Green Screen Testing

I am thinking of using a green screen to shoot the vocalist performing some of the song which can then be edited to then cross cut with other scenes. Green screen footage is a typical convention of music videos and I think that by adding a few green screen shots it could add a certain aspect of professionalism to our music video as well as embracing typical conventions of music video.

Another reason why I wanted to use green screen was because I wanted to try my hand at something new and learn how this kind of videomaking and set up works. This provisional shoot was simply a testing session as I was advised that to get it right it takes a lot of work and a lot of fiddling with lighting set ups and the green screen itself to produce seamless shots that work perfectly with the Final Cut Express editing software.

So how did it go?

Well... with the use of a very knowledgeable school technician (Mr Phillips) myself and some other media students got the green screen set up and operating in a matter of minutes, to light the green screen two filler lights were were placed either side of the screen and then a key light was moved around to various places to try and get the best result. For the most part the screen lit very well, however the material of the screen was very creased and therefore this concluded in a slight problem with lighting it perfectly. We also placed green filters over all of the lights to produce a similar colour light to the screen (this is not the conventional way of lighting green screen) in order to try and rectify the crease problem.

After uploading the footage to Final Cut and having a play around with the software and footage I was unable to completely eliminate all of the green from the footage so the setup will change in a number of ways if I choose to use this technique;

• Iron the green screen in order to eliminate as many creases as possible and therefore help with the perfect lighting set up that we need.
• Use more lights to help produce a more even colour with less shadows and to make the subject itself a little brighter, which will also help in post-production.
• Dressing our subject has also become a very important point as now I realise the importance of the subjects clothing being very different to the green screen colour. This helps the software to cut out the subject and eliminate as much green as possible to make our new background seem more realistic, and cleaner.

In the picture above you can see how the screen was set up very clearly.

• In the bottom right you can see the right filler light, and opposite (just out of shot) is the left filler in a similar position.
• In the background to the right of the picture you can see a light on a heightened tripod, this was our key light.
• In the middle of the photo you can see the camera and tripod set-up, the tripod is an ex broadcasting tripod so is of an amazing quality, and to shoot we used a Sony HD camcorder.
• The television on the small table to the left of the photo is linked to the camera so once the basic screen was setup we could adjust the lights and be able to instantly verify whether the lighting adjustments had worked or not without having to keep referring back to the camera.
• Finally, to take the photos of our shoot I used a Canon DSLR camera, which is actually capable of shooting video is higher definition than the camcorder that used.

Ancillary Task: Websites

For this task I am looking at the website for the popular Australian Hip-Hop artist, 'Bliss n Eso'. The website is jam packed full of things such as news releases, merchandise and new album promotion.

Immediately as you enter the site the band is trying to promote and advertise their latest album, 'Running On Air' by embedding a picture of the album accompanied by a list of other well known featured artists that may help broaden the target audience for this artist. The template for the top of the site is also based on the album as it is simply a very zoomed in shot of the album cover, this gives it a more sophisticated and interesting look.

Beneath the album promotion we are then confronted with yet more album promotion, however in an unusual format and media form. The band has constructed a three part documentary series that goes behind the scenes of the construction of their new album. This has then been posted directly to the website.

Just below this is a list of upcoming gigs that they are playing and links to purchase tickets to see them perform live. Each gig shown with a separate promotional poster and date, as well as the venue and accompanying artists.

The final section of the homepage of the website consists of merchandise advertisement, more album promotion and also links to other external websites where you can view videos or access instant latest news from the band without having to keep checking back on the website, or you may even access information (such as on facebook) that isn't available through the website such as competitions to win merchandise of albums etc. The links to all of the merchandise are direct so you can purchase these things straight from the artist as well as the album.

If i wanted to take anything from this for my own website it would probably be the way they have promoted the album, matching the website theme to the album cover and i also really like the idea of a promotional video behind the album, however this would have to be slightly different in our case as we are presenting a single and not an album.

Ancillary Task: Digipaks

This is a the American band, 'Green Day's' third live album, released in 2005. It is seen by some other artists as quite a controversial album facing criticism from 'The Killers' frontman, Brandon Flowers for being cheap and in some ways anti-American.

I have chosen this digipak in particular as it is one that I own. This digipak is six sided and consists of a DVD and one CD, however there are no separate booklets or texts that you may usually expect to accompany a digipak (except for some credits on the back side of one of the fold outs).

As I said there isn't a great deal of accompanying artwork apart from a couple of very vague photos on the inside of the digipak and two photos on the back cover to accompany the track list which I believe are basically screen shots taken from the DVD.

For my digipak I think it would be nice to include some more artwork possibly than this one has done, however I like the layout and structure of this digipak and would also like to try and print the disc itself in a similar way as well as constructing the case from strong cardboard as is this digipak.

Previous Student Work

Artist: Paolo Nutini

Song: White Lies

Video By: Adam and Eddie

What did I like?

I thought the video was very well made, however I'm not particularly a fan of most music videos that are this slow. However, it has to be slow to fit the song so that was a good aspect where it fitted the song perfectly and i also really like the slow tracking and panning shots, they made for a very engaging edit and almost added a sense of emotion to the video emphasising on the songs emotion. I also really liked how all of the settings were completely original and all of the characters were dressed accordingly and the use of instruments in the video in sync with the instruments in the music was also nice to see.

What would I like to take from this video?

I think that the moving camera shots were brilliant and if possible i would like to include some of these in my final production. Where possible I would also like to use as many original settings as appropriate because I think that this adds an element of professionalism to the music video and makes it seem less 'school production-like'.

Previous Student Work

Artist: Beastie Boys

Song: "Triple Trouble"

Video By: "ThurstonBeastieBoys" (Adam, James and Josh)

What do I like about this video?

Well, quite a lot of things! The frequent use of action matches and the fast paced editing makes for a super flowy edit that also matches the music very well. I also like the way that they have taken advantage of a lot of the editing techniques that final cut offers as it makes the edit very interesting a give it a truly 'beastie boy' look. Moreover they have taken a lot of influence from beastie boys videos by using lots of performance and lots of close ups on each band member throughout the video.

The acting/singing from them is very similar to the Beastie Boys too plus they have used numerous locations to shoot their video which shows some good effort. The urban settings are also very similar to the Beastie Boys.

Shots in particular that I like include the very first shot that is sped up and the double james shot. I also admire the way that the edit is put together around the music.

What would I like to take from this?

Well, the seamless lip-syncing that they have managed to pull off, matched with the fast paced flowing edit that matches the music.

Textual Analysis

Artist: Eminem

Song: "My Name Is"

Video Director: ?

This video refers to his past life and is a kind of reverse psychology that is trying to preach the message that you don't want to be like him and you don't want to live your life like that. It is an extremely sarcastic video and mocks a number of people including his Mum, Dad and previous school teachers as well as himself in some ways.

The video features many conventions of rap video such as numerous low camera angles that exaggerate his power as a musician and his opinions and what he is trying to convey through his music. As with all of his other videos everything that you can see throughout the music video is relevant in some way and tries to portray how Eminem visualises in his head.

According to Goodwin's Theory;

Demonstrate genre characteristics: There are many close ups of Eminem which are also sometimes taken with a fisheye or wideangle lens to promote an ambience that is almost trying to be a bit 'in your face' which is conventional of rap music video. There are many references to Eminems childhood and the difficulty he faced whilst growing up, for example 'I found out my mom smokes more dope than I do'. As well as his grief at his failed relationships with his mother and father.

Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals: For 80% of this music video the visuals closely relate to the lyrics that are being sung, for example the section where he chases his english teacher with a stapler.

Relationship between the music and the visuals: The way the video is cut is closely related to the beat of the song, a lot of the cuts used to edit this footage together occur on a beat which adds a feeling of flow and ease to the video.

Demand of close-ups from record label (motif): As I mentioned previously there are many wideangle or fisheye close ups of Eminem which a motif of his music videos and style, whether it be eminem actually rapping or one of his characters that he plays in the narrative of the video.

Intertextuality: Eminem uses a number of 'real life' characters in his video which he parodies, these can be anybody from rockstars such as Marilyn Manson to political figures such as senators. He also uses his video within his video as a kind of television show which we can see two people watching. This is more a typical convention of postmodernism than intertextuality (which is still post-modern) and is in a way breaking the 4th wall.

Textual Analysis

Artist: 30 Seconds To Mars

Song: "From Yesterday"

Director: Jared Leto

This songs video was greatly influenced by the work of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa as well as the 1987 film 'The Last Samurai' by Bernardo Bertolucci, and Jared Leto (lead singer) also explained how he felt that the song itself is a very cinematic and visual one that influenced a spectacular video. I also think that the opening scenes from 0:58 to 1:51 could be influenced in some ways by 'The Matrix' because of the clean cut rooms and corridors that are all white, along with a nod to the matrix's 'infinite hallway of doors'. Furthermore, there are two versions of this video, one is a cut down version (7 minutes 25 seconds) and the other is the full directors cut at 13 minutes and 31 seconds which tells a more detailed story and also includes a lot of foreshadowing in terms of the characters and their fates.

From an unreliable source found after trawling google for information on this video it is said that the video cost $13, 000, 000 to produce, which, if true, would make it the most expensive music video EVER made! Destroying the previous most expensive video (Michael Jackson, 'Scream') by almost $4, 000, 000!

Another reason why I think this video is so interesting is because it is directed by Jared Leto, who is also an actor, starring in huge films such as 'Fight Club' and 'Requiem For A Dream. Jared Leto gave himself another alias under which he directed this video which is also a postmodern quality as he is being himself and directing it, however choosing to rename himself as a director to 'Bartholemew Cubbins'. This is similar to 'Flight of The Conchords' where the actors play themselves but with different names.

Jared Leto in David Fincher's 'Fightclub'.

The video/song is taken from the bands second album, 'A Beautiful Lie'. The idea was that each song would act as a chapter to the album and so 'From Yesterday' falls between songs 'The Kill' and 'A Beautiful Lie' on the album. Leto wanted to film in China as he believed the Chinese culture would fit the song perfectly and that he wanted the audience to take away there own messages and values from the song.

The video is filmed using 400 chinese soldiers and 20 horses within a huge Chinese temple or palace and the band experience a number of chinese rituals or traditions such as religious sacrifice, whipping and funeral rituals.

In terms of Goodwin's Theory, there is intertextuality in terms of its references to other films and references to cultures within the video, for example, the references to 'The Matrix', and 'The Last Emperor'. It could also be argued that it references Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining' with the way that the video is split up into segments that are then titled like chapters, just like the film, plus this could also be the case as their previous music video to 'The Kill' was basically a music video to 'The Shining', and it is noticeable that the band like to use recurring motifs such as actors in their videos and the colours that they wear, for example black is their most popular choice in all three videos I have mentioned.

I think that this video demonstrates a number of genre characteristics in that in a way it tells a story which is a typical element of many rock videos, for example Limp Bizkit's 'Take A Look Around' or 30 Seconds to Mars' previous video 'The Kill'. They also film some parts of the video at night using fireworks and floodlights to light the setting and emphasize the power and emotion of the song, whic is similar to many other rock videos, such as Audioslave's 'Cochise' or Rise Against's video to 'Savior'. However in other ways it is almost like an historical epic with the setting and cast that are involved. It also features many shots of the band performing live wich as a very conventional characteristic of rock music video, or just music video in general.

This video is slightly unusual because there is no direct links between the lyrics and the visuals, for example there is no talk of chinese rituals or emperors within the song and the true meaning of the song is in many ways unclear, however the music relates to the visuals in some ways as the most epic parts of the video such as the final chorus happen in parallel with the visual which in this case is the firework display, live performance and the chinese warriors (plus band) fighting.

Textual Analysis

Artist: Rise Against
Song: "Savior"
Video Director: Kevin Kerslake

This video has a combination of performance and simple narrative as it includes a large majority of live performance, but also has a simple sub-plot that relates to political references to the Republican party and endangered animals. It involves the band destroying their instruments and a large group of people dressed in animal costumes moshing.

Lighting

The lighting throughout this video is a mixture between the live performance and the simple narrative, I think that the use of high key lighting during the live performance shots is used to make the atmosphere seem more exciting and high energy, which ties in with the band and the song. As well as the fact that it makes it seem more 'gig' like when mixed with the way the video is shot at night. However, the low key lighting which is all artificial lighting such as street lamps and sign lights give it more of a realistic feel and almost promotes an empathetic feeling towards all of the characters in costumes that are sleeping on the streets.

Mise-en-Scene

The mise-en-scene for the band in this video is what would probably just be there normal clothing, for example jeans and t-shirt. However the characters costumes are quite unusual as they're all wearing some kind of animal outfit from a Polar Bear to an Elephant. It is said that the elephant in this video represents the American Republican Party and the Polar Bear represents endangered animals, this use of a video to send out a political message is similar to that of Eminem's videos where he often makes political references.
The band can also be seen smashing up all of their equipment and instruments throughout the video which represents the rock genre quite stereotypically.

Cinematography

The shot list for this video is quite extensive in the variety of shots that are used, for example there is everything from close-ups, to mid-shots, long shots, low angle, high angle, extreme long shots and handheld shots.

Editing

The editing of this video is fast paced, using a variety of short takes (mostly) and slightly longer takes (such as the establishing shot) to create a kinetic edit that keeps the audience engaged and appeals to the type of person that would want to (or already does) listen to this type of music or band. The editing also uses a lot of cross cutting between the future and the present, for example the present footage of the live performance and the future footage of the band destroying their instruments, as well as the live footage of the animals moshing and the future (or past, I'm not sure) footage of the animals in homeless situations, which is also a reference to the endangered animals' situations.

Director Study

Name: Spike Jonze (Born, Adam Spiegel)

DoB: October 22nd 1969

Spike was born in Rockville, Maryland and also grew up in Maryland, Pennsylvania with his Mother, Father and Brother. He attended 'The Field School' in Washington D.C and later on attended the 'Walt Whitman High School'.

Jonze was once married to Sophia Ford Coppola, making him son-in-law to Francis Ford Coppola, however they got divorced in 2003 after a 4 year marriage.

His nickname of Spike Jonze was given to him by a friend, Mike Henderson, whilst he was working at his local convienience store during his high school years.

Short summary of his career: Jonze has done numerous things during his career in the world of media and film including becoming the Exectutive Producer for MTV's popular show 'Jackass', he co-owns the renowned American skateboard company, 'Girl Skateboards', has acted in David O' Russel's film, 'Three Kings', has directed and co-directed a handful of skateboarding videos, made an appearance in the 2006 BMX documentary, 'Joe Kid On A Stingray', was senior photographer for 'Transworld Skateboarding Magazine' as well as obviously his music video career that spans from artists such as Notorious B.I.G to Daft Punk and has bagged him various nominations and even some award wins.

Jonze has also taken on various roles in his career in the film industry including roles as a writer, director, producer and an actor as well as a cinematographer and numerous other miscellaneous jobs working in media. Spike is probably best known for his career in directing and producing music videos for huge artists such as 'The Beastie Boys' and 'Daft Punk'.

Welcome!

Hey everybody and welcome to my new blog for my A2 advanced production which is of course, creating a music video! Keep checking back for updates and information on my production and there may also be chances for you to even help me out, thanks!

J