The Open Questinnaire I Handed Out

Open Questionnaire

1.      Do you believe that the music video looks professional?  (please state why)

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2.      What do you think about the camera angles and movement used in the music video?

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3.      How do you think the music video could be improved?

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4.      What are your favourite things about the music video?

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5.      Do you like or dislike the costumes used in the music video? (please state why)

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6.      Do think the narrative is clear? ( Please state why)

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7.      Do you think the mise-en-scene has been used effectively? (please state why)

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8.      Is there anything that you think could be added to the mise-en-scene to effectively improve the music video?

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9.      Do you think there is a big enough range of shots used in the music video? (please state why)

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10.  Did you enjoy the music video? (please state why)

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Step by Step - Ancillary task - Poster

Media Theories

Todorov's Theory of Narrative

Todorov proposed that a narrative has five stages and transformations through which the story  of a media product proceeds. The first one of these is the
equilibrium in this stage all is as it should be. Next is the disruption, in his stage someting has intrupted the equilibrium.
Then it is the recognition that a disruption has taken place, this stage is sel explanatory.The fourth step is an attempt to fix the damage the disruption caused. The fifth and final stage s a new equilibrium which is a new state of normality.


Uses and Gratifications

In the 1960s it became more and more apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Passive mass audiences are made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for all sorts of reasons and in different ways. Lasswell suggested that media texts had the following functions for individuals and society, these were, surveillance, correlation entertainment and cultural transmission.
Two researchers named Blulmer and Katz expanded on Lasswell’s theory and then published their own theory which stated that individuals may choose and use a text for purposes such as, using the media for emotional interaction as well as other interaction (this can be seen in parents who substitute family life  for soap operas for example, coronation street). Another purpose of this can be personal identity, by using the internet to create and show off your own identity and learning certain behaviours from the text. Since this theory was wrote the inventory of Uses and Gratifications has been extended. This is particularly true as new media forms like the internet have come along.

My Design of my Ancillary Tasks

Front cover of my Digi Pack

Email to get Permission to use Muse " Feeling Good"

Me and Amy email Muse's management team to ask for permission to use Feeling good as the sound track for our music video production. We are still awaiting a reply. Here is the email that we sent:

Feedback on our music video

We did a showing of our music video so far for a media class.

Here are some of the negative comments that we received:

• There are too many sections of the girl just walking around.
• The narrative isn't very clear or obvious.
• Shots in music videos are usually 2-3 seconds long however in yours there are shots that are 7 seconds long.
• The part with the man playing the guitar should be earlier as i believe it would fit better.
• The colour pallets used shouldn’t change as dramatically as they do.
• On the underwater scene at the start, the tiles in the swimming pool are visible this takes away from the effectiveness.
• I believe that the transitions could be used better to improve the music video.
• The random statue doesn’t represent anything in the video so it's pointless.
• The shots at the start of the video are bright but the shot of the sun is darker when it should be brighter.
• Some of the walking shots should be removed and replaced with more performance shots.

Here are some positive comments we received:

• The timing is really good at the start of the music video
• There is a good use of edgy camera movements
• There was a huge range of shots used.

Our music video so far ...

A Sceening of our Music Video

We are planning on doing a screening of our music video on 27/03/12 to gather some feedback on our completed music video. With the feedback we will decide if anything needs changing or not. The music video will be showed to a class of AS media student. 

We are also hoping to do a screening of the music video to a large group of six form students as well as our target audience, this is to get even more feedback to hopefully improve the music video as much as possible.

Days That We Have Filmed So Far ...

Day that we filmed	Where we filmed	What we filmed
Monday 13th	Dunston Pool	Underwater shots
Wednesday 15th	Seaton Delaval hall	Garden shots
Tuesday 21st	Amy’s House	Candle and roses shots
Wednesday 22nd	South shields beach	Beach shots
Wednesday 29th	Fiddlers field	Chase scene

Locations

Seaton Delaval Hall
Me and Amy have made contact with a place named Seaton Delaval Hall. We asked them if it would be poosible to film on the location. They took our contact information and rang back with the news that we would be able to film on site on Wednesdays. We are aiming to get all of the filming for this location finished on the 15/02/12.

Dunston Dive Club
For the under water sequence in our music video we needed a place that would allow us to film under water. We realised that this may be a problem. However we managed to book a dive clubs pool for the 13/02/12.

Record Lables

My self and Amy decided that we would need to do some research on which record labels sign bands like Muse that would perform the same style of music. I thought of bands that are like muse in order to see which record label would hypothetically sign Muse. One band that we thought of was Green Day. They were signed by Reprise records. Reprise Records was formed in 1959 by Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra stated he formed Reprise records in order to allow more 'artistic freedom' for his own recordings. Here is a list of record labels that would potentially sign Muse:  

• Reprise records  
• Fueled by Ramed
• EMI

Although Sony records dont sign artists that preform alternative rock i have choosen to use them as my record label because they are a successful lable and they are well known.

Photos From Photo Shoot For Album Cover And Poster

We want to photoshop this image to behing the star so that the eye is directly in the centre of the star.

A photo we will use for our album cover once we have edited it using photoshop. We intend to cut out all of the white leaving only the star and circle.

This photography is going to be used for the poster.

We have not yet decided a name for our artist or album cover.

 

Research - Video Analysis - Moving Image Project

Analysis of the video: Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars

·         There is a black screen with only music playing until about 10 seconds in when the screen turns form black to a black screen with writing on it. The tension is built at the start with the black screen and the style of music.

·         The writing says “this is not reality, this is a dream” this is when you hear lightning strike. The writing makes you feel edgy and like anything can happen because it’s a dream; it fits well with the music as the music also makes you feel uneasy. A woman is reading the text as it appears on the screen (not in English); this makes it less familiar and creepy.

·         When the lightning strikes it changes shot, to an establishing shot of a city with the sun rising over it. This lets the audience know where the video is set.

·         The next shot that stood out to me was the man walking alone in the underground metro station; this immediately isolates him and makes him appear to be weak and vulnerable.

·         Quick cuts are used to show something is going to happen.

·         Cuts to a man riding fast on a motor bike create the feeling that some action is going to happen.

·         There is a slight part of red in the video for example, on the traffic light and red ribbon. Red represents a whole range of things but in this case it seems to scream out danger and lust later on in the video.

·         1.40 seconds in to the music video there is still no lyrics, this in its self creates more tension.

·         2 minutes into the video a man looks out of the door after hearing a knock however no one is there this send shivers down your spine.

·         As he looks down he sees photos of him sleeping taken moments before, as he looks back up you see a figure standing there holding some sort of weapon. This is what the tension has been building up to.

·         As the man jumps out of an open window in a desperate attempt to get away from “the bad guy” the shot turns to slow motion and the music becomes disoriented to fit with the shot type.

·         Tension is built up a lot as the man falls fast and rapidly to the ground from a skyscraper. However you breathe a sigh of relief after you see him float to the ground. This has the effect of making you heart skip a beat.

·         When the slow motion is used he seems to be getting closer and more drawn in to the bad guy.

·         Some of the acting is done to the beat of the music this emphasises the narrative.

·         The music stop as a crash happens this makes you focus fully on what is happening.

·         When a girl starts to talk over the music, the video features parts of what she talks about this makes the voice over connect more with the video.

·         The video has some sexual aspects to it for example the main man is rarely wearing a top and there are rapid cuts to half naked body parts like a female’s bum and breasts. This mean the video would appeal to both male and female.

·         A lot of the shots consist of the man looking small and vulnerable because he is surrounded by such big areas (for example this happens 6.36 minutes into the video).

·         As the man is eventually hit with the weapon the connection of it is highlighted by having the sound effects of the attack.

·         Rapid cuts are made to fit with the changes of music 7.24 minutes in. This builds even more tension and makes you feel like you are waiting for something to happen.

·         A man/woman in a rabbit head costume appears form nowhere out of the dark, this immediately alarms you.

·         All of the fights in the video are emphasised by sound effects making you pay more attention to them while still fitting in with the music.

·         Cuts to black screens are used in this video to create an aspect of mystery to the music video.

·         Once again the acting in the video is done to the beat of the music.

·         There are very fast cuts at the end playing to the beat of the music.



Planning - Basic Plan Of Camera Angles, Shot and Shot Timings

A basic plan of what camera angles, the length of the shot and what the shot is of

Shot Number	Camera Angle	Length Of Shot	What The Shot Is Of
Shot 1	Medium close up	3 seconds	Shot of a full moon
Shot 2	Close up	2 seconds	Of the vampires purple eye wide open
Shot 3	Medium shot	4-5 seconds	The vampire floating in the water
Shot 4	Low angle shot	3 seconds	The vampire pushing herself out of the water
Shot 5	Long shot	3 seconds	Vampire walking out of the water
Shot 6	Medium shot (in slow motion)	4 seconds	Vampire standing with waves splashing off her from either side
Shot 7	Long shot	2 seconds	Vampire outside a mansion marching around
Shot 8	Panning around girl and tree	3-4 seconds	Flashback of the vampire standing beside a tree representing her freedom and all the place she has been
Shot 9	Medium shot	3 seconds	Vampire outside a mansion marching around
Shot 10	Medium long shot	3 seconds	Rose and leaves blow after girl throws them up in the air
Shot 11	Close up	2-3 seconds	Vampire walking around the mansion
Shot 12	Medium/long shot	3 seconds	Walking through Tyne mouth priory
Shot 13& 14	A range of shots used We have not yet decide what exact shots to use for the fight scene		Fight scene
Shot 15 & 16
Shot 17 &18
Shot 19 &20
Shot 21	Medium shot	3 seconds	Crouching on the floor lifting her head up (wearing 18th century clothes).
Shot 22	Close up	2 seconds	Of the vampires head only
Shot 23	Long shot	3 seconds	Of the vampire standing up in her 20th century clothes
Shot 24	Panning up	3-4 seconds	Panning up the girl’s body from feet to head (to put an enthuses on the outfit change)
Shot 25	Long shot	3-4 seconds	Of her walking toward and then past the camera
Shot 26	Medium shot	3 seconds	Match getting blown out
Shot 27	--------------------	2 seconds	Plain black screen