First full draft



This is my first full draft of my music video. I feel that the use of the cross dissolve edits between the shots in colour and the shots in black and white safely distinguishes between the past and the present. It portrays these shots as memories or 'flashblacks' and I feel that it represents these memories as what's going through Jordan's head at the time of when he is looking after Leah in the video. My stronger shots are the scenes where Leah visits the doctors, the couple are in the cafe and in the bathroom. This is because the framing is much stronger, the lighting has made the scene much clearer and more in focus.

Stronger shot

My most recent shots where they are laid in bed or watching TV have the issue of being quite dark so I think I am going to re-shoot some of these where necessary. I also need to work on my framing since in some shots Jordan's head has been cut off by the camera, I could solve this problem by using a taller tripod when I do a re-shoot and when I am setting up the camera, I should double check that both characters are both in shot. When I re-shoot some of the shots inside the house,  I should also use brighter lighting to reduce the amount of camera noise and improve the quality of my shots. A big issue with the quality of my video is that I have not uploaded it in HD initially as it is only a first draft and it would take a lot of time to do so just for this purpose. Consequently, this has made some of the footage appear softer than it should be. In the future when I upload the final edit I will upload it in HD which will drastically improve the quality of my overall video.



Weaker shot - low lighting

This is an example of a shot which is much weaker than the others. Although the framing is good, the lighting is quite low which had made the shot appear quite dark. Therefore, as I have previously stated I should consider re-shooting the sequence where the couple are having an argument. However, I am worried that the argument sequence may make the narrative unclear. I could improve this by either adding dialogue accompanied by a black screen at the beginning to make it more clear to the audience as to what it is they are arguing about.



Conventions Analysis of 3 CD covers belonging to the pop punk genre.

I have decided to look at three existing CD covers in order to identify the common conventions of these products for the pop punk/metalcore genre. I have looked at pop punk in particular as that is more apparent in A Day To Remember's music.

From looking at these CD covers I have identified the following conventions. Each CD cover I have looked at has the band’s name in upper case. The text is much larger than the accompanying text which informs the audience of the title of the album. The title of the album is in much smaller text but usually still in upper case. They all have a main image which are all illustrations or cartoons. This allows the audience to tell the difference between the mainstream genre of music and the pop punk genre, as most mainstream CD covers tend to consist of photographs of the actual artist rather than an illustration or piece of artwork. The colour schemes throughout the CD covers show the connotations of the music and suggest the possible themes which could occur in each track.

About Album Covers

First edit

This is a summary of what I have done so far. I still need to add the scene where Jordan visits the graveyard, and when Leah is visiting the doctors initially before she finds out her diagnosis. I think I might remove the shots which I initially planned which show a plate smashing on the ground, this is because I think this may confuse the audience and it might be a unnecessary part of the storyline.  I have had a discussion with my media teacher, and we are both debating whether to keep the opening sequence clip of the argument between the couple. This is because she thought it was quite confusing and that there was a lot going on, she also suggested I simplify the narrative by removing this clip as it might make the storyline clearer by doing so. Some shots (living room, in the bedroom) in this draft are a bit too dark, so I may need to re-shoot some of these shots. However, I am happy with how my video is looking so far. I may add different edits between the clips to show the difference between the flashbacks and what is happening in the present. I could also add a sepia filter on top of the flashbacks to distinguish between the past and the present.

Shooting Diary - Sunday 8th December

Today the filming I did before I went to work went very smoothly and according to plan. I managed to shoot the scenes which take place outside of the doctors with no problems at all. The lighting due to the time of day was perfect for filming. However, the only problem I did have is the letter looking on camera as if it was blank, I could maybe consider re-shooting this shot with a proper written letter but it would be very difficult to replicate a letter from the NHS.

After I finished work the filming in the graveyard went okay. I did have the problem of many cars pulling into the drive which disrupted my shots so at some points we had to stop mid-shoot. Some people kept looking over at me to see what I was doing but I was prepared to explain to anyone who asked what the aim of my project was and I would give a full description of what I was doing. I also had some trouble framing the shot so I could get the whole of Jordan in the shot as he is so tall. However, the sun setting provided suitable natural light for what I was trying to create within my video. Overall, I managed to shoot everything I was looking to shoot within a short space of time.

Shooting Schedule - Sunday 8th December

As mine and the talent's schedules are very busy at this time of year, I had to arrange to film two scenes before I start work this Sunday and after I finish work. I aim to complete the opening scene where Leah visits the doctors to find out her diagnosis and the closing scene where Jordan is visiting Leah's grave.

9.00 - 9.15 Meet Leah outside Tesco and walk to the doctors.

9.15 - 9.45 Doctor's scene.
Shots: 7, 8, 9 TYPE: Long shot, mid shot, medium close up, extreme close up.

10.00 - 2.30 I am at work.

2.30 - 3.00 Meet Jordan and walk to the graveyard.

3.00 - 3.45 Graveyard scene.
Shots: 64, 66, 71 TYPE: Long shot, mid shot, extreme close up, mid close up.

Opening Sequence - Test

This is my first test at the opening sequence to my video. I think that the quick editing works well as it works in cohesion with the tempo and mood of the music, it also matches well with the fact that the characters are having a domestic fight. However, I may need to consider re-shooting this opening sequence because the shots appear to be slightly out of focus due to the low lighting in the shots, in some shots the lighting is too dark and there is some noise in the shots towards the conclusion of the opening sequence. To solve this problem, I could consider re-shooting those particular shots with much brighter lighting to remove this background noise. Furthermore, I am going to put a full rough edit together with the shots which I have already taken, in order to see the strengths and weaknesses of all of my footage.

The Uses & Gratifications Theory

What is it?
This theory was devised by Blumler and Katz. It stated that the audience is active and describes the effects of the media from the audiences' point of view.

It asks why we watch certain tv programmes, why we read certain newspapers and tabloid magazines such as OK magazine or music magazines such as Kerrang. (A magazine which members of my target audience tend to read, especially as this magazine is of the rock genre).

The audiences' needs have social and psychological origins which create expectations about the mass media.

This leads to different patterns of exposure to the media, this results in gratification of the audience's needs and in other consequences.

This theory is relevant to my own work as it shows the reasons why my target audience might watch music videos or choose to listen to certain music. In this case, pop punk and metalcore music.

The Model
The model shows that individuals are motivated by a desire to fulfil or gratify certain needs.
The model asks how we use the mass media.
It states that we have four different needs.

• SURVEILLANCE
• PERSONAL IDENTITY
• PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
• DIVERSION

Surveillance
People like to know what is going on in the world around us, they like to have awareness and they use the mass media to be more aware of the world. This gratifies the desire for knowledge and security. We can relate to the dominant messages of conforming via the dominant ideologies give in the media texts such as music videos. For example, Green Day's music video 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' allows the audience to become aware of an important issues that is going on today, which is war. It shows the relationship between a couple and the effect of this important topic when the male character chooses to go fight in the war. Therefore, this is relevant to my own work as my music video shows the important issue of terminal illness and what some individuals are going through today.


 


Personal Identity
Being a subject of the media allows us to reaffirm the identity of ourselves within society. The media can be used for forming personal identity and can be seen in music videos. For example, rock stars become role models who inspire young adults all over the world. This is why there's a huge outcry when one of them does something which is unexpected of them.

Personal Relationships
We can form a relationship with the media and use the media to form a relationship with other people. Many people us tv as companionship as individuals can relate to the storylines and experiences portrayed in the programme. If we watch the TV on a regular basis we become close to the characters. Furthermore, when experiences of fictional characters are portayed in music videos, they allow us to form a relationship with these characters for a short amount of time and relate to them which is why many people watch music videos. For example, Ian Watkins, the lead singer of Lostprophets (a rock band), has pleaded guilty to a number of sex offences. As many young adults saw him as a role model before this was revealed, there has been a massive public outcry in response.

Using the media within the relationships
We use the media to as a foundation to form and build relationships with real people. For example, having a favourite band in common, (A Day to Remember) allows individuals to begin a conversation. This could consist of their latest activity, new single or album or a new music video.

The Two Step Flow Theory

The Two Step Flow Model was developed from the hypodermic needle theory which sees the media as a direct and powerful influence.

The diagram which I have included demonstrates the basic structure of the model. Opinion leaders (who are usually of high status or some kind of influential person) pass on information from the mass media through word of mouth. The audience are assumed to be active and are seen as part of society, they are more likely to consume a media product if it's recommended by a friend or someone close to them. A prime example of this is through the social networking site, Twitter. Popular news stories often find their way to the audience via Twitter and other similar sites as people often talk about issues and events happening around them in society today. 

For example, the recent death of Fast and Furious star, Paul Walker. As he was a popular actor amongst many young people within my target audience, individuals express their sadness about his death through twitter.

This is relevant to my work as I could spread the word about my new music video through word of mouth, I will inform influential opinion leaders of this so they will go on to reccomend my video to individuals within my target audience. I could place my ancillary texts on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about my new music video.

The theory originated from the 1940 presidental election campaign. Lazarsfield et al carried out their first full scale investigation of the effects of political mass communication, their findings were published in 1944 in the book 'The People's Choice'.
Lazarsfield concluded that only 5% of people changed their vote as a result of media messages. When the audience were exposed to election broadcasts this turned out to be a poor prediction of their voting behaviour. He also concluded that we are more likely to consume something reccommended by someone we know or share a close personal relationship with.

Another example of this which is relevant to my work is the streaming site, Spotify. Tracks that an individual's Facebook friends are listening to appear on their news feed. A link accompanies this post which gives the individual the option to listen to the song. Due to the fact their friends are listening to a certain track they are more likely to want to listen to it out of curiosity and because their friend likes it.







Furthermore, personal interaction is more influential than the mass media as the receiver can be more selective when choosing which media they wish to consume. In a conversation where the speakers are face-to-face the distance between the two speakers is less than in mass communication. The speaker can also receive direct feedback from their partner.

Shooting Diary - Monday 25th November

Today I managed to complete the shots which I previously didn't complete on my first day of filming. These were the shots filmed in the bedroom, and the scene where the couple are both watching TV. Overall, the filming went well without ay problems and I managed to film the required close ups, mid shots, mid two shots and long shots which I needed. I am still yet to complete the filming of my video as I need to shoot the closing scene and the opening scene (where Leah finds out her diagnosis on her own and where Jordan visits the graveyard).