NEA Final Version

Website: 

https://18-ikha.wixsite.com/my-site-1 

Music Video: 

https://youtu.be/6uts3M8J1Ls 

Screenshots of Website

 

Statement of Intent

 

Brief Chosen : 

Brief 4 - Music Video and Online

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief?

Product 1 : For my music video, I intend to follow the brief of a rock music video, aimed at an audience of 16-25 year olds, that represents multiple demogrpahics in terms of race and gender. I also aim to consider my audience as media-literate young people, meaning inclusions of intertextuality are important. 

The narrative premise of the video will be a literal interpretation of my chosen song, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" - this is a rock song with some influences of britpop, by the Arctic Monkeys, that is fitting for the types of musicians represented by Universal Music Group, the chosen label for the brief. It will follow two characters, of differing races, to reflect a wider demographic of young people, however they will be of the same age and gender, to represent queer youth in a positive way, which will also garner a larger audience. One will be shy and reserved, the other dancing freely, even in a public space, which supports the brief as a pillar of rock music is freedom of creative expression, and "sticking it to the man". The wallflower will eventually come out of his shell and ask the other for a dance, and they will dance together, giving the video a fun and upbeat tone, that matches with the fast-paced, high energy music, and lyrics that imply romantic interest and love for dancing, creating a cohesive theme for the entire video. I also intend to set the narrative aspect in a park, with shots including greenery and flowers, representing a blossoming relationship, and creating a sense of mise-en-scene. 

In terms of the band's inclusion in the video, I intend to utilise a band consisting of a female lead singer and two male guitarists, to showcase a range of gender, and since the narrative features a male focus, I believe it important to show a woman in a position of power and skill, to garner a positive reaction from young female audiences.

I will utilise a "blank canvas" for the performance shots, inspired by green screen effects used by bands such as The Stone Roses, where the band plays and sings in front of an artificially created background. Creating another visually stimulating element will keep the focus of a younger audience, and provide a simple avenue to create intertextuality, and emphasise certain lyrics. I intend to create animations using graphics and drawings, illustrating specific lyrics, as well as providing intertextual references. This will attract audiences of great cultural competence. 

Product 2 : With the online aspect of my chosen brief, I intend to create an accompanying website to the music video, that reflects my band's ideology and cements it as a brand. I will make sure it is cohesive to the music video, creating the impression that they are two products that digitally convergent and compliment eachother.

I intend to create two pages - the home page, wherein I aim to feature the music video itself, ensuring that the products reference eachother, as well as an element of audience interaction - in the form of a competition that is aimed at fellow young artists - catering to an audience of young, media-literate, creative people, that makes them feel as though they are on par with the band. This creates the idea that the band is down-to-earth and humble, which is a common aspect of independent rock bands, as there is that element of it being a movement of freedom and togetherness. I also intend to include merchandise that showcases the band's logo, as well as physical copies of their music, as this reflects the modern zeitgeist of CDs and vinyls coming back into the circle of trends. Also, I will include an additional 30 second video, as per the brief's requirement. I intend for this to be a charity campaign, again cementing the idea that the band is "for the people" - this video will also feature dancing as a medium to bring people together and assist in feelings of isolation when dealing with mental health issues, this also reflecting the zeitgeist as mental health problems are being recognised further as something crucial to address, especially in young people. 

In the "about us" page, I want to feature a conventional band formation story, the common "young dreamers" narrative, that should serve as a point of relatability and sense of emotion and heart behind the band. In addition to this, I would like to include introductions of each band members, using "personas" for each that reflect their own personalities as well as tying in with the bands title "Apricity" meaning warmth of the sun in winter - each member representing sunshine, ice, and nature. It is a convention of rock bands to put foward some kind of persona or character/theme for their band, to add to the theatrical nature of the music. Also in this page, I will include a longer piece of writing centred around the female leader of the band, and her musical influences, which not only acts as a point of attraction for music-loving audiences, but also a point of female empowerment, representing women in a position of power, and skill in a field that is very male-dominated. 

I also intend to include hidden details, a convention of music websites, and a way to invite audiences to interact with the site, these will include sneak peeks of collaborations, and secret animations illustrating the meaning of the band title. 

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production?

I intend to link my music video and my website by creating a visual cohesion between the two, utilising the same colour scheme of natural greens, with the contrast of grunger black and whites, that also reflects the combination of a natural backdrop for the video and it's rock and roll material.

I will also utilise the same graphics/drawings/animation present in both the music video and the website, to create a sense of connection and self-reference.

I will ensure that both products reference eachother - the music video urging audiences to visit the website at the end, the website featuring the music video on it's home page. This is a use of the "call to action" convention for music websites.

First Draft

 https://18-ikha.wixsite.com/my-site-1

(I am having trouble attaching my video, but it is on the website linked above)

Notes for editing

Recently I made the decision to re-edit my music video, as the three narrative strands were getting too confusing and made it very difficult to fit everything into the video. I have chosen the narrative strand that I believe is the best (the most well-shot, good composition, good lighting, clear storyline) and I am going to stick with that one and edit my video accordingly around that footage. 

The video will now consist of the following elements/ follow this loose structure:

• Shots of the band playing instruments and singing - following the usual requirements of there instruments in time with the music and lip syncing in time with the lyrics - however there will be inclusions of animated elements around them which may emphasise their actions or provide intertextual references.
• Shots of just the park storyline - the character dancing freely by themselves and then being joined by a shyer one - these shots will be spliced with the performance ones and will also be enhanced by small animated drawings.
• Shots of the “dance floor” - as well as the outdoor shots, there will also be shots of the couple dancing in front of a green screen that will be edited to look like a dance floor - this will add a third location to the video so that it doesn’t feel repetitive, and will further reflect the abstract style of the video.
• Shots of the band dancing - to reflect the song’s overall theme, avoid the video becoming repetitive and boring, and reflect the band’s playful persona, I have also decided to, towards the end, include shots of the band dancing. This will hopefully tie everything together, and even make it feel like they are dancing along with the characters in the narrative strand.

Progress this week

 This past week I have finished editing together my music video, and have begun to put the finishing touches to it such as colour grading. I have begun to fill in the blank space in my performance shots with drawings/graphics - my plan is to animate references to the song lyrics, as well as intertextual references.

 

Planning - Website

For the logo - could try an animation of APRICITY being frozen in ice, and then when clicked, a sun comes out and melts the ice off to reveal the actual logo (because apricity means the warmth of the sun in winter). The actual logo could consist of leaves wrapping around the name, and colourful flowers being dotted around it.

For the About Us page:

• Each band member having a different “theme” that represents them - that also ties into the name - Isobel being a flower, Louie being ice, Felix being the sun.
• Isobel having a section on her experiences as a woman in the industry - talking about how she’s treated as the front runner of the band. This appeals to a young female audience, and to an audience of musicians.
• Fun facts about each band member
• Sneak previews for a photoshoot and interview with Isobel - a big leading magazine, e.g. Vogue or Vanity Fair

For the main page:

• Charity campaign - Mind. Use the other footage from the two other narrative strands I filmed to create a dancing video to spread the message of not being alone when dealing with mental health issues - include statistic about young people.
• Merch - tote bags, t shirts, CDs or vinyls to appeal to young audiences as we are now in an age that wants physical media back. Could also include preview for collaboration with Safa Noor jewellery in the form of a pop-up
• Intertextual references - include a section that urges audiences to go back and look at the video to find intertextual references - a direct call to action.
• Competition - include a competition that appeals to an audience of fellow musicians, the prize being new equipment - shows the band’s generosity and incentive to help fellow bands - community is important.
• Also include - dates for future events, a message from the band, the actual video.

Raw Footage

 https://southendhighschoolforgirls-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/18-ikha_shsg_org/ErFN_zpXFnlOiMP4_-GaDOcBuVThff6A7gF-H1ZO_8ssZA?e=gsn1W1

Shooting Days

Band Shots (30th August)

Things I had to change:

• My original singer/lip syncer, Felix, had issues with his confidence in performing, and Isobel, who was originally going to drum, had issues with transporting her drum set. To solve both of these issues, I changed it to Isobel lip syncing as she was a more confident singer, and Felix playing bass alongside Louis' guitar, in place of the drums. 
• This then brought about an entirely different issue, in that I couldn't have a female lip syncing to a male singing voice, however I couldn't change the entire song and therefore entire video concept as I had already filmed other elements of it, so I found a female cover of the song by "The Suga Babes".

Details of the raw footage:

• I filmed in two locations, one outdoor, one indoor. I decided it would be a good idea to invest in a green screen to use as a backdrop for the indoor footage, as I would be able to edit it to look like they were in multiple locations, and also use it in a stylistic way and make it more reminiscent of music videos like "I wanna be adored" by the Stone Roses. The outdoor setting was my garden, as it had good lighting and the plants added a nice backdrop to take photos for the website.
• I made sure to film almost all of the time, so that I could collect footage to use in a "behind the scenes" video that could possibly be used for the 30 seconds of additional video required.

Inspiration

Music Video Case Study

I chose to look at the music video for "I Wanna Be Adored" by The Stone Roses. It’s main feature was it’s use of green screen technology to create a visually engaging effect of the band floating around and fading in and out of a mountain landscape that had also been recorded with the band walking on it. The combination of the two videos created a “trippy” effect that added to the music’s whimsical nature. I also noted the use of colour, as there is a purple and pink filter put over the whole video, which also helps create a certain atmosphere.

The inspiration I would take from this video to put into my own work would be:

• Utilising a green screen for the main focus points of the video.
• Utilising a fading effect for editing clips.
• Sticking to a specific colour scheme throughout to make the video feel more cohesive.

Abstract Art

When considering what to include within my animated aspects of my music video, I decided to look into works of surrealist art. I felt that including certain references to famed works within my video would not only draw upon a further audience of culturally competent consumers, but also reflect the video’s quirky style. Some examples include:

 

The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dali

 Man Ray’s unique Eye Photography

Photoshoot Results

 Subject No.1 - Evie Taylor

Subject No.2 - Ella Copeland

Subject No.3 - Test shots for Merch poses - rings and bracelets 

Planning - Initial Photoshoot

 Merchandise Photos:

• Safa Noor Mirza to model her own jewellery line 
• Extreme close ups to show off rings/earrings/necklaces/bracelets
• All would have the motif of astronomical symbols - stars/moon etc.
• These would be interior shots against a white background yet with colourful lighting - pinks and purples.
• Costume - As many accessories as physically possible - star clips are a must, preferably a skirt
• Makeup - neutral toned eyeshadow but with a lot of glitter over top, as well as dramatic highlighter
  
• Props - glow in the dark star stickers - crystals 
• Could have a mirror - something about the jewellery being so bright and beautiful its blinding?

Potential Secondary Merchandise Outlook?:

• Could go for a "for those who just want to stay in" approach as the rest of the site/the video will be geared towards going out and partying
• Could potentially be a cosy crocheted line of clothing
• Or could be selling sets with the materials to create your own jewellery

Potential Shot Inspiration:

• This could be good for showing off the rings and bracelets in detail, these types of mirrors can cost under £10.
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Test Footage - Videos

 https://share.icloud.com/photos/078lHLdVcmSEFslYhqJ3JCydg - This is an album of several videos - I could only get it working as a link but I am planning on editing these together as an "In Rehearsal/Behind The Scenes" video for the website

Test Footage - Lip Syncing

 I'm afraid I could only get it working as a link - this is a few different takes of Felix Ford as the main singer/bassist performing to "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance floor" by Arctic Monkeys.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/021pfizsDpLPF5JSUXvsoyYEA

Test Footage - Photos

 

I'm aware they're not hugely professional/sharp photos - but they give the general vibe of the band and their abilities - they could also show a more behind the scenes/in rehearsal aspect for the website. 

Felix is on bass, Louis is on guitar, Isobel is on drums! :D