research
RESEARCH FOR UNIT 9
The idea ( a short brief )When i watch music videos i am always so fascinated about how they are all so different , it's not like films where there is a certain genre or theme , there is always one distinctive feature in each music video. When i made my first music video for my level 2 fmp , i loved how it went. It was so fun challenging myself to make the video stand out.
This year i will be creating another music video however giving myself new challenge by creating a music video with a lot more meaning , what i mean by that is my first FMP lacked information when it came to the visuals , I need to give the audience a sense of emotion in the shots. My first FMP was essentially a load of '' cool '' effects bundled together.
I will be creating a music video that has two of frank oceans songs in the album '' Blonde ''. They will be shortened down and edited in premiere pro to merge together , its not a complicated sound edit but its needed to blended in well. The reason why i am doing two songs is because i want the audience to feel two different types of emotions and this will be caused by the contrast between the songs pace , it is becoming more and more common to merge two songs from an album and put them in a music video. The first half will be really slow and moody and then it will transition to a fast pace video using effects such as the infinite zoom.
I need to analyse as much as i can about frank ocean because he has never really done a proper music video. Dissecting him , bit by bit will help me understand how to create a frank ocean style music video.
identifying frank oceans genre.
contemporary R&B
R&B
RAP
y,
Rhythm and blues ( R&B) was considered strictly black music. Although I am not part of the American culture, I consider my cultural heritage to be somewhat related to this culture in terms of its music. Artist effect people in all ways and when music videos come into the mix the audience can get a visual idea of what the artist is trying show. With Frank ocean , he rarely makes music videos , in someway for me this is good as i don't have to stick to what some artists do which is have a certain theme in their videos however it means i have dig deep into frank Ocean's lyrics to get a picture in my head.
The black culture is a phenomenal subject representing the life style, imagination and accomplishments of people. One of the most outstanding and unique characteristic that makes this culture one of a kind is the music it has produced. Music has a common characteristic that is unique to all cultures throughout the world.
However, the music’s form, or style, every culture in history includes music as an important part of everyday life. The four most popular categories of Black nusic are Blues, Jazz, Gospel, and Rhythm and Blues. Blues is an African American music that has a wide range of emotions and musical styles which is expressed in songs that verse injustice or express longing for a better life and lost loves,
jobs, and money. Frank ocean is a mix within R&B funk jazz. Despite the songs i am using have no jazz , understanding the foundations of frank oceans music genre is key to get a picture in my head of the artistic style i am aiming for.
Jazz is music that consists of musical instruments such as saxophones, flutes, and clarinets. Gospel music refers to African American Protestant vocal music that celebrates Christine Doctrine in emotive , one artist who is linked with Frank ocean , is kanye west. His latest album is a christian album that shows a different side of what kanye usually does which is rap however when it comes kanye's music videos the artistic methodology that he uses maybe controversial because of sudden switch from rap to Christianity but his music video style is admirable for my idea in mine. His use of colour in his shots is so consistent and clean. For me this is key , i have to keep a theme throughout my music video to keep the viewers gripped. I believe that is what kanye was trying to reflect.
The photos below is what i am trying to create in certain shots of ,my music video , the open scenery , the minimalistic backgrounds is what i want to represent the first half of the music video , like i said the first 2 minutes is very slow , so empty shots like this emphasises the the visual representation that i am trying to reflect onto the viewers.
Identifying what a music video is.
This will be the main effect that i will use in my music video, Like i have said before there will be two songs put together and because of the difference of the pace in the both songs , the pace of the edits will be different. In the second half of the music video i am planning on using the infinite zoom , a lot of artists are starting to use this effect as like i have said before it adds a sense of flow and rhythm to the video. Obviously i am going to match it to the pace of the song , this will give a significant message to the audience about the contrast from when he was unhappy and now feels great. This effect is seen in music videos such as :
The use of grain in films is becoming more and more popular within in the film industry. The amount of grain in an image has been an important artistic tool of cinematographers and directors for decades. If you want to give your film a rough or textured look that really stands out, grain is something you can use. It is seen a lot in films but there has been some music videos that have included the use of noise.
Making a music video can be made in whatever way you wanted it to be made. There are all sorts of music videos in this world , from animated to plot based music videos like Michael Jackson's thriller.
For my music video i will be using a wide range of effects to enhance the viewers ( effects will be discussed further down in the research). I need to look at how i made my last music video and how i can improve to make it as best as it can potentially be .
essential equipment for music videos :
Camera - necessary.
Tripod or Gimble Stabilizer - helps me stabilise my shots.
Video Lighting Kit
Interchangeable Lenses
Headphones
Music Player
Speakers
Microphones
External Camera Monitor
Digital Audio Recorder
Extra Batteries and Memory Cards
Video Editing Software
With of all of this basic equipment you can create a music video , however its the creativity that you use that will make your music video distinctive , i want to make my music video as creative as possible however along side creativity it also has to have a slight plot , this is what i lacked on my last music video , a plot.
The two songs i will use :
1.
,'' Siegfried''
i will use 2 minutes of this song in this piece.
This song will be the opening track to this project , i really believe this will be the best way to start this video because the next track ups the mood massively . the idea of this song starting is to show the generic feel that the target audience i am aiming for relate to so much these days and that's " late night vibes " and the idea of nostalgia. The 16-17 ages these days really like how fashion was in the 90's and that is what i want to stick to. The song makes you feel like you are isolated in such a big world.
2,
i will use 1 minute and 40 seconds of this song
This will transition the dark , gloomy " Siegfried " to the bloom of summer , those summer evenings when the sun goes down and this is where the audience will really see what this piece truly wants to present, I want to include a lot of effects in this section of the video such as the infinite zoom where you zoom through scenes. It almost represents looking back at the characters life.
the reason why i am using these two songs is because , it will start off slow and then begins upbeat , almost like a revelation has happened in his life. The small story in this music video just shows his mood , how his life struggles but theirs always hope on the other side. there's a small indication of bipolar in this music video because of the change in mood due to the song.
Analysing the target audience of Frank Ocean
Boys and Girls that are ages 16- 21.
- Interested in their own unique style of clothing.- Interests generally going to gigs/Concerts, spending time with friends, latest Fashions & keeping on top of gossip through social networking.- Secondary school students and University students who look to let loose once in a while and generally has a quite laid back temperament. and are likely to shop in shops that have an edgy clothing collection e.g, Urban outfitters.
The target audience will be interested in up coming festivals, Gigs and Concerts that feature artist’s presented within the music magazine. This may exclude new artist that have not yet been selected to perform at these events. Festivals may include; V festival (V festival is an event produced by Virgin media. Consumers can choose to camp at the festival over the weekend In a tent.
This goes back to the idea of ‘I don’t care’ rebellious attitude of the target audience as they would enjoy the crazy experience. The line up of the festival include artist that That my target audience will be thoroughly interested in. Wireless is another festival organized by Barclays featuring huge artists across a three day span. The audience spend a whole day at the location which is usually a muddy field to experience the artists Performing live.
But this is what is key , understanding and dissecting every part of Frank Ocean to even the target audience.
I also joined Frank Ocean groups to understand what other people would expect to see in a music video.
This helped me understand what ' hardcore' Frank Ocean fans expect in a music video. And the most common answer was cars , but that also linked to '' aesthetic vibes '' which means like a pleasing thing to look at. This is what i want to replicate in my music video , the idea of nostalgic shots with the use of VHS overlays and colour grading combines the saying aesthetic vibes which from research is what fans of frank ocean expect.
Using a survey to solidify the target audience of a music video.
Identifying frank oceans target audience is one thing however identifying what people like in music videos is another section which is incredibly key. I created a survey to understand what people prefer to see in music videos. I needed a foundation to build onto and crating a survey that just analysed the basics of music videos helped me understand what viewers prefer in general.
from the get go i had a lot of results that did surprise me a lot. Having this much response could help me really get an idea of what i needed to do in order to make it a proper music video.
my first two questions were just identifying who was taking my survey and how old they were so i can just gather an idea of who is most likely saying the responses in the other questions. The most common age that was given in my survey was 18-17.
This first question shows how much people watch music videos , the most common answer is '' usually''
which gives me the idea that ages from 18-17 enjoy music videos and watch them regularly.
which gives me the idea that ages from 18-17 enjoy music videos and watch them regularly.
My next question was '' what do you expect to see in a music video. This helped me understand what people expect generally to see in a music video. Some of the key points people pointed out was that it generally depends on the genre :
''something which fits the type of music. eg a love song to feature a couple etc. but overall something which is visually pleasing with lots of colour ''
''Anything that matches the genre. Usually you see the artist in their music video at some point or a depiction of the artist. Often you will see people dancing to the song at some point. ''
''Depends on the genre. Rap typically have lots of bling and models dancing, ballards have the artist performing on a stage and pop songs involve dancing and really extravagant scenarios ''
This question was really effective as it gave me an idea of what a '' generic '' music video looks like , it helped me understand the balance between graphics and plots which will help me create the outline of what the basic music video has.
Another key question i asked was '' Do you prefer narrative or abstract music videos? Why do you prefer this? (Narrative - music videos that follow a story, Abstract - no real story or performance involved). '' This helped me understand what an audience prefers in a music video and how i can create the most ideal music video for an audience.
I got some really good answers that helped me develop an idea for what an audience would prefer in a music video.
The overall answer was narrative which i was planning on doing but in a distinctive way.
Narrative music videos are those that tell a story. There are many different ways a story can be told in a music video. A narrative can be edited alongside the performance of the artist so that the video cuts back and forth between elements of performance and narrative. Like i said , i want to encode a meaning to the scenes because this is what i lacked in my last music video.
ANALYSING MUSIC VIDEOS LINKED WITH FRANK OCEAN
Frank ocean has never released a proper music video , so this can make my video be as creative as possible , however i have analysed music videos that could potentially be like mine.
Tyler the creator - TAMALE -
1. DISJUNCTURE
Tamale by Tyler, The Creator is an example of a disjuncture music video, as it is “a visual interpretation of Tylers mind’, which implies that the video does not resemble the lyrics and it has nothing to do with the song. this is what i want to do with my video , i do not want it to have any relation to the lyrics but have an visual connection with the viewer.
MISE-EN-SCENE
The mise-en-scene in the video varies and some of it is very random, However, the clothing is what Tyler commonly wears and most of the props represent his hobbies and possibly dislikes. The props and setting are also very unrealistic looking, which adheres to the video’s style of being in Tyler’s mind.
CAMERAWORK
The shots in the video vary, but it mostly consists of close-ups of Tyler's face which identifies his emotions. , Long shots are also used, because they give a wider picture into Tyler's mind.
EDITING
Half of the scenes use green screens which makes a more unbelievable picture which illustrates that it is someone's mind and it isn’t real , i intend on using green screens on my my video to enhance the use of visuals. The video switches between a realistic setting and a green screen cshot to show the two sides of Tyler’s mind. One being unrealistic and the other being slightly less realistic. However, neither are very ‘normal’ which connotes that Tyler isn’t ‘normal’ himself, which helps to promote him for who he actually is.
Post modernism
Post modernism was a huge part of my project , mainly because it is the definition of frank ocean , he creates his own art which is what I wanted to with this project. i researched what is post modernism and how it links with my project . Frank has a very unique style when it comes to the creation of his music style; he likes to push the boundaries of what is considered appropriate by many people. Frank ocean rarely releases music therefore never really uploads videos , however frank's songs always have a deeper meaning than people think , his uses of lyrics can always create an imagery in the listeners head that they can create on their own , and it's now down to me make sure i turn it into video.
Childish Gambino , This is America. The use of encoding.
This music video holds what could be the greatest music video ever, the little secrets within each shot , the meaning behind each shot can be deeply analysed. This is a great example of what i was saying about how the lyrics have an impact on the listeners but when a music video comes in it can have a greater impact. The use of encoding can be used in so many different ways , for me it's about how can i encode for my music video ?
Like i said the opening shot will transition into the characters eye , giving the perception towards the viewer that they are mourning a good time in their life.
The camera starts to gambino who holds a gun up to Calvin’s head that has been covered by a bag and proceeds to shoot him. Social media quickly recognised a striking similarity in Glover’s stance while holding the gun , it mimicked a photo of Jim Crow. In fact, many of Glover’s expressions and body movements connect back to the image of Jim Crow. But this shows how you can create shots with a deep meaning and essentially encode secrets into the video to draw the audience forward and keep them engaged.
LOCATIONS I WILL USE TO FILM.
Finding a location to shoot can sometimes be the most fun but difficult part of the planning a music video. i will first need to decide the tone of my video, whether it’s going to be industrial, city/streets or landscape views. This will help me arrow down where to look for my location to film. Looking back at my research i have spoken about the use of ''aesthetic vibes '', using the likes of the underground will add to the idea of the elucidation. The dark gritty but almost fashionable underground will definitely add to the music videos use of imagery.
*prepped shots that i can possibly use in my music video.
Once i know exactly what im looking for , i can use websites such as UKFilmLocation.com which will help me find the best locations to film. This is a database of thousands of places which are available to be used as location for filming, either for free or to rent.
Video effects
The use of video effects in my music video is key. When you look at music videos from similar artists like Frank ocean , they have a wide variety of effects that enhance the video and also inspire the audience because the effects are so distinctive such as '' Asap Rocky '' and '' travis scott ''.
As well as the rhythm of the music video and the concept of some shots. i consider the visual aesthetic and style of how i want it all to look and a lot of this will come under editing effects , like i said a lot of the artists that are like Frank ocean use a lot of effects in their videos. Having an overall creative vision for the music video as a whole will enable the audience to be drawn into it.
The pace of the music and the editing could affect how much footage i need to film. A faster-paced edit such as the infinite zoom i want to use will require more shots than a slower edited video such as the first half of the video. During the process of the production, new ideas will arise that might move the creative vision in a different direction so i need to be open to different views along the way this happened a lot in my previous music video and ideally to keep a structured project i need to make sure it doesn't happen again.
This first edit effect will feature in my music video a few times. This will add flow to my music video and create a sense of rhythm for my audience.
This will be the main effect that i will use in my music video, Like i have said before there will be two songs put together and because of the difference of the pace in the both songs , the pace of the edits will be different. In the second half of the music video i am planning on using the infinite zoom , a lot of artists are starting to use this effect as like i have said before it adds a sense of flow and rhythm to the video. Obviously i am going to match it to the pace of the song , this will give a significant message to the audience about the contrast from when he was unhappy and now feels great. This effect is seen in music videos such as :
It can really make a video look old and vintage like , which is linked with the idea of '' aesthetics '' , all of these effects put together can really help me create the perfect frank ocean like music video.
Now, in the day of digital film making and film editing, it's become popular to use post-production as a means of achieving not only a specific look but an aura of cinematic integrity and this is key for my music video, the use of effects and the editing will enhance my music video a lot.
Referencing
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| Article title: | Why is film grain used in films? Are there any good implementations or films where it made sense to use film grain? : movies |
| Website title: | Reddit.com |
| URL: | https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/xcnzc/why_is_film_grain_used_in_films_are_there_any/ |
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| Article title: | An Expert's Take on the Symbolism in Childish Gambino’s Viral ‘This Is America’ Video |
| Website title: | Time |
| URL: | https://time.com/5267890/childish-gambino-this-is-america-meaning |
We found:
| Article title: | This is America: theories behind Childish Gambino's satirical masterpiece |
| Website title: | the Guardian |
| URL: | https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/07/this-is-america-theories-donald-glover-satirical-video-childish-gambin |
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| Article title: | Understanding the Power of Film Editing |
| Website title: | Jonny Elwyn - Film Editor |
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| Article title: | How to Make Color Adjustments Using Tone Curves in Lightroom |
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| Article title: | Why is film grain used in films? Are there any good implementations or films where it made sense to use film grain? : movies |
| Website title: | Reddit.com |
| URL: | https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/xcnzc/why_is_film_grain_used_in_films_are_there_any/ |
We found:
| Article title: | Why is film grain used in films? Are there any good implementations or films where it made sense to use film grain? : movies |
| Website title: | Reddit.com |
| URL: | https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/xcnzc/why_is_film_grain_used_in_films_are_there_any/ |
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| Article title: | Frank Ocean Music Video : FrankOcean |
| Website title: | Reddit.com |
| URL: | https://www.reddit.com/r/FrankOcean/comments/j79bdg/frank_ocean_music_video |
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