Preliminary task

Planning:

For our preliminary tasks we were asked to recreate a one minute clip of an already existing music video - as close to the original as possible. For my preliminary task I decided to practice having a go at filming a backward music video, as I hope to do one for my main task. It will also help me in making my main task by practice editing different shots and create different camera angles. So I decided to try and re create Summer Camp's "Fresh" As its not too difficult to film but will still be good practise. 

For it I had to determine where I could film it, what actors to use, what camera angles to use, and what would the actors be wearing/what props they would use. 

The Music video

My copy

Evaluation of preliminary task

For my preliminary task, I decided to copy Summer Camps - 'Fresh', as I have the idea of doing backwards music video for my main task. And as this is a backwards music video I thought it would good idea to see how they are filmed. obviously it was a bit more complicated as I had to figure out what the singer was doing forwards as it was presented backwards. There were a lot of things that I feel went well while filming,  however there are also a few things that could be approved upon. For example, there was some difficulty with lighting. As we were filming outside we had a limited amount of sunlight left, so the filming had to be very rushed. Also as my friend Jessie had to face directly into the sun, it was difficult for her to keep her eyes open and to act, so at some point in the video she had to where sunglasses, even though the woman doesn't in the original video. Also when the title of the song appears, we didn't have enough flowers for the background. But overall I feel it went really well, as it turned out more similar to the original video than expected.

Comparison of shots:

Mise en scene

Mise en scene.

Mise en scene comes from the french meaning "placing on stage". It communicates important information for the audience. The arrangement of everything in the frame, eg lighting, camera angles, props, costumes, positioning of actors and props, decoration etc. is Mise en scene. Placing on the stage in cinema is really placing on the screen, and the director of that production decides how the Mise on scene is presented. Even though there are many professionals involved in its creation, the director is the one who oversees the entire Mise en scene. Usually the director and important people in the crew (set designers, prop masters, location managers, costume designers, and scenic artists) to establish the look and feel intended for the production. All of these aspects the Mise en scene;

Lighting.

It could be argued that it is the greatest element to evoke emotions in a production. It is manipulated by the director to present their desires for the film in progress. there are to main lighting approaches; low-key lighting and high-key lighting. 

High-key lighting: 

High-key lighting is often seen in romantic films, comedies and musicals, creating even lighting and avoiding dark areas in the frame. Everything looks bright with little to no shadow at all. High-key lighting has little dramatic effect and generally has positive connotations.

Example of high-key lighting in film 'The grand Budapest hotel".
Frame is evenly lit with hardly any shadows.

 Low-key lighting:

Low-key lighting is often seen in horrors, thrillers and dramas. comprising of a lighting pattern that has both bright and dark areas in the frame. The bright-dark technique (or chiaroscuro), is portrayed by strong contrast, often used to create tension or to unnerve audience.

Example of low-key lighting in film "Inglorious Bastards"
 Shows the contrast in lighting; Actress, Melanie Laurent's character
 is lit while her surroundings are completely black. 

Set Design.

The set design is basically the decor of the the set, so the use of the furniture, props, and the set itself. Instead of just placing objects here and there, the director must know how to use the set to the best affect and how that will have significance in a deeper level, while also emphasising themes, creating meanings, and being thought provoking.

Example of set design from the "Harry Potter" franchise.
The interior architecture and design of the Weasley house is set out
carefully by the director and the set designers for a reason.

Costume.

The obvious purpose of costuming is to dress an actor/actress to fit their character. for example the rich wear suits, and the poor wear shabby clothes. Costumes tells us immediately whether the film is set in the present or the past and what society it will be set around.

However costumes can also be used to establish where someone stands in hierarchy. Even the colour of a costume can distinguish an enemy from a friend. Costuming may also be used to emphasise a theme.

Costume example in film "Twelve years a slave".
Costumes used here so audience can distinguish between hierarchy

Positioning of characters.

Positioning within a frame can draw our attention to an important character or object. A director of a film can also use the positioning between people to indicate their relationships with each other.

Facial expressions & body language.

Facial expressions provide a clear indicator of how someone is feeling. If someone is smiling broadly, we assume they are happy but we may feel differently if scary music is being played in the background. Body language may also indicate how a character feels towards another character or may reflect their relationship.

Example of facial expression in 'Star wars'
Shows anguish and despair

Learning about this will be useful for my future tasks as it shows how Mise en Scene can be a useful part of storytelling.

More genre theorists

Barthes:

Barthes was a literary theorist. He was credited with producing his own theory regarding narratives in media. He identified a key difference between media texts with open and closed meaning. Open describing a text which is open to interpretation and can have many different, subjective meanings. Where as closed is a text which is produced with a single, definitive meaning in mind, rendering any other interpretation incorrect.

Barthes theory has 5 narrative codes. He claimed all media texts displayed at least one, if not more. They are;

- Hermeneutic - a mystery hook to be solved for or by the audience. The enigma draws the audience in, and unanswered one frustrates the audience, and stirs different interpretations and many discussions. Eg the end of inception

- Proairetic/ action code - action and suspense used traditionally for escapism. Eg Indiana Jones rock chase

-Semantic code - elements of the text which imply, suggest or refer to additional meanings in the media text. (Semes)

- Symbolic code - symbolic codes are called signifiers and are used to convey meaning through symbolism.

- Referential code - the code deals with references within a media texts. Can also consist of intertextuality and elements of meta-narrative eg family guy

Propp

Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions.he said that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to other media:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. The false hero (perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil)
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero  (victim/seeker/paladin/winner, reacts to the donor, usually marries the princess)

Narrative & narrative theorists

This will be helpful when creating a narrative for my main production as I can apply a theorist work when making my story.

Andrew Goodwin

Introduction/ AS reflection

In reflection of my AS blog, I hope in this blog I will continue to work just as hard, if not more, by doing plenty of research and planning in the up and coming months in preparation for my main task. I do hope to improve on my audience research, as for my AS I feel I could of done more. I look forward to doing plenty of research and planning of the genre I choose to work on, and creating the content to get the grade I hope to get.