Usher - Burn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5XNWFw5HVw


1.) How do the visuals respond to the music?
a. How are the verses, choruses and bridges punctuated?
b. How do the visuals emerge from a process of synaesthesia?

Slow music - 27 shots in one minute is slow paced. The verses focus more so on usher switching from close ups of his face and the sad expressions to mid-shots of his body actions - he's seems depressed - hunched over, hands in face etc. It also cuts from shots where he is lip singing to other shots where is walking in slow motion and looking outside intently. Throughout the video he seems isolated - the girl fades in and out of shots-  from others and seems depressed. The video portrays a feeling of pain, sorrow and heart break. The chorus switches from both his focus and on the woman. Some of the lyrics matched the visuals of the video - in the chorus it says ' let it burn' and the video show the swimming pool which she has dived into setting itself on fire - this implies that the relationship is over. The fading woman and her in the back ground implies that she is not part of his life any more and now he is alone.

2.) To what extent does it follow a narrative?
a. what parts of the story can we and not see?
b. Why is part of the story withheld?

There is lots of slow motion which emphasises his pain. The first few scenes shows him alone at home. The woman is first featured at 0.22 seconds and is then featured in short clips with him and without him throughout the video. Some clips of them together are shown as a memory - this is done by fading the woman out of the shot as she walks away.  The video is amplifying as it doesn't show direct visual in the video to the lyrics although the video implies that they were together and now they are apart and its painful for him. The video is very dark and depressing looking. Lots of shot of him looking down instead of straight on. He looks really sad.
He reinforces his star image - he has a posh apartment with a swimming pool and a flash car. 


3.) What kind of image is the star presenting
a. How does it fit in with the overall story of that star?

Shows that he is wealthy -  he has a posh apartment with a swimming pool and a flash car. He wears sunglasses in doors even though its a dark, gloomy, depressing setting.
Its a love song about his loss

4.) How are cinematography, mise en scene, editing used in the video - are there any significant features worthy of comment and why are they used?

Mise en scene - the shots are really dull which gives an insight ito his sadness. The woman is edited in slow motion which implies that she's a memory.  When the camera is on him he is normal paced. The shots of him are dark, lots of shadow, close ups of eyes and lips - shows sadness, expressions.
The visuals of fire on the swimmng pool  and the bed indicate that he's letting the memories of her burn.

5.) Is the video literal, disjunctive or amplifying?
Amplifying - he is showing that he is sad, depressed he wants the memories of her to go. He misses her.
It is not disjunctive as the video implies that he's letting her go.

Bobby Brown - Don't be Cruel video analysis

This is a music video from the 80's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd7dCbEfTs4&ob=av2e

1.) How do the visuals respond to the music?
a. How are the verses, choruses and bridges punctuated?
b. How do the visuals emerge from a process of synaesthesia?

The beginning of the music shows close ups of the reflections of him in the womans sunglasses. The following shot then shows a car driving down dark, misty alley at night which portrays a mysterious sense. We then have clear visuals of a couple (the singer and a women) having an argument in the car and looking frustrated with each other. This is building up a story before the lyrics begin. The verses focussed more so on him lip singing and showed short shots of the woman strutting, dancing and looking beautiful. There is alot of dance involved and the chorus focusses on him singing/ dancing and then couple together. Some of the lyrics don't exactly match the visuals however the woman clearly shows that she is un-interested in him.


2.) To what extent does it follow a narrative?
a. what parts of the story can we and not see?
b. Why is part of the story withheld?

The music video contains 40 shots in 1 minute which is slow paced. He is having an argument with his girlfriend - the short close up shots of the two show their expression . The video is amplifying as it doesn't show direct visual connotation to her being 'cruel' to him but shows in the lyrics that she acts uninterested in his affection -"you should be giving me your love too" He reinforces his star image - referring to his money in his lyrics - " you thought about the dollars I make and you were willing"  and dances through out the video to show his audience that he can dance. This is also conveying the idea that he is dancing because he enjoys his music - makes others want to dance and enjoy the music. At the end of the video, he drives away in the car alone - looks frustrated, unappreciated and fed up. There is then a close up shot watching the car drive away in the womans sunglasses. - implies end of relationship.



3.) What kind of image is the star presenting
a. How does it fit in with the overall story of that star?

Shows that he wants to be loved - following the girl around trying to be close to her. She doesn't appreciate him - ignores him, keeps distant. He is a dancer - shots in the video of him dancing shows that he is fun. Famous/popular - the shot where he gets first access into the club and shakes the hand of the doorman in a friendly way. He is still following his girlfriend. It also shows he is famous as his face/image is shown through loads of televisions.




4.) How are cinematography, mise en scene, editing used in the video - are there any significant features worthy of comment and why are they used?

Mise en scene - the close up shots of the two arguing are used to create a feel to the music - frustration. When the camera is on him, he sings directly looking into the camera whereas she doesn't look at the camera. We know that he narrates the story because this shows that he is the only one aware of the camera - he sings to directly to her in the lyrics but also sings to the camera.
 The shots cut to lots of different close ups of the women through out - this includes her sunglasses, her lips, her smile. There is a mid shot of her upper body walking then it cuts to a mid shot of just her shoulders to thighs walking - male fantasy image. 

The colour and shade of the music video is dark throughout - night time. Blue is also used as a base tone throughout to show mystery.
The woman had big long curly hair wearing a short skirt and high heels and make up. - shows her to be desirable.

5.) Is the video literal, disjunctive or amplifying?
Disjunctive in a way - the dancing from both of them does not really convey a story.
Amplifying - The video is amplifying as it doesn't show direct visual connotation to her being 'cruel' to him but shows in the lyrics that she acts uninterested in his affection -"you should be giving me your love too"

Literal - the chorus lyrics "don't be cruel" matches the visuals as she walks away from him un-interested and  he drops to the floor in frustration.

Andrew Goodwin - music video analysis sheet

50 cent - Candy Shop - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRcnnId15BA&ob=av2e


1.) How do the visuals respond to the music?
a. How are the verses, choruses and bridges punctuated?
b. How do the visuals emerge from a process of synaesthesia?

The verses focussed more so on the women whereas the chorus focussed on him singing. Some of the lyrics matched the visuals of the video - he says he's the 'love doctor' and the video visualises a women in a nurses uniform acting seductive. Some of the scenes are seen through his eyes - the focussed close ups of the women.

2.) To what extent does it follow a narrative?
a. what parts of the story can we and not see?
b. Why is part of the story withheld?

He is in a dream - the slow camera movements and slow motion emphasise this as it focusses on the women's bodies. The video is amplifying as it doesn't show direct visual connotation to sweets but show how he visions women as 'candy' (pleasure).
He reinforces his star image - showing that he's made it as a star with the bling, expensive car, his own high quality brand 'G-Unit' clothing. His big furry jacket also gives the impression of a pimp as it is what the 1970'2 pimps use to wear.



3.) What kind of image is the star presenting
a. How does it fit in with the overall story of that star?

Shows that he is rich and famous -  mansion with gates, expensive clothing, expensive sports car
Shows he is powerful, demanding, strong and independent as he drives through the open gates of the mansion and walks in to loads a beautiful women dressed seductively. He walks through the house proud as if he owns it and is shown in different shots with different women in each room. The girls are all over him which suggests that he is someone to be desired.

4.) How are cinematography, mise en scene, editing used in the video - are there any significant features worthy of comment and why are they used?

Mise en scene - the slow motion shots are used to exaggerate his desire for the women. When the camera is on him he is normal paced. The shots cut to lots of different women acting seductive for him.
The colour red is used through the music video- initiates the idea of love, lust, seduction. This includes his red sports car, hat, love room, stair case carpet, the women's clothes when they are dancing. At the end of the video when he awakens from his dream, he see's the same main women standing behind the candy shop till wearing red uniform - hat and shirt.

5.) Is the video literal, disjunctive or amplifying?
Amplifying - it isn't literal as there are no sweets involved. He is trying to illustrate that the women are 'candy'.
It is not disjunctive as the meaning 'candy' is interpreted in a different way.

Post Production: Digital Technology

I found the editing quite easy using the different tools and trying to perfect the lip syncing to match the mp3 track.  I would like to further my knowledge on Adobe Premier Pro to produce a good quality video for my final A2 course work. The devices I used on Adobe Premier Pro included: the razor tool to crop the video; the speed/duration tool to speed up and slow down clips. These were particularly useful as it enabled me to capture the correct shot to match the timing of music.

This is an image of the Adobe Premier Pro software.

Skills Task Production

During this production task, we used a classroom in Worcester Sixth Form college to film the scenes that we needed for the music video. The shooting went really well and was not time consuming as we had studied the angles, expressions and actions needed for the shot. We filmed a few of the scenes multiple times so that we could choose the best ones to edit for the final outcome. I carefully went through all the clips to select the best one for the final outcome. It would be beneficial in future for my A2 coursework to rename the final selected clips to differentiate from the unneeded clips. These selected clips could also be put into a different file so that I can easily access these clips when editing the video.  The only part of filming which could have been redone for the better was the close up shots of the two busted boys to get a clearer view of their expressions in two scenes. I found that the team were really easy and enjoyable to work with an were focussed on the task at hand. For future recording, I personally would like to direct and film as I would take great consideration of all angles to portray a good quality shot.

Skills Task Production: Digital technology

I enjoyed editing the music video using Adobe Premier Pro. I found it easy to edit using the razor tool to crop the video and change the speed of certain clips. I did not personally use the camera to record for this piece of work however I did film the opening to a romantic comedy genre film for AS and did so very well. I have documented the research and planning on my blog to help me further my production work.

During this production task, I learnt how to successfully work in a team deciding the roles between us and producing a satisfying final outcome. During the A2 year, I would like to further my knowledge and understanding of the Adobe Premier Pro software to produce a high quality music video.

Production: Digital technology

I enjoyed editing the music video using Adobe Premier Pro. I found it easy to edit using the razor tool to crop the video and change the speed of certain clips. I did not personally use the camera to record for this piece of work however I did film the opening to a romantic comedy genre film for AS and did so very well. I have documented the research and planning on my blog to help me further my production work.

During this production task, I learnt how to successfully work in a team deciding the roles between us and producing a satisfying final outcome. During the A2 year, I would like to further my knowledge and understanding of the Adobe Premier Pro software to produce a high quality A grade music video.

Skills Task Research and Planning

I found that the story board was most useful when editing the video clips as it gave a clear insight to which scene followed another in time with the music. It helped me carefully edit scenes so that the timing of each clip matched the timing of the music. This was beneficial to do otherwise the lip syncing would not have matched the timing of the vocals on the mp3 track. In future for my coursework, I will plan the shot list with more detail so that I know exactly what I am filming in order to produce a successful shot. This will also be less time consuming as I can film what I need without having to repeatedly film the same scene to get the correct shot. This will also prove beneficial as the weather will be much colder when Filming commences so it will be less time consuming filming the scene outdoors if needed.

During the A2 year, I plan to watch various different music video's to grasp an insight into the detail put into the production of a music video. I will then decided on a music genre and create a mood board into what images and emotions match that genre in particular. For my video, I will need to make a list of the cast and their roles. This will then be used for the shot list. I will produce a story board to help me plan shot by shot. A risk assessment will be made along with a list of props, costumes and locations.

Skills Task Finally Introduction

Introduction

As a group, we remade the busted video 'What I go to school for' using us students as the cast up to 46seconds. We filmed multiple shots for each individual shot so that we could choose the best one for the final outcome.

Cast:
Busted guys: Pas, Matt and Josh
Teacher: Paige
Girl 1#: Zoe
Girl 2#: Emily
Student: Sean

Film recorder: Jake



Props:
School uniform - students
Teachers clothing including heels
Pens, folders, books, chairs, tables, projector, board

The Busted Final Video

Skills Task Shotlist

Skills Task Schedule

Filming will be taking place in room G7 with the use of tables and chairs to portray a classroom scene for the music video. This filming will be taking place on 15/09/11 (Pascal's lip syncing scenes) and 16/09/11 (teacher, small shots and the all the other scenes - busted boys)

Health and Safety Risk Assessment

Cast List

Cats list for the Busted music video.

Paige - Teacher

Pas - Charlie

Josh - Matt

Matt - James

Zoe - Girl 1#

Emily - Girl 2#

Sean - extra

Jake - Filming and directing 

Introduction

As a group, we are recreating the music video 'What I go to school for' by Busted. This will involve filming each individual shot up to 46 seconds as accurately as portrayed in the original music video.

We are using props to replicate the original video, this includes : school uniform, pens, folders, teachers clothing, high heels.