Coursework: Preliminary Exercise
1) State the song and genre you have chosen for your music video.
Song- Running with the Wolves2) Choose at least three music videos similar to your song or concept and watch them several times. Make bullet-point notes on everything you watch, commenting on camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene.
Queendom- Aurora
The song originated from a conversation with Aurora's friends about the change that they wanted to see in the world. Queendom was written in tribute to ‘underdogs and the people who are not getting the respect they deserve’ and hugely focuses on issues such as sexuality and gender discrimination. The costumes in the music video are largely feminine with most of them being loosely fitted dresses and puffy arms. The costumes themselves seem quite simple yet are so bold due to the added pops of colour and details which can be seen as reflecting the message of the song. The clothing reflects how powerful Aurora's Queendom is and also symbolises female empowerment. High key lighting is used which means that more filler lights are used. Thus, the effect appears more realistic. The lighting also appears quite bright which can have a futuristic effect and shows a sense of optimism for the future of being accepted in society for who you are. The actor is placed in almost all scenes and plays a vital role throughout the music video. She seems to be the leader of the "Queendom" and gives direct address especially in closeup shots. The makeup is quite soft and isn't dramatic however through the way that the women and men are dressed as well as the hairstyle Aurora has, it could be argued that an androgynous women is being represented here. This is because we see a more feminine side to Aurora through the clothing however, the clips of her punching and kicking as well as the short hair show different representations of women and also plays into the message of the song in relation to sexuality. Their aren't many props used and so the focus is mainly on the movement of the actors. Finally the setting is quite broken down and almost looks like a war zone (although it is a normal building) which can reflect how the "Queendom" is ready to fight and make sure people understand their sexuality and sensitivity.
Cardigan-Taylor Swift
This music video contains effective editing and many visual effects. The first effect that we see is the fairy dust that appears to be coming out of the piano. This creates a magical feel to the video. The pace of the music video is quite slow which complements the way in which Taylor Swift is amazed and still discovering the new location. To capture this new location which appears to be a fairytale woodland, extreme long shots are used which showcase the setting of the video and a high angle is employed to make Swift appear quite small in comparison to the setting which is quite ironic because her thoughts appear to be quite big as she enters the woodland. Movement of the camera is used to direct our attention or emphasise a viewpoint. In this music video panning shots are used and this is where the camera moves slowly on its axis from side to side to capture Swift while she plays the piano. We also see many zooming in and out shots and this is quite interesting because when zoomed out she appears to be bold and the centre of attention regardless of the fact that she is the only star in the entirety of the video. Overall the slow-paced movement of the camera paired up with the fair dust visual effect and the woodland setting and the sea complement each other exquisitely to create successful media product.
my future-Billie Eilish
In “my future”, narrative is used to show continued growth in how Billie is looking at the world and how she looks to the future with optimism and hopefulness. This can have quite a positive impact on the audience especially during times like this where there is a pandemic that has largely altered the lives of many and so the song can be seen as having an uplifting meaning to it that motivates audience members to look to the future and be excited and positive. We can apply Levi Strauss' theory of binary oppositions in particular stylistic oppositions to the video. We see this through the juxtaposed stylistic presentations in the video. The camera work begins slow and stasis as the music is mellow and slow-going however, as the song picks up the beat and becomes more lively, we see not only a change in the aesthetic of the video (starts off dark and ends with a more brighter and happier setting) but there are a wider range of shots used and they appear a bit faster. Moreover, there are also genre-driven binary oppositions as it is an animated music video.
3) Write or edit your treatment just to include the 30-60 seconds you will make for this preliminary exercise.Scene 1- First 10 seconds of song- Closeups of pouring paint into cup and extreme closeup shots of paint spilling on canvas. A digital painting of a young woman kneeling down, head in hands being hit by her father comes to life.
The camera zooms in slowly into the painting as it becomes real and the woman gets up, detaching herself from the painting and looks around in confusion. The father also becomes real but stays frozen. She reminisces fast flashback memories of the abuse from her father and then picks up some headphones on a nearby table.
4) Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find an example here.5) Plan your mise-en-scene: what iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre or narrative? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. For this preliminary task, use just one location to keep it simple.
- Filmed in the art room so colourful background of the room emphasises the artistic concept
- High key lighting is used. It's bright and realistic
- Editing: all in slow motion
- No actors in this scene so no costumes and makeup required
- Filmed in the woods so the natural atmosphere emphasises the joy Fadima feels
- High key lighting used so it is realistic and pure
- Editing: using the zoom in effect
- The actor (Fadima) will be wearing casual domestic clothing reflecting the working class background she comes from and correlates with her mental health issues
- Minimal or no makeup worn. Suggests it is an accurate and simple representation of a black working class young woman who has trouble at home.
6) Plan a shooting schedule that will ensure everything is filmed by the deadline. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location. Remember: social distancing!
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