One idea we could consider when creating music video for the band we are given is multicam. This is when you run many clips parallel to each other of a band performance, and each clip will be from a different angle, but the band are sitting in the same location each time. Then you run all the clips and then select times on which each clip will be played, this makes editing a lot easier in a live performance as it means you don't have to keep editing and cutting the same clips over, you can run the whole clip and choose when you want it played. We tried to perform our own multicam text below. This is our version of 'Whiskey in the Jar' by Thin Lizzy. N.B we messed around a little to lighten things up!
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Friday, 10 May 2013
Evaluation
1)In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our music video 'Ill Wind' certainly uses develops and challenges the real conventions of real media products.
We use a lot of real media conventions throughout our piece, for instance, by the mise en scene of each character. We have stereotypically used the costume in which society would generally associate with each of our characters. For instance as it is a dark eerie music video, we believe that using a dark eerie mise en scene throughout is essential. We do this in our costume of the 'ritual leader' by having him completely dressed in black with just a visual white face.
As i previously said our video is a dark, eerie meaning behind it 'Ill Wind represents the gust of misfortune blowing through you life, it is symbolic of all the downs your have, and it is always the pain and hurtful memories that are so vivid in your minds' this is the direct quote meaning from the band 'Our Krypton Son'. therefore by using such things as dark effects and adding a 'cinematic' look to the video therefore allowing us to develop the conventions of real media products.
We also challenge the conventions of real media products by introducing such things as time lapse between each character. Most conventions would relate around the same century, and by having an upbeat song and using an 'ancient' character it completely clashes with the music. The music which would most likely relate to this century would be choral gregorian chants and so on.
We also challenged the conventions of real media products by using a dark, eerie video to this right upbeat song. For instance you wouldn't put 'ba ba black sheep' to the video of a band such a slipknot, but after looking into the true meaning of the song, we depicted that the song had this despairing lyrical message.
2)How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I believe that our main product and our ancillary texts were very effective. We kept with the same spiritual explanation throughout all of our final products. And we also kept everything dark coloured and downhearted. For instance our digipack, the whole backdrop of it is black and then we added dark edited photos over the top. These photos consisted of myself with a kind of zombie mutation to it with half a head, this was done on photoshop very easily. Also the same was done to Jonathan on the opposite side of the digipack. Throughout all the products we also created the same text, this kind of scary 1920's carnival text, which adds effect to the creepiness of the overall products. Also throughout the products we introduced the idea of tarot cards. On our front cover, we used a bunch of tarot cards that we scanned into the mac. We played around with he opacity and made a collage of them all. We also introduced these into the actual video product, during the flashback scenes. Having them jumping around and popping up over the screen. We believe that this represents the association with death and also to the overall pain to the products.
Also with our website we kept to the dark, bland colours, and also the band photos we added to the website had to be put into black and white, so this again i relating to the development of real media conventions. We believe these tones used were very effective in creating an overall downhearted tone to the piece.
With the video we believe that the overall video was effective. But the downfall of it i believe was the fact that the song was so upbeat, yet the meaning of the song was so downhearted and dark. To some viewers i believe this wont be effective and could be very confusing, but i think we have tried our hardest to really make poignant the idea behind the lyrics.
3)What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Our music video 'Ill Wind' certainly uses develops and challenges the real conventions of real media products.
We use a lot of real media conventions throughout our piece, for instance, by the mise en scene of each character. We have stereotypically used the costume in which society would generally associate with each of our characters. For instance as it is a dark eerie music video, we believe that using a dark eerie mise en scene throughout is essential. We do this in our costume of the 'ritual leader' by having him completely dressed in black with just a visual white face.
As i previously said our video is a dark, eerie meaning behind it 'Ill Wind represents the gust of misfortune blowing through you life, it is symbolic of all the downs your have, and it is always the pain and hurtful memories that are so vivid in your minds' this is the direct quote meaning from the band 'Our Krypton Son'. therefore by using such things as dark effects and adding a 'cinematic' look to the video therefore allowing us to develop the conventions of real media products.
We also challenge the conventions of real media products by introducing such things as time lapse between each character. Most conventions would relate around the same century, and by having an upbeat song and using an 'ancient' character it completely clashes with the music. The music which would most likely relate to this century would be choral gregorian chants and so on.
We also challenged the conventions of real media products by using a dark, eerie video to this right upbeat song. For instance you wouldn't put 'ba ba black sheep' to the video of a band such a slipknot, but after looking into the true meaning of the song, we depicted that the song had this despairing lyrical message.
2)How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I believe that our main product and our ancillary texts were very effective. We kept with the same spiritual explanation throughout all of our final products. And we also kept everything dark coloured and downhearted. For instance our digipack, the whole backdrop of it is black and then we added dark edited photos over the top. These photos consisted of myself with a kind of zombie mutation to it with half a head, this was done on photoshop very easily. Also the same was done to Jonathan on the opposite side of the digipack. Throughout all the products we also created the same text, this kind of scary 1920's carnival text, which adds effect to the creepiness of the overall products. Also throughout the products we introduced the idea of tarot cards. On our front cover, we used a bunch of tarot cards that we scanned into the mac. We played around with he opacity and made a collage of them all. We also introduced these into the actual video product, during the flashback scenes. Having them jumping around and popping up over the screen. We believe that this represents the association with death and also to the overall pain to the products.
Also with our website we kept to the dark, bland colours, and also the band photos we added to the website had to be put into black and white, so this again i relating to the development of real media conventions. We believe these tones used were very effective in creating an overall downhearted tone to the piece.
With the video we believe that the overall video was effective. But the downfall of it i believe was the fact that the song was so upbeat, yet the meaning of the song was so downhearted and dark. To some viewers i believe this wont be effective and could be very confusing, but i think we have tried our hardest to really make poignant the idea behind the lyrics.
3)What have you learned from your audience feedback?
The overall audience feedback has been really positive in my opinion. We set up a Facebook page asking people to watch the video and comment on any feedback they had, whether good or bad. But the overall vibe of the comments seems to be very positive. We had a few problems such as people didn't realise the spirit entering the box at the start of the video, therefore they were unsure to as what was in this box. This is something we should have tried to get audience feedback on before the making of the video, we could have possibly made a short sample/teaser video and asked for audience feedback on this to see if they could piece together what is going on the box.
It also seems that people have had to watch the video at least twice over to get the understanding of the video as it is such a dark meaning, but it seems when people listen to the lyrics it all pieces together.
Other things that we have been told to work on is to make the opening scene more sinister. We could have possibly have done things such as a large ritual scene with maybe 5 or 6 more characters taking the spirit out of a person or possibly an animal. But due to our zero budget on this piece we found that very difficult to do, even though we thought about doing it. But trying to find things such as costume on a large scale would have been very difficult.
4)How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?It also seems that people have had to watch the video at least twice over to get the understanding of the video as it is such a dark meaning, but it seems when people listen to the lyrics it all pieces together.
Other things that we have been told to work on is to make the opening scene more sinister. We could have possibly have done things such as a large ritual scene with maybe 5 or 6 more characters taking the spirit out of a person or possibly an animal. But due to our zero budget on this piece we found that very difficult to do, even though we thought about doing it. But trying to find things such as costume on a large scale would have been very difficult.
Well as all great products start off we needed to come up with an idea, therefore we used the internet to search such things as 'how to make a music video' and also used youtube to do research into similar bands video styles. Our main technological device was our Apple Macs. The whole product was created on this, from research into our band, to creating our logo, to adding the final effects on our music video. Without these we would have been lost. Throughout all the productions we used two different types of macs, every student had laptops to do individual work on, as well as having a desktop to create our music video on, as the memory is a lot bigger so it allows for more footage to be placed onto it without it running slow!
Last year we used IMovie, a built it product that comes with apple products, but this year we learnt how to use Final Cut Pro X. This software is a lot more prominent and advanced than IMovie, which was needed this years, as it allowed us to push the boundaries of what we were able to do, for instance it allowed us to introduce the idea of a 'soul sucker' to take the spirit out of the body at the start of the video. I personally had succeeded to do this on another software Motion 5, but the problem i then faced was trying to import the right sized clip back into Final Cut, therefore, Ryan had found a way to create the soul sucker on Final Cut from the plug in i had created! We also used Final Cut Pro to create our anamatics and uploaded these to our youtube page! Also using such social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to promote our product, as well as using blogger to create our evaluations throughout the year.
I also used Photoshop when it came to design the digipack. I found it very difficult to use this at first because i had never really looked at the programme before, but by using such websites as Youtube and Vevo to search tutorials i actually found using Photoshop very easy. It was very frustrating at certain times, for instance when you want to move something you have to select the layer, and also trying to get the resolution right, but i believe our digipack truned out very well in the end. To cut things out i would use the pen tool, then make selection then use layering to get the perfect cut each time, which took a lot of work, believe it our not.
For the likes of the filming we used great spec Samsung HD cameras, which were absolutely fantastic, the difference in quality between the ones we used last year was outstanding. You could perform such things as touch focus, manual focus, as well as use focus pulls and blur the image out of focus if you liked. As well as this we used such things as scanners and printers for creating digipacks and so on.
I believe we used a very large variety of technological devices when creating out piece which helped our final product be so successful.
Monday, 8 October 2012
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Beginning FCPX Task
The artist in which i have researched is Feldberg. As in my previous post, Feldberg are an icelandic electro pop group with a down too beat style. A band i found that has similar musical style to Feldberg is Dikta. Dikta too are also an icelandic electro pop group, which consists of 4 members. I believe their song 'Goodbye' has the same electro relaxed feel as Feldberg also has. Below is the video post to the song 'Goodbye'.
Compared to Feldbergs videos, Dikta push the bounderies of normality in there videos, this video being an animated story, which compliments the words of the songs. Whereas Feldbergs videos complimate the songs story, this is very different in what way it is done, they use various different shots. Its also different to Feldbergs style of videos, as Feldberg work on a low budget, for instance there song, 'Don't be a stranger to me' was just a running sequence of photos, also there video 'Dreamin' was just actors lip syncing the words. This though, is a full software based video which would need professionals who are trained in graphics too create it.
They use high angled on such shots as the 'broken bird' and also on the dark characted who dies at the start, this means although an animated video they are keeping to the shot laws, these shots would represent that these subjects are 'lesser' than the main subject and are what society view as gone, as they are represented as dead. But they then use the low angled shot on the bird flying away to show that there is new life, and that he is one with the world again.
They use alot of jump cuts to show the chracters progession and struggle on the moral of the story 'im afraid of letting go'. These cuts represent the length of hiw lofe and how life goes on, all the things in the past must be cut out of the characters life, and there will be the moments were they remeber the moments, but these are just merly mile stones and mus be forgot about.
I think the colour they use, this calming yellow, effects the way in which the viewers watch the video, they have added the yellow i believe as it gives a relaxed but worrying nature on the video. It gives it the more professional feel. I believe trying to achieve this type of video on Final Cut Pro X would be very hard to achieve, you would have to use other professional cartoon creating and animated editing products to achieve this, but it gives it a brilliant professional feeling i believe. It gives me ideas though that you can use on real videos. For instance, the opening establishing shot under the tree with the zoom out, i believe that shot could be used for a song with a relaxing, cool summer evening feeling to it, so although animated, it gives one ideas for a video. Also the whole reverse story behind the song, how it is actually his life he is looking at in the cahracter who dies.
Although animated i believe it gives a real sense of realism, the character isnt 100% peiced together and you can see through them, but it still gives the idea that this is real people. I believe a full animated video would be far too difficult to peice together, but this gives me idea on maybe making a section animated, and shows the best way into how to do it.
Above is the video of Feldbergs 'Dont be a stranger' this is a simple but very professional looking video. By using a sequence of photographs it gives the viewer the idea of peicing the video together. I think this is very well done, and tells the story very well, by using such things on the photos as vignette at times and also by using many different shots it is a realistic video that can be achieved.
Above are two very different videos for similar artists and have both different ideas on how to make a video of a high and low budget look very professional.
Compared to Feldbergs videos, Dikta push the bounderies of normality in there videos, this video being an animated story, which compliments the words of the songs. Whereas Feldbergs videos complimate the songs story, this is very different in what way it is done, they use various different shots. Its also different to Feldbergs style of videos, as Feldberg work on a low budget, for instance there song, 'Don't be a stranger to me' was just a running sequence of photos, also there video 'Dreamin' was just actors lip syncing the words. This though, is a full software based video which would need professionals who are trained in graphics too create it.
They use high angled on such shots as the 'broken bird' and also on the dark characted who dies at the start, this means although an animated video they are keeping to the shot laws, these shots would represent that these subjects are 'lesser' than the main subject and are what society view as gone, as they are represented as dead. But they then use the low angled shot on the bird flying away to show that there is new life, and that he is one with the world again.
They use alot of jump cuts to show the chracters progession and struggle on the moral of the story 'im afraid of letting go'. These cuts represent the length of hiw lofe and how life goes on, all the things in the past must be cut out of the characters life, and there will be the moments were they remeber the moments, but these are just merly mile stones and mus be forgot about.
I think the colour they use, this calming yellow, effects the way in which the viewers watch the video, they have added the yellow i believe as it gives a relaxed but worrying nature on the video. It gives it the more professional feel. I believe trying to achieve this type of video on Final Cut Pro X would be very hard to achieve, you would have to use other professional cartoon creating and animated editing products to achieve this, but it gives it a brilliant professional feeling i believe. It gives me ideas though that you can use on real videos. For instance, the opening establishing shot under the tree with the zoom out, i believe that shot could be used for a song with a relaxing, cool summer evening feeling to it, so although animated, it gives one ideas for a video. Also the whole reverse story behind the song, how it is actually his life he is looking at in the cahracter who dies.
Although animated i believe it gives a real sense of realism, the character isnt 100% peiced together and you can see through them, but it still gives the idea that this is real people. I believe a full animated video would be far too difficult to peice together, but this gives me idea on maybe making a section animated, and shows the best way into how to do it.
Above is the video of Feldbergs 'Dont be a stranger' this is a simple but very professional looking video. By using a sequence of photographs it gives the viewer the idea of peicing the video together. I think this is very well done, and tells the story very well, by using such things on the photos as vignette at times and also by using many different shots it is a realistic video that can be achieved.
Above are two very different videos for similar artists and have both different ideas on how to make a video of a high and low budget look very professional.
Monday, 10 September 2012
Smalltown America Task
Feldberg are one of Small Town America's most successful bands, they have won several icelandic music awards as well as one of the singles being chosen for the Brazilian version of 'Neighbours'. Feldberg consist of two performers, Rosa Birgitta Isfeld and multi-unstrumentalist Einar Tonsberg.
The pair released their debut album, Don't Be a Stranger, in Iceland in 2009 via Cod Music The album was subsequently released by Rallye Label in Japan in 2010, and by SmallTown Americe Records in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2011. They released their first digital single, "I'm Not Thinking of You", via Smalltown America Records on 13 December 2010. That same month, they played a series of concerts in New York City in small venues such as The Living Room, Union Hall with Leaves drummer Nói Steinn Einarsson playing alongside them.
There videos are also very very simplistic, for example the single 'Don't be a Stranger' is a collection of photos all ran in a sequence, as it shows the two perspectives of either singer. The transitions between the photos are also paced to the music, obviously this is explanatory, faced paced music means the pictures transitions are quicker, slow paced the transitions are slow, this is possibly to represent the mixed emotions and how quickly peoples minds change when 'in love'.
The single 'Dreamin' has a music video not consisting of Feldberg but actors, this is unusual as all other videos are the two singers acting, possibly they were trying for a new look. All the actors bar one are in the bright, white light of day, it could represent the point of peace and tranquility, both while sleeping, and dreaming about their 'love'. They have actors sleeping and lip syncing the words, they use many pan shots which could indicate that time is passing by, showing the long length of there so called 'sleep'. Also the use of zoom outs, shows that they are coming out of there humanly state and going to the state in their mind and hearts, dreaming of the ones they love.
Again the band doesn't have a worldwide icon, i believe they are very simple and are good at using the resources they have, they don't break the bank when making their videos. Also i think fans appreciate it, they just have really simple ideas, which work very well with there music, most electric bands would have flashing lights and big stages to show there big electric sound, but there simplistic ways suit the music perfectly.
The pair released their debut album, Don't Be a Stranger, in Iceland in 2009 via Cod Music The album was subsequently released by Rallye Label in Japan in 2010, and by SmallTown Americe Records in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2011. They released their first digital single, "I'm Not Thinking of You", via Smalltown America Records on 13 December 2010. That same month, they played a series of concerts in New York City in small venues such as The Living Room, Union Hall with Leaves drummer Nói Steinn Einarsson playing alongside them.
Feldberg have made a claim for themselves over the past 5 years. Producing very relaxed and downbeat acoustic singles, with an electric feel to them. There album 'Don't be a Stranger' is there most recent and consists of a real electric feel with such things as Rosa's voice being given a reverb feel to it in the first verse, and then Einar's in the 2nd verse in the song 'Sleepy'. Almost giving it that lullaby feeling, which would represent the dreaming relationship to sleeping. Also by using the keys as an almost main instrument, it also gives it that electric feel.
There album artwork is very plain but effective, for instance they don't really have a distinguishable emblem or picture unlike And so I Watch you From Afar (Another of Small Town America's bands). Their album 'Don't be a Stranger' uses simple artwork of two people talking on the phone showing there split personalities. Also by including the difference in electrical appliances could indicate that they are trying to emphasise this feeling that they are an electrical band.
There videos are also very very simplistic, for example the single 'Don't be a Stranger' is a collection of photos all ran in a sequence, as it shows the two perspectives of either singer. The transitions between the photos are also paced to the music, obviously this is explanatory, faced paced music means the pictures transitions are quicker, slow paced the transitions are slow, this is possibly to represent the mixed emotions and how quickly peoples minds change when 'in love'.
The single 'Dreamin' has a music video not consisting of Feldberg but actors, this is unusual as all other videos are the two singers acting, possibly they were trying for a new look. All the actors bar one are in the bright, white light of day, it could represent the point of peace and tranquility, both while sleeping, and dreaming about their 'love'. They have actors sleeping and lip syncing the words, they use many pan shots which could indicate that time is passing by, showing the long length of there so called 'sleep'. Also the use of zoom outs, shows that they are coming out of there humanly state and going to the state in their mind and hearts, dreaming of the ones they love.
Again the band doesn't have a worldwide icon, i believe they are very simple and are good at using the resources they have, they don't break the bank when making their videos. Also i think fans appreciate it, they just have really simple ideas, which work very well with there music, most electric bands would have flashing lights and big stages to show there big electric sound, but there simplistic ways suit the music perfectly.
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