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! :)