Audience Research 1

I performed an intensive survey around my 6th Forem College, contrasting between teachers ( I will call them age group A 20 - 50) and Students (age group B15 - 17) THe survey was to check if I am on track with a video suited to a certain (and diverse) audience and what ideas appeal to which age groups, what patterns form?

What kind of recording is better transferred to music video?
Acoustic, simple and drawn back   A) 3 B)7
Proffesional, produced and heavy   A) 2 B)3

What style of music video is the most interesting or engaging to you?
Abstract A)0 B)2
Concept A)3 B)1
Narrative A)1 B)5
Performance A)1 B)2

What is in your opinion the most important technique used in music video?
Interesting Camera Use A)1 B) 3
Music and Action synch A)1 B)1
Special/ Practical Effects A)0 B)4
Complete Proffesional Edit A)3 B)2

The questioanire showed a varied amount of trends, my music video abides by these trends to appeal to the overall groups. I made my own drawn back (and available to view below) recording, a drawn back but full bodied acoustic recording, my music video is a concept performance peace after the results pf the survey I am inserting narrative elements into the video. The last question has made me evaluate the time I will puut in to edit, to make the video appear as proffesional and seemless as possible.

Recording 1st Mix

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17547680/Redemtion%20song.mp3

This is the first mix of the music video track used in my final project. I recorded it today with my actor who is also the guitarist bassist and vocalist heard on the track. I was helped unendingly by music student Adam Green who took me through and set up the recording and mixing of the track, with my humble supervision. The first mix as it stands sounds extremely good and I am pleased with it, the tone seems perfect for my music video concept and the fact my characters and the person actually playing on the track are the same person will give the video an unbridled connection between what is heard and what is seen something easily overlooked in student music videos.

Music Video Shot List

SHOT LIST -
HIPPY SHOTS and PROFESSIONAL SHOTS (to be mirrored in each set) -
CU of Guitar with out of focus background.
MID SHOT Hippy sitting on bench with background, tuning guitar, setting up.
ESTABLISHING of Background and Stage.
Over The Shoulder, on the photographic background and the audience.
LONG SHOT showing entire background and stage.
MULTIPLE XCU of guitar to split screen edit in post production.
CU of  hippy character lip syncing.
The most important shot to get during shooting is a wide 360 pan around the characters this will be edited together to give the most blatant contrast between each character and the most stylish edit in the video it is paramount I get the best take of this.

Past Student Work 2

Done by 3 past students at my 6th Form in Thurston, Triple Trouble is an interesting if lacking point abstract music video, It looks good, is edited well, the shots fit together, rapid editing is used for humour and completely synchs to the lyrics of the song and the shits are all treated and effected to look good and different from the norm. The normal and relatively simple editing techniques of split screen, etc are used with flair and style, allowing a character to rap at himself, this quality of editing and timing makes the video convincing and interesting, although it also does it to no real point. Although the video is handled with care and looks great the video doesn't have any narrative point yet this does not stop the video from being an interesting and funny abstract idea.

Past Student Work

http://vimeo.com/20244147

This is the link to a past student work by former Thurston 6th Student David Hodgson - Lorente. The video is an interesting blend of 2 music video ideas the concept and the narrative music video. The video uses interesting and well done video and practical effects and skilled editing to really make the concept and fine tune a loose but interesting narrative. Keeping it interesting all the way through. In contrast to the idea behind my music video which is more focused on Performance than effects but still has elements of concept and relies heavily on the edit. 

Recording

Today I am preparing  to record the music for my music video doing an unofficial cover of Bob Marley's famous song and my favorite Marley song, Redemption Song. The song means a lot to me and I think it suits the video perfectly the evocative and powerful lyrics married to the soulful and simple guitar make it a close to perfect tune. I am going to record an acoustic cover of Marley's acoustic version, recorded with music student, former singer in BurySound winning band Head Full and close friend, Casey Chick.  The version above is my favorite of any and the video captures the essence of the song and of what Bob Marley's music means, the individual and the community living in harmony and understanding from music, preaching to the masses.

Storyboards 8 9

These last 2 pages show the ending to my music video, the hippy giving up and having a smoke/cup of tea, whilst the professional slaves on with a solo, the hippy is shown preparing to sleep rough whilst the professional sits at the end of his set, judged in a different way to the hippy, on his genuine skill and not his lifestyle.