Finished Music Video

Music Video Evaluation

Evaluation For Music Video

My brief for this unit was to “Produce footage and edit to a standard acceptable to a client” I believe I achieved the brief and I think this is the best work I have done so far. This is shown through my client feedback where my client says I did such a good job on this video they want me to film the bands next video. The style of music video I went for was a live performance music video which basically documents the band playing at multiple venues and can also contain what goes on in between venues such as the tour bus or backstage. The reason why I chose to do a live performance video is because I have always preferred them to a narrative based video because you get a behind the scenes glimpse of how the band works and what they look like live if you have never seen them live before.

Before I started filming I did some planning, the first part of my planning was watching some live performance music videos and choosing the best ones that I wanted to take influence from. The videos I analysed were “Dead Ends” by the band “Heights”, “Fancy Dress” by “Don Broco” and “Hell Above” by “Pierce The Veil”. I analysed each video multiple times to get a good knowledge on the typical codes and conventions found in live performance music videos so that I could ensure my video contains them too.

The next step in my planning was to storyboard. I made story boards for certain shots that I thought were going to be really important to the video and that I wanted to get perfect. Shot one of my storyboards is clearly shown in the video when the bass player is tuning his guitar at the intro. Whilst planning I also decided that I would do the entire video in black and white as one of my main influence videos was done the same way, this is clearly shown through my entire video. The final part to my planning was to choose locations where I would film. Because it was a live performance video and I needed footage of the band playing the locations were the different venues they played at. All together I travelled with the band to four different places, two venues were local and one was in Leicester, The final location I filmed them at was a warehouse where they practise. The best footage I took was from the warehouse. This was because I had plenty of room to move around there whereas I couldn’t at other gigs due to the crowd. This is shown to be effective in my video in all close up shots as these were all filmed at the warehouse.

Production skills

Overall I believe that my production skills were to a good standard and worked well in this particular unit. My camera work could have been better focused at the gigs and if I was to do this again I would probably set the camera to auto focus. I believe that the angles I shot from was good and proved effective for example the shot when it cuts from a close up of the drummers pedal to a higher angle of him hitting the drums. How ever, if I were to do this again I would take another person with me to film and more cameras, this way I could get more footage at lots of different angles. I was however pleased with the overall outcome of my camera work and my favourite footage is where I have filmed the bands equipment out of focus and then slowly bringing them into focus. I believe that all my footage fits the purpose of a live performance music video, as it is entirely hand held. This gives the viewer a sense of being in the crowd. I was dedicated to getting the footage I needed even if it meant travelling further away to a gig. I was confident with what I wanted to achieve at a gig and what shots I wanted to get because of good planning. Before each gig I would make a shot list of what I was going to film and I would try my hardest at gigs to get all of them. This proved effective as I ensured I was getting shots from as many angles as I could. This is shown in the chorus of the video when the editing is faster paced and every shot is from a different angle. It was difficult at the Leicester gig due to there being poor lighting on the stage, which meant the majority of shots I took, were in low key lighting. To resolve this problem I made effective judgements whilst editing. I looked through all of the footage from that gig and chose the ones I needed most and I used the “Gamma Correction” tool on premiere to brighten the footage. By making this effective judgement it meant that I did not loose out on any of the shots that I needed and were important to my film.

List for improvements

·      Take more people to help me film

·      Take more cameras to cover more angles of the stage

·      Use tripod

·      Take extra lighting

·      Film more footage of the band back stage, on the road etc.

·      Film some footage separately along to a click track.

·      Better focused shots

·      More close ups

·      Get some whip pans (typical convention that adds effect).

·      More mid shots

·      Get some zoom shots

Editing Skills

As soon as I had all of the footage I needed, I started editing. The editing process went really well overall, this is because I did a good amount of planning before filming and I also had a clear idea in my head for the direction of the music video. After taking influence from my chosen music videos I knew I wanted to do the entire video in black and white and use montages. I put these into practise by changing all my footage to black and white and having a montage sequences throughout my video. If I did this again I would use more montage so that the videos pace matched the song all the way through.  In my opening sequence, the bands equipment, tuning up, sound checking etc. is all edited as a slow paced montage. This is to match the pace of the ambient sound at the start. I was to do this again I would do quicker cuts towards the end of the opening montage, this way I could build up to the start of the song and it would have given the video more energy. It is shown that my influence has been put to good practise at the start of my video for the opening sequence.  I made this more effective by adding some ambient sounds to then blend in with the ambient guitar at the start of the song. Another example of how my editing skills have been put to good practise is when the vocals on the song start. For this I synced the footage with the song as close as I could. This is made effective through the entire video except for a small part when the guitarist steps in front of the microphone to sing. If I were to do this again I would film the guitarist on his own singing his parts to a click track so that the timing was perfect for all the vocals. I also used the editing technique of continuity, an example of where I used this effectively is when the drummer is being filmed from the front of the stage and then it cuts to a close up of him hitting the drums. I was to go back I would use a lot more continuity so that the viewer would get to see everything that the band is playing, it would also have added more pace to the video, as I would have done quicker cuts.

List for Improvements

·      Quicker cuts, therefore I would need more footage.

·      More montages

·      Sync vocals footage

·      Use more continuity effectively

·      Quicker paced

Final Product

Overall I feel that my music video has met the goals and the client’s needs that were set. It does this by appealing to the target audience, which are the bands fans. It appeals to them because it gives them an insight into the band live and also at practise. I have done this by filming the band at practise and gigs and editing it together as a montage. This keeps the video well paced and also has a good transition between live performance and practise performance. I feel that my video definitely shows influence from my chosen music videos for example the video for “Heights” is filmed entirely in black and white and has a strong use of montage throughout. You can also see where I have taken influence from this in the opening sequence as it has the bands logo in white text layered on top of the montage, as does the “Heights” video.

There are some things on my video that I would change such as the pace of the cuts. If I were to go back I would get loads more footage so that I had more to work with and I could do quicker cuts. I would also take more people with me to help film with more cameras, this way I could cover multiple angles of the stage and also get some close ups. As I had a problem with lighting at one gig I would ensure that I had some form of lighting with me just in case this sort of thing happened. The final thing I would change is I would get more footage of the band messing about or drinking etc. This way the video not only captures the live performance of the band but what the get up to backstage, on the road etc.

Client Feedback

This is my client feedback for my live performance music video. The email is from James, the bass player for the band Only Shadows. As you can see he and the rest of the band are really happy with the end product and even want me to film there next video as well.

Client Feedback & Editing Decisions

Only Shadows- Be Still



This is my live performance music video so far. It is nearly finished with some minor adjustments to make after receiving some feedback from my clients. Overall they all said they love it and they are really pleased with the outcome, the only problem was they weren't to sure about the intro. They said to maybe shorten it down because it lasts for about 20 seconds and they don't want the viewer to loose interest in that time if no music is playing. To overcome this problem we all agreed that i would shorten it down to about 10 seconds and instead of having the sound of them setting up I would change it to some minimalistic ambient sounds and they fade that out into the song. I think that this client feedback was vital to my video as it makes the client even more happy then what they are and it helps me to make my video the best it can possibly be.

Improvement List For Final Piece

List for improvements on final piece.

1:10- Correct the timing of lip syncing
1:44- Cut to drummer hitting drums or cymbals
2:20- Change footage of pedal boards to something else
2:52- More drum hits
3:00- Add in hts of cymbals
3:05- Correct timing of lip syncing
3:11- Correct timing of lip syncing
3:36- Change footage to something else
3:47- cut to something else for about 2 seconds

Location Photos

These are some photos from the last shoot i did. The location for this was at a warehouse where the singers dad works and is where the band practises. This was my favourite place to film so far because i had loads of room to move around to get the shots i wanted and i could also get them to play the song over and over again to get more footage of individual members whereas i couldn't do that at a live gig.

Music Video Progress

          

This is my video so far. I uploaded what i had done so far so that i could get some feedback from my client. My client watched it and was really pleased with how its going so far and that they will definitely use it as their officially first music video.

Screen Shots

These are some screen shots of my editing progress so far. I feel confident that the end product will look really good and professionally made and that my clients will be pleased with it. It also shows how the majority of my footage has been labeled and organized. This makes the editing process a lot easier and lets you know what your shots are without having to watch them.

shot influence & Planning

This is the music video for the band "Don Broco", the song is called "Fancy Dress" and is one of my main influences for my music video. For my production i am going to do a live performance music video and i have taken influence from two other music videos as well as this one. The main influence i will take from this video is the strong use of close ups. By using close ups in live performance videos it can give the viewer an insight into the musicians playing. They also help break away from the establishing shots of the band playing on the stage. The next time i film i will ensure that i mainly focus on getting plenty of closeups so i can have a video thats cuts to the pace of the music.

Shot influence & Planning

Shot Influence & Planning



This is the video that is my main influence for my live performance music video. It is from the band "Heights" and the song is called "Dead Ends". The black and white and sharp cuts in the video match fittingly with the aggressive song. My favourite shot in this video is when the music starts at 0:13 and its a handheld tracking shot of the audience clapping and then it pans around to the band, This is then followed by the bands logo appearing in the centre of the frame. I think this shot is a really effective establishing shot as it captures the crowds reaction and connection with the band. I will take influence from this shot and attempt to recreate it in my video although the band I'm filming don't have as big of a fan base as "Heights" do so ill have to improvise with the shot of the crowd.

Locations

These are some photos of the locations that i am filming in. The first two are the Crown pub in Nuneaton. This pub has an upstairs room with a good stage for live bands. I managed to get some good footage from the crown gig because its a good sized room that doesn't take much room to fill, this way i can get good shots of the audience. It was also good to film in because of the stage. A key convention of live performance music videos is filming the band from the audiences point of view and i can do this better with them being on a stage. The other venue i filmed at was The Railway Tavern pub. This venue was not as good to film at as the Crown as there is not a stage there, but it still worked well because its a smaller venue which makes it a more intimate gig and i tried to capture this on some of the shots i did. The last picture is of the band that im doing the video for. They are called Only Shadows and are from Nuneaton. They have got a fairly good local fan base which is why i chose them for my video.

Screen shots

These are some screen shots of me preparing my footage for editing. I have selected each file I thought would be suitable for the final edit and labelled the clips I needed for ease of use in the final edit of the music video. This shows evidence of good practice so that footage is well organised and can be assessed easily by myself and anyone else who wished to edit. 

music video codes and conventions

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                                     Music Video Codes and Conventions

For my production work I am making a live performance music video for a friends band. To get influence for my video I analysed three live performance music videos from different bands to get a good understanding of the typical codes and conventions used in them.

 

   Heights-Dead Ends -->

The first video I looked at was from a band called “Heights” and the song is called “Dead Ends”. The video has a good number of codes and conventions that make the video as good as it is.

·      The video is all in black and white

·      It starts with a stage crew setting up the equipment.

·      The band performs a ritual before they go on.

·      Bands logo and song title.

·      A strong use of depth of field.

·      Numerous venues.

·      Shots of the crowd clapping and singing along.

·      The band signing autographs.

·      A lot of focusing is on the singer.

·      Extreme close ups of members playing their instruments.

·      Timing of the cuts matches the timing of the song.

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 Don Broco-Fancy Dress

The second music video I analysed was “Fancy Dress” by the band “Don Broco”. Again this video uses similar conventions to the last but this one has more venues shown. This shows how “Don broco” is bigger and gig more than “Heights”.

·      Montage showing each band member.

·      Multiple locations and venues.

·      Footage of the band messing around backstage.

·      Footage from inside the tour bus.

·      Timing of cuts is perfect with the song.

·      Shots showing the crowds reaction and singing along.

·      Time lapse of setting up the stage.

·      Close ups of each member.

·      Hand held camera makes you feel like your part of the crowd.

 Pierce the Veil-Hell Above

The third video I analysed was “Hell Above” by the band “Pierce the Veil”. This is also a live performance video that uses similar codes and conventions to the others that make it a perfect example of a good live video. This video uses more footage of the fans then the others because “Pierce the Veil” are much bigger than the other two and have a much bigger fan base that they can show in their videos.

·      Fans chanting the bands name.

·      The bands logo used for intro.

·      Shots of the band queuing outside the gigs.

·      Time lapse of the stage being built.

·      Close ups of the band preparing for the gig.

·      Shots of band doing pre gig warm-ups.

·      Close ups of each member playing.

·      Close up of guitars.

·      Footage of band signing autographs.

·      Footage of the band meeting the fans outside the venue.

·      Majority of shots of the band playing are from a low angle. Puts the viewer in the audience’s position.

·      Footage of the band on the tour bus.

All three videos use these codes and conventions on a great level and by doing this it has ensured that a perfect live video has been made. By capturing footage from multiple gigs and also footage from backstage or on the tour bus it gives the viewer an inside look on what touring as a band is like. I have studied all of these codes and conventions that are typical of live performance music videos and I will take influence from them in my own production. Because the band I am using is not big I wont be able to get shots of big crowds so to overcome this I will take footage of the people at the front from a low angle to make it look busier. I also want to ensure that I get some good footage of the band messing about and unloading the equipment out of their cars as this sort of footage works well and adds a fun side to the video away from them playing. I will make sure that I go to more than one gig so that I can get more footage of them playing the chosen song. Different gigs also mean that the band wont be wearing the same clothes in every shot as well which makes it look like they are on tour rather than doing a one off gig.

Final Promotional Video for Co-op

Music video Evaluation

                                Evaluation for Music Video Analysis

Process

The first step in my research I took was analysing music videos. I watched three videos, the first of which was ‘Tip Drill’ by ‘Nelly’; the second video I watched was ‘Lap Dance’ by ‘N.E.R.D’ and the third was ‘Windowlicker’ by ‘Aphex  Twin’. After watching all three videos I made lists of all the codes and conventions, which I could see throughout. I also made lists of the reoccurring themes I saw in all three. This part of my research was successful as I gained a clear insight into commonly used conventions and themes and how they use them to attract their target audience. The next step I took was looking at online sources for other people’s opinions on how women are sexually demeaned in RnB music videos. After looking at a few websites the best I found was a website that had fifty quotes from Naomi Wolfs book ‘The Beauty Myth’. From this website I managed to gain a good number of quotes that reinforced my argument I was making. If I was to do this part of research again I would look through more websites along with many forums as well to not only gain the opinions of writers or famous people but the general public themselves.

After I had done my online research I took to reading. I didn’t read that many books and mainly focussed upon two. I regret this decision because I did not read through enough books which means I got less information top back up my argument. If I were to go back I would go to the Coventry University Library like I did for my last essay so that I could get as much information as I can in one day.

My primary source of research was a focus group. We had six people sit down and watch all of the music videos we were focussing on. We played each video then asked questions and recorded the answers that were given. This proved effective because they were reinforcing the research we had already taken. If I were to do the focus group method again, I would have one focus group of females and one of males. This way I could get the opinion of both sexes to gain a deeper insight into what both opinions are on the demeaning of women in the videos. If I were to do primary research again I would also do the recorded reactions but also make surveys for the groups to fill in. This way I could get a lot more opinions as some people in the group didn’t have anything to say about the videos because they may have been uncomfortable talking about it. With the surveys this would give those people a chance to voice their opinion on paper and it would stop me from loosing out on some possibly good opinions.

Outcome

The result of my research techniques proved to be effective. This is shown in my essay as I have discovered some good theory from writers such as ‘Laura Mulvey’ and ‘Naomi Wolf’ into how women are sexually demeaned in RnB music videos. I have applied these theories into my own primary research to conclude that women are treated as sexual objects in the videos and how they are demeaning towards them. As I said if I had read more books by feminist writers on the subject then I would have had more resources to work with and to get more information on, and I will learn from these mistakes for future research projects. Also my procedures of note taking proved very effective. Whilst watching all three videos I took notes of the codes and conventions, which I picked up on throughout. From these I noticed very similar themes that run through all the videos such as a strong use of water such as pools or the ocean, expensive alcohol and half naked women to name a few. I discussed these themes in detail as to how they can encourage a younger audience to accept them as reality.     

Another really effective piece of my research was my primary sources. This was the results from a focus group we held to discuss the music videos. Again the outcome of the focus group proved effective due to there being a strong opinion on the videos, especially ‘Nelly’s’ ‘Tip Drill’. The strong opinions really helped reinforce my research, especially from the one girl in the group as she voiced her opinion the most out of the group. This showed me that women do have more of a voice than men over the sexist attitudes portrayed in the videos. As I said before if I was to do another focus group I would have one group of all females and one group of all males. This way I could get opinions from both sexes on how they think women are treated in the videos. I would also give out surveys to fill in as well as some people in the group did not speak at all so this way people could voice their opinions on paper.

To conclude I think that all of my research methods proved effective in my final essay. This is shown through the good amount of theories I applied to my own and also the way I used my own primary sources taken from the focus group to reinforce them. There are things that I have mentioned that I would change or that I would do more of and I will learn from these and use them in future research projects.