Our teacher set us an editing and creativity challenge task, which required us to try out and practice one of three editing techniques: iStop Motion, .... We chose to try out and practice... This was helpful because it gave us an insight into what kind of editing techniques would look effective in a music video, and it also gave us first hand experience of how to successfully use final cut express to create and incorporate visually appealing editing techniques into a music video. Everyone in the class was asked to use the first 16 seconds of the song Kickstart by UK artist Example when practicing editing techniques. The reason we chose to practice this editing technique rather than the other two is because we saw it being used in Examples music video for Kickstart, and we liked the idea of the shots sliding, and the peoples feet tapping in synchronisation with the music.
I personally feel that our editing and creativity task didn't turn out to be how I imagined it. However, as we were rushed for time and only had one lesson to experiment and practice editing techniques which were new to us, I strongly feel that this may be the reason why. I feel that we did an okay job considering that we spent about 40 mins filming and only 20 minutes editing. An area in which we could improve in is timing when each shot slides in to ensure that it matches the beat of the song, as they appeared to slide in at random parts of the song. An advantage of using editing techniques is that it gave us the chance to be creative and because there are a variety of different editing techniques which can be used, they don't get boring. A disadvantage of using editing techniques is that filming the footage can be time consuming and if you don't know how to use final cut express efficiently to edit, it could take even longer to edit the footage.
How do the representations conform /subvert typical gender representations?
In this music video, Christina Milian (the female star) subverts to my typical expectations of the female representations. The reason she subverts to the typical representations of a female is because of her performance within the music video. Christina comes across as very masculine in certain parts of the music video, for example, at 0.43, she is interacting with mise en scene which we would stereotypically assume males would be into such as the dogs being held on the chains and the bike which Christina Milian is on. Her performance at this point is also boyish and I denote a boisterous attitude within her performance, subverting female stereotypes.
How are the micro/technical aspects used to create the representations (costume, shot types, editing, etc.)
Spending the day at the 'RichMix' workshop was very beneficial to me as it provided me with opportunities to boost my confidence when making my music video and information from professional members of the media department of RichMix on what should be done to create a successful music video. If I had any concerns, the RichMix team were supportive and there to answer my questions and to help me with any problems. I learnt that one important part of having a successful music video is having the mis en scene available. We saw a clip of media students from a different school who arranged everything in their music video on the same day that they were shooting and although they gathered everything they needed including the props, actors, etc, the music video wasn't of a brilliant standard. Communicating with the members in your group and organising things before hand will help to make the music video a success. If we are to use someone else's song, it is best to rehearse and go through the lyrics with the person acting the song because if the video is being shot and the actors do not know the lyrics, the feel of the music video will not be as exciting as the actor will not be in sync with the song in the background. I also learnt that if you are making a music video, you should actually sing the lyrics instead of mimicking them. This way, the music video will feel more real and it won't look as boring. It's always good to be yourself in a music video. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you. As long as you're comfortable with what you're doing and it looks good, thats all that matters. I learnt at RichMix that you should'nt be half hearted because the music video will end up
looking boring and not as exciting as the original. I also had the opportunity to take part in a group activity with students from other schools and our task was to re create a music video. (Robbie Williams - Let Me Entertain You) We were encouraged by our teachers and the RichMix crew to have our faces painted and to have certain people playing different roles. I took the role as Robbie Williams. It was a great experience and i enjoyed taking part in it because it helped me to understand how it feels to actually make a music video on low budget and to be honest I felt quite nervous but it did help me boost my confidence. It made me understand that I need to show my full potential when it comes to my real music video.
Overall, it was a great experience for me and everyone else who came to RichMix.There were parts that weren't fully explained like the editing techniques because we ran out of time but with the advice and support that was given, I feel as if I can make a better music video than i originally thought.
In Ruff Diamondz first single 'Do It Like Me', the song is quite up beat and would probably sit into the hip hop genre due to the rapping from one of the members and the style of the instrumental. However, not a lot of hip hop/rap videos these days consist of performances so this video subverts to my expectations of a general hip hop/rap video because the visuals in this music video are mainly based on dances choreographed by the artists. This music video is a good example of a 'performance video' as it includes lots of dancing and acting from both the artists and the other performers in the music video.
Cinematography
I denote numerous camera shots and angles in this music videos such as mid shots, long shots, low angles, close ups, etc. Performance videos primarily consist of the artist or the extras performing in the music video, dancing around and acting so therefore, long shots are the most suitable to use to capture the whole artist or extras performance. At 0.55 in the music video, I denote a long shot of the group of artists displaying a dance. This long shot which allows the audience to focus of the artists dancing without taking away the attention from the background which makes it more visually exciting and fun for the audience. The music video also consists of mid shots as well which is good to use in a performance video as it helps to draw more attention to the artist rather than the background. The mid shots limit the audience from seeing the full image of the artists, however it is effective as we can still see the upper body, hand movements and slight facial expressions of the artists. E.g. at 0.35, Troy (one of the group members) begins to perform solo and from this mid shot, the audience can really see the emotion in her face as will as her body and hand movement. I also denote close up shots of Troy at 2.18, indicating her importance as she is the lead singer of the group, but also displaying her facial expressions to the audience. Close ups are often used as cutaways from a more distant shot to show detail, such as artists' emotions, or some intricate activity with the artists hands. The emotion within Troys' face around 2.36 shows that she is having a good time as she pulls facial expressions that suggests she is enjoying herself i.e. the developing smile and movement of the lips. At some points in the music video, I also denote slight low angles on the group which connotes superiority and dominance. The 'rule of thirds' rule is also being obeyed throughout the majority of this music video when the camera is focused on the group of females, connoting dominance in their performance.
Mis En Scene
The production design of this music video changes from being in Camden in big empty spaces behind industrial buildings to being on rooftops and inside clubs. The various locations in the music video really help to enhance the performance e.g. roughly, in the first 20 seconds there are extras in the music video riding bikes around a big space somewhere in Camden. Having a big empty space allows the artists and extras to do various things with their performance like ride bikes, dance, march along with drums, etc. and the performances in this location really helps to create a good mood as it may remind the audience of events they have been to where drum marches have taken place or times where they have rode their bikes around Camden, creating a sense of reality. The artists have a limited amount of props which conforms to my expectations of a performance video as not a lot of props are used in performance videos, allowing the audience to focus more on the performance of the artists rather than the props. However, the performers/extras use props such as graffiti cans, bikes, pillows, etc. This adds realism to the video and creates entertainment for the audience. E.g. At 4 seconds, a group of extras ride bikes around the corner and they look like they are enjoying themselves, creating entertainment for the audience. The lighting is also high key and natural as the majority of the video is set outside and this lighting connotes a feeling of positivity and fun in relation to the performance as the natural lighting in combination with the performance gives the music video a 'feel good' feeling.
Editing
In some parts of the music video, the editing is fast paced which is ironically effective as it goes well with the fast paced hip hop song. The music video only consists of jump cuts. A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit is effective as the jump cut gives an appearance of continuous time and space as it jumps into a shot similar to the previous. This type of edit is more useful to use than transitions when working with face paced edits because transitions take longer to move into the next shot where as the jump cut simply moves to the next shot. The jump cuts are also used at 0.33 to create match on action which creates a continuous sequence of Troy performing, cutting from a long shot to a mid shot. This creates a visual bridge which distracts the audience from noticing the cut.
Marvell's 'The World Is Ours' music video mostly consists of close ups, low angles and mid shots. The first few shots are close up shots on the environment and we are unable to identify where they are. Extreme long shots and establishing shots are usually the shots which we would expect to see if the environment is being shown, however they did effectively use a close up shot to create enigma for the audience, leaving them with the question 'Where is the music video set?'. There are also close ups on the artists which show the audience the artists emotions through their activity with their hands and facial expressions. The lyrics within the song relate to the way they are expressing themselves so the close up shot is a suitable camera shot to use to show the audience the artists emotions. In the video, the artists hand movements and facial expressions help the audience to see the struggle and relief visually rather than just hearing them talking about it. The close up shots are slightly at a low angle as well so we could say that the low angle close up shots connotes a feeling of superiority now that they have made it into the music scene. I also denote mid shots in the music video and the purpose of these mid shots are to show the facials expressions of the artists but to also show the body language and the performance. It does shows the audience a larger amount of the background than the close up but still creates enigma for the audience. The mid shot was ideal to use as I denoted the artists evoking a feeling of ease and success but also a feeling of anger and disappointment through their performance, connoting their progress in the music industry and their fury, maybe due to the fact that people have let them down on their path to victory.
Mis En Scene
The mis en scene helped to create enigma within the music video. The space where the music video has been shot is very compact, destroyed and mysterious, leaving enigma for the audience. The only assumption that can be made of the area is that it could be set in an abandoned building hence the tables, the door frames and windows, however we do not know what or where the building is so it creates mystery for the audience, making them ask questions like 'Where is this place?' and 'What is this place?'. The artists performances are very simple but expressive. The artists do not move around much but are creative with their body language and link their actions to their lyrics. They are looking into the camera and performing as if they were directly expressing their stress and struggle to the audience which allows the audience to relate to the lyrics within the music video and connect with the artists. The lighting changes from low key to high key. However, the majority of the lighting is very low key which could connote negative emotions or could just simply create enigma e.g. at at 0.11, the lighting on the environment is very low key, creating a feeling of enigma and tension as it is dark (the kind of lighting we would expect in a horror/thriller film) which might take the audience out of their comfort zone. But the lighting in certain parts of the music video are high key which could connote the breakthrough of their struggle. At 2.09, the lighting is very bright on the artist and the artists performance is powerful at this point. This could connote his success of getting to where he is even though he struggled. The lighting could relate to the lyrics as when the lighting is dim, this could represent their bitter feelings towards the people that never co operated with them in the past where as when the lighting is bright, this could represent their victory of making it into the industry even through the struggles they have been through. The costumes that the artists are wearing are bleak and dark and each individual of the group are wearing a pair of black tinted glasses. This creates enigma for the audience as they are left with questions like 'Why are they all wearing bleak costumes and glasses?'. The glasses could be to hide their pain that they are expressing in their lyrics and the bleak clothing could represent the struggle they have been through and their seriousness when they say confidently 'The world is ours'.
Editing In this music video, there are various editing techniques used such as visual effects like overlapping, fades and other transitions and editing techniques.
