Location Research

I have decided to do this blog on a prezi.

Auditions

This is the poster that we put up around the common room in order to invite people to an audition to be in our music video.

Below is the video of the auditions that took place. We had three people come to audition for us. They were, in order of appearance, Rhiannon, Mikah and Balinder.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon has a great style for the person that we are looking for. She has a nice androgynous look and isn't afraid to express herself through her style which we loved. As you can see from the video, Rhiannon was very sadistic in the way that she lip synched to the camera. She seemed confident to lip sync and also showed her expressions really well. However, as you can see from the video, at one point Rhiannon found it hard to keep herself composed for the song meaning she let slip a smile. This gave us doubts because when it comes the real thing we need someone that will be constantly aggressive and savvy about how they hold themselves. Also, Rhiannon stayed in the same position throughout the entire chorus. This meant that we weren't able to see Rhiannon's full potential which was a shame. Overall we thought that she would be a great fit for the style of person we are going for, but due to her composure not being kept and not being fluid with her movements, we didn't think that Rhiannon would be the right person for the role.

Mikah

Mikah was our second auditionee. We really liked mikah because we felt she met all the needs of an artist within our music video. Mikah showed this through the accuracy of her lip syncing, her style of clothing and the clear confidence that she has in front of the camera. We really liked Mikah's style because although the clothing is simple, it is the right colour theme and is also stylish. We also felt that Mikah done a really good job when it came to becoming the character of the artist. She was able to put on a good performance, and she was also able to be sexual in front of the camera. The only problem that we found with Mi

kah is that she tended to play with her hair a lot. After speaking to her about this, she did say that it was just something that helped her because she was nervous but that she would become more confident as the time went on. This isn't a problem to us because there is plenty of time to get Mikah into the artist that she needs to be. Also, we liked how serious Mikah was although she had a cheeky side to her which was visible to the audition. This then s

howed us that Mikah had a lot of potential to being the artist that we need.

Balinder

It was clear to us straight away the Balinder was a confident person when she started dancing in front of the camera. This was great for us because it showed that she was able to be who we needed her to be within the music video. Balinder was also very accurate when it came to the lip syncing and was confident in performing the entire song for us if we needed her to. This showed her high levels of professionalism from Balinder which we were really impressed with. However, due to Balinder's dancing being rather too upbeat for the song that we have and being a bit too joyful, it came across as though she wasn't taking the audition as seriously as we would have liked her to. After we spoke to her, she said that that was just her style of dancing. This is when we decided that Balinder wouldn't be the right person to be our artist as she wouldn't be able to become e the serious character that we would need her to be within the music video.

Overall we have decided that the person that we would like to be our artist for our music video is Mikah.

Prop Research

For our props we have decided that we would like Mikah to be carrying a baseball bat with her in certain scenes of the music video. This is because we believe that this would give her the 'gangsta' image that we wish to create, and would also show her as a string individual that younger females could look up to. We also like the idea of having Mikah carry a baseball bat instead of any other weapon because it is easily accessible due to me having one at home already. Furthermore, a baseball bat can be portrayed in different ways depending on how the target audience wish to. This is because of it being used as a weapon, but also to just play sport.

Another reason we want Mikah to have a baseball bat is because it would link into the original music video of Kehlani's Gangsta. This is because the song and music video was created for the film 'Suicide Squad'. The lyrics talk about a character within the film Harley Quinn, looking for and wanting a 'gangsta'; The Joker. Harley Quinn's trademark within the DC Comics series is a baseball bat which is featured within Kehlani's original music video as well as the film. The baseball bat allows Harley Quinn to be portrayed as a strong female that isn't afraid to defend herself. This is an image that my group liked the idea of showing through our artist Mikah; thus the baseball bat.

Another prop that we want Mikah to have is tattoos. This then conveys the typical 'look' of a 'gangsta'. We feel like the temporary tattoos would also be a good idea because it shows someone that isn't afraid to show who they are and also is something that we could have as a trademark for our artist. This then would allow us to have Goodwin's theory in practice within our music video. The tattoos also allow us to have a correlation to the original artist Kehlani. This is because of the amount of tattoos that Kehlani has and uses is as a trademark of hers and is something that people know her by. Also, Kehlani isn't afraid to show off her tattoos which shows someone that isn't afraid to show who they really are. This is something that we would like our artist to be like.

A final prop that we like the idea of is to have Mikah wearing contact lenses that are white in colour. This is because we want her to look rather sinister within the music video. The contact lenses show a somewhat inner demon, which is what could be used to describe the 'gansgta' that the artist is looking for within the song. Also, due to Mikah's dark skin type, the light coloured contact lenses will stand out a lot more. Furthermore, when Mikah looks into the camera during the music video, the contact lenses may give the audience even more of a stronger connection to the artist.

Costume research

Within our music video, me and my group have decided on various props and costumes that we would like our artist to seen with.

In regard to costume ideas, my group came to a collective decision to have Mikah dressed in a selective colour range. These colours included black, white, khaki and grey. We decided on these colours as they allowed us to create the grungy style for our artist. Not only does it create the perfect style, but it also allows us to appeal to our target audience who are between the ages of 16-22. We thought that this would appeal to our target audience because these are quite fashionable colours that would be most likely worn by the audience themselves. This then allows us to create a bridge between our artist and our audience because it allows them to connect with the artist like an everyday person. Also, due to these colours being of an everyday wear, they were easily accessible for us and our artist due to Mikah already having an array of these colours in her wardrobe. This meant this saved us time and money instead of having to go and buy new clothes for the music video.

We liked the idea of having Mikah in a black and white strippy top within the music video because it insinuates that of prison uniform. This then shows Goodwin's theory in practice due to the visual being somewhat prison uniform relating to the lyrics of wanting a 'Gangsta'. We dressed Mikah in a black bomber jacket and black ripped jeans to go with the black and white stripped top as previously mentioned. We felt that the use of ripped jeans compares to that of the locations we filmed in with them being dilapidated and worn out, like the jeans. Furthermore, the dark clothing allows for mikah to stand out in the music video with shots being that where there are bright and colourful graffiti in the background. We felt that this then subverts the typical R&B genre because it is not portraying Mikah in a sexual light, and is also making her stand out, making her an important and powerful female figure within the music video.

Another outfit choice that we decided on was a cropped hoodie and jeans, not for Mikah but for the dancer within the music video Chrissy. We again used similar colours to those that Mikah wore, having Chrissy wearing a cropped black and white Adidas hoodie, khaki shorts over the top of black leggings and black trainers. The dark colours correlated with the theme that we aspired to create within this part of the music video. The dark colours allow the audience again to relate to the stars within the music video, similar to the effect that Mikah is to have. Furthermore, the choice of dark clothing was chosen to make Chrissy seem mysterious. This also continues into the fact that Chrissy is dancing in front of a projection with all othe#r surrounding light turned off, leaving complete darkness. This then allows for the projection colours to show us great on Chrissy and the clothes, which wouldn't have the same effect if she was wearing brighter clothing. Also, the dark clothing was something that creates the type of character we wanted Chrissy to be with the grungy style. However, unlike Mikah, we did conform to stereotypes with Chrissy's costume. This was through having her midriff on show due to the cropped hoodie. This is similar to the typical conventions of an R&B music video but wasn't something that we are too worried about. This is because it is something that the audience expect to see, and may even grab the attention of them even more.

Storyboards

Below is a slideshare presentation on our storyboard for our music video.

Storyboard from nsmithson

Final Ideas

The video above is a video we have recorder outlining our final ideas for our music video.

Analysis of real video

Within this blog, I will be analysing a real music video. I will be looking at mise -en-scene, setting, editing and camera angles.

Kehlani - Distraction

Within this music video, it is clear that only a few rooms are used throughout; this may even be the same room with different props used to make it look different. The room is dressed up in certain colours depending on which part of the song it is, with each bit in different colours and different props. For example, within the first scene, the colours are all white which then progresses to a darker room. Although, there are snippets within this first scene which foreshadows rooms coming up further on in the music video. The specific colours within each room create a clear aesthetic for the song, creating a 'chilled vibe'.

In regards to mise-en-scene, there is very minimal clothing worn by Kehlani worn throughout the music video. This then shows the sexualisation that she is trying to create within the video. Even when she is wearing boots and baggy bottoms, she pairs it with a crop top/bralette showing her midriff. This could be justified by saying that she just wants to create her trademark by showing off all of her tattoos. Another use of mise-en-scene is the dancers seen within the background of her first scene. This creates a dramatic performance but also bring Kehlani to the foreground due to her positioning. This makes her almost overshadow the dancers and makes you focus more on her. Within this music video there is also a use of a sofa and bed which creates for a sexual scene between her and one of the dancers. This then conforms to the typical stereotypes of an R&B music video because woman are being sexualised by men like they are normally in music videos. This is also evidence for the male gaze which is typically seen within music videos where women's bodies are seen as sexual objects.

There are also luxury objects shown throughout such as designers headphones, gold chains and silk clothing. This the shows the sort of theme that she is going for within the music video because there are a lot of close ups used to show off these luxury items.

The lighting is also different depending on the room that is used within that moment. For example, it changes dramatically from a bright white room to a dark room. This creates for a change in mood because the tempo of the song the changes to a slower verse.

The camera angles are very effective within this music video. For example, there are variety between long shots and close-ups. The use of long shots show the entire room and the aesthetic for that moment. They also show the entire of her body also to show her as a sexual object and showing the audience the small amount of clothing that she is wearing. The use of close-ups show the way that the male is treating the female. This can be seen with the focus on the males hands on the females body. Close ups are also used to sexualise the body of Kehlani by showing her chest area and bum as the male is grabbing it. This then attracts the male attention to her, then subliminally promoting her to the males.

There is a lot of effective and well timed editing used within this music video. An example of this is proof of Goodwin's theory in use. There are a lot of thought beats used where the shots cut quickly due to the beat of the music being quick. Furthermore, there is a change in continuity from close ups to long shots which allows for the music to be emphasised. There is also a smooth transition in editing when Kehlani walks from room to room. This then changes the atmosphere of the music video because the pace and tempo of the music changes as she changes room. This use of editing skills entices the audience because they are left wanting to see what room and what turn the music will take next.

Lip Synching Exercises

Within this video, me and another member of my group (Isobel) had to lip sync to the song that we have chosen for our music video. Once we had done so, we had to edit over the top of the video the music track. This was done in order to practice for when we have to do it for the real music video. We decided that the best way to make the lip synching as easy as possible for us was to play the song out loud in the background and then mute it when it comes to the editing.

Within this exercise, we initially found it really difficult. This was because both me and Izzy found it quite hard to keep straight faced within the video. This is when we realised how hard it would be to make sure we made the most of our time whilst filming. Another difficulty was knowing the lyrics word for word with the timing. Although the tempo of the song made it easier than a rap for example, the song itself was quite hard to learn in a short space of time.

The editing of the clip was also difficult. This was down to it being the first time anyone in my group including me, had used iMovie. We had to make sure that the clips were cut in the right place, they flowed well from person to person and that the lip syncing was perfectly in time. We felt we done a good job of this and but there was room for some improvement.  

Inital Ideas

This video is about our different ideas for different song that we might want to use for our music video.

Institutional Research

BRITISH RECORD LABEL

Parlophone Records is a British record company founded in 1896. Since it's birth, Parlophone has been attached to four different record labels. At current, they are attached to Warner Music Group. Within the 1920's, Parlophone was the leading record company when it came to jazz music. However, they now have a wide variety of different artists which means they are no longer one specific genre type. In 1962, Parlophone signed artists such as Cilla Black and most famously, The Beatles. This then bought the record company the publicity that they needed. 

Artists signed to Parlophone include The Beatles, Coldplay, David Bowie, Queen, Tinie Tempah, Pet Shop Boys, Blur, The Chemical Brothers and Rat Boy.

Due to the variety of their artists, over they years, Parlophone have been able to attract many different ages and types of people.

Parlophone would be a good record label to use for our artist because it has a very large history of music and different artists.

However, this particular record label does seem to specify in more pop bands which won't be the right style for our artist. 

 CONGLOMERATE RECORD LABEL

Independent Music Group are a record label that were founded in 1934 and is based in Santa Monica, California. Due to its wide variety of different artists, Independent don’t have a specific genre that they focus on.

Artists that are signed to Independent include Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Adele and Mariah Carey. As you can tell from the list of their artists, they are a very successful company. I feel like our artist would be good within this record label as they have a variety of different artists with a wide background of history. However, they done have very many people that specify in grungy types of music which is what we want for our artist.

INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL

Domino Records was first founded in 1993 and specialises in various different types of music styles. It is home to artists such as The Artic Monkeys, The Last Shadow Puppets and Franz Ferdinand. As you can tell, they deal with artists that aren't very well known and that aren't from a R&B background or genre. This means that they wouldn't be the best record label for our artist because we would prefer a label that specialises in R&B aritsts and has previous knowledge and history of the genre. However, the record label isa rather famous and has delt with some high end names, meaning that they might be able to have some sort of experience to offer our artist. Furthermore, due to its niche audience, they might be interested in our artist due to her not being very well known either.

Test shots of potential actors

This is our first actor Rhiannon Elliot. We believe that she has potential to be our actor because she is very confident in front of the camera. When we were taking the photos of Rhiannon, she was happy enough to pose exactly how we wanted her and she was also happy to do her own thing in front of the lens. She also has the right look for the actor that we want. We would like someone that is from a particular ethnic background, and since Rhiannon is from Uganda, we feel that she would be the right person to use for our music video. However, we would prefer someone that would be able to be seductive in front of the camera and when talking to Rhiannon about this, she said that she wouldn't be too happy to act like this. This means that we would have to reconsider the type of person that we have for our actor. Furthermore, Rhiannon said she wouldn't be happy to consider changing her hair style for us. This is because we are aiming to have someone with different hairstyles in different situations within our music video. This means that we wouldn't be able to create the specific look that we would want within our music video and we would have to find someone that would be happy to apply themselves fully to the character and role that they will be playing. Overall, Rhiannon's attitude and look are the right things that we are looking for. However, due to her not wanting to do certain things or not being comfortable, we would be better off finding someone else for our actor.

This is another one of our potential actors, Balinder Powar. She is very confident in front of the camera and she is also a dancer. This means that she has said she would be happy to perform certain dance routines to go within our music video if she was to become the main actor. However, Balinder is more of an upbeat and fast tempo dancer meaning that her style of dance, wouldn't fit our song. Also, due to Balinder's ethnic background, she has the right look that we are aiming for, for our actor.  Balinder also said that she is happy to be styled in anyway that we would like her which is exactly what we need for our actor. Also, Balinder said that she would be happy to style her hair in anyway we wanted which is an upper hand that she has over Rhiannon when it comes to deciding who will be the best actor. However, just like Rhiannon, Balinder said that because she is more of a jokey person, she wouldn't feel very comfortable being seductive. Overall, Balinder would be a great actor for our music video because of her look and attitude, but due to her confidence and personality, we believe that we would be best off to look for potential within other actor.

This is the last of our three potential actors, Mikah Arnold. We believe that Mikah has the perfect style for our actor within our music video. She has the right ethnic background and has the right sort of style. She is very modern with her fashion, even within the photo shoot, keeping it simple but effective with a white blouse and black pencil skirt. Mikah also said that she is happy for us to style her how we need her including styling her hair. This is a huge benefit to us because it means that we are able to develop her look that already fits the part. Another great thing about Mikah is that she is very confident in front of the camera. When we asked Mikah if she would be happy to be seductive within the music video and she said that she would be happy to. This also helps us because it means that we are able to create Mikah into the perfect character for our music video. The only thing that could effect Mikah being our actor is that she wear glasses. We spoke to her about this and she said that she has contact lenses and would be able to wear them when we need her to. Overall, we have chose Mikah as our main actor because of her confidence look and attitude when it comes to our music video.  



Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Within his book, Andrew Goodwin proposed that there are 5 key aspects that are feautured within a music video.

1. Thought through beats

This is the first of Goodwin's key aspects and is all about seeing the sounds. Goodwin believes that the audience favour to see aspects where there is a correlation between the visuals and the music. For examples, cuts sounds be made on the beats. This is clear to see within Beyoncé's music video 'Formation'. You can clearly see even within the first few seconds that because there is a strong beat to the song, cuts and dancing changes are made on and to the beat.

2.Relationship between narrative and performance

Goodwin stated that in order for any misunderstanding to not happen, you should follow deeply into the meaning of the song in order for the audience to understand the narrative visually. This the helps them to then clearly understand what is happening within the song. This is shown within another of Beyoncé's songs. Within this song, Beyoncé is talking about what she would do if she was a boy for a day. The narrative not only shows links to the lyrics but it also shows the story that she is telling lyrically.

3. A trademark

In order for the artist to be recognised, Goodwin talks about them having a specific trademark. This then makes the artist well known and it also creates a statement for them to live by. For example, Sia's trademark would be classed as anonymity. This is seen with her wearing large wigs that cover her face when in the public. This also reflects n her music video where she has the same girl dancing as the artist throughout all her music videos, whilst also wearing a similar wig to which Sia is always seen in.

4.Multiple close-ups of the main artist

Close ups of the artist within a music video will often include that of the eyes looking at the camera. Goodwin stated that this is done in order to create a connection between the artist and the audience. This makes the audience feel like the artist is directing their actions and words at them specifically. Close ups are often shown within a female artist's music video in order to create the sexualisation of the artist. This is then linked the idea of the 'male gaze'. This is where the female is sexualised in order to appeal directly to the male audience. A music video where this is clearly shown is Rihanna ft. Drake- Work. This video is a pure sexualisation of Rihanna, with the first shot of her being a pan up her bare leg, then leading up towards her breast and the finally her face. The fact that this is the first shot of her also foreshadows the sexual content which is to be shown.

5.Technical aspects

The final element is technical aspects within the music video. This is where the lighting , editing and mise-en-scene is shown to clearly link in with the music and to create a theme for the video. For example, within pop music videos, bright lighting will be used in order to create a more upbeat vibe to the video. Also, it will create the video more enjoyable because if there was for instance dark lighting when the lyrics are talking about a sunny day at the beach with a boyfriend/girlfriend, the audience will become confused and it will create mixed reviews and ideas as to what the music video is really trying to represent. Another example is if the song is a ballad an there are quick editing cuts, it will not make the music video look professional or understandable. Mise-en-scene is also very important within a music video. This is used in order to portray directly to the audience what your theme etc. is within the video. For example, clothing and setting will show what you want the artist to be shown as i.e. minimal clothing in a nightclub will show you're trying to represent a party aspect of the song whilst sexualising your artist.