Evaluation 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?



1)    The title of the music video

The title of the song was pre chosen by the artist and the record company and for obvious reasons; we did not change the title of the song as the lyrics are based around the title. Also the title gave us ideas to go against the stereotypical view of an urban Hip-hop theme and film the majority of it in fields and parks which kept a link to the song throughout.

2)    Setting/Location

The locations that we have chosen in our music video were to make our video stand out from a standard Hip-Hop video and show our individuality. The majority of the video is in a park and a field which fits in with the name of the song. We have glimpses of the town to keep a Hip-Hop feel. We had an idea of where we wanted to film before we began the project and when we had asked our peers on their opinion, they also thought it was a good idea. As there was a large open space in the field, there was enough room for us to experiment with long shots and close ups.

We also wanted to use the rail track due to the fact that we weren’t supposed to be on it, which went with the mischievous Hip-Hop feel. It also proved our individuality with the film, as no one else would use this location. We tried to keep our locations as exclusive as possible so that when the audience watched it back, they didn’t recognise any of the places. A time lapse is a clip that James filmed previously, this was effective in the film to change the tone of the video, as it draws towards the end.

3)    Props and Costumes

The rural background allows the iconic Hip-Hop costumes to become more predominant in each shot. Choosing the costumes for our video was easy as we didn’t want stray too far away from a classic Hip-Hop artist. This meant that when the audience watched it, they were not deceived by what genre it is. Hats, hoddies, jumpers, chinoes and vans were the standard uniform for filming. An initial idea was to make all the characters wear suits but we quickly strayed away from this idea, as we didn’t think it would be as effective. We also had an idea for the characters in the video, to be wearing super hero costumes but this was not cost effective.

We really liked the shots of Pearce and I in the field with the sofa as it is really individual and stands out. The props and costumes used on the rail track also gave the same idea of individuality. We thought that the apple mac laptop and then sunglasses gave a modern up to date feel to the video and made the field shot look even more individual. We made sure that all the characters continuously changed costumes throughout the video, to give the idea that the character has a lot of money and a hectic life style. It was important to use the props as much as we could too fit in with the lyrics, for example ripping up the piece of paper where it says ‘Don’t use no template’ and the phone pressing play, when it says ‘Press play’

4)    Camera Work and Editing

In our music video, camera work and editing are one of the most important aspects, if not the most important aspects to get right. We were at a huge advantage to the other groups, due to James’s experience but it was important that we knew what to just as much as him, as it was a group task. This is why we made a preliminary video as a group before so that we all had a chance to use his equipment and software.

We talk in detail about the editing software we used in the ‘Editing Diary’ but from an evaluative point of you, I feel that the way we went about the editing was perfect. We decided to edit the video throughout the project, by uploading the footage at the end of each filming day so we could make some progress throughout rather than leaving it all to the end. This allowed us to maintain our inspiration throughout and stop the group from getting bored by doing it all in one go. In turn helping with the camerawork on each day, as we would be getting a better idea about what would look best on the screen as we could therefore be more confident whilst filming. We experimented with rapid editing, fades, cuts, cross cutting, slow motion and black and white shots to get the best shots to fit with the beat of the song.

Pearce as the main character was the perfect choice, due to his confidence in front of the camera which made the camera work easier for the others. We enjoyed experimenting with different shots such as High and low angles, tilts, tracking shots, swish pans, close ups, long shots and establishing shots to see what would look best. This is all due to the fact that the style of these videos is about having fun which allowed us to experiment with different shots. James researched into how to keep the camera steady when we were moving with it, which was buy putting weights at the end of the tripod.

  

      5) Title Font and Style

We experimented with a few different fonts on the video until we came up with the final font. The first idea can be seen on our Diary of a day 1 shooting blog. The final font idea came about at the end of the project after we had made the digipak and the magazine advert. The font on these was perfect and in order to keep the whole blog consistent, we decided the font of the video needed to change. To match the tone of the video, the font needed to big and bold which it is now. Also blue was needed in the title due to the name of Mac Millers album ‘Blue Slide Park’.

6)    Story/tone of the music video and how the opening suggests it

Our video starts with the use of a steady cam following Mac Miller (Pearce) in order to show the audience who the main character is. I am also in the shot and Pearce and I have a handshake to give an initial impression for the tone of the rest of the video. We wanted to have an instantaneous tone that the main character is popular and a star who the audience aspire to be. The fact that he has his back to the camera the whole time shows his disregard for everything else also slamming the shed door in the camera.

The clothing worn by both of us supplies a foundation for the rest of the video and also fits perfectly with the persona of the character we wanted. The next shot used is a pan across the character where he is on the phone ordering a ‘Turkey Sandwich’ and the audience is then able to see the aggression of Mac Miller. Also you get a full view of the clothing style of the character and we tried to keep the same style throughout

7)    Genre and how the opening suggests it

We wanted the audience to be able to tell straight away that the genre of the song was Hip-Hop and I think with the opening 20 seconds of our character you are able to see that. The way Mac Miller conducts himself and what he is wearing is key. The bright, loud, bold clothing and it being baggy is stereotypical to the way Hip-Hop artists are perceived. Mac also shows ‘swagger’ with the way he moves by having his back to the camera, the ‘High five’ with his friend and the phone call. These all so aggression and arrogance which is an image the audience needed to see and feel right at the beginning of the video, to set the tone.