An equal number of males and females, out of the 8 people, responded to this questionnaire.
A lot of people thought the music video was long enough. That is great as I was happy with the length of the music video and I’m glad other people were happy too.
A lot of people like the colour grading, movements, lighting and the atmosphere of the music video. Some people thought the dark lighting and fog made the music video feel more dramatic and fitted the tone of the song. Some people like the shots and angles that were used too.
Out of the 8 people who responded to the feedback questionnaire, the majority liked it as a performance only video, even though it wasn’t our original intention.
Some people didn’t like the lack of close-ups the music video had. This couldn’t be helped due to the amount of footage we got. Some people didn’t like the way the colour correction was in parts, how the singer acted throughout the song, the lack of distance shots and a shot of the drummer, where she wasn’t doing anything. These are all improvements that I could consider if I did a project like this again in the future.
People thought it looked professional, the visual effects complemented the music video without being too much, making a performance only music video fitted with the theme of the song and the liked the way the lighting was too.
Some people didn’t like how much of the band was shown in the music video and the lack of energy some band members were giving. These are things that I think about for next time.
Out of the 8 people who responded to this feedback questionnaire, the majority thought the music video is re-watchable and people will be able to watch the music video more than once. Also, people liked the colour correction technique that I used for the music video.Most people thought I had showcased enough of the band. Some people thought the the music video was bit singer heavy and that I needed to showcase more members of the band.
I was told to create a music video for a college band to help promote the band and their image. The music video was for a cover version of When the Sun Goes Down.
I worked in a group with 2 other people for this project. We were originally going to include a narrative and that it would be on the basis of a woman becoming a prostitute because of her being in an abusive relationship. This idea changed, to a woman becoming homeless due to her being in an abusive same-sex relationship and that she becomes a prostitute out of desperation, as she had nothing left. The narrative would end with her crying in an alleyway, realising she made a big mistake and then she would stand up and walk off camera, to show she is going to change her life. We wanted to create a music video that had a similar narrative to the original music video from the Arctic Monkeys but we didn’t want to copy it, just pay homage to it.
We managed to find an actress called Nancy to be the main female in the narrative but we found it very difficult to find actors, as most of them didn’t look like an intimidating enough man. Unfortunately, we had to scrap our narrative due to Nancy not replying to our messages, letting her know when we can film and if she is able to film with us. Nancy failed to show an interest after initially showing an interest. We offered to do a photo-shoot with her, after she had taken part in this project.
We had managed to film all the footage needed with the band, for the whole song, so we turned it into a performance only music video in the end. We weren’t originally going to do this but because Nancy failed to reply to us in time, we had to scrap it because time was running out. If we had more time to do this, we would’ve included the narrative but because we only had 1 month to plan and shoot the music video, we didn’t have a lot of time to be waiting around. We spent about 2 weeks just searching for actors/actresses and we managed to find Nancy.
I wanted to include quick cuts in the performance music video to make it more interesting and to show the pace of the song changing, when the drums & guitars kick in. It starts off slow, then gets quicker, then slows again at the end. There were only 6 different shots for me to choose from, some of them were blurry at times, some of them were moving/zooming in & out etc. and I wanted to include as many different angles/shots as I could, from what we filmed. I would have liked to have the option to choose from more shots/angles for the edit. If we had more to film, this would’ve been possible.
One of the lead singers of the band left the band about halfway through the project but we didn’t have much footage of the band singing the full song. The band kindly re-recorded the song with just the one lead singer, hence why you only see 1 lead singer in the final version. Whilst we were planning the performance shots, they were only going to be fillers to fill the time and to showcase the band, as they wanted to be in the music video for 1 minute or more.
Me and my group kept on liaising with the band, initially it was by email but we discovered this wasn’t working as it was their college email that we were using and they weren’t checking it often. We got their Instagram details and created a group chat on Instagram, so we could contact them more easily on there, as they use Instagram more often than their college email.
I wanted to showcase the lighting and the smoke in my final edit. The way I colour corrected it might not be the typical technique to use but it’s a technique which I thought made some of the darker footage look a little brighter and showcase the lighting/smoke more. Unfortunately, when we needed to film the performance parts of the music video with the band, there was only 1 smoke machine that was working. There was another one available to use but it wasn’t working. Due to this, we had less smoke and therefore this made it harder to see in the final edit.
I think this project went well and it was well organised. If there were obstacles that got in the way, we would find ways to solve the problem and remove the obstacle. We had a plan B, just in case the band were unreliable and we couldn’t film the performances sequences, it would’ve been a narrative music video, with me and my group lip syncing parts of the song. Another contingency plan we had was to make it a lyric video but different bits of footage would be in the background such as traffic and people walking on the street whilst the lyrics popped up on screen. This was a more popular contingency plan but again, we wanted to avoid doing this too.
We thought making it performance only was the best decision, out of all the options and resources we had. We wanted to make it look as cinematic and interesting as possible, to keep the audience engaged. We decided having flashing lights and smoke as we thought this would help create an energetic atmosphere due to the song being upbeat. We were hoping to have flour on the drums, to make it look even better but we were not allowed to do this, due to the mess that this would cause, so we had to leave the flour out. We were hoping to for the drummer to have light-up drum sticks to make the drumming look more interesting but this didn’t end up happening, due to the drummer not bringing in light-up drum sticks.
I am happy with the final product and the version of the music video that I got. Even though it wasn’t what we were originally intending, it was the only option we had. I tried to showcase as much of the band as possible especially the drummer and the electric guitarist. I tried my best to create a decent performance music video with the shots I had available. I am happy with how well I worked with my group, we all communicated well with each other. One of them I had added on Facebook and I was following them on Instagram, so we had more than one way of contacting each other.
I am happy with the footage that we filmed and the footage that I included in the final version of my edit of the music video. I am pleased the band was willing to work with us and they were very helpful too. They followed our directions and instructions. They even helped us with the narrative material too, as we wanted to make sure that they were happy with what we were doing. I used a multi-camera sequence to create the music video as we all thought this was the easiest and best way to edit the music video. Even though I didn’t use any of the shots that I filmed, the camera died the day that I was filming, so we didn’t have much footage to use anyway, so it didn’t matter too much that my footage was missing as this did not affect how the performance music video turned out to be overall.
I added title text, as most music videos nowadays tend to have this and it is starting to become a new trend. Some music videos end with a full credits or credits of some kind and because the final shot ended before the song did, I thought to add short credits to credit the band for what we did and for the cover and also so there was text to hide the fact that the shot ended too early, therefore making people like the music video more. The lip syncing from the lead singer was also good and better than I was expecting. She did look like she was actually singing the song, even though she wasn’t. The singer made it look very convincing that she was actually singing the song.
The things that didn’t go so well was that I couldn’t include the narrative to make the music video more interesting. This therefore prevented the music video to be made more entertaining and engaging. This wasn’t our fault though, so technically it’s something out of our control. Next time, we could get an actress and a backup actress, just in the original actress fails to turn up on the day of shooting or fails to show an interest in the project. Also, some of the lighting was a bit too dark, especially for the bass guitarist. Next time, I could spread the lighting more evenly, to showcase more of the band and to make the band more visible. Thirdly, the drummer wasn’t showcased as much as I wanted to. This was because the drummer was playing the drums live whilst we were recording and the music was on very loudly, so they couldn’t hear the song that well meaning they got out of sync about halfway through the song. Otherwise, I would’ve included more of the drummer. Same with the electric guitarist, there were not as many shots of him as I wanted to, there were a lot of shots of bass guitarist and a lot of focus on him and not the main electric guitarist. Next time, I will make sure to film more footage of the electric guitarist and focus more on him, as well as focusing on the bass guitarist. Also, I will film more shots of the drummer in order for them to be showcased more.
The things to improve upon if I was going to do this project again in the future would be to instruct and direct the band more to make sure that they are more energetic and rock out when they need to be. The drummer and guitarists were good at rocking out and getting into the song more but the singer did not get into it at all and looked like she didn’t want to be there. If we had directed the singer more and told her to rock out more, that would’ve made the music video a lot better. Secondly, the lighting was unevenly spread out, with some band members such as bass guitarist getting less light than the singer, who got the most light and was the brightest. If I was going to do this project again, I would make sure the lighting was spread more evenly with the band and make sure all members of the band can clearly be seen.
This is the final and completed version of the music video. It was difficult for me to stick to a final edit but I just thought to stick to this one, even though it’s not as professional as I would’ve liked it to be. Plus, the narrative is missing too.
Watch the music video right here:
Link to feedback questionnaire which you can fill out after watching the music or you can start filling out the questionnaire straight away as the video is included on the feedback questionnaire itself: No longer accepting responses as I have received enough responses for the feedback for the music video.
Plan ahead- Know where you are going, who will be interviewing you and transportation.
Do your prep beforehand – how can you benefit the company? What are their goals? Are there training opportunities to develop your skills?
Think Positive- Be as optimistic as possible. Think that it will go well and you will get the job. This will help you to be more motivated when it comes to the interview itself.
Be Presentable- Wear smart clothing or casual-smart clothing, depending which job you are applying for.
Use appropriate body language
Ask questions about the job and company to show your interest
Use specific examples in your answers- Use real life experiences and stories to show that you have had the experience beforehand and know what to do in certain situations.
Remind yourself of your personal statement before you go- This is so then you refresh your memory of what you put on it and what you said, as they ask you questions based off this.
Make eye contact- No looking around or staring into space
Mimic their actions- More likely going to be accepted
Leave room for delays and getting lost
Email the company for directions or use Google Maps, ask people for directions.
Plan your journey in advance- Check train/bus times to get there, walking times etc.
Good posture- Sit up straight and don’t cross your legs/arms
Formal/Smart Casual- Such as a shirt and tie, black trousers/skirt, bowtie, show a level of respect for the job.
Good personal hygiene- Have a haircut regularly, wash the night before the interview.
Follow up letter- To show interest for the role you are applying for.
Bring in all documents needed such as a passport, National Insurance number, some sort of ID to prove who you are.
Take notes and papers with you such as a CV.
Stay positive
Do your research- Make notes of the company
Point out your skills and achievements
Arriving 10-20 minutes earlier/Being Punctual
Being friendly and approachable
Note questions and write down what questions you want to ask- E.g. what will my duties be? Etc.
Speak relatively posh- Be yourself but don’t swear.
Research the company before you go in.
Be Polite
Be Honest
Dress smartly- Don’t turn up in your everyday clothing
Be formal- Don’t use slang
Don’ts:
Not prepared- You have no notes, no questions to ask, no necessary documents etc.
Confusing the course/job with another one- Thinking you are in an interview for a media course, when it’s actually a job.
Showing doubts- Being more pessimistic and negative about the situation. This can show a sign of arrogance and less motivation which is a bad sign for employers/ course leaders.
Relying on your achievements- Things like awards and your accomplishments in life is not enough to get the job.
Dishonesty- Lying about experiences and things that you have dealt with can give a false impression on yourself and this can affect you overall and can lead to legal battle, depending how dishonest you are. Also, you’re not showing your true self, so it’s worth being honest, to showcase you, rather than who you think you are or want to be.
Being overly familiar- If you too much familiarity of the interview is shown, this can also be a bad sign for employers/course leaders and may leave them suspicious about you as a person.
Arrogance- Don’t be too arrogant or too above yourself, as this won’t get you the job.
Boredom- This will be a sign to the employer/course leader that you are not motivated or interested enough in the job and therefore will not be able to achieve enough for the job or course.
Negativity- This is a bad sign for employers/course leaders and can lead to them rejecting you, just because you are not positive enough about the future of the company/course or the company/course as a whole.
Not making eye contact- This is also something that is important to do. If you don’t look at who is talking to or at least look at their general direction, this is a bad sign for the employer/course leader.
Dressing inappropriately
Being late
No weird stares
Bad body language
Being rude and not polite
Not washing before the interview and not looking presentable
Lie
Not wearing smart clothing- Just turning up in your everyday clothing.
In Day 1, I did some pre-production myself. I chose the final idea with the person I chose to work with. I also chose what song I wanted to create a music video for. After a vote from another group, I made my final choice, which was Arctic Monkeys When the Sun Goes Down. I originally wanted to do a music video for the song Spaceman by The Killers but my vote was overruled by another group. I got over this defeat very quickly and I discussed a few ideas for the music video with the other person that I chose to work with for this project. We both managed to come up with a narrative based on the lyrics of the song and we had a plan of a few shots and techniques that we would include. This included a silhouette and the narrative was about a girl who becomes a prostitute. I also created a planning check list, so we knew what needed to be completed for the planning stage for this project.
In Day 2, I was left alone for this day. The other person I chose to work with did not show up, so I did some pre-production myself. I started work on the shooting script and got the lyrics for the song, as a reference for future planning. I used a lyric video to help get me approximate times for the shooting script. I started to think about the narrative more and also started work on a rough version of the shooting script. I also came up with a contingency plan, just in the initial plan didn’t work out.
In Day 3, I was solo again. The other person I chose to work with did not come in again. I continued work on the shooting script. I shared some of the pre-production to the other person I was working with, so they could make edits as and when it was needed. Later on that day, I was contacted by someone else on Messenger, who reached out to me and alerted me that they had been alerted that I had been working solo for the past couple of days and that the other person I was working with was not that reliable. Also, they were not working with anyone else so they thought it would be a good idea to work with me. I agreed to work with them on this project. I told them what had already been done. They created a poster for the music video, which I liked. We had a way to communicate with each other, we had multiple ways of contacting each other, so working with someone else alongside the original person I agreed to work with was better.
In Day 4, not much was done as it was a day off college. I did talk about the project and talk about the narrative in more detail to the new person I agreed to work with. They said they would be in college more often and become more reliable for this project, so then I’m not doing all the work myself. I liked that they were doing that and felt happier that someone else was willing to help. We discussed some of the pre-production that needed to be done the next day. The new person I agreed to work with told me we can work on the narrative more the next day and the shooting script.
In Day 5, we worked on the narrative and I reviewed the post that the new person I agreed to work with had created. The poster was colourful and interesting but it was not the final poster. The poster will be used to help promote the music video and to let people know about the music video. We also spent 2 hours or so working on the shooting script, working on the mood-board and creating a questionnaire and sharing it with other people via email and social media, for people to fill out within the next week. The original person I was working with failed to turn up again on this day, so I was working with the new person I agreed to work with throughout this day. We also looked on Google Maps and Google Earth to virtually “scout” potential locations we could film for the music video.
Week 2:
In Day 8, we worked on a rough version of the storyboard, production schedule, reviewed the questionnaire results we got, talked to the band to discuss our initial plan and ideas, revised parts of the shooting script by adding what shots etc. we wanted to use and started work on a risk assessment. The person I had originally agreed to work with did not turn up until the afternoon for this day.
In Day 9, it was just me and the new person I agreed to work with in the morning. We reviewed the shooting script and continued working on that, along with creating a rough storyboard. The new person I agreed to work with created a group chat on Instagram as all the members of the band, plus me and the new person I agreed to work with, had Instagram.
Over the past couple of weeks, we filled out the location information forms, finished our production schedule and storyboard, did a few field tests to test out lighting and smoke and how it would work, the shooting script was complete after we made a couple more changes to it to adapt the band’s idea with our original idea. We have been searching for actors and actresses for the project. We also decided which roles we’d be for this project.
I am the producer, so I am overlooking everything and making sure things happen. I am making sure this project runs as smoothly as possible.
The new person I agreed to work with is the director and the person I originally agreed to work with is the executive producer, who is there to help me out when needed.
We will all take in turns to use the camera and to film footage. We all have a way of communicating with each other, so we can alert each other of anything if something pops up last minute. We will also have daily meetings in college, in order to share what has happened and what needs to be done. If any changes need to be made to our original plan they need to be implemented as quickly as possible.
We managed to find an actress called Nancy. She agreed to work with me and my group on this project with the offer of a photo-shoot afterwards. This is a project that she can add to her portfolio for university and help with her acting/modelling career.
On the 27th January, we did some field testing with the smoke machine and soft-box lights in order to prepare for our shoot with the band the next day. We spent about an hour doing this. We used tape to mark where we were going to place everything, in order for us to be prepared for the shoot with the band.
On the 28th January, we prepared for our shoot with the band. We booked equipment with the technician at college and we worked on the poster for the music video. We finished off the shot list and printed it out, so we knew what we needed to shoot. We set up our set in the Theatre and we shot the footage that we needed with the band. We managed to get a few good shots and also a couple of outtakes too.
On the 29th January, we continued looking for actors and an actress on a website called Star Now. That’s how we found Nancy, who has a small following on Instagram. We submitted an application for people to be part of the project. It would be for free and without a fee. So far, we are waiting for people to respond to it. Also, we uploaded the footage onto the computer and renamed all the shots so we knew which one was which, just in case any of us wanted to edit the music video via multi-camera editing.
We were not in college on the 31st January so no further work could be completed.
On the 3rd February, we continued to look for actors and arranged when we could film with the band some performance footage for the project. We finished off pre-production such as shot lists and storyboards and we made sure equipment was booked for the 4th February, as that’s when the band could film.
On the 4th February, we worked on the poster for the music video more and managed to film some footage with the band for the performance parts of the music video. We uploaded it onto the computer to edit at a later date. Before we filmed, we got the equipment and set up for production. Due to the amount of time it took to set up we only had about 30 minutes to film the performance footage that we needed altogether. We got as much footage as we could. We arranged and we let the band know that we would need to arrange another shoot with them.
If the band fails to turn up or are unreliable- To include more of the narrative and include extra shots such as a fight scene at the beginning, focusing on the more emotional parts of the narrative for longer etc.
If we get less band footage- Film some extra footage for the narrative, just in case we need to extend the narrative in any way. Can include our own lip sync sequences if needed but this is last resort. Could include lyric sequences if needed with footage that we filmed in the background such as trees and lights.
Out of the 7 people who responded to this questionnaire, 57.1% of them were female. This shows that our music video needs to be for a mainly female audience. 28.6% were male, so we should make our secondary target gender to be male too but it should mostly focus on appealing for females.
The target audience we will need to aim our music video for is for older people who are 25-49 years old. This is because out of the 7 people who filled out this questionnaire, 57.1% were 25-49 years old. 28.6% were 16-24 years old, so we should make our secondary target audience for young people and people who are in college/university. The primary target audience is for older people (25-49 years old) who might be more familiar with the themes and topics that we want to deal with in the music video and may have heard the song before.
The majority of the 7 people who filled out this questionnaire were either a student or a learning support/teaching assistant. This means we should aim the music video at students at college as well as for older people, who are at the age of being a learning support or teaching assistant. 42.9% of people that filled out this questionnaire equally watch 1-3 and 4-6 music videos every week. That means we got to make sure that our music video stands out, as the majority of the music videos that people have watched are most likely going to be similar in style or for someone’s favourite song. Some of these music videos that people watch could be lyric videos too.
All 7 people who filled out this questionnaire prefer to watch music videos on YouTube than any other social media or video-sharing website. This is ideal, as most music videos get uploaded to YouTube nowadays so we can upload our music video to YouTube too, once it is completed. That is a simple conclusion to this result. 42.9% of the people who filled out this questionnaire discover a new music video either on YouTube or another social media website such as Twitter or Instagram. That means we can upload our new music video to YouTube and then post a link to it on Twitter or Instagram, so people can discover a new music video. Only 14.3% of the 7 people who filled in this questionnaire discover a new music video via a search engine such as Google or Bing. So, we will not advertise our music video via a search engine as this is the least popular way of discovering a new music video.
From the 7 people who filled in this questionnaire, we found out there are a few different reasons why someone may want to watch a music video. Some of the responses included “To see how the artist portrays their songs”, “If I like the song and want to listen to it”, “Boredom mostly” and “Interest in the artist”. This means that we got to make the video appealing enough for someone to watch anytime, whatever the reason might be.
We found out from the 7 people who responded to this questionnaire that there are a few different things that people like to see in a music video. Some of the responses include “An interesting and creative visual idea, well executed”, “A story or interesting camera shots/something unique/good compositions”, “Abstract concepts and weirdness” and “Something fun”. This means we got to create something that has a story of some kind, unique and cinematic and something that looks fun/light-hearted in parts.
From the 7 people that responded to this questionnaire, there are different things that people don’t like to see in a music video. This includes “Loads of effects that doesn’t make sense and just confuses you”, “Direct or obvious interpretation of the lyrics”, “Lots of half-naked ladies”, “Performance” and “Politics”. One person is not worried about what they see in the music video.
Out of the 7 people who filled out this questionnaire, they all like to see a narrative in a music video. The majority also like to see aesthetic visuals and a concept too. The least popular was a hybrid, when an artist mixes more than one genre into their music video. So, we will be including a narrative and an element of performance in our music video. We will make sure the narrative is the main part of the music video as it is the most popular genre to be part of a music video. The performance will be very little.
The 7 people who responded to this questionnaire had different reasons as to why they chose the types of music videos that they chose. These included “I like a music video to tell a story…I like it when the producer shows their creative views within the video”, “I like a variety of videos, each type can suit different songs”, “I like to watch things that keep my attention and make me want to watch more” and “As I enjoy art in visual form”. This means we can include an element of aesthetic imagery in order for people to be interested and keep engaged with the music video. Also, we will need to make the narrative interesting enough for people to keep engaged and connected with the music video.
Out of the 7 people who responded to this questionnaire, I included the original music video for the song that we will be creating a music video for (which is a cover by a college band). We thought to ask them which angles and shots that we could use from the original music video that we could include our music video. People had a few different shots and angles that we could use from that music video including “Cinematic shots, and the storyline”, “Fast paced moving shots through the streets”, “Location shooting, breaking the fourth wall (looks to camera), abstract/weirdness (Confetti, odd character)” and “Close Ups”. These are just a few shots and techniques that we could use for our music video, along with a few other angles and shots that the original music video did not include. We could make our music video more cinematic too. This would help make it look more professional and more appealing.
Out of the 7 people who responded to this questionnaire, 71.4% said that 2-4 minutes was most suitable for a music video. Equally, 14.3% thought that 5-9 minutes or 20+ minutes is most suitable for a music video. It would be ideal if we stuck to 2-4 minutes, as this is the average length of a music video nowadays anyway. The shorter the music video, the more interest and the more engagement the music video will get. The music video will be watched by more people if it is 2-4 minutes than if the music video was 25 minutes. This is because people are watching the music video to support their favourite artist or because they like the song and are not there for a story or a short film beforehand. We don’t want people to avoid watching our music video because it takes too long for the song to get started. So, if we aim for 2-4 minutes, the song is about 3 minutes 30 secs, so this will be an ideal amount of time to tell a story and include lip sync sequences from the band themselves too.
This is my showreel to showcase highlights from previous projects I have completed whilst studying Level 3 Media between October 2018 and November 2019. I tried to edit this so it would all cut and transition in time with the song that I used. I made the video public so other people could see this.
Here is my showreel:
If you want to watch any of projects in full that I showed you parts of, here are those projects:
Death Kiss- Horror Intro
Me and my group were set the challenge to do a horror movie intro. We were given a title for the project, an object that had to be used and a line that had to be used in the final version. This is my edited version of the project. I tried to make it as spooky and mysterious as I could. This was back in my first year of studying Media. This is from October 2018, even though I did upload it at a later date.
Watch the full version here:
Suspicious- Mysterious Short Film
I worked in a group to do this project. I worked with 2 other people. We were set the challenge of creating a short film about anything. We thought it was a good idea to create a murder/mystery type short film. It is very short though as we only had a week to complete this. Due to the short timescale, we couldn’t create a longer short film. I hope that you enjoy and like this final version. This is my edited version of the short film. This is from January 2019, despite the fact it may say that I uploaded it at a later date.
Watch the full version here:
The Mix Up (Live)- TV Show Project
As a class, we were set the task to work together and create a “live” TV show. The TV show had to be in the style of The One Show or similar shows. We thought to do a magazine TV show that was aimed at young people. We would talk about topics and themes that relate to young people and interest them. We were also set the extra challenge of making the “live” TV show no longer than 30 minutes long. This was to fit in “Advert Breaks” if this was an actual magazine TV show that would air on TV. This was to practice our live TV show skills and to practice working under pressure. This is from March 2019 and we had to do a social media campaign for this project.
The Twitter profile to see how the social media marketing team handled this account:
There was also an Instagram account set up for this project but I do not have a link for this. It was deleted by Instagram because we were posting too often on there.
I was the script writer for this project and I helped create script. I had to liaise with the producer and director of this project to make sure they were happy with the script.
Watch the full version here:
This was a field experiment for using a new piece of equipment that I have never used before. I experimented using a Steadicam to get POV footage. This was to see if this could used for the final major project, as I worked in a group for that project too. I was working with another person to complete this experiment.
Watch the experiment here:
This is another field experiment that me and the person I was working with thought to do to see if it could be used for the final major project. We thought to test out the green screen and see if we could successfully put a background to show that someone is looking at something that is weird or out of the blue.
It’s very short and you can watch this experiment here:
Log In- FMP Short Film
For my final major project for the first year of Level 3 Media, I had to create a short film that was 10 minutes or shorter. I managed to keep to this limit but sacrificed some footage to get to this limit. It is a short film about gaming/social media addiction and how it can affect someone’s life and take control of the person. This is from June 2019, even though it may that I uploaded it at a later date. Hope you like this short film.
Watch the full version here:
Documentary- Initial Intro
To help get people interested in my Marvel vs DC documentary project that I was in the process of completing, I thought to give them an initial introduction for the documentary, which was a short preview of what I would include in the final version of the documentary. It is a short preview.
Watch the full version here:
Marvel vs DC: Documentary About the Fans
This is my final version of my Marvel vs DC documentary which I had given a preview for about 2-3 weeks before uploading the completed version. The documentary is about the Marvel and DC Fandom and how it has impacted the world over the years. It is a documentary that is meant to inform people about the fandom and potentially get them to join, as well as for the ones that are already fans. It is about 15 minutes, so it is a short documentary. I included 2 interviews, archive images and clips and also some of my own comedic elements at the end too. I wanted to target the documentary to young people aged between 18-26 but the older people (26-50) were also my secondary target audience. I wasn’t appealing to any genders with this, I wanted to appeal to both. Plus, I completed this whole project solo.
The music video will have elements of performance and narrative. The idea is for the music video is going to follow the story of the relationship between a woman and a man. The man thinks the woman is a prostitute whilst the woman thinks of the man as a boyfriend. The woman will be seen dressed up like a prostitute/girlfriend, along with the band appearing throughout the video. The band will also perform the song for the intro of the song, the final chorus of the song and also the outro of the song. The music video will include visuals to go with the lyrics and will also include some lip syncing moments from the band too. There will be some silhouettes to give the woman a more mysterious feel. There will also be a view of a sunset, to show the sun going down. This will happen at the end of the video.
Structure is important for a story. It helps frame the story and shape it. It helps the story to develop, to give it context and to make comprehensible and understandable. To show how important a linear structure is, ask yourself, how many stories can you name that have no structure. There are very few stories that have no structure. Most stories have a structure of some kind, even if it’s mixed within the story itself.
Narrative and narrative structure goes back to ancient Greek times, where it followed a five act structure. Greek drama would end each act with chorus, where they would replace the actors and sing.
Greek drama was structured like this:
Act One – Exposition – Laying out the story
Act Two – Development – The story begins
Act Three – Climax – In a love story, the loves consummate
Act Four – Denouement – Unravelling of the story
Act Five – Catharsis – Purging/resolution
Giovanni Boccaccio changed this in the 12th & 13th century by introducing into his narratives, for the first time, the idea of a turning point or surprise, a twist of some kind. The turning points are the most vital component of the narrative to keep the audience’s attention. This structure became simplified overtime and the three act structure was introduced. This was a straight, linear story containing surprise and intrigue which the audience could follow.
The three act structure:
Act One- Set up (Exposition)
Act Two- Development (Launch point/crisis moment)
Act Three- Resolution (Pay Off)
Syd Field laid out the three act structure in this way:
Act 1- 25% of the story, the set up of the story. An inciting incident would happen at this point and lead to the start of the first plot point.
Act 2- 50% of the story, where the confrontation happened and 2 parts of the fallout of would take place, with their being a midpoint in the middle of it all, before continuing the conflict. This is the lead up to the climax and the resolution of the story.
Act 3- The last 25% of the story. This is where the climax is and the resolution to the conflict. A new world is created and everybody had made up for their mistakes. This wraps up the story and is the ending of the story as a whole.
An example of this structure occurring in a movie is Deadpool. In Act 1, we get introduced to all the main characters that will be part of this story and we get to introduced to the main character as well and what’s happening with him. The inciting incident that leads up to the second act, is that the character finds out he has cancer and has been told it can be treated, by someone else (who wasn’t a health professional). The first part of the second act, is the character getting the treatment and realising that his skin has been affected by it and he has been disfigured by this “treatment” too. The character realises that they must form a team in order to save the world from a villain. The character realises they must work with this team in order to do this. In the third act, the newly formed team fights the villain and defeats them. They manage to save the world from danger. The “hero” and his girlfriend can live in peace again and everything has been resolved.
In TV, it has a 4 act structure. The narratives are usually linear, with the story being told via a beginning, middle and end. Some stories are told non-chronologically (Not in order). Due to the show being shown on TV, they have to be created in a way to include the adverts break that happen in between the episode. Usually, some action that is escalating the current situation in the programme or a mini-cliffhanger is included, to lead up to the advert break, so people continue watching the rest of the episode, after the advert break. The cliffhanger or escalating action usually happens just before the advert break starts. Advert breaks happen every 15-20 minutes in the UK.
Types of Narratives in Film & TV:
Linear- Story is told in order, chronologically. It if framed via a beginning, middle and end.
Non-Chronological or Non-Linear- A story is told out of order. Bits of the story appear throughout the narrative itself.
Circulatory- When the narrative opens at the end of the story and the whole story is told via flashbacks and storytelling, as if the story is being told to the audience. This has become more prominent in American TV shows such as Breaking Bad.
Single-strand- Where the narrative has one protagonist
Multi-strand- Where the narrative contains multiple key characters/ protagonist
Portmanteau- A series of interlocking stories that are told, with each one impacting upon others. For example is when 4 different people recount their version/memories of a singular event.
Tzvetan Todorov suggested that every narrative has a similar structure (or structural model):
Equilibrium – the ‘norm’ or status quo.
Disruption (Event) – something happens to disrupt the norm
Realisation – the characters realise there’s a problem
Repair – they attempt to fix the problem
Resolution – the problem is fixed and the equilibrium is restored
In the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron, the equilibrium is that the whole team has managed to fight off, whatever they were fighting off and reduce the threat. The disruption to the equilibrium, is when one of the members of The Avengers, the leader, chooses to create a new suit/robot, to help make it easier for them to fight. Instead of it being a new suit, it turns out that it is an evil robot that The Avengers must stop. The characters realise this when the robot keeps on killing everyone and causing disruption to the world. To repair the problem, the team must stop the robot and face up to the evil robot. They must battle the evil robot in order to stop it and remove the threat that has been introduced to the world. The resolution, is that The Avengers manage to defeat this evil robot and the world is back to normal. The danger has been removed from the planet but there is a looming sense that a bigger danger could be coming. The team are back to normal and go back to living their lives as a superhero.
Claude Levi-Strauss was interested in exposing the structures common to all myths and fairy tales. For him, myths are based on binary oppositions. These are the opposing forces in a narrative that create conflict and tension. To impose an order on to a chaotic world, a myth may set up a binary opposition (opposing ideals) but then resolve the narrative in a way which favours one over another. For example, good triumphing over evil.
In the movie Saving Mr Banks, the author who wrote the book Mary Poppins, didn’t want Walt Disney to gain the rights to create a movie about it as she didn’t want the book to be mangled and created and be part of the Hollywood film industry. Walt Disney tried whatever he could to persuade her, as he wanted the rights to create the movie. He thought this would be a great opportunity for him and good for his company too. He fought for the rights to use the character for 20 years. (This movie was also based on a true story and what happened behind the scenes when Disney was creating Mary Poppins).
Christopher Vogler came up with the idea of the hero’s story and that it is always a journey (whether it is an internal or external one). They leave the comfort of their home to venture into a challenging, unfamiliar world. He came up with the 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey.
The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey are as follows:
The Ordinary World- The hero is seen in his/her everyday life.
The Call to Adventure- The initiating incident in the story.
Refusal of the Call- The hero experiences some hesitation to the call.
Meeting with the Mentor- The hero gains the supplies, knowledge and confidence needed to commence the adventure.
Crossing the First Threshold- The hero commits wholeheartedly to the adventure.
Tests, Allies and Enemies- The explores the special world, faces trial and makes friends and enemies.
Approach to the Innermost Cave- The hero nears the centre of the story and the special world.
The Ordeal- The hero faces the greatest challenge yet. They experience death and rebirth.
Reward- The hero experiences the consequences of surviving death.
The Road Back– The hero returns to the ordinary world or continues to an ultimate destination.
The Resurrection– The hero experiences a final moment of death and rebirth so they are pure when they reenter the ordinary world.
Return with the Elixir– The hero returns with something to improve the ordinary world.
Vladimir Propp came up with the 7 character functions.
The Hero: A character that seeks something.
The Villain: The person who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest.
The Donor: The person who provides something to help the hero.
The Dispatcher: The person who sends the hero on his/her quest.
The Helper: The person who helps the hero.
The Princess: The reward for the hero.
The Father: Someone who acts to reward the hero for his effort.
Fake Hero: Someone who acts like they are the hero but they are not. They end up betraying the hero.
Some music videos may have some kind of relationship between what the lyrics and visuals are. The content of the video will visually represent the song. There are different ways that it can be represented.
Such as, if it’s a love song, it may show some romance and relationships. Michael Jackson Thriller visually represents the horror and scariness of the song itself. Sometime might not be obvious link to the song itself. The lyrics might be amplified for the song.
Link between music and visuals
The tone of the music and the way that it is edited can help visually represent the song. The visuals of the video will be fitting by the type of music. May also contradict the type of music the song is.
May help represent the type of music and amplify it. For example, Heavy Metal music video is going to be quicker with quick cuts and quick camera movements. A slower song, will contain calmer imagery and slower camera movements/shots.
An angrier tone may contain more negative images and fast paced shots such as Foo Fighters The Pretenders, which did this to help with the angry feel of the whole song and the aggressive tone of the music.
Genre characteristics
To help identify the type of song it is. All music videos will showcase the characteristics and conventions and stereotypes linked with that type of song.
For example, a folk song has more of community and lower budget feel
Intertextual characteristics
Might make references to other forms of media such as films and television or other music videos. Such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video directed by American Werewolf director, to help make a reference to that movie. He even got the team behind the movie involved too.
Notions of looking
Looking at people, performers are placed in the way so they can be seen and “watched”. May portray the artist seductively and being able to be seen by looking at the audience by creating a personal connection with the video. The music video characters may look at each other. The audience exchanging looks with close-ups of their face and the artist looking directly at the audience.
Voyeurism
May have some connection of spying and try to mimic it in some music videos.
In pop music videos, sexualising the artist and seductively portraying them is most common. The artist may perform in a sexual way. Most commonly women are represented in this way but some male artists and boy bands may do this too, to try and attract the female audience.
Demands of the record label
Record company will have demands for the music video and may affect the business performance for the record label. The star image of the artist and how the record label wants the artist to help create a visual image for that artist. Sex appeal may occur and leading the artist to dress up with modern fashion. To help create a relationship between the artist and the audience. To give the artist a unique selling point. For example, Lady Gaga, who dresses unusually and being different from another artist. She even wore a meat dress for one of her concerts.
Performance based, narrative based or concept based
Music videos may include some lip syncing, stories and different visuals.
Miley Cyrus- Wrecking Ball
Links with the lyrics- The artist is on the wrecking ball, the camera is sometimes attached to the wrecking ball itself. The artist herself is also swinging on the wrecking ball as well.
Music & Visuals- There’s less to the song, the chord is quiet minor and the artist is shown being very sad and emotional. There’s just a close up of the herself. There are slower cuts to start with. As the music gets faster and the rhythm kicks in, the editing gets faster. Some slow motion is used. The music has a heavy beat but it is a slow rhythm and using slow motion reflects to feel and mood of the music.
Looking/Voyeurism
For certain audiences, her more seductive and sexual representation gives more appeal. There are some close-ups and extreme close-ups of the artist to help give more of a connection to the audience.
Demands of the record label
Miley Cyrus wore fashionable earrings in the music video. Her hairstyle and outfit were also included as part of the image for the artist. The video is more mature and adulty from her Hannah Montana career. The shaved hair has a more alternative adulty look. The tattoos were part of a raunchy and mature person. Audience was more targeted at adults and an older audience. The music video caused some controversy over the music video and it was a big change of her image at the time.
Psychoanalysis is an attempt to understand the ways in which we are unconsciously/subconsciously driven to act in a certain way. It is seeking to explore why we do the things we do and why we may act in a certain way in certain situations. Also, it’s a way of discovering what is dwelling deep within the unconscious human mind. Psychoanalysis was originally developed by Sigmund Freud and many academics apply it today through the work of Jacques Lacan. Under the Lacanian model, you, the “self”, is created by differentiating itself from the surrounding world. Jacques Lacan called this the ‘mirror stage’. This is because he believed that humans start reflect the image that is first seen when the individual is an infant and starts to see themselves as different from it’s surroundings. Film and media provide mirrors that help us to understand who we are and what our place in the world is. For those who take the Lacanian approach (or any other psychoanalysis approaches), the viewer is seen as attempting to discover who he/she is. This is one of the reasons why feminist film theory often draws upon psychoanalysis due to the fact that the text shapes who we are along with how we see ourselves and others.
Sigmund Freud believed that dreams had meanings and that they could be interpreted – they revealed something important about what was going on in our brain (but he also believed that morning sickness was a mother’s unconscious attempt to vomit out the baby as she hated the father). He believed we wanted some kind of reward and achievement for whatever it is that we do and easy rewards. This is common principle that can be followed when you are a child but when you an adult, requiring these “pleasure principles” can lead to dangerous behaviour such as not doing work, eating & drinking too much and inappropriate fornication. He believed that we become well-adjusted adults, if we repress these “pleasure principles” as an adult. But, if we repress them too much, we can develop neurosis. This means we may get more stressed, depressed, start becoming more obsessive etc., if “pleasure principles” as an adult are held back too much, too often.
Sigmund Freud believed that the mind had 3 different parts to it, ID, The Ego and The Superego. The ID is caused by the “pleasure principle” and this is our animalistic self who just wants easy gratification and to achieve something more quickly. This means that we have basic urges, needs and desires. This is operated by the unconscious part of our mind and it’s not something that changes when we get older and isn’t affected by the outside world or reality. The ego is the second part of our mind, which is the developed version of the ID, this is developed to distinguish the difference between the unrealistic version of ID and the real world. It is the decision making component of someone’s personality. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave. The superego is driven by the sense of following rules. The superego consists of two systems; the conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego by causing feelings of guilt. The superego can also reward us and make us feel bad when we behave “properly” and do the correct thing. This is the supreme version of ourselves. It is rational, logical and intelligent.
The virgin/whore dichotomy is a theory based on Sigmund Freud’s 1916 theory ‘The Madonna/Whore Complex’. Sigmund Freud stated that men were unable to feel sexually attracted to a woman if they had traits that related to good and men were unable to gain trust in a woman, if she demonstrated traits that were associated with being bad. This meant that men were put in the position of anxiety and therefore meant that women had to adopt The Madonna or the Whore persona, but not both.
The virgin/whore dichotomy has built upon this original theory to be extended to popular culture studies and analysis. Females in popular culture are often seen as having to adopt either the virgin or the whore persona in order to be successful and are unable to have both personalities simultaneously. But, often society rewards the virgin and punishes the whore. Women learn that, in order to succeed, they need to be pure and restricting themselves of sexual activities such as sexual intercourse (containing female sexuality and independence). Examples in the media of this happening include in the movie Romeo and Juliet from 1968, the movie Grease from 1978 also does this, Taylor Swift’s music video You Belong With Me also implements this theory too.
The Oedipal/Oedipus complex is a theory based upon the Greek tragedy of Oedipus who accidentally killed his father and marries his mother without knowing at the time they are his parents. It largely concerns male children who are completely dependent on their mother – the mother is the child’s entire world. She feeds the child, protects them and nurtures them. This theory states that we prefer one parent to another. This is because the theory goes on, to state the child feels threatened by the father and does what they can to remove this “threat” by removing the father from the family. This is so then the baby can be solely with their mother. When the child gets older, they realise that they will get a companion like their mother and therefore causes some sexual confusion, meaning the child becomes more anxious and starts to panic more which they take along with them, when they are an adult and for the rest of their lives. Carl Jung called this Electra Complex for females, but Sigmund Freud called it Oedipal Complex for both. The theory has been developed to suggest that men get ‘womb envy’ and women get ‘penis envy’. These issues are often in films, not literally but symbolically. For example, the male character might become more obsessive of female characters who represent a leadership role in their life, or resent males who represent dominance in the world. For females, it is portrayed as a female character becoming obsessive over a male who is dominant and resenting females who try to take over that leadership. An example of this being used in the media is that Harold and Maude, a movie from 1971, the storyline of the movie connects with this theory. Back to the Future, a movie from 1985, also has a storyline that is relateable to this theory.
Genre is a French word meaning ‘type’ or ‘kind’. This organises a group of media texts into different categories bounded by certain rules and characteristics that it has to follow in order to fit into that category.
Examples of specific genres and the movies that fit it:
Sci-Fi- Science Fiction
Usually stories about A.I, space or the future. Usually is very scientific and predicting the future.
Movies that fit this genre include Arrival, The Martian, Blade Runner, The Matrix, Avatar, Minority Report and Back to the Future.
Superhero/ Comic-book
Usually stories about people with powers and superhumans who have abilities any human could imagine. Usually set in worlds and universes that don’t exist in real life. Earth is a common place in these movies too. Marvel and DC are the most popular examples of this and dominate the genre, as they both have superheroes which have comics and can be turned to a movie. Includes a villain of some sorts and some fighting, a “saving the world” vibe is usually dominate in these types of movies. The superhero is the hero trying to stop the villain from achieving their goal, whatever that might be.
Movies that fit this genre include Wonder Woman, The Wolverine, Marvel’s The Avengers, The Incredibles, Man of Steel and Hellboy.
Horror
These are usually darker, more scarier movies that usually are set around a paranormal or horrifying atmosphere. May contain some blood and gore, depending if it’s a slasher horror movie or not. Horror is the genre as a whole but this genre does have a number of sub genres attached to it including thriller, psychological, slasher (which includes a main character or villain of the movie killing people) and comedy (So it has a mix of scary and funny).
Movies that are part of this genre as a whole includes Midsommar, IT, The Evil Dead, Jaws, Rosemary’s Baby, The Silence of the Lambs, Carrie, Shaun of the Dead, Psycho, The Exorcist, 28 Days Later and A Quiet Place.
Crime
These movies usually include a crime that has been committed and the crime is being investigated. It may include some fighting and may include multiple crimes happening at once. Usually it’s a search for the person who committed the crime and arresting them, bringing the victims involved justice for the devastating the individual caused. The police and the law is usually heavily involved in this, along with courts, judges and lawyers. Usually includes a criminal being the main focus of the movie.
Movies that fit this genre include American Gangster, The Wolf of Wall Street, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather Pt. II, Scarface, The Untouchables, Fargo and Taxi Driver.
Thriller
Usually includes an exciting or engaging plot that is usually revolved around crime or espionage. Includes more suspense and tension than other genres, hence the name of the genre. The aim is to thrill the audience and make them enjoy the movie in some way. This genre is a broad term and has sub genres including crime. Crime can be counted as being part of this genre, due to the similarities both genres have.
Movies that fit this genre as a whole include Split, Gone Girl, Sicario, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Panic Room, The Butterfly Effect, Reservoir Dogs, The Bourne Identity, Fight Club, The Prestige, Unbreakable and Mulholland Drive.
Vampire Movies
This is a subgenre to horror and these movies typically include darker stories about vampires. These movies can be funny and light-hearted too but usually include dark themes as a whole, as the vampires are pale-skinned and hungry for blood. Some of these movies include some fighting and real-life aspects too.
Movies that fit into this genre includes Twilight, Daybreak, Interview with The Vampire, Dracula, Dracula 2000, Blade, Near Dark, Fright Night, Twins of Evil, Blood and Roses, The Brides of Dracula, Daughters of Darkness, Only Lovers Left Alive and What We Do in the Shadows.
Action-
This usually includes choreographed fight scenes, stunts, car chases or explosions and shooting (via guns or other weapons). Weapons are a common sight in these types of movies including guns, swords, knives, bombs, flamethrowers and anything they can turn into a weapon. In some action movies, animals are used for fighting such as dogs, horses and bulls. These types of movies a very popular, especially amongst the younger generation and people who like to be thrilled. These movies usually have tension, suspension and a sense of achievement at the end. The hero is usually fighting to save someone or to stop something.
Movies that fight this genre includes Terminator: Dark Fate, John Wick, Skyfall, Inception, Taken, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Terminator, Predator, First Blood, Batman Begins, Enter the Dragon, Ready Player One and Baby Driver.
A lot of superhero movies also rely on this genre including the Marvel & DC movies. Movies such as Deadpool, Logan, X-Men: The Last Stand, Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Aquaman, Justice League, Superman, Superman Returns, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man, Shazam! and Suicide Squad are good examples of overlapping into this genre too. Explosions, car chases, fight scenes and use of weapons are common for superhero movies, in order to defeat the villain or whoever is after them. So a number of superhero movies overlap into this genre too, due to the amount of characteristics and techniques that are used which are part of this genre.
Sub-Genres:
A subdivision of a genre that is part of a media text. This is en extra genre that is part of the genre as a whole. For example, Espionage or Political Thriller are subgenres to Thriller, which is the genre as a whole. Another example, Space Opera or Alternate History are subgenres of Sci-Fi, which is the genre as a whole.
Fixed Genres:
These types of genres usually stay the same and don’t change too much. These genres may change as time passes by, ever so slightly, but normally these genres are not changed too drastically or dramatically. This can be because of cultural significance, relationships to history or historical events.
Westerns are a good example as this genre has changed very little over time and has stayed pretty much the same since it first became popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Non-Fixed Genres:
Most genres change overtime, as the attitude towards certain topics changes and as the world evolves. Representation of people changes overtime too, which means that most genres for media texts change over time. These include political movies and movies including women. This has been more noticeable in superhero and action movies over the past 2 years, since the #MeToo movement started.
Hybrid Genres:
Media texts that purposely mix the codes and conventions of more than one genre. For example, Hail, Caesar used the codes and conventions for a Political Satire, Comedy and Noir. Another example is Logan, which used the codes and conventions for a Superhero movie and a Western.
The cycle of genre went through 4 stages. The first stage was the experimental stage. The conventions of a genre were designed, created and put together at this time. The genres codes and conventions were defined and established. For example, horror in the 1920s and 1930s centred around monsters and vampires. This helped set up traditions such as narratives and make-up. The second stage was the classical stage. Now that the codes and conventions of a genre had now been established, these were cemented and put into the rulebook via repetition. For example, horror movies would have similar storylines, ways of shooting and use of actors/ characters and visual similarities in order for people to distinguish between the horror genre and other genres. After that, the third stage started which was the refinement stage. At this point, genres were in need to be adapted because audiences were familiar with these genres at this point and they needed something more different. For example, monsters were no longer scary as this had been seen so many times that audiences were now familiar with this and it changed to “It’s the boy next door” instead. More extreme methods had to be used to scare and put the audience on the edge of their seat. Then the fourth stage came along, which was the final stage. This was the self-referential stage. Audiences familiarity with certain conventions and codes that define a genre made it almost impossible for filmmakers to stick to those codes and conventions and therefore more parodies and deconstruction became more common. Movies such as Cabin in the Woods and Scream were created to help make movies more interesting and funnier.
No Genre/Anti-Genre
Some media texts cannot be categorised into a certain genre because it doesn’t follow the codes and conventions of a genre. Genre relies on multiple media texts to follow certain rules in order to fit into a category. Not many media texts are placed here, as most follow some codes and conventions to be put into a genre or 2. Some media texts might be placed here because the genre is yet to be found for that media text.
An example of a movie that has no genre or is counted as an anti-genre movie is No Country for Old Men.
Semiotics is the study of signs. It is all about the production of a meaning or meanings through a productive process. People have different beliefs and are part of different religions and cultures. Some signs and symbols change overtime.
People see media texts differently and can get multiple different meanings of the same media text, depending who is watching it. This is a polysemy.
Depending who the person is and what religion the person is part of, signs and symbols mean different things. For example, the swastika symbol was originally a symbol of love and peace in Hinduism and Buddhism. Some people from Germany may link it with the Nazi’s, as they used this symbol in the war, so some people may link the swastika symbol with the Nazi’s too.
Closed texts tend to leave people with one meaning and one message behind a certain media text. Open texts leave the meaning more open and people have the freedom to get multiple different meanings from a single media text.
Ferdinand De Saussure with 3 different theories about signs. He came up with signs, signifier and signified.
First of all, his definition of a sign is that it is used to represent someone or something. A sign has a meaning and means something to somebody, whatever their beliefs or culture.
Secondly, his definition of a signifier is the label that is put on a sign. This can be a sound, a song or a name.
Thirdly, his definition of something being signified is the mental association that is linked with that specific sign, either heard or seen. For example, the Imperial March Theme is linked with Darth Vader. Whenever that song is heard or played or is included in a Star Wars movie, you know it’s Darth Vader or Darth Vader is around.
Ronald Barthes helped promote the idea to study a media text via the text itself rather than the author, as the text itself, he felt, was more important than the author. He helped promote the idea of “The Death Of The Author”. This was what he called The Order of Signification.
Barthes came up with 3 terms, denotation, connotation and anchorage.
Denotation is literal meaning of a picture or media text. This is what is actually included and the actual meaning.
Connotation is what somebody associates a certain image in their minds. This could mean different things depending who the person is. This could have direct and indirect meanings. These are different interpretations in a media text, as the meaning is different depending who the person is. This is often associated with additional meaning, values or ideology.
Anchorage is the way that a media text (or parts of the media text) anchor someone to a particular meaning to an image. Or, it could have multiple meanings but it’s still anchoring people to those meanings. By doing this, the creator of the media text can guide people to the meaning that they would like people to steer to in the media text rather than the actual meaning or leave it to have multiple meanings.
This is picture is very blunt and obvious with its meaning. This is a homeless man on the street, waiting for people to put some change in his cup so he can get some food etc. to help him keep going. This would be denotation.
Some people may look at this and see that it is an argument, a couple disagreeing about something. Some people may look at this and see that this could be a relationship that is starting to break down and that this couple could break up soon. Some people may see this image and think that it’s just a woman not wanting to hear what the man is saying and telling him to stop talking. This is a connotation, as it has multiple meanings depending who sees and what they associate that image with.
Stuart Hall came up with some ideas for coding and encoding media texts. He came with 3 different types of readers. The dominant or hegemonic reading, negotiated reading and oppositional reading.
Dominant reading is the creator of a media text wanting to communicate that text in a certain way. The text is constructed to help make this happen. People are most likely going to agree with the messages and meanings in the media text.
Negotiated reading is an interpretation of a media text that a person who is reading the text mediates to. People will likely agree to some of the messages and meanings in the media text.
Oppositional reading is a media text that rejects or challenges the dominant reading. People mostly disagree with the messages and meanings put upon them in the media text.
The star theory refers to how a person or personality is created via a media institution in order to attract certain audiences and help generate money. Richard Dyer came up with this theory and stated that it implied that the star being exhibited is not a true representation of the person in reality but the person that is created for entertainment or for a certain media company.
The personality is constructed by current trends and helps make them successful, as they are currently “trendy”. This is so then audiences can relate to their content and this will their fanbase to grow and to help them become more popular, thus, earning the media institution more money. Successful stars will keep to the current trends and change their aesthetics and behaviour in relation to the trends, depending what is currently trending. This person is seen as a representative or even an ambassador to this trend. They are also seen as an authority for the masses.
The first one is people becoming a representation of their demographic, for example gender, race, sexuality, religion etc. This often means that people deliberately become these representations. They try to ensure that there are representatives of these groups currently present but this can also be seen as a sign of tokenism. Trying to make a name for yourself.
The second one is how people are represented. This serves the ideological way of someone being portrayed such as someone from a certain country, religion and cultures, disability, gender, sexuality etc.
Representation in film-making terms means the ways in which character, images, situations and sounds in film stand for or depict, aspects of the real world. Representation in films are usually biased and never neutral. Someone is usually being represented for a certain reason.
Objectification means that a person (usually a woman) is being downgraded or degraded to become an object instead of an actual person. It is also used as an expression of something abstract in a concrete form.
A voyeur is someone who gains sexual pleasure from secretly watching others. Some people have used this as their main storyline of their film, for example, Alfred Hitchcock used this for his films Rear Window and Psycho. This term has been used to explain the audience’s pleasure of watching movies as well.
Scopophilia is the pleasure from looking at other people (usually naked) and it’s about controlling another person by looking at them, thereby turning them into an object.
The ‘Male Gaze’ model is all about a gender imbalance in looking. The male is usually active while the female is passive. This also affects the form and structure of the narrative as well. Whenever women are looked at as erotic objects, the story is usually slowed down, for example, the classic “swirl of long hair” scene that a number of movies like to use are a good example of this technique. Women become static due to this. After this, the male becomes active and the story moves forward.
The ‘Male Gaze’ theory was still relevant before the #MeToo movement but this theory still is the case for certain movies and certain movie franchises. But, in 2018 and 2019, post #MeToo, women have become more of an empowering figure and the men are starting to become passive/active along with the woman, who is starting to be more active than passive on the screen. For example, in Captain Marvel, Carol (Who is Captain Marvel) is active and is the leader of the movie. In order for the movie to move forward, it’s not Nick Fury that helps move it forward, it’s Captain Marvel. Without her, the movie wouldn’t have moved along as quickly as it did. The female superhero was used as an empowering figure for women and it worked. It became a financial success for Disney/Marvel, as it made over $1 billion in worldwide box office. Another example that helps contradict this theory is Terminator: Dark Fate. This represents women as an empowering figure and even though a male character is included (The original Terminator), the 3 main characters of the movie were women and without them, the movie couldn’t move forward. In fact, one of the women characters had to be part of the killing of Terminator and her “protector” (which was also a woman) in order to become the hero she wanted to be. This movie also represents women as more active and women help progress the narrative and move the story forward. Without them, the story wouldn’t have moved very quickly. This was a big change to the franchise, as before, the men were the ones moving the story forward (Except in Terminator: Rise of the Machines, where women were leading the movie then too). But there is a problem with this. Due to the amount of female led movies, all coming out in a very short space of time, a lot of people are annoyed by this and are starting to get fed up by seeing this. Not because they don’t support it but because they have seen this change before and they don’t want a female lead to move the story forward in every single movie franchise or the majority of the movies that they see.
I support women empowerment and women being more active in movies and helping move the story forward but I do think that since #MeToo movement, if there are more movies with more females than males, the males are going to start to feel underrepresented and left out and eventually the male gaze theory will be back in action. If Hollywood can find a balance between the 2, making both men and women active in movies and helping move the story forward, like in Captain Marvel, then movie fans may feel more comfortable and men won’t start to feel like they are being misrepresented or under represented.
Overall, I think the male gaze theory is still relevant for some movies nowadays but there is a big change post #MeToo and underrepresented or previously underrepresented roles are not being represented more or better. More LGBTQ+ characters are starting to make their way into movies and Captain Marvel is hinted at being either Lesbian or Bisexual. The MCU already have Valkryie as Bisexual, as this was the character’s sexuality in the comics, so the director of Thor: Ragnorok thought to stick with this and keep her Bisexual for the big screen, to remove the stigma.
A video or short film that includes music created by the original artist(s) involved. This is a way to help promote the artist, a song or a movie. This can also be a visual representation of the song and help visualise the story or meaning of the song. Some music videos have more links with the lyrics of the song that others. Music videos are commonly used to promote pop songs but they can also help to promote hip hop and grime music too.
Example of a music video:
Some genres of music include:
Afrobeat, Gospel, Semba, Bongo Clava, Fijiri, Liwa, Cantopop, Taiwanese Pop, J-Pop, K-Pop, Korean Hip Hop, Bhangra, V-Pop, Experimental, Electronic Dance Music (EDM), Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, Rap, Grime, Dance, Techno, Hardcore, Heavy Metal Rock Music, Electric Blues, Gospel Blues, Blues, Soul, Parody, Comedy, Novelty Funk, Disco, Christmas or Festive, Country, Elevator Music, Chill, Trap & many others. There are hundreds of different genres of music, with new ones being created as technology advances and artists get more creative freedom on what their song can sound like.
Example of country music:
Example of K-Pop music:
Example of Gospel Blues music:
The purpose of a music video is to help promote an artist or the song itself. This helps the record label and the artist make money, so they can go on tour, create more music and albums and continue working in the music industry. Also, music videos can help the artist to promote their image and to inform the audience of who the artist is or what the song is. Also, some songs make work in tandem with movies and other products such as cars and clothing lines. This helps get the song more exposure, by adding product placements. This means, when you see an artist wearing Beats headphones or an iPhone is used, it’s there to promote that product as well as to promote the artist and the song. This can help get artists more exposure too, as their song will be heard on adverts for certain products on TV, the radio and at the cinema and can help them get people to download or buy the song, so the artist and record company can make money by doing this too. Art makes money, so more money can be put into creating music videos that are more professional and aesthetically pleasing.
Katy Perry- Hot ‘n’ Cold Music Video- Product Placement for Nokia
Bebe Rexha- The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody) Music Video- Product Placement for Beats Headphones
Codes and conventions- Definitions
Conventions- Expected ways in which codes are organised in a product. This considers the genre, audience and narrative.
Codes- Elements that hold a meaning within a product. This includes symbols, technical elements and communication.
What is Civil Rights?
Civil rights- People fighting for their rights. This has been used as a way to empower black people and stop racism.
Music videos on cable TV:
Music videos originated as a placeholder from a black screen whenever the song was played on TV. It was visuals to help promote the song or the artist. It was starting to be seen as creative outlets in their own rights. MTV launched on 1st August 1981 in New York, USA.
The Buggles- Video Killed the Radio Star (Music Video) Shown on MTV when it launched in August 1981:
VH1 launched on 1st January 1985, which was very similar to MTV. While MTV was playing music videos 24/7 by popular and newer artists, VH1 was launched to target older audiences and to focus on the smoother sounds of music. VH1 played music videos, just like MTV did.
A commercial for VH1 from 1985:
Music videos started crediting directors, with a number of them moving into Hollywood after diving into the music video scene. Music videos such as Thriller and I Want To Break Free (Banned on MTV US) were created because of MTV. With music videos, you can be more creative and you have more creative freedom too, as you can literally put any types of visuals to help tell the story of the song or to help promote it.
Samm Henshaw- Doubt (Music Video) (Example of creative music video)
Evolution of YouTube (2005-2019):
Music videos are starting to become more saturated and are starting to become just the same thing. Music videos may have reached their peak and could become less popular again. With the popularity of music streaming services such as Spotify and SoundCloud, this could mean the rise in audio music listening and the fall of music videos. Lyric videos are also getting more popular, so lyric videos could be the new music video in the future, so something can be shown when the song plays on a music channel on TV.
Example of lyric video:
Channels such as MTV and 4Music, which used to play more music, now play less music videos and have more TV programmes on such as reality TV and comedy shows. Plus, they also show movies at times too.
Clip from Keeping Up With The Kardashians (Show that’s shown on E! and 4Music):
There is the potential threat that music videos could be dying again and audio music streaming & lyric videos could become the norm. In the 2000’s, VH1 started showing less music videos and more reality TV programmes. VH1 hasn’t abandoned showing music videos, the channel still shows music videos everyday but it is much less often than they used to. They are now more focused on scripted TV programmes and reality TV, split up with some music videos breaks.
On 25th April 1992, The Box music channel was launched in the UK and Ireland, with the focus of the channel to show music videos and music related programmes, such as performances from popular artists and premiering a new music video by a popular artist, updated every week.
The Box Music Network- Music Menu From 1999
It’s sister music channel, 4Music, launched on 15th August 2008. 4Music was launched as a replacement to The Hits music channel and originally focused on showing music videos and music programming, along with late-night entertainment programmes such as reality TV and comedy shows.
An Ident for 4Music from 2008 featuring The Hoosiers on a lift:
From 16th April 2018, the channel now shows more entertainment and reality TV programmes along with archive Channel 4 programming. The archived Channel 4 shows includes Coach Trip and 8 Out of Ten Cats Uncut. The channel still has some music programmes and periods where they show music videos but it is significantly less often than in the past.
8 Out of Ten Cats Clip- A show that is now shown on 4Music and Channel 4:
Music videos are becoming less of a big thing altogether both on cable TV and also online, as music videos are becoming less popular online as well as on Cable TV. Cable TV as significantly impacted the music video industry by showing less music videos. The BBC tried to help it by showing the Top 10 chart visually by showing the music videos on the BBC Radio 1 website and on BBC Red Button, whilst the song is played on the radio, simultaneously.
A music video to help promote BBC Music, when it launched 5-6 years ago:
Types of music videos:
Performance- The artist performing to the camera in some way. Usually the artist is lip syncing the song. It contains a range of different angles and shots via multi-camera shots.
Example of a performance music video:
Narrative- Usually follows a story or a journey of someone’s life. Usually the story is pretty easy to follow but sometimes the story can be told in non-linear ways, meaning it can be harder to follow.
Example of a narrative music video:
Another example of a narrative music video:
Concept (Illustrative & Interpretative)- Sometimes the video will help illustrate the song and presents the song to the audience. Sometimes the video will leave the definition of the meaning of the song up to the audience’s interpretation and makes it less obvious about the message and meaning of the song.
Example of an illustrative concept music video:
Example of interpretative concept music video (meaning left to the audience to decide):
An example of concept music video:
Surrealist- These types of videos are usually weird and strange. Includes things that you’re not used to seeing. Very surreal and can be unsettling and jarring. Some can be over-creative and most commonly contain lots of bright colours. These types of videos are talked about quite a lot as they are noteworthy. This is because of how creative heavy and surreal some of the videos are.
Example of a surreal music video (Starts off like a children’s programme but then changes drastically):
Lyrical- The lyrics for the song is shown visually in some way. This is either through animation, just the lyrics popping up on the screen or bit of both.
Example of a lyric video:
Another example of a lyric video:
Pastiche- Respectfully copies the song and/or style of music video. It may make fun of someone or something but it does it respectfully. Whoever is copying the style of song and/or video is paying a tribute to the original artist or individuals involved in the original version instead of making fun of them and taking the mick.
Example of a pastiche music video: Pastiche of Quentin Tarantino & Martin Scorsese movies such as Kill Bill, Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction
Another example of a pastiche music video:
Parody- Taking the mickey out of the song and copying it in a disrespectful way. Making fun of an individual or something.
Example of a parody: Making fun of Backstreet Boys by creating their video in the style of that band, to make fun of the band, as Backstreet Boys were popular at the time.
Another example of a parody: Copying the Natalie Imbruglia Torn music video, shot by shot and making fun of the video, at the same time. It’s a more satirical take on it.
Hybridity- Mixes different aspects of music video genres. The styles can be mixed and matched, just like movie genres. For example, a music video may have elements of parody and performance or a music video could have elements of concept and surrealism.
Example of a Hybrid music video: Uses elements of computer animation and a narrative
Another example of a Hybrid music video: Uses elements of live-action/animation and includes a narrative
Third example of a Hybrid music video: Uses elements of preformative and concept
Cameo- Where a band or artist is part of the narrative of the music video but doesn’t perform. This is usually the artist(s) who are part of the song.
Example of a cameo music video:
Most music videos usually follow a three act structure.
Act 1 is the verse and chorus, the same as act 2 but act 3 had the bridge and then the chorus. Due to songs following the same structure, it makes sense for the music video to do the same. Usually costume changes and location changes occur throughout the different acts. Each act progresses to keep the audience engaged.
Example of a music video that uses this structure:
Another example of a music video that uses this structure:
Some of the techniques that are used in music videos include:
Lyric interpretation- Music video works directly to the song. Either very on the nose or more subtle, making it less obvious what the song is about.
Example of a direct lyric interpretation music video:
Example of a less direct lyric interpretation music video:
This is a video that let’s you know the best selling artists (1969-2019):
History of Music Videos:
The first music video that is known to be created is Bessie Smith- St. Louis Blues (1929). This is also one of the first recordings with audio and video. It has a lack of shots and composition, due to the technology that was available when it was created. They probably set up about 3 cameras and started filming, to see what they could get. There is not much lighting except the ambient lighting from the bar where it was filmed. There are some mid-shots and close-ups of the customers and the singer. There is no planning. It’s like it is a live gig, as the singer is shown performing to the audience throughout the video. Unfortunately, the artist isn’t credited for the creation of this music video. Most of the footage that was included was very static. It has an element of performance. People are just sitting around and listening to the music. Feels very authentic and realistic, almost very inclusive, like you are part of this too.
Bessie Smith- St. Louis Blues (1929)
No one had a television in the 1930’s, so the radio was the primary resource for people to listen to music. The radio was very different in the 1930’s, as it had live shows, variety shows and poetry included, as well as playing music by artists. But, artists in the 1930’s were known for their songs rather than them as an artist. So, an artist may release a song and it would get popular, then a month later another artist would make their own version of that song. In the 1930’s, this wasn’t unusual. Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and Judy Garland were all at the top of their game and in the charts in this decade. Fred Estaire had a nice run in the 1930’s and Count Basie established his dominance in this decade too. Music was upbeat at this time. Popular songs usually included a lot of humour. Humour helped make songs popular in this decade.
Duke Ellington- Sophisticated Woman (Audio)
Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney- Good Morning (From the movie, Babes in Arms)
Songs from the 1940’s were most commonly extremely romantic, sometimes funny and usually connected back to home, in some way. Many Americans were away from home, due to World War II and loved listening to music that reminded them of home. Music in this decade was centred around World War II. Bob Hope was a big star in the 1940’s, who frequently entertained troops overseas. Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and The Andrews Sisters also made big names of themselves in this decade. Again, music videos were not as popular as television was only starting to get more popular, meaning less music videos were made in this decade. Any that are available, are either clips from movies or a live performance, similar to the Bessie Smith video, in 1929. Jazz and Swing music was becoming more popular in this decade too. In 1948, the Christmas classic that we all know and loved was created, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer came out at Christmastime in this year. The humorous Baby It’s Cold Outside song, also a Christmas classic and released in 1948, suffered due to radio censorship, as radio was becoming more political in the 1940’s and less musical. This meant a lot of songs in the 1940’s were not as successful as one had wished, due to restrictions which meant their songs were played less on the radio.
Patti Page’s version of Cole Porter’s song called So In Love, from 1948
In the 1950’s, the evolution and creation of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which is a genre still popular today. Elvis Presley managed to make a big name for himself in this decade and was the most popular artist of that decade. Frank Sinatra still had success in this decade too, along with Mitch Miller, his song The Yellow Rose of Texas, is 5th biggest summer song of the 1950’s. Along with rock ‘n’ roll ruling the radio, traditional pop music & R&B , Country and Jazz music were also popular music genres in the 1950’s. Little Richard and Chuck Berry were also popular artists in this decade. With the popularity of television rising in this decade, more music videos emerged. Technology advancements helped the creation of music videos even more. The invention of the Kinescope and the popular usage of this helped create music videos more easily with more angles and shots. Also, music videos were mostly filmed in a theatre with painted backgrounds, similar to how a theatre production would run except, this was just for a music video. As singers were not used to singing in front of the camera, it was common for them to look uncomfortable or uncertain throughout the video and may not know where to look but this was because it was a new trend and they were only used to performing the song in a studio, with no cameras, so they could perform it a lot easier.
The first known music video was Perry Como- Stranger in Paradise (1954)
This video was filmed via a Kinescope. It was created 25 years after Bessie Smith’s first known official music video. This video was also created 2 years before TV was created. Based on his body language and posture indicates that he is a little nervous and uncomfortable in the situation. The image is more stable and less shaky. It’s still a little grainy but this is natural for the age of the video. Painted backgrounds were used throughout the video. It also looks like it was filmed at a theatre and it includes more shots and angles than Bessie Smith’s music video. The backgrounds were most likely burrowed from theatres as there wasn’t the equipment at the time to make them themselves as TV was still a new thing. The artist is also not used to being seen performing, hence why he is a little more nervous and tense and also looking around, not knowing where to look and which camera to focus on. There is very little lighting and the cameras were starting to move, which made the footage less static. The ringing sound is also heard on the audio, as this was the best quality sound at the time.
Paul Anka- Lonely Boy (Music Video), from 1959
There were a lot of performative videos in this time. There were also some more experimental videos, especially The Beatles, who created more quirky and surreal videos, as well as a few performative videos. Music videos were still not very popular in this decade but it was getting more popular and more songs, had a performance for the artist and most of the videos are also in black and white but some are in colour.
Example of a music from 1964:
Nina Simone- Mississippi Goddam
There are a number of close ups of the singer included and the band that is playing in this video. This was originally a live performance. This was written after the murder civil rights leader, Medger Evers in June 1963 and the bombing of the Baptist Church in Alabama, which killed 4 black girls. The song was talking about how her country was “full of lies” and that she was willing to protect her family, from anybody who tried to harm her or them. Back in the 1960’s, racial segregation and discrimination towards black people was still quite common, especially in America. This became a civil rights anthem, due to the strong political messages that this song had. This was a song to empower black people, without showing too much, as music videos were more low budget in this decade, but singing this song live, in front of a crowd, which were most likely white people, but there may have been a few black people in the audience too. The song reflects Simone’s anger over the current situation in America and how unfair she thinks black people are being treated. She used the line “School children stuck in jail”. This was Nina Simone saying she was not going to tolerate black people being treated this way and was calling for change. Nina wrote this song at a time when black people were accepted and being on their side was looked down upon. This is still relatable to today but maybe not as much of a global thing, as it’s mostly an American problem now. The song is still relevant to today. After creating this song, Nina chose to make her songs more political and impactful for black people and ended up getting more politically involved.
In 1964, the first known planned and executed band music video was created by The Beatles for their song A Hard Day’s Night, 10 years after Perry Como’s first live music video. This was a song part of their new movie that was coming out at the time called A Hard Day’s Night. The band chose to create this music video as they discovered it would help to promote their new movie. It wasn’t mean’t to be for a film but they managed to come up with the first official music video for a movie.
The Beatles- A Hard Day’s Night (Movie Music Video)
In 1966, The Beatles brought out a song called We Can Work It Out. This is considered to be the first music video to broadcast on television. The Beatles were already making some very popular full feature movies and were looking for a way to promote their record releases without having to make in-person appearances (primarily the USA). The concept is fairly straight forward and was meant to blend in with the television shows that were being made at the time. It was more of a transition from one show to the next and a way to promote the song and the band.
The Beatles- We Can Work It Out (Music Video)
In 1967, The Beatles made history again by creating the first official music video to help promote a song. This was the first time that aesthetics were used and everything that happened in the music video was planned. All the shots that were included in the music video were also planned. The talent (Actors) that were part of this music video were all told where they needed to go and at what time, what day, this was all planned in advance too. The music video does have elements of surrealism too. Also, the music video helped showcase Britain and what it’s known for such as for the popularity of tea, barbers, double decker buses and their moustache style that they chose to use in the video, helped influence the moustache style trend. This help the start for music videos to explore the cultures and religion of other countries including Britain. This was a significant moment in music video history.
The Beatles- Penny Lane (First official music video)
In the 1980’s, this was a very experimental era for music videos. Mise-en-scene started to be used more often. Technology was used more to create different animations and visuals. Low angles were more popular as this was more commonly known at the time. There were more of a variety of shots and angles that were used in music videos.
In 1981, MTV was created, where it showed music videos 24/7. Music videos became more popular and creative. This was a very experimental year for music videos, as people were discovering what would work for a music video and what wouldn’t. This was also the year labelled as “Death of radio” and there was a song created by The Buggles that was all about this.
The Buggles- Video Killed the Radio Star (Music video, the song all about the popularity of music videos and the end of being a “radio star”) From 1981
One of the most expensive music videos that were created was Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video, which cost $500,000 to make. In 2018, the music video was re-released in IMAX for people to watch in a more immersive atmosphere. At the time, $500,000 to create a music video was a lot of money. This was a high-budget and a high-profile music video. This is one of the most iconic and well-known music videos to date. This was back in 1983, when the song came out.
Michael Jackson- Thriller (Full music video, from 1983)
In the same year (1983), Cyndi Lauper brought out a song to change the perspective on women and how “girls” want to have fun and live their life too. The music video is very positive and colourful. It’s a sign for change and a change to the attitude of women. The way in which the message comes across is very positive and has a catchy song and catchy lyrics, to help the song be more memorable as well as the video.
Cyndi Lauper- Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Music video)
In the 1990’s, music videos had more of a variety of shots and angles that were used. High angles started to be used more often as this was discovered to be a better shot to use. Music videos started to get more complicated. Dancing was choreographed better and focusing more on the artist was also a new trend that started. Aesthetics were starting to be improved. More money was spent to create videos to make them look better and more professional. Towards the end of the 90’s, music videos started to film and set the video on location. Performance videos increased in this decade too, meaning more artists were lip syncing to the song.
An example of music video from 1991:
An example of a music video from 1995:
In 1994, Madonna created a high budget music video for her song Bedtime Story which cost $7.7 million (it originally was going to cost $5 million to make). This makes it one of the most expensive music videos created too. The single that this music video was trying to promote was not as popular of a song from the artist, though she spent so much money and effort in creating it and making it look as it can be. The music video premiered at cinemas in New York, Chicago and Santa Monico. This was a big deal and a massive publicity success. But, the song as a whole was not as popular.
Madonna- Bedtime Story (Music video from 1994)
In 1998, Britney Spears brought a music video for her song, Baby One More Time. This was one of the first music videos to use choreographed dance and an increased amount of low angles.
Britney Spears- …Baby One More Time
In the 2000’s, music videos were becoming more technologically advanced and complicated. Hip hop and rap music became more popular and dominated the mainstream music market. Rappers such as Eminem and 50 Cent became more popular in this decade. Professor Green also started to emerge towards the end of this decade. Hip Hop also became more popular with artists such as Usher and Justin Timberlake emerging. “Emo” also gained popularity and there was an increase in these types of songs in this decade too.
An example of a music video from 2003:
In the early 2000’s, music videos started to get less popular and died. In 2005, YouTube was created and helped revive music videos. iTunes also helped with the resurgence of music videos too. By having a platform where artists could upload music videos and promote their songs helped make music videos a popular trend again. Unfortunately, this meant that cable TV channels such as MTV and VH1 were starting to show less music videos, as there were more music videos available to watch on YouTube and iTunes. MTV and VH1 started showing more entertainment and reality TV programmes to replace the times where music videos would be shown. 4Music was launched in 2008, which started off showing more music videos until this channel eventually stopped and started showing Channel 4 programmes and reality TV shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
A video that someone else posted of the scene from The Little Mermaid where the song Under the Sea is performed, all the way back in 2005:
A 4Music trailer from 2008:
In the 2010’s, pop music became more popular along with dance music, hip hop & grime music and also rock & pop. Also, a number of band reunions happened in this decade too including Stereophonics, Blondie, Texas, Westlife, Spice Girls & Steps. A number of older artists also made a comeback in this decade including Craig David. Rappers such as Skepta, Stormzy, Macklemore and Wiley became more popular and well-known in this decade too. An increase in female rappers delving into the hip hop and rap genre in this decade also increased. Pop, hip hop, rap, grime and dance music started to become part of mainstream music. Music videos also became more saturated and pretty much the same thing. Not many different and unique music videos have been created, especially later on in this decade.
An example of a music video from 2013:
An example of a music video from 2016:
There are also different types of music videos depending which type of music the song itself is. There are 4 main ones, Pop, Hip Hop, Rock & Folk. There are also many other types of music videos for different types of music such as Classical and Dubstep but I will only be focusing on the main for, along with EDM & Grime.
Pop-
Colourful & Vibrant
Clothing more mainstream, jewellery might be worn
Costumes are colour co-ordinated
Choreographed dance routines
Close-ups of the Lip-synching & performance elements included
Aesthetic- it has a coherent look and the looks are stylised
Certain videos or images may help tell the audience people personal stories or experiences
Match-on-action cuts may occur
The cuts are very quick- Some shots may last less than second, some may last up to a few seconds
Wide-shots of the dance routine
Close-ups occur regularly too
Lots of camera movement
Exotic/Glamourous locations
Emphasis on fun & parties
Aspirational- Offering a glamourous lifestyle that the viewers want when they become famous. Presents a fantasy.
If it’s a narrative- Probably be a love story
Objectify women as sex objects such as the way they may dance or the clothes they may where etc.
Intertextuality- When one texts connects to another text. Such as a parody or pastiche.
An example of a pop music video:
Another example is Taylor Swift- Shake It Off.
This video includes elements of performance, some close ups and also choreographed dance routines. The video also includes lots of quick cuts to keep the viewer interested. It doesn’t really have narrative, just includes visuals to help promote the artist and the song. It has lots of bright colours and lighting, as the song is quite upbeat and positive. It begins dark and grey. Towards the end of the video, it becomes bright and colourful. The video includes references to cheerleaders and hip-hop rappers, this could be because people have aspirations to become a cheerleader or a hip-hop rapper. Also, they are modern references, so young people would get the references too.
Rock-
Aesthetic- It’s different. Locations are different.
Lack of colour, the colour is black and muted. The location is grey and dark too
Cutting less frequently in parts but still has rapid editing.
Band perform in 1 location and other events may happen in other locations without the band
Emphasis on darker colours
No choreographed dance routines
Supernatural, occult iconology
Band t-shirts & leather jackets
Dark, dirty locations
Close-ups and low angles
More edgy and authentic
Creative framing techniques
Rule of thirds are followed
An example of a rock music video:
Another example is Foo Fighters- The Pretender
The shots are very fast, lots of quick cuts. Empty space to represent a concert atmosphere. Such as, leaving empty space where the crowd would be, watching them perform. Some lip-syncing and performance elements were included. Some close-ups were used. No shot lasted any more than a few seconds. This fits for the type of song it is, as it’s more aggressive, in your face and has a faster beat too.
Hip Hop-
Baseball caps and backwards caps
Hip Hop was more fashionable, especially in the 1980’s & 90’s
Break dancing, graffiti, Dj-ing
Authentic and realistic
Urban settings
Low angles, fish eye lens
Conspicuous assumptions
Crowds dancing
Objectification of women
Political awareness of hip hop in the early days has now changed to more gangster rap
An example of a early Hip Hop music video:
An example of a later Hip Hop music video:
Another example of a later Hip Hop music video is Wstrn- In2:
The whole video is in black and white. The only colour it has is from the animations that are included. The animations are very comic book like and looks like they were drawn on. Due to the video being so dark and grey, the bright colours that are used in the animations, makes it stand out and the outline shots are also very clever and innovative. Even though what is included in the video isn’t anything that’s not been done before but because it includes animations, this makes it very different from the early hip hop videos in the 80’s and 90’s, where they included mostly original footage. In the 90’s, hip hop songs were becoming less about politics and more about love. This song is about someone having a crush on someone, hence why there is a girl shown by herself throughout the video. It includes some of the hip hop moves commonly used in hip hop videos. The video also includes some promotion for the band by including their name in the video about 2 to 3 times. It also has some wide shots and low angles as well as a few close-ups. It has performance elements too, as the band is shown lip syncing to parts of the song. Each of the members of the hip hop band get a line. Even though the shots were most likely originally in colour, the black and white footage makes it feel out skool too and giving it a more retro feel.
Folk-
Low-budget videos- Much more basic, the locations are much more basic. People could be volunteers or people from a village.
No co-ordination of costumes
Camera is more stationary- has much more of a “just film it and see how it goes” type of thing.
Colour grading isn’t as professional looking
More of a sense of community- The band and the audience are the same, not different
Less cuts- Cuts are slower
Camera movements reflect the mood of the song
Rural settings
Acoustic instruments
Authentic- Felt like the party was real
Less image conscious- Not worrying too much if the video isn’t as glamourous as it should be
Vintage filters, soft/natural lights
Emphasis on authenticity
Example of a folk music video:
Another example of a folk music video:
Other examples of music videos:
P!nk- Try
One Direction- Perfect
Harry Styles- Sign of the Times
Wham!- Last Christmas
Shania Twain- You’re Still The One
Ok Go- The One Moment
Twenty One Pilots- Heathens (From Suicide Squad Movie Soundtrack, music video created in the style of the prison used in the movie.)
This is the feedback that I got. I am going to analyse the data and what it all means.
1. What is your age range?
Surprisingly, out of the 12 people that responded to this questionnaire, just over 41% were 10-18 years old. 25% of the 12 people that answered this questionnaire were 19-26 years old. This was the second biggest age range to fill out the feedback questionnaire. This means I was hitting my primary target audience and also younger, as people 10-18 answered this questionnaire too. People over the age of 50 were the smallest, with only just over 8% of the 12 people that responded to this questionnaire were in this age group. That means that this documentary is more suited for young people and people under the age of 50, rather than the older generation and people over the age of 50.
2. Was the documentary long enough?
Out of the 12 responses I got, just over 58% though that the documentary was too. Whilst just over 33% thought it was the correct length and didn’t need to go on for any longer. No one though it was too short but just over 8% were unsure if it was too long or too short. As the majority though it was too long, I either had to cut my voice-over more, to not make it drag for too long, split up the interviews better or make them shorter or completely cut my own opinions about the topic altogether. This can be something for me to think about for my next project. I can think about the duration more carefully and whether I need to make the final version shorter or longer.
3. Was the documentary informative?
50% of the 12 people that responded to this questionnaire thought the documentary was informative whilst 25% equally thought it was a little informative or not informative at all. This means that overall, the documentary was informative and most people who watched it learnt new information about the topic and were informed about it via the documentary.
4. What did you learn from watching the documentary?
So everybody who filled out this questionnaire, learnt something from the documentary. If it was about the difference between Marvel and DC, which was very common or about the Disney/Fox takeover or about how fandoms can be good, everybody who watched the documentary and filled out the questionnaire, was informed about Marvel and DC in some way and the importance of fandoms.
5. What did you like about the documentary?
Out of the 12 people that responded to this questionnaire, people liked the images and videos that I included in the documentary. Also, some people that watched the documentary and filled out the questionnaire liked the interviews that I included, to help make the documentary more balanced and less bias. Also, some people liked my knowledge about Marvel and DC and my passion for this topic. Depending who the person was, depended on what they liked.
6. How come you think this?
Some people that responded to the questionnaire were confused by this follow up question or didn’t have anything extra to add. I included this question for anybody who wanted to talk about what they liked about the documentary in more detail. The people filling this out wouldn’t know that so maybe next I can make it more clear, so whoever is filling out the questionnaire knows what I mean by this type of follow up question.
Some people liked the fact that I tried to including all genders and that it would appeal to both male and female audiences because of the types of images and videos that I chose to use. Some people liked my narration and the comedic element that I included towards the end of the documentary. Some people liked the amount of effort and work that I put into this documentary in order to make it as entertaining as I could.
7. What did you not like about the documentary?
From the 12 people that responded to this questionnaire, they had a lot to say about the weaknesses and the negatives for the documentary. I am taking all of this as improvements for my future projects. Some people didn’t like how unequal and unbalanced the audio was. Some people noticed that the music was louder than the voice-over. Also, some people didn’t like the images spinning around and slowly moving out, as this left black space for a couple of seconds. Some people didn’t like the transition and effect choices that I chose because it look less professional or reminded them of a Windows Movie Maker project. For my next project, if I need to use images then I will find other ways to transition them in and make it flow better, as making them spin for 90% of the duration doesn’t go down well with the audience.
Also, some people didn’t like the interview segment, as it included both interviews all in one, rather than splitting them up or including cutaways, to make the interviews more interesting and engaging for the audience.
8. How come you think this?
Again, a couple of people were confused about this question and the request for more information, if they had any. Again, all I need to do is explain what I mean by the question, so whoever is filling out the questionnaire can understand the question better. Some people pointed out that I talked about one topic for too long and needed to move on more quickly and that the voice-over sounded awkward and slow. Also, some people were a little overwhelmed by the amount of effects that I added to the images and they pointed out that it looked like I just added as many effects onto images that I could. Also, some people didn’t like the lack of video clips that I included and felt I needed more videos to make it more interesting too. These are all thing I can think about and bare in mind for future projects.
9. Did the documentary make you want to join or support the Marvel/DC fandom?
Surprisingly, after watching the documentary, from the 12 people that responded to this questionnaire, just over 58% did not want to join or support the Marvel and DC fandom after watching the documentary. This defeats the objective of the whole documentary and subsequently means that if I do a project like this again, I need to try to do a better job at persuading my audience to join a certain fandom or group. But, 25% of the people that filled out this questionnaire were considering joining but were still unsure with joining.
10. How much more confident do you feel about Marvel and DC after watching this documentary?
A lot of people who filled out the questionnaire felt more informed and a little more confident with Marvel and DC after watching the documentary.
11. If I was going to make a documentary again, would you watch another documentary from me?
12. If you answered “Nope, do something else” or “Depends on the topic”, what topic would help you to watch another documentary made by me? Put “N/A” if you didn’t
13. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did you enjoy watching the documentary?
Depending who the person was, depended on the score. It’s surprising that 4, 6, 9 and 10 are all equal. 2 people put those scores in. The highest score I got, which is the highest it can get is a 10 and lowest score I got was a 2. No one rated the documentary a 1 or a 5. That means that out of the 12 people who filled out this questionnaire, they either enjoyed it or really enjoyed it or they didn’t enjoy as much as they wanted or didn’t really enjoy at all. This shows that whoever was watching it, they found it entertaining in some way and enjoyed it, otherwise they would have gone for a 1. But because I got some lower scores, this means for my next project, I need to think of different techniques and skills that I could use in order to make it more entertaining and enjoyable for whoever is watching it.
14. What improvements could be made, if I was going to do this project again?
A lot of people didn’t like the spinning images and my voice-over because I sounded a bit hesitant with it which would make some of the information I stated seem less reliable. Also, some people suggested that I should work on my sound mixing more and mix my sound better, so it’s more professional. Some people didn’t like the duration that some of the images appeared on the screen for, a shorter period of time for some of the images to appear on the screen for was a suggested improvement too. Some people also suggested to add music in the documentary itself because without it, it was quite boring. This something I could consider for my next project and my future projects. I had a number of suggestions on things that I could improve upon and I can take that feedback as goals and targets I could aim for and achieve for future projects.
15. Any other comments you want to add? Just put “No” or “N/A” if you don’t.
Not a lot of people had much to say, other than complimenting me on my work or someone saying it looked like it was made I’m Windows Movie Maker, which is also is a big problem for a documentary. I have learnt that my documentary was enjoyable to most people but there were a few parts of the documentary which made it less entertaining and enjoyable. I will take the feedback I got for this project into account and make sure that my next project is more entertaining and impactful than my documentary.
I created a documentary talking about the differences between Marvel and DC and what fandom’s are, why they are important and why people should care about this particular fandom. It is a documentary to inform people about the Marvel and DC fandom and to help persuade people to either support or join the fandom. I thought it was best to talk about this because this is a topic this not a lot of people may know about and there isn’t that many documentaries around that talk about Marvel and DC together.
2. How did I function and were my aims met?
I worked independently on this. I thought it was easier to work solo as there would be no conflict of interests and I would be creating a documentary that I wanted to do and was interesting in doing and researching in more detail. If I had worked in a group of 2 or 3, there would’ve been a conflict of interest and if me and my group agreed on a topic to focus the documentary on, it may not have been one that I was passionate about or interested in and I would’ve felt less motivated to complete the documentary if this had happened. That’s why I worked by myself because I know what I’m passionate about and what I’m not passionate about. I managed to include the majority of the information and interviews that I wanted to include. I couldn’t fit all the information in because I had too much voiceover to include and I had a limit of 10 minutes. I also went over the recommended limit of 10 minutes, as I ended up making my documentary just under 17 minutes long, about 7 minutes over the recommended limit. I also didn’t include all the interviews I wanted to include as I ran out of time in production to film more interviews with more people. I managed to achieve my goal of telling people about the differences between Marvel and DC and the importance of fandom’s in general as well as the significance of the Marvel and DC fandom. I do think that I managed to inform people about the Marvel and DC fandom but not enough to get them to join.
3. Who was my target audience and how did I address them?
My target audience was young people between the ages of 18-26. I did have a secondary target audience which was people 27 years or older. I made my documentary suitable for everyone and all age ranges but the facts that I include and the way in which I created and edited the documentary, is for it appeal to young people who are either in college or university. I created the documentary for a mainstream audience, so I presumed that people were willing to learn new information and learn more about Marvel & DC as a whole as well as about fandom’s. I addressed my target audience by using words and phrases that they would understand and including facts and interviews that young people would be interested in and/or interviews featuring young people, so my primary target audience can relate to this more easily. I included some humorous and more light-hearted moments that young people will find more appealing, in order to make the documentary more entertaining and engaging.
4. My creative decisions
I chose to include transitions and effects to the documentary in order for it look more professional and to help make it look more unique and interesting. I didn’t have time to sort out the audio, as I was more focused on how it looked rather than how it sounded. I chose to leave the audio how it was to make it feel more realistic and less like a studio set up but it does make the documentary seem less professional, due to the fact that the audio sound levels and background noise are not at the correct levels. I chose to include music in the intro and credits of the documentary rather than throughout because I felt like music may have been a little overpowering at times and may have drown out my voice at times too. I tried to include as many different facts and opinions as I could. I created the documentary and structured in a way that would appeal to all audiences. The facts and information that I included was more for my primary target audience which is young people. I made sure to cut the interviews the way I did, to make sure the essential information was there and any extra or unnecessary information was taken out. I put the 2 interviews together to get them both out the way all at once instead of having them both separately. I included 2 interviews so I got views about fandom’s in general and Marvel & DC from different people, not just one person. I added certain songs in the documentary to make it more dramatic and also more superhero like.
5. What documentary conventions did I use?
I used the exposition type of documentary to explain the Marvel and DC fandom in more detail. I also used the participatory type as I was exploring Marvel and DC and fandom’s as a whole and why they are important.
6. What new skills & techniques did I learn?
I learnt how to interview someone and how to plan & organise an interview and how to interview someone professional and effectively. Also, I learnt how to add voiceover audio onto archive footage and images.
7. How did I learn these new skills & techniques?
By researching interview techniques and different types of interviews along with how to plan and organise an interview. I watched a few examples of interviews to see how I can interview effectively and how to ask the correct questions, depending who I am talking to. I used my current knowledge of adding separate audio files from a Zoom mic and used those skills for my voiceover audio, which was recorded on my IPad and was in a different file format. I emailed myself the voiceover audio and then I inserted the audio onto the project. I researched how to add voiceover onto the project itself, in order to include it in the documentary.
This is a document outlining who I would like to interview and be part of the documentary. There are 2 groups of people I would like to interview. I also added another, which may not be included in this document, which the media expert. I will be asking the media expert the same questions as the college students, to get their side of things, on a more professional side. I have also included what types of interviews they will be, with the media experts having the same style of interview as the college students, to make sure that they don’t veer off topic.
This is the document where I have made a list of all the equipment that I will need in order to complete this documentary. There has been a change to the list since I created this document. That is that I’m now using a Rode microphone which I’ll attach to a Canon camera, in order to record my interviews that I do for the documentary. This is because the microphones I originally wanted are not available when I want to start production.
This is a shot list outlining what shots I’ll be using for the interviews and archive images/videos that I’ll be including in this documentary. It’s only got 10 shots but that is because most of it will be archive videos or images with some interviews.
This is a documentary that not as many people has focused on before. Many people have created short videos and clips talking about the Marvel/DC fandom but it’s never been turned into a 10-15 minute documentary before, with interviews and analysis from experts. My documentary will include my own personal views on the Marvel and DC fandom, as well as getting opinions from other people including college students and social media users too. Along with that, I will be including facts and information about both companies, what the differences are between the 2 and why Marvel and DC are rivals.
I will be including a wide range of angles and shots to make it look more interesting. I will be using voiceover and narration from myself, at times throughout the documentary, so they get to hear something from the host of the documentary too. I will also be trying to do a couple of polls on my Twitter profile and on a poll website, to help get more data, collected by myself, to help support the points I’m trying to make as part of this documentary and to make it more interesting.
I will be including archive images and videos to help support some of my points. I will also be including clips from interviews from producers of some of the DCEU movies and the MCU movies, along with movie critics, to further validate the points I’m trying to make.
This documentary is unique because I will be including videos and my own opinions into the mix of this documentary. I will be including thoughts and opinions from true fans of DC and Marvel and also from people who may be more casual fans, who only watch the odd DC or Marvel movie, every now and then.
I will also be including music, to invoke emotion and to help keep the fans of Marvel and DC happy by including music that they know or will recognise. I will be structuring the documentary in a way that is different and unique to myself and my style of editing. I will be including some quick cuts, jump cuts, snippets from movie trailers, snippets from interviews from the experts and also some short clips of footage that I record myself too.
I will be making sure that my documentary is not too biased but it won’t be totally unbiased either. It will be biased in parts but there will be some balance with the bias, as I’ll try to find out ways to talk about both sides of the debate. I will be working on this project solo and all by myself, which is unique. I will be creating this documentary my way, with all the content I want to include. I will have my target audience in mind but the front of my mind will have the topics I want to talk about, whilst creating this documentary.
This is the moodboard to help visualise the type of tone and style the documentary will be. I created this to help me figure out the type of style of documentary I wanted it to be too.
This is the final version of the script for my documentary project. This is the only version of the script that I have got due to the amount of time I had to complete this. If i had more time to write the script, I could’ve written more draft versions of this.
This is the document outlining, in brief, my role in this project and what my roles are. As I am working solo on this project, I have got the entire project to research, plan, organise, film, edit and distribute. I have got all the duties and responsibilities that it takes to complete a project.
This is the document with the ideas for what I should call my documentary and what the title will be. I picked out about 8-10 of the best names and did a poll. From that poll, that helped me to decide my final title, which is Marvel vs DC.
This is the document containing information about a drop in event that I was thinking of doing, to make it easier to get opinions and views from college students about Marvel and DC. I chose to do this slightly differently and therefore cancelled this event. But this was part of my planning and pre-production, so I’m including it here.
This is the document where my idea generation is. I also talk about my 3 best ideas in more detail and talk about my chosen idea in more detail. Also, this includes the demographic and the type of audience I am aiming this documentary at. This pretty much all the idea generation and some of the planning for this project.
The documentary will be archival, to some degree, as I’ll be including some archive images and videos in order to create a story for the documentary. I will also be making sure that the information is as balanced as it possibly can by getting arguments and stating facts that supports all sides of the argument, though at certain points in the documentary, it may become slightly biased.
I will make sure that to avoid plagiarism accusations, I will state clearly in the documentary itself where I found the information and where I got the information from for the documentary. I will include a link to the sources that I used in the documentary itself. It will either appear whilst I’m stating the facts or at the end of the documentary. I will be using some information from polls etc. that I’ll be doing on my Twitter profile as part of the documentary, to help support my points further and to help validate some of them. If any part of my documentary is biased, there will be an explanation for this and why a certain part of my documentary might be very one sided and won’t look at all sides of the argument.
My documentary will be very impartial, as I will be getting views and opinions from other people, either via interviews or archive videos, including adding my own views and opinions too.
I have to bare in mind that I have an invisible contract with the audience and the people watching the documentary to make sure that everything that I state or talk about in my documentary is truthful, factual and not misleading. Whoever is watching the documentary will be expecting to be told the truth and nothing else. This invisible contract I will make sure to bare in mind when creating the documentary.
If I talk about a person or a company in my documentary (which I will be, I’ll be talking about 1 main person and about 3 different companies), I got to be careful with what I say about the person or company, as I have the potential to get sued, depending what I say about the individual or company. I have to make sure to I don’t say anything too negative or too targeted at a certain individual or company.
I should also consider how I represent people especially women and people from ethnic/ethnic minority countries & black people and to make sure my documentary is as inclusive as it can be. I have to make sure I represent women and black people the correct way in my documentary and to make sure I am not judging anyone based upon stereotypes etc. I have to make sure I don’t defame or discriminate anyone in the documentary. I have the potential to be sued if this happens, so I have to make sure that my documentary is as open minded and inclusive as possible.
Also, some of the constraints I may come across in production may include difficult interviewees and the potential for bad language or swearing to be used. If this happens, it can be bleeped or blanked out in the documentary itself. Re-shooting the interview would make it seem less realistic and natural. As I want to talk to members of the public and ask them a few questions, I got to make sure that whoever is there, signs the release forms, to say that they are happy to be part of my project. I will also make sure I don’t take too much of their time, as they’ll probably be on their way somewhere and my be in a rush too. Also, I have the potential for fallout’s and arguments during some of my interviews, especially with the general public, so if someone doesn’t want to be part of the documentary, I have to accept the response and move on to someone else.
The weather could affect production, if I need to film any footage outside. If it is raining too heavily or there is a storm, on the day of production, I will not be able to film on that day. That means I will have to look at the weather forecast either the night before or the morning of the production, to see if I’m able to start production when I want to start it. I will have film on a different day, if the weather is too dangerous for me to film on the original day of production. If it is going to be heavy rain for the morning of production but it will stop or get lighter by the afternoon, I can do my production later on that day. If not, then arranging it to another day and time is the only other option.
I will be recording sounds such as banging or punching, to simulate a superhero “fight” atmosphere. I will also be recording some footstep sounds, transition sounds such as buzzing, ringing or wind, to help make the transitions for my project more superhero like and more fun. I will be using a Zoom microphone in order to record my Foley sound. To get a score, I will most probably be using royalty-free music from the internet or creating more unusual sounds, in order to create a “score” of some kind for the documentary.
My aims is to create a light-hearted, fun and superhero atmosphere, mixed with a score of background noises, creeks and some dramatic moments. This is to help keep the audience engaged with the documentary and to make the documentary more interesting. By including more abstract sounds for my score, this will help make the score more memorable for the audience, even if they don’t end up liking the documentary, they can at least have something to remember from it.
This will help my documentary by keeping the audience engaged and emotionally connected with the documentary itself. Also, it will help emphasise some of the points that I’m making or the kind of tone that I would like to set for this project. By having different sounds included will also help make the documentary feel more futuristic and more like the superhero atmosphere that I would like to set for the documentary. This will also help my documentary project by making it more inclusive and interesting for my target audience, which is young people between the ages of 18 and 26.
The type of factual programming this project will be is a documentary. This will be a documentary talking about the Marvel and DC fandom. I will be including information that is factual and truthful. I will also be including information that is informative and some expert analysis on it all too. I will be including some interviews.
Thoughts and Opinions of Marvel and DC from college students, members of the public, movie critics, YouTubers and social media
How come the DC fandom is more negative?
Has Disney helped Marvel at all? If so, how much?
Interview clip from Kevin Feige, producer of all the MCU movies
Interview clips from the producers of Aquaman
Snippet from Avengers: Endgame trailer and then a snippet from Justice League trailer- This is to compare the 2 “darker” team up movies and how one deals with it better than the other
My own personal views on Marvel and DC
Clips of a YouTube movie critic and a BBC movie critic talking about Black Panther and then Shazam!
Will Disney + help Marvel and has DC Universe worked well for DC?
Achievements from Marvel and DC- Female superheroes, more diverse superheroes in the future including a Muslim superhero and an Asian Kung Fu superhero
Conclusion- Which one is better? Or are they both about the same?
First of all, to introduce the audience of what to expect and what will be talked about in the documentary, there will be an initial preview of what will be coming up in the documentary. This will include snippets of interviews, some archive footage, some narration/voiceover from myself and a couple of light-hearted moments too.
After this, the intro will play. This will last for about 30 seconds, it won’t last too long. It will say the title of the documentary, along with who’s narrating the whole documentary.
Then, the first talking point will be talked about. This is me explaining, very briefly, what the differences is between Marvel and DC and why they are rivals. This will last for about 1-2 minutes, it won’t take too much time. Some facts about Marvel and DC will also be included in this part.
After this segment is completed, the second segment of the documentary will begin. This is the thoughts and opinions of Marvel and DC from college students and members of the public. I will also try to get some short clips from movie critics, YouTubers and some screenshots from social media, which I’ll read out and do a voice over for. This will last about 2 minutes, it won’t last too long either.
The third segment of the documentary will be exploring why the DC fandom is more negative and toxic and how come it’s more toxic than the Marvel fandom. I will talk about trolls in this segment and also how “troll blocking” is becoming a new move for Disney and Marvel. I will briefly talk about the Captain Marvel/Brie Larson controversy in this segment too. This will last for about 1-2 minutes.
After this segment, I will move on to the next segment of the documentary, which is all about Disney and Marvel and if Disney has helped Marvel in any way. If they have, how they have helped them. I will include some an interview clip from Kevin Feige (About 30 seconds-1 minute).
Before moving on to the next segment of the documentary, I will talk about 2 other Marvel facts and 1 DC fact, to make it more interesting and to help break up the conversation just a little bit. This will also help keep the audience engaged. This will last for about 1 minute.
After the facts, I will include a short interview clip montage from the producers of Aquaman and Justice League. This will last for about 1 minute.
After that short montage, I will include a short snippet from the Avengers: Endgame trailer and then a snippet from the Justice League trailer. This is to compare how the 2 “darker” team up movies work and how one deals with the themes better than the other. This will last for about 1 minute.
Before moving on to the next segment of the documentary, I will talk about 2 more DC facts and 1 Marvel fact, to make it more interesting and to help break up the conversation. This will also help keep the audience engaged. This will last for about 1 minute.
After the facts, I will include some of my own personal views on Marvel and DC and which one I prefer. I will explain why I count myself as more of a Marvel fan, than a DC fan. This will last for about 2 minutes.
Before moving on to the next segment of the documentary, I will talk about 1 Marvel fact and 1 DC fact, to make it more interesting and to help break up the conversation just a little bit. This will also help keep the audience engaged. This will last for about 30-45 seconds.
After the facts, I will then show short clips from a YouTube movie critic and a BBC movie critic talking about Black Panther and then Shazam!, to compare how much more positively received these movies were. Shazam! even won the hearts of some movie critics that once didn’t like DC. This part will last for about 1-2 minutes.
After the movie critic clips, I will move forward to talk about Disney + and the DC Universe streaming services and which one has benefited more from these streaming services and also which one will benefit more in the future.
Once this segment is over, I will then move on to talk about Marvel and DC and the achievements both companies have made so far and what the future holds for them in the future. This will include the MCU including a deaf superhero, a Muslim superhero and an Asian Kung Fu superhero.
Before moving on to the final segment of the documentary, I will talk about 2 other Marvel facts and 2 DC facts, to make it more interesting. This will also help keep the audience engaged and some new information could be learnt from doing this. This will last for about 1 minute.
Then, the final segment will be the conclusion and wrapping up everything that I have talked about. I will discuss which one is better or if they are both equally as good. This will last for 1-2 minutes.
To end the documentary, the credits will roll. This will last for about 30-45 seconds. Clips of some the outtakes and footage which I didn’t use will be included in the background, to make it look more interesting.
The documentary as a whole will last for 10-15 minutes.
This is the risk assessment document that I have done. I managed to identify 24 risks, making sure I came up with as many risks as I could, to make sure that the production and post-production of this documentary is filmed and completed as safely as it possibly can. If anything happens, at least I have the proof that I prepared for it before it happened and thought about what to do if it happened or to prevent it from happening, whatever the risk is.
Expository- This will be the main format and type of documentary that my documentary project will be. I will be explaining information to inform my audience of the Marvel and DC fandom and give them facts/statistics to help support this information and to try to persuade people to join the fandom.
Reflective/Self-Aware- Depending how my documentary turns out and the footage I get, I may choose to use this type of documentary and be more self-aware about the documentary itself. If I feel like this style will be more suited for the footage and interviews that I get, I may choose to change it to this type of documentary instead. This is not something that I am considering at the moment but I’m making the option available, just in case I need to use it in the future.
Archival- I will most probably include an element of this in my documentary too, by using archive videos and images to help create a story of some sort. But, as my documentary will be talking about different things and different parts of the Marvel and DC fandom, it might just be a segment or a part of the documentary, where a story is created and told via archived videos and images.
Balance of information- I will make sure that whatever information or whatever points I use in my documentary is balanced and both sides of the story is told, it won’t be one sided. I will try to make my documentary as balanced as possible.
Bias- For some parts of my documentary, there might be some bias. Though this won’t be for the entire documentary because I am more of a Marvel fan, for some of the segments in this documentary, it may well be a little biased. I will try to avoid this as much as I can but some bias may make my documentary, there is no doubt about it.
Impartiality- I will try to make elements or segments of my documentary impartial, meaning I will only include the relevant points I need to make, to help achieve my agenda without clearly stating one. I will include valid arguments for some of the things that are said and talked about throughout this documentary.
Objective- I will try to make parts of my documentary as objective as I can, though it won’t be fully objective. There will be some bias and subjectiveness to it too.
Subjective- For some parts, if not most parts of this documentary will be subjective. Some arguments to some of the points or information said or told, I will not show another side of that argument and some parts of my documentary may well be one-sided. Especially when I include my personal input, this will make it more subjective.
Contract to the Viewer- I will make sure that everything included and said in my documentary is truthful, not misleading and it won’t be created to lie or make false accusations to certain people or companies that I talk about in this documentary.
Representation- I will make sure to represent companies and people equally and be as less biased as I possibly can. I will try to represent every company and person that I mention in the correct manner and I will not misrepresent anyone or give false information that falsely represent someone or a company.
Talking about a Person or Company- Depending on what I say about the person or company, there is the potential for whoever it is that is unhappy about something I said about them to sue me. I just have to be careful with what I say and how I say it. Especially if it’s targeted at a certain company or person.
Copyright Infringement- I just need to be careful with this because I will be uploading my documentary to YouTube, once it is complete. If there is any copyrighted music or videos used, this could lead to copyright claims on the documentary itself and the potential for it to be removed from YouTube entirely.
Jobs I could apply for in the future:
• Runner
• Screenwriter
• Producer
• Showrunner
• Script Editor/Script Doctor
• Camera Operator
• Editor
• Director
• Producer
• Foley Artist
• Social Media Manager
• Marketing
• Object Based Media Designer
• Campaign Manager
• Fundraiser
• YouTuber
• Social Media Influencer
• Continuity Supervisor
• Journalist
• Commentator/presenter
• Podcaster
Link to the document with images that contains all this information is below:
I will need to learn how to use Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premier Pro. I will need to have good knowledge and skills on how to use these programs. I will need basic audio editing and mixing skills. I will need to be able to use colour correction correctly and to be able to colour grade correctly as well. If I have knowledge of DaVinci and how to use their software is a bonus but not necessary for this job. I will need to be reliable and in order to complete each task that I’ll need to do on time. I will need to arrive on time and be punctual. I will need to report any absence or illness to them, so they are aware of my absence. I will need to be proactive, motivated, enthusiastic, collaborative and be able to work as a team or with a group of people and I’ll need to have confidence to take on creative freedom (to some degree) depending if it’s appropriate to do so. I will need to make myself look professional and presentable. I will need to take responsibility for my own actions and any mistakes I may make and correct those mistakes. I will need be have good ICT skills as a whole, in order to be able to use the Adobe or DaVinci software that I’ll be using. I will need to have good communication and listening skills too. I will need to be honest and polite too and to be able to take criticism and act on any improvements that I may need to make.
As Film Editor, I’ll be working closely with the Film Director and Producers on a wide range of projects. I’ll be responsible for collating and assembling all raw material into a completed project for a wide range of projects. I’ll be working with major brands such as McDonald’s, Lidl and Mercedes. I will need to make sure that I complete all tasks on time and that it’ll be ready to broadcast on whichever platforms it’ll be available to watch on. The material may include camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics and special effects. I will be required to do this perfectly and to a high standard every time.
Video Producer- Conde Nast, London
I will need to be an experienced, creative video producer. I will need to have good knowledge of high-quality fashion and beauty as well as high quality editorial and branded content. I will need to have a proven track record of comprehensive knowledge of video production on range of different platforms, with technical knowledge of production, video formats and editing. Contacts with directors from around the world. I will need a good knowledge and understanding of copyright legislation and contractual processes. I will need experience with negotiating with production and talent representatives. I will also good contacts with directors and crew from around the world. These contacts will need to be suitable for the style of the brand itself. I will need to make sure that an eye for visual accuracy and continuity and also an eye for detail. I will need to be highly motivated, enthusiastic and persistent. I will need a proven track record and comprehensive knowledge of video production for multiple platforms, with technical knowledge in production, video formats and editing. I will need to be punctual and have good communication and negotiation skills. I will need to be able to manage projects well and make sure each project is completed on time and to the standard that the brand wants it to be. I will need to be able to be a team player and work with a team too. I will need good listening skills and be understanding, to some degree. I will need to be able to lead an on-set production, if and when I need to. I will need to be able to manage multiple production jobs at the same time include concept art and set design to hiring, casting, project planning and post-production. I will need to be able to use or have knowledge of Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Pro, Apple Colour or any other colour grading software. I will need to have a good knowledge of cameras and lighting kits.
Runner- My First Job In Film, London
I don’t need any industry experience or many Media industry skills for this. I don’t need any or many skills in camera operating, using different editing software and sorting out the whole project. All I’ll need is good communication and time management skills. I will need to be punctual and make sure that all food and drink is served at the correct times. If I have had any hospitality or customer service experience, this would be a bonus but it is not required to get the job. I will need to be positive, motivated and enthusiastic. I will need good communication and customer service skills.
My documentary will be in the style of the Amy documentary, where I’ll include some footage and clips to create a story. I will also include some music, which will be Marvel or DC related/inspired to help emphasise the impact both companies have had on the movie industry as a whole. I will include some interviews to help legitimise and support the points I am trying to make.
My documentary will not be in the same style because I do not have any “home” footage to use and also mine is about a fandom, not a person. I will use the style of the Amy documentary as an inspiration, but I won’t make it my “template” for the whole project. I will try to use some of the elements from that documentary.
Also, my documentary will be influenced by more biased documentaries, such as Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 documentary and also Stephen Fry’s Brexit clip that I watched. I use these documentaries to help bring some bias to the documentary but not as much bias as they use for their documentaries.
I will use the way in which the bias is dealt with and shown in those documentaries as an influence to do a similar thing for some of my more biased moments in my documentary. I may not be able to do animations and graphics as such, but I may include quotes or narration that might be counted as very biased.
I am trying to create a documentary that is not too biased but it won’t be completed unbiased either. I use these as my influence and inspiration for the type of documentary that I end up doing and also the style of it too.
2 experiments I would like to do for my documentary project-
Angles- High angles, low angles etc.
What will I do for this experiment?
I will be using a camera and setting up in different places, to get different angles and perspectives. To get a high angle, I would use a tripod and make the camera high, to get a high angled shot of something. To get a low angle, I would try to go as low as I can in order to create the feeling of being very small and to make it look like you are looking up at something rather than looking down at it.
What are my specific aims?
My aims from this is to get a better knowledge and to improve my skills on using angles, depending on the situation or lighting. I am aiming for the footage to look as professional as it can be and to make the whole project look more interesting.
How will this help with my documentary?
It will help my documentary by making look more interesting and it can be useful to know, if I have a big part of the documentary, where I am interviewing someone or talking to someone, I can use different angles to help make it more interesting and to keep the audience engaged because they are seeing different views and perspectives of things.
Reversing Footage
What will I do for this experiment?
I will be filming some footage from different places around the college and getting as much footage as I can. I will film things close up and from afar. I’ll film myself walking and doing different things in order to reverse it afterwards. I will reverse the footage via Adobe Premier Pro or Adobe After Effects, whichever one have this editing feature.
What are my specific aims?
My aims from doing this experiment is to get a slightly more different approach to something, make something look bad happen and make it look like the problem has been reversed by avoiding the whole situation via reversing the footage. I am aiming to be able to use this skill, to be able to create more experimental and professional looking projects. I am aiming to increase my editing knowledge for Adobe Premier Pro or Adobe After Effects by doing this.
How will this help my documentary?
This could help my documentary by adding a more lighthearted and comedic feel to it, as I could use this technique for comedic effect. For example, someone may mess up a line they want to say and I reverse the footage and then the correct line is said.
This is an undergraduate course, which is the type of course I need to start with because I do not have any degrees yet. In this course, it will focus on the more practical side of filmmaking and I’ll be focusing on at least 1 film project at any time, I will not be left with nothing to be working on. I will learn each aspect of film-making, even if I may have some experience, this could be a good way for me to extend my knowledge and experience further. I will be working with professional mentors from the media industry along with getting feedback from the tutors and I’ll be taking part in workshops too. Once I have settled into the course and had a try at a couple of different roles which I could do, I can then focus a more specific pathway and start practising the skills and getting the experience needed for a certain role that I want to do, if I have decided. For example, if I wanted to be a director or producer, then I could study, learn the skills and get the experience I need to be a producer or a director.
I know how to use Adobe Premier Pro and I have some knowledge and experience with using Adobe After Effects too. I also know some of the features I can use to edit photos in Adobe Photoshop. I have some experience using Adobe InDesign as well, but I may not need to use this for this course.
This course will help me to get a job in the media industry from the skills and knowledge which I’ll learn and the experiences which I’ll get from this course. I will be able to get the professional perspectives of my work too from the professional mentors that I’ll be working with for each project that I’ll be doing and also from the skills which I’ll learn when I focus on the specific role that I’ll want to do.
Swansea College of Arts
Film & TV Arts Degree- 3-4 Years (Full Time)
I will be learning practical skills for film-making and creating TV shows. I will be focusing on 1 project for 4 weeks, then moving on to the next one. The course is 100% based on practical coursework. I will get opportunities to film projects in a variety of locations and venues including churches, cafes, abandoned buildings, theatres and beaches, among other places. I will get an opportunity to go abroad every year and film a project abroad such as Pinewood Studios, Paris, Berlin and other places. I will also get tutor support and feedback and I will be working with small class sizes (Up to 20 other students). Along with learning all the practical skills I will need for film-making and filming TV Shows, I will also get the opportunity to learn the practical skills I need for whichever role I am interested in doing in the future. For example, if I want to be a director or a camera operator, then I would learn the necessary skills I will need in order to be a successful director or camera operator. In any technical lessons that I’ll be doing, I’ll be learning about the different job roles available in the media industry and eventually, I will be able to learn the technical skills for whichever role I would like to do as well such as a director, screenwriter or camera operator. I will also have the opportunity to run an international film festival as part of the course. Also, whichever projects that I’ll be working on, I have to show a clearly that I am representing an under-represented role in the past. This is in response to the #MeToo movement. I will be focusing on 3 main areas of film-making. These areas are the story of my project such as the themes that the project will be dealing with, the content that will be included etc., demographics such as making sure that my project appeals to a diverse range of audiences, not just one type of audience or one demographic and personnel which will include the life cycle of technical and practical roles that have been distributed through the project as a whole (Pre-production, Pro-production and Post-production).
I will be given the opportunity to do a “Gap Year”, which means I can travel to other places and help increase my knowledge and skills that I will need to pursue with the job that I want to do in the media industry and how I’d be able to do it professionally.
Most people thought I had showcased enough of the band. Some people thought the the music video was bit singer heavy and that I needed to showcase more members of the band.
Out of the 7 people who filled out this questionnaire, they all like to see a narrative in a music video. The majority also like to see aesthetic visuals and a concept too. The least popular was a hybrid, when an artist mixes more than one genre into their music video. So, we will be including a narrative and an element of performance in our music video. We will make sure the narrative is the main part of the music video as it is the most popular genre to be part of a music video. The performance will be very little.
Out of the 7 people who responded to this questionnaire, I included the original music video for the song that we will be creating a music video for (which is a cover by a college band). We thought to ask them which angles and shots that we could use from the original music video that we could include our music video. People had a few different shots and angles that we could use from that music video including “Cinematic shots, and the storyline”, “Fast paced moving shots through the streets”, “Location shooting, breaking the fourth wall (looks to camera), abstract/weirdness (Confetti, odd character)” and “Close Ups”. These are just a few shots and techniques that we could use for our music video, along with a few other angles and shots that the original music video did not include. We could make our music video more cinematic too. This would help make it look more professional and more appealing.
Johnny's Media Showcase 
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