Notes on our Initial Planning Meeting

We plan to produce a music video to the song of How to Love by Lil Wayne. Below are ideas for what we are going to film, how and when.

-ROLES OF PEOPLE IN THE GROUP

• Zeenat-Filming, blogging, digi pack design, album cover design, back cover design, poster design, CD design
  
• Noor-Editing, protagonist, blogging, digi pack design, back cover design, CD design
• Emma-Poster design, blogging, director's commentary, digi pack design
  
• Hayfa-Director's commentary, blogging

As a group, we will all help each other in all areas, however, the above allocations are what each of us will predominantly be working on.

• -FIRST WEEK

• take images of the locations and protagonist in locations for the album cover, digipak and poster

• begin filming in the park, establishing shots to show where she is, e.g shots of the council estate, things in the play area of the swings and slides, park bench etc and the protagonist upset on these things thinking about her ex e.g shots of her on the swing, on the bench

• upload these images onto the computer ready for editing

-SECOND WEEK

• Go to town to film the fountains in Piccadilly Gardens to show that she is watching these fountains

• Film any other shots of things to represent love (other than the fountains) e.g film the birds flying in the sky which look like white doves

• Long shot of the train leaving with her ex on

-THIRD WEEK

• Put all footage onto the computer ready for editing

• If we have any more ideas as to what to film, we will do so

-FOURTH WEEK AND BEYOND

• Editing and work on the digipak, poster and album covers

Kanye West - Good Life ft. T-Pain

Production Treatment- Zeenat, Noor, Emma, Hayfa

The music video: How to love- Lil Wayne

Duration: The length of the original video is approximately 5 mins 22 seconds this is because there are parts of the video at the start and end where there is no music playing as the protagonists are just acting. As we wont be including this, the length of out video will be approximately 4 minutes 10 seconds as our our filming will be done to match the song

Audience: The main target audience for out music video will be for late teenagers (13-19) both male and female. Although the content of the music video and the lyrics are suitable for a younger age, the primary target audience is still males and females between the ages of 13-19. This is because of the subject of the video. It is about a teenage girl who's boyfriend has left her for another girl-something a lot of teenagers can identify with. The music video can also be watched by adults, but again, it will be much harder for them to identify with the video-some may find it easy to identify with however because of past experience and even adults go through relationship difficulties. Also, from our research, we found that the age group of people who listen to hip-hop (which is the genre of our music video) are teenagers between the ages of 13-19.

Resume: The genre of the video is hip-hop and the audience will see a variety of things. The video is about a girl receiving a text from her boyfriend breaking up with her and she is heartbroken, she goes walking around and is angry and upset. The audience will see the protagonist doing things like sitting on the bench crying, walking through crowds of people in a daze, and just basically thinking about her ex-boyfriend and how he's upset her. The protagonist will be wearing casual clothes that teenagers may wear on a daily basis such as jeans, jackets, top etc which will match the 'urban' mise-en-scene which will be shown through the key locations of Manchester town centre, Hulme Park, and the Alexandra Park estate in Hulme. We will also film the protagonist in chapel where she will go to reflect on her thoughts. At the moment we only have 3 locations in mind because from our research on hip-hop music videos, there aren't a lot of locations used as the storyline is often a very simple one. As hip-hop is quite an urban genre, we have chosen urban locations to go with this.

Suggested Elements: There will be no dramatic costume design as our protagonist will be wearing casual urban clothes to match with the urban mise-en-scene and urban genre of the music video, also to keep with the conventions of other HipHop videos, we will be keeping our video naturalistic as possible as that's what other HipHop videos are like.

Recording days: We intend to spend approximately one month filming, however not all 30 days of the month will be needed- we intend to spend 2 days a week in the month filming. We will be spending approximately one month on the post production (editing, insertion of transitions, sounds and overall polishing of the piece) during this time we will also be working on our CD cover and poster- two of us will be taking charge of the CD cover and poster however all four of us will have some sort of involvement in both.

Filming: Wednesdays, Fridays October to beginning of November

Editing and Post Production: November

Video Analysis- Good Life by Kanye West

Performance and Narative

The genre the music video is R&B\Hip Hop music. The video is an art video, as you are able to tell from the special effects and the editing has been done in a specific way so that the audience is able to see the lyrics, and how they have been put in the video in a creative and interesting way. The video is holds more of a narrative element, although it is an art video and is mainly focused on the special effects, most of the time the effects are showing images of the lyrics.

An example of how they are showing their lyrics - “let the money pile up”


close up

Kanye West's image has been promoted throughout the whole video, he is one of 3 performers in the whole video. All performers (kanye west, tpain, and the dancer) are all in black and white to contrast their look from the cartoon edting that has been added which are all in bright colours. There are also many close ups on Kanyes face to promote his image and so that the audience is aware that he is the star of the video. The references made in this video are all of kanyes life as a pop star and celebrity, there are cartoons of crowds of people and money and his lyrics are also highlighted to give a clear image.

The beats are all cut with the music and when a new topic in the song comes up the video jumpes into a new cut and shows the next lyric. The speed of the video has a cut rate that vaires sometimes it will stay on the artist for around 7 or 8 seconds and on other parts will only stay for 3 or for. The video is lip synced throughout by both Kanye West and Tpain.

"i go for mine"



"i got for mine i got to shine"

Music Video Analysis-Ed Sheeran-You Need Me

Ed Sheeran- You need me, I don’t need you

Performance and narrative

This is a unique narrative video that has been shot in a studio and has been edited in black and white. The video is primarily performance-based, featuring a dancer who illustrates the lyrics through sign language.

The video begins with darkness and then a spotlight slowly expanding, this is shown through a long shot so that we can see the spotlight expanding under the dancer’s (who is the main protagonist) feet who is faced sideways and appears to be on a stage. We then see a medium shot of the bottom of Ed Sheeran’s body strumming his guitar which would show fans of Ed Sheeran that this is one of his videos as the shot of him strumming his guitar at the beginning of his music videos is his trademark. The image below shows the dancer sideways on:

The camera does close-ups of the dancer’s hands and this is because the dancer uses sign language to narrate and illustrate the lyrics all the way through the video. It also does close ups of the dancer's facial expressions such as his eyes. The screenshot below shows an example. The video contains a first person mode of address as the dancer is directly engaging the viewer through the camera which involves many close-up shots of the dancer’s hands and face to show his expression. The screenshots below show examples-the extreme close-up of the protagonist's eyes is particularly interesting as it introduces the actor. It is as almost as if he is trying to connect with the audience. The lighting is soft, with his facial expression intensifying the atmosphere, while the background is blurred. Below is an image of a close-up of the protagonist (dancer's) face to show his facial expression.

Throughout the video, there is a combination of long shots, medium shots, and close-up shots of the protagonist, with the lighting changing with each shot. The protagonist stands in a large spotlight. The lighting synchronizes with the different actions that the protagonist performs. For example, halfway through the video, the protagonist opens and closes his hands, and as he does that the lights brighten and dim. The editing is fast cut with the use of jump cuts keeping up with the beat. The sequence starts of at a slow pace to establish the mood and setting. Not a lot of camera movement is used as there is only one focus and that is on the dancer.

There is montage editing when footage of different dancers dancing in different locations are brought together and frequent jump cutting from dancer to instrument. Low-key lighting is used throughout and on the stage and the spotlight goes brighter whenever the chorus arrives. At one point, there are dancers performing, and these shots are usually montaged with the main protagonist and a medium shot of Ed Sheeran's hands strumming the guitar.

The video is edited in black and white which could connote simplicity which is common in Ed Sheeran's videos-it shows he is not yet an icon, he isn't flashy and his videos are clearly low-budget. As the genre of the song is hip hop/soul, this has been reflected in the mise-en-scene as it has been shot in a studio. Throughout the sequence, the shots of the actor are interrupted with dancers. their faces are not shown clearly because of the low-key lighting. This allows the viewer to focus on their dance moves. In some of the shots of the dancers, you are only able to see their silhouettes as the main focus is on their dance moves and the camera lens has been blurred.

Star Image

There is no star image as the singer only appears at random parts of the video when we only see Ed Sheeran’s lower body strumming the guitar. The only time we properly see Ed Sheeran is at the end of the video when he is standing in the dark on the stage with low-key spotlighting.

This shows he is not yet an icon as he doesn’t appear much and doesn’t show fancy cars, jewellery or glamorous women in any of his videos like other icons or famous rappers may do. In terms of mise-en-scene, we can see that this is a low-budget video from the absence of expensive props and because of the fact that very little props are used.

Intertextuality

There are no intertextual references at all as Ed Sheeran is not yet an icon like Madonna or Michael Jackson or Lady Gaga

Beats

Cut to the beat, very precise in the way the dancer moves his hands

Speed

The performance is speedy like the music

Additional information

Objects have been used to illustrate some of the lyrics which is iconographic. For example, this image of a rucksack was shown when the lyrics 'Selling CD's from my rucksack aiming for the papers' were sung. There is usually a spotlight on the object.

This video is a successful video and unique as a different approach has been used. The use of low-key lighting and editing has been cleverly done and worked for the video making it successful. Also, the way in which the singer doesn't actually appear in the video himself until the very end is unusual and unique and the fact that a dancer has been used as the main protagonist is also different to other music videos. Sign language to illustrate the video was also unique and clever, as the main words in the chorus are 'You need me man, I don't need you' and the fact that sign language is used to show this could suggest that maybe someone with hearing impairment who uses sign language may feel like this when people are constantly thinking that they need care.

During this analysis I have looked to see if this video has any of the following of the following from Goodwin's six theories:

Voyeurism: When other people look at the artist or an insight into their lives. e.g a screen within a screen- this video doesn't show any of this except through the lyrics-Ed Sheeran is singing about how he will one day become very famous even though critics are currently criticising him.

Close up’s: Images of the artist, usually of their face, distinguishing features or face to help make them more recognisable to fans e.g. Calvin Harris’s sunglasses-this is evident in this music video as we see close-ups of Ed Sheeran's guitar which makes him recognisable to fans.

Intertextuality: When another text is referenced e.g. parody-Ed Sheeran often refers to other artists in this song such as Gabriella Chilme.

Genre characteristics: What we expect to appear in their music video style e.g. in Ed Sheeran's videos we see his guitar which he always has in his music videos therefore it is what we expect to see

Relationship between Music and visuals: The means the visuals illustrate amplify or contradict the music e.g. fast paced may mean a lively video-this video is neither fast paced nor slow-paced, it is quite a medium pace and we see this from the steady paced performance.

Relationship between Lyrics and visuals: When the visuals on screen illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics e.g. an Image may appear on screens when it is referenced in the song. We see this when Ed Sheeran is singing about the rucksack-the rucksack comes onto the screen.

Music Video Analysis-Lady GaGa Born This Way

Born this way it includes both narrative and performance. The musical video represents sex, religion, freedom.

The audience has always known lady gaga for being unique and the fashion icon, this is due to the star image she’s usually presented which is linked to the way she dresses, dances and lyrics she sings. Lady gaga chose to reference Madonna in this video because the song it self references 80’s Madonna song “express your self”. The way lady gaga poses in a see through clothing is similar to one of Madonna’s poses and the non-human baby that comes out of both lady gaga and Madonna in “bedtime story”.

Below are some images of the type of person Lady GaGa is. She is seemed as quite strange yet unique and outrageous as we can see from the images below which are taken from the 'Born This Way' video.

In most if not all her videos she has a dance routine and in this video she’s dancing in a two-piece suit with her dancers. It’s a very sharp dace routine that matches the music beat, which later turns into playing with goo and having fun that’s where we see the disgusting gaga in the video. This shows gay people and their struggles with their sexuality. Shows how the audience may look at something that they may think its strange or not nice while others might be enjoying it. This video is about expressing and accepting yourself and others round you in society. There’s a scene that is totally not linked to the song where lady gaga is shown as a skeleton and the heads in the jars, this suggest the evil as well as the scene where she’s with a machine gun which presents danger.

Low-key lighting has been used through out the whole video this is related to horror with related to giving birth to non-human organism. It also makes the performer standout as light is focused on them. Close ups to lady Gaga’s face to identify her to the audience and show her importance in the video as well as to show the lip singing. Establishing shot has been used at the start to introduce the place and the over view of what’s happening. There’s fast cuts to some parts of her body this is used to show seduction with the help of her seductive clothing. Some cuts were done to the beats. There’s panning shot when dancers are dancing and few cuts to certain dance movements to match the beat. Symmetrical effects have been used when she’s giving birth this confuses the audience as it shows something complicated is taking place which makes them wanting to know what’s going to happen. Low angle shot used when she’s sat at the top of the earth this is to show that she’s greater and she has power, which suggest that, she’s controlling/ruling the world. She’s dressed in black and she’s got a machine gun, which also presents how the world is rules by the evil. Arial shots used when dancers playing with goo, showing a clear image of what they are doing this is also linked to making sexuality obvious putting across the idea that its nothing to be hidden.

I think this video is very important in terms of crossing a message over. It has been worked on very carefully. I like how some of it is related to the lyrics where some parts are totally irrelevant to what she is singing. The cutting of the dance and lip to the beat and words is really outstanding. However I do disagree that this video is viewed in front of little children because they may get scared or get confused as they don’t know much about gay, sexuality or even giving birth specially to non-human creatures.

Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You (Official Video) Out Now