This blog post will show the feedback our teacher has given us and how it has affected our work
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Location Scout & Risk Assessment
This blog post will detail the location scout and risk assessment done by my teammate, Cheryl
3 locations
Images:
Bedroom | |||
Address: | Actor’s house | ||
Scene: | According to the annotations in the lyric sheet, it will be for the scenes playing during verse 1 where the artist looks through framed pictures and past personal items in her childhood bedroom. | ||
Advantages of location: |
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Disadvantages of Location: |
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Alternatives: | One of the team member’s bedroom | ||
Risk Assessment | |||
Risk: | Who is at risk: | How to avoid risk: | High, Medium, Low risk: |
1. Accidentally being in the frame during the shooting process due to the limited amount of space. | Team members | We will have only the team members who are really needed during the shooting process in the room with the artist, such as the cameraman as well as the one managing the artist’s makeup and clothing as well as the lighting. | Medium risk as it is still controllable with the ability to retake those specific scenes. |
2. Breaking furniture or objects when moving it. | Team members and artist (who owns the furniture or objects) | Ask for permission where after, if she allows, we will inform her of the risks involving damages. We will try to use cloth covering the furniture as an action to prevent that risk. | Medium risk as there are still countermeasures able to be done and taking into account that we won’t really be moving big and heavy furniture as well. |
Images:
Sanur Beach | |||
Address: | |||
Scene: | It will be for the scenes where the artist is performing mid-submerged on the shore of the beach and spreading flowers to the ocean. These scenes will be playing during the chorus near the end of the song up until its outro. | ||
Advantages of location: |
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Disadvantages of Location: |
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Alternatives: | Nusa Dua Beach | ||
Risk Assessment | |||
Risk: | Who is at risk: | How to avoid risk: | High, Medium, Low risk: |
1. Increasing tide levels where we may suddenly get pushed by the tide. | Team members and artist | Checking BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika), an app that tracks natural occurrences in Indonesia such as tide levels for certain areas, a few days before shooting to avoid days where tide levels are high. | High risk as getting pushed by the tide may result in physical injuries to the artist or team members. |
2. Sudden rain will ruin several mise-en-scenes included from the artist such as her clothes and makeup, in addition to the camera equipment getting wet. | Team members and artist | By also checking BMKG regarding rain and wind condition predictions to avoid days where it is predicted to rain or have rough winds. Furthermore, we will have to buy and use waterproof coverage for the camera equipment to avoid cases where tiny water droplets carried by the wind get in contact with the camera lenses or if any of the team members carrying the camera accidentally falls into the water after getting pushed by the waves. | High risk as team members and artists may get sick from getting drenched by the rain water. Not only that, camera equipment may be broken as well. |
Images:
School stage | |||
Address: | Regents Secondary School’s stage | ||
Scene: | Scenes during the pre-chorus and chorus after verse 2 where the artist is performing on stage for the very first time and is watched by a small group of audience. | ||
Advantages of location: |
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Disadvantages of Location: |
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Alternatives: | Stage in Farabi Music Education Centre Bali | ||
Risk Assessment | |||
Risk: | Who is at risk: | How to avoid risk: | High, Medium, Low risk: |
1. Not being able to shoot due to the school being closed over the break | Team members | Ask permission from teachers a few weeks beforehand regarding the need to use the school’s stage during the time the school’s closed, mentioning that we are using it for exam purposes. | Medium risk as even if the teacher doesn’t allow it, we already have an alternative option to use. |
2. Clashing schedule with school events | Team members | In addition to asking permission, we will also have to ask the dates of when the stage is not in use. This should be done before having a fixed schedule so that we can adjust it according to that. | Medium risk as it can be solved through proper coordination with the teachers. |
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
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Classwork
This part of my blog will demonstrate my understanding of technical elements and how to utilise them
Camera
Shots
- Introduces the viewer to the time and setting of the narrative
- Confirms the location and time of the scene
- Shows the characters and their relation to each other
- 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-body shot of the character
- Able to show their expression while also showing their body language
- 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
- Reduces details to focus on story
- More intimate
- High focus on subject -> signifies importance (on expression, detail etc)
- Even more focus on subject, emphasising their importance
- Even more intimate
Angles
- Natural
- Feels intimate
- Makes a subject appear vulnerable/powerless
- Makes a subject appear strong/powerful
- An unnatural angle that gives the scene the feeling of something being 'off'
Movement
- Can be used to make a scene appear calmer but also can be used to make a character seem trapped or helpless
- Can be used to follow a character's movement
- Can be used to reveal information
- Adds energy to a shot
- Can reveal information
- Can be used to make a character appear more dominant but can also make a character appear more vulnerable
- Emphasises a moment
- 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
- Zooming out can reveal context
- Zooming in can draw our attention to detail
- Slow zooming can create uneasiness
- Can be used for either dramatic or comedic effect
- Creates a vertigo effect
- Can be used to portray (internal/external) conflict
- Adds immersion
- Can be disorienting and unsettling
- Can match character movement in moments of panic/conflict
- 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
- Can be used to establish characters and the world in the film
- Creates energy in a shot
- Makes a shot appear more dynamic without needing characters to move
- Centralises focus
- Can be used to reveal information
- Can be used to follow characters in action
- Can be used to capture the world around
- Appears more natural
- Looks more like a documentary
Sound
- Sound that exists in the diegesis
- Creates immersion/realism
- Adds to the world
- Sound that exists outside of the diegesis
- Added to invoke an emotional reaction to the viewer
- Adds a meta element to the scene by blurring the lines between reality/fantasy
- 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)
- 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
- 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
- Added sound to create realism or exaggerate actions
- Immersive
- Can be used to create tension/suspense
- Repeating sounds
- Can be used to create symbolic themes
- Can be used for foreshadowing
- Sound that continues to another scene
- Links scenes together
- Narration
- Gives the audience extra information
- Music added to a scene
- Sets an ambience/tone
- Can encourage audiences to feel a certain way
- Sounds natural to the environment
- Adds a sense of realism
- Sets the scene for the audience
- Immersive
Mise-en-scene
- Hair
- Makeup
- Clothing
- Build
- Body language
- Accessories
- Weapons
- Gadgets
- Items
- Location
- Dressing
- Space
- Time
- Lighting
Editing
- Cuts away from the main action
- Creates pacing
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Cutting on a character/object's movement
- Creates a seamless transition
- Feels natural
- Good for fast paced fight scenes
- 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
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:
[first image]
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.
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Teacher Feedback
This blog post will show the feedback our teacher has given us and how it has affected our work
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