'Home' - music video

'Home' - music video

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.

YouTube link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miD9yrONbMQ

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? - DVD Director's commentary

Question 2

Question 2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? - YouTube Webcam Interview

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback? - Podcast

Question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stage? - Magazine Q&A article

Question 4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? - Magazine Q&A article

Ancillary text 1

Ancillary text 1

This is a DVD cover I have created for the release of my music video.

I used conventional tropes of professional DVD covers such as: stating the names of the actors involved, and including an award nomination that one of them has received; having a synopsis of the music video on the back of the cover; naming the Directors and Producers as well as the video's production company (including the company logo on the back and side of the cover); showing positive reviews and star ratings; the single and DVD cover image and title is large on the front of the cover, and small on the back and spine of the cover, so as to focus people's attention to the images and title of the video; a barcode for the DVD is included on the back of the cover, along with the DVD, HD, and 'U' (universal - suitable for all) symbols - these icons are also all on the side of the DVD, and the U is on the front of the cover to allow audiences to immediately identify the video's rating; on the back of the cover there is also a small image of the cover of Gabrielle Aplin's debut album 'English Rain', that the song 'Home' is included in; the back of the cover has screen fitting information - a 'Widescreen' stamp; I have also added still shots from the music video and minimized them, to make a horizontal sequence along the back of the cover, in order to give viewers teasers as to what sort of characters, and storyline, unfold within the music video; and, the iTunes, DVD and YouTube logos (on the back of the cover) indicate the formats that the video can be found, streamed and bought on.

I put the music video's highest ratings, including five star reviews, at the top of the back of the DVD cover - the best quote from a high-profile news company was centred, higher than the other reviews and put in a larger font and image size. The blue stars, and red text linked to them, contrast well with each other and the pale, creamy-yellow background of the DVD cover. The red-brown title of the music video also contrast with the background, making it memorable - this is why I put the actors' names, and the chosen cover quote from the song, in this colour as well. The spine of the DVD cover has depth - it has gradient colours going from a light pink to the pale yellow. The pale pink complements the pink-brown of the text boxes and the red-brown outline of the text boxes and images on the back of the cover - black text was used here to make the information clearly visible. 

The font I used for the top text box on the back of the cover is Garamond, size 11.5 because it is clear and professional. I also used the same font in various sizes again for the names of the reviewers, the positive feedback quote and the names of the actors on the front cover. However, I used Gill Sans NT Condensed, size 12, in capitals for the second text box, as again it is professional and clear. For the title of the music video a different font was used - Bradley Hand ITC (on the front cover it is size 54), and for the song lyric shown across the bottom of the front of the cover I used Monotype Corsiva, size 14, as it is elegant and so suits the song and video.

The design of the image on the front of the DVD (which can be seen minimised on the back and spine of the cover as well) is meant to evoke nostalgia as it shows three old, retro, Polaroid pictures. Even though the second two photographs are not fully seen they are actual stills from the music video that I added in order to maintain authenticity. The first photograph, that can be seen, is relevant to the music video because it is a field of sunflower's in the Sun - in the music video a sunflower symbolises the couple's renewing love. The low angle shot here makes the sunflowers seem powerful and so reflects the symbolism in the music video. The bright yellow of the sunflowers is also complemented and seemingly heightened by the pale yellow background of the DVD cover.

Ancillary text 2

Ancillary text 2

I created a magazine advert for my music video - this would be featured in most popular magazines, (so will be in A4 format) such as; NME's magazine, Country Living, Hello! and Vanity Fair.

I used conventional tropes of professional magazine adverts such as showing positive reviews, including the production company name, the single and DVD cover image, the date of release 'May 2017', the artist and media format, and where it will be released - 'iTunes, DVD, and YouTube'.

The colours I used are calming, the pastel pink tinted red-brown  complements the tea-stained colour of the Polaroid frames, and contrasts with the bright colours of the photographs in the main Polaroid picture. The main Polaroid is a field of sunflowers with the sun shining down - this is symbolic because throughout the music video a sunflower represents the love that the couple feel for each other. The font used suits the piece because - Garamond, which I used for the main writing, looks a bit like a vintage typewriter text, Bradley Hand ITC, which I used for 'Home', looks like hand writing on the Polaroid, and Monotype Corsiva, which I used for 'May 2017', is dainty reflecting the melody of the song. The black text and black stars also contrast well with the background of the advert.

The main image of the advertisement connotes memories and a sense of belonging as they are old images of something seemingly important, such as a home, as they seem to have been kept for so long; they provoke nostalgia and love.

Ancillary text 2 research

Ancillary text 2 (magazine advert) research

• The colours of this poster are striking – the black contrasts with the white and the gold making Jessie’s name, and song information stand out.
• The artist’s website can be seen near the bottom of the advert – allowing those who want to know more about the album and artist to access more information for themselves.
• Advertising another artist, who featured in one of Jessie J’s singles (B.O.B) will also make fans of said artist inclined to buy the album.
• The name of the artists, the title of the album, and a couple of singles can be clearly seen on the advert – this gives the artists immediate credit for the songs and also show audiences some of the music that has already been made popular in order to draw people into buying the whole album. 
• The fact that “Price Tag” became a #1 international hit is clearly stated to show that the artist already has popular, international recognition and therefore her debut album is worth buying.
• The logos of supporting companies (including the record label) can be seen in the bottom corners of the poster/magazine advert to promote who produced and marketed the album.
• The central image of the artist is also captivating as it looks as though Jessie J is staring at you – this attracts your attention to the advert, which means you will most probably read it, and even if you don’t buy the album you will have heard about it and perhaps promote it buy word of mouth to others. The artist is also wearing intricate make-up and clothing therefore this may appeal to some as they will link their clothing choices with her music style and perhaps be inclined to buy from someone who they deem as ‘cool’ or different/similar to them.

• This poster has immediate connotations of love due to the pink treatment that has been used over the image of one of the artists, who is looking straight into the camera which again grabs people's attention.
• Five star reviews of the song by creditable media outlets such as The Guardian, and a quote "Breathtaking" from NME has been added to emphasise the high quality and popularity of the music.
• The bold, black text that states the title of the song and the artists contrasts well with the pink and eye-catching background, and makes it clear what the song is called and who it is by. The smaller writing also indicates that the song is available now and in a smaller font supporting businesses and the record label are mentioned.

• This, like most magazine adverts, uses the album cover image for the advertisement. This makes it simple to identify the album when looking to purchase it.
• The font used is retro - it is like an old type writer and so follows the vintage theme of the advert; the clothes Aplin wears in the pieces are old-fashioned and the dismal, simplistic and beautiful beach setting has a retro treatment over the top making it seem like an old image. 
• The umbrella pose is light and dainty suggesting innocence, this is reinforced by the rainbow coloured umbrella and the colour co-ordination of the font and the setting suggesting a childish happiness. This connotative that the music will be nostalgic and so will probably be mostly acoustic.
• The name of the artists, and the release date are all in large front to give readers the main information they need first.
• Hit singles and information on release formats and deluxe editions,a s well as the artist's website are near the bottom of the advert, in a smaller font, giving those who are interested in Aplin's work more information about the album release.

The screenshot from Ed Sheeran’s website (from when he released his first album) advertises his music as well as his tours, merchandise and music videos. Music videos are often promoted online rather than in magazines, this way teaser shots can be shown rather than printed stills. Music videos are usually released after singles as well, meaning that people will already know the song by the time the music video is released and so posting the video at this point is more immediate than promoting it.

Ancillary text 1 research

Ancillary text 1  research

Film DVD cover

Above is an example DVD cover, it is for ‘Catching Fire’ the second Hunger Games film.

Conventions of DVD covers: -

·         Includes photographs of the character specifically taken for the cover, as well as or instead of stills from the movie.

·         Includes the title of the film, and the either the main actors’ names or a line that links to the film, perhaps directly from the film or previous film if it is a sequel.

·         The DVD logo has to be shown somewhere on the cover – usually the back but sometimes the side and front too.

·         The film rating must be on the back of the cover, it is also usually on the front and side.

·         The definition of the film - 'standard' or 'high' - will be on the back of the cover along with the running time, screen size, the producing company logos and Director, Producer and Music director credits.

·         A synopsis of the film, or a teasing summary will be shown at the top of the back of the DVD cover, along with the protagonists' real names and one or two other credits they have been in or awards they have been given or nominated for.

·         Reviews of the film will be put on the back or front of the cover to show that it is already popular.

·         A bar-code will be on the back of the cover.

·         Side of the DVD cover will have the title of the film on it and sometimes a smaller version of the main cover image.

·         If the DVD can be downloaded onto another device the DVD case will say so, this information is often displayed on the back of the case.

Music video DVD cover 

Conventions of music video DVD covers: -

·         DVD logo usually on the back of the case.

·         Producing label logos on the back of the case.

·         Title of the DVD – live shows, music videos concert performances – on the front, spine and back of the case.

·         Name of the artist in bold letters on the front cover of the case.

·         An image of the artist, on the front cover.

·         A photograph or photographs from the tour (will state which tour)/music video/cartoon related to the artist - on the back of the cover.

·         Songs played/video footage featured will be listed on the back.

Preparing to answer the evaluation questions

Preparing to answer the evaluation questions

Question 1 - draft script


Question 2

For this question we wanted to create a more authentic filming environment, and relaxed, professional vibe, and so we discussed with each other beforehand what we thought was good about our ancillary texts and why, and how they were effective in collaboration with our music video. We didn't script this so as to appear more natural when discussing the production.

Question 3



Question 4 - draft ideas

Evaluation Questions

Evaluation Questions

Below are the questions I need to address in my evaluation of 'Home'. I will be explaining and clarifying each question in my own words, plus I will mention which creative method I may use to answer each question.

Q1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

•        This question requires me to demonstrate my understanding of the forms and conventions of professional music videos, as well as show that I understand the techniques used in making them, and that I know the appropriate terminology. I will be required to to show this understanding through my work and explain how I used these media forms and conventions/elements in my production, through my blogged production process. I will need to mention research I carried out and what conclusions I made which effected my main task. There are a number of creative methods for answering this question; DVD Director's commentary, an interview with the cast and crew, or a music video review.

Q2: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

•         This question requires me to analyse the effect, and the level of impact, my main product has when combined with my two ancillary texts. I will need to show that I have researched both music video DVD covers and music video adverts, as well as a variety of music videos themselves in order to advertise my product appropriately. There are number of creative methods for answering this question, for example Director and Producer interviews, or vox-pops.

Q3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?

•        For this question I need to demonstrate what I have learnt from my audience feedback, (including how it has effected my final product and how it will effect my future productions), how I received this audience feedback, and the significance of having said feedback. Creative methods that I could use to document my findings would be; group discussions (where the audience can question the Directors and Producers) or an interview with the crew.

Q4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

•        This question requires me to explain what new media technologies I used throughout my whole A2 production process, and why I used them. I will need to give examples of when, how and why I have used media technologies (and explain which media product they are) in the pre-production, production and post-production processes. To do this I could create a Director and Producer's commentary, an interview with the crew, or a series of Director's vlogs.

Ancillary text 2 ideas

Ancillary text 2 ideas

Magazine Advert Ideas 

Ancillary text 1 ideas

Ancillary text 1 ideas

Draft main images for the front cover of the music video DVD.

'Home' DVD Cover Ideas 

Technology used to create the music video

Technology used to create the music video

Cameras used 

School camera: Canon LEGRIA HF R606 with 57X advanced zoom and 32 x optical zoom HD CMOS and with optical image stabilizer

Teo's camera: Nikon d3300 with an 18-55mm lens and then a 55-200mm zoom lens

My camera: Canon Power Shot SX500 1S with 16.0 MEGA PIXELS, and image stabilizer and a Canon zoom lens of 30XIS, and 4.3-129.0mm 1:3.4-5.8

Tripod used

We used the school's 'hama' 'star61' tripod.

Editing software used

School software: MoviePlus, on one of the school DEL computers

Big Boy Studios software: Reaper, on an Apple computer

Editing 'Home'

Editing 'Home', using MoviePlus software


Continuity editing, treatments, effects and superimposition

To keep the editing looking continuous we included shot reverse shots and cutaways from Jess to Teo to show that they are thinking about each other - this is further emphasised by the superimposition of Jess looking into the camera overlayed with the shot of Teo thinking and looking out - he is thinking of Jess; the fact that this shot coincides with the line 'there's a shining in the shadows' emphasises that in Teo's character's darkest moments he thinks of Jess' character.

We wanted to create a believable and heart-warming narrative, and to do this we thought that keeping continuity throughout the piece but also adding in some concept-based themes would make this so. For example, we emphasised the fact that the sunflower symbolises the young couple's love by overlaying it with a shot of them reuniting - this superimposition made the shot bright and warm (due to the yellow of the flower) and enhanced the happiness of this moment. The treatments of the shots when the couple are together are also warm - we increased he temperature and saturation on these shots. The shots where the couple are apart have a slight greyscale treatment to emphasise their longing for each other - as the couple get closer to finding each other we have slightly decreased the greyscale percentage (the lowest was about 10%) and then on the shot where they see each other again we went straight in with a warmer treatment to emphasises this.

Lottie and Fin cloud watching shot - with the 'Home Movie' effect (from finalised YouTube version)

Jess overlayed on the shot of Teo thinking about her (from finalised YouTube version)

Adding a greyscale treatment to this shot

Effects and shot pace (including time lapses and slow motion)

The shots where the couple are children (showing Fin and Lottie) were also sped-up up (to approximately 3 times it's original speed) in comparison to the shots with Jess and Teo, and they had high saturation and temperatures as well as the 'Home Movie' effect on them to emphasise the fact that those shots are past memories that the couple have together. Paradoxically, the second to last and third to last shots of Jess and Teo embracing on the bridge (as well as other shots such as the sinking flower and Jess and Teo walking towards each other on the bridge) are in slow motion to build the and savour the emotion of the moment - for example, when they walk towards each other it is the climax of the music video, we want them to be together and it is building tension for that moment, and when they hug in slow motion and we see Jess laugh it reminds us of a cliche rom-com moment but the sincerity of looks that are exchanged on camera show that this moment, to the couple, is very much real. The final shot is not in slow motion this represents how the shot is their present. Yasmin and I thought a lot about shot pace because we had never really done much with this before - we decided to push ourselves and add in a time lapse - this took a few hours to film but it includes the sun setting over our main river location and so bridges the first half of the music video (the couple as friends when children) and the second part of the video (where they have lost contact - before they reunite) as the dusk symbolises the loss of a friendship (day has gone) but the promise of a new dawn, something new, after the darkness of night (they will reunite and fall in love after separation makes them miserable).

Deciding to give this shot a warmer treatment (to illuminate that the couple have reunited), and leave it at original pace (to bring us back to the present - the previous shot will be in slow motion)

Transitions, cross fades, colour fades

We used a variety of different transitions in our music video, some of them are straight cuts - for example when Jess sees the flower and when she picks it up - these are to show continuity. We also used cross fades to overlap shots and allow the piece to flow together - for example where Fin and Lottie are sitting on a tree and talking we used an extra long cross-fade with a more greyscale shot of the tree (from exactly the same position) without Lottie and Fin on it to show the passing of time and to enhance the fact that the couple have been separated throughout the middle stage of their teenage years. Moreover, near the end of the music video where the couple embrace on the bridge there is a colour fade (white) into some more shots of Lottie and Fin playing together and laughing - these have been sped up more than the initial sped-up shots in order to emphasises that this is a joint flashback - when this montage ends there is another white colour fade that brings us back to the present where we see the couple (who are in there late teens in this part of the video) reunited.

Tree shot of Lottie and Fin fading into the shot of just the tree (from finalised YouTube version)

Sound


Steve White, my guitar teacher, and owner of Big Boy Studios, downloaded the official YouTube version of the Gabrielle Aplin's 'Home' onto his computer (using 'Reaper' software) and then uploaded that to a CD. I then downloaded the single from the CD onto the computer Yasmin and I were using at school and we put the song into a sound track on MoviePlus to allow us to see how long the song was, and to allow us to estimate the length of certain shots we had thought of and play around with where we thought they should go. From there we brainstormed ideas, I made a storyboard, we filmed and then edited our shots, and we created our music video.

YouTube link to Gabrielle Aplin's official 'Home' video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVbdjec0pA

YouTube link to Gabrielle Aplin's official 'Home' lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPNgq4ZRxKg

YouTube link to mine and Yasmin's music video for Gabrielle Aplin's 'Home': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miD9yrONbMQ

Filming 'Home' - Day 6

Filming 'Home' - Day 6

Time Lapse

We aimed to film the time lapse when we filmed the sinking flower shots however we were not satisfied with the results - it was too short and slightly unstable and so we took another shot of the sun setting over the bridge (which is significant because that is where the couple reunite).

Below is a video of all of the time lapses we took on the sixth day of filming.

The time lapse we have decided to use is an extract from the one where the sun shines in the sky, and four rays become prominent, before clouds make the screen darker again. We chose this shot because it shows the sunset well and so reflects the couple growing apart before they come together again - which would be symbolised by a new day.

This clip is one of the ones that we shot on the day we filmed the flower sink, however it is in the stage before we speed up the frames and so it is not yet a time lapse - in the locations/settings video on my blog, in a post titled 'Locations', this clip can be seen as a time lapse in amongst other setting shots.

Filming 'Home' - Day 5

Filming 'Home' - Day 5

The flower (which symbolises the couple's love) dead/sinking/floating down the river

The shot above is one that we thought we would originally use, however we have decide against. It is the actual flower used in Fin and Lottie's scenes, and in Jess in Teo's scene and because we filmed this part a month or so later (so that the weather would not be a sunny), the flower has wilted, dried-up and shrivelled. This is good because we wanted to shot the dead flower being carried away by the current of the river - symbolising that over time (this would be shown after the fading shots that show the couple have aged) the couple grew apart. The shot below is the on we decided to use.

This shot shows the flower when it was more alive, so keeps the continuity of the flower being bright and holds the idea that the couple's love is still alive. However, it also shows the flower sink, representing that the couple are separated and have grown apart but that their is hope that their love may resurface. 

I used a hair clip to, with a metal clip part on the back of the flower ornament, to make the flower sink. Yasmin and I think that this shot will be good in slow motion, and will be effective if it starts in colour and ends in a completely greyscale treatment, to visually express the metaphor of a lost love through the drowning/sinking of the flower.

Filming 'Home' - Day 4

Filming 'Home' - Day 4

Filming with Fin and Lottie (the couple when they are children)

In this shot you can hear me and Yasmin directing the young actors, by telling them; where too look, what facial expressions to use, what to say, and when to laugh. When filming it was slightly awkward for our young actors but they did laugh a lot due to this and when put into the music video we are confident that it will look natural, adorable and realistic.

This shot has depth, it shows Fin's character running to Lottie's character, and handing her a lone sunflower that he found; this scene is important because the sunflower represents their love. In this scene the flower is seen for the first time - therefore their love is just beginning.

Filming 'Home' - Day 3

Filming 'Home' - Day 3

All shots with the teenage couple in

This day of shooting included taking all of the shots of the couple when they are in their late teens - this meant that we had to get all of the individual shots of Jess and Teo, and then the shots where they are together. It took approximately 3 hours to film these sections of the music video.

Below are a few of the shots that we took: -

This is one of the shots where Jess is alone (below is one of the shots where Teo is alone). Here Jess' character sees the flower, like the one Teo's character gave to her when they were little near the beginning of the music video. Jess handles the flower carefully and stares at it longingly, remembering Teo's character. The flower symbolises their love.

You can hear me directing in this video - telling Teo to keep his hands where they were in the previous shot in order to keep continuity. 

This is a birds eye view shot showing Teo's hands in the foreground and his feet in the background. Teo is looking at his hands, fidgeting with them and embracing Jess' character - his character's love, they have been apart due to the mishaps of life. Teo's hands are the focus of the shot, in the foreground, showing that he is thinking of Jess and that makes him happy, however his blue shoes in the background suggests that he is emotionally hurting without her. The greyscale treatment that we plan to put on this shot will reinforce this.

In this close-up shot of the flower, Teo and Jess' characters embrace on the bridge - they have found each other again - the flower is discarded by Jess in the previous shot that will be seen in the video because they no longer need it, they have each other. However, the fact that the flower is in focus in the foreground while the couple embrace, blurred in the background is significant - the flower is a warm, bright symbol of their love, and it has seemingly bright them together again, we almost see them meet and hug from the flower's perspective on the ground, hence the low angle shot.

Here the couple embrace on the bridge, we plan to put this in slow motion; they are reunited - the treatment will be warm again like it was in their childhood memories when they were friends. 

Here is another low angle shot, that I took - we deiced to make this our ending shot and cross-fade the music video into white after this, doing so makes he sun look likes it's shone brightly over the couple. The white represents their happiness, and pure, innocent love.

Filming 'Home' - Day 2

Filming 'Home' - Day 2

Practice shots and close-up facial shots with Fin (the younger version of the teenage boy in our video)

We recorded a few different shots of Fin laughing and cloud watching - one of which we have decided to put into the flashback montage near the end of our music video. In addition, we videoed close-ups of Fin staring into the camera lens with a sincere look on his face. Here he breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses viewers - forcing them to see and face his emotions - he seems to be serious about growing-up; this is good because in the music video we will over-lap/fade Teo's face staring into the camera lens in order to show that the male character has become a teenager.  We plan to then do the same with Lottie and Jess (the girl character) - to visually speed up the ageing process and allow our viewers to see and understand that the Teo and Jess are the same characters as Fin and Lottie, just at a later stage in their life.

Below is the shot of Fin that we will use in the music video that will fade into a similar close-up of Teo. Fin is central in the shot in order to focus the viewers attention on the fade that will transpire the aging of the character.

Locations

Locations


This is a short video of some clips that show the setting of our music video. We took a variety of shots, including: stationary low angle shots, a high angle shot of the clouds, some pans, tilting shots, a zooming out establishing shot of some pheasants flying across a harvested barley field, and experimented with speeding up some sunset river shots in order to make a couple of short time lapses. We also experimented with framing; for example I took a shot which looked straight across the bridge, from one gate to the other - it showed the wooden beams of the bridge seemingly angle in towards the opposing gate, which centered in the shot - this essentially flouted the rule of thirds. In contrast, Yasmin took a close-up, canted, low angle shot of raindrops trickling down a window in order to create a melancholic mood, we were thinking of putting this in the part of the video where the couple are apart.

We incorporated the opening verse of our chosen song into this clip in order to enhance the tranquility of the setting, and reflect the melodic rush of the river and the romantic atmosphere that we hope to create.