Unit 30: Advertisement Production for Television - Class Task

Today we began our next unit, advertising. We had to find some information about

BARB; Broadcaster's Audience  Research Board

They provide weekly UK audience figures and offer a minute by minute breakdown of viewing at regional and national levels.

They carefully select a panel of private homes and an average is taken. This consists of 5100 households, which each represent 5000 other households across the UK.

We then looked at where we encounter advertising such as; YouTube, any channel except the BBC, websites, newspapers.

We were asked about what adverts are memorable. When I think of adverts the first thing that pops into my mind is the John Lewis Christmas adverts (it doesn't help that it's nearly Christmas) this is because they make me feel a certain emotion when watching. This is called immersive advertising; when you are emotionally invested/involved. Another advertisement I find memorable is for Go Compare (not for the right reasons) they have the most irritating man in the world singing the most annoying-ily catchy song! As soon as the company realised how memorable this character was they used it repeatedly in every advert, making sure a link was made and when thinking of a comparison website people would start singing the song/jingle stuck in their head.

The persuasive strategies used by advertisers who want you to buy their product can be divided into three categories:

Pathos - An appeal to emotion

An advertisement using pathos will attempt to evoke an emotional response from the audience. This can either be a positive emotion (happiness from a family enjoying themselves together) or a negative emotion (pain from a stressful situation).

Logos - An appeal to logic or reason

An advertisement using logos will give you the evidence and statistics you need to fully understand what the product does. The logos of an advertisement will be the 'straight facts' such as, a innocent smoothie contains two of your five a day. 

Ethos - An appeal to credibility or character

An advertisement using ethos will try to convince you that the company is more reliable, honest and credible. Resulting in you buying the product. Ethos often involves statistics from reliable experts such as, nine out of ten dentists agree that Colgate whitening is better than any other brand. Often, celebrities will endorse a product to lend it credibility.

Audience Responses

Denotation: is the common sense or everyday meaning of a sign; for example, a red rose is a garden plant. This is it's denotational meaning.

Connotation: In using a name or label which our audience has used before, we suggest not only the meaning we intend but also a varying range of personal memories of other occasions when this word or label has been encountered. These memories/thoughts which we inspire by using these labels is connotation.

An image of the Queen's crown (the denotational meaning) makes me think of a weekend trip to London with my Grandparent's years ago (the connotational meaning).  
If you make the connotations that the producer of the media text meant you to make, then this is called a preferred reading.
If you make different connotations from those which the producer intended you to make, then this is called an oppositional reading.

Unit 29: Music Video Production - My finished music video

Unit 29: Music Video Production Task 2 - "Daylight" 9/11/15

Today we began filming our music video! 

Me, Chloe and Harvey arrived at the location (Kane's house) at 1pm will all the equipment (camera, tripod, mic and two lights). We began setting up and testing to check if everything was working properly.

Then we had some dinner while going through our paperwork! We went through our storyboard and shot lists and began a mental timeline of how the evening would go.

Just before 4pm Audrey arrived. As the actor who was playing the business man could not make it, Kane had to step in for the role. After a quick costume change we then began filming the scenes with the Business man and his wife; starting in the dining room, followed by the kitchen and then the front room scenes.

After an hour and a half in the makeup department Keiran arrived for the Old Man scenes... In his AMAZING make up.

Although things didn't go to plan we got all the shots we needed and overall the day was a success! I had a lot of fun and can't wait to continue/finish filming the Soldier scenes on Friday.

Unit 29: Music Video Production Task 2 - "Daylight" 05/11/15

Today we continued our pre-production paperwork. 

I worked alongside Kane (Director) for most of the session to complete our storyboards and develop our ideas into visuals we can follow. 

I also contacted our chosen actors asking if they'd be interested in taking on a role. We were successful and now have five excited individuals ready for work: 

Sam Brown, as the soldier and main focus of the video. 

Bobby Howard, as the soldier's girlfriend. 

Anesu Nhari, as the business man. 

Audrey Cook, as the business man's wife.

Kieran Dixon, as the elderly man. 

My two year old son, Bradley Cooper, will also be involved playing the soldiers child. 

I also worked around the actors to find suitable dates/times that suited us all. Filming will begin Monday the 9th and continue Friday the 13th. 

We finally spoke to the Make-Up students about their availability to help with our project and will be seeing them on Monday. 

Later today I will be ordering the soldiers costume online ready for Friday.  

As a group we have decided to meet at college late Monday morning to acquire the equipment needed and begin setting up at our first location. Ready for a 5:00pm start. 

I can't wait to get started. 

Unit 29: Music Video Production Task 2 - "Daylight" 02/11/15

Today we began our pre-production paperwork.

As well as beginning a shot list, scene breakdowns and storyboards I wrote and posted our casting requirements on the appropriate Facebook page to enlist actors. 

I included a copy of our music video treatment so that the actors could understand and visualise our idea before volunteering to be in it. 

I feel that all of the team are really enthuastisic and completing work to a good standard, as well as in our time limit. 

Unit 24: Writing for Televison and Film - 1st Story Idea

I have chosen the original story type, the spider and the fly.
The target audience: 15-18 years old - Youth Audience


My idea for a story is about the binary opposites, a killer and the protagonist.
My synopsis is:

Beyond the Safe Zone lies darkness shrouded in mystery and secrets. 17 year old Isabel has always craved to learn what's out there. On her 18th birthday she and her friends sneak away to discover what they've been kept away from all their lives... or who.

Unit 29: Music video Production Task 2 - "You're Beautiful" cont.

Conventions

Lyric interpretation in music videos is when the lyrics match the visuals on screen, when the video actually links to what the artist is singing. Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' shows this perfectly. The characters, setting costume and scenes follow the lyrics strictly. 

Extending or consolidating song's meaning in a music video is when mise en scene is used to further push the deeper, subtle meaning of a song.

Allusion in music videos is when an artist slyly refers to a circumstance from outside the music industry. Taylor Swift uses this in her video for 'Love Story". As it compares to the famous literature love story of Romeo and Juliet.

Links to other artists is when a video includes a reference to another artist. 

Techniques 

Cutting to the beat in music videos tends to make use of the tempo of the track to drive the editing and may emphasise particular sounds by focusing on instruments etc. The White Stripes 'Hardest Button To Button' uses cutting to the beat throughout the song.

Effects include stop motion, green screen and CGI. Michael Jackson's first ever music video for 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' began the birth of the green screen era. A space effect is used in the background as Michael performs his first hit. The post-production technique chroma key is also used in this music video. As green screen is used, the video process of laying two images/videos together is needed. 

Miming and lip sync is used in lots of music videos. Nickelback's 'Rockstar' includes different people miming along to the bands recorded song. This adds some fun and entertainment as people relate to the scenarios of the song. 

Multi-Mage is a technique used when multiple videos are on one screen. Example's video for 'Kickstarts' uses this to show all the characters and different scenarios revolving around the theme of love. 

Camera Movements in music video may accompany movement of performers or used to create a more dynamic feel to stage performances e.g.. circling performers on stage. Close-up's are used to show the artist as a star but also as a commodity for sale like a product. Kiesza's 'Hideaway' is an example of a one shot, tracking shot.

Unit 29: Music Video Production Task 2 - “You’re Beautiful”

A music video is a short film that combines a song with imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Music videos use a wide range of styles, conventions and techniques to make them original and interesting. 

The main purposes of music videos are to:

Promote the artist

Increase a songs popularity and income 

Use the extension of outlets to appeal to a larger audience; through social media, YouTube and music channels.  

Synergy is when a video is used alongside another product. An example of this is in Kick Ass 2 when Union J's music video is actually played in a memorable scene in the film. 

Producers use strategies to change a music videos image in an effective way. 

Styles

Popular music genres pop, rock and rap will all have certain styles of music videos relating to that type of music. A generic rap video will normally consist of the rapper himself and his 'entourage', this can be seen in Dr.Dre's "Still D.R.E.".

This music video contains many of the common traits found in rap videos such as; drugs, cars, women, alcohol, money and blatant expressions of machismo.

A dance/techno music video will at least have one shot in a club/party setting; reflecting the style of the audience. They are set in an exotic location, giving the feeling of a party and summer. This is how they want the audience to feel when listening/watching the track. Basshunter "All I Ever Wanted".

In-concert and ‘as live’ footage is a popular style of music video with bands.  It's obvious Korn's "Right Now" is a live footage music video as we see continuous shots of the members of the band and also the audience.

 It portrays the vibrant atmosphere and really makes the viewer feel as if they are present; showing how much of a great time they have witnessing the band live.

Animation is the use of drawings to illustrate lyrics and meanings. This style is continuously used in music videos; Steven Wilson’s “The Raven That Refused to Sing” is a great example.

This style of music video creates an intense atmosphere with it's imaginative and thought provoking short. It brings the haunting story of the song to life, linking with the lyrics. The simple animation style, based largely on the gentle movements of hand-cut paper models, fits the mood perfectly. Interpretative music videos encourage the audience to create their own interpretation of the meaning behind the song, this music video also does just that. Along with the lyrics,

"(the raven sings in a dream)
Sister I lost you
When you were still a child
But I need you now
And I need our former life
I'm afraid to wake
I'm afraid to love".

I think that the meaning behind the video is about loneliness and loss. The old man is at the end of his life and is waiting to die. The raven who visits him is a image of his older sister, who he lost when he was young. It seems that since then he has isolated himself in the woods and is now ready to be with her again.

Narrative music videos are often fragmented cutting between story and performance. Close up's on screen allows more intimacy than seeing a stage performance, allowing for observation of facial features, singing or simply allowing the audience to see the artist living 'their life'. Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" is a storyline about teenage pregnancy and a girl who wants advice from her Father.

The music video follows a story's 3 act structure. The beginning, shows a time lapse of the main character 'Madonna' growing up with her father as the only parent figure. When she is older she meets a boy and they become lovers. The middle, she finds out she is pregnant and is shunned by her friends, she now faces the issue of telling her father and asking his advice. The end, she reaches a new resolution  as her father doesn't preach and comforts her.

Impressionist music videos focus on the more artistic images and the use of colour. Red Hot Chilli Peppers "Can't Stop" video was inspired by the One-Minute Sculptures of Erwin Wurm.

Surrealism: "a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images." Music videos of this style tend to be unconventional and different. 30 Seconds To Mars's "Hurricane" (censored) is a music video that is very unorthodox.

The band have put together a set of different images with some intertwined storylines to create a music video showing the darker corners of their artistic creativity.

Parody music videos imitate the style of a particular genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. This "Bad Blood" parody by Bart Baker is for entertainment.

This music video is for the simple reason to entertain and make people laugh by imitating Taylor Swift's version. They change the lyrics to add to the comedy. This will result in more views and recognition for them, especially people who dislike Taylor's song version.

Referencing/Homage is a style of music video that can refer to a famous film, character or anything well known for either a short period of the video or the full duration. "Last Cup Of Sorrow" by Faith No More is a perfect example.

 The video references to Alfred Hitchcock's film, Vertigo; from the costume, to some of the most memorable scenes. The opening rooftop scene, the plunge into San Francisco bay and the belltower sequence complete with the famous Hitchcock zoom.

A pastiche music video is a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period. An example is, Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" imitated by Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman". 

The same setting and background, the same makeup and even most of the same shots. I range of master shots and close up's.

Styles of some music videos are influenced by the outside world, such as commercials/advertising. Some may advertise a way of life, for example Fergie's "Glamorous". 

This music video promotes the working-class lifestyle, compared to that of the wealthy.