Colour Research

This blog post will show my research into colour theory and psychology

Mise-en-scene is a crucial element of a production. In order to be able to better incorporate mise-en-scene into our music video, I have decided to research colour as it can be used as a tool to incorporate meaning into mise-en-scene. 

Definitions

Hue: Pure colour

Shade: A hue added with black to create a darker colour

Tint: A hue added with white to creare a lighter colour

Value: How dark/light a colour is. Basically, how much shade/tint a colour has.

Saturation: The vibrancy of a colour

Colour meaning

Colour can be seperated into 2 main categories:

• Warm colours: Colours that are commonly associated with the feeling of warmth such as red, orange and yellow. Using a warmer colour pallete can evoke a sense of comfort and safety. 
• Cool colours: Colours that are commonly associated with the feeling of coolness such as blue, purple and green. Using a cooler colour pallete can evoke a sense of isolation and sadness. 

Certain colour can also evoke certain feelings outside of just the connotation of their types which can be used to distribute meaning in a media text. The feeling evoked can be determined by considering what the colour is most commonly associated with in real life. For example, green is often associated with nature and therefore can be used to create a natural feeling whereas red is often associated with blood and therefore can be associated with danger 

Colour palettes

Colours can be comnined to achieve colour harmony. Here are the most common types of colour palettes

Monochrome:

In monochromatic colour palletes, only one hue is used. This hue can include different values and saturations. Monochromatic colour palettes are typically used to emphasize certain meanings. For example, a yellow monochromatic palette could be used to focus in communicating joy to the audience

Complementary:

Complementary colour palettes consist of hues on opposite ends of the colour wheel. They are often used to create interesting contrasts. Due to the contrast, they are often used to communicate designs that are meant to be eye-catching which is why they are often used in advertisements and logos.

Triadic:

Triadic colour palettes consist of hues that are evenly spread out on the colour wheel. They are used to create more balanced contrasts. They are able to communicate multiple meanings, depending on the hues, that remain eye catching and harmonic. 

Sources:

• Color Theory - International Design Foundation
  
• Color Psychology: How Do Colours Affect Moods & Emotions?
  

Self-reflection:

- Although this research initially felt pointless, I realised that this research allowed me to properly understand the role of colour in communicating meaning through mise-en-scene. It allowed me to use appropriate colours in our music video

- It also helped me communicate appropriate meanings when creating the digipak

Location Scout & Risk Assessment

 This blog post will detail the location scout and risk assessment done by my teammate, Cheryl

Link in case embed fails: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSzh0JwgNJ-UqYiGfnafWHSYM3U2CtOTrnH-NjapiA2A1Yz3axR-vSAFpHOXZgxB1lL-CSzfFpNcREu/pub

Reflection:

• Doing a location scout is really helpful as it keeps us organised and ensures that we are able to effectively plan our production
• A risk assessment is crucial as safety should be our number one priority. Through this, we know how we can prepare and react in situations that have the potential of harming us

Classwork

 This part of my blog will demonstrate my understanding of technical elements and how to utilise them

Camera

Shots

Here is a video that helped with my understanding of camera shots

Establishing shot:

• Introduces the viewer to the time and setting of the narrative

Master shot:

• Confirms the location and time of the scene
• Shows the characters and their relation to each other

Wide shot:

• Defines the character's relationship to their environment
• Focuses in the scale of the subject
• Effective at making a subject appear lost or vulnerable

Full shot:

• Full-body shot of the character
• Able to show their expression while also showing their body language

Cowboy/medium full shot:

• Shows a character from their head to their waist (where a gun holster typically is)
• Can be used to make a subject appear more confrontational/confident

Medium shot:

• Not too dramatic or too distancing
• Captures subjects similar to how we interact with people in real life

Medium closeup shot:

• Reduces details to focus on story
• More intimate

Closeup shot:

• High focus on subject  -> signifies importance (on expression, detail etc)

Extreme closeup shot:

• Even more focus on subject, emphasising their importance
• Even more intimate

Angles

Eye-level shot:

• Natural
• Feels intimate

High

• Makes a subject appear vulnerable/powerless

Low

• Makes a subject appear strong/powerful

Canted

• An unnatural angle that gives the scene the feeling of something being 'off'

Movement

Static

• Can be used to make a scene appear calmer but also can be used to make a character seem trapped or helpless

Pan

• Can be used to follow a character's movement
• Can be used to reveal information

Whip pan

• Adds energy to a shot

Tilt

• Can reveal information
• Can be used to make a character appear more dominant but can also make a character appear more vulnerable

Push in

• Emphasises a moment

Pull out

• Deemphasises a character
• Can be used to unveil a scene's context, setting or characters
• Can be used to detach from a scene
• Can be used to symbolise negative emotion

Zoom

• Zooming out can reveal context
• Zooming in can draw our attention to detail
• Slow zooming can create uneasiness

Crash zoom

• Can be used for either dramatic or comedic effect

Dolly zoom

• Creates a vertigo effect
• Can be used to portray (internal/external) conflict
• Adds immersion

Camera roll

• Can be disorienting and unsettling
• Can match character movement in moments of panic/conflict

Tracking

• Can be a hermeneutic code that makes the viewer wonder where the character is going and what will happen when they get there
• Immersive
• Draws attention to specific actions
• Can be used to build tension

Trucking

• Can be used to establish characters and the world in the film

Arc

• Creates energy in a shot
• Makes a shot appear more dynamic without needing characters to move
• Centralises focus

Boom

• Can be used to reveal information
• Can be used to follow characters in action
• Can be used to capture the world around

Random movement

• Appears more natural
• Looks more like a documentary

Sound

Diegetic

• Sound that exists in the diegesis
• Creates immersion/realism
• Adds to the world

Non-diegetic

• Sound that exists outside of the diegesis
• Added to invoke an emotional reaction to the viewer

Trans-diegetic

• Adds a meta element to the scene by blurring the lines between reality/fantasy

Dialogue:

• Feeds the audience direct information verbally
• Can be used to show the relationship of characters through the language they use when communicating with one another (formal, informal, polite, rude etc)

Asynchronous sound:

• When sound is not synced with the scene
• May be used to indicate a different scene happening
• Can be used to relate and highlight scenes

Contrapuntal sound:

• When sound does not match what is going on in the scene
• Can show a character's distorted state of mind
• Makes the scene appear feel bizarre

Sound effects:

• Added sound to create realism or exaggerate actions
• Immersive
• Can be used to create tension/suspense

Sound motif:

• Repeating sounds
• Can be used to create symbolic themes
• Can be used for foreshadowing

Sound bridge:

• Sound that continues to another scene
• Links scenes together

Voiceover:

• Narration
• Gives the audience extra information

Score/soundtrack:

• Music added to a scene
• Sets an ambience/tone
• Can encourage audiences to feel a certain way

Ambient sound:

• Sounds natural to the environment
• Adds a sense of realism
• Sets the scene for the audience
• Immersive

Mise-en-scene

Character:

• Hair
• Makeup
• Clothing
• Build
• Body language

The design and behaviour of a character can reflect their role, ideology and personality. Design and behaviour can be used to push stereotypes that may reinforce a media producer's own ideologies which follows Stuart Hall's representation theory.

Binary opposites (Levi-Strauss) is also another way media producers can incorporate meaning into their text. This can be reflected in character mise-en-scene by creating juxtapositions that show the different sides to a narrative that can be used to push the media producer's ideologies.

Mise-en-scene in characters can also be used to make a character stand out from their environment by making them visibly different from other characters or the setting. 

Props:

• Accessories
• Weapons
• Gadgets
• Items

Props, when in relation to characters, can also tell the audience of the character's role, ideology or personality. Often times, they are paired with character mise-en-scene to make a character appear more recogniseable

They can also be a part of a narrative's worldbuilding. They let the audience know of the world's history and culture without immediately revealing a lot of information. Through this, they make the world seems more believable and realistic.

Set:

• Location
• Dressing
• Space
• Time
• Lighting

The set is also an aspect of worldbuilding. It shows the audience the sort of world the characters are interacting with and tells them how they feel about it by exaggerating certain aspects of the set (for example, a set with very little space makes the scene feel more claustrophobic). Using this, the set can be an excellent tool for reflecting the themes of the narrative

The set can further emphasise the established themes through the utilisation of narrative codes such as hermeneutic codes (keeps the audience engaged by taking advantage of their need to find out), semantic codes (strengthen themes through semiotics) or cultural codes (gives the audience understanding of the scene through real-world contexts). 

Editing

Cutaway:

• Cuts away from the main action
• Creates pacing

Eyeline match:

• Cuts to the object of a character's attention
• Tells the audience information
• Builds intrigue/suspense by making audience wait for the reveal of what the character sees or not showing it

Cross-cutting:

• When the editor cuts to multiple scenes happening at the same time
• Links different scenes
• Keeps the plot/action moving forward
• Can be used to create parallels

Eye trace:

• When an editors cuts between two or more shots that focuses on the same area on the frame
• Keeps the audience focused
• Can guide a viewer's eyes through blocking/camera movement
• Good for fast paced action scenes

Split edit (J-cut/L-cut):

• Sound/scene changes before the other
• J-cut: sound plays first
• L-cut: Scene plays first
• Used to link multiple scenes together
• Gives editors control over rhythm

Intellectual montage:

• Puts seemingly unrelated images together to create a certain feeling/idea
• Makes use of the Kuleshov effect where meaning is created out of juxtaposition
• Evokes emotion/meaning

Cut on action:

• Cutting on a character/object's movement
• Creates a seamless transition
• Feels natural
• Good for fast paced fight scenes

Reflection:

• Although I'm already familiar with these technical elements, I found it helpful to revise as it keeps my knowledge fresh. I also managed to learn a few new things which I find would be helpful to incorporate into my own media products

Song Research

 This part of my blog will examine our song choice: Catch Me in the Air by Rina Sawayama. This was done by me and my teammate, Regine.

Catch me in the air by Rina Sawayama does not currently have an official music video but does have an official visualiser. A visualiser differs from a music video by being less focused on storytelling and instead simply being an abstract representations of music that enhances the experience through dynamic visuals. 

 

1. Song Background;
Genius.com, a lyrical database and digital media company, has provided a small description of the song
“ 'Catch Me In The Air' is the second single from Rina Sawayama’s Hold the Girl album. The song details Sawayama’s relationship with her single mother, and how they have supported each other through difficult times."

Rina also introduced the song on her Dynasty Tour with "I wrote a very special song and it's about my relationship with my mom who's a single mom. [...] I just wanted to write the fact that we have caught each other when we're falling, and so this song is called 'Catch Me in the Air'." (information found on a website called the Rina Sawayama Wiki)

 

We can conclude that this song is about the relationship between a single mother and her child as each other’s support system and how their relationship has evolved now that they’re both on their own.

 

2. Why we choose it

The song was suggested by a friend who's a fan of the artist. We liked the song as it had consisted of a narrative that we can easily follow and develop upon. The song is also really heartwarming which will allow us to more easily invoke an emotional response from our audience, making it easier for us to keep our audience engaged as they will have a stronger attachment to our music video. These reasons are why this song in particular stuck out to us among all our other options

3. How your music video will be different

Genius contributors mentioned the first verse of the song is written in the perspective of Rina's mother but we plan to subvert this idea by exclusively sticking to the artists' point of view. This way, it will put the audience in the artist's point of view which would create a stronger emotional reaction more effectively. 

Additionally, we choose to subvert from Rina Sawayama's usual style. In the music video she is seen wearing more modern chic clothes, which is a convention more strongly associated with pop artists, whereas we choose simpler rural-like clothing which is more frequent in indie pop artists. This is because our star's persona conveys her more as a simpler girl, keen on keeping close to her roots

Reflection:

• Doing this song research was really helpful as it helped me gain a better understanding of the song. This lets us create a better narrative and gain an emotional connection to the song that can act as a motivator.
• It was a bit hard as this song is lesser known and by a small artist so finding information (by the artist or fan interpretations) has been quite hard. However, we can twist this to our advantage as this would allow us more creative freedom and, by doing that, offer a new perspective to the audience

Progress + Development

 This part of my blog will detail our progress and development

The first task of our development was to of course pick a song we wanted to do. I was fine with doing mostly any song but regardless I was worried we may struggle to pick a song due to conflicting tastes. 

Here are our text messages showing our discussions when picking a song

We came to the conclusion that we did not want to do a romantic song as we feared that it would feel awkward and we thought that it would be hard to find people who wanted to be a part of our music video this way.

Here are our text messages showing our discussions when picking a song:

At the time, none of us really had any suggestions so I picked out the non-romantic songs from my research as suggestions. These included:

• I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - Leave Me Alone
  
• Pavement - "Harness Your Hopes"
  
• Will Wood - Tomcat Disposables
  
• girl in red - rue
  

[image 2] [image 3]

We then discussed which song we felt would be best but none in particular still stuck out to us.

I then looked into more indie pop songs I know as well as consulted my friends for some which led me to Rina Sawayama's catch me in the air. 

Reflection:

• To be honest, the song selection felt a bit rush. Part of this was our fault, as we discussed this quite late, however I had been thinking about what song to pick for a long time since our project started (I just didn't have any that felt like the 'right' song) so perhaps had I prompted a discussion earlier, it would feel less rushed and I would feel more sure of the decision as I am the type of person that needs to think things over for a long time before coming to a definite conclusion.
• I really enjoyed discussing song options with my teammates and I was relieved to learn that we share a lot of the same opinions regarding what songs we could pick

Screen Test

 To find a star for or music video, we needed to conduct a screen test. This blog will detail our class's group audition that we did as a class

We decided to do this as it was effective and saved the time of needing to find willing participants and individually record a screen test. Unfortunately, none of the people here stook out to us and were quite what we were looking for but I still find doing this screen test valuable as we are now able to conclude that no one here fits the role of our star and can now focus on extending our research elsewhere.

Here are a list of advantages and disadvantages for having done our screen test in this way:

Advantages:

• Quick -> saves time
• Easy
• Reduces workload
• A lot of participants all at once

Disadvantages:

• Less individualistic so participants are examined in less detail
• Some people were uncomfortable
• Some didn't know the song
• Unprofessional: Not the way it's done in the industry so makes our pre-production process feel less professional

However, our group had another candidate in mind, who does not take media studies and thus was not there during our first screen test, therefore we conducted another screen test to see if she was suitable.

From this screentest, we concluded that she matched the image we were looking for and chose to have her as our star

Reflection:

• I think that ultimately this was helpful but I personally really didn't like doing the screen test this way. Not only because of the disadvantages listed above but also because I personally just wasn't comfortable with it. I wouldn't mind doing it like this again but, if we were too, I'd prefer it to just be people who want to volunteer
• I was assigned to do the screen test for pre-production and doing it this way means that I have a lot less work to do which is an advantage as I can focus on other work but I want to contribute more to the team