4/12/12

During todays lesson we had started on our evaluation questions, deciding on what content would be in them how we would lay it out and how we would resent it as it has to be in the form of either; a blog, a podcast, DVD commentary, a powerpoint or prezi presentation or a website such a wix. I had decided to present my evaluation on a wix website, laying out all the questions on their own individual page and where I could include links, photos and examples of my own work and also examples of other music videos, films etc, which we used and referenced within our music video.

Song List

Due to researching other indie band digipacks we had come to the conclusion that the generic idea which ran throughout them all was to include the songlist however show it on the back cover of the digiopack. We had decided as a group to go along with this convention and follow the generic idea to put our song list on the back cover of our digipack.

Here are our first ideas of the song list which we are going to put on our digipak:
1. Up
2. Life on Jupiter
3. Boyfriend
4. Cats in Glasses
5. Everybody's Talking About It
6. I Dont Like You
7. Spectrum
8. Le Garçon
9. Jake
10. Down

Digipak research

These images helped us get an idea of what the generic codes and conventions are for the general 'indie band' digipack. Overall by looking at these digipacks i had realised that many indie bands do not use images of themselves on the front cover, this was the main convention we had decided as a group to follow. This reflects indie audiences who you could argue are more about 'the music' rather than the image of the band. However this could also represent the importance of getting the bands image 'perfect'.
We would use a very unique image of something to represent the quirky aspect of the band. This would also potentially strike a cord with the indie audience as they identify themselves through this quirkyness and through the individuality of the genre. In addition we are going to use some images of the band themselves so that we can establish an identity for them to the target audience. However through this research we had found out that the images are usually photoshopped with a slight hazy/dreamlike effect to highlight the fun indie side to the band. However as a contrast i had also looked at a few indie solo artists not only bands and in this case for example Ellie Golding's digipack used an image of the artist on the front cover of the product.

here are a few images of other digipaks from bands similar to our band:

19/11/2012

During todays lesson me and joely set aside some time to start researching digipacks, and which genre characteristics indie band used so we could decide what to use for our bands digipack. Also we were researching what type of images to include and how to use them.

digi-pack research

During todays lesson we carried on editing our music video, however also started to think about our digi-pack. As the song which we picked is a very indie song, we researched some images taken of the band to get some inspiration and we found some images which we thought we would like to take and interpret and change to use for our own digi-pack. The images represent the band and their persona whcih they wanted to portray to their target audience. The hazy effect which they used while editing the images werea generic code and convention which ran throughout many different indie media products. We wanted to portray our band in a similar way and use this generic effect over our images so that the audience can identify them straight away with the indie genre.  

9/11/2012

During this lesson we uploaded all the filming which we had done at Zoe's house the day before, and we put it onto final cut to edit it and piece it together with the rest of the music video. This allowed us to piece together slowly the shots which we had and allowed us to analyse them to fit into the conventions of the indie genre which we wanted to follow.

8/11/2012

Over the half term holiday we went to Zoe's house to film our anchor scenes. This lesson we uploaded all of our footage and we started to edit it and put it in it's place. After school we are going to go back to the location and we are going to film some extra shots which we were unable to finish.

Also on Monday 12th November we are going up to Camden which is another location for our music video. We are going to film some shots within the market, and then some others in a diner, which we are going to call up and arrange a time where we can go and film.

Equipment for Filming

This was some of the equipment which we thought would be necessary for us to use during our filming. The most important for the development of the storyline was the use of the record player which we had borrowed from the actor which featured within the music video. This was the image which brought the video back to the retro feel and we also carried this image throughout the whole of coursework amongst other products which we had made. In addition this time lighting was also very important, due to the limited resources which we had last year with our AS production. The lighting was very poor which made the quality of filming very poor, so this time we wanted the video to look the highest quality as possible so we made sure we had a sufficient lighting source to enable the shots to be bright a good quality. Moreover we used a monopod and a tripod whenever we could to limit the amount of camera shake within the shots to make it look as professional as possible. This was also reflected through the use of a professional DSLR camera. 

Shooting on location

Location Shots

Here are the location shots for the bowling alley we went to.

25/10/2012

On 23/10/2012 we went to tenpin bowling alley in Purley Way to film a small scene for our music video. In today's lesson , we uploaded all our filming which we had done in the bowling alley. We pieced together the shots which we needed and put them in a rough order so when we go to edit it with the music and the other scenes it would be more organised and clearly set out.

Bowling Alley Scene

For one scene in our music video, we decided to go and film in a bowling alley. To make this possible we had to get permission from the manager of the bowling alley to allow us to film, and use their front desk, and also find out if it was possible to borrow a uniform and a name badge. We rang the bowling alley they gave us permission to use the bowling alley to film a scene of our music video.
We thought that using the bowling alley to film this scene would further portray the retro vibe which we wanted to show. By looking at many other music videos of the same genre, and which also have a narritive based video, for example 'Taylor Swifts- You Belong With Me' we came to a conclusion that they all used a wide number of locations to fill their shots and to make the video fast paced and more interesting. This also allows us to create more of a storyline and to create a background story behind the characters to make them more realistic and easier for the target audeince to relate to.

18/10/2012

In today's lesson we managed to do another practice test run for another story boarded section of our music video. Using what we had, we used an empty classroom and imagined it was the diner scene. From doing this test run, it allowed our group to see what worked well and what didn't. We included a friend in his scene however we noticed that it will work better if the artist is left alone in the diner imagining that he was her boyfriend because it emphasizes her loneliness.

16/10/2012

During today's lesson we finalised our filming times, and also finalised our locations. We rang a bowling alley to ask if we could use their main desk and a uniform for our main character to wear, to pretend as though she works there. This is going to be one small scene within our music video. Also we finalised our script so that the only thing we have left to do is our storyboard which we gave a small part to each member of the group so we got it finished quicker.

Final Script

Bestcoast boyfriend script from joely161

Script

Bestcoast boyfriend script from joely161

Shooting Timetable

Test Shots

We had done some test shots for our music video, to get the idea of what type of shots we were going to do and how we were going to stage it. We also had to practice with the singer/actor on how to lipsing the song, and also helped us get used to the actor and how she works.

Cast Costumes

During todays lesson we had to think about what our characters were going to wear to establish the different time periods within the video, and the difference between the reality and her daydreams.
The outfits that they would wear are representative of the indie genre, and these would be used by the target audience to identify the characters with the main codes and conventions of the indie genre. In addition we wanted to portray a more retro vibe within the music video, with some intertextual references of 'Grease' the film. This retro vibe would be shown through the use of the image of the record player and in addition the costumes which the characters will be wearing.
The main characters within the narrative of the music video Jake and Zoe, were the two we set out their costumes.
ZOE:
- modern day outfit- high waisted shorts, grungy shirt, docs, hair down, wearing glasses - Grease fashion (intertextual reference)- wetlook leggings, tucked in top, no glasses, hair up in messy ponytail -school scene- school uniform, skirt, shirt and tie
JAKE:
- modern day- jeans, top, hoodie, converse -Grease fashion (intertextual reference)- black skinny jeans, white top, leather jacket, hair jelled back -school scene- school uniform, shirt, trousers, tie

Cast

Words People Associate with 'Boyfriend'

Institutional Research: Rough Trade

We decided to look for a record label that would be suitable for our band. We thought that Rough Trade would be a suitable and fitting label for our band, so investigated it. We looked at the genres of music they represented, and the genre which they had that we believed fit the style of our band was: Indie Pop/ Shoegaze/ Dreampop. We thought that this accurately described our bands music. Rough Trade are a typical independent record label who typically sign small indie bands, including artists like all girl band Warpaint, who's style is similar to our bands.

Audience Feedback on Youtube Videos

As a group we then looked at some music videos which related to the theme which we would like to use. We watched Taylor Swifts- You Belong With Me and Avril Lavignes- Girlfriend. We wanted to see if our target audience liked narrative based music videos. Here is some of the feedback we found:

Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend

Song Lyrics

I wish he was my boyfriend
I wish he was my boyfriend
I'd love him to the very end
But instead he's just a friend
I wish he was my boyfriend

There's nothing worse than sitting all alone at home
And waiting waiting waiting waiting by the phone
I hope that he's at home
Waiting by his phone
I wonder if he knows
That I want him

I wish he was my boyfriend
I wish he was my boyfriend
I'd love him to the very end but instead he's just a friend
I wish he was my boyfriend

The other girl is not like me
She's prettier and skinnier
She has a college degree
I dropped out when I was seventeen
If only I could get her out of the picture
Then he would know how much I want him

One day I'll make him mine
And we'll be together all the time
We'll sit and watch the sun rise
And gaze into each others eyes
And know that he knows
I know that he knows
That he wants to be my boyfriend

Boyfriend
Boyfriend
I'd love him to the very end
But instead he's just a friend
I wish he was my boyfriend
I wish he was my boyfriend
I'd love him to the very end
But instead he's just a friend
I wish he was my boyfriend

Location Shots

We went around our school, and took some location shots to test out if it was the right location which we had in mind for our music video.

Timetable of Frees

20/09/2012

in todays lesson, we completed our audience research and uploaded it onto our blogs. we also decided to rethink our idea, and understand it fully, to be able to create a something which is reachable for us, and something which we can perfect.

Working Synopsis

Girl, 17, lusts after a boy. She lies on her bed and sings about how she wishes he was her boyfriend. She lies by a phone ('And waiting waiting waiting waiting by the phone'). She daydreams about scenarios of them together. She sees her and him, as if from a distance, as they flirt and hug on a green, with a warm fuzzy effect. She watches him in the school corridor, swooning after him. She daydreams about him standing there watching her smiling, as angels dance around him. It then goes back to real life, and he's standing not looking at her, with pretty girls hanging around him flirting ('The other girl is not like me she's prettier and skinnier'). She watches him at a diner, she sits in a booth and swirls her milkshake and watches him, while he sits and laughs with another girl. She sits and watches Grease (?), then gets up and looks at a picture of him, and at herself in the mirror. She goes to her wardrobe as if to change. She goes to prom, and walks into the room looking happy. Cut to her sitting on a bench looking sad and bored. The boy dances with another girl. They lean in to kiss and she storms out, end on her walking down the street into the sunset.

Audience Research Results

Music Video Analysis: Young Guns 'Bones'

Music Video Analysis: Razorlight 'America'

Audience Research Prep

We had decided to work as a gorup to produce our Audience Research questionnaire, so we could think of all the relevent and typical questions which would be asked so we could have all the nessesary information to go ahead with our music video. We came up with relevent questions which we then took out and gave to a variety of people to see whcih feedback we would get. We then brought all our findings back, and started to create graphs/tables to present our audience research on.

Song Choice

Song choice It wasn't a very difficult decision for our group to pick the song for our music video because we already knew what we wanted to do - an indie music video which would target a teenage based audience. We aimed to target teenagers because we are able to relate with our target audience and know exactly what kind of factors make an indie music successful. We ended up picking the song 'Boy friend' because it's not a very glamourous and mainstream song which makes it perfect to work, and when we first listened to it we had many ideas even though some of us didn't particularly like the type of music. Overall the group are very happy with the song choice because we believe that it gives us lots of opportunities to create an interesting and unique narrative for the song.

13/09/2012

Todays lesson was spent separating the roles within the group. Louise and Jake are going to concentrate on the storyboard and animatic storyboard, Joely is going to concentrate on the Script and Synopsis, and I am going to concentrate on Audience Research. I spent the lesson writing up ideas of questions which we will ask in the research and then went on to make the actual questions.

Preliminary Task