Editing

What is Editing?

Editing in a music video is where the editor arranges video material for a final production and to convey information. The objective is to detect and remove any errors of unwanted footage, sequences and achieve a smooth unbroken flow of the narrative.

The editing program that we will be using is Adobe Premier Pro.

Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. Premiere Pro is used by broadcasters such as the BBC and CNN. It has been used to edit feature films, such as 'Gone Girl', Captain Abu Read' and 'Monster' and other venues such as 'Madonna's' and 'Confessions Tour'.

 

Music Video Editing Techniques:

Cutting to the beat - Every time a beat occurs, there is a different shot. The editing will have to keep up with the beat. This means that it is a lot more comfortable fort he audience to watch and so they are more likely to be interested.

 

Effects - Effects are used in music videos to add to the narrative but can often be very expensive. The Major record labels will use effects in these videos. In the music video, ‘’I Need A Doctor’’ Dr. Dre  crashes 3 Lamborghini cars.

 Miming and Lip sync - In every video Artists mine and lip sync their songs. However, in Feeder’s video, ‘’Just A Day’’ they use homemade fans videos in their video, with the fans miming their lyrics; this helps advertise their music video.

 

Use of multi image - A multi image is just using multiple images throughout the video. An example would be, ‘’I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor’’ by the Arctic Monkeys. Adobe Premier Pro also allows you to use split screen where you can have half the screen, one video and the other half another.

 

Camera shots, angles and movements - A tracking shot is where the camera moves along with the subject and a panning shot is where the camera moves on the shot. These will be used to cover movement. Close ups will be to capture emotion, an establishing shot is used to set the scene, a high angle shot will be used to show somebody’s innocence and a low angle will show importance and respect.

Green screen - A green screen is used to protect images onto the back of the screen to show as if they’re at another place. An example is the 'Young and Beautiful' by 'The great Gatsby'. We have access to a green screen at school.

Lighting - There are two different kinds of lighting. High key lighting and low key lighting. High key lighting will not show shadows and therefore not show any features, it makes everything brighter. Low key lighting is darker which does reveal shadows creating a more of a mysterious video. We have access to professional lights that we can use in out music video.

Different types of Editing:

Continuity: When the audience does not notice cuts between different shot as but instead a smooth flow. Most TV programs use this type of editing.

Montage- Political: This style was very popular in the 1920's and id used to make a meaning out of the shot used.

Montage- Hollywood: Used to present a narrative in a short amount of time, often at the beginning of programs to recap the previous episode.

Transitions: When the editor moves from one shot to another, for example fade.

Wipe: This is where one image is replaced by another with eliminating the previous shot but replacing it.

Action Editing: When the footage is editing inn a way to make the film action packed and fitting to the target audience, often by using a lot of cuts to speed up the pace of the video.

Colour: Using different colours is different shots, for example black and black to creat a gloomy atmosphere.













 

Sound and Song Choice

As a group we pitched an idea to our class in which we got positive feedback. We pitched an idea that was adventure and active focused. The only concern that was brought to our attention was that it will be a challenge to make it look professional.
Our idea is to do an action/ adventure video of our experiences to a fairly upbeat song. We got our inspiration from the music video, ‘The Nights’ by ‘Avicii’.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/UtF6Jej8yb4“>http://
Although when watching Avicci’s music video we realised how high the budget must have been, due to some of the activities he does, and what we were going to have to do in order for ours to look professional. We did some research to see if another music videos were similar to get more of a perspective to see what we were putting ourselves in for.  We came across an A2 student who had a very similar video who achieved an A.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWwE1cPDujY“>http://
This music video is more realistic on our budget range.
Choosing a song was difficult as we wanted it upbeat but not too fast as that would make editing too difficult later on. We also wanted a song that we could interpret ourselves, (have a different music video to the original).
We chose ‘Stole the show’ by Kygo as we think it meets out criteria.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/BgfcToAjfdc“>http://
To come up with ideas we did a wordle to see if there were any dominant words we could get inspiration from. The three dominant words, as shown below are, ‘show’, ‘stole’ and ‘least’.

Initial Ideas:




—Paintball


—Go karting



—Trampolining


—Gymnastics


—Coloured powder


—Fire works



—Chinese lanterns




—Swimming


—Bonfire


—Cycling


—Sparklers



—Flying


—Time lapses


—City scape


—Waterslide


—London eye


—skydiving




Final Decision- Alesso Heroes (We Could Be)

Why we chose this song:

• Its challenging
• Has a narrative
• Can be interpreted in different ways
• Song changes throughout
• Fits with our initial idea
• Not many lyrics
• Upbeat

These are all factors that we thought about when finding a song, also being in a group means that we all have different music taste and we found that we were all happy to do this one.

What is the song about?

Heros (We Could Be) is a song by Swedish DJ and music producer Alesso, featuring the vocals of a Swedish singer Tove Lo. The song was released on the 25th August 2014 and has charted in a number of countries; one of them being the US where is the number one dance chart. The songs lyrics are partly taken from David Bowie's 1977 song 'Hero's'.



Tove Lo's interpretation of the song:
https://media.iheart.com/player/embed.html?autoStart=false&useFullScreen=true&mid=25391216&siteid=8169&share=http://news.iheart.com/media/play/tove/p


My interpretation of a Hero

I believe a hero is some one who inspires or makes an impact on someone else's life in a positive way. Everyone is inspired by different things whether its on a large scale or small scale, but ultimately there is a universal term which is 'hero'.

The definition of a 'hero' is:

a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

If we pick this song to make our music video to, we would not focus on stereotypes or gender types, instead show how everyone has a hero and can be inspired, despite, there age, gender and interests.

Another factor that we found interesting was that the songs lyrics were partially inspired by David Bowie original song 'Heroes'. His recent death, it inspired us more to do this song as it will widen our target audience. For example the older generation know Bowie music more whilst this song is more of a modern so younger generation song.

Music Video Anaylsis

Ben Howard- Keep your Head Up

• The opening shot instantly shows us that it is set in the country side which is traditional in folk music videos.
• The lighting is natural but clearly displays a filter to emphasise the sunset which is coming in from the right hand side which produces shadow
• In the foreground the focus is bubbles which may foreshadow childhood, nature and freedom
• In the background we see trees which are out of focus and dark to bring the audiences attention to the bubbles

• “Now walking back, down this mountain”
• The lyrics mirror the action in the video which help the audience understand the meaning of the narrative
• The main singer is the focus of the video which is typical to a rock video, showing similarities between different genres

• This is a long shot which introduces more people which links to the lyrics and the narrative
• It also reveals mise en scene and here we see that they are wearing old clothes which is fitting to the setting
• The shot is well lighted which so we can clearly see what's going on and give the sense of happiness
• The high camera angle shows us that they are on a hill but also they are not empowering themselves

• This shot reflects the ongoing narrative throughout the video of childhood experiences, no worries, nature and happiness
• The bubbles are repeatedly shown throughout the music video iconic symbol of their theme
• The colours are natural within the setting as it is based in the forest whereas our eyes are drawn to the slide because it's different and enhances the emotions of feeling calm and free

• The video is filmed as a ‘home filmed’ video, (hand held); so in this case the equipment they used must be waterproof

The light is reflecting off the water which contrasts against the dark trees, bring the attention to the centre and where the people are

Mise en scene

The dictionary definition of mise en scene is:
noun, French.

1.

the process of setting a stage, with regard to placement of actors, scenery, properties, etc.

2.

the stage setting or scenery of a play.

3.

surroundings; environment.

 

In media we understand mise en scene to include lighting, costume, make up, props ,colours, positioning and composition.

 

Mise en scene is important in a music video as it adds meaning to what you see. All of the factors within mise en scene influence what we think as the audience about what's one the screen.

An example of mise en scene in a music video is 'young and beautiful' The Great Gatsby...

 

The Great Gatsby was originally a book published in 1925, and is known as one of the foremost pieces of American fiction of its time. It is a novel of triumph and tragedy, noted for the remarkable way its author captures a cross-section of American society. It is known for the imagistic and poetic style, and how it holds a mirror up to the society of which the author was a part of.

 

Lighting: Often dark lighting due to their setting and that the location is often outside, although very well lit when focused on main characters to emphasis who the audience is to be focused on.
Costume: Clothing is fitting to the period it was set in (1925). Women with head decorations and men in a smart suit.
Makeup: Women have dark eyes and colored lips. Some even have a beauty spot phases go in and out of fashion.
Props: Fitting to the narrative, for example golf clubs or often alchol to show theyre class.
Color: The overall colour of the music video is black and white through costume and flowers which shows formality and sifistication. It also means that when other colours are intoduced they stand out, for example a red dress which can show passion.
Positioning and composition: A lot of aerial and setting shots looking down on crowds or centered buildings to reveal the setting.

In order for our music video to look like a professional product, all aspect must work together, for example, genre, style, etc. In this case mise en scene must be fitting for our song.

 

 

Genre in our Music Video

Having researched and looked at other genres its time to make a group decision on what we would like our music video to be. We looked at advantages and disadvantages of those we where considering;

Rap

Advantages:

• Lots of lyrics to work with
• Clear beat to edit with
• Often focused on the main singer- so would only need few actors
• Setting is often outside in a rundown area so would not need to find somewhere smart

Disadvantages:

• Very hard to lip sync to
• A lot of lyrics to learn
• Not much of a narrative
• Often explicit language involved

Hip Hop

Advantages:

• Catchy
• Well known
• Performance based
• A lot of songs available

Disadvantages:

• Repetitive
• Hard to find one that the group are happy with due to our different music tastes
• Often includes stereotypes and sexists qualities
• Includes a lot of publicity- we are going to be focusing on a CD pack as our publicity

Rock

Advantages:

• Focuses on the main band member- few actors needed
• Clear beat bass to work with in editing
• Mise-en-scene is often black- easy to work with
• Often dark videos will not need too much professional lighting equipment

Disadvantages:

• Often performed live- we do not have an audience
• Includes drugs and alcohol stereotypes- we do not want to be promoting that
• A lot of movement camera shots- we have limited equipment in order to achieve this
• Includes explicit language that is not appropriate for us to use

House/Dance

Advantages:

• Can be abstract
• Interpreted easily in your own way
• Good mix of lyrics and instrumental
• Upbeat

Disadvantages:

• Challenging

Final Decision: We have decided that our music video genre will be house/ dance due to its advantages far outweighing its disadvantages. We are accepting the challenge and will work together to achieve a professional music video. A potential song we have been discussing is Alesso, Heros (We Could Be)

 

Genre History

The first Music Videos:

 

Gus Visser and his Singing Duck (1925): 

 

The earliest video cameras were invented by John Logie Baird 1920s. This music video only came out five years afer the video camera was invetened hence why it is in black and white, constanly filming from one angle and no editing.  

 

Batcat, Jetpack (1932): 

 

This music video came out 12 years after the music video was invented and we can see the imporvment from Vissers to Jetpacks. This video is very much focused on editing and experiementing with angles. It is still in black and white because colour was only invented in 1935. It was produced by gramophone. The band, Batcat, was famous for their experiments with electromagnetism, Geodesic instruments & low frequency subliminal recordings.

 

Genre: 

 

Jetpack's genre is electronic, and is fitting to this genre due to the fast editing and alien object in their music video. It differs from modern music videos as although there are short clips of poeple there is no one lip syncing or a main singer who is being focused on. A modern electronic music video is Sigala - Easy Love. The purpose is to emphasis the music instead and listening instead of focusing on what you can see.

 

 

 

 

Representation Theories

Berger, 1972

‘men look, women appear’- men look at women and women get used to men watching them. This is evident in a lot of current music video's where women are often dancing around the male singer with no power or purpose apart from aesthetic appeal; a good example of these are Chris Browns music videos. We would like our music video to conflict with this theory as we will be showing power and equality through both genders through what they can achieve.

Bell Hooks

 

Hooks theory is that skin colour is like a code: lighter skin is more beautiful. Black women are objectified and sexualised in hip-hop reflecting the colonialist view of black women. A perfect example of this is Chris Browns music video 'Loyal'. Constantly throughout we can see how women are objectified through their clothing, dance moves and framing. 

Richard Dyer, 1983

Dyer raised four questions when raising media representations in general:

1) What sense of the world is it making?
2) What does it imply? Is it typical of the world or deviant?
3) Who is it speaking to? From whom? To whom?
4) What does it represent to us and why? How do we respond to the representation?

When we make our music video we need to ask ourselves Dyers four questions to understand what we are representing to understand our target audience.
 

 
 
 

Do Music Videos vary depending of Genre/Style?

There are many different types of genre, I will be talking about a three

Interpretive (It is a visual interpretation of the lyrics):

This video is an interpretive video as the lyrics are used to create plot and narrative. Perry opens the video gazing down upon the city from a balcony. As she sings into the night, fireworks burst from her chest and soon inspire young people throughout the city to overcome their fears and insecurities, in the process igniting their own fireworks. A shy overweight girl, playing the role of wallflower at a pool party, finds the courage to shed her clothes and jump in the pool with her friends. A leukaemia patient at a children's hospital proves to herself that she can show herself out on the street and in public despite her loss of hair. Interpretative genre is useful when trying to convey a message across tot he audience. Perry's genre is pop and so her music video is interpretive because there is a narrative and underlying message she is trying to get across.

'As live' music video, "Numb" by Linken Park:

The video is a live performance of the band performing the song in front of a live audience. The video features clips of all performers, including the band and the front men singing, the video also shows clips of the audience. We know the song is performed and recorded live as the sound of the song is different than the album version as it doesn't contain editing. The genre of song has effected the music video as Linken Park are rock and the live performance is the classic rock video as it creates a reckless and exciting atmosphere.

Impressionist,  ''Dani California'' by Red Hot Chili Peppers:

 

This music video is an impressionist as throughout the music video, all members of the band are dressing up as different artists from over the years such as, The Beatles, Prince and Kiss. At the end of the video the video ends with the band starring as themselves on the stage. the video is a quasi-chronology of the evolution of rock music; the band performs the song on a stage, but in a variety of outfits representing important figures and movements in the history of rock. Their genre which has effected the music video as they are performing live although there is a lot more editing than the stereotypical rock music video.

 

In Conclusion

 



Music videos are effected and varied by genre as seen through my research above that rock videos are often performed live in front of an audience with little editing to give the atmosphere of recklessness and excitement which is fitting to the music. Also that pop music videos often are interpretive due to them having more of a plot and narrative.

Music Conventions:

 Lyrical Interpretation - Using visual meanings to interpret the lyrics helps the audience to interpret and understand the meaning of the song. For example in the Eminem ft. Rihanna video, we can see the visual being interpretive with the narrative. The lyrics say, ‘’Just going to stand there and watch me burn’’ and in the video, she and the house are on fire.

 

Extension or consolidation of song’s meaning - The video extends the meaning of the song. For example, in ‘’Sabotage’’ by the Beastie Boys we can see the use of text to extend the meaning of the song. The video features text of the song name.

 

 

Welcome to my A2 media blog.

 

Last year in AS we learned the micro elements; mise-en-scene, sound, editing and camera movement/angles.

This year we will be learning macro elements such as narrative, representation, genre and audience, but remembering to use our knowledge from last year and include it in our work.

Our course work for this year consists of making a music video, digipack and a magazine advertisement. This will include research and analysis that I will be posting on this blog to show my progression and development towards my final piece.

I am excited to start this project so I can learn what I need in order to complete the task successfully and professionally.