Task 5 - Research into the music genre "Rock (specifically Irish Rock)"

The Irish music scene in the 1960s and much of the 1970s was dominated by the unique Irish phenomenon of the 'Show bands' which were groups of professional performers who played at dancehalls and clubs across the country, putting on a professional 'show' and playing all the American and British hits of the era. From the mid-1970s onwards Rock music in Ireland has been very similar to Rock music in Britain.

*The Pogues are a well known 1980's Irish rock band, featuring the mercurial and drink-heavy lead singer Shane McGowan, The Pogues used Irish folk instruments and coerced them behind a frenetic punk swag.  Like most of the bands classed as show bands The Pogues split up several years ago before reuniting for live performances.  However unlikely it may have seemed, the London-based band wrote what is considered a Christmastime classic in “Fairytale of New York.”

Van Morrison (“Van the Man”) is another great example of an irish rock artist. He  is one of a kind of artist that reaches the soul.  A proponent of the impromptu style of jazz music, Van Morrison is a rarefied act who consistently changes the structure of his songs in a live setting.  An inductee of the 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Van Morrison has won six Grammys and is responsible for the timeless classic single “Brown Eyed Girl.

U2 are probably the most well known Irish rock group. They are responsible for several critically acclaimed albums, 22 Grammy awards, and an unparalleled philanthropic creed. U2 is the preeminent Irish rock band.  In fact, U2’s unyielding relevance has made them a hot target for parody.  Regardless, U2’s success is no fluke, and they do not seem to be tiring out any time soon.

This is an example of a song from this genre by 'Thin Lizzy' called "Whiskey in the jar" from 1973 and is a great representation of this genre and how this type of song can be delivered in performance.

Task 4 - Preliminary Task

Today we finished editing for the preliminary task. Overall I feel that the final edit is an accurate representation of the actual video. However, there are many factors that I feel could be improved. I will therefore look to act upon these improvement points during the production of my main task in order to give it a more professional look to it. 

Some of these factors include the level of performance of the actors used. During the production of my preliminary task the actors used did not execute their performance to the required standard to match the official video. I feel that during the production of my main task the actors and level of performance will be a key determining factor as to how good the final product is.

Another factor is the imagery used, in the official video of 'What time is it' we see an extreme close up of a clock whereas in my production, the image used looks amateurish and unprofessional.
Another comment to make is that the costumes worn by the actors do not match that of the actual video. Therefore in future productions I will look to ensure that the costumes the actors are wearing fit the type of song I am going to produce. Also during the editing stage, there were no alterations to the images seen on screen and they were screened as they appeared when filmed. Therefore in future productions I will look to improve the final image by altering the picture to give a stylish and professional effect. Similarly, during the editing process I noticed that all my transitions were straight cuts from one to the other, however during my final production I feel that by adding other methods of transitioning from one shot to the next, for example a fade or cross dissolve, I can give the final edit a better and smoother outcome.

Task 3 - Research into a marketing package for an artist (Digipak)

Digipak:

The digipak of Kendrick Lamar's album 'To pimp a Butterfly' is similar to the album cover as it portrays the emotions and beliefs of what is known as 'hood politics' that originated from Kendrick's upbringing.

As well as this we can see on the inside cover phrases from his beliefs in a graffiti style font that you might expect to see in a place such as Compton. This style fits well with the other imagery used in this digipak, the style of music Kendrick produces and the personality of Lamar himself and is everything you would expect from an album of his. The colouring used in the imagery is simple but effective using two base colours of black and white and gives a neat effect on the final product.

The example below which is taken from the song 'alright' on this album demonstrates his feelings towards his way of life by publicly sharing his beliefs. It shows Kendrick and three black friends sitting in a car which is being carried by four white police officers. This is a clear claim about  Kendrick's strong negative feelings towards police officers and how much impact racism has had on his community.

Task 3 - Research into a marketing package for an artist (CD album cover)

CD Cover:

The album cover for Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp A Butterfly' is a very strong political statement that Kendrick himself strongly believes is the truth. We can see Kendrick Lamar situated in the centre of the image as he is the star image that his label are trying to promote. However I believe Kendrick's main aim in this image cover was to put across his thoughts on the way politics and the government is run in the USA. He is trying to speak for his culture and his life as a black American from a rough area (Compton). Another aspect I believe Kendrick is trying to convey is his personality to his fans. We can see him holding money which is a stereotypical image that someone of his culture should have an extreme interest in money and earning. We get the feeling that he is speaking for the community of people he was brought up with and how they want the nation to be run. This is shown by the fact that we can see what may be a politician lying on the floor with Kendrick sitting on top of him.

Task 2 - Research into previous student review - "Josh Mellard"

Research:

• Lots of detailed research showing theories and also research into specific music genre that they feel relate to their own beliefs and ideas on their own production.
• Variety of media formats used to present research for example the use of both text and images.
• Maybe could have used a third method of presenting work for example a small clip or gif to explain their findings.

Planning:

• Very detailed explanation behind their planning.
• Seems to have clear understanding as to what they want their final product to be like.
• Large portions of the planning are purely text so could maybe use more variety when planning.

Music Video: 

• Idea seems proffesional and some of the wanted effects were captured well.
• Great variety of camera angles.
• Good cinemetography and use of camera focus.
• Effective use of picture editing to change colour of the environment.
• In some places the picture is out of sync with the music (slightly)
• Performance could be more passionate as it's an intensely passionate song and the actor seems to be speaking the lyrics rather that singing them.

Digipack

• Good editing and black base colour with a white background.
• Has a professional overall image.
• The main focus for three of the sides are on just one of the singers whereas the final side is focussing on someone completely different. Creates confusion as to who they are intending the star performer to be.

Magazine Advert 

• Good cinematography of natural environment.
• Looks basic but works and has a professional feel.
• Contrasts with digipak as there is only one person in shot.

Evaluation

• Good use of Prezi, Slideshare and videos to evaluate the video and interest the viewer
• Blogs are again well written with few or no errors
• No weaknesses could be identified

Strenghs & Weaknesses

Task 2 - Research into previous student review - "Ashufta Shah"

Research:

• Lots of detailed research showing theories and also research into specific music genres that the candidate feel their final production will include.
• Uses lots of different media formats to make the blog look more exciting and interesting. For example, the use of text, images, youtube clips and slide shares.
• No negative weaknesses could be identified

Planning:

• Lots of photos added to show behind the scenes of how both the preliminary and final production were run. Additional photos of the brainstorming were added to show all stages of the planning process
• In some of the planning pictures the writing on some of the sheets is hard to read

Music Video: 

• Idea seems professional and some of the intended effects were captured well.
• Some of the camera work seems shaky and doesn't run very smoothly.

Digipack

• Good editing and black and white picture gives it an urban, 'creepy' feel
• Very professional
• Not sure how the picture of the woman relates to the narrative of the video

Magazine Advert 

• Editing in black and white links well with the Digipak 
• Good picture with the cigarette in focus and the woman out of focus
• Doesn't really seem to link with the video/music

Evaluation

• Good use of Prezi, Slideshare and videos to evaluate the video and interest the viewer
• Blogs are again well written with little or no mistakes 
• Could have maybe added more analysis of ancillary texts

Strenghs & Weaknesses

Task 1 - Shot Count Analysis

Track: "What Time Is It"                                                
Artist: Zac Effron                                    
Director: Kenny Ortega                                
Release Date: 2007
Length of video: 3:39
Number of shots in entire video: 79
Average length of shot:  2.6 seconds
 
Number of shots in 70 second segment: 37
Within the 70 second segment there are: 
  - Number of CU: 11
  - Number of ECU: 3
  - Number of LS: 9
  - Number of MS: 12
  - Number of panning shots: 2
  - Number of tilts: 0
  - Other shots: 0



This shows that in a professional production, there are a lot of shots that people do not realise are there due to the constant cutting and jumping of different angles, this speeds up the pace of the video according to its type of music genre, and through this portrays the atmosphere of the concept delivered to the audience. There are a lot of simple mid shots and close ups to pick up details and the character's emotion, and when some long shots are added, it gives the viewer an idea as to what the surroundings are like. This highlights how important a good location is when planning my own production. I have also learnt that the link between the shots are important as too much jumping from scene to scene makes the final piece look amateurish whereas short cuts allow the the video to run smoothly.

All that I have realised through analysing shots and the speed, I can now take into consideration whilst shooting and editing my music video and include these details to make my final video run smoothly with a strong professional feel.