Role Research - Editor

As an editor I have to work closely with the director to portray his/her vision and to help to produce the best possible video, which will appeal to a wider audience. In this case the band’s input is also important to a certain extent as they may have a certain look or vision of how they want to portray themselves for their audiences. Using final cut pro I am going to be editing the different shots to create interesting and attention grabbing combinations within the video. Some of the other

The skills that and editor is required to have are:

Organisation skills and an eye for detail, from the sound and the shots keeping them in time with one another making a professional and perfected video for the band, which can be used to promote them. As the editor I will have to have good communication skills with others in my group and the band to put together a video that we are all happy with and believe looks best for the band.

This video is not a music video but is a very good example of stop motion and it shows how long it took to make with all the stoping and painting over and over again till they had a moving image, using a still camera, creating a interesting and effective video. With this type of filming/video making the editing is what brings it altogether to create a professional and interesting video which resembles a flick book.

Role Research - Lighting

Lighting.

Three Point Lighting.

While filming a video, the use of three lights is important. The key is the main light and is the most important one. It is usually placed at about 45 degrees from your subject and the light is aimed down, rather than directly at the subject. As it is the main light, it is the main source of illumination on the subject and as a result may cause strong shadows.

The fill is usually set at about 45 degrees from your subject on the opposite side to the key and is broader and usually about two or three stops dimmer. The job of the fill is to keep the shadows from the key from being too strong.

The backlight is aimed at your subject from behind and above and is also set at about a 45-degree angle. It gives the subject a glow, which gives some separation between the subject and the background behind them. This is often called a "defining edge". This is particularly useful for shooting someone with dark hair against a dark background.

Light Modifiers

• Barn Doors: These are used to control the path of the light and also the direction it is coming from. They don't diffuse light normally, but there are heat resistant diffusion materials that can be clipped to them.

• Reflective umbrella: This is an umbrella that is painted white, silver or gold on the inside. They collect light from the bulb, diffuse it, and aim it towards the subject.

• Shoot through umbrella: This is a transparent umbrella and the light travels through the fabric and diffuses. It also reflects back towards the lamp, giving a lot of spill behind, too. These are particularly useful for lighting large areas of a room.

• Softboxes: These are similar to reflective umbrellas, but are box shaped and completely enclosed. One or two additional layers of translucent material make the light even more diffused.

• Snoots: These are cone or tube like devices and are used to focus a beam of light in a very tight spot - often used on backlights to keep light from spilling onto the background.

• Grids: They can be made of cloth, metal, or plastic. Grids tightly focus and soften a light. They are often used to create a small soft circle of light against a backdrop.

Using natural light.

The sunlight, when it is a sunny day, will be quite harsh, causing deep shadows on the subject. Shady areas, beneath trees, can be used to lessen the harshness of the light. Reflectors are important when shooting outside, but as they can be expensive, sunshades can also be used. Because the sunlight only falls at one specific angle, reflectors are necessary in distributing the light to other areas. Reflectors catch the light and send it in the direction you want it to go. This creates two sources of light and creates more of a studio environment outside.

Increasing light.

When in a studio or somewhere else with electrical lighting, if you find that the lighting on your subject is not strong enough, the easiest way to combat this is to simply move the light closer to your subject. Also, the location of the subject can be changed so that the light falls in the right places. When indoors and using natural light, make sure all the blinds or curtains are open so that the maximum amount of light comes in. Turn electrical lights on to maximise the amount of light in the shot and lessen the amount of noise that will show on your footage.

Role Research - Director

The director is responsible for making sure the subject or subjects know what they are supposed to be doing, for organising the production crew’s tasks and directing them as to how to complete them and also, for controlling the artistic aspects of the production, making sure that it fits in with their creative ideas as well as the script. They work under the producer – the person who oversees the project and delivers it to potential audiences and clients – and the two members of the team work towards mutual, workable ideas. The director takes charge of the creative aspects of making the production, whereas the producer works on funding, casting and other practical sides to the project. Both are actively involved in the production process. Directors are in control of developing the production from simple ideas on a script to actual camera shots, deciding on camera angles, lighting and set design, as well as the tone and audience of the production. They are driven by the tone, rhythm and sound of a musical track and usually use storyboards to help them with the filming process. Notable music video directors include Chris Cunningham, Marc Webb and Jonas Akerlund.

Chris Cunningham is a British director from Reading, Berkshire. His work is more underground than that of the other two. His first endeavours with video work involved model-making, prosthetics and illustrations – some of which have carried on to his current work, such as the video for Rubber Johnny by Aphex Twin. His music videos include Bjork’s All Is Full Of Love, Madonna’s Frozen and Aphex Twin’s Windowlicker – all of which have reached critical acclaim and have received various awards. Marc Webb is an American director from Indiana. He has produced music videos for rock acts, such as My Chemical Romance, Green Day and The Used, as well as popular music acts like Hilary Duff, Pussycat Dolls and P Diddy. His work is aimed at a mainstream audience, like Jonas Akerlund’s but unlike Chris Cunningham’s, and he has a large budget for production. Jonas Akerlund is a Swedish director, based in America and he has worked with mainstream acts such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Metallica, U2 and Britney Spears. The video for Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi received five nominations at the VMAs and won the awards for Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects. The follow-up video, Telephone, was inspired by Kill Bill – Tarantino even let them borrow the car which Uma Thurman drives in the film – and received critical acclaim and awards for Video of the Year and Best Collaboration.

Role Research - Producer

A record producer works within the music industry and oversees/manages the recording i.e. the production of an artists music.

The professional record producer's aim is to produce a recording which will appeal to many thousands of paying customers. To achieve this aim the producer requires:

- Good judgement
- An understanding of the type of music
- Awareness of current trends in the industry
- Knowledge of the market

A producer has many roles that may include gathering ideas for the project, selecting songs, selecting musicians/bands, coaching the artist in the studio, managing the recording sessions and supervising the entire process through mixing and mastering. A producer also often takes on a wider role by taking responsibility for the budget, schedule and negotiations.

Today, the recording industry has two kinds of producers: executive producer and music producer; they have different roles. While an executive producer oversees a project's finances, a music producer (who can be compared to a film director) oversees the creation of the music.

There are numerous different technologies utilized by the producer. In modern day recordings, recording and mixing tasks are centralized within computers. However, there is also the main mixer, outboard effects gear, and the recording device itself.

During the recording and “mix down“, a producer will also work closely with the sound engineer and should be aware of his or her objectives.
An experienced producer will:

- Use the expertise of the sound engineer
- Incorporate most suggestions from that source
- Not interfere with the operations of the recording
- Only overrule the engineer if absolutely necessary

In the process of contributing to the creation of a sound recording, a producer may have to acquire a variety of legal rights. Shared ownership of the rights in a recording could make it difficult for a record company to effectively exploit a recording which it has commissioned. A record producer's contract will therefore, among other things, assign any rights they might acquire in the recording to the record company.

Interviews - Conclusion

1. What do you think makes a music video effective?

This open question could have many diverse answers depending on the person and there style, however I began to discover that the answer to this question to be rather similar between all of my interviewers weather they be male/ female, young or middle aged. The simplest way to reflect there thoughts, were; instant visual impact, it to be striking, and an original concept, the most essential thought was to create something that had not been done before, a new concept so I believe in order to take this aboard, in the most effective way would be to challenge the conventions. One candidate even said that it was not even that important weather the story had any relation to the song, giving us an open option to then therefore do as we please making it as extravagant as possible not restricting us in any way.

2.do you think a music video needs to be controversial to gain publicity?
For this question I had mixed opinions however the thought behind were similar as if it is controversial it is instantly recognised and publicised hence generating more viewers. However for the people that said it was not essential for it to be controversial, did believe ‘that videos that provoke strong reactions will be discussed and receive more publicity than run of the mill ones. However an original idea will get people talking more.’

3.what’s your favourite music video and why?
Once again I had mixed thoughts as I got various videos and reasons, however one thing that was agreed upon amongst the candidates was that it is difficult to choose a ‘favourite’ music video as new ones are constantly being produced, so your options are constantly changing, which will effect you depending on your mood or your thoughts during periods and how you develop as a person will effect your thoughts at different stages of your life, however saying this the videos that were chosen were done so due the viewer believing that the video was shocking and had a sense of originality and excitement of some form. Once again I feel this conveys that it is essential that we construct something that is unpredictable and unconventional in order to capture the viewers attention.

Interview

Henry McDermott- 17 years old

1. What do you think makes a music video effective?
In my opinion having a unique and interesting music video is the must effective as this gains the viewers interest. Using different ideas that other artists haven’t yet thought of often gains the music videos popularity and therefore creates an overall positive outlook on it. However, I also think it’s important to original ideas with what a lot of people want and expect with music videos as long as it can relate back to the song or the target audience. For example, this could be violence, parties or references to sex.

2.do you think a music video needs to be controversial to gain publicity?
Yes
-Why?
I do think a music video needs to be controversial to gain publicity as it is an easy way to get viewers attention.

3. What is your favourite music video?
- why?
My favourite music video is Akon and David Guetta- Sexy Bitch as it put you in a good mood to party and attempt to get laid.






Fliss- 45 years old.

1. What do you think makes a music video effective?
Instant visual impact or something that tells a story regardless of weather it has any relation to the song. Something that makes me laugh.

2.do you think a music video needs to be controversial to gain publicity?
I don’t think a video has to be controversial but there is no doubt that videos, that provoke strong reactions will be discussed and receive more publicity, than run of the mill ones. I think an original idea will get people talking more.

3. What is your favourite music video?
- why?
Sid Vicious- My Way. My reaction to it has changed so much over the years. At the time it was made it was quite shocking but now it strikes me as slightly amusing and also poignant because he didn’t really do anything his way and was dead within a few months.






John- 19 years old


1. What do you think makes a music video effective?
Two things;
i. striking/ new visuals/ good storyboard idea.
ii. Strong musical track.

2.do you think a music video needs to be controversial to gain publicity?
No but it helps because people in the wider media will be disusing it and as they say ‘there is no thing as bad publicity’

3. What is your favourite music video?
- why?
I haven’t really got one but I liked Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up I thought the camera work created a high energy/ confused style, there was lots going on and it had a good twist at the end.

Interview 3 (Hana)

I think that the current music videos appeal to the younger generation more so then any other generation. I think that the use of fashion for me is very important it appeals to me showing me the creativity and the inspiration which could have been taken from older generations such as lady gaga and Cher who are from different generations but lady gaga was inspired by Chers fashion style but took it to the next level making the outfits more and more outrageous creating different impressions on all of her fans.

I also think that the lighting makes the videos exciting and different and creates a different mood. The way the music and the light sequences go together for example in ushers-omg video which is a performance video and creates a sense of hard work and shows the fans that he stays true to himself as a artist and a performer. Using dancer routines and special effect lighting to resemble a club scene created a simple but well thoughout performance and different angle shots cut up and put together to create a interesting and abstract piece.

I think that artist in this generation do have to be controversial in any way that they want to be weather it is through their wardrobe their make-up or the performances in the videos, which the fans/ audiences would be into and would inspire people to follow them and be even more controversial through their music and fashion.

My favourite music video would have to be Katy Perry California girls whom I like because it is fun and playful and the sets are amazing and new as they were based on will cottons paintings of these fantasy candy land images. I also like that she has stuck to her style and has stayed true to her fans/audience.

http://http//www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=will+cotton&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=zHrRTL-0OIqRjAeNxMWiDA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CDAQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=530

Interview 2 (Janay)

I believe that to make a music video for me it has to be exciting interesting I prefer to see the performance combined with the narrative showing me a part of both and I think the more creative the larger the audience. On the other hand I think that special effects sometimes spoil the videos and in most professional videos they don’t use a lot of special effects.

By keeping the audience entertained by the lighting and costumes and fantasy make up or location in the narrative it give the audience different aspects to concentrate on and find an element that they can relate too.

I think that as long as the artist is good enough and is just creative and inspiring in the way they may dress or the way that they move and work the audiences through their videos then they don’t need to be controversial to gain publicity. I like that some artist may go against stereotypes and like to be different as they stand out and send a positive message to the younger audiences.

My favourite music video has to be Michael Jackson –remember the time which I found really creative and I loved the location of the video showing that there was a lot of planning and care taken when coming up with the details of where and how the video will be shot. The location of the video was in Egypt with all the different costumes and colours a lot of yellows and gold’s with the rich blues and reds, which all added to the Egypt theme and added to the video in a positive way. ‘I want to be entertained’ is said in the beginning by the women and this is exactly what the audience gets, entertainment. The video was a mix of narrative and performance which is one of the elements that I like to see in a music video. The narrative part being revolving around the Egypt theme and the performance more of an original Michael dance with different and amazingly created costumes and hair and make-up.

http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BEPgeNessg&feature=related

Interview 1 (Julio)

I believe that to make a music video for me it has to be new and fresh I don’t like to see the same thing for different artists I like to see new and excitingly creative performances and videos. I like to see a performance but also like the narrative part of the videos. I don’t think that special effects have a positive or professional affects on me as I feel the video loses the professionalism if not done correctly.

The main part of the video for me is to keep the audience entertained by the lighting and costumes and fantasy make up for example when we all first saw lady gaga and her style and passion for the music and every little aspect was through of in the videos creating interesting new and fresh ideas.

I think that as long as the artist is good and shows the audience that they are passionate and creative and show they have thought about the videos and if their fans would like it or not. I also think that it is important that the artist sticks to their true passion and what they want to create for the world to hear. I think that the artist doesn’t need to be controversial to gain publicity as I think that from the performance they give the music should be the most important part of what they are doing as artists not the publicity. I believe that the artist to stick to what they want even if it attracts bad publicity or good. I like that some artists go against their typical stereotypes in the videos and create something new for the listeners. For example I would love to see a hip hop video which has not got flashing lights and guns all the time and to show me something new and fresh. Music stands out for it-self you don’t need to be controversial.

My favourite music video would have to be electric relaxation by a tribe called quest which is from the movie Wayne brothers. I like this video because I can relate to it as it is set in the city of New York but looks really simple like it could have been done with a group of friends, which helps not just me but other relate too. It is mostly set in just two locations within New York City one of which is in the taxi and the other is in the café.

Interview 2

Gender: Male

Age: 28

1. What do you think makes a music video effective?

Well... The editing has to be fast paced; preferably the same as the tempo of the music otherwise it just gets boring or confusing. Something that works with the music allows me to get a feeling of the song and the message or vibe it’s trying to give off. Special effects also help in this modern day and age because it’s new and brings something that the audience has never seen before. Technology is improving, not just for games or for movies, but for music as well. Showing that within a music video can show how creative technology can be.

2. Do you think a music video needs to be controversial to gain publicity?

It doesn’t necessarily have to be controversial. Publicity is key, yeah, but universal websites and mainstream methods of publicity may be more successful. You Tube, chain e-mails, social networking site posts, etc; spreading it around! It also depends on how famous or well-known the artist/band is to be fair. An unsigned band won’t get the publicity that say, Madonna would.


3. What’s your favourite music video?

O.K. Go – “This too shall pass”.

- Why?

Because... I can’t explain... I’m not even sure why I completely like it; you can just tell that a great deal of planning has been put into it. It’s so creative and you just can’t keep your eyes off of it! The idea seems so simple but the method used to make it shows difficulty, with practise behind it. The band has performed for their fans and has given them a truly entertaining video, making the song it has been used for unforgettable.