Shot List:

• Shot of the Thames
• Shot of different landmarks in London (Buckingham palace, Trafagar Square, Tower of London, Picadilly circus, London eye)
• Stop motion shot (masking tape)
• Beginning and end bed shot
• Shot of Beefeaters
• Red buses shot
• Shot of black cabs and telephone boxes
• London underground symbol shot
• Sitting drinking cups of tea and eating fish and chips
• Oxford circus shots

Week 6 Meeting:

This week we are going to storyboard our ideas for our video. To do this we will draw and write details on around 30 post-it notes and photograph them all. Then we will use Final Cut express to animate the post-it notes into an animated storyboard. As well as this we are going to put together a list of shots that we aim to incorporate into our video.

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

This is the video for Coldplay's 'Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall' and was released in 2011. I really like the use of stop motion animation, both in the form of artwork and on the band members. I think it is a really simplistic but effective artform and works really well with this song, which may have been why Coldplay decided to make their video in this way. This video is very different from others made by Coldplay, who usually focus greatly on the performance aspect and rarely have anything else playing a part in the video. We have decided to use some stop motion animation in our music video and watching this has showed us the different ways we can use it. 

Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For

This is the video for 'What You Waiting For' by Gwen Stefani and was released in 2004. This video juxtaposes between the dull reality and the exaggerated fantasy. This is done using very extravagant mise-en-scene and contrasting it with boring, dull colours and showing the difference between the two. I also think that the concept of the video fits well with the song and it is very well shot. I really like the exaggerated costumes and the conceptual idea, which we also plan to include in our music video. 

Video Inspiration:

This video is called 'Someone like you' by Adele. Even though this video is set in Paris, this video includes many ideas that we want to incorporate within our own music video. One of these ideas is the fact that the video is set in black and white, we want to have some of our video, in specific parts, in black and white in order to make the video have an old fashioned effect. To add to this, Adele's video follows her around Paris, within our video we want to follow two characters around London, we are going to use this video so that we can gain further ideas on following our characters around the famous city.
Another feature that we want to include within our video that is also included within Adele's video is the attention paid to key landmarks, in Adele's case in Paris, but for our video we will focus on key landmarks in London. The edits within this video vary from fast to slow, within our video we aim to include both fast and slow edits in order to make our video less boring and more entertaining.

Digipack Research

This is the album artwork for The Clash - London Calling released in 1979. The digipack includes the album cover, and two inserts. The style of artwork used was very typical of the punk rock genre at the time, with the scruffy handwritten style of text and the black and white images. The artwork for the album was inspired by Elvis Presley's debut album cover. For our cover we plan to stick with the characteristics of the genre like the original, but modernise it to help it appeal to our target audience. 

Audience Profile:

As a group we came up with a stereotype of the typical viewer of our music video. The viewer is 17 years old and attends college. He mainly likes to watch music channels on television including the following: Kerrang, MTV Rocks, NME TV and Q. As well as this he watches 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' and 'Top of the Pops'.
Typically he reads magazines that also focus on the music industry and in particular the Rock and Punk/Rock genre, these include the following: NME, Kerrang, Q and Mojo.
Our stereotypical viewer would shop within High Street shops including 'Topman' and 'Urban Outfitters' as well as vintage shops such as 'Rokit'.
The reason why this young boy would watch our video is due to the fact that Punk/Rock is his favourite genre of music and our music video includes the genre characteristics of Punk/Rock.

The Smiths - Panic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AlH2oYedfk


This video again shares similar characteristics to the video that we are going to produce. It continuously features shots of main cities across Britain, including London. Similarly to the Blur video 'For Tomorrow' the video begins with a shot of the Thames/Big Ben which is effective as it is probably the most recognized landmark/place in London. 
As well as this, the video is again shot completely in black and white. This common trait between the two videos shows us that they both wish to retain a more vintage feel to the video, something which we will be briefly featuring in ours. 
The video also focuses on following someone around, albeit only their hand, this is similar to ours as we are going to be focusing on following around the politician characters. 

Blur - For Tomorrow

http://youtu.be/gghFPavXE7Q


The video 'For Tomorrow' by Blur is a video which has inspired aspects of the video we are going to produce. This video was filmed entirely in London, and like ours, visits some of the main attractions in London during the video such as the River Thames, London Buses and Trafalgar Square. As well as this, the video is shot in black and white, giving a more traditional feel to the city. Similarly, for our video we have decided to use a small part of black and white. We decided to do this because we think it will be effective in referring to how London used to be.

Letter to Columbia Records:

To whomever it may concern,


We are year 13 students at West hatch High School, Essex who are currently studying Media Studies at A2 level. We are creating a music video for our coursework under the group name 'Glisco Productions' and would like to use The Clash's song 'London Calling' in order to do so. 
We are asking for your permission to use this song, please could you contact us as soon as possible with your reply.


Yours faithfully,
Ellie Scott, Lucy Clark and Ellie Glickman.


columbia@trinitystreetdirect.com

Week 5 Meeting:

This week we have been working through a checklist of things that we need to put on our blog. This includes writing a email to Columbia Records to ask permission to use the song 'London Calling' for our music video. As well as this, we have done a mini write up of the band to feature on our blog. We are also going to complete an audience research task this week which will look at the viewing figures of music video channels such as MTV and NME TV using barb.co.uk

The Clash, Artist Information:

The Clash are an English Punk/Rock band which were formed in 1976. Their music is known for being predominantly from the punk/rock genre, however their songs also include features from the following genres of music: reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and dance. The group consists of four members: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Nicky Headon, but the group has also included other members including: Keith Levene, Terry Chimes, Pete Howard, Nick Sheppard and Vince White.
The first album that they released was called 'The Clash' and was released in 1977 in the UK. 'The Clash' then became popular in the US two years later after the release of their second album, 'London Calling'. The album was even branded the best album of the 1980's by 'Rolling Stone' magazine a decade after it's release.

Editing exercise: Tom Jones

For our first music editing exercise we were asked to make our own music video for Tom Jones' 'Its Not Unusual' using footage we shot in class. We shot all of our footage in one lesson then uploaded it to Final Cut Express, where we also imported the track to the timeline.  Once all of our footage was uploaded we began to cut the footage we wanted to use, specifically the lip-syncing shots. A lot of the footage we recorded was not adequate to use, as trying to sync the music with the shots proved somewhat difficult. We also added some short clips to add some comedy to the video. 
To edit the footage we used many of the tools on final cut, including the razor tool. This enabled us to cut the footage at whatever point we desired. We also used the arrow tool, the crop tool and the zoom tool. We took full advantage f the canvas and the viewing window and these proved very handy when making this video. 
We also took advantage of the in-point out-point markers on the canvas window to cut footage. This was a very useful tool, as it saved much time and helped you to cut the shot more specifically. 

Pink Panther Editing Exercise

This is an editing exercise that I did to the music of Pink Panther. The idea of the exercise was for me to practise editing to the beat of the music. I did this by using several different photos that would be flicked between during the song.

To do this I uploaded some photos onto the timeline of Final Cut Express as well as the piece of music. I then played the music through several times so that I could understand the beat of it. I then used the 'marker' tool and pressed 'm' at every beat of the music where I thought an edit should be used. After this, I cut at each point where a marker was placed so that the photo could be switched at this point. 

Once I had completed this, I then deleted every other clip on the V2 part of the timeline. This would enable the photo on V1 to show, giving the effect of flicking between the two.

Foo Fighters 'Learn to Fly' Music Video Analysis:

This particular video is by the ‘Foo Fighters’ and was directed by Jesse Peretz. In order to analyse this video, I will be making references to Andrew Goodwin’s six point music analysis from his book, 'Dancing in the distraction factory'. The plot of the video follows two airline mechanics played by Jack Black and Kyle Gass who hide ‘world domination’ sleeping powder in the coffee machine in which in capitates everyone who drinks coffee.  The video is very comical and the band plays various different characters in order to make the video funny and give it a different twist. The costumes worn and the mise-en-scene is very important within the video as they both express the different characters to the audience. The video is primarily narrative based but also includes performances by the ‘Foo Fighters’ on the television on the plane and stage performances are also shown throughout.

One of Goodwin’s theories focuses on the relationship between the visuals and the lyrics of the video; within ‘Learn to fly’ there are numerous links between the two. The lyrics focus on the subject of flying, ‘learn to fly high’ and ‘looking to the sky to save me’ which relates to the fact that the video is set on a plane and also because many of the characters within the video take the supposedly ‘sleeping powder’ in which has various weird affects. This therefore proving that the visuals definitely do illustrate the lyrics of the song. This particular video, however, contradicts Goodwin’s third theory of links between the music and the visuals. ‘Learn to fly’ does not follow this as the video closely focuses on the plot and narrative instead of illustrating the beats and pitches of the music within the video via editing and changes of the pace for example. The edits within this video are in contrast with the music as they are unusually slow paced and the music is very fast paced. Within this video it is also very clear that the ‘Foo Fighters’ are featuring the genre characteristics of heavy rock within both their video and their song. The characteristics of heavy rock usually include: an electric guitar as the leading instrument, a band consisting of 2-5 members, a rebellious theme and performances featured within the video. To add to this, rock bands are usually inspired by previous, older rock bands, in the ‘Foo Fighters’ case it is ‘Led Zepplin'.

Within Goodwin’s theories, he also mentions how many videos include intertextual references to other media sources, such as other music videos, films etc. This video by the ‘Foo Fighters’ was inspired by the film ‘Airplane’ and the video itself is meant to be a parody of this film. Features of this film that are included within the video are obviously, the setting, the characters and the aspects of the plot. To add to this, stereotypical airhostesses are also featured within this video, they are made to look very attractive, flirtatious and are wearing tight uniforms,  this relates to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’  as the male passengers on the plane stare at the female airhostess in a very dominant way trying to get their attention. Laura Mulvey’s theory also relates to Goodwin’s theory of the notion of looking and how women are most definitely presented as sex objects for male pleasure within the majority of music videos.

Goodwin’s penultimate theory is on ‘Voyeurism’, this focuses on the use of screens and other objects to focus primarily on the band and the main artist, in this case Dave Grohl. This theory is shown within this video when performances from the band are shown on the plane’s televisions. As well as this, the majority of the music video includes close ups of the band and in particular David Grohl. These close ups are included within the video as they are demanded by the record label as it is a priority to focus on the band.

Music video analysis : 'Janie's Got A Gun' by Aerosmith

'Janie's got a gun' was released by Aerosmith in 1989 and was written by frontman Steven Tyler and Tom Hamilton. The video was directed by noted film director David Fincher. The video follows a narrative of a young girl who shoots her father after he abuses her, whilst also having a performance aspect from the band. The video was groundbreaking at the time, featuring gruesome and realistic scenes of rape and incest; two topics that were never spoke about in a music video before. The video went on to win two MTV music video awards and has over 3 millions views on youtube. The first shot in the video is of a crime scene and a close up of police tape- immediately establishing the video's genre. 

The video conforms to the rock music characteristics, with edgy lyrics and shocking themes. Throughout the video the relationship between the visuals and the lyrics is constant, as stated in Andrew Goodwin's analysis (Dancing in the distraction factory,1992). The repetition of the lyric "Janie's got a gun" and the shots of a gun illustrate this, as well as the verse which repeats "Run away, run away from the pain" at 2:18 and 4:04 when we see slow motion shots of a girl running, which again illustrates the lyrics and visuals working together as well as symbolising the pain of the young girl. 

Another point of Goodwin's analysis that is featured is the relationship between the music and the visuals, seen at 0:50, 1:33 and 2:55 where the visuals change as the beat of the music does. This is effective in gaining cohesion and further explaining the narrative. As well as the narrative, we also see a performance by Aerosmith at different points throughout the video, including close ups of the band's frontman Steven Tyler. As stated by Goodwin this is essential in meeting the demands of the record label and creating a visual style for the artist. 

The mise-en-scene helps to amplify the strong narrative of the video. The two main colours used are black and white; symbolising the good and the evil. The contrast of these two colours juxtaposes the characters identities whilst also enhancing them. The only other colour used in the video is red which holds connotations of blood, sex and danger. The shots of possessions being smashed also form part of the mise-en-scene. The literal destruction of these items can be seen as a metaphor for how Janie has been destructed by what has happened to her. The use of flowers being destructed is also an effective motif for the destruction of her innocence. 


Gender representation plays a big role in this video. Both the lyrics and the visuals portray gender stereotypes but then go against them by flipping them around. At the beginning of the video men are presented as powerful, evil and villainous whilst women are presented as vulnerable victims. The shots of Janie writhing in bed are a clear example of this. The use of slow motion helps to convey the pain she is going through.This again follows Andrew Goodwin's analysis of music videos demonstrating the voyeuristic view of women, and also Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory, where she believes that film audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male. This is amplified by the first shot we see of Janie; a birds eye view of her laying in a white bikini, showing how she is seen by men as an object. The white bikini also shows her innocence and purity. Janie's costume is shown again when we see her wearing a white shirt towards the end of the video, a sign of her desperately clinging to her innocence. A grey blanket is wrapped around her illustrating how her purity has forever been clouded/blackened by what her father has done. Fincher breaks up the gender stereotypes by eventually making the father a victim and giving Janie power. A zooming out shot of the fathers bullet wound and him lying helpless strengthen the change in characteristics, as well as Janie finally gaining power over her father (a child overpowering a parent). 

Good Charlotte - Girls & Boys

The song 'Girls & Boys' by pop-punk band Good Charlotte was released in 2003 by Sony International. Good Charlotte are well known for their punk style, expressed through wild hair and crazy tattoos, which are also a main element focused on throughout this video. The song expresses typical punk genre characteristics, the music is fast paced and heavy, loud and controversial in parts. As well as this, the band itself fit the stereotypical punk look. Furthermore, the video expresses rebellion, a characteristic which is commonly associated with the punk genre. However, the rebellion is not from the younger generation as you would expect in a modern day punk song, the video expresses it through the older generation, cleverly through its use of costume and narrative.

Throughout the song, a 

relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is strongly represented (Andrew Goodwin ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ six point analysis). “He’s well dressed, not funny” is ironically presented through the visuals. The video shows an elderly mans’ clothes being groomed and an elderly couple laughing together. At 1:02 we see rebellion, where the elderly man throws a drink at a sports car, at which point a neatly presented lady steps out with her partner, emphasising the “girls don’t like boys, girls like cars and money” lyric. The lyrics undoubtedly criticise and stereotype women for their love for money and materialistic goods rather than the person who provides them, "girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money" supports this.

The video not only is narrative, but also features performance from the band itself continuously throughout the video, yet once again uses the elderly as the audience for the performance. They are dressed and styled in the same way as the band, with brightly coloured hair, bandanas, piercings, dark and studded clothing. Undoubtedly, the performance and featuring of the band has purposely been done as a promotion for the song, most likely to have been demanded by the record company (stated in Goodwin's 6 point analysis). This is often done as a way to remind the audience of the way the band look which may be appealing to certain stereotypical groups of people such as punks and Goths. 

Straight cuts/cross cuts are a common device used in the video, making the edit of the video simple. This is effective because the video has a lot of different scenarios happening and so with this use of the cross cutting edit, it makes it easier for the viewer to follow. The video does not specifically feature any interesting editing techniques or fast paced cuts, which you would normally expect from a video of this genre; however, as the video contains a heavy narrative, this is not necessarily required.  During the instrumental parts of the song is where the fastest edits occur, for example at 1:58 where the instrumental piece peaks, the editing speeds up to fit with the beat of the song before climaxing and returning to regular speed cuts (this is one of Goodwin's points - the music and visuals have a strong relationship).

The video itself is similar to several other Good Charlotte videos. Their song ‘The Anthem’ again features both narrative and performance by the band as well as featuring lots of ‘party people’, similarly to how ‘Girls and Boys’ does. This generic trait which we see creates a memorable style, linking the videos together which is to be noticed by the audience member.

For a modern day video, it would usually be expected to evoke some kind of sexual reference; this video does this through mocking modern day intimacy through the use of elders. For example, throughout the video, there is a levelled ratio of men and women all interacting with each other, however, at 2:33 we see the women becoming intimate with one of the male band members. Although, the lyrics are stereotyping women as being ‘gold diggers’, from seeing the types of characters in the video, it is clear to see that the message being put across it that the elderly generation are not like this. The words ‘girls and boys’ we would usually associate to a younger generation and so does not apply to the age group featured in the video. This shows us that the band is referring to younger people in their lyrics. As well as this, the people in the video are having fun, not caring about their appearance and being rebellious, all characteristics which we would not associate with the people that the lyrics are aimed at, showing mockery from the band. The representation of the elderly generation in the video against that of the younger generation in the lyrics clearly illustrates the way that times have changed. 

The mise en scene of the video, including the use of props such as skateboards, young clothing such as converse and jewellery including chains and studded bracelets is effective at showing the irony of the lyrics. By doing this, the video strongly explains the narrative of the song to the audience. 

Week 4 Meeting:

During our fourth group meeting we discussed the issue of the timings of the video, in order to do so we made a time-line which put all the main events within our video in an order and at particular times.

We had to make sure that certain events that we want to happen within our video happen when it matches the lyrics, we want to do this so that the visuals of our video match the lyrics of 'London Calling'. To add to this, if we make sure we do this, the plot of our video will make more sense. 

An example of this is  when within the lyrics it says, 'Give us a smile', at this point we are going to have a character holding up a cardboard cut out of a smiley face- the lyrics and visuals will therefore match. 

Presentation:

As a group we had to create a powerpoint presentation to present to our class as a 'sales pitch'. In the powerpoint we had to detail costumes, our timeline as well as the mind maps we have created. The presentation was filmed by our teacher. After the pitch was complete we had to give out questionnaires to our class to gain feedback from our ideas. We recieved very positive feedback and gained some new ideas which we hope to include in our video when we film it. Overall, the presentation helped us as a group to put all of our ideas together and focus on getting feedback from what would be potential viewers.

Powerpoint:

Week 3 Meeting:

Within our week three meeting, the subject that we discussed was Costumes. We thought it was a good idea to have a meeting based on costumes as we have spoke briefly about what costumes we want to include but not in detail.
We definately like the idea of having the characters as politicians wearing suits as we think this would make it look very realistic. We also want the politicians and characters such as the Queen wearing the masks as we think this would be more effective than simply dressing up. We are also going to include people wearing 'I Love London' tops and union jack hats as we think this would match well with the theme  of the video and the colours in which we want to include- Blue, Red and White.