Director case study

This is an analysis of Director X and all the music video he has directed, the reason i am looking at Director X is because he's style of music video fits our target audience and much genre and we can gain influence from him when me and my group finally reach the editing phase.

Representation of women in music videos

Media Video Analysis

Music video analysis

Confessions part ii Music Video Analysis

In order to further develop own media production and to gain a better understanding of the in and out’s of creating, producing, and editing our own media projects. It was thought best to focus on Hip-Hop/RnB music, as we had decided this would be our chosen genre. By looking at this music video I would be able to gain an insight into target audience, different camera techniques and even creative ideas.

The video I analysed was Usher’s – Confessions part II. This video was a follow on from part 1. It is important to note that the song was from his own experiences and very personal. It is this key factor that may have had an affect on the making of the video and is again something we may be able to use.

The beginning of the video starts with Usher’s interlude in which he is talking on the phone. High key lighting has been used. This plays a larger part once the audience watches further into the music video. Soon enough, the lighting changes from high key to low key. The video becomes a lot darker and more intimate. The fact it is so light in the beginning is possibly because the status quo had not changed. After the phone call however this changes. Lighting could be suggestive of the protagonists, Usher’s, mood. Where at the beginning he was content. Now he has a secret. Something he has to get off his chest, so the music video follows his mood.

High-Key Lighting

     

                                      

Low-Key Lighting

To match the lighting is his clothing. From the images above it is very clear to see that in the first image,  his clothing is very light, and bright and generally a lot more happier. In the second image it is darker, and more dismal. Clothing is suggestive for the way the audience feels, where in the first image the audience themselves feel a lot more calm, a lot more happier. Where as watching Usher in his darker clothing, it reflects on the audience, viewing becomes a lot more intense.

One of the camera shots that stands out in the music video is the tracking shot at the beginning of the music video. Here an audience feels a very personal connection to Usher. Where he is walking away from everyone else, he is still with us (the audience).  Usher is singing into the camera which is tracking him. As if he is singing to us directly. Automatically the feel of the video changes, from something that was potentially a cheerful song. However once the status quo changes, the feel for the song turns dark, and a lot more intimate as he pours his heart out to the viewer. In many way the audience adopts the role of a friend, who Usher is confessing to.

A second technique used by Usher is silhouettes. Again playing on the use of light. The black could convey a meaning of darkness and unknown but more than that he is in a confession booth, playing on the words of the title. CONFESSIONS. As if he is confessing his sins to a Pastor.

Shots remain relatively low, and the video is broken down through the use of jump cuts. The fact Usher employs the use of so many jump cuts could fir the fact his mind is wandering as he reveals all his secrets to the audience.

|The narrative of the video follows the lyrics very closely.  However, rather than show the narrative through use of acting, Usher again simply reverts to the play on words of the title, revealing what he has done to the audience.

One thing to note is that Usher subverts the normal conventions of a Hip-Hop/RnB music video. For one he is the only actor seen, no one else, except for one case near the end.  Usher doesn’t use flashy cars, or special effects, or establishing shots. The general feel to the music video plays on the intimacy the audience feels with usher. Close up’s are the main shots used.

In the video it could be suggested usher aims not to represent any given social group. He is simply a man singing about his mistakes in life and in love.

Media Reviewers Comparison

Lyrics Planning Sheet

These are the different scenes me and my group plan to have at different stages of our song choice.

The Male Gaze: Laura mulvey

Laura Mulvey created the term ‘Male Gaze’ in 1975. She believes that in film audiences have to ‘view’ characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male, which is agreeable when indepth analysis is done on music videos and other media such as T.V adverts.

—Features of the “Male Gaze”: 

—The camera lingers on the curves of the female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reaction to these events. 
—
—Relegates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male.

This theory applies to the genre in which we are trying to follow, the genre has known for being controversial regarding the "Male Gaze".

Examples of music video that conform to the male gaze

Omarion ft MMG- Lets talk

50 cent - candy shop

Christina Agulera - Dirty

Target Audience Questionnaire and research

Music Video Analysis understanding R&B

Music genre research

Amamatic Story board

This is an anamatic story board i have made, i made this go get a better insite into how the narrative structure of our music video fits in with the lyrics and general theme of the song choice. i beleieve it is effective and has given me an understanding of how to improve on my inital ideas.

Music Video Story Board

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Song Choice permission

This is an email to the record label behind the song "I want you", which we hopefully want to use to our media project. This is to prevent any copyright material, and that all trademarks belong to them and this is strictly for our project.

Song choice connotations themes and ideas behind the song

[Chorus]
Once in love
Strong
Now it's long, long gone
Because the pain, pain, pain
I remain all alone
Because I want you [Repeat: x2]

I been thinking bout
I been thinking bout
I been thinking bout you lately

Thoughts take me to when we were close
Addicted 2 your love, feel I need another dose
I know it's a feeling
That should be long gone

Things seem to come up
When I hear our song
Golden brown girl, it seem so long
Since I heard your voice
Where did the king go wrong?

Emotions that that they linger on
I guess cause I never knew a love so strong
So many hot girls
I need your warm
The taste of your mouth
Girl I need your warm

Good food and love
I need your warm
This here was made before we were born
A dreamer, so I'm a keep dreaming on
It's kinda like the breakup of Jen and Vince Vaughn

[Chorus]

They say you don't know know know 
What you got
Till what u got is gone
Yeah I write such and such yo a lot 
But the feelings not as strong
We were like two birds

That were able to fly
I try to pick the right words to say to the sky
Someday's I would try but wasn't able to cry
I never been good at saying goodbye

I take a deep breath when the times is hard
When I reminisce over u, my god
I spent many years trying to be the heartthrob
I guess it's only right that I got my heart robbed

The scent of a room that reminds me of you
A hint of perfume it remind me of you
Take a look at the moon it remind me of you
Hope the stars and the gods 
Align me and you

[Chorus]

The general theme behind the song is very simple to depict, the artist common is telling the audience a love story about a previous relationship he was in and that he wants her back he is holding onto the past relationship he just had, whilst he is in a new relationship with another women; the music video contains several emotions such as love, deception, lust and pain. 

These emotions are depicted upon through various aspects of the music video  what i will show you now are some stills from the music video.

This is the current girlfriend searching through the main artist cupboards as she generally feel suspicious and a little bit insecure 

this is the scene where the current girlfriend of the Artist finds a tape after rummaging through his draws and finds a tape.

this is the current girlfriend finding a tape of the artist common cheating on her with his ex although this is unclear as to weather this footage was taken whilst they were together or if this happened when he was supposed to be in a new relationship, her reaction give the impression that this affair happened whilst the artist common was in his new relation ship with the women in the video still.

this unclear message is something that i would improve in the music video and this informs me hat i must make the narrative structure of the video very clear.

The message and connotations are so clear in this video they an be misconstrued as denotations the colours are dark with hint of red to connote love, the music video is cut on beat in order to match the song and a variety of camera angles are used such as extreme close ups for intimate moments between the main artist and both women in the video.

Lip-Synching Practice - Final Attempt

This is our final attempt at the lip-synching, as you can see above, it has improved significantly in terms  of getting the lyrics, and memorising the lyrics. As this is our final song choice, we have to memorise the lyrics in order to make this music video, this is crucial in terms of the performance scenes we are going implement into our video.

Song Choice - Common i want you ft Will.I.Am

Once the love was strong
Now it's long, long gone
'cause the pain, pain now as a storm
I remained, holding on
'cause I want you, 'cause I want you
I want you, I want you

I've been thinking bout, I've been thinking about
I've been thinking bout you lately
Thoughts take me to when we were close
Addicted to your love, feel I need another dose
I know it's a feeling that should be long gone
Things seem to come up when I hear our song
Golden brown girl, it seemed so long
Since I heard your voice, where did the king go wrong?
Emotions that, that they linger on
I guess 'cause I never knew a love so strong
So many hot girls I need your warm
The taste of your mouth girl I need your warm
Good food and love I need your warm
This here was made before we were born
A dreamer so I'm a keep dreaming on
It's kind of like 'The Breakup' with Jen and Vince Vaughn

[Chorus:]
Once the love was strong
Now it's long, long gone
'cause the pain, pain now as a storm
I remained, holding on
'cause I want you, cause I want you
I want you, I want you
'cause I want you, cause I want you
I want you, I want you

They say you don't know, know, know what you got
Till what you got is gone
Yeah I write such and such, you're a lot but the feelings not as strong
We were like 2 birds that were able to fly
I try to pick the right words to say to the sky
Some days I would try but wasn't able to cry
I never been good at saying goodbye
I take a deep breath when the times is hard
When I reminisce over you, my God
I spent many years trying to be the heartthrob
I guess it's only right that I got my heart robbed
The scent of a room that reminds me of you
A hint of perfume it reminds me of you
Take a look at the moon it reminds me of you
Hope the stars and the gods align me and you

[Chorus]

Lip-Synching Practice, Our First Attempt

This is a lip-synching practice for our potential song choice, this is just a song we are experimenting with, when recording this it showed us how crucial it is to get the lip-synching correct in our music video that we are going to do in the future. As you can see from the video, we failed to get the lip-synching correct and we probably going to do need to listen to our song choice constantly to learn the lyrics.

my mood board

My proposal

Evaluation Task one Shouldn't be here if you look on the right there is a list of all the presentations i have made via Slideshare.net for some reason when i Embed the presentation the format is wrong with this particular presentation so i would be greatful if you could just scroll to the "My proposal" presentation thatnk you very much. Jerome Blake

Our Initial Meeting

Me, Mahdi and Allin held a group meeting today, in this meeting we discussed what music videos we had seen recently and what we liked about them. We also discussed why we should go with our particular song choice and how we could potentially make it work. After a lengthy discussion, We then decided to make our video a narrative rather than performance we need to find an appropriate song to compliment the narrative.

Introduction to My A-level Media Coursework

Hello my name is Jerome Blake Candidate number: 6020 center number: 14249 On this blog you will be able to view my A-level Media course work, through the development, research and planning stages and the journey i undertook to reach my final products.