Friday 10 December 2010


This is the design for our CD album cover , the idea is that we pose as if our hands are pressed against a window or just pushed out in front of us and the edit the image and put the name of the album with a letter on each hand. I think that this would look very effective and is a creative idea so adds interest to the album.

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Analysis Of Storyboard

We created this storyboard using imovie, this worked very effectively as we are able to see how the shots we have chosen will look for the actual music video. We took the images in the chosen locations for our music videos and using the different shot types to give us a clearer idea of what it will look like in the video. I think that the chosen shots work very well and show that they flow nicely therefore will look effective.

nicole williams.: storyboard.

nicole williams.: storyboard.

Friday 12 November 2010

Location shots







Decided Album Cover Name


After rehearsing into different album 'pop' covers, we have decided that the name 'EXCLUSIVE!' will be on our album cover as we feel it is an affective and creative name that will fit nicely with the idea of our album. We are going to have a similar cover that The Saturdays produced 'Headlines' as we think that the use of colour and the way that each Saturday is holding different letters up look very affective and we would like to create a similar look to this.
This is why we decided to have the name of our album with a letter on each hand, and pose with are hands pushed out in front of us. We are also going to be challenging the typical conventions usually seen on a 'pop' album cover. As instead of wearing bright colours and short dresses, we are going to wear more of a rock style outfit but at the same time look femine to follow some of the conventions.





Considering Genre Theory

The theory that John Fiske came up with was 'Any one programme will bear the main characteristics of its genre, but is likely to include some from others: ascribing it to one genre or another involves deciding which set of characteristics are most important'.

This relates to our project as we have followed some of the typical conventions of a 'pop' genre video such as including a dance routine in our video. However we have also challenged these conventions and not included every detail involved in a typical 'pop' music video, because instead of using a very cheesy song and dressing in bright colours to appeal to a young audience with a cheerful bubbly song. We have made our image more modern and up to date to appeal to a wider audience that are also older. So we have decided that we want to make It clear what genre our video fits by including a dance routine typical of a 'pop' video but also including different characteristics by having more of a mature image.

The theory that Edward Buscombe came up with was 'Iconography was the best way to achieve generic definitions'.

This relates to our project as we have created icons by making our band in the music video follow some of the conventions of the 'pop' genre, such as putting across a happy and cheerful image to appeal to a large audience. But at the same time a sexy and provocative image to be more up to date and modern. Therefore our band is able to be icons for many viewers and at the same time for in with our chosen genre.

The theory that Richard Maltby and Ian Craven came up with was 'The success of Hollywood is reliant on the combination of the predictable elements with variation'.

This relates to our project as the Saturdays are a classic icon 'pop' band that have been put together to appeal to a large audience, and follow the typical conventions of the 'pop' genre. They are extremely popular and well known and have a very clear image that they have put across, which is very predictable of a 'pop' band.

The theory that Rick Altman came up with was four different points on the media theory:
1) Genre theory presumes that viewers pre-read texts.
2) Viewers become passive voyeurs.
3) Genres therefore are restrictive.
4) Does not acknowledge or allow for the hybrid- the blending of genres.

This doesn't relate to our project as i believe that the Saturdays song 'work' that we have chosen does not fit in with any other genre than the 'pop' genre because of the following reasons;
- The song is very popular, well known, upbeat and cheerful that appeals to a wide audience.
- Our video involves a dance routine, typical convention of the 'pop' genre music videos.
- Our band puts across a very happy yet sexy image to appeal to a variety of viewers.
- The way the song is performed also shows that they have a very bubbly image where as genres such as 'rap' would be more aggressive.
- The all around mise-en-scene of the video follows the 'pop' conventions.

Friday 15 October 2010

Common Stereotypes About The Pop Genre

The different groups of people you would have in the 'pop' genre would be typically a band for example a girl band; they are usually dressed very similar in the latest fashion so that they are modern and up to date therefore appealing to their fan base and target audience. They usually also put across a positive and sexy image for example; the saturdays and sugababes.
Pop bands also tend to involve dance routines in their music videos, and a lot of the songs tend to be very upbeat and cheerful.
If they are a solo pop singer they usually

Friday 8 October 2010

Other Idea For Promotional Image















This was are first idea for the Promotional Photo but we decided to use our other idea instead as we felt it looked more effective and related more to the genre and image we wanted to put across with our company.

Company Promotional Photo
















This is the image we have chosen to use as our Promotional Photo, it will be included in the booklet in our CD album. We choose this image because it stands out more then the other and the contrast in colour looks very effective.

Digital Technology


In order to produce our music video, we will use various digital technology resources. Firstly we will need to use a video camera to film the video, when using the camera we will have to make sure that we put in on the stand so that it is still when filming. We know what shots we would like for each section of the video so will have to make sure that that camera is zoomed in enough for close ups etc. also needs to be far enough back for long shots etc. We also will need to use techniques such as tilt and pan in our video. So the camera enables us to do so by simply tilting the handle attached up and down or side to side to create this effect.

We will also be using photo shop in our project in order to produce are CD cover and the book inside the album. Photo shop will allow us to make the images taken look more professional and we can play around with different effects. Such as change the colors on the images to make certain ones stand out more and you can make other colours black and white for example to make it more effective. It also allows us to change the font colour, size and style, so it can fit in more with our genre and stand out on the CD.

Another source of digital technology that we will be using in this project is the editing software on the computers. As this will help with the continuity editing of the music video, which means we can make the cuts between each shot appear invisible and therefore make the video flow better. It also allows us to create certain effects for example; fade out. So if in a certain scene of the video we wanted it to be more effective we can simply play around with the editing.


Wednesday 29 September 2010

Plan For CD Cover Shoot

We have looked at a range of The Saturdays CD covers to get inspiration for ours and have decided to go for a similar idea as the covers with the poses they use etc. but to make it more our own we are going for more of a rocker style to add something a bit different to the cover.
So we are each going to be wearing; leggings, ankle boots, heels, loose t-shirts, skirts etc. as this fits in with the rocker style, and gives us more of a quirky image.

Monday 20 September 2010

Copyright

Email to the saturdays

Dear The Saturdays,
We are currently studying A2 Media Studies and have to make a music video for our course work. We have decided to choose your band to base our music video on with the song 'work' because we feel inspired by your music and feel that we can create a suitable music video for our A2 Practical Production.
Kind regards,
Daisy Flynn, Isabelle Jordan-Mellersh, Nicole Williams and Stephanie Purvis.

Shooting List

When we film in the first location which is an open space in one of the school buildings, we will use mainly;
Long Shots- to show the whole of our bodies and so that the dance is clearer to watch, and also to see the whole of our costumes.
Mid Shots- to show a clearer view of our facial expressions whilst dancing, and to make it clear when each person is singing their section of the song.
Close Ups- to show expression in our faces, and to have a better view of certain body parts whilst dancing eg. feet.
Pan ad tilt- we may also use these to add interest to the shots so the video is more effective and to get a better view of us dancing from different angles.

When we film in the second location which is the photography studio we will use mainly;
Mid Shots- to see clearly each person singing, and show the actions they use as well to express emotion/idea of the song.
Long Shots- to show the whole costume each person is wearing, and show the surroundings and props they are using.
Close Ups- to show the facial expressions being used and the emotion in the face whilst singing.
Extreme Close Ups- to show certain bod parts/ props that are of importance during the song.

Roles

There are four members in my group and each of us play an important role in the group. We are each going to be acting as a member of the band, and are also going to be taking it in turns to film, as well as all playing a part in helping out with the editing. We are also making sure that we plan out are time well for what needs to be done, so we get all are research done that we can do alone and then plan to work together on what needs to be done as a group, such as the photo shoot for the album for example.

Mise-en-scene

For our music video firstly; it will be set in two different locations, the photography studio and the stage in the main hall. The lighting in the scenes filmed on the stage will be quite dark with some flashing lights and spotlights to create the effect of performing a show. The lighting when we film in the photography studio will be a lot brighter so it is clear to see each of us singing the song. We are going to be wearing all black dresses when performing the dance routine, to follow the sexy image that the Saturdays have. They were all be a lot of bright lights, with a black setting, and then in the photography studio very bright as well so there is a slight contrast in colour to give a dramatic effect. When filming in the photography studio we will be wearing more casual clothes, for example; black leggings and a bright coloured top with heels. The top will add a splash of colour to the video and the heels help keep up with the sexy image that is put across in each of the Saturdays videos. We have decided that we may include some props associated with 'work' the name of the song and performing such as; weights, a chair and a microphone, as this will again add interest to the video. We will be wearing very big make up throughout the video, with dark smoking eyes and light coloured lips, to show femininity and also look prerogative. Our video will include the four people in my group taking part as acting as singers and also one other person from outside of my group to make up a band of five the same as the Saturdays.

Sunday 19 September 2010

Location Planning

For our music video we have decided to film in two different locations, firstly on a stage in the schools main hall. As we want our dance routine to be seen clearly and have lots of space to perform, we also wanted to go for a similar idea as the Saturdays video, as they danced on a stage so it looks as if they are performing a show for an audience. Our other location will be in the photography studio on the plain white background, we chose this as we wanted quite a simple location and that will look effective, and then the stage location looks more interesting as this is where the dance will be taking place.

Influences

The video we have chosen to base are music video on 'The Saturdays' 'Work' was chosen after me and the rest of my group researched various different artists and bands before deciding that we would like to do a girl band as we all wanted to be involved in the video and had a lot of ideas to make it appealing and interesting to watch. We chose the genre 'pop' as we felt this could be quite a simple yet effective genre to use for our video and is also usually the genre that well known girl bands tend to be now a days. We looked at a variety of girl bands that we could think of, including; girls aloud, the spice girls, sugababes and all saints. We watched and analysed a range of their music videos but decided that 'the Saturdays' was more appealing for what we were going for, as they are of a similar age group to us, so it would be easier for us to appeal with our target audience. We also all agreed that we like their music and had a lot of ideas as to how we could set this music video location wise, and we wanted to include a dance routine to fit in with the conventions of the 'pop' genre, and felt we could do this with our chosen song.

Analysis Of Existing Music Videos

Pixie Lott 'Turn it up'
This music video contains a dance routine throughout, with mainly long shots used to show the whole body of Pixie and the dancers, and make the dance routine clear. It also helps to show the costume used in this scene of the video which involves pixie wearing her trademark shorts to help fit in with the image she wants to put across of being sexy by showing off her legs but in a subtle way and also keeping up with the fashion to appeal to her target audience which is mainly young girls age 5-20 as Pixie is also in this age group. This scene also involves a lot of mid shots of pixie Lott for her to connect more with the camera whilst dancing and also mid shots of the dancers foot work and detailing on the costumes which is very simple yet effective. The dance routine scene is set on a roof of a building which makes the dance look a lot more interesting. It also does a pan of the dancers which looks very effective as you are able to see clearly what is happening. This video also contains a narrative story to fit with the song lyrics and has performance cuts put in to make the video more interesting to watch. Another scene of performance shots is when Pixie is walking down the road , Pixie dancing alone on the roof and sat in the car whilst its raining. These contain a lot of close ups to show emotion, long shots and mid shots to show pixie dancing and still capture the emotion in her face. There are also extreme close ups used throughout the video of hands and props such as the phone, this is effective as it gives the audience are better idea of whats going on in the scene and gives these objects and idea of importance at the point of the video.

Sugababes 'Round Round'
The whole of this music video is set in the same place, so this doesn't give the video a lot of variety so is less interesting to watch but would be a more simple video to film. This video firstly contains an establishing shot to show where this video is taking place and to set the scene. It also uses a high angle pan to show the band dancing as they sing and then a mid shot tilt down. Which is effective as it adds interest and variety. There is also a lot of long shots of the girls dancing used to how there whole body and get there costume in the shot, in this video they are maintaining their sexy image by wearing very revealing clothes and in all black to appeal to a wider audience which i usually young girls and women aged 14-28 and they are also appealing to men with this image but not as much with their music. The video involves close ups of televisions with the girls singing and dancing on them, this again adds more interest to the video. There are pan mid shots used of the band and mid shots of people dancing around the sides as well in a cage, this helps fit with the lyrics of the song and make the video look more enjoyable. This video uses the effect of the girls spinning around, and has objects flying around them to give the effect, this makes the video fit the idea of the song and makes it look more appealing.

Girls Aloud 'Biology'
This video is made to appear it is set in the same place but rotates through each scene so there is a sudden change in set and costume etc. It uses a lot of close ups of each of the girls faces to show their expressions and long shots to show the dance routine they are performing. It also again uses long shots to show their outfits, they have three costume changes throughout the video to fit with each of the three set changes that pans across, so you see it happen. The costumes also fit in with there sexy girly image but are each very different. Firstly they are dressed in black party dresses with a bit of sparkle on them, then there is a complete contrast as they change into old fashioned pink party dresses and then finally they wear all black with red, tight dresses. Each of these costumes are very different but add interest and variety to the video. There are a lot of editing effects used in this music video as certain parts of the girls dancing toward the camera are speeded up, the girls are also blurred and then made to appear in the set. They then change back through each outfit with a blurred effect again. It also cuts back to previous rooms where they are set and pans through each room very fast which is effective as it gives the idea of them being in more than one place at the same time and makes the video more appealing. It also has the girls stood in one spot and in the background does a pan of each of the rooms which is very effective and adds interest.

Friday 17 September 2010

Timeline Plan

Group discussion of ideas > Create blog > Planning > Research > Planning Dance Routine >

Learn Dance Routine > Storyboard > More Research > Photoshoot > Plan Shots, Editing, Costume,

etc. > Practice Filming > Filming > Filming > Editing > Evaluation.

Ideas For Album Cover
















Friday 10 September 2010

Conventions Of Chosen Genre

The typical conventions of a 'Pop' music video for a girl band are that they include fashionable outfits, either quite bright colours to go with an upbeat song or all in black to fit in with a sexy image. They also tend to involve a dance routine to appeal to the target audience a it also makes the video more interesting to watch. The videos are usually set either outdoors walking down a road etc or in a studio on a plan black or white background but this depends on the song as the video tends to relate to the lyrics. In the video that we have chosen to base ours on 'work' by 'the saturdays' it is set inside with them doing a dance routine on a large stage with dark lighting and flashing spotlights to make them stand out and look effective. At also shows various shots of each saturday alone either sat onb a sofa or leaning against some steps etc, so the video is set in the same place throughout but has a variety of shots to make the video more interesting.

About Each of the Saturdays

Frankie Sanford
She was born 14 January 1989, and is an English singer and member of girl group The Saturdays. She was previously a member in the band S Club 8 and appeared with them in children's television programme I Dream before the band split.



Una Healy
She was born 10 October 1981, and is an Irish singer/songwriter and guitarist, best known for being in "The Saturdays". Una is the only non-British member of The Saturdays. In 2006, she released a solo studio EP, called 'Sorry'.



Mollie King
She was born 4 June 1987 is an English singer. Mollie is known for being the 'posh one' of the group, and also plays acoustic guitar. She also appeared as a solo artist on the X Factor in 2005 and 2006 but failed to get through.



Rochelle Wiseman
She was born 21 March 1989, and is an English singer, actress and television presenter. She is well known for her work in pop groups S Club 8 and The Saturdays. Rochelle has achieved six Top 10 hits with her first band, S Club 8 and seven Top 10 hits with girl group, The Saturdays.



Vanessa White
She was born 30 October 1989, and is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is the youngest member of the band, and she is noted for her extensive vocal range. She is the only member of the group to have solo parts in every song in their debut album, and her band mates refer to her as 'our own Christina Aguileria' of the group.

Target Audience

The target audience for our music video will be 14-20 year olds, as we are in this age group so this audience would relate more to our band. This song also appeals to a younger age group, as it is very upbeat and our video will also include a dance routine so this will appeal more to this age group as well as it is more interesting to watch. As this is are target audience we have to make sure that our costumes for the video are on trend as it is common for young artists to be fashionable.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

The Saturdays

The Saturdays are a girl band that are made up of five girls, and the genre of their music is 'pop'. They appeal to a large audience that mainly includes girls around the ages of 14-20, as they are of a similar age and they sing songs that can relate to a younger audience and is more appealing for them. The Saturdays put across a very sexy and likeable image as they wear very perogative outfits and their dance routines involve a lot of seductive and sexy movements, to appeal to the fans and put across their image.

'Work' Lyrics

Baby the harder you work the further you get with me.
With me.
I think you can.I think you can.

Turn up prepared and make sure you can keep up with me.
With Me.
I think you can.I think you can.

But be aware I always get what I deserve.
Keep your focus keep you nerve.
Ready.
Set.
Go.

Pick up the pace and step on it!
Rip up the place if you want it!
Work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!
I got the goods and I want you.
Put your boots on baby get to work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!

I tend to get what I want so are you starting to see?
I think you do.
I think you do.
It's time for you to step up if you wanna be with me.
With me.
I think you do.
I think you do.

But don't go slow.
That is not the way we play.
Slowly aint my kind of game.
Ready.
Set.
Go.

Pick up the pace and step on it!
Rip up the place if you want it!
Work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!
I got the goods and I want you.
Put your boots on baby get to work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!

And it's up to you how far we take this.
Yes it's up to you so take the lead.
And it's up to you so tell me what I gotta sign.
Waiting at the finish line baby.
Ready.
Set.
Go.

Pick up the pace and step on it!
Rip up the place if you want it!
Work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!
I got the goods and I want you.
Put your boots on baby get to work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!

Pick up the pace and step on it!
Rip up the place if you want it!
Work!
Work!
You know you gotta work!
Work!
I got the goods and I want you.
Put your boots on baby get to work!
Work!You know you gotta work!
Work!

Ideas For Music Video

For our project we have decided to produce a music video, from researching many different genres my group have decided to base the music video on 'pop'. We have chosen to have a girl band similar to the popular girl group 'the Saturdays'. We have called are record label 'rouge records' as this name has a feminine feel to it and also sounds sophisticated and professional, so it fits in with the idea we have chosen. The name of our band will be 'the Sundays' we have chosen this name because we wanted to have a similar theme as the band 'the Saturdays' have in relation to the weekend. We have also chosen to use the song 'work' for our music video by 'the Saturdays' as we all agreed that we prefer this song from the other options, and think that the video for this song is quite simple yet effective and gave us a lot of inspiration and ideas for our video. The target audience for our music video would be mainly girls aged 14-20 but also boys in a similar age group as well. I think that our band would appeal to this audience as we are in this age group and it is the sort of music that a younger group would relate to and find appealing.

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Evaluation of previous work

From analysing existing work by other students that included short films, trailers and music videos. We gained ideas of how to portray are chosen genre and also saw a lot of useful camera techniques that looked very effective and gave the videos a creative feel.
Certain music videos were very effective as they used a range of camera shots and angles, and also edited certain shots by putting them together and flashing through them to give the effect of the character thinking back to memories, this was a very effective and creative technique and made the video more interesting to watch.
One of the music videos inspired us and gave as a lot of ideas for our music video, as it had a very clear narrative that fitted well with the chosen genre and the performance shots also fit in will in the video. It involved effective camera shots and techniques, that appeared simple yet effective. Certain shots such as when the boy is reflecting back on pictures he has been in with this girl and then it cuts back to the time the pictures were being taken, this stood out to me as it was a creative idea that was very effective.
There was also black and white effects used in one of the music videos this was very effective as it helped to symbolise past events and it also creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere with a sense of sadness. This helps to relate to the narrative of the video and also fit in with the chosen genre.
I think that analysing previous videos has been very useful as it has given my group a lot of inspiration and new ideas for when it comes to producing our music video, it has helped us to think of what story lines we can produce and make it clear as well as fit in with the performance shots. t has also given us a lot of creative camera shot ideas and editing techniques to make the video more interesting and appealing to watch.

Monday 12 July 2010

Creative Techniques

When filming we used many different creative techniques that made the video look more effective, such as tilting the camera upwards to show the scene of the crime which is someone dead on the floor and also show a view of the killer and their reaction to the death which effectively built up tension. We used a filter in the editing soft wear to make the scene appear darker and create a more gloomy atmosphere, this was very simple yet effective as it created more suspicion and fit the chosen theme. We used pan as the killer walked behind the pillar and through the doors this was effective as watching her walk away from behind builds up the suspense for the audience and leaves them questioning who it could be. We also used a high angle shot to show the killer walking down the stairs with a view of her feet and the top of her head, this is effective as again it creates tension and unawareness for the audience of who the killer is. The creepy and tense music that is played throughout the video is also very effective has it adds to the suspicious theme, and fits in with the idea of a horror/thriller genre. I think that using these creative techniques has been useful in giving me ideas for what techniques work well to create a certain theme.

Thursday 1 July 2010

Skills Development

When i previously began my pre-production for my magazine in AS media studies, i have different strengths but i also had areas that i needed to develop and improve. I think that researching and analysing existing magazine covers was one of my strong points and was very beneficial in helping me decide how to make my magazine fit the chosen genre. As looking at the different genres gave me a chance to understand how the appeal to the target audiences, and was helpful in order to make mine follow the typical conventions of magazines and appeal to my audience. Another one of my strengths during the pre-production process finding out the information of what appeals to my chosen target audience by conducting a questionnaire as this gave me ideas of what to include in my magazine so that it is interesting and appealing.

The weaknesses in my pre-production were the institution research, as when i was finding companies that would distribute my magazine i should have gone into a lot more depth and detail in my analysis. I did find this difficult as i was unsure of what sort of companies to research and how to explain why they would distribute my magazine. So i would need to improve my research into institutions to find out more information therefore creating a more detailed analysis. Another one of my weaknesses was the planning for my photo shoots, as when it came to the shoot i needed to be more prepared and know more about what sort of poses to use etc. so i would need to plan more ahead so that i know exactly what i am doing.

In the production of my magazine my stronger areas were choosing images that suited the genre well as from researching and analysing existing magazines i was aware of what sort of layout i wanted for each page of my magazine. also had a set plan of each of the pages and how i wanted the layout to appear so i was prepared when using photo shop in order to edit certain titles where i wanted them to be. However, i could have improved the research into the font styles and colours etc. as i found it difficult finding certain fonts that fit in with this genre, so i would research in more detail what sort of fonts and colours are appropriate for the chosen genre.
Another area that i feel i was weak in is my photo shop skills, as i struggled to edit my chosen images to make them look professional so i would need to improve my skills by working on editing a lot more.

Overall, i have areas that i am confident in that i have explained above that will be very useful to me in my next practical. But i also have certain areas that need to be improved and developed as i need to research in more detail which allows me to have an analysis in more depth and also be more prepared in my practical and have in mind have it fits in with the genre. Each of my weak points need to be improved as they are very important in creating my practical and useful skills to have.