CD Cover Pitch Feedback

Album Cover Case Studies

Rough Cut Screening/Feedback

This is our unfinished cut - we screened it to a class of our peers. They are our target audience and can provide useful feedback.





The class feedback was very useful, as the class gave us specific notes on our video, the main one being some lip synch issues which we will fix, there were also some issues with camera movement which we can also fix using After Effects. Overall, the class thought our video was very high quality and impressive and the main things they praised were the lighting, the effects and most of the camera work.

Reflecting on Research and Planning

Media exhibition trip

We went to a music video exhibition at the Strand, called the 'Infinite Mix' which showed off different types of music videos made by artists. They were presented in a creative way and provided some inspiration for our own music videos. 
There were conceptual videos that were visually interesting and unique, this gave us inspiration for the type of shots in our video. They were all very experimental which was fascinating to watch, one video was in 3D and had very impressive shots that complimented the 3D.

One video that was of particular interest was the Kendrick Lamar one, as it fits the genre we chose and the video was a mixture of narrative and conceptual themes. Presented on two screens which shows different perspectives of the same thing which is a creative way to tell a story. The video featured varied locations that represented the genre well and creative camera angles and shots which is something we want to incorporate in our video.

Video Pitch feedback

Class Feedback: the song itself was well received and was seen as a good choice as well as the case studies  we used, the conceptual elements were also seen as an interesting idea. However there were some concerns about the locations, as Sky Garden is hard to get in and places need to be booked in advance, so we should maybe use other locations if Sky Garden doesn't work out.

Overall, the pitch was strong and our plan was organised. To improve further we could have included ethical issues that could arise as that allows us to fix any problems that could interfere with making our video.

Music Video pitch

Music Video Case Study 3

This music video by Childish Gambino is a mixture of a conceptual and narrative video, as there clearly is a story going on however the way it is told is abstract. The video starts off with the artist in a diner looking at a woman and then proceeds to dance along to the song until the woman joins in after being reluctant at first, however the woman leaves and the artist goes back to sitting in the diner. The theme of the song and the lyrics ties into drugs and hallucinations, which is reflected by the abstract narrative of the song. The song itself is similar to a techno beat near the end which sounds strange and ties into the theme of the video.

Depth of field is used to show the relationship between the artist and the woman, it also could show how he is acting 'weird' as he dances when he is out of focus which gives a strange effect. there are many closeups to show the reaction of the woman and there are low angles of the artist to show how he is the centre of attention in the scene, and there are a lot of panning shots which match the movement of his dance moves. a  narrow depth of field shot from the outside of the diner emphasises how the woman tries to ignore the dancing, this shows how the narrative is shown through filming techniques and sound (as the music is lowered) rather than just showing it in the video.

There is minimal use of editing as a lot of long takes are used, which Childish Gambino does in a lot of his music videos. These create a more surreal look which matches the tone of the video and song. there is minimal lip syncing as the dance and body language of both actors tell the story. visual effects are used in the video near the end to show the surreal nature of the song as snow starts to appear inside and the lights flicker, this also matches the melody of the song. 

The video takes place in one location and the diner is coloured in mostly yellow and green, and the woman is also wearing a yellow and green jersey. these colours connote drugs and fit the theme of the song, they also compliment each other which allows for a visually appealing look to the video. the use of one location is also a more unique take on music videos which could attract of people who are fans of the genre. also the artist himself is portrayed in a strange way rather than overly rich or famous like most other videos which is another unique selling point for music fans in general.

The use of one location is very unique and i could use this in my own video as well, the mixture of narrative and conceptual themes is also something I could consider in my music video, as this allows for a wider range of possibilities when filming or editing. Overall, there are many concepts and ideas that i could use in my own work which would make my video interesting and captivating to watch.

Music Video Case Study 2

Music video case study 2 from Mark Rivas

Music Video Case Study 1

Music Video potential ideas

These are some rough ideas I came up with after studying other music videos for potential promo videos, once I choose an  idea that I like the most i can refine the details of my idea and start planning my music video.

Music Tracks

The first music track I could create a promo video for is 'The Girl is Mine' by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. this video is about two guys fighting over a girl, this could be done in a narrative way in a music video. the lyrics tell a clear story about both men and the 'girl'. this would require 3 actors, one girl an two boys, and the locations need to be visually appealing like a date that people would go on which matches the story of the song. the video is different than others as it is a classic song with a modern take on it, and could show a message that is timeless about relationships.

The second music track I chose is 'Ambitionz Az a Ridah' by 2pac, this song is perfect for a performance type video, as the song is about 'gangster' culture which can b represented better visually using a performance than a conceptual or narrative video. I would need a few actors to perform this song as it is a convention of rap music videos, the location needed would be an open space which reflects the genre of music like a place with a lot of graffiti which fits with the tone and lyrics of the song.




The third track I chose was 'Hey You' by Pink Floyd, this would b a conceptual music video because the song describes people's conditions and want for human contact, these ideas can be portrayed abstractly while also subtly telling a story. images of people broken or metaphorical images representing the loss of feeling. This could be done using a studio with only some locations, for example a river or a dark tunnel which fit the theme of the song. This type of conceptual music video isn't done very often so it will be unique and therefore appealing.

Practise Music Video

Camera Induction

These are the settings that should be applied when using the Canon DSLR 700d camera to film our music videos:

Filming mode switch on top, menu colour coded; red menu is movie record size 1080p 25 fps, the resolution we are filming in and 1080p is the highest quality

Exposure control: aperture AV to change aperture as it controls depth of field, set it to 50 shutter speed to control motion blur, iso is sensitivity to light iso and should be set between 100 – 1600.

Awb (auto white balance), picture style neutral so colours are flat and can be edited in post, Q is the quick menu for settings, below Awb is picture style looks like a wheel with N (neutral) and other settings change what the picture looks like with different colours.

Focus is on the side of the lens is af/mf, always use manual focus so it can be changed, if a shot is out of focus it can't be used so it has to be reshot, no clicking sound is heard when recording if manual focus is on

Tripod pull off plate screw it to bottom of camera and when it clicks it is safely attached. Overall, this lesson was useful as I know the basics in filmmaking which will allow me to produce a good quality music video.

Music Video class case study

Music video case study – Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea - Problem

Performance based music video, dancing choreography, in a studio

• Lots of close-ups 
• green screen
• split screen
• projection on the background
•  fast cutting rate
•  wipe transition
• bird’s eye view 
• rotating platform
• and black and white colour scheme, pink used to show ‘cute’
• zooming
• retro look
• match cuts with arms raised
• direct address with the audience throughout establishes a connection with the audience