music videos or when out in public. He tends to wear very trendy and colourful clothing, he isn't tied down to a specific colour scheme. This links to him as a pop artist as these are the kinds of clothes that a typical male pop artist might wear. Within the music video we may make reference this whether it is by imitating the clothes that Bruno Wears or even if we simply hide a fedora in the background as a homage to Bruno Mars.

Video Style and Creative Concept
In terms of the style of video that I am aiming for I do want it to have a narrative to a certain extent with the story essentially being the day in the life of someone who is at home enjoying themselves simply doing nothing. I would like for my overall meaning of the video to show that there is no shame in doing nothing and at the same time that doing nothing can actually be quite fun. My creative concept stems from the fact that the song itself is quite funny and I felt that a funny music video could be made from it. I also want certain parts of the video to have elements that include and touch upon the referencing and homage style of music videos. I think it might be quite funny to reference Bruno Mars himself, possibly in terms of clothing or even by including his face within the video but also think it could be quite funny to pay homage to the actual music video for 'The lazy song' itself. In terms of the genre this is a pop song and an artist whom sings pop songs so therefore I will need to ensure that the video itself looks like a pop video. I will include bright colours and trendy clothing similar to what Bruno Mars will wear and overall strive to make the video as entertaining, upbeat and fun as possible so that it is fit for the genre as well as to honour Bruno Mars.

Unit 29 Music Videos- Assignment 1

This is a link to my presentation about the purposes, styles, conventions and techniques of/about music videos:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_4lfFO92DuxY0JSelVndXpQS2c/view?usp=sharing

Unit 29- Music Videos- Purposes of music videos Piktochart

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/19104116-purposes-of-music-videos

Unit 29- Examples of Techniques within music videos

Techniques: 
Cutting to the beat- Cutting to the beat is a technique used where whenever there is a change in beat the scene changes/cuts/transitions almost suddenly to keep in time with the beat. One good example of this where cutting to the beat is used throughout the whole video is The white stripes- 'Hardest button to button'.



Effects- Some music videos will be very special effect reliant and might have an overuse of stunts or CGI. Thriller is a good example of a video that relies heavily on special effects and for the time it was made, it was the most expensive music video ever produced just because of how many effects and makeup were used.



Multi image- Where multiple videos or footage sources are on one screen showing more than one thing is going on. Usually these are edited so that they are synced up and the footage in the different videos usually relates.

Chroma key (green screen)- This is when a background is digitally imposed for certain scenery in the background. Kanye West's 'Bound 2' uses green screen throughout the entire video with alls there being in the background is shots of different landscapes and scenery.

Unit 29- Music Video Production- Styles of Music Video

In Concert or Live Footage- This is when the music video is basically made up of a live performance or live footage rather than it being a performance or production that was put together specifically from the song. It could be from an artists concert or feature footage from their musical journey (as is often the case with artists from talent shows).

James Arthur- Impossible- When James Arthur won the X-Factor the first music video he released for his song impossible featured only footage from his time on the X-Factor showing his journey from audition to actually winning the show.





Animation/Stop Motion- This is when instead of live action performances with people, instead digital animation of stop-motion will be used to tell the story. (Stop motion is when a series of pictures are taken consecutively in order to create the impression of an object moving).

Animation- Kanye West- Heartless



Stop Motion- Radiohead- Burn the Witch




Interpretative- This is when a music video can be interpreted by an audience in anumber of ways whether it is through the performance or the visuals and will use their knowledge to come to their own conclusion and their own meaning from the video. The video does not have to have a set meaning or lesson that is being taught.

Sia- Chandelier- Within this video it is just performance with the main character only dancing throughout. There is no real story so therefore it is up to the audience to make of what they have been presented with.




Narrative- A narrative music video is when the video we are watching has an actual story to tell. There will be characters with a beginning, middle and end to the video. The video will give song meaning but can also be reflective of the artist. In a sense you can tell when a video has an actual narrative due to the fact that it is almost like a small film and therefore cinematic techniques will be easily identifiable/recognisable even by an audience that aren't professionals.

Ed Sheeran- Don't- The song itself tells the story of Ed Sheerans breakup with Ellie Goulding after she cheated on him with One Direction member Nial Horan a few years ago. The music video however essentially tells the story of Ed Sheerans life, showing a man living in what is essentially poverty and making his way to the top with an expensive house, nice clothes and living a happy life. This is reflective of Sheerans life who was sleeping on trains and peoples couches in between gigs just trying to make a living as an artist in London.





Impressionist- Try to represent real life through the different scenes throughout but usually have some kind of twist. The videos aim to leave some kind of impression on the vieiwing audience.

Coldplay- Adventure of a lifetime- Within this song instead of people, there are monkeys instead who take their place. Within this video there are four monkeys who even directly represent the band themselves, playing instruments, singing and one even wears a hat in the same one member from the band does. The monkeys also dance and perform in a similar way to how a dance troupe might or how a typical performance from a band might be.



Surrealist- This is when the director of a music video will subvert the audiences senses by creating surreal and impossible visuals leaving a long lasting impression. The videos tend to confuse and amaze audiences making them wonder how the videos were created and how these visuals actually came to fruition.

Coldplay- Up & Up- This video uses visuals that are very remeniscient of the film 'Inception'- creating things that are just simply impossible without the use of CGI and special effects however they suceed in playing with the audiences senses by changing what it is that audience knows about what is and isn't possible.

 



Pastiche- This is when the video in question imitates the style of other artists. It is different from parody as it does not make fun of other genres but simply celebrates them. It can be a video that takes from a number of different genres within one song.

Queen- Bohemian Rapsody- This music video, like the song has a number of differetn sections to it all made up of different genres of music video and even film related. Rather than make fun of them in their own way, Queen have embraced them in order to create this music video.



Parody- Parody is when music videos are either re-created or mimiced and have an element of humour in order to make fun of the original artist. The parodies can be people simply re-creating music videos or can even be aritsts or people replacing song lyrics with their own version, with the same tune and music in the background.

Eminem- Just lose it- Although the song itself is something that is orginally written by Eminem, the video parodies a number of different artists and characters including Madonna, MC Hmamer, Michasel Jackson and even Santa Clause. The way he acts and dances directly parodies all of this.


Weird Al Yankovich- Weird Al Yankovich is someone who creates parody songs and music videos to go along with them, where he will replace the lyrics of songs with comedic versions. Some examples include:

Party in CIA (Parody of Miley Cyrus- Party in the USA)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-CG5w4YwOI

Polka Face (Parodied a number of songs in one video- Lady Gaga- Poker Face, Womanizer- Britney Spears, Baby- Justin Beiber, Right round- Flo Rida, Day 'n' nite- Kid Cudi, Need you now- Lady Antebellum, So What- Pink, I kissed a girl- Katy Perry, Fireflies- Owl City, Blame it- Jamie Foxx, Replay- Iyaz, Down- Jay Sean, Break your heart- Taio Cruz and Tik Tok -Kesha)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRJILK3NxSM

Eat it (Parody of Michael Jackson- Beat It)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJjMnHoIBI

Referencing/Homage- This is when an artist honours another video, film or pop culture within their video. They will copy certain elements without mimicking it or making fun, they also are not imitating it to embrace the style themselves as with Pastiche but are however doing this simply to honour something publicly.

Justin Timberlake- Take back the night- Take back the night is a song that was written by Justin Timberlake and is heavily influenced by Michael Jackson in terms of the style of the song as well the dancing that Timberlake has chosen for this video.