MEST4 Linked production: Research and planning
1) Confirm your production brief. You write this yourself but it's absolutely crucial this is clear, appropriate and achievable. You should have done this already
Create a 3 minute music video that is completely different to the current music video, however fits with the theme and genre of the music.
2) Research: detailed notes on at least THREE texts similar to what you are creating. What are the key conventions? What can you learn/borrow from the examples you have looked at?
Official Music (going to be used for the official Linked Production): Harlem Spartans (Blanco, Zico, Bis, TG Millian, MizorMac) - Call Me A Spartan
Create a 3 minute music video that is completely different to the current music video, however fits with the theme and genre of the music.
2) Research: detailed notes on at least THREE texts similar to what you are creating. What are the key conventions? What can you learn/borrow from the examples you have looked at?
Official Music (going to be used for the official Linked Production): Harlem Spartans (Blanco, Zico, Bis, TG Millian, MizorMac) - Call Me A Spartan
#1
The camera angles used in this music video are key. These are all conventions that standard grime music videos as there is a lot of hand held shots (all of it is hand held). Furthermore, the aesthetical look is very good in terms of matching the style of what a grime video should look like 9in terms of actors).
The camera movement is what I will take away from this production, as it really fits in to the concept of a 'grime' music video. In typical music video's (like the ones mentioned below), all carry this key concept, showing that it is a vital requirement for such music genre, as opposed to the clean and sharp video quality for films.
#2
The entire chirography of the video is so good! Even the visual element of the video is very nice in terms of capturing the grime aspect as well as mixing it with very colourful aesthetic. The use of fireworks and unique style is something I will definitely consider for the actual linked production.
We plan to have a shot inside of a car/vehicle, and in this video there is also a shot of a group on men inside a vehicle. The reason this is significant is because, it gives a better insight in the shot angles and the visual element of what our version of that scene will look like. It doesn't break the 180 degree rule, until the camera angle shifts.
#3
What makes this video so good is the the lighting used to capture this footage during the night. The time of day I plan to record will be at night, and therefore this means that lighting is key. The way that Kaylum Dennis (visuals) captured the shot is very well done, as it gives off a cinematic look, that other videos don't show.
In addition, the editing element of this video is key. The way that the video cuts according to the music playing behind, is what typically all grime music videos have. I builds this equal wall between the editing and the video itself, not putting the audience member off. As seen in this video, as Yungen is rapping, there is a ripple sound effect which causes the screen to glitch black every time that beat drops.
#4
The props used in this video are things that I will definitely consider. The use of the mask is something that will match my critical investigation as well as capturing the dark tone within this music video. The video links more to my side of the critical investigation.
Moreover, the way in which this video gets away with no one actually being seen to be rapping (all is done behind the mask) is the exact type of concept my and my group are looking for. There will probably be too much problems with lip syncing, and this is a great alternative. It helps to deliver the same concept and theme, as well as stay true to the original genre of the music; grime.
3) Project schedule: when will you shoot and edit this production? Make this a week-by-week schedule leading up to Easter. Key dates: we break up for Easter on Friday 31 March and the final deadline is Wednesday 19 April.
- February Half term- first shooting day 2 days)
- Weekends onward depending on what needs to be shot
4) Script - see the BBC Writers' Room for advice/script formatting. If you're making a music video, you'll want to write a treatment instead. This is an example treatment that I provide for GCSE Media students studying this topic.
Scene 1- A woman with a gas mask (light-up) enters the scene where she begins to walk
The camera is moving in the same direction that the female character is walking in. The idea is to keep the character in the middle of the shot, therefore the camera has to move to ensure this. She is wearing an LED gas mask and walks in an abandoned tunnel.
Scene 2- Two more characters appear on both dies of the female character and begin to walk across the room
The camera follows the movement of the female, until the shadows of the other two come in to the shot. There seems to be a person approaching the characters.
Scene 3- All three characters are holding a flaming torch and walk
Each character (with their masks on) have a lit torch in their hands and continue to walk. There is a slight cut in between their movement to give pace to the scene.
Scene 5- Music artist is rapping the main music on the streets towards the camera
The artist is moving his arms around in pace with the music beat, and is mimicking the music that plays over the music video
Scene 6- A figure in the distant (cannot see him/her) as the camera moves, we see that they have thrown a large object behind them.
The character seems to be angry/frustrated, which is why they throw a large object (brick) behind them. The camera moves, in order to displace the optical flare and give the audience more of a visual element to work with, they get to see a slight glimpse of the character.
Scene 7- The brick hits a bunch of pipes, and crumbles once it meets impact with them.
The impact of the bricks on the pipes leaves the brick to crumble and break apart, and essentially the editing has slowed down the shot to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Scene 8- A character is seen throwing another brick behind him, where it hits a barrier gate.
The character has thrown an object behind him in to a barred gate, and as he/she does so, the camera speeds up to reveal the face of the character (who is seen to be wearing a red LED) mask.
Scene 9- We see the three main characters continue their journey with flamed torch in their hands.
The camera is positioned directly in front of them (most likely captured by a gimbal), and tracks backwards as the characters move in the same direction as the camera is.
Scene 10- We see two of the three characters, however the one in red is seen to be hitting something with a weapon.
The character in the red LED mask is seen to have a lethal weapon in his hand as he is constantly hitting an object, which is later revealed to be a brick.
Scene 1- A man is standing, glancing at his phone while on his phone
The character is glancing at his phone, while the camera swings around him. Until, the character breaks the fourth wall and looks directly at the camera after the camera completes its 180 degree turn. There is an edit of fast pace in order to give that shock to the viewer when the character looks at the camera.
Scene 2- Main character uses his hand gestures to make the camera man follow him, and approaches a group of young men, who are too, hidden in masks.
The character breaks the fourth wall again, and gestures to the audience to follow him. He then approaches a group of 4 other people who are also wearing masks. There is a glitch effect clashing with the scene to give it a more grime aesthetic.
Scene 3- The main character approaches the group, and they stand their in a circle.
The character approaches, and the character with a skeleton mask nods his head. The camera moves across behind all of the characters to show all of them line up in a circular formation.
Scene 4- The music artist is rapping the music at a bride/crater location
We see the main artist of the video rap the music video at a crater yard. The camera dips down, to allow the chance of a multi-coloured raze/glitch effect to occur, giving it that classical grime feel.
Scene 5- We see a brief glimpse at one of the members removing their mask, with purple smoke emerging from the side
We see a member pull off his mask for a brief second, and as we do, there is purple smoke emerging from the side. There is a white spark effect that goes across the screen the essentially make the scene even more quicker.
Scene 6- The main character is standing idle as the camera swoops in
The main character is standing in the centre of the frame, as the camera swoops closer to him, to make him visible in full frame.
Scene 7- The main artist is rapping for a brief time, until he gets replaced by the skull character
The camera swings left in order to transition the character to the skull character. There is also use of a multi-coloured glitch effect that essentially aids the transition even further making it cleaner and much more professional.
Scene 8- Skull character remains idle during this scene
The camera swoops to the right where we see the skull character remain idle again, however the camera is swifting from side to side, keeping the character in shot.
Scene 9- We finally see the skull character reveal himself to be the actual artist at the beginning of the video
The artist is rapping in the middle amongst other members (where they are idle), and camera moves slightly around them.
Scene 10- Main character is seen dancing before the camera
The character is seen dancing while the camera follows his movements up and down, as well as shaking the camera footage to give it a more dramatic effect.
Scene 1- A woman with a gas mask (light-up) enters the scene where she begins to walk
The camera is moving in the same direction that the female character is walking in. The idea is to keep the character in the middle of the shot, therefore the camera has to move to ensure this. She is wearing an LED gas mask and walks in an abandoned tunnel.
Scene 2- Two more characters appear on both dies of the female character and begin to walk across the room
The camera follows the movement of the female, until the shadows of the other two come in to the shot. There seems to be a person approaching the characters.
Scene 3- All three characters are holding a flaming torch and walk
Each character (with their masks on) have a lit torch in their hands and continue to walk. There is a slight cut in between their movement to give pace to the scene.
Scene 5- Music artist is rapping the main music on the streets towards the camera
The artist is moving his arms around in pace with the music beat, and is mimicking the music that plays over the music video
Scene 6- A figure in the distant (cannot see him/her) as the camera moves, we see that they have thrown a large object behind them.
The character seems to be angry/frustrated, which is why they throw a large object (brick) behind them. The camera moves, in order to displace the optical flare and give the audience more of a visual element to work with, they get to see a slight glimpse of the character.
Scene 7- The brick hits a bunch of pipes, and crumbles once it meets impact with them.
The impact of the bricks on the pipes leaves the brick to crumble and break apart, and essentially the editing has slowed down the shot to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Scene 8- A character is seen throwing another brick behind him, where it hits a barrier gate.
The character has thrown an object behind him in to a barred gate, and as he/she does so, the camera speeds up to reveal the face of the character (who is seen to be wearing a red LED) mask.
Scene 9- We see the three main characters continue their journey with flamed torch in their hands.
The camera is positioned directly in front of them (most likely captured by a gimbal), and tracks backwards as the characters move in the same direction as the camera is.
Scene 10- We see two of the three characters, however the one in red is seen to be hitting something with a weapon.
The character in the red LED mask is seen to have a lethal weapon in his hand as he is constantly hitting an object, which is later revealed to be a brick.
Scene 1- A man is standing, glancing at his phone while on his phone
The character is glancing at his phone, while the camera swings around him. Until, the character breaks the fourth wall and looks directly at the camera after the camera completes its 180 degree turn. There is an edit of fast pace in order to give that shock to the viewer when the character looks at the camera.
Scene 2- Main character uses his hand gestures to make the camera man follow him, and approaches a group of young men, who are too, hidden in masks.
The character breaks the fourth wall again, and gestures to the audience to follow him. He then approaches a group of 4 other people who are also wearing masks. There is a glitch effect clashing with the scene to give it a more grime aesthetic.
Scene 3- The main character approaches the group, and they stand their in a circle.
The character approaches, and the character with a skeleton mask nods his head. The camera moves across behind all of the characters to show all of them line up in a circular formation.
Scene 4- The music artist is rapping the music at a bride/crater location
We see the main artist of the video rap the music video at a crater yard. The camera dips down, to allow the chance of a multi-coloured raze/glitch effect to occur, giving it that classical grime feel.
Scene 5- We see a brief glimpse at one of the members removing their mask, with purple smoke emerging from the side
We see a member pull off his mask for a brief second, and as we do, there is purple smoke emerging from the side. There is a white spark effect that goes across the screen the essentially make the scene even more quicker.
Scene 6- The main character is standing idle as the camera swoops in
The main character is standing in the centre of the frame, as the camera swoops closer to him, to make him visible in full frame.
Scene 7- The main artist is rapping for a brief time, until he gets replaced by the skull character
The camera swings left in order to transition the character to the skull character. There is also use of a multi-coloured glitch effect that essentially aids the transition even further making it cleaner and much more professional.
Scene 8- Skull character remains idle during this scene
The camera swoops to the right where we see the skull character remain idle again, however the camera is swifting from side to side, keeping the character in shot.
Scene 9- We finally see the skull character reveal himself to be the actual artist at the beginning of the video
The artist is rapping in the middle amongst other members (where they are idle), and camera moves slightly around them.
Scene 10- Main character is seen dancing before the camera
The character is seen dancing while the camera follows his movements up and down, as well as shaking the camera footage to give it a more dramatic effect.
5) Sketching and drafting - for video-based productions this means astoryboard - sheets available in DF07 or you can print out your own AQA storyboard sheet. For print productions, this means detailed sketches of all your pages.
6) Shot list - use Microsoft Word or a template like this to help you. Remember, you need a shot list whether you are filming or carrying out a print photoshoot - professional quality original images are essential if you want to reach the top level.
7) Mise-en-scene: casting/model details, costume and make-up, props, lighting, location scouting for video productions etc. Use photographs to document and plan your mise-en-scene - using your phone is acceptable for this.
Costumes:
Costumes:
- Jeans
- Hoodies
- Masks
- Gloves
- Bandanas
Lighting:
- Reflector
- Light x2
- Street lights
- Car lights
Location:
- In front of an estate
- On street
- Inside a car/vehicle
- Alley Way
Props:
- Gun (replica obviously)
- Alcohol bottle
- Smoke Grenade
