Representation of males and females within my music video

MALES
Within my music video, Andy, who features as Jack in the video, it the only male character. Jack has a positive outlook from the video. You can tell from the video that he is great friends with Daisy, who are shown as companions throughout the video. This tall large frame demonstrates compared to Daisy represents him as a 'friendly-giant', which gives a good impression towards his gender as a whole. He wears typical normal clothes, with a typical boyish hairstyle of a boy of that age, represents him as a relatable character. As well as this, there are many face on medium shots of Jack throughout the video, demonstrating that he is not intimidating but just an average, relatable boy!
Jack can also seem quite mysterious such as the final clip of the video. It is quite dominating, but it does not reflect him in a negative way. 

FEMALES
Molly, who plays Daisy in the video, also reflects a positive representation. Shown as slightly younger than Jack, you can see that she admires him and looks out for him. On the other hand, she is shown in scenes alone without him, suggesting that she is independent and not dependant on a man. She is a typically girly girl. She is shown putting lipstick on in the mirror, and turns around to pout to the audience. She shows her as a person who cares about her appearance. Her clothes reflect this too, as they tend to be more bright then Jacks are. 

Software

BLOGGER 

I used blogger to present my work and findings. I found this an exciting new way of laying out my research, compared to AS when we used Microsoft Powerpoint. It was extremely simple and easy to use. What I found most helpful was that it was 'website friendly' e.g., it was very simple to download things such as movies and photos from elsewhere online. 

• YOUTUBE

I used Youtube when doing my research on other music videos at the beginning of my planning. This was a simple and easily accessible site, which had all of the content that I needed. 

At the end of my project, I used Youtube to download my music video on to the interent. Yet again this was very straight-foward, and a very beneficial skill to learn for the future. 

• IMOVIE 

I used imovie to create my music video. As a software that I had n previous experience of, I had to look up many of the features by watching youtube videos. Now I have learnt a lot about the software, which was not only suitable for making my music video, but the skills I learnt will be useful for the future. 

• IPHOTO 
  

I used imovie to store my photos and videos that I had taken. This was a useful software to store all my data. 

• MICROSOFT WORD

I used Microsoft word to design my advertisement and my digipak. This simple software was exactly what I needed, as it had the simplistic tools that I knew how to work therefore I was able to also use my time effectively. 

Narrative in the music video

My video has a simple narrative, which sets the scene of the story about a girl (Molly) and a boy (Andy) who are in love. 

They are of a similar age to the target market, therefore, I thought that a theme of 'young love' would appeal to both girls and boys. 

The end scene is emphasised in slow motion with them holding hands and laughing. 

This gives a lively positive outlook on young relationships and the target market can relate to this. 

The narrative has an ambiguous nature to it, as the fire is left unattended at the end, suggesting that problems may arise. 

Suspense is built due to the fact that Andy and Molly are often scene running away from something. It is unknown to the audience what they are running away from...

The significance of media language on the audience

MISE-EN-SCENE

From the beginning of research and planning, I wanted mise-en-scene to be casual and colloquial. This is because (as you can see from my evaluation) when I analysed similar existing media products, the costume that the artists wore were normal, everyday clothes, and nothing extravagant. The colours were low key, and none of them matched. The reason why I wanted to carry this forward to my own costume design was because I wanted to make the artists relatable to my market target. These types of casual outfits are the types that fans can copy and be influenced by. Before I made this plan final, I asked a small group of people what they thought about the idea. They said that not only did it make them look more relatable, but also more approachable and "down to earth". This is the exact image that I wanted to portray for the artists. 

This look says a lot about the band. It suggests that they are relaxed and are talented in their music as they are more concerned about their work then their image

For the target market, the costumes may be 'cool' and something to copy. To an older audience, this look might be perhaps communicated as scruffy, untidy and dishevelled. However, after taking this in to consideration I realised that my main aim was my target market. 

CAMERA EDITING

The slow motion was used approximately three times throughout the video. An example of this is when Andy and Molly are running away from the screen. 

The reason I used slow motion at this point was simple. The slow motion gave direct emphasis on the two characters running away in to the dark. The direct effect of this of this was it gave time for the audience to interpret the scene and ask "Why are they running?" "What are they running away from?" They added to the intensity of the scene for the audience. 

In contrast, I used fast motion as well. This was an effect of juxtapose and made the movement of the scenes unpredictable, making the visuals more interesting. the direct effect on the audience was that the contrast of fast and slow added to the visuals and heightened their intensity of what was going to come in the narrative.

My video, which is based during night time, quite often included scenes with a dull background. With sepia, more of the scenery and setting was able to be interpreted. An example of this is during the meadow scene, which I used as a sepia effect to contrast with the darkness of the other scenes. The direct effect on the audience is that the audience becomes more engaged with the video as it is a change of scenery which is appealing to the eye. Another effect is that they can identify with the scenery and be able to make a clearer sense of the narrative. 

 

The backwards editing, for example, of the fire. There are many direct effects of this on the audience. Firstly, it disorientates the reader. Not in a bad way, but the audience is subjected to different contrasting images which is interesting for the audience. 

CAMERA ANGLES/MOVEMENTS

Many varying camera angles are used throughout the video. An establishing shot is used t the beginning of the video to help set the scene. The direct effect on the audience is that they are introduced to the artists, which feature throughout the video, therefore it is important. 

A mid-close up is used of both Andy and Molly singing at the beginning. The direct effect on the audience is that the close-up takes us into the mind of a character. It is an very intimate shot, which lets us identify with the artists. 

An extreme close up is used of Andy's face at the end of the video. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. His face is the final lasting impression of the video. The direct effect of on the audience is that it is an unsettling image because people are not used to viewing people that closely. It is quite dramatic, and perhaps slighlty intimidating, which allows the audience to feel excitement at the end. 

A hand-held camera is used as it gives a jerky, ragged effect. The direct effect of this on the audience is that hand held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position. The strengthens the scene as the audience feel like they are a part of it.

LIGHTING

The video, which is set mostly during the evening in the dark intensifies the scene and the direct effect on the audience is they are immersed in the tension and suspense that the artists feel. Once more, the scenery cannot be fully interpreted, which allows their imaginations to overtake and help interest the audience. 

Problems I encountered throughout my coursework

SHOT BREAKDOWN
Although I planned my shot break down throughly, I did not completely stick to the structure of it. Originally I had planned to have 5 people in my music video, but two people decided that they did not want to do it and and the other person was often unavailable. Therefore, I only had two people in my band. Although this did effect my planning, it did not effect my overall result. 

SINGING VOICE
Despite the music being a male voice, I have both a female and a male. I did not think that this was too much of an issue, and if this album were real, then obviously it would be their true voices.

QUALITY OF IPHONE
During the filming of the life band, my camera did not cope with the lack of light and some of the images became heavily pixilated. After this was picked up by my audience research, I realised this was true and in future, I think that I will use a more professional video recording camera. 

Music Video Evaluation

This is my finished video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JshO9Qth_mw

This scene is the first scene that in the video that has a projector. I think that this is effective not only because of the eye contact to the audience, but also the eye line level makes the audience feel like they are on the same level as the artist and therefore makes them more relatable. The use of the sea in the background is used because the sea is mentioned in the lyrics 'I'll wait by the sea, to hope, that me heart will come back some day...'

The name of the band 'Plan X' flashes on to the screen. This effect emphasises the name of the band. It is held there for approximately three seconds to give a dramatic long pause, so that the emphasis is really placed on who the band is.

This shot involves a pan following Andy and Molly from right to left. It also captures the graffiti wall, and helps place prominence on the surroundings. 

I also involved the performance of a live band. I went to film at the O2 Academy in Oxford. This shot shows a pan from the stage to the audience. The reason for this is to see the audiences reaction and therefore, the listeners and viewers will share the excitement that the crowd does. 

This clip here was important to be timed correctly as it changes from different projections in time with the music. Therefore, this considered special precision editing. I think that it is more effective when it moves in time with the music because it looks more in sync and professional.

This clip I edited so that it was in slow motion. I think that this was quite effective and adds further visual effects as the motion changes in the video. 

I also edited the fire so that it blazes in slow motion. I really like this effect as it suggests a peaceful calm essence. 

This footage is a pan from the left to the right showing Molly and Andy on the floor against s fire. The pan is effective because it introduces us to a new scene. At first, we can only see the smoke, as the image suggests. As the pan becomes more full, the projection of a fire is placed on top of the footage. This adds interesting dynamics to the visuals, and intensifies the heat and roar of the flames. 

This clip shows a close up of the band drummer in the band. When the camera is zoomed in the drummer is put in slow motion. This allows the audience to see his facial expressions and feel the power with which he plays the drums, which emphasises the beat of the music for the audience. 

This pan follows Molly in a complete circle. It is not only intersting to see her facial expressions in slow motion, but the audience is also drawn to the graffiti on the wall. 

Here, I split the screen to show Andy and Molly singing the final note. I did this using the same background of snow. I think that this is effective, as they have sung separately throughout the video and at the end they are united. 

The final image of Andy is in slow motion. He is staring at the camera, with a medium close up show and eye line level. i think this is effective and quite dominating. Once more, the vivid eye-contact is memorable and creates emphasis at the end of the song.

Mise-en-scene within my video

LIGHTING

• The video is set at dark, therefore, the lighting is naturally dark. 
• In a few scenes, I had to use a spotlight due to poor visibility. 
• The reason why I wanted it set during night was so that the suspense and atmosphere would increase with the visuals for example, Andy and Molly running. 

PROPS

• Props were quite minimalistic within the video. 
• The car was our largest prop which is shown in a couple of scenes. 
• The guitar is used during the camp fire scene. Its main use was to create atmosphere. It also suggested that Andy had a real natural talent with music. 
• The fire created a warm atmosphere. It suggested the intimacy between Andy and Molly and also built up the suspense that they were out alone at night. 

SCENERY

• There are many different scenes throughout the video. 
• The graffiti tunnel-creates a sense of youth, adds to the artistic nature of the indie genre, and the distinctive background also allowed me to create synergy between the video, advertisement and digipak. 
• The field- The field showed the calmness and relaxation of the video, to be with nature. As a pretty backdrop for a scene, it acted sufficiently as a interesting background. 
• Bridge- The bridge allowed me to add special effects in to the video due to the passing traffic, which had a contrasting effect with the dark atmosphere and bright lights. 
• Concert- The concert allowed the artists to have a musical persona, and showed off their talent. The actual scenery itself allowed the audience to feel as if they are watching the band live. 

COSTUME

• As explained previously, this was kept minimalistic and relaxed, just as similar existing bands dressed. 
• At first, I planned for both Andy and Molly to wear all black- however, I changed my mind, as their individual fashion sense heightened their individuality and is more likely to appeal to my target market.