Initial Planning - Magazine Advert

This image shows the initial ideas we had as a group for our magazine advert. One of the ideas that came up during this process was the idea of the hip flask showing spilt alcohol. I think the symbol of the hip flask is something that we want to incorporate throughout our whole project. Another idea that we had was a depiction of a city skyline; I think this would be a good idea to conform to the idea of loyalty to where you are from in the rap genre. 

Looking at a previous advert I've analysed, I think a simplistic approach to the advert could be a good idea. I like in this ad how the album cover takes prominence giving a clear idea of what it is you are going to buy. This minimalism is definitely something I'd like in incorporate in my product.  

Shooting Schedule

Having drawn up a storyboard for our video, we are now in a position to create a schedule for the filming of our video. The above image shows the dates in which we intend to film, as well as containing information on the things we'll need for each shoot. This was an important step to help us remain organised.

Storyboard

Developing upon my earlier post about our initial ideas for a storyboard, my group and I have translated this into a complete storyboard for the video we hope to create. 

These shots are for the intro of the video and also for a repeated theme we want to include in the hook of the song. One thing to note is that for the final shot the action will gradually change with each hook, with the character in the video being more drunk with every hook.

One of the most ambitious choices we have made in the video is the incorporation of a green screen shot, at a part in the song where the lyrics describe a internal conversation with the character's conscience. 

Prelim Video Feedback

In order to learn further from our preliminary video that we created, we asked people to leave feedback on the video after watching it, to let us know what could be improved upon or even what we did particularly well.  These are some of the comments we received:

The comments we got were generally positive. One of the main compliments we got was the time of our shots with the music, which is something we need to make sure we maintain going into the real thing. One piece of constructive criticism was about when the video cut out, however this should apply in the real video as we will be creating for the whole song and therefore this shouldn't be a problem. 

Props and Costume Planning

This is a list of props that we are going to need for our video. It has details for who is responsible for the prop, how we are going to get it and when we will need it.

An image of the Golden flask that we will look to use in our video.

Initial Storyboard Ideas

These sheets detail the initial ideas that we have for the shots we want to take in the filming of our video. Whilst these are vague ideas for the time being, we will at a future date compile a complete storyboard in chronological order to give a better structure to our recording schedule. 

These shots are more artistic, visceral shots that have the purpose of creating a an abstract feel to the video whilst still communicating the party and drinking culture. For example, the shot which has people doing shots on the motif of 'drank' in the song would be visually impressive but also show mass drinking. 

This is a more detailed list of shots that we want to create in the video. These are again more abstract shots that we want to incorporate. Going forward I feel the thing that needs padding out based on what we have now is the narrative aspect of the video, to create a more relatable, powerful message. 

Swimming Pools - Music Video Analysis

Swimming Pools - Music Video Analysis

In order to gain an understanding of the song and to gain some inspiration for our product, I am going to analyse the official video for Swimming Pools. 

This is a screenshot from the start of the video. This shot shows a bottle falling and smashing, however the shot is flipped. This gives a distorted effect to the shot, reflecting upon drinking and how this distorts your view of reality. This bottle is also the only thing in the shot, perhaps reflecting upon how important some people find drinking and the value they place in it. 

This is a screenshot of the artist Kendrick Lamar sat in a room with a bottle of alcohol. The shot is through the door, almost suggesting that Kendrick is ashamed of his habit and that he wouldn't want people to know. This could be due to drinking costuming his life. His performance, looking down to the floor with his body closed up suggests vulnerability. Furthermore, the shot has low saturation. This could be to reflect upon how drinking can take excitement out of life when it becomes a consuming habit. 

This shot shows Kendrick falling in a black space. this could be representative of how he has fallen to drinking, and the darkness reflects upon the negative influence this has had on his life. The costume that Kendrick is wearing is also noteworthy; the red colour of his jacket and trousers could be representative of his conflicted relationship with alcohol; the colour red can represent both love and anger and this could be similar to how he feels about drinking. 

The camerawork in this shot is particularly interesting, as it is a handheld shot with a lot of swing. This represents the disorientation that drinking provides, and this is reinforced with the fact that the shot is of a bottle of alcohol. 

The colour in this shot is particularly relevant, as the overwhelming visual aspect is the colour red. This is in the context of a party, however it is ambiguous as to whether this is lighting at the party or whether it is a symbol for how you 'see red' when you drink. This could be to show how drinking has resulted in Kendrick not having the same view on his life as before. Furthermore, the people in the shot are drowned out by the powerful red. This could represent the disregard that drinking can give you for other people. 

This flashback shot is in black and white, perhaps suggesting that it is a negative memory. The performance of Kendrick Lamar in this shot shows him stumbling along the street, perhaps showing how he is drunk in this memory. Therefore, the combination of the black and white as well as the performance of the rapper paints a picture of a negative memory instigated by alcohol consumption.

In conclusion, the tone of this video has a negative view upon drinking, however one thing I haven't analysed is the shots of women dancing that I feel dilutes this image. However, one thing I can take inspiration from in this video is the use of handheld camera shots that show the impact of alcohol in a very visceral way. 

Font Ideas

The first font that I've looked at is Nervous. I found this font on DaFont.com and thought it was a good option as it looks distorted. This would be good as it helps to create the idea of an altered sense of reality that happens when you are drunk. One issue I have with this font is that the distortion comes at the expense of clarity, making it hard to read the font. I think this a case where a balance needs to be found.

One of the reasons I like this font is that it has a grime feel that I think could be suited to the genre. It also remains readable which is an advantage over the first font. 

I think this font is a possibility because it is more unique than any others. It would give a unique feel to the video which would help it to stand out. 

In order to get a better grasp on what font the audience may want to see in our ancillary tasks, our group created a questionnaire. One of the main questions was which font was their favourite. Here are the results for this question:

The results to this question show that the audience preferred 'River Drive' font. However some of the feedback also indicated that whilst the third may have been their favourite, it doesn't suit the genre of rap. For example one response said:

"It could be used for it (rap), but I would have said the second choice would be more rap based"

This is a notion that it supported by the rest of our results, with three of the five people who chose 'River Drive' saying that it didn't suit the genre of rap. Therefore, to stick to conventions it might be a good idea to consider one of the other fonts. One interesting piece of feedback about the Nervous font, the second most popular, was this:

"It's edgy but you can also clearly read it"

This is encouraging as it supports the distorted feel that we will probably go for with our ancillary tasks. The 'Nervous' font gives an option that illustrates the distortion we're aiming to show whilst not being unreadable.

Prelim Video

This is my prelim video which I created as practice and preparation for my music video I am creating. It mirrors the music video for Roses by Outkast. 

Copyright Letter

This is the permission letter I sent off to Aftermath records to get permission to use the song 'Swimming Pools' in my video. The transcript of my letter:

1 Copsewood Road 

Southampton 

SO18 1BU 

England 

16th December 2015 

2220 Colorado Ave 

Santa Monica 

California 

90404 

USA 

Dear Sir or Madam  

I am a student of Media Studies at A level and I would like permission to use your song, Swimming Pools by Kendrick Lamar, for a music video that we are planning to produce as part of our course. This would involve having the track play over our own video that we have produced originally, as an interpretation of the song. This would be for educational purposes and not screened to an audience.  

Yours sincerely,  

Aidan Emberton 

aidemb98@hotmail.com