MY STORYBOARDS - This Little Kitty By Toy Hearts

STORYBOARD

Storyboards are vital. In the storyboards we worked out the types of shots we were going to use, camera angles, the colours and shapes, the mise en scene, the camera movements, the framing and the way we would edit. So in the storyboar we work ebverything out, we plan, we test, in the real world the storyboard artist costs alot less per day than the £1 million plus that the movie would cost.

So woth our storyboard we are trying to visulize, to work out what is on screen. If it works we will then shoot it and then we will edit it together just like putting a puzzle together.
Unfortunattly our plan kept changing from our timeline to our storyboard. This meant our storyboard kept changing right up to the day of filming.

The storyboard builds on the timeline to visualise the shot and work out what lyrics would go well ith what shot and the timing for each shot that works with the image and lyrics. The storyboard shows and represents much more information about the way our music video is going to be produced than any other documentation we have.

In storyboaring you have to do lots of different shots to show ideas that you might have, these would include

• Wide Shot
• Extreme Closeup
• Closeup
• Mid Shot
• Long Shot

These would emphasise certain parts of the body or instruments to make the audience understand what is happening.

For example in one of our shots we have chosen to do an extreme close-up to show a somewhat fallic symbol and also to emphasise that it is a female singing and also to give her a sexy image.We would have about 10 closeups of the two girls that would show there attractive image, this would possibly chaneg the target audience to more male dominant than female dominant.

We would have about 8 closeups of the two girls together, showing that they both are yet again attractive and that they look good on camera, also to show sex appeal and unison between the two girls.

We would have about 5 shots of just the man, because unlike the girls he is older and male, and as our initial target audience was male orientated, the shots of women would appeal more to the audience than others.

In tracking we are to film the band playing in the studio and track with a table and a bottle of Jack Daniels, allowing us to see the band through the bottle. This would give the image that they are possibly in a concert or pub and people are watching them. We choose to use a Jack Daniels bottle as it was made in Tennesse which was the country that the group wanted to mainly target.

In editing for example when the man is playing the guitar in a long or mid shot we would then cut to him in an extreme or close-up of his fingers strumming the guitar to let the audience know what is happening, and why.


Here is an example from You Tube about how to storyboard-

TIMELINING

Timelining is the act of using words and times as a first try at linking images, words and music riffs. This helps the group understand the timings and the lyrics and how they might possibly work in the music video.

So with the timeline we can test out which line has a performance element with it, which one has a narrative image with it and which one has something else.

An example of this is that we will have close ups of the instrument being played during the various instrumental breaks. But we can see that with fifeteen intrumental breaks this might be too much , and so we would only continue with five of them. In our song there are around 7 guitar riffs and clearly 7 closeups would be too much, as the audience would know what was next and it would immediatly make the sequence rather boring.

Another example would be that our group has two females that sing and are young and attractive, therfore more appealing for the image that we are trying to portray. The third memeber of the group is a 50 year old man, which would not be as appealing to our group to film multiple shots. So it our timeline we could plan to be more centered on the two girls than the older male who is the instrumentalist. But the man has a very intersestuing face visually, and we might end up shooting lots of shots with him, in the final edit.

With the timline you can see wether images will hold for the time that we have given in the song. So if a line in the song is seven seconds, and you cut on the beat at the end, you need an image that will hold the seven seconds.

I attach copies of my timeline.

COMPOSITION RULES

There are over 100 composition rules for film making. These are very usefull for us in three ways. We shall try to :

• Use 10 of them at least once in our pop video.
  


• Write about each of them, with images, in our blog.


• Use a number of them (not all ten) in our exam essay as examples of our improvments in knowledge skills.
  

COMPOSITION RULES

All start from what we are trying to say, out hypothesi, our meaning.

• Different type of shot size



• Camera position and Angle (up shot, down shot)



• Camera movements



• Lighting
  


• Rule of thirds



• Leading the eye
  


• Colours



• Shapes and lines
  


• Detail arrangment in the frame



• Editing styles

STORYBOARDING COMPOSITION RULES- FILM MAKING

There are over 100 composition rules for film making. These are very usefull for us in three ways. We shall try to :

• Use 10 of them at least once in our pop video.


• Write about each of them, with images, in our blog.


• Use a number of them (not all ten) in our exam essay as examples of our improvments in knowledge skills.

COMPOSITION RULES

All start from what we are trying to say, out hypothesi, our meaning.

• Different type of shot size


• Camera position and Angle (up shot, down shot)


• Camera movements


• Lighting


• Rule of thirds


• Leading the eye


• Colours


• Shapes and lines


• Detail arrangment in the frame


• Editing styles

Here is an illustration from 3 of the conventions -

Different shot types : There are a variety of different camera shots that can be used , the most commonly used are these.

1. Extreme Close Up


2. Close Up


3. Mid Shot


4. Long Shot


5. Wide Shot


6. Very Wide Shot

Extreme Closeup - This would be used to emphasise a part of the body i.e an extreme close up on the eye to show wherabouts they are looking or of someone painting there nails showing that they are care about there appearance. Close Up - This would show detail in the face and emotions that a star would have i.e a close up of Tom Cruise crying

Mid Shot - This is a comfortable shot that is most commonly used.

Long Shot - This is a shot used in action and to show the props and costumes surrounding the actor and the landscape/ setting that the film/ scene is in. Wide Shot - This is used as an establishing shot and to show the context. Very Wide Shot- This is used to show the landscape and / or would be used to show space. CAMERA MOVEMENTS - This would be either tracking,crane, tilt, dolly, crab or possibly panning. Tracking is when a movement which stays a constant distance from the action, especially side to side movement. Crane would be when a camera was put onto a crane making swooping images and quick bird like feel. Tilt would be vertical movement of the camera angle i.e pointing the camera up and down. Dolly is when the camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very small movement. Also known as tracking shot. Crab again is a less common term for tracking. LIGHTING -

This is when the actor/band/performist has to be lighted in order for the audience to aknowledge who they are , they have to be lit from 3 different angles. Each angle has a different name;

There are also certain colours that have to be used in order for you to reflect to the audience your emotion/personality. Rule Of Thirds - The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your shot becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it. Film makers use the composition rules to put over there meaning, especially editing, tracking and types of shot. We will try to do this.

FIRST PITCH

There are a number of basic conventions that you find in most pop videos.

COMMON GENERIC CONVENTIONS OF POPULAR MUSIC PROMO VIDEOS - KEITH NEGUS

• The explicit and unashamed promotion of the artists 'image' (aesthetic/generic/ideological) as a specific product with a brand identity, ready for mass consumption.





• The featuring of the atrist (almost without exception)


• A wide and extensive use of shot types, camera angles and movement.


• Repetition of reoccurring thematic elements and generically specific iconongraphy (one key element often being dominant and providing the skeletal structure for the promo)


• A possible narrative structure

• Possible performance element



• The flexibility to diregard Realism


• Shots cut tightly to the beat of the track


• Use of special effects ( lighting, animation, CGI'S in Camera Effects)


• A carefully constructed mise en scene appropiate to the content and tone of the track


• High impact instantly ! ( dont forget that competition for airplay on that main music channel outlets is intense)

We shall try to either imitate or subvert ot change these for our music video.

On friday 17th of september, out group pitched our music video ideas to luc.

The ideas that we pitched were -

• In a scrapyard, smashing up bits of cars and then band on top of cars singing etc .. lots of slow motion clips would be used. Song used would be up in the clouds by Darwin Deez. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loXxn7dMQYE)
  
  
• Shooting in a council estate, man in hoodie, walking around. Never see his face just his lips when needed to sing. Song used would be



• Labrynth idea, running around in a maze, getting lost. Someone acts as if they are controlling them. Song used is Byenter Shikari. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wngyXhTx4pc
  

Once pitched, luc then told us about the problems that might occur.

With the scrap yard idea, there would be some fall backs in if a scrap yard would allow it and also the various health and saftey issues, also findin

With the council estate idea, there , some quarrels as to if an estate would let us film and also if it was 'moroly' safe for us to film there as well .

With the Labrinth idea there was a problem that the group thought it could come across as quiet tacky looking and also quite hard to make a labrinth or find one in the surrounding area.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - My Ideas

My group, will work through the five stages of production. We began by researching pop videos and there conventions and how the industry works.

I looked at the pop video STRESS BY JUSTICE and found that some of the ideas used throughout the video would be helpfull in our process. The video had a political side to it but also explored race and gangs throught town like london and other places. The song itself is quite dramatic and gives a feel of anger and panic.

I developed 3 ideas to pitch to my group. These ideas were

• CANT TAKE IT IN By IMOGEN HEAP - Man and Woman, in love, woman is in field running around, sun sets... couple is kissing. inspired by when i look at you by Miley Cyrus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naO8TyQi0-8 & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wxOVn99FTE&ob=av2e
  
• STAY BY MILEY CYRUS - set in a busy place, possibly woman standing in a bust sreet with people walking around her. Looking out into the distance, cuts to girl on floor crying, pictures of couple, possible flashbacks, tears. Maybe in black and white, the song itself is very depressing. Inspired by Because by Jessica Malboy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSyXhUFbDQ & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_3f7kBhElY&ob=av2n



• WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM BY FYFE DANGERFIELD - Woman walking up road, man singing behind her going out and in in focus, man /singer in studio singing. Singing in field, looking at her. Supposodly taking the journey of love. Inspired by Please dont let me go by Ollie Murs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1C48LDwruo & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4S9gQb9PjM&ob=av2n