Friday, 26 February 2010
Monday, 8 February 2010
Jon Sayward Essay - The Platforms, Uses & Technology of Video Production for Interactive Media
Interactive media was created and first started in the 1920’s when there was only ‘short films’ made and played in small cinemas, these films would last no longer than 10 minutes. The content of these films were of a far lesser standard and creative and just featured camera shots of places such as streets and rail way tracks where the camera was positioned on a spot and left to film. That was the only thing everybody was familiar with so it was seen as entertainment and people paid to see it. This was the only type of film shown in the cinema until the type of films we associate today first began to be made in the 1950’s, cinemas were having great success as the televisions people had at home were not showing anything like it as appealing. This type of film really took a hit when newer and far better technology came about. After the war televisions were a must have for all homes as it gave people a chance to see other things going on in the world. In the 1940’s, antennas on televisions were very big and a lot less practical than the ones you would see today, depending on how good the antenna was there would only be two black and white channels available. The 1960’s came and TV took another rise in popularity as more and more people were buying a set for there house as there was higher quality and more shows to choose from. In 1970 there was colour TV and TV’s were expanding and content like Sky was created and had taking it to the next level. Since then TV has gone to even bigger heights such as HD (High Definition) and things such as DVD players have been created expanding onto Blue Ray disk which shows clearly the type of quality that has set the standard for years to come of quality television.
Interactive Media Platforms for Video
World Wide Web
There are lots of services online that you can watch and download such as BBC I Player where people can watch shows that they have missed that come on BBC, this kind of service is very popular as it allows people to not feel they have to stay in or they cant watch the programme they want to see and gives them the opportunity to go out and then watch it whenever they like. I think BBC has really raised the bar by adding such a practical and helpful feature. As well as downloading shows for your computer you can also watch shows on a portable device and there are also radio shows that you can access to listen to including live ones currently on air. Another very popular website where people watch videos and clips is Youtube, the popularity of it has been rising hugely over the years as you can not only find almost anything you want to watch but it’s also a good website to use to advertise and promote something such as yourself or a band etc. There are more and more similar websites being made all the time as it is a very popular concept that can be used for different reasons.
Email Attachments
When receiving an Email it is becoming more common to also have a file of some sort attached to it that could feature a video, photo or a website such as gambling or pornography for example, a common one is a link to certain videos on Youtube that people are trying to promote which is a very good way if getting your name out there for people to see as they can then pass this Email on to other people (See Blog for Common funny videos). It is a very good way to get yourself spotted if you’re an unsigned musician without a label and people have done it in the past sending out links for there own music videos such as Sandi Thom who has been spotted and gone on to get a record deal and success. I think the idea of it is very smart as long as the file is appropriate e.g. promoting a band and not something rude or offensive which is also known to happen.
DVD
DVD’s allow you to put high quality videos onto a disk which can then be played on formats such as DVD players, games consoles, computers etc and it is also a portable way of watching films as you can take DVD playing formats into cars etc. On DVD’s of films and TV Programmes there are also extra features such as behind the scenes, deleted scenes and interviews where viewers can see an extra side into the media industry and how it was made. DVD is an essential part of video in interactive media as it allows people to watch anything and its important for people to put there own videos onto it as it can then be easily packaged and advertised.
CD ROM
A CD Rom is a Compact Disk Read only Memory, you can have a portable disk that you can put audios and visuals on such as videos and music, it’s a simple way of storing files that are easy to access to watch/listen too. It’s able to put onto a CD Rom but it reads from memory. I think it’s practical as it another way of storing your own work such as songs as related videos that you put onto computers to promote and advertise etc.
Kiosks
A different used way of accessing the internet is a kiosk which you can find in buildings and on streets. However, It’s used for a slightly different service than normal internet websites as it gives you information such as places to visit, recommended places, local tourist attractions and places to eat etc. You would often see them located in older buildings giving a guide of the location; an example of a kiosk is the one in Ipswich, Tower Ramparts. It’s service that isn’t as popular as other formats as its not one for it’s exciting modern technology but once again provides a valuable service that people will benefit from.
Presentations
Another good and simple way to promote yourself or anything is to make related a presentation showing information, images, videos etc. A known programme to do this on which is very easy to use is Microsoft PowerPoint and VLE (Virtual Learning Experience), these are good programmes when applying for a job as you can use as many pages as you want to fill with information and its very easy to navigate through each one. They are popular and I agree with the concept and think there very useful formats to use to show basic information such as bullet points and in depth information and facts such as paragraphs. They are not flashy or exciting but they do the job there aiming to accomplish and do it well and effectively.
TV Click Through (Red Button)
A TV Click through button is often seen on Sky where people can access extra special features related to the programme as well as watch other programmes such as sport. One of its more used features is it’s voting system used for reality shows such as X-Factor where people can access a way of voting for there favourite act. It is a very simple and easy to use way of receiving extra TV and more information.
Mobile Devices
A very popular way of interactive media is portable consoles that people can use to play games, listen to music and watch videos on there phones, PDA’s and games consoles etc. The quality of mobile phones is improving all the time and the direction it is going in can only get better as there is now more services and higher quality images and audio sounds. It’s a very easy to use way of enjoying media that is also portable and practical, I think it was a very good idea of letting people enjoy media and also leave the house at the same time and mobile devices are improving all the time.
Uses of Video in Interactive Media
Short Films
Another service that is available and easy to download is short films which were the first type of cinema back in the 1920’s, the content of them have clearly improved and they are now used as a quick preview when advertising or promoting something. You also see a lot of them on website such as Youtube where people put there own created short films on there for people to see and comment on as well as promote hoping to catch somebody’s eye. They are a good way of showing a film but not spending too much money or time to achieve it and is getting more popular again as home made videos also rise in popularity. I think it is a good way for people to promote themselves and also for people to enjoy themselves making a video and then sharing with people online which you can also send through Email attachments.
Promotional Material
Promotional Material is related to short films as companies creates trailers like a short movie to promote films and TV programmes although they do it in a slightly different way as they do it using lots of quick clips from different parts of the movie. You can also promote things using advertisements that can be video but also still images that have a message or slogan with it. Another good way of promoting is to put your own created videos or music onto websites such as Youtube and Myspace where it can then be seen by the audience. Getting your name out there and showing the world your product is key to success so it is essential that it is promoted.
User-Generated Content
People making home made videos are getting very common and are seen all over the internet on websites such as Youtube which is very big for people putting there own low budget videos onto. It is normally comedy material where people can have fun and makes jokes about world wide goings on such as celebrities and world issues. Some Videos that have been made have gone on to be very popular and well known such as the Pokemon video (Available to see on Blog). People can also use it as a way of getting messages across and also promoting themselves and that is what I think is the best thing about User-Generated Content.
Viral Marketing
A good and common way of Viral Marketing is to send things through Emails such as funny clips, film and theatre etc where you can advertise things. A big company for this is Blend Tech. It is yet another good way of advertising a product but can seem unreliable and suspicious as when you open some files you can receive a virus so it has its pros and cons.
Advertising
Advertising can be very straight forward promotion as you can create videos, slogans, images etc to show off the product and get you name out there using websites such as Facebook. However it can also be done on the sly without people being aware where people can accidentally come across it and the word can soon be spread. As long as you get the word out there people will always discover your product.
Virtual Reality Tours
People can use museum galleries as a way to see and find out more about the media industry as you can see videos, images etc. It is a good way to find out information about historic facts and also technology and developments.
Games
The gaming industry is developing all the time as there is better graphics on the latest games consoles such as Playstation 2 and there is a lot of money in it as it is such a popular industry and people are spending a lot of money for games. You can also play games online, on mobiles etc and they are also improving all the time.
E-Learning
People can gain education using Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to have lessons and revise whilst at home, it is very helpful services to use to self teach yourself and not be distracted.
Video in Interactive Media Technologies
Video Compression
When you compress a video it has its negatives and positives as it reduces the quantity of data used in the video to reduce the file size but it also reduces the quality of the image that you see so you have to take the bad with the good. Video compression is a still a very popular way of transferring a video though and it is fairly straight forward to do.
Codec
Codec is a device that you can use to convert analogue signals to digital form for transmission and converts signals travelling in the opposite direction. There are audio and visual Codec’s and they result in lesser quality videos when compressed as well. Once again it is a very important and helpful format but it results in lesser quality but it makes up for it because it can be very important.
Streaming and Download
There are lots of websites that allow you to access live streaming of TV programmes a swell as sport and radio e.g. BBC I Player that don’t require you to download or pay anything as you can just freely starting streaming it. Other websites require you to download files that you keep, that’s the benefit that downloading has to streaming; you can’t keep streaming such as BBC I Player programmes as a file on your computer.
Interactive Video Formats
MPEG – Moving Picture Experts Group that develops standards for digital video and audio compression
AVI – Audio Video Interleaved is a sound and motion pictures file that conforms to the Microsoft windows resource file format.
MOV – A movie that can be played on QuickTime is easy to use but can be of a lower quality so you have to take the bad with the good.
WMV – Windows Media Player is a very popular and well known format that allows you to listen to songs and other audio files, it is also of a good quality.
These are all well known format that are easy to use to access audio and video files.
Date Transfer Rates (Bandwidth)
The amount of digital data that is moved from place to place in given time so the smaller the file the faster the transfer rate etc. If you want the better, higher quality file you have to wait longer or if your in a rush or just inpatient you might want to settle for a lesser quality file but it will be quicker.
Frame Rates – The number of frames, images that are projected or displayed per second e.g. TV, Computer etc. The more frames, the higher the quality of image.
Screen Resolutions - The number of Pixels in each dimension. If you want a higher quality images the number of pixels need to be high.
File Sizes
A file size is important when downloading a file onto your computer as some can be very big and some can be too small, a file size measures a computer file and is measured in bytes with a prefix. Some big file sizes can damage a computer in particularly when you get lots of big files and the computer can start be slow and start crashing etc.
Picture Ratios
The picture ratio is the size ratio of the screen you’re using on the computer when playing/watching a file. Common examples of frame rates are 4:3, 14:9, 16.9 etc.
Digital Rights Management
This is the systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. It is illegal to use copyright as a lot of things are confidential
Interactive Media Platforms for Video
World Wide Web
There are lots of services online that you can watch and download such as BBC I Player where people can watch shows that they have missed that come on BBC, this kind of service is very popular as it allows people to not feel they have to stay in or they cant watch the programme they want to see and gives them the opportunity to go out and then watch it whenever they like. I think BBC has really raised the bar by adding such a practical and helpful feature. As well as downloading shows for your computer you can also watch shows on a portable device and there are also radio shows that you can access to listen to including live ones currently on air. Another very popular website where people watch videos and clips is Youtube, the popularity of it has been rising hugely over the years as you can not only find almost anything you want to watch but it’s also a good website to use to advertise and promote something such as yourself or a band etc. There are more and more similar websites being made all the time as it is a very popular concept that can be used for different reasons.
Email Attachments
When receiving an Email it is becoming more common to also have a file of some sort attached to it that could feature a video, photo or a website such as gambling or pornography for example, a common one is a link to certain videos on Youtube that people are trying to promote which is a very good way if getting your name out there for people to see as they can then pass this Email on to other people (See Blog for Common funny videos). It is a very good way to get yourself spotted if you’re an unsigned musician without a label and people have done it in the past sending out links for there own music videos such as Sandi Thom who has been spotted and gone on to get a record deal and success. I think the idea of it is very smart as long as the file is appropriate e.g. promoting a band and not something rude or offensive which is also known to happen.
DVD
DVD’s allow you to put high quality videos onto a disk which can then be played on formats such as DVD players, games consoles, computers etc and it is also a portable way of watching films as you can take DVD playing formats into cars etc. On DVD’s of films and TV Programmes there are also extra features such as behind the scenes, deleted scenes and interviews where viewers can see an extra side into the media industry and how it was made. DVD is an essential part of video in interactive media as it allows people to watch anything and its important for people to put there own videos onto it as it can then be easily packaged and advertised.
CD ROM
A CD Rom is a Compact Disk Read only Memory, you can have a portable disk that you can put audios and visuals on such as videos and music, it’s a simple way of storing files that are easy to access to watch/listen too. It’s able to put onto a CD Rom but it reads from memory. I think it’s practical as it another way of storing your own work such as songs as related videos that you put onto computers to promote and advertise etc.
Kiosks
A different used way of accessing the internet is a kiosk which you can find in buildings and on streets. However, It’s used for a slightly different service than normal internet websites as it gives you information such as places to visit, recommended places, local tourist attractions and places to eat etc. You would often see them located in older buildings giving a guide of the location; an example of a kiosk is the one in Ipswich, Tower Ramparts. It’s service that isn’t as popular as other formats as its not one for it’s exciting modern technology but once again provides a valuable service that people will benefit from.
Presentations
Another good and simple way to promote yourself or anything is to make related a presentation showing information, images, videos etc. A known programme to do this on which is very easy to use is Microsoft PowerPoint and VLE (Virtual Learning Experience), these are good programmes when applying for a job as you can use as many pages as you want to fill with information and its very easy to navigate through each one. They are popular and I agree with the concept and think there very useful formats to use to show basic information such as bullet points and in depth information and facts such as paragraphs. They are not flashy or exciting but they do the job there aiming to accomplish and do it well and effectively.
TV Click Through (Red Button)
A TV Click through button is often seen on Sky where people can access extra special features related to the programme as well as watch other programmes such as sport. One of its more used features is it’s voting system used for reality shows such as X-Factor where people can access a way of voting for there favourite act. It is a very simple and easy to use way of receiving extra TV and more information.
Mobile Devices
A very popular way of interactive media is portable consoles that people can use to play games, listen to music and watch videos on there phones, PDA’s and games consoles etc. The quality of mobile phones is improving all the time and the direction it is going in can only get better as there is now more services and higher quality images and audio sounds. It’s a very easy to use way of enjoying media that is also portable and practical, I think it was a very good idea of letting people enjoy media and also leave the house at the same time and mobile devices are improving all the time.
Uses of Video in Interactive Media
Short Films
Another service that is available and easy to download is short films which were the first type of cinema back in the 1920’s, the content of them have clearly improved and they are now used as a quick preview when advertising or promoting something. You also see a lot of them on website such as Youtube where people put there own created short films on there for people to see and comment on as well as promote hoping to catch somebody’s eye. They are a good way of showing a film but not spending too much money or time to achieve it and is getting more popular again as home made videos also rise in popularity. I think it is a good way for people to promote themselves and also for people to enjoy themselves making a video and then sharing with people online which you can also send through Email attachments.
Promotional Material
Promotional Material is related to short films as companies creates trailers like a short movie to promote films and TV programmes although they do it in a slightly different way as they do it using lots of quick clips from different parts of the movie. You can also promote things using advertisements that can be video but also still images that have a message or slogan with it. Another good way of promoting is to put your own created videos or music onto websites such as Youtube and Myspace where it can then be seen by the audience. Getting your name out there and showing the world your product is key to success so it is essential that it is promoted.
User-Generated Content
People making home made videos are getting very common and are seen all over the internet on websites such as Youtube which is very big for people putting there own low budget videos onto. It is normally comedy material where people can have fun and makes jokes about world wide goings on such as celebrities and world issues. Some Videos that have been made have gone on to be very popular and well known such as the Pokemon video (Available to see on Blog). People can also use it as a way of getting messages across and also promoting themselves and that is what I think is the best thing about User-Generated Content.
Viral Marketing
A good and common way of Viral Marketing is to send things through Emails such as funny clips, film and theatre etc where you can advertise things. A big company for this is Blend Tech. It is yet another good way of advertising a product but can seem unreliable and suspicious as when you open some files you can receive a virus so it has its pros and cons.
Advertising
Advertising can be very straight forward promotion as you can create videos, slogans, images etc to show off the product and get you name out there using websites such as Facebook. However it can also be done on the sly without people being aware where people can accidentally come across it and the word can soon be spread. As long as you get the word out there people will always discover your product.
Virtual Reality Tours
People can use museum galleries as a way to see and find out more about the media industry as you can see videos, images etc. It is a good way to find out information about historic facts and also technology and developments.
Games
The gaming industry is developing all the time as there is better graphics on the latest games consoles such as Playstation 2 and there is a lot of money in it as it is such a popular industry and people are spending a lot of money for games. You can also play games online, on mobiles etc and they are also improving all the time.
E-Learning
People can gain education using Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to have lessons and revise whilst at home, it is very helpful services to use to self teach yourself and not be distracted.
Video in Interactive Media Technologies
Video Compression
When you compress a video it has its negatives and positives as it reduces the quantity of data used in the video to reduce the file size but it also reduces the quality of the image that you see so you have to take the bad with the good. Video compression is a still a very popular way of transferring a video though and it is fairly straight forward to do.
Codec
Codec is a device that you can use to convert analogue signals to digital form for transmission and converts signals travelling in the opposite direction. There are audio and visual Codec’s and they result in lesser quality videos when compressed as well. Once again it is a very important and helpful format but it results in lesser quality but it makes up for it because it can be very important.
Streaming and Download
There are lots of websites that allow you to access live streaming of TV programmes a swell as sport and radio e.g. BBC I Player that don’t require you to download or pay anything as you can just freely starting streaming it. Other websites require you to download files that you keep, that’s the benefit that downloading has to streaming; you can’t keep streaming such as BBC I Player programmes as a file on your computer.
Interactive Video Formats
MPEG – Moving Picture Experts Group that develops standards for digital video and audio compression
AVI – Audio Video Interleaved is a sound and motion pictures file that conforms to the Microsoft windows resource file format.
MOV – A movie that can be played on QuickTime is easy to use but can be of a lower quality so you have to take the bad with the good.
WMV – Windows Media Player is a very popular and well known format that allows you to listen to songs and other audio files, it is also of a good quality.
These are all well known format that are easy to use to access audio and video files.
Date Transfer Rates (Bandwidth)
The amount of digital data that is moved from place to place in given time so the smaller the file the faster the transfer rate etc. If you want the better, higher quality file you have to wait longer or if your in a rush or just inpatient you might want to settle for a lesser quality file but it will be quicker.
Frame Rates – The number of frames, images that are projected or displayed per second e.g. TV, Computer etc. The more frames, the higher the quality of image.
Screen Resolutions - The number of Pixels in each dimension. If you want a higher quality images the number of pixels need to be high.
File Sizes
A file size is important when downloading a file onto your computer as some can be very big and some can be too small, a file size measures a computer file and is measured in bytes with a prefix. Some big file sizes can damage a computer in particularly when you get lots of big files and the computer can start be slow and start crashing etc.
Picture Ratios
The picture ratio is the size ratio of the screen you’re using on the computer when playing/watching a file. Common examples of frame rates are 4:3, 14:9, 16.9 etc.
Digital Rights Management
This is the systematic approach to copyright protection for digital media. It is illegal to use copyright as a lot of things are confidential
Synopsis and Treatment
Me, Reece and Josh have created a song aimed at people of a similar age to us e.g. teenagers as our video features and represents typical teenage traits and lifestyles. The video will feature only the three of us and each of us has our own storyline and location, each not only representing the typical life of a teenager but also showing something e.g. a hobby that you would identify each of us with. We are trying to make the video feel modern but also with a retro twist which we have tried to put across with our song in the lyrics and the rhythm. The video also shows friendship between us and how our paths comes together eventually in the video. However, it also has parts unrelated to the storyline as it will often cut to scenes of the band singing together at the beginning of the video in the recording studio for parts of the song in particularly the chorus. The video follows the journey of the basketball, which I throw out of shot early on in a scene that features all three of us, as it travels through each of the locations where the personal storylines are set. The last storyline location it reaches is mine which has a basketball theme, when the ball reaches me I then appear on a basketball court whilst singing my verse in the song and start playing. Josh theme is BMX/Skating and features him hanging around by an alley-way before setting off on a journey whilst performing his verse. The last verse in the song is Reece’s and shows him listening to music in his headphones and then sitting in his car which features in his lyrics. We then returns to the basketball court where I throw the ball again which then travels back returning the opposite way through each location. All together the video will last around the same time as the song approximately three minutes and ten seconds, the three of us will do all the camera work and acting.
Treatment
Our video features several locations for separate storylines and we want to have multiple smooth cuts from each scene to bring each storyline into one. During the journey of the ball there will be continuity as it travels the same direction through each location but will return the opposite way later in the video as it travels back the way it came. The first scene features a lot of cinematography and shows all of us together in different angles, shots before the lyrics begin using it as an introduction to each member of the group and also the kind of atmosphere were looking for which is relaxed and modern. It shows the three of us standing in a line cutting from different camera shots so the camera shows each part of us closely for the audience to clearly see what were all about in appearance as we will each be wearing clothes related to a storyline theme e.g. basketball related clothes. We will capture CU shots of the lower parts of each member in a line then we will cut to an LS shot that will show all of each of us clearly. Then staying with the same idea of showing us we will then have another LS but this time from the side as we start to dance, this will come in with the beat so it shows the genre and atmosphere in the video and song. Following up from the CU of lower bodies, we will then cut to another CU of us but this time our faces. With the editing we want to create a very smooth and calm pace to it as we have with the music rhythm so there will be very few small and quick cuts or scenes and nothing to fast paced such as running quickly. The location will be very quiet and relaxed with no drama surrounding so all focus is on the talent, each of us will have a prop e.g. basketball, bike, I pod but will not be doing much with them except holding them. We have thought carefully about our costumes for each scene as they represent the genre and themes in each storyline and we will all wear out themed outfits. The entire music video has only the recorded sounds in the song which is all at the same levels including the talking and the singing.
We will shoot several parts of the video in the recording studio, mainly the chorus featuring all three of us and also each member will do a brief solo part of there verse which will be cut within there storyline verse. There will be no real movement at the studio microphone except a bit of moving to music, so the pace and rhythm will again be in time with to compliment the music to create the relaxed atmosphere we want. There will be a small range of shot types whilst in the studio as there is not much room in there and there will not be much content filmed in there anyway. We will be wearing our normal casual clothes and nothing related to the storylines.
The first scene for the main, personal storylines is at the basketball court for my basketball related themed verse. We will film this at a small basketball court, once I pick up the ball I instantly start walking with the ball to the beat whilst performing my verse, I then walk onto the court and make a shot. This part of the song is maybe the fasted paced bit in the entire song, so we will transfer that pace into the video in the way I act and the speed of each cut. There will be quick cuts from different shots of me as I walk down a path, constantly changing from a MS to a LS until I reach the court which will then cut to another LS as I make the shot. The location will feature only me and the props which is a basketball and hoop so there will be no focus taken away from me to the audience, the scene will have a very obvious basketball theme because I will also be dressed in basketball related clothing.
The Second main storyline is Josh’s skate style theme which shows him with his Bike or Skateboard whilst hanging around an alley-way near the docks using an LS, it will then cut to him singing in the recording studio before cutting to another LS of him on his prop following the camera down the alley-way whilst performing his verse solo, as the verse ends he stops whilst the camera keeps going as he fades away into the background. For Josh’s verse we made a slower part to the song so we are going to once again transfer the same atmosphere and feel into the video, he will be moving very slowing with little action except for using his prop. Once again there will be no distractions or other action in shot so all focus will be on him. The location used is very suitable for the theme in the storyline as it will have a typical teenage atmosphere with graffiti on the walls and suitable for using a Bike or skateboard, he will also be dressed in his themed outfit of cargo shorts and a hooded jumper.
Finally, the last personal storyline scene features Reece as he relaxes with his IPod and then in his car. This scene has a mixed pace to it and is in between the two other verses so once again this is put across into the video, the verse changes from a Faster pace to a slower pace so there are separate cuts to compliment both e.g. when he is performing his verse in his car he will move quicker compared to when he’s singing the slower part in the recording studio. His themed costume is a casual shirt and jeans and is another typical, stereotypical teenage dress style. Each location and storyline will have a scene where all three members will be featured in the same cut each wearing clothes relevant to the style. The surrounding light will be quite bright and we will be filming every exterior scene in the same light as it will all be filmed in the daytime.
The target audience is for teenage males of a similar age as it features many stereotypical lifestyles of a teenage boy. There is no real background in the audience except mainly slightly aimed towards people who are not wealthy as it shows us doing hobbies that do not cost much money to do and also natural locations.
Treatment
Our video features several locations for separate storylines and we want to have multiple smooth cuts from each scene to bring each storyline into one. During the journey of the ball there will be continuity as it travels the same direction through each location but will return the opposite way later in the video as it travels back the way it came. The first scene features a lot of cinematography and shows all of us together in different angles, shots before the lyrics begin using it as an introduction to each member of the group and also the kind of atmosphere were looking for which is relaxed and modern. It shows the three of us standing in a line cutting from different camera shots so the camera shows each part of us closely for the audience to clearly see what were all about in appearance as we will each be wearing clothes related to a storyline theme e.g. basketball related clothes. We will capture CU shots of the lower parts of each member in a line then we will cut to an LS shot that will show all of each of us clearly. Then staying with the same idea of showing us we will then have another LS but this time from the side as we start to dance, this will come in with the beat so it shows the genre and atmosphere in the video and song. Following up from the CU of lower bodies, we will then cut to another CU of us but this time our faces. With the editing we want to create a very smooth and calm pace to it as we have with the music rhythm so there will be very few small and quick cuts or scenes and nothing to fast paced such as running quickly. The location will be very quiet and relaxed with no drama surrounding so all focus is on the talent, each of us will have a prop e.g. basketball, bike, I pod but will not be doing much with them except holding them. We have thought carefully about our costumes for each scene as they represent the genre and themes in each storyline and we will all wear out themed outfits. The entire music video has only the recorded sounds in the song which is all at the same levels including the talking and the singing.
We will shoot several parts of the video in the recording studio, mainly the chorus featuring all three of us and also each member will do a brief solo part of there verse which will be cut within there storyline verse. There will be no real movement at the studio microphone except a bit of moving to music, so the pace and rhythm will again be in time with to compliment the music to create the relaxed atmosphere we want. There will be a small range of shot types whilst in the studio as there is not much room in there and there will not be much content filmed in there anyway. We will be wearing our normal casual clothes and nothing related to the storylines.
The first scene for the main, personal storylines is at the basketball court for my basketball related themed verse. We will film this at a small basketball court, once I pick up the ball I instantly start walking with the ball to the beat whilst performing my verse, I then walk onto the court and make a shot. This part of the song is maybe the fasted paced bit in the entire song, so we will transfer that pace into the video in the way I act and the speed of each cut. There will be quick cuts from different shots of me as I walk down a path, constantly changing from a MS to a LS until I reach the court which will then cut to another LS as I make the shot. The location will feature only me and the props which is a basketball and hoop so there will be no focus taken away from me to the audience, the scene will have a very obvious basketball theme because I will also be dressed in basketball related clothing.
The Second main storyline is Josh’s skate style theme which shows him with his Bike or Skateboard whilst hanging around an alley-way near the docks using an LS, it will then cut to him singing in the recording studio before cutting to another LS of him on his prop following the camera down the alley-way whilst performing his verse solo, as the verse ends he stops whilst the camera keeps going as he fades away into the background. For Josh’s verse we made a slower part to the song so we are going to once again transfer the same atmosphere and feel into the video, he will be moving very slowing with little action except for using his prop. Once again there will be no distractions or other action in shot so all focus will be on him. The location used is very suitable for the theme in the storyline as it will have a typical teenage atmosphere with graffiti on the walls and suitable for using a Bike or skateboard, he will also be dressed in his themed outfit of cargo shorts and a hooded jumper.
Finally, the last personal storyline scene features Reece as he relaxes with his IPod and then in his car. This scene has a mixed pace to it and is in between the two other verses so once again this is put across into the video, the verse changes from a Faster pace to a slower pace so there are separate cuts to compliment both e.g. when he is performing his verse in his car he will move quicker compared to when he’s singing the slower part in the recording studio. His themed costume is a casual shirt and jeans and is another typical, stereotypical teenage dress style. Each location and storyline will have a scene where all three members will be featured in the same cut each wearing clothes relevant to the style. The surrounding light will be quite bright and we will be filming every exterior scene in the same light as it will all be filmed in the daytime.
The target audience is for teenage males of a similar age as it features many stereotypical lifestyles of a teenage boy. There is no real background in the audience except mainly slightly aimed towards people who are not wealthy as it shows us doing hobbies that do not cost much money to do and also natural locations.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Evaluation of Final Music Video - Sky High
Whilst making our one day lip sync music video project myself, Reece and Josh picked up on several issues we were going to need to work on when we started making our final project turning out to be a valuable experience. The first thing we noticed was that we needed to have a very good idea of the locations and shots that we were going to use whilst shooting the video, as we were just coming up with ideas for the entire thing as we went along. So we put in a lot of time thinking of suitable location and shots to complement these locations, we also considered related costume that we could wear for separate scenes. We had spotted some locations that we thought would be suitable whilst we were driving around. As soon as we came up with the genre of song we were going to create, which was hip-hop/pop, we already had some ideas in mind for locations and the style we were going to create as we wanted to make it a stereotypical video to the genre of music. We also wanted to feature a basketball theme and I instantly knew of a suitable location to use that I have used in the past, a quiet and relatively unused court in Bawdsey and with Reece’s car we had easy transport to get there. We had also spotted a location in the docks that was unused and easy to access that was suitable to the style we were aiming at and complemented the music.
We came up with suitable lyrics and recorded our first attempt of the song, but after getting negative responses from ourselves and others about the sound and timing we decided to redo a couple bits of it including the chorus which we went from having all three singing at the same time to a line each which worked much better. Once we got that done we could start thinking more about the video itself and we drew up a version of a storyboard for how we envisioned it being like. I was due to go on holiday for the week we had to film but I stayed behind for Monday and Tuesday and we managed to get all the filming done in those two days, allowing Reece and Josh to start editing for the rest of the week despite a problem with time codes which was sorted out. The editing went very well and we had few problems with the timing of the lip-sync, one of the problems we had whilst editing the one day lip-sync project was that we didn’t enough footage to fill the song so we made sure we had enough this time and we did. We finished editing early which gave us time to play around with it and we found some interesting effects which we felt complimented the style of the video well and after some discussion about if they didn’t work or not we decided to keep them. They are one of the bits we have received a bit of negative feedback for as they can look slightly tacky and we agreed in some parts so removed some but we decided to keep some as we felt it gave the video a different dimension so it doesn’t get to repetitive and gives the audience constantly something different to look at.
We decided not to try anything too difficult to do e.g. green screen and just kept to basic shots and cuts using normal locations and lighting. One of my favourite bits of the music video however was the lighting we used in the studio, we use the barn door lighting equipment and used an added red lighting effect which was very effective and gave it the style we wanted. I also really like the style of the music video, it is very conventional to the music video genre and the song goes very well with the video itself, although none of us are singers we decided to give it a go as we saw it as good fun and nothing serious and we have got positive feed back for it. The overall outcome of the final edit looks very smooth and the cuts link up nicely, nothing is too complicated but it also isn’t too basic having the right mix making it work simple but still effective. We also didn’t want the acting in each scene to look to serious and kept it light-hearted, we have gotten very good feedback since the first edit so haven’t changed much. Some of the shots we filmed were slightly wobbly as it didn’t require a tripod but it is still useable, also in some of the shots you can see us talking but it isn’t enough to affect the finished video too much. If we could do it again I would have got a few more extra shots in so we had more back up of shots as we completely sure how much left over room we were going to have in between the mains scenes and we had parts in between verse that required a bit more footage and we used one of two shots twice but it isn’t too noticeable. We used the compressor to compress the video down and converted it into a Quick Play file before burning it onto a DVD disk.
We came up with suitable lyrics and recorded our first attempt of the song, but after getting negative responses from ourselves and others about the sound and timing we decided to redo a couple bits of it including the chorus which we went from having all three singing at the same time to a line each which worked much better. Once we got that done we could start thinking more about the video itself and we drew up a version of a storyboard for how we envisioned it being like. I was due to go on holiday for the week we had to film but I stayed behind for Monday and Tuesday and we managed to get all the filming done in those two days, allowing Reece and Josh to start editing for the rest of the week despite a problem with time codes which was sorted out. The editing went very well and we had few problems with the timing of the lip-sync, one of the problems we had whilst editing the one day lip-sync project was that we didn’t enough footage to fill the song so we made sure we had enough this time and we did. We finished editing early which gave us time to play around with it and we found some interesting effects which we felt complimented the style of the video well and after some discussion about if they didn’t work or not we decided to keep them. They are one of the bits we have received a bit of negative feedback for as they can look slightly tacky and we agreed in some parts so removed some but we decided to keep some as we felt it gave the video a different dimension so it doesn’t get to repetitive and gives the audience constantly something different to look at.
We decided not to try anything too difficult to do e.g. green screen and just kept to basic shots and cuts using normal locations and lighting. One of my favourite bits of the music video however was the lighting we used in the studio, we use the barn door lighting equipment and used an added red lighting effect which was very effective and gave it the style we wanted. I also really like the style of the music video, it is very conventional to the music video genre and the song goes very well with the video itself, although none of us are singers we decided to give it a go as we saw it as good fun and nothing serious and we have got positive feed back for it. The overall outcome of the final edit looks very smooth and the cuts link up nicely, nothing is too complicated but it also isn’t too basic having the right mix making it work simple but still effective. We also didn’t want the acting in each scene to look to serious and kept it light-hearted, we have gotten very good feedback since the first edit so haven’t changed much. Some of the shots we filmed were slightly wobbly as it didn’t require a tripod but it is still useable, also in some of the shots you can see us talking but it isn’t enough to affect the finished video too much. If we could do it again I would have got a few more extra shots in so we had more back up of shots as we completely sure how much left over room we were going to have in between the mains scenes and we had parts in between verse that required a bit more footage and we used one of two shots twice but it isn’t too noticeable. We used the compressor to compress the video down and converted it into a Quick Play file before burning it onto a DVD disk.
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