Planning

First Team Meeting

Research in to Band and Artist

Voodoo People - Prodigy (Pendulum Remix)

Voodoo people was produced by prodigy, they are a drum and bass band. "Voodoo People" is a song by Prodigy, released as their eighth single on 12 September 1994. It was the third single from the album Music for the Jilted Generation. The song lasts for 4:05 which is seen is very common in drum and bass music, however the album version lasts for 6:27. The main riff in the song is based on a sample of the Nirvana song "Very Ape" from their third studio album In Utero. The original video was directed by Walter Stern and Russell Curtis. It was filmed in Saint Lucia and it showed Leeroy Thornhill as a voodoopriest. This version included scenes featuring real witch Doctors, but these were cut because of problems with television censorship. A number of other more graphic versions of the video are available. Pendulum are a notorious band for having exceptional beats that are noticeable and are very catchy which makes the audience remember all of their songs. They also specialize in drum and bass music which sounds chaotic and out of order, this is the main reason that we chose this song as the idea that we have fits in with this particular genre of music. Pendulum are mostly known for their albums titled Hold Your Colour and In Silico. Their most famous song include propane nightmares, blood sugar and witchcraft. They were formed in the year 2002 were DJs Swire and McGrillen  heard the song ‘Messiah’ in a club and were inspired to vacate themselves within the drum and bass industry. 

Here is the album cover for our chosen song:

Influential Videos and Genre Conventions

Chase & Status ft. Mali – Let You Go

The chase & status video uses a narrative rather than a contemporary theme, The video creates a more creative experience for the viewer’s especially through the effective use of diegetic sound combining the sound track and the chronological events being shown on screen. Another feature that I believe is highly effective is the following mid shot that track the movement of the main character through the various settings that aid the narrative. Another aspect of the video that I would consider innovating and using in my own product was the movements of the actor in collaboration with the shots as they help move the narrative on over a bigger time period. The only weakness that I could suggest for the video is that the narrative is a bit boring as it is only until the end of the song where the common codes and conventions are introduced. The setting used vary from a studio, a club and finally a house – the only applicable location to the genre’s fast paced tempo was the club scene. The shot types used throughout the music video were very character orientated and also made use of camera movements when showing the studio audience. Over all this video was good in terms of narrative even though it did take a bit of time to begin showing the familiar element of drum and bass songs.

Sub Focus ft. Alice Gold – Out The Blue

The sub focus video was a much more conceptual music video than narrative based. The most effective parts included the way in which the video was slowed in places and then would jump straight into a fast version of the video, creating a sort of rough look to the video. Another good point was hen the female actresses’ movement was edited using special effects into a cloud of smoke, which was also interesting to watch and kept me engaged with the video itself. What I liked most about this video was the dark background that contrasted with the vivid colour of the visual effect, adding to the graphic side of the video.  Some bad point s about the video could be the fact that no real codes or conventions are included, in addition to the slow motion is overly used, and is not fitting to the fast tempo of the music. In terms of location, the only clear/visible setting used was underwater – which does not really relate to the genre very well. The camera shots used were also not really used to their full potential, but may have been mainly due to the conceptual nature of the video, as the majority of frame do not contain objects or even actors. Overall the video is good in terms of creativity and concepts but relatively speaking is not fitting towards the genre.

Nero - Promises

Nero’s music video blends a mixture of narrative and lip syncing performance which is uncommon in this genre of music. The mixture of performance and narrative works well as just seeing a narrative as a music video can be distracting from a song unless it carries the same tempo – and creating tempo within a narrative is not easy especially with fast drum and bass song such as this one. Another good aspect of the video was the fact that it used a small introduction instead of just jumping straight into the video – this feature of music video I like, as it looks more professional and adds more effect to the narrative. A feature that I would consider using in my own production was the manner in which slow motion was used as a guide to tempo, as the video is sped up and slow in specific part to work directly with the beat of the music. The only flaws that could be suggested contains mixed codes and conventions – which conversely, could be seen a positive, the second one could be that the narrative is just not really suitable for this type of music, especially as drum and bass is more ‘street’ orientated. The setting used is a futuristic building – which is not really fitting to the genre or the nature of the song. On a positive not the cinematography used throughout is excellent and professional as a lot of different shots are used and edited smoothly to creative a great visual experience. Overall the video is very strong as it ‘experimental’ almost – mixing  concept with narrative and not just sticking to the regular codes and conventions.

Conclusion

From the results and opinions gained from the three videos, it was clear that tempo is essential to the genre of music video. So including quick cuts and a range of shots will be included in our production as it is the most effective method of adding some form of tempo to the video. Also the narrative must be exciting and engage the viewer’s fully, to match the nature of the music. When making a more conceptual video, more codes and conventions are often left out, so finding a balance between concepts and codes/convention is often useful for creating a successful video. These three music videos have influenced our group and given us some good ideas of which we will include into our music video; these are in the form of specific camera shots, and aspects of mise-en-scene. The costume that we will be wearing will stand out from other actors within the music video so that the audience know who the main character they should be focusing on is. Another aspect from these music videos that we plan on using is their idea of creating fast paced editing by putting together different shots which once placed next to each other matches the song which is being played rather than being slow which would not be a common convention of the Drum and Bass genre.

Individual Textual Analysis

Annotation of Lyrics

Our first song choice to shoot for our music video was 'California Love' by 2pac, however we have recently decided to change our song to Prodigy's 'Voo Doo People' Pendulum remix. This is mainly because that certain lyrics within California Love will stop us from producing a music video of a high standard which seems to be professional, lyrics are based around the concept of alcohol and clubbing which are two parts of mise-en-scene, location and props, which will be hard for us to book or buy due to our group being underage, there were no real substitutes that could provide us with the same professional look so our decision to change the song will mean that we can change our idea of a music video suited to a different music genre, that being Drum and Bass.

Music Video Questionnaire

1. How old are you?

0-15      16-25         26-30       31-40       41-50       51+

2. Are you male or female?

Male                           Female

3. What is your favourite music video?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Who is your favourite artist?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

5. What is your preferred genre of music?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Where do you go to find new songs?

         iTunes          MySpace        Facebook       Spotify    YouTube   Other

 …………………………………………………………………………………………..

7. What method do you use to download music?

            iTunes        Illegal Download        Spotify         Other

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

8. Do you ever watch music channels? If so, which?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. Do the music videos of a song have any influence on whether you listen or download the song?

                            

                           YES                      NO

10. Which song would you prefer to see a music video to be made of?

·         Voodoo People – Prodigy (Pendulum Remix)

·         Doomsday – Nero

·         Splash – Sub Focus

  

11. What would you expect from a music video of drum & bass genre?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

12. What locations do you think should be in a drum & bass video?

 

 City        Clubs        Dark Streets       Parties     Car Parks     School  

   

13. What clothing would you expect to see the artists wearing in a drum & bass video?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

14. What are your opinions on our idea for a music video?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

15. Could you think of any additions/improvements we could make to our idea?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Questionnaire Results 

 The results for the first two questions tell us that our target audience for a drum & bass video would be a male between the age of 16-25, meaning that our product would be directed towards anybody who is within that category.

 From the results of question 3, 4 and 5, the decision has been confirmed as to have a drum and bass music video. This feedback gathered shows that the preferred music video is Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up and the favourite artists being Prodigy, Pendulum, Chase & Status and Pendulum. All these artists are in drum & bass genre, which was also chosen as the favourite genre, with the favourite music video being by the favoured artist, giving us no choice but to use a drum & bass Prodigy song for our music video. 

                                         

Feedback gathered from questions 6,7,8 and 9 indicate that when distributing our music video we should take the approach of uploading it to YouTube and iTunes where it is more likely that our target audience will discover our music video. Alternatively, an attempt to get our videos on to music channels such as MTV and 4Music where they have been voted the two most viewed music channels would widen the knowledge of the target audience of our video. As shown from question 9, almost 3/4 people have said that a music video influences them to buy/download the track, meaning the video that we create would boost the popularity of the song after people have watched it. 

Finally, the feedback from the last few questions confirm what song we should choose to use for the music video and what the audiences expectations are with what we should include in to a music video of the drum & bass genre. Also, the locations and clothing questions have given us the general idea as to what aspects of mise-en-scene will be wanted by the target audience. 

Second Team Meeting

Mise en Scene Survey

Treatment

Focus Group Interviews

Conclusion

Once we had asked various different questions to the interviewees about our music video idea their responses confirmed our intentions about how our target audience would react to our music video. They believed that it would be a good idea due to the video having a narrative which is easy to understand as well as including different props and specific costumes which are compatible with what is being shown on screen. Jonty mentioned that he was fond of our idea being that the use of many short takes to create fast paced editing would be highly suited to our choice of song due to it being from the drum and bass genre which is of a very high tempo.

Storyboard

YouTube clip of Storyboard:

Shot List

CLICK HERE

Prop and Location List

Prop List

Location List

Risk Assessment 

Do you have contact numbers for the venue and all other artists working on a project?

Yes

Do you know where the fire exits are?

Yes

Have you checked that the fire exits are clear?

Yes

Are fire assembly points clearly indicated?

No

Do you know where the first aid box is?

Yes ( We will bring one with us to the venue of filming)

Are cables gaffer-taped down?

Yes (With a cable tie)

Have you informed participants about any cables/ equipment on the floor and ensure they’re aware of risks?

Yes (They have been notified where the potential hazards are)

Have you ensured that all liquids are kept away from equipment?

Yes

Has equipment been PAT tested? (if you’re loaning Hive equipment it will have been PAT tested)

Yes

Have you visually checked power cables? (This should be done every time they are used).

Yes

Do you know about pre-existing medical conditions for participants, and relevant issues?

Yes (Some suffer with asthma and allergies –they have been notified to bring inhalers)

Have you obtained contact details for parents/ guardians? – Consent/ booking forms should be completed. *

Yes

Risk Assessment Form

Name: James Hickman

School: Codsall Community High School

Activity: Filming

Shoot Date: 12/10/12

Date of Assessment: 2/10/12

Location: Residential House

Potential Hazard       Person (s) at Risk     Degree of Risk      Degree of Risk       Preventative Methods      If Accident Occurs        

     Electrics                        All cast                  Unlikely                   Minor                    Make sure all                    First Aid Kit
                                                                                                                                         cables are out of sight.


 Tripping over                   All cast                   Unlikely                   Minor            Clear floor before filming        First Aid Kit
    objects in                     And Crew
    the house                                                    

Permission Letter

Sam Wesley

Media Studies

Codsall Community High School

Dear Cooking Vinyl Record Company,

I am writing a letter to seek copyright permission for one of your artist’s tracks for a media studies project which involves creating a music video for a song that has already been established. In our media studies group, we are looking to create a new music video for the song ‘Voodoo People’ by Prodigy. In order to create this video we are aware that the permission of this artist’s record label is needed for the creation of the music video to go ahead. 

Although ‘Voodoo People’ is a fairly old song from the album of ‘Music For The Jilted Generation’ (1994) and the use of the track in our music video could potentially revive the sales of the song, re-igniting the popularity of both the individual track and the artists. This would prove to boost the sales of the track and album – resulting in your record company to receive an extra amount of turnover with the only cost being your permission for us to use the soundtrack for our music video. 

I hope that this will appeal to you enough to grant the permission for the use of the song in our media project.

Thank You. 

Authorisation Letter

Problem Solving

Lighting – As the first scenes of our music video, we are going to be filming outside in the dark. A problem we have is that the camera’s don’t have a brilliant ISO specs meaning it is hard to make out people in the dark, especially when they are moving. This problem is challenging as the first scene is important as it sets the tone of the narrative. We are filming under a lamppost however which will have the light shown down to bring some light into the picture. This could help us overcome this problem and won’t cause any other problems. Another thing we could do to overcome this problem is to bring an external light source to overcome the dark problem.

Weather – While filming outside the weather could be difficult as bad rain or lighting could prevent us from doing our outdoor scenes. The only way to overcome this problem is to set another date with the team and wait for a day with appropriate weather.

Permission – We will need permission for the person who’s house the party is and the people going to the party to film in. We need permission as it is illegal to film without having permission off people. Especially as it is going online. We have got permission off of everyone and then the people who didn't wish to be filmed will not be and we will avoid filming them.

Communication - A problem with communication will occur if everyone doesn't have their phones charged or they don’t check phones often. Obviously the solution to this will be to make sure everyone has a fully charged phone on them at all times to make sure we can constantly be in contact.

Illness – If anyone is ill for the day and cannot start producing the music video, we will not be able to film. This means we will have to wait for everyone to be healthy if the problem arises. This is so everyone is well enough to put in some effort and not sit around feeling sorry for themselves and allowing the others to do all the work

Transportation – As we all live in different areas we will need separate lifts to the locations. We need to make sure everyone can get transport on a particular day and knows exactly where the locations are. As two of the group have cars we can arrange transportation to overcome this potential problem.

Brand Image

CLICK HERE

Goodwin's Conventions

Relationship between visuals, lyrics and music:


In our music video for The Prodigy - Voodoo People (Pendulum remix), as there are no lyrics being sung, there is no relationship between lyrics with visuals or music. 

There is only one other relationship within this music video which between the music and visuals being that to match the fast pace of the Drum & Bass genre, quick edits are continuously used. 

Close ups of the artists: 
  
In our music video for The Prodigy - Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix), it will be a full narrative with no aspects of performance and the use of actors meaning that there will be no close ups of the artists of the song. 



Reference to looking: 

There are no lyrics are shots that refer to looking within our music video. 




Voyeuristic treatment to the female body:

In our music video, there is no voyeuristic treatment to the female body although there will be many close ups and point of view shots. 




Intertextual reference to other media texts:

Our music video contains references to Skins with aspects such as the theme being a house party and with the anti-social, reckless behaviour.