Prelim Task: The Evaluation

1. Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop day and I was grateful to have an opportunity such as this. I felt so much energy from everyone during the day which made the whole thing so much more fun! My best bits by far were when I was dancing and putting so much energy into it, when we were dancing as a unit and generally just having a good time with my friends.
2. What did you learn from participating in the workshop?

I learnt that on an actual shoot of a music video time management is key. Allowing at least 2 hours for technical issues was crucial for us since we spent the first half an hour of the shoot sorting out the camera when we were scheduled to be shooting. I also asked Jake questions about the camera and lighting and he said that the camera used was a 5D and is now being used in feature films, whilst I also learnt that the lighting had orange and blue filters to give a similar colour style to what is used in the actual music video, with the orange filter being much stronger than the blue one and so less of them were used.
3. Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?

The footage we took on the day is full of energy, shows that we mesh well as a group of students and is an impressive representation of the actual music video so I feel that our footage is up to a very high standard. I didn't edit my own version of the music video, however I have studied one video and I can see that, when compared to the actual video which is located in the lower right corner of the frame, the shots generally match the original piece and I can feel the same energetic vibe from the early naughties that Five have created. From this edit I can see the significance of cuttign quickly and to the beat to ensure the audience remains immersed in the atmosphere of the song, and so, yes it is how I expected it to look.
4. How do you think your workshop experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?
I think that I will know take more consideration into planning the way time is used and deciding how long should be spent on each shot or taking breaks. I hav come to understand that the role of the assistant director is crucial and so in my music video coursework I will make sure that someone is occupying this role and that the person shows a presence and is assertive.
I will also bring to my coursework an endless supply of energy and motivation since I have found that motivation was of huge significance in brigning out the best in our actors.

Re-edit of Everybody Get Up by Five

We were set the task of working in pairs to re edit around 30 seconds of the music video for Everybody Get Up by Five. On the face of it, the task seemed fairly simple: just piece together the clips in the section of the music video we were given, however we soon found how difficult it was to edit together lots of clips, the majority of which weren't even a second long. This was certainly a lesson in the quality required to edit a successful music video of this genre, focusing on the length of each shot.

Year 12 Five Lipsynch 2011 Group 7

To practice the techniques required in our actual coursework music video our class divided into groups to practice lipsynching. I worked with Adam and Michael and together we learn the lyric to the song Everybody Get Up by Five and we recoreded ourselves performing the song and then edited together this music video.

I learnt the lyrics mainly for the first verse since when we film the actual music video for Everybody Get Up I want to be Richard 'Abs' and I think that because I look the part and my enthusiasm and high energy is shown in this video and everyday life I would be able to get the job done on the day.

Meeting Jake Wynne

On Friday, we got the chance to learn from someone directly involved in the media industry. Jake Wynne told his story of how strived to become a feature film director to how he detoured into editing and directing music videos.

I was particularly impressed by the relentlessness of the first music video he directed for Sony's Nojahoda, which ultimately acted as the foundation to his directing career.

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to filming the music video with him soon!

Task 1 – Effective Music Videos

The music video I have chosen is Propane Nightmares by Pendulum.

1) Instant impact!

The video doesn’t open with an instant impact more an enigmatic build up, by creating questions in the narrative such as who are these people and what does the church have to do with the content of the song. The impact however is still explosive and fast paced due to it being of the drum and bass genre and the video shows this through the increase in pace in the action like when the priest begins to speak and by showing the band for very brief moments.

 2) Non-linear editing

This video follows the narrative for much of the song before the action breaks out meaning that the editing at first remains linear. However, once inside the church, the song gains pace and we start getting very quick cuts, each shot being shown for no longer than 1 second, with clips jumping between the priest, the man on crutches and the band (although we only see the band a few times).

3) Repetitions

We are repeatedly shown the lead singer’s face from the right hand side, however there isn’t too much in the way of repetition in this music video.

4) Strong sense of artist identity

Although we only see a few clips of the band as a whole and that is altogether, we get many enigmatic close-ups of the lead singer at the microphone where we can see just below his eyes particularly his distinctive beard and the we see his eyes and the faces of other band members.

5) A performance

In this music video the performance highlights the action of the narrative, showing the audience the several stages of the song: the entrance to the church, the transformation inside the church, and the running away of the man who has been cured and so no longer requires the crutches and of another young woman. In the few shots we see of the band as a whole they are very much into the music they are playing creating excitement, exhilaration and chaos.

6) Visual Pleasures

The grading of the video at has a subtle sepia tone to it and a desatureft; og-fgedation of colours which immerses the audience since it creates enigma. The song alone creates an adrenaline rush, and this is complimented in the music video through the quick cut action which satisfies the audience. And of course, you have the attractive girl that runs away with the guy; very much attracting a male audience.

7) Wow Factor!

The narrative of the video isn’t necessarily what the song is describing, however I feel that the use of religion, heaven and hell is a suitable, indeed effective representation of the lyrics and overall atmosphere of the song.

8) Provoke a reaction

The use of Christianity over other religions can be seen as controversial since it is showing perhaps the positives and negatives of the religion, creating a talking point amongst the audience.

9) Works on different levels

Although we are shown the typical conventions of a drum and bass genre music video we are not shown any recognisable fan-based jokes or not similar showing that overall this in an unconventional music video.

10) Pop culture

This song is mainstream and very current by being drum and bass which indicates that the audience targeted is today’s youth and young adults. The music video further targets these primary audiences by being controversial, a bit quirky and chaotic!