Marking Up Footage

In class today, we learnt the skill of marking up footage. This means to keep a code for your footage so that you know what each bit is without watching it, making it easy to find and edit footage in the future.            To demonstrate this skill, i used different bits of filming from previous students to order it using my own code, keeping a record of the code on a spreadsheet. This is an image of the different bins- referring to the first 2 digits of the code.

If i then opened one of these bins, for example Bin 1 (Project 1) i would see the following.





















To know what the code means, i would check my spreadsheet, which tells me each individual code, and what type of footage it is, and a copy of what the code means.

Conventions

Conventions

Lyrical Interpretation is any way that a director chooses to interpret lyrics into a music video. Different lyrics could be interpreted in different ways by any one, so by interpreting them in a certain way in the video creates a visual interpretation. In Dizzee Rascal- Sirens, the director has made a clear difference between what is heard in the lyrics and what is seen in the video. This would be done to make the audience think about the song in a different way, compared to what they originally thought.

Extending/Consolidating Meaning is two very different things. To extend meaning in a music video is to take the audience past what they originally thought the song meant, by adding another layer of meaning into the music video. This would be done to make the audience re-think their first ideas, and could be said to happen in Dizzee Rascal’s Sirens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPpxxrl0xhM In this video, you think its about young people being arrested, but its about the way young people are viewed in society and that becomes clear in the video, especially between 3:11 and 3:20. Consolidating meaning is the opposite of this, and is a music video, which cements what you originally thought about the song in the video, showing the same thing. An example of this is K Koke’s I’m Back video, where he sings about coming out of prison and having fun, and that’s what’s shown in the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpt6zhdlgGk

Allusion means making an indirect reference to another person, piece of work, place or object in your music video. An example of this is on the radio show Fire in the Booth, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqgtYHlKhqA  where K Koke makes references to Stonebridge, the place he grew up throughout the whole song. This could be done to show respect for the place/person being referenced, or in a negative way to make fun out of them.

Links to Other Artists are links made from one artist to another in a song or music video. An example of this is Eminem, who makes links to Dr Dre in many of his songs. This could be done for different reasons, either to associate

with this artist or to disassociate yourself with them. Eminem uses this to associate himself with Dr Dre, as he is an influential person in the music industry, and being known to associate with Dr Dre would be good for your career. On the other hand, Eminem often links with Michael Jackson, making fun out of him and therefore disassociating himself with him. This could be done if the artist is being viewed negatively in the media, so by disassociating yourself with them you are popular with current public opinion.

Interpretive are those that allow the viewers to watch it and make different interpretations of what the video is about, gaining different meaning of it. In Pink’s music video for Try, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCDVfMz15M she sings about a break up, but shows a dance where she attacks her partner with paint. This could be seen as a dance, or fighting depending on how the audience see it. Making an interpretive music video allows the audience to make their own decisions about what the artist is singing about, and sometimes they want to watch it again and again to understand it.

Techniques

Techniques

Cutting to Beat refers to when a music video mirrors a beat in the song. This doesn’t have to be done on every beat but is done when you want to draw attention to either something happening in the song or video, which can be done by making the beat of the song match a changing shot or color in the video. This can be seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rItjtkz4-Y between 0:46 and 0:53.

Effects describe different techniques you can use in a music video to emphasize what’s going on in the video. For example slowing down/ speeding up footage is a good way for artists to draw attention to what’s happening in the video. Effects could also be adding colour, or adding animation. This can be seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBpWdwXzpMk between 1:00 and 1:10.

Mime/Lip Sync is how music videos are made, and is a technique where the video of an artist singing the song is taken, the audio is taken off and then synched up so it looks like the artist is singing the recorded song. This is done to stop the artist having to sing perfectly and perform in the video at the same time, so singing isn’t even needed as long as they are miming the song. Lip-synching is true for most music videos.

Camera Movement/Angles are seen in most music videos and there are many different angles that can be used. A high angle is used to make the artist look small, and a low angle gives the artist power/dominance. If you’re filming a live show, making camera movements prominent show excitement and add energy, allowing the audience to enjoy it more. Camera movements also emphasize talent, doing a close shot of a guitarist would showcase how well he can play, for example.

Chroma Key is a special effects technique where one colour is removed from viewing and made transparent, so an image can be put in behind for example, or to make usually impossible things possible. Also you could use chroma key to make one colour stay in place, when all other colours are black and white. It’s commonly used in all types of media, from music videos to news forecasters, and can be seen in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSQUOMCnOBg

Styles

Styles

Parody is a piece of media created to mock, or comment on a pre existing piece of work. It is usually very specific, mocking one thing whether it be an artist or singer. Eminem’s We Made You video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSdKmX2BH7o  is a parody of numerous artists including Amy Winehouse, Kim Kardashian and Jessica Simpson. One reason this is done could be to make others laugh at the artists they are referring to, and like Eminem more for pointing out their faults.

Homage is a show of respect or dedication to something, done in an artistic yet serious way. An example of this is Beyoncé’s Single Ladies music video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY where she pays homage to Bob Fossey’s choreography.  

Pastiche is an imitation of another’s work, usually done in a lighthearted tongue-in-cheek. It is usually done quite respectfully and is broad, imitating a whole genre. In one of Blink 182’s music videos they pastiche various boy bands and a GAP advert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ht5RZpzPqw

Referencing means making references to another artist or piece of media in your work. This could be as vague as referencing a genre of music. In Just Lose It, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dcVOmEQzKA Eminem references Michael Jackson the whole way through. This could be done in a positive way, or a negative way in this case.

Animation is the display of images to create the illusion of movement. There are many different types of animation that can be used, such as CGI; full animation or rotoscoping. Animation can be seen in The Gorillaz music videos, and could be used to set themselves apart from other groups in the same genre, making them notably different.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLnkQAeMbIM

Genre-Specific music videos are those that are in keeping with others from the same genre. They share characteristics depending on the genre, one example being rap videos. Rick Ross has parts of his music videos that portray his wealth and popularity through expensive cars and female attention, typical for rap videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTJYn1SFGas

In-Concert (Live) music videos are those that use footage filmed from one of their gigs or shows as their music video. This can be seen in the Arcade Fire video for Ready To Start, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oI27uSzxNQ This could be done for many reasons, to save money making a music video, but also to showcase their popularity through the number of people attending the gig.

Narrative music videos tell story through a series of connected events the viewer can follow. This would keep the viewer interested, as they want to know how the story ends, and can be seen in K Koke’s Turn Back, where he shows the story of a young girl forced to sell drugs for money.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=porH0c2uM9A