General Conventions Vodcast 2

Conventions Vodcast

Our Vodcast:
This is our vodcast on what we have learned about conventions:



Part 2:




This vodcast talks about the general conventions that are widely used in many different genres of music video. We tried to use a variety of clips from different genres to make it easier to see that these conventions are for a wide range of genres.

Inspiration 2: Slow Motion and Masks

Inspiration 2: Slow Motion and Masks

PIXIES - SILVER SNAIL (2014)



We had an idea of wanting to use slow motion within our piece. After looking at different examples of this we decided that sometimes it can be seen as very cliche, but when its used with some aesthetic sense it can make a music video very beautiful much like this video.
Many Pixies videos use slow motion and in my opinion they are all brilliant example of how slow motion can be used to create an interesting piece of work. 

Also in this video the use of masks really intrigued us as we thought about using the idea of narrative enigma in our piece. This combined with the slow motion makes the piece much more sinister and seems more mysterious. We thought that we could use masks and different styles of costume to connotemystery.

Genre Conventions - Indie Music Videos

Genre Conventions - Indie Music Videos

GENRE CONVENTIONS
After looking through general conventions of music videos we have decided to go for an indie music video. So, with that we're now narrowing our search by looking at typical conventions of an indie music video.

PERFORMANCE
Its very typical of an indie band/artist to have a live performance as their video, they normally will have varied shots between the artist and the audience reacting to them. They do this as its more important to them as artists to focus on their music and talents rather than drawing attention away from this. For example Foo Fighters' video for their song "All My Life" (Grohl, 2009) was almost completely a performance video with just a few opening establishing shots. (They also seem to use a fisheye lens in some parts of this.)

NARRATIVE
However it has become increasingly more popular to do narrative styles of videos in between the performance, this is because it gives the music video more meaning and helps their audience relate to the song. Usually the narrative links to the lyrics within the song but would also leave room for imagination as this makes the video stand out more. Narrative has become this popular because it holds the audiences attention and also leaves room for an auteurs mark. For example, the list of the Best Top 20 Narrative Videos consist of mainly indie music artists.

BUDGET
As indie bands its a general convention that their music won't be high budget because, as their title depicts, they're Indie. Many examples can be seen, a small band from the Leeds area, Sly Antics, shot their first video on an iPhone! Even seemingly expensive looking/ professional music videos like Pixies - Silver Snail or Mumford and Sons - Believe can still be relatively cheap but still look sharp because of the cinematography of the video. 
There are obviously exceptions to this,  counter typical examples would be anything with animation in as that tends to be a lot more expensive. Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (Wilson, 2013) Is a completely animated video made by the company Blinkink this would have been pretty expensive.


SETTING
Following on from budget slightly, the setting of these music videos tends to be cities, parks, tunnels and studios etc. This is because they generally have lower budgets and also it needs to be somewhere that will be accessible and able to create mystery. Again the settings are simple as the indie/rock genre like to keep the attention on the music and the performance rather than the background to it. For example, World Pleasure by Peace is a simple studio video with some interesting lighting and takes throughout. 

MISE-EN-SCENE
Mies-en-scene is a big convention of any music video because it has so many aspects underneath its umbrella title like costume, makeup, props and setting.
COSTUME:
Costume plays a huge role in music videos, its there to create verisimilitude for a music video, to show the different identities within a band, it represents an artists image and brand and also there to show individuality in who they are. Daft Punk are an electronic music duo band who use their costume to create their identity as a band, the narrative enigma of not knowing what they look like created their image. 




PROPS:
Props are an important factor in a music video as they also provide verisimilitude, if the video is a live performance or a reenactment of a live performance you would expect to see instruments that the band play. Similarly if it was a narrative video about people in love you might expect to see flowers as that is a signifier of love.




CAMERA
Different camera angles and shots are used in music videos to show different things, for example a close up would used to highlight the performers and introduce them as well as using close ups on the instruments to highlight their talent. It can also help to pick out facial expressions from the artists to show their passion and emotion. This can be good for advertising the singers band and brand.


Crane shots are sometimes used when filming live performances to get a good view of the audience in full. These types of shots allow different and interesting angles too. Other types of shots that are used are ones like long/wide shots, this is because they can be used as establishing shots to set up the beginning of a narrative.

EDITING
Editing is an important convention as it helps make the video interesting, special effects can be used like lighting techniques, as I mentioned above about World Pleasure. Another editing technique is fast/slow paced editing, this is where the shots are synched to the music  and cut to the beat. Effects are usually added over the top of a video to make them seem old and worn. The black and white effect is a popular one as it give the video a classical and sad feel to it. 


SOUND
In live music videos sound has to be enhanced and the audience has to be made quieter so that it doesn't interfere with the sound quality of the song. Also, when doing a narrative video diegetic music may be added to keep with the story of the video. These can be added at the beginning before the vocals begin and at the end after, and in the middle if needed. Sometimes sounds overlap, an example of this would be if the vocals are still playing but the audience can here someone crying too. The volume of the sounds can be adjusted too to create more emotions and feelings. 

Inspiration 1: Car, Black and White

Inspiration 1: Car, Black and White

DEPECHE MODE - Never let Me Down Again (1987)



In this video there are some beautiful examples of black and white footage and some interesting ideas for shots. As we were brainstorming about using a car and trying to get footage from that and of it moving, this video has some good scope for ideas on how to frame it.

Also, because its an older music video, it gives it a crackled-like look to it which we also spoke about, for this we thought about trying to mimic the use of a super 8 camera or trying to find effects that will make it look similar.

Inspiration 3: Lighting

Inspiration 3: Lighting

Peace - World Pleasure (2014)



As the song we intend to video is called  "Lights Go Down" we thought about playing around with lighting throughout the video to get some really interesting effects. For this we explored different videos to get a feel for whats already been done. 


We first looked at World Pleasure by Peace which had some really beautiful examples of coloured lighting at the end. These pastel colours create a dream-like effect, it has been colour corrected and the purple has been exaggerated.
It also looks like this is a post filming filter, meaning that the colours have been altered and played with after the filming has been done. It changes the mood of the piece, if we were to apply the commutation test and switch the colours to deep reds and greens it would create a more sombre mood to the song. 



Years & Years - Desire (2014)

This video uses coloured lighting in a totally different way, throughout the video the lighting is quite dark which already gives it a more subdued feel to it. Once the coloured lighting kicks in it becomes more sultry, especially with the women that are in shot.


Their lighting partially post filming as the colours have been enhanced and played around with but it also seems to have been used while filming. You can see this as in the shot below there are lights within the room.

Indie Conventions Vodcast 2

NEW Indie Conventions Vodcast

TBC...


TBC...

Our Idea Explained

Our Idea Explained

INTRO
We want to start with varied shots of Leeds to carry on with their last video and then also some countryside shots. Then close up shots of the band packing up from a gig/rehearsal space, not showing their faces only their bodies, instruments and set ups. 

MAIN BODY 
Then we see them getting into their car, this is where we are introduced to the man with the "smile bag" on looming in the background. After this we see them driving through a city and we see some interesting camera shots, to where we get to a cafe.
In the cafe the band are doing a gig, surrounded by elderly people, the man with the smile bag is there watching from a corner table. He get a text to where the next gig is and then gets up and leaves. We then see them back in the car again but this time we move into the countryside with varied shots of moorland etc. We then see a series of shot of the band moving around the car and the man with the bag is in the car too.
We see a extreme long shot of an abandoned shack and cut in until we get inside the building. The band wander around the building and surrounding area and then shots with the man in the background appear, in each shot he is getting closer and closer to the band and at the end there is a sort of black out and when the lights come back on the band are sat tied to chairs with the smile bag on.

Indie Music Video Conventions Vodcast 1

Indie Music Video Conventions Vodcast

Indie Genre Conventions

This my seconds vodcast on conventions, this one is about specifically the indie genre of music videos instead of the wider one which was about music videos in general.

In this one I cover:

• Narrative
• Performance
• Costume
• Budget
• Animation
• Setting
• Props

Conference Calling

Conference Calling

 Conference calling helps people to have a phone call with more than one person, this is perfect for us as we need to ring the band but both Molly and I need to be calling them.  

(IPHONE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS)

• It works by ringing one person as you normally would, then when they answer pressing on the circle with a plus in the middle. It also says underneath "Add Call". 

• It then takes you to your contact list where you can choose who to ring next. (it puts the first person on hold though for the time being). Your first caller may need to be aware of that so that they do not think that you have put the phone down on them.

• Once your second caller has picked up you can merge the calls by pressing on the circle with the arrow in the middle, it says "merge calls" underneath too. When you have merged the calls the first caller will be taken off hold.

 Once you have merged the calls you can keep adding people to the conference and you can all speak and listen to each other.

ANDROID PHONES

I found an online site called Dummies.com  that tells you exactly how to make a conference call while using an android phone.

Communications with Sly Antics

Communications with Sly Antics

Trying to organise a group conversation to help organise the shoot and planning to organise a suitable date. Also the bands ideas on how they wished some sections to be portrayed.

Brand Media Kits - Audience Research Mag Ad

Brand Media Kits - Audience Research Mag Ad

Q MAGAZINE - Brand Media Kit

Their publishers, Bauer, created a Brand Media Kit PDF with reader profiles, demographic data and also talks about their access to big names in the business, their audience breadth, and their online and digital additions of their magazine. 

This screenshot from the pack denotes an average reader of their magazine to identify to possible advertisers the type of audience that reads their magazine. Q is a very male and older readership with more intellectual people reading as signified by their demographic information.

INDIE CHICK MAGAZINE - Brand Media Kit
Their magazine is solely based on women as their readers and had their own Brand Media Kit they specify that they want to help out and advertise companies and different things that would link to what they write about.

With this demographic data in mind, I think that this would be a good choice to promote Sly Antics to our secondary female audience.

PLANNING: New media: Facebook messenger communications with Paige

Communications with Paige 

Using new media such as text, email and Twitter we have communicated with Paige who I am working on this project with.                                                     

This extra communication has helped us to finalise our idea by sending ideas that have come to us whilst not being at school quickly and efficiently to each other. 

LYRIC SHEETS: Lights go down

Lyric sheets - Lights go down - Sly antics

PLANNING: New media: text communications with sly antics

Communications with Sly antics

Using new media such as text, email and Twitter we have communicated with the band Sly Antics who will be centred in our music video.

In these texts we have figured out the most suited date for both us and Sly antics, if they have a car and are willing to drive it in the video, and wether all of them are willing to be in the video. 

TEST SHOTS: car

Car test shots
After researching Depeshe mode and looking into their french new wave style music video Never let me down again we decided that we like their stylised car shots. These are rough re-creation test shots of a car, however this will not be that car that we will be using as we are wanting to use a more vintage looking car to fit with the retro style effect of our music video. 

IDEAS: Car

Ideas- car 
Much like in the video Never let me down again we like the idea of using a car but to fit with our neish audience we would try to use a more retro style car. They used the car to create many interesting stylised shots.