Today I practiced recording and editing myself lip-syncing to Bon Jovi's song 'Bad Medicine.' The main reason I underwent this task was because I will be directing someone who is lip-syncing for our coursework. Now that I've seen and practiced the process of lip-synicing it will be much easier for me to direct someone into doing the same and it will look much more effective. Also, this task taught me how to sync up three video clips with an audio clip which I will also have to do while editing the music video that we produce.
Thursday 25 October 2012
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Practicing filming a band
Today we acquired the Year 10 band and had them mime a song that they had previously recorded. We set up a number of cameras and recorded them as they were miming their song. We did this as practice for when we will have to record a band's performance for our coursework.
This was good practice as it showed us how creative and spontaneous we had to be while filming. For a music video shots can't really be planned and you just have to do what you think is right at the time. In one take I was assigned to film only the singer. I ran around her a lot and did a lot of close-ups where I went up to her and put the camera right in her face. At the time this may have made her feel uncomfortable but it made a good shot and will be effective. We also used a static camera that was filming a long shot of the band and a dolly shot using a camera person sitting on a wheelchair. The other cameras we used were roaming cameras.
When we come to film our own band we will only be using one camera but this exercise has helped us learn how to film effective shots. We have also learned useful techniques about how to direct a band and to get the shots that you want. This will allow us to make our videos look much more professional compared to when we made music videos at GCSE level. When we're directing we now know what is important in getting the band to act energetically and what can go wrong. We learnt that in the first take the band's performance is generally less energetic and won't look as good as later takes. We also learnt that the best way to get the band act energetically is to act positive and to encourage them to go as crazy as possible and we will tell them if they need to dial it down.
This was good practice as it showed us how creative and spontaneous we had to be while filming. For a music video shots can't really be planned and you just have to do what you think is right at the time. In one take I was assigned to film only the singer. I ran around her a lot and did a lot of close-ups where I went up to her and put the camera right in her face. At the time this may have made her feel uncomfortable but it made a good shot and will be effective. We also used a static camera that was filming a long shot of the band and a dolly shot using a camera person sitting on a wheelchair. The other cameras we used were roaming cameras.
When we come to film our own band we will only be using one camera but this exercise has helped us learn how to film effective shots. We have also learned useful techniques about how to direct a band and to get the shots that you want. This will allow us to make our videos look much more professional compared to when we made music videos at GCSE level. When we're directing we now know what is important in getting the band to act energetically and what can go wrong. We learnt that in the first take the band's performance is generally less energetic and won't look as good as later takes. We also learnt that the best way to get the band act energetically is to act positive and to encourage them to go as crazy as possible and we will tell them if they need to dial it down.
Friday 12 October 2012
The Strokes - Website Analysis
http://www.thestrokes.com/us
The background colour of The Strokes' website is black which is similar to a lot of Indie bands (e.g. Interpol) and therefore the target audience will be familiar with it and will show that they are an Indie band.
The font type is very simple and has been done that way to create ease for the user. They also used white text on a black background to help with this and to make the text easy to read. They have also been neatly and simply placed in the middle of the page to increase usability.
The button in the top right corner is the bands logo and has been designed to clearly stand out so straight away the audience will know what the website is. Also, the design of the logo makes them look like an old-styled glamourous band (designed like old-fashoined American diners) which is rather different. Indie bands always use quirks.
The only image on the front page is a hero shot of the band performing. This is a form of mode of address as this gives the user a quick feel for the band because they can see the instruments that they use, the costumes that they wear and just the overall feel of the band.
The primary target audience for this band would be the reformer. This is because the website focuses more on the band and the music itself rather than glamour and fame.
There isn't a lot of body copy on this website because the primary target audience are more likely to get into the band by listening to their music rather than reading about them. However, there is a 'read more' button for fans that are interested in reading about them.
The band has a store button for there website, but as well as, this they are also advertising their latest album on the left side of every landing page.
The background colour of The Strokes' website is black which is similar to a lot of Indie bands (e.g. Interpol) and therefore the target audience will be familiar with it and will show that they are an Indie band.
The primary target audience for this band would be the reformer. This is because the website focuses more on the band and the music itself rather than glamour and fame.
There isn't a lot of body copy on this website because the primary target audience are more likely to get into the band by listening to their music rather than reading about them. However, there is a 'read more' button for fans that are interested in reading about them.
The website also has convergence because you can use your Facebook or Twitter account to sign up for The Strokes' website.
One of the landing pages on the website is a community page. This allows fans to share their thoughts and feelings about the band and provides good publicity to the band.
Wednesday 3 October 2012
Our song choice
For our coursework we have chosen the song Space Elevator by The Smiling Lies
We signed up to a website that the band is also signed up to called reverbnation.com . On here we became a fan of them and asked them if we were allowed permission to use their music video for our coursework.
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