Analysis Based On Goodwin's theory

Our music video uses a number of characteristics that are common in rap videos, Perhaps the most obvious are the performance aspects that appear when the bully and stalker mime to the lyrics of the song. This is very much a staple of rap videos with many of the artists miming during their performances.

However originally our video had no lyrics what so ever and was solely a narrative based video that centered around a stalker storyline. It is also worth noting that apart from this there is very little content that rap as a genre contains that we have included, this was deliberate as we wanted to draw away from the lavish lifestyles created in many modern rap videos and show a more realistic dark approach to stories

For our video we at first struggled to find a purpose for our video as the original story we created needed a female lead which we, as a group could not find. This created problems also in the fact that the Lyrics of the song we chosen we were clearly centered around a celebrity that lived a lavish lifestyle with many adoring fans. To help combat this problem we instead chose to create a storyline that did still feature a stalker but instead of the stalker following a celebrity we thought it best to instead have him obsess over a bully that tormented him. This therefore allowed us to explore similar themes to our original concept in a easier, less risky way.

In terms of the demands of record labels wanting close up we decided to turn away from this, as we believed it would deter from the original dramatic atmosphere we wanted to create with our video. However one could argue that the studio shot sections of the video that feature the bully and stalker miming to the lyrics fulfill the record labels requirements. This then leads on quite clearly to the voyeuristic features of music videos that our video in particular does frequently with the Stalker in particular looking out into the difference numerous times as he ponders the

depressing situation which the Bully keeps putting him in.

Another cliché of music videos is the frequent intertextual links to previous works, which pay homage to them. Our video doesn’t directly do this however we have been inspired by a number of things which could to some people be seen as intertexuality For example the shot were The Bully walks into the Stalkers room and is crept up on by the Stalker is a directly influenced by a picture that featured a similar image which can be seen below.

Use of Technology in filming

Use of Technology in filming

We have used technology in our filming by using a digital camera and a tripod. The digital camera is very handy as we can play back shots to see if they are good enough to make the cut into the actual music video and the light on the digital camera was a massive advantage as a few of the scenes on our music video was In the darkness. The tripod came in handy to steady our shots and make things seem a lot more professional because without it our music video would just seem like a high quality phone recording. I suppose a HD camera would make the music video seem more professional but the current digital camera is doing the job just fine. The memory cards in the digital camera acts as a great storage device as we can upload footage onto the computers easily using them and pick and choose between the footage that we want to keep and the footage we want to get rid of.

Behind the Scenes: Day5

On Day 5 the majority of the filming was done at Theo's house. This of all the shoots was possibly the most enjoyably. it was also of all the shoots the only one that contained props in the form of candles and pictures of Theo to capture the feeling that the Stalker is obsessed over the bully and hell bent at revenge. This location also required the use of the cameras lights as the room was deliberately darkened to enhance the somber and depressing atmosphere we have created. Of all the locations this was possibly the most easy and simple.

Behind The Scenes Day 4

This scene was centred at Alexandra Park. the main focus of the scene was to emphasis the fact that the stalker was closing in on the day he would confront his bully. The main area of the video shoot was by the lake situated in the middle of the park, the bully is there trying to feed the ducks while he is being watched by the stalker from behind a tree. Later the stalker is heard and flee's leaving the bully to depart some time after.


Even though the section we were using to shoot was not closed off the members of public were very resonable and understanding towards our situation. We used a variety of shots including extreme close ups, medium shots and close ups. The shoot ran smoothly and we managed to gain some very good footage for our video.

Comparing AS and A2 production work

Comparing AS and A2 production work

In AS all we had to do was make a 2-3 minute starting of a movie. However, in A2 we have to make a 3-4 minute music video and also do about twice as much blog work and print based work such as making posters and making CD covers and CD cases associated with the group and with the song. This means we need more skills in the group than just being able to edit we need good Photoshop skills and good idea skills.

The time management hasn't been much of a problem because in AS and A2 we managed to update and finish our blogs on time, and finish filming our videos on time as well, and the print based work did not hinder us during this as well. In AS it was much easier to manage our time because we only had two things to do at one time.

The editing is different as well. We have to film in more of a montage style than continuity editing, because in a music video you don't have much time to do that as you would in a film. You also have to include more effects to make the piece seem more like a regular professional video where as in AS the effects were included to help your grade and not obtain it.

Costumes

In terms of costumes possibly the most difficult problem we faced was choosing the costumes that would make the Bully look less physically dominating, This is especially noticeable in the Bedroom scene were the group decided the Bully should have light layers of clothes on and the Bully should have winter coats on to “bulk” him up and make him seem more dominating than he was.

The General costumes however had no specific requirements as the story is set in modern day life except the addition of a hood for the Stalker to add to the feel he is shrouded and invisible from the bully. It is also worth nothing that the biggest continuity errors we had to remedy were those that had different or slightly altered costumes.

Behind the Scenes: Day 3

The third day of filming done was at G-Mex. This of all the scenes was probably the most technically difficult for us to shoot because of the rather busy tram station and the people that were entering and leaving the area. This meant that as in the first day of filming we once again had to stop and start filming to allow the public to walk past, However the public were in general very understanding and at times waited for use to finish our short shots before walking past.

Also the distance at which the Stalker and the Bully were situated meant that we had to zoom in using the cameras, which consequently meant that the quality of the shot was slightly reduced. Also a problem was the lengthy shooting time that meant that filming had to be halted temporarily. This in turn created another problem in that a member of the group forgot to use the same costumes, which meant continuity was ruined, and the some of the scenes had to be re shot.

Analysis Of Album Artwork

Eminem - Relapse
Eminem relapse uses drugs as the main theme of the artwork, its has assorted colour pills to make a picture of the artist. In the bottom left hand side it uses a label which is similar to a medicine bottle again another album cover that relates directly yo the title of the album itself.

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of
This album cover is one that relates to the tittle of the album because she has etched out a self portrait of herself on a school table instead of using her pencil to write in which you can see hasn't been used. The cover is simple but gets the point across beautifully.

Analysis Of Album Artwork

Dead Prez - Lets Get Free
This cover shows child soldiers in Africa the title relating to the children mostly being kidnapped and are forced to do what they are told by rebels. The color scheme is limited to dark orange and white to show the grim lives the children live, Dead Prez are not featured on the front because they want more people to be aware of this ongoing situation.

Behind the Scenes: Day 2

The second day of filming was done in Open Shaw, Manchester outside that in it self was a challenge in the fact that the weather was not in our favor. The rain in particular meant that the camera had to be covered at all times to ensure it was not damaged during filming. This in turn created another problem in that all the scenes in that location had to be filmed at once so continuity was kept with the weather and we did not return when it was sunnier.

Also a challenge was whether to include the bully’s friend when the bully asks for directions or a member of the general public, we eventually decided however that because we did not include a third bully in the earlier scene it would be easier to use a him.

However despite these complications the shoot all in all was very productive with the group all deciding to include the Stalker in some of the shots to add to the feeling that the Bully was in danger and heading effectively heading to his demise.

The Creative Process

The Creative Process

We got our ideas of using a stalker in this video from the Tyler the Creator video titled ‘She.’ We developed new ideas from mixing aspects of our original music video which is Eminem’s song titled ‘Stan’ and the song mentioned earlier ‘She’. We got our inspirations from a lot of things including music videos and movies. A big part of our music video was the use of notes to lure the stalkers victim to the shrine that the stalker had made glorifying his victim, we got this certain aspect from the Tyler the Creator video ‘She’. The costumes weren’t hard to pick out as the only one who really needed a costume was the stalker and the only thing needed to make him seem like a stalker was his hood up which covered most of his face, this was also an aspect taken from the ‘She’ video. In the video we show the stalker being bullied in the flashbacks that occur during the music video and acts as a reason for the stalkers infatuation with his victim, the stalker then begins to follow his victim everywhere he goes because he idolizes him, the stalker manages to trick his victim into meeting him at his home where the victim discovers the collage of pictures of himself on the stalkers wall this was an aspect we got from the ‘Stan’ video as the man with the infatuation with Eminem in the video did the same thing. Theo had the idea of a music video involving a stalker, as he originally wanted to do the ‘She’ video by Tyler the Creator and as a group we decided to do the ‘Stan’ video but take aspects of the ‘She’ video and use them for our own video. We had one idea from the start and we kept with it making some minor changes here and there.

Behind the Scenes: Day 1

The first day of filming centered around filming at the natural museum in Manchester with the biggest difficulty being able to film in a area used by the general public, we often had to halt filming to allow the public to walk past at times and ensure continuity was kept throughout, this meant that a close analysis of the scenes had to be looked at to not only ensure the shots was sufficient enough to be included in the video but also that no one in the background was included in the shot.

Another challenge that arouse was the lightning in the area with the lights that were surrounding

the stairs at first taking away the depressing image we were attempting to create, however after awhile we decided that instead the lights added to there atmosphere and helped promote the image we wanted.

The staircase that the group used also appeared surprisingly smaller than our vision originally intended which meant that instead of three bullies being used two had to be used or the bully victim would have a problem getting past, however this once again worked in our favor as the third bully needed to be used to actually film the scenes.