Omama’s Blog A2

 Originally, we were planning to include just the main character but now we have decided that we want to include a little more narrative so that the video can be longer. For this, we will be casting a female actor as well and another male actor. The two new characters will not take away the main focus off of the protagonist but just add to the story of the protagonist. Moreover, we are planning to take some shots in the golden hour. We will capture some of the protagonist's happy moments in daylight to juxtapose with his gloomy times. This will create a much stronger narrative that is more engaging.

 This is what our teacher recommended we do after showing him the rough cut.

 Here is an idea of what we want to create. 

 We don't need a lot of equipment for our music video but we will be using the following: iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 11 Gamble LED Lights  Moonlight Lamp

 Here is the aesthetic we are trying to achieve.

 My team members and I have planned to create a narrative based music video. We want our actor to be a male who is going through a hard time forgetting about his breakup. We want to show the actor's expressions and his feelings with the use media language. We hope achieve a sensational music video that some people can relate to. As Michael Shore said that the star of the video is extremely important, we will have an actor that has strong expressions to make the video more engaging and relatable. We will also follow Andrew Goodwin's theory that a strong music video has a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals. Our song, Slow Dancing in the Dark, is perfect to portray a breakup. 

 I emailed Sean Miyashiro, Joji's manager to ask for permission to use Joji's song in our music video.

 After multiple discussions, our team unanimously decided the song 'Slow Dancing in the Dark' by Joji. The song includes upbeat and slow music which is perfect for the aesthetic we are going for. We didn't have a lot of time at school to do meetings so we mostly discussed everything online. We created a WhatsApp group for our team members so we can easily call and message each other there.

 Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian theorist, is known as the "father of media studies". He has contributed enormously to media ecology and so I am dedicating this post to some of his most important works. The Medium Is The Message McLuhan introduced the idea that the message being communicated to people does not hold as much power as the media that delivers it. Basically, the medium through which a message is delivered shapes the users' perception of that message. For example, a person listening to the news on the radio will perceive a different meaning of the news than another person reading the news from a newspaper. McLuhan developed this theory in 1964 while the rise of social media began in 1996. So although he did not relate this idea to social media, he may have believed that the actual posts being put up on social media platforms aren't as important but social media itself has had the biggest impact. Another aspect of McLuhan's statement, "the medium is ...

 Music industries are known for selling music as a product. In the past, musicians recorded their music, converted it to CDs or cassettes and sold in retail stores. In order to increase sales, music would be aired on TV or radios. Sometimes, you would see posters of the music but that was almost all the marketing that could be done back then In the recent age, with the rise of technology, promotion via marketing strategies have enormously increased. Some of the important ones are discussed below. Livestreaming Musicians have recently started to hold meetup events online which means more audiences are able to join. This is an excellent strategy because almost every household has access to social media. Some musicians also hold live concerts for fans that are unable to attend the physical ones. This extends the music reach. Short Videos Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube promote content with the use of short videos. These videos are engaging because they don't take up much ...

  Andrew Goodwin Goodwin believed that a strong music video has a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals. This doesn't necessarily mean that every lyric should match its respective scene. However, it does mean that the narrative or performance in the music video should be similar to what the lyrics say. Goodwin also believed that the star of the video is really important because it makes the video inviting to the audience. The star should match the aesthetic of the video and seem relatable to the audience. Michael Shore Shore believes that music videos are aimed at particular audiences. He believes that music videos consist of recycled images and styles that attract adolescent males and their fantasies of speed, power, wealth and girls. This has led to music videos becoming soft core pornography with stereotypical representations.

 I am going to talk about some theorists that presented their ideas about music videos. Roland Barthes Barthes believed that all narratives, including music videos, are either open or closed. He referred to the different aspects of a music video as codes. Following are the codes he believed could fit to any narrative. Hermeneutic code: It refers to any element in a narrative that is not explained which creates suspense. This allows the audience to stay engaged. Proairetic code: It refers to any action that implies a further action. This allows the audience to wonder what would be the result and hence, builds suspense. Cultural code: This refers to symbols or elements that are relevant to a specific culture. This helps grab a target audiences' attention. Semantic code: This refers to elements that give a hidden meaning or connote a meaning. This is also known as the connotative code. This allows the audiences to add their own touch to the understanding of the music video since every...

Here is an animated version of our ideas about our music video created by Hashir.

I love watching music videos and I know for a fact that whatever the song may be, the music video should grab your attention immediately. I will share a few inspirations for my own music video. My Love Mine All Mine I really enjoyed this music video because it portrays a message throughout in a very cinematic way. It starts off with yellow dandelion inside an egg shell, showing how everything is born with hope; the yellow colour displaying hope. The video goes on to show that even during our weakest points, we can grow. Furthermore, I really like how the video starts off without music and includes a non-diegetic sound which increases the suspense. Overall, this video has a strong mis-en-scene and has a narrative structure. I also want to include a narrative in my music video. Nobody Gets Me What I like about this music video is that it's minimalistic and doesn't involve a narrative. It is performance based and mostly involves lip syncing. It takes you to different locations thr...

 Music videos follow many stereotypes in representations of different social groups. Gender Women are mostly objectified in music videos. Their bodies are displayed and there are closeup shots of their features. They are shown wearing heavy makeup and tiny pieces of clothing along with high heels. They are usually next to men as a symbol that men own them. Meanwhile, men are shown wealthy and powerful in music videos. They are shown wearing expensive items of clothing like watches, sun glasses and chains. These are very conventional ways to represent gender. Sexuality Most music videos in the new age show some sexual content. The sexuality is mainly hetero and men are shown attracted to women that showcase themselves.  Age We mainly see performers in their 20s or 30s in music videos since this is the age when they are going through important things in life so they show their rebellion or their getaway from the stressful activities. This is also the time when they are passionat...

  There are many different genres of music video. Here are some examples along with their visual styles. Indie This genre includes low key lighting and slow paced editing to match the slow song. The videos are usually narrative based and show a struggle in the performer's life. As the lyrics are very clearly audible, the video focuses on engaging in a moody mis-en-scene so that the audience feels relatable. R&B This genre includes the artist's current feelings and the videos based on this genre have a deep meaning to them. There is no convention in this genre and it is highly flexible so the artist usually plays around to create a unique video. Pop This is the genre that includes high key lighting, bright clothing, heavy makeup and most times performances. The performers break the fourth wall and engage with the audience directly. This makes the genre more up beat. Hip Hop This genre includes many low angle shots to characterize the performer as powerful. Mostly, we see gro...

 There are different types of music videos that go with different types of songs and different preferences by artists. Following are the types. Performance Music Videos These videos include the artist(s) performing either on stage, on a set or on a real location. This type of video can fit any music genre with any type of artist. Narrative Music Videos These videos tell a story. This type allows the artist to share their story with or without following convention. This type gives the directors the liberty to be portray a story in any way or form. Concept Music Videos These videos have no convention and allows the director to be creative. These videos include an artistic approach to display an idea or a philosophy. There are no rules for such videos and they can come in so many different styles. Lyric Videos These are videos that show lyrics only. There can be unique fonts and pictures. These videos are usually used before the actual music video comes out or sometimes some artists j...

 To understand the music industry, you need to understand the different stages of music creations and music promotions.  Creation and Production This is the stage in which the artist creates the music and writes the lyrics. During production, this song is recorded, edited and released on a platform.  Marketing This is the stage during which a music video is designed, album covers are created, merchandise is created and much more. This is a crucial stage since it determines how well the artist is going to do with the release of his/her music. Distribution This is when the music is shared among audiences. This is done using different platforms, social media pages and even by selling albums at different stores. Music Promotion This is the last stage during which you contact media, gain visibility on social platforms and try to broadcast your music as much as possible. This is the last attempt to get your music to reach the maximum audience.

I am the producer and the publisher of the music video we will be creating. Fortunately for me, I have already experienced working in a team last year when we created a short film. I learnt most of the basics and now I am prepared to use my skills along with the individual skills of my team to produce a cinematic music video. I will be part of the whole process as we create our music video. This includes the planning, production, and post-production. Additionally, I will distribute the promotion package as well as create it. I plan to research, plan and produce the final product. I am also going to create a digipack and a social media page to promote our artist. I will use this blog to display all my work and efforts. Since producers are the overall decision makers, I will be working in each part of the process with our director, Hashir Zeeshan and co-director, Muskaan Ifaan. I will make sure the decisions they make are feasible and solve the potential problems that come along. I am ve...

 I practiced a transition video.

 I created a stop motion video using Lapse It.

 My friend and I practiced transitions and lip syncing.

I took some cinematic clips and combined them with music using CapCut. 

 Here is a video I made to capture the beauty of handheld stationary shots.

I am in a group of 4 including myself. I believe a group is essential if you want to produce an excellent product and for our music video to turn out extraordinary, my team members and I will put in our best efforts. These are my team members and their roles: Azwa Ameer : Camerawoman/ Co-producer Hashir Zeeshan : Editor/ Director/ Script Writer Muskaan Ifaan : Lighting Director/ Co-Director/ Pros and Costumes Me : Producer/ Publisher

 This year we are expected to create a music promotion package. This means we have to create a music video from scratch on any song of our choice. I will use all previous knowledge from AS about camerawork, editing, sound and mis-en-scene to create a video with my team members. I will do my individual research to further understand my task. We are also expected to promote the artist we show in our music video. I will do this by creating a social media page, uploading our video online and creating a digipak. A digipak is basically the album cover for your song. I will do my best to promote our artist and get reactions from our audiences.

 I am Omama Basit and I am in A2. I will be using this blog to update what I learn in media class. This blog will include the pre-production, production and the post-production for my final music video. It will also include some of my practices to further demonstrate my learning journey.