Music Video Filming Blog

Saturday November 25th, my group and I filmed our music video for the first time. First, I showed up to my group mate Anyeska's house. At this time, it was only the two of us. This dilemma along with the fact that I had to be at school by 4 o'clock made it so that Anyeska and I had to film my individual scenes first. By the time my other group mates Britania and Jazmin came, all of my individual scenes were already filmed. The only scenes that needed filming were the scenes we had together and my other group mates' scenes. I created the idea to have clever transitions in the music video to make the video more interesting. When filming for the scenes, we used many angles. For example, we used high angles, over the shoulder shots etc.

Another day we filmed was Sunday, November 26th. On this day, we re filmed a couple of scenes. We also filmed more scenes of us dancing together to tie up the film. For the most part, we followed the story board. However, there were some scenes we decided to diverge from the storyboard. For example, for a more comedic effect, there was a change from the transition of my first scene into another scene. Another change was the deletion of another scene. We also extended the time of the overall film from about 1 minute and 6 seconds to 1 minute and 10 seconds. This is because we were attempting to get more of the song into the film.

Overall, I feel like the filming process was difficult yet entertaining. It was difficult because we had to memorize certain positions of characters in order for the film to make sense. It also took us time to create a dance that went along with the song we had chosen. It was entertaining because of the fact that doing the project with my group mates made it all the more worthwhile. The filming process was not only subjective as I worked with people I was not only comfortable with, but enjoyed. My group mate Anyeska bought a costume for me to wear in one of my scenes. She also bought matching glasses for everyone to wear for the unison dancing scene we planned. This whole experience opened my eyes to the pros and cons of film-making on my own time.

Today my teammates and I manifested our storyboard in our group chat. After completing our planning blog where we discussed how we wanted to go about filming our music video, we knew it was time for our storyboard. It took approximately an hour to draw and write out our camera angles, camera movements and actions for each scene. Had we not execute a plan in our planning blog last class, story boarding would have been a much longer process. Our teachers restrictedour timing to at least one minute and five seconds, and at most one minute and fifteen seconds. Ourstoryboard consists of fifteen different five second scenes. Meaning, our music video should be around one minute and fifteen seconds long. So far, we are on a good track with timing. Our storyboard is shown down below. It is filled with great details which will guide us during the filming process.

       Within the first scene of the blog we will edit in a fade in transition which then displays a wide shot of my three other teammates, a volunteer, and I dancing to the lyrics “today I don’t feel like doing anything.” Secondly, we will have a high angle of someone laying in bed “sleeping;”Lyrics: “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Third, we will have a jump cut into an over the shoulder of someone silencing their phone then tossing it on the couch— lyrics: “don’t feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone. ‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.” In the fourth scene: “No, I ain’t gonna comb my hair, ‘cause I ain’t going anywhere.” The actions that match the lyrics would be someone holding a comb, looking at it, placing it down, then shrugging their shoulder. In the fifth scene, all five of us involved will hold up signs which reads “no.” Using the camera movement, pan and a close up shot, we will move the camera left to right going down the rows of “no” signs. The lyrics will play: “no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noo.” On the last “no,” the camera will zoom into someone’s eye and then zoom out of it in the following scene. The following scene will include the lyrics “I’ll just strut in my birthday suit, and let everything hand loose.” A person will be strutting sound and pulling their suit an appropriate amount to match the lyrics of letting “everything hang loose.” Moreover, the next scene will be a dance sequence similar to the one we introduced the video with; This will be portrayed through a wide shot.  The lyrics: “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeaaah.” Next, there will be a pan shot of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller. Lyrics: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything." Then, there will be a high angle of someone laying in the bed and pulling the cover over their head: “I just wanna lay in my bed.” Furthermore, along with a jump cut, there will be an insert of a phone screen which displays missed calls. The following scene will also be an insert of a phone screen which shows a new voicemail/message. Lyrics: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone) The next scene will consist of a long shot which shows someone kicking off their socks or shoes then laying on the couch. (Lyrics: cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.”) The third to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all...) The instrumental will then play out as everyone lays down on the couch and floor as though we are asleep. (Lyrics: nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video.

      Thankfully, my team mates and I work well together and we all pull our own weight. Everyone makes an effort to contribute towards each section of the project.

Music Video Convention Blog

    Codes and conventions are used by many different companies. They can be used as a marketing strategy in order to grab the attention of consumers. That way the product seems more interesting. A code is a system of signs that are put together to create a meaning. One example of a code is a technical code which are camera techniques, framing, lighting, exposure etc. Another example of codes are symbolic codes, which consist of objects,  the setting, body language, clothing, and color. Lastly, there are written codes which are headlines, captions, speech bubbles, and language styles. Conventions are habits of doing things. In short, what people have come to expect. Examples of conventions are: Camera angles, shots, editing, lighting, sound, music, computer graphics, and special effects.

    Many songwriters use conventions in order to help the audience understand the theme of the video. They also want to give them a feel for the emotion behind it. While in the original music video of The Lazy Song, the dancers dressed in baggy clothes and wore ape masks. This created a crazy, lazy, but happy atmosphere. Throughout the song the dancers dance along with the music. In the Lazy Song's music video, there were a limited amount of camera angles. One camera angle the director used was a wide shot which allows for the audience to see everything lateral. The wide shot was used in the whole music video. This is evident because as the music video was occurring, there were not any changes to the wide shot camera angle. The director is trying to engage with the audience by showing them all of the dancers with Bruno Mars in the center.
 
    For our music video, we will change the dynamic. To start with, we are going to engage our audience by opening with a fade in. This makes the audience seem like they just walked into something. Then right after, we will start dancing just as in the original video. This will catch the audiences eye and make them want to continue watching. To add onto that, our costumes, makeup, and props will surely catch the eye of our viewers because we are wearing bright and crazy colors. Our music video will also take place in multiple settings, rather than just one. We will zoom in to the birthday suits characters eye and transport from the bedroom to a different location. Another thing we show differently is what we’re doing. The actors in the film will be watching TV, combing their hair, and playing video games. These are things that people contribute to everyday life and have genuine interests in. Lastly, there will be more camera movements which allows for a better understanding of the film's theme.

Music video planning blog

 For our music video, we will be filming at my partner Anyeska’s house. There are no present health and safety procedures we would follow. The props would be a phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. The costumes would be birthday suit and formal clothing. In the beginning of the music video, there will be a fade in into a wide shot of our dance sequence. Every action by the characters are going to be matched by the lyrics of the song. So, the next scene will be a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Then, there will be a jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). Next, there will be a jump cut to a medium shot of someone holding a hair comb then putting it down (Lyric: "No, I ain't gonna comb my hair cause I ain't going anywhere" as they lip sync it). After this, there will be a line of five people with signs reading "No" (Lyric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooo). In the last "No" there will be a zoom in to a character's eye, then a zoom out in a different location and showing a person in a birthday themed costume. Following this will be a zoom out from the character's eye to the living room and someone will be shown dressed in a birthday suit. They will be strutting around and dropping some part of the birthday suit (Lyric: "I'll just strut in my birthday suit. And let everything hang loose"). Then, we will have another wide shot of our dance sequence (Lyric: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"). Next, there will be a pan movement of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller (Lyric: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything"). Then, there will be a repetition from before where there is a high angle of someone laying in their bed; However, this time they will be pulling the cover over their head on camera. (Lyrics: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Furthermore, along with a jump cut, there will be an insert of a phone screen which displays missed calls. The following scene will also be an insert of a phone screen which shows a new voicemail/message. Lyrics: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone) The next scene will consist of a long shot which shows someone kicking off their socks or shoes then laying on the couch. (Lyrics: cause today I swear I'm not doing anything.”) The third to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all...) The instrumental will then play out as everyone lays down on the couch and floor as though we are asleep. (Lyrics: nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video. Not to mention, there will be subtitles throughout the music video.

Schedule: (11/18-12/9)

- Day 1: Planning our music video.

- Day 2: Script and story boarding.

- Day 3: Filming.

- Day 4: Edit

- Day 5: Submitting music video.

- Day 6: Reflecting on music video.

      Back-up Plan: We will be filming at my house. It will be the same where in the beginning of the music video, there is a fade in into a wide shot of our dance sequence. Every action by the characters are going to be matched by the lyrics of the song. So, the next scene will be a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Then, there will be a jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up the phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). Next, there will be a jump cut to a medium shot of someone holding a hair comb then putting it down (Lyric: "No, I ain't gonna comb my hair cause I ain't going anywhere" as they lip sync it). After this, there will be a line of five people with signs reading "No" (Lyric: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooo). In the last "No" there will be a zoom in to a character's eye, then a zoom out in a different location and costume. Following this will be a zoom out from the character's eye to the living room and dressed in a birthday suit. They'll be strutting around and dropping some part of the birthday suit (Lyric: "I'll just strut in my birthday suit. And let everything hang loose"). Then, we will have another wide shot of our dance sequence (Lyric: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah"). Next, there will be a pan shot of someone playing Xbox, but dropping the gaming controller (Lyric: "Oh, today, I don't feel like doing anything"). Then, there will be a repetition from before where there is a high angle of someone laying in their bed (Lyric: "I just wanna lay in my bed"). Along with, the jump cut to an over the shoulder shot of someone silencing a phone call and throwing it (Lyric: "Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone, cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"). The second to last scene will be everyone throwing papers in the air and having the last dance sequence (Lyrics: "Nothing at all, nothing at all"). Finally, someone will walk from the group and cover the camera with their hands, which signifies the ending to our music video."

Intro to new project

I recently finished the commercial project and it overall helped me develop many skills for future films. I researched a lot about making a film, using a camera, and editing. In addition to working as a group, sharing my thoughts with my friends, and gain some confidence. A music video is a videotaped performance of a recorded popular song, usually accompanied by dancing and visual images interpreting the lyrics. The main purpose of music videos is to promote artists and promote brands. But, it's mainly to promote the track. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The top 10 genres of Music Industry are electronic dance, rock, jazz, dub step, rhythm and blues, techno, country, and elector music. We will be choosing a song to make a music video to. This will be addressed in the following paragraph.

The song my group and I chose was "The Lazy Song", by Bruno Mars. It will be a clean version of the song so it is school appropriate. I recommended this song to my group and they all agreed. We will start from 1:57 into the music video and end at 3:03. This is because the minimum is 1:05 seconds and the maximum is 1:15 seconds. One good thing about this song is that it has lyrics that are easy to act out. This limits confusion on what to do in specific parts of the song. This song is a fun, upbeat song that highlights how many people feel when they are tired and do not want to do anything. The fact that the song relates to the audience makes the song more interesting. I am super excited to film this music video!

A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The artistic nature of music means that these classifications are often subjective and controversial, and some genres may overlap. The camera angle we would use in the music video will be a high angle. The camera shots and movements would include pans, tilts, variants of medium to close up shots, wide shots, and long shots. The sound would be a score and sound bridge. The editing process would include fade in and out, insert, and cross cutting. 1. Costumes: Birthday suit but formal clothing. 2. Lightning: Dim, to set the mood of being lazy. 3. Actors: Everyone in our group (Anyeska,, Jazmin, and Brit). 4. Makeup: None. 5. Props: Phone, gaming controller, TV remote, paper, and hair comb. 6. Setting: In a house.

Editing Blog (2)

Today I was able to access Pinnacle Studios and edit my film. In the beginning, I was not sure about what scenes I wanted to import into Pinnacle Studios. I had to re-watch the scenes to see which scenes would be best for the commercial. This process was arguably the most time consuming process out of all. I had trouble selecting the "best" scenes for the commercial. After i selected the scenes, I imported them into pinnacle studios. Then, I had to drag the scenes down in order to put them in order.


After i dragged the scenes, I watched the commercial about three times. The first time I watched the commercial, I noticed an inconsistency in one of the scenes. This inconsistency caused me to change the scene to one of my other options. The second time I watched the commercial, I noticed one of the scenes was too long so I decided to shorten the length of the scene. This shortening caused the length of the commercial itself to reduce from 37 seconds to about 34 seconds. The third time i watched the commercial, I realized that one of the scenes that would jump cut looked choppy. This caused me to edit the jump cut to make the edit look cleaner and more believable. After this, I felt like the commercial was complete.

Even though my scenes were edited to perfection, I still had one problem: The commercial itself was too long. 4 seconds too long to be exact. In order to fix this issue, I had to shorten the length of a couple of my scenes. I also had to create quicker edits from one scene to another to make the jump cuts more effective. I was able to shorten the length of my commercial from 34 seconds to abut 29 seconds. After this, the only addition I needed to add was the voice-overs. I had to drag the video with the audio I needed. After this, I had to detach the audio of the video from the video itself. then, I deleted the video and split the audio into parts to match the action that the voice-over was describing. When the voice-over was added and the film was ready to go, I finally exported the film onto the desktop and finished the film successfully.