Rough Cut

Rough Cut from Emily Shufflebottom on Vimeo.

This is my rough cut. It hasn't got any effects on yet but the final video will. It is just simply to see how it looks so far with the cuts and music timing etc.

Album Cover and Back

Here is a album cover that I personally like and may choose to use this as my final cover. I have changed the background completely but kept the lit up city idea. Like my other album cover idea, I used the same image of my actor and put him so that he is doing a hand stand on top of the building. I have also made the title so that it looks as if it is balancing on my actor's feet. I sharpened the background image to make it stand out more and did the same with the image of my actor. The text, I decided to keep simple to see how it would turn out. I wanted to make the text bold and eye-catching. I even decided to put a small motion trail on the text but it didn't turn out as I wanted. Maybe if I changed the colour of the text, it may turn out a bit better.

Here is the back to the album cover. I used a similar background image but I didn't want it to be exactly the same. I have used an image I have taken of my actor and flipped the image in Microsoft Fireworks because it was origionally the other way round. I have simply found an image of a barcode on the internet and placed it in the corner so that I could place the text at the top of the page. I have used exactly the same font and colour for my album back because I believe that it would have looked out of place if I didn't. I decided not to put a motion trail on the text because I don't think you would have been able to read it. I am very pleased with these two ideas and might even consider using them as my final products once I have done some improvements on them.

another album cover

Here is another idea for an album cover. Even though it is only plain I still think that it is effective because it catches the audience's attention. I did get the image from the internet but the image of my actor, I have taken myself.

Another Video Outside

Untitled from Emily Shufflebottom on Vimeo.

Filming Outside

Filming Outside from Emily Shufflebottom on Vimeo.

Again...

Here is another album cover and back. These are just simple designs that I probably won't use as final prodects. For the background, I found the image on the internet and edited it in Microsoft Fireworks. I inverted the image to make it look like it does because I didn't like what it was before and I didn't think that it would work.

More ideas

Here is a completely different idea fof my album cover. I decided to keep the title and the image and have a go at something different. I changed the background with an image that I found on the internet and made sure that the space between the title words had the light shining through.

Another Video

Untitled from Emily Shufflebottom on Vimeo.

Next Attempt

First Attempt/First Video from Emily Shufflebottom on Vimeo.

Very First Attempt at Silloette

Very First Attempt from Emily Shufflebottom on Vimeo.

Close ups

This is a close up of a specific dance move that the dancer will be doing. When he is doing this move, the camera will cut from a long shot, to a close up (like this one).

What Now???

Now that I am all ready to start filming my actual video, I just need the equipment. All I really need is a video camera because everything else I have sorted out. The actor's outfits are taken care of and the locations for the film are quite close and easy to get to.

Another quick idea

This is another quick idea for my album cover. As you can see, I have completely changed my ideas around. I decided to experiment with the background image (that I found on the internet) because the other image I was using started to look a bit boring. I have kept the same title because I think it is really effective. The images, I decided to try something different than just having one image on its own. I have used the same technique I used last year in my coursework (magazine) and have found that it is really effective and eye catching.

More quick ideas

I have done another mock album cover with a similar idea to the design.
Like the other two mock ups, I used the same background image that I got off Google. The only thing that I did with the image is lightened it by lowering the brightness. I have used the same title that I used on the other two ideas, but I have used a different photo that I have taken myself. The image was a little bit lighter when I took it, so I simply darkened the image so that the title would stand out. I also like how the actor is pointing at the title.

Quick Ideas 1

Here is another quick idea for the album cover:

Like before, I have used exactly the same background image that I got off google but lightened it slightly. I have used a different photo that I have taken and darkened it to get the silouette technique. I used exactly the same title (sharpened) and tried to line it up with my actor's arm. I was exactly sure how to bend the image so that it bends with the arm of the actor, but I believe that when it comes to actually make the album cover, I will use much more techniques. This was only the first idea and was just playing around with lots of different ideas.

Mock Up Album Cover (Practice)

I have played around with some images I have taken and decided to come up with some practice album covers. This is my first attempt:


The background image isn't one that I have made (google images) but I thought it would be a good idea because it is neon. The only thing that I did with the title is sharpened it. The image of the dancer is my own photo. All I did to the image was darkened it so that the title would stand out more and it would just look like a silouette. I wanted to make a border of lights around the image, so I started along the bottom. I thought that it would look better if it was just along the bottom underneath the image, so I stopped. I tried to make the light bulbs look 3D and match the title. I also put a glow around each one to make them look like they are lighting up the image.

Pinnacle Studios

Today we learned about the software Pinnacle Studios. This is the software that we will be using to edit and make our projects on. In my case, I will use the programme to edit my music video.

This is what the main screen looks like when you open up the programme. You have 3 options at the top of the screen. Capture, Edit and Make Movie.

This is where the footage you have selected goes before you edit it. You can watch your footage on the right hand sid of the screen.

Costumes

The costumes that my actor will wear are quite simple but effective. I will probably get my actor to wear only 1 or 2 different outifits.

Actor

This is my actor who will be dancing for me in my music video.

I decided to use Terrance because he is a great dancer and is able to take it seriously when we are filming. He has some great ideas that have helped me with my origional ideas. He suggested that we use behind a stage in front of a white screen because I wasn't sure how to do it at first. I also believe that the audience will enjoy watching him dance because he puts comedy into the routines and has a very friendly personality.

Practice shots

I have taken some practice images of my dancer using the silloette technique. I have also done some practice videos and I can definately see the difference between the first ones at our first location and the second one in a different location.
Here are a few of the first images in the first location.
These were my first attempt.











Then we moved to a different location and tried something else. We found a white screen in front of a stage, so we pulled the curtains across so that it was dark behind and had the dancer against the screen. This is what it turned out like:

Storyboard

Here is the story board for my music video. Because there is not really a story to the video, I have made each section the shot in different locations. This is a basic idea of what I wanted to do. The first and forth square is the shots with the silloette technique. The other squares are the ones where it would cut to a different location.
As you can see from the board the costumes in each square are different. When the camera cuts to the different location, I didn't want just the background to be different, I wanted the dancer's outfit to be different as well. Each square of the story board is each different cut.

Album Name

I have decided that the name of the album will be called 'Neon Lights'. I think it goes well because the name of the song is 'Neon Music'. After looking at the fonts for each of the titles, I thought that the Neon Lights would look best on the front of the album.

Album Names

I have been trying to think of a name for my album and couldn't decide which one to choose. Because the song I am using will be called 'Neon Music', I wanted to link with that. Here are a few that I thought of

• Neon Lights
• Neon Limelight
• Lights, Camera, Action
• Disco, Disco
  

I have also done some samples of fonts I may use to see what they look like and which one looks best.

Here are some more that I personally like and may choose to use the font for the album cover.

Album research

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Album research

View more presentations from Emily Shufflebottom.

Actor/Actress

Before starting any research at all, I wondered who I would have in my video. I thought about having more than one dancer in the video but it might not have worked as well. So I just decided to use one, main dancer. I briefly explained what I would have him doing on screen earlier on. I will have him dancing in the middle of the screen but the background will be constantly changing.

Song Choice

I have decided what the song will be that I use in my music video. It is called 'Neon Music' by Big Ali. I believe it is a good song for my actor to dance to because it has a catchy beat.

Filming Locations

I have come up with a few ideas for filming locations for my video:
- Mow Cop
- Troughstones
- Biddulph Grange Gardens
- Knypersley Pool
- Little Morton Hall??
- Biddulph Moor (Rocks)
I may add some other locations to the list once I start filming.

Here are some images of the locations I may choose to film at.
A view from Mow Cop. This would be the perfect place for the dancer. I like this particular location because it has a fantastic view.









The image on the right is an image taken at Biddulph Grange Gardens. This would also be a great place to film because of the archway between the two statues.

This is another location I might use. The image is taken of Knypersley Pool. It a great place to film because there will be a great background behind the dancer and it is easy to get to.

Jason Derulo - Ridin Solo

This is another video from Jason Derulo. I partically like this video because it uses similar techniques to what I want to use. He is dancing all the way through the video. A clever point about this video is that lights flash to the beat of the music. This gives the video speed and energy. I may decide to use this idea in my video.

The techniques I like used in the video are the camera shots. There are quite a few close-ups on the dancer's face. There are also quick cuts that are made brighter using lights. I think that flashing lights in the video will make it look a lot better. I like the technique that has a close up, then a long shot so you can see the dancer and what he is doing.

The colours are quite interesting in this video too. The dancer is wearing colours that match and the background lights as well.

Jason Derulo - The Sky's The Limit

This is another Jason Derulo music video. I have chosen to do a few of his videos because lots of techniques are used. In this particular video they have used lots of mirrors and digital technology to get it how it is. I know I won't be able to do this technique in my video because I do not have equipment as advanced as the music industry. During the video there is a technique that catches my eye. The rapid cuts get much faster when he is about to sing the chorus. This builds the audience's excitment. It also cuts as fast as the drum beat during the song.
The actual part of the video that I find interesting is the title. The name of the song comes onto the screen but we still the image in the background. Here is a still image that shows the technique.

Michael Jackson - Bad

This is one the greatest dance videos in history. I personally like this video because from the second it starts, it is straight into a dance routine. The attention to detail in the video is something else that catches my attention. Firstly, the lighting matches the theme of the song. Because the song is called 'Bad', you wouldn't expect the lighting to be bright, you see that they are in an underground car park and it is dark. The dancers are also wearing dark clothes such as black and dark blues. As well as the clothes, nearly all of the dancers are wearing chains etc to make them seem like 'gangsters'.

As well as the mise-en-scene, the camera shots are effective. Some camera shots are short and quick to create tension, however there are some camera shots that last a little longer. Some of the shots are long shots to show all of the dancers and what they are doing. Other shots are of the main dancer's (who is also the singer) face to show just him singing and his facial expression.

I personally admire the high angle shot of Michael Jackson on his own and the backing dancers are not in shot. Then the camera becomes level and zooms outwards, then you see the backing dancers come into shot.

Usher - OMG

Usher - OMG

Here is another hip-hop dance video. This is similar to the video before but the lead singer/dancer is dancing all of the way through this video and that is what I wanted to do in my video. Even if the lead man isn't dancing, there are backing dancers.

Another factor within the video is the quick camera cuts. The camera cuts with the beat of the song. It is very effective because it looks like there is so much happening, it keeps the audience watching to see what's happening. I will definately try to use this technique in my video.

I also like the contrast between the lead singer/dancer, who is wearing a black suit and the fact that the song is called 'O My God'. You would usually associate God with heaven which is light and white.

Jason Derulo - In My Head

Jaosn Derulo - In My Head

During this video, the lead singer/dancer is dancing in front of a bright light, which makes him a silhouette. This is the video that gave me the idea to use that in my video. It also gave me the idea to have a dancer in the video as well. I think it is a great technique, and will try to use it in my video.

As well as the silhouette technique, there are a number of techniques used to make this video sucessful. The quick camera cuts are effective to get the video to flow. Some even cut with the beats of the song. I will definately use this technique in my video.

Another thing that works well in the video is the lighting. The lighting is dark to give the idea that it is night time, but I like how the main singer/dancer is wearing bright clothes such as blue jacket and he is lit up to be the brightest object on screen.

This is a still shot of the technique I wanted to use in my video. To do this technique in my video, I will have to use car headlamps in the dark. This is the only way I can think of to make this technique work in my video.

Inspirations

I have a few ideas of what my music video will be, although I have not decided on a song yet (the genre of the song will be hip-hop), have a some ideas of what will be going on in the video. The genre of my song choice will be hip-hop and the genre of the video itself will be a combination of abstract (random) and live action.
I have the idea of a dancer starting off first. There will be different camera angles aiming at him when the music starts. He will simply dance to the song and there maybe some dancers come on screen later on in the song (I havent quite decided yet). The whole way through the song, there will be camera cuts and this will show the dancer dancing in different places. The dancer will also be wearing different clothing when the camera cuts.
I am also going to start the video in a certain way. The opening shot will be a silhouette of the dancer. So I will have to use a bright light to put behaind the dancer. I will have him dancing for a few seconds and then have the first cut.
I may put other things into the video, but I am not sure what yet. This is just a rough idea.

Schedule

This is a rough idea of the deadline dates for my coursework:
- Complete Research (existing products/audience) by 24th July.
- Complete planning (scripts, shot lists, storyboards, animatics, mock-ups, flat plans etc) by 10th September.
- Complete rough-cut by 20th September.
- Complete final cut by 1st October.
- Complete album cover and magazine cover mock-ups by 15th October.
- Final album cover and magazine cover completed by 31st October.
- Audience feedback by 10th November.
- Revisions by 20th November.
- Evaluations by 30th November.
- 1st hand-in by 1st December.

First post

Hey!! You have already seen my first blog from year 12, now here is my A2 Media blog. I have decided to do a music video for my coursework. All of my research, planning and final products will be in this blog.
Enjoy! :)