Location

I visited the car park that I am going to be filming in, and have taken pictures of it to help with planning. I have chosen to film here because it is a location that is typical of 90s hip-hop music videos as it is urban and a public area. It also looks very similar to the car park location of Jungle's music video for their song The Heat, which is a video I am taking inspiration from when creating my own product. Also, my target audience voted car parks as their favourite location for a video.

Audience Feedback

The answers to the music video location questionnaire I have obtained are below:

The first question reveals that locations of music videos are important to just over half of my target audience (53.3%), so it is an aspect I should consider carefully to aim to satisfy these needs.




The next question tells me that music videos with one location throughout are the most popular, with 60% choosing 'one location throughout' and 40% choosing 'multiple locations throughout'. Therefore, I am likely to stick to only one location for my music video.

The last question reveals which locations are the most popular for my target audience, where car parks have been voted the most popular so I will spend most of my time researching potential car parks I could film in. The next most popular location is corner shops, so I am going to spend some time researching this as a potential location for my video.

Potential Locations Research

I have created a questionnaire n Google Forms to help understand the needs of my audience in terms of the setting of my music video. I have been provided with a link to the questionnaire and I am going to send this to the same group of people that answered my first questionnaire, so as the different needs of different demographics don't get confused. In my free period on 9th December, I am going to analyse the results I obtained. Below is the short questionnaire:

Shot Inspiration

For inspiration of what I can include in my video I am going to watch videos with a similar atmosphere and identify parts that I would be able to recreate.

Gold Dust - DJ Fresh

This video has an atmosphere that I would like to replicate as it seems like it is low-budget, yet fun and entertaining, despite not including a strong narrative, which is what I am aiming for. It is important for me to have a lot of interesting shots to keep the audience engaged without an appearance of the artist or strong narrative. Predominantly belonging to the first 30 seconds of the video, I have found many shots at the beginning of the video that I would be able to create myself which are listed below.

To the right is an establishing shot that opens the video. It sets the scene for the audience.









The image on the left is a shot of two boys casually playing basketball, which gives the audience a sense of the sports culture on their environment.




The image on the right shows a boy skateboarding - it has no relevance to the storyline but it adds to the street atmosphere.

Above is a close-up of a random guys face

The image above shows a young boy on a scooter which again evidences the culture and street atmosphere. The right image shows a longshot of a boy walking with his basketball within his environment. Below shows a different boy about to shoot his basketball. In the background is a boy riding his bike.









A girl drinking water before the double
dutch tourney begins

To the right shows a meaningless image of a boy hanging onto what looks like a playground pole. It adds to the atmosphere really well as it makes the area look rundown and ultimately adds to the low budget feel.

Image of random group of boys spectating
the double dutch

Above shows an image of hands playing card games & the image on the left shows a low angle shot of a boy with his basketball. We can see the building which looks like a block of flats in the back & the low angle shot makes him seem proud of his environment.



Day 'n' Nite - Kid Cudi

This video is set in a supermarket/corner shop and this is a vibe I could replicate to add to the casual & colourful style I am aiming for. The video shows a negative representation of females which I wont be recreating, however there are certain shots that I have taken inspiration from, which are posted below:

The corner shop setting is also present in A Tribe Called Quest's 'Oh My God' music video, so I know that if I include scenes with this location I will be fitting the video perfectly with the genre. Shots of the shop used in this video are below:

We can witness a clear distinction between the shops in the 'Day 'n' Nite' and 'Oh My God' videos, where the shop in the images to the left looks more run-down. Perhaps this is because this video was made in 1993 and Kid Cudi's video was made 16 years later in 2009. As I have mentioned in my previous research, hip hop videos in the 90s were less about showing off their wealth, so it is understandable why the shop in the video looks this way. Also, ATCQ's videos were made on a much lower budget than more recent videos.

Time Management - Schedule

To keep organised, I have planned what I will be doing in my four extra hours of media work in the next two weeks:

27/11/15

In this study period I will start in-depth research into real products for shot inspiration.

2/12/15

In this study period I will continue the above research as it will probably take more than one hour.

3/12/15

I will be designing a questionnaire about the potential location of my music video.

9/12/15

In this free period I will obtain audience feedback for the potential locations.

Audience Feedback

Having four sisters and their friends and boyfriends between the ages of 15-24, I had access to 12 mixed gender and mixed cultured young people, who I shared my findings about editing techniques and camera movement with (in the previous two blog posts). I played them the song for the music video (The Hop - A Tribe Called Quest) and asked them which techniques they would like to see most in the video for this song.

• The overall opinion to the time lapse shot, was that it is interesting but wouldn't fit with the song.
• Around 60% of people said that they like the stop-motion effect, so I will consider using this is my final product.
• 10 out of 12 people want to see hand-held camera shots as this would create a more fun atmosphere and make the video seem more accessible and similar to something that they could do or make themselves. 
• Everyone liked the tracking shot and they felt like it gives a lot of character to the video. It makes the audience feel like they are there in the video. 
• Most people felt that the slow motion idea doesn't fit with the mood of the song.
• 8 out of 12 people felt that panning shots are interesting.

Camera Movement

Camera movement will be essential to the mood of my video, as the song I have chosen evokes a lot of different vibes that will need to be matched with the video. The four main camera movements in film are:

Hand-held camera: This is literally holding the camera with your hands to film. It gives a shaky effect and can be used to create tension. In music videos, this shaky movement can set a fast, tense or dangerous tone for the audience. This style of camera movement can be used by some artists to portray their personality. 

Slow motion: This is an editing technique that takes place after filming and can draw focus to the emotions of a shot. Slow motion shots are often used in music videos as it can work well to create a certain atmosphere and enhance the mood or to match the beat of the song. 

Panning: This is the most commonly used camera shot as it can follow the artist in a music video and draw the focus onto the artist or the events of the video.

Tracking shot: These shots can move back and forwards, from side to side or curve round. It can be used to follow the artist which gives them lots of attention and increases their star image.

The video below is 'The Psychology of Cinematography' and has been very helpful in teaching me how to use the camera to get the correct movement, and the effects of this. It also teaches that 'using movement lets the audience move throughout the scene', which is the type of effect I want to achieve in my video. 

How To...

As 'interesting editing' has been voted by my target audience as one of the most important aspects of a music video, I have started to think about potential editing and shots I can include in my music video. However, these are more complex than those that I used for my AS coursework project, so I am unsure of how to do them.

I decided that I will be using Adobe Premiere Pro to edit, as I have access to the software in my media class room and this will give me the most professional looking finished product. Also, I have a decent understanding of the features because I have previous experience with this software.

YouTube provides access to a huge range of tutorial ('how to') videos, so it would be a great idea to take advantage of the videos it offers. This will be the most informative and quickest way for me to research and learn about shot types and editing techniques, because I am not sure exactly of what techniques I will be using, so I will be good to have a knowledge of a range.

How To Time-Lapse

How To Stop-Motion

How To Tracking Shot

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is a French term meaning what is put into the scene or frame. It is the visual information in front of the camera and it communicates essential information to the audience. Each aspect of mise-en-scene has hidden meanings within a film and sends signals to the audience about how we are supposed to feel at a certain point. I am going to keep the mise-en-scene within my music video consistent throughout, as I want them to feel the same vibe through the entire video. The five areas of mise-en-scene I am going to be looking at are settings & props, costume, hair & make up, facial expressions & body language, lighting & colour and the positioning of characters/props within the frame.

Settings & Props

From looking at different hip hop videos, I have noticed that they are all situated outdoors to create a street vibe. Some are literally filmed in a street and others are filmed in what looks like basketball courts etc. The images below shows shots of different hip hop videos with these settings.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - T.R.O.Y. (1992)

My research has shown me that the backgrounds of hip-hop videos show either bricks, pavements, wired court walls or simply the sky. This is because the artists have not come from wealthy backgrounds and they want to represent where they're from. As these scenes can be found anywhere and don't have to be made or hired, like in high budget music videos, I will be able to replicate these settings.

I am also interested in filming in corner shops, as I found in my last post 'Shot Inspiration' that it can work quite effectively. As I know the owner of an off-licence in Tottenham, I have been able to get permission to film at this location.

In addition to this I think filming in record shops would add a sense of authenticity - records were much more commonly used in the 90s. This setting can be seen in hip hop videos such as:

Dilated Peoples -
Worst Comes To Worst (2001)

Having been inspired by those that I have seen in hip hop videos, I am thinking of including many different props in my music video, such as:

A vinyl record/record player

A Tribe Called Quest -
Oh My God (1993)

Gangstarr - Above The Clouds (1998)

Speakers

Skee-Lo - I Wish (1995)

A basketball

Facial Expressions & Body Language

Hip-hop artists create casual and positive vibes through their facial expressions & body language. They are often seen smiling or laughing, and always move freely with their bodies.

Lighting & Colour

The colours are very bright and there is a predominant use of highlighting to evoke the positive and fun atmosphere.

Styles of Music Videos

There are many different styles of music videos and they often depend on the genre or whether there is a message to the song. Each style has its own conventions and this helps the audience feel comfortable and understand better as they know what to expect. The main styles of music videos that I want to research are:

1. Narrative
2. Illustrative
3. Interpretive
4. Parody
5. Performance
6. Surreal
7. Pastiche
8. Abstract

NARRATIVE MUSIC VIDEOS:

ILLUSTRATIVE MUSIC VIDEOS:

INTERPRETIVE MUSIC VIDEOS:

PARODY MUSIC VIDEOS:

PERFORMANCE MUSIC VIDEOS:

There are 3 types of performance videos, which include band performances, singing or dancing.

SURREAL MUSIC VIDEOS:

PASTICHE MUSIC VIDEOS:

ABSTRACT MUSIC VIDEOS:

Time Management - Schedule

To keep organised, I have planned what I will be doing in my four extra hours of media work in the next two weeks:

30/10/15
In this study period before my lesson I will be researching styles of music videos.

4/11/15
In this study period after my media lesson I will begin to research the mise-en-scene within 90s hip-hop music videos.

5/11/15
In this free period, I will be completing the mise-en-scene research before my lesson begins.

10/11/15
In this free period I want to research and take advantage of the 'how to' videos on YouTube, to plan the editing and camera shots in my music video.

Feedback on initial idea

I presented my ideas pitch to my media class and received feedback to help me improve my ideas and meets the needs of my audience.

Things people liked:

• The video will appeal to most genders rather than being based around male perception. 
• The song choice (The Hop - A Tribe Called Quest)
• The 90s theme
• There will be a representation of youth and different cultures
• No story-line because it's a performance video

Improvements and ideas:

• Planning needs consideration
• Research in depth potential locations
• Use a high quality camera - even if low quality would fit the theme
• Make sure the audience is kept interested throughout the performing

Initial Ideas

Ideas Pitch from Georgia Gane

Above is a PowerPoint of my initial ideas for the video, based on my questionnaire results and research on 90s hip-hop.

Researching Previous Student Videos

I have looked at music videos done by previous students to help me gain more of an idea of how to get the best grade. These four videos have been put out by the exam board to show examples of videos in Level 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Level 1 music video

This video is clearly very basic. There are very few types of camera angles and shots used, and the filming isn't steady at all which makes it look extremely unprofessional. The little mise-en-scene elements and basic editing has not been used to create any meaning within the video. Not a lot of thought and planning has been put into the video, the boys have obviously just filmed a night out, with no link to the song at all.There is no storyline and or interesting elements. In fact, in can be argued that the video is condoning drink driving, as they are under the influence of alcohol in the car and could be driving it.

Level 2 music video

Although we can see a difference between the level 1 and 2 videos, this is still very basic. There is a little bit more of a camera shot range, however they predominantly only use close ups and long shots, and they are often unstable. Few interesting camera angles are used. There is a significant difference with editing though and it looks like they have put some effort into it. There is more of a link to the song through the use of the lip-syncing, however the actors are very unbelievable and don't fit the mood of the song. The mise-en-scene, if any, is very irrelevant. They have filmed random shots of streets which have no meaning.

Level 3 music video

Again, we can see an improvement from the level 2 video to the level 3, with an increased use of camera shots as well as locations, however the locations and other mise-en-scene in the video creates no meaning. The camera shots are  steadier to look more professional. There is more of a link to the song and they capture the tone of it better, however there isn't a storyline or anything of much interest. The actor also isn't very believable during the lip-syncing, and the other actor has little relevance to the video. The editing is varied and must have helped increase the grade of this video.

Level 4 music video

This video has the highest grade out of the four but I would assume it is a low level 4. There is a wide range of different camera angles and shots however I think they should use different locations or have a storyline, I find lip-syncing in the same location throughout boring. Some camera angles are not steady which looks unprofessional. The location fits well with the lyrics of the song though, however no meaning of the lyrics has been created through it, nor the mise-en-scene. The actor is quite believable but the lip-syncing isn't. The use of the words appearing on the screen shows their creativity.

Codes & Conventions of 90's Hip Hop Music Videos

From researching the artists listed in my previous blog post, I have chosen some of their music videos to analyse to be able to determine the codes and conventions of them. At the beginning of the year I researched the conventions of pop, rap and alternative music videos by looking at the technical and symbolic techniques in each of them, so I am going to do a more in-depth version of this with my chosen genre: 90's hip hop.


Below I have included videos from this genre which demonstrate the codes and conventions in hip hop videos.

De La Soul - A Rollerskating Jam Named "Saturdays"

Skee-Lo - I Wish

















Jurassic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard

Nas - It Ain't Hard To Tell

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime

A Tribe Called Quest - Oh My God

Skee-Lo - Top Of The Stairs

I have found that the symbolic techniques in hip-hop videos are easier to identify as they are usually prominent in all hip-hop videos. For example, the use of high-lighting is almost always seen as it is very common for the videos to be filmed outdoors and specifically in day-light. It is also interesting to note that blue skies are often seen in the background which helps to create a fun and bright atmosphere, however nice weather with blue skies isn't essential to the themes of hip-hop videos. This element usually depends on the artist of the song, as many 90s hip-hop artists are American and keen to represent the area they live and grew up in, explaining why many music videos show public settings. The music video for Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince has a sunny atmosphere throughout, as the entire video was shot in Philadelphia where both artists are from, and their other videos also have the same setting. However, the music video for It Ain't Hard To Tell by Nas has evidently been shot in colder weather, as the artist grew up in Brooklyn which is renowned for its cold weather during the winters. 

The artists of the songs will appear in all of their music videos where they are seen performing the song. Unlike modern music videos of this genre and many other genres, it is not common for golden age hip-hop artists to have a huge focus on women in their videos, and in many females aren't present at all. It can be argued that artists from this era had different intentions than the hip-hop artists of today, because rappers from the 90s created songs to tell stories with their lyrics, therefore women aren't relied upon to keep the attention of the audience, as the focus is on the artists and where they're from, rather than women and possessions. In fact, most hip-hop artists from the 90s were eager to stay faithful to their less wealthy backgrounds and this is why they often come across as normal/humble people in their music videos, rather than artists today who can be seen as very egotistical and boasting.

Regardless of the weather, the majority of music videos are shot in

daylight which helps to show the bright colours of the mise-en-scene in the videos. Costumes and props play a big role in adding colour to the video, which helps to establish the lively vibe of hip-hop videos. As fashion has changed since the 1990's, the costumes that the artists wear look different from the norm for the 2016 eye, however in its era the outfits are very casual and everyday, which also helps to represent their lifestyle and hometown as it adds a sense of authenticity. Baggy clothing is extremely common for the artists as this was the style that was popular at the time. In addition, sportswear such as baseball shirts and basketball vests are also common, and this could also be to pay homage to their hobbies or favorite teams. It is also very common for artists to wear hats in their videos as this is part of the hip-hop culture and was also fashionable at the time, as well as clothing with graphic text on either the front or the back.

It is interesting to note the costume of the featured singer Vinia Mojica in De La Soul's music video for A Rollerskating Jam Named "Saturdays". She wears a baggy t-shirt which contrasts greatly from the tight-fitted and revealing clothing that women are usually seen wearing in modern music videos. Also, she is captured by a low angle shot which gives her a sense of superiority, and she isn't accompanied by any males in the video which allows the audience to view her as an individual and not in relation to or as a product of men. 

There are a range of props that can be seen in hip-hop videos, such as vinyl records and stereos as they were commonly used in this era. The props in different music videos be specific to the song, which explains why rollerskates, scooters and skateboards are present in A Rollerskating Jam Named "Saturdays". In addition, we see basketballs in Skee-Lo's I Wish music video, as the lyrics of the chorus mention being a basketball player: "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller". Also, it helps to add authenticity as it shows some of the casual activities of the culture that the artist identifies himself with. In Jurassic 5's Concrete Schoolyard music video, we see many props such as a vehicle which has been made to look like a typical ice-cream van however it gives the children vinyl records instead of ice-cream. This adds to the 'schoolyard' atmosphere but makes the video more unique. We also see skipping ropes and other playground equipment to fit with the song and reminisce how the artists grew up.

In terms of technical techniques, there are a range of different camera shots used, such as long and mid shots and close ups, and I have found that mid shots are the most common. This is probably to allow the audience to see the face of the artist as they perform, as well as the mise-en-scene within the shot to hold the attention of the audience. Extreme close-ups are not very common. A lot of shots are shot from a low angle to give the artists more importance however the angle of the shots vary to make the video more interesting. Camera movement plays a key part in hip-hop music videos as the camera is often kept moving. This gives the video a hand held effect which also increases the authenticity. Panning and tracking is often used to film the video, as well as zooming. In some cases, the camera flips around, which is seen in videos such as A Rollerskating Jam Named "Saturdays". Jump cuts are the most frequently used editing technique, and the video is usually edited to a fast pace to match the tempo of the song. It is also common to see clips played in slow motion, during shots of people dancing etc.

Researching 90's Hip Hop

Since hip-hop was found to be the most popular genre for my target audience in my questionnaire, I am going to investigate some of the most popular hip-hop acts during the 90's to start my research of the codes & conventions of hip-hop, (also known as the 'Golden Age of Hip-Hop'). When I typed this into Google, I was shown many different artists:

I wanted to research more about what the 'Golden Age of Hip-Hop' entailed. Information from Wikipedia states that it is "a name given to a period in mainstream hip hop music, usually cited as the late 1980s to the early 1990s. It is said to be characterized by its diversity, quality, innovation and influence." From reading this, I know that my music video has to have an element of these four characteristics of 90's hip hop music.

Artists such as LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, Ultramagnetic MC's and the Jungle Brothers have been listed as the artists most commonly associated with the phrase. It is interesting to note that many of these artists were also listed above by Google as some of the most popular hip hop artists of the 90s, such as A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Beastie Boys and Slick Rick, so it might be worth me focusing particularly on these artists which have been mentioned in both lists.

Wikipedia also says that "Releases by these acts co-existed in this period with those of early gangsta rap artists such as Ice-T, Geto Boys and N.W.A, and party-oriented music by acts such as Kid 'n Play, The Fat Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer", so it may be worth researching some of these artists too.

With further research I have found more hip hop artists of this era that are less well-known, such as K7, Luniz, Skee-Lo, Biz Markie and Jurassic 5.

Target Audience

Based on the people who took my questionnaire, my target audience is definitely young. This means that I will need to make a product that satisfies the needs of 15-24 year olds. As I have the advantage of belonging to this age group it is naturally easier for me to understand what people my own age are interested in, e.g. if my target audience were middle aged it would be more difficult to understand their interests. Also, it means that I have access to a range of different young people, such as my friends, siblings and media class, so I am able to obtain feedback from young people easily.

In terms of ethnicity, I am aiming my product to appeal to a range of different ethnicities within youth culture, as I wouldn't like my final product to satisfy the needs of only some groups of people.

My target audience belongs to a working class background, as I am making the video on low/no budget therefore it will not be flaunting wealth and possessions - similarly to the audience of my video which means that they can relate their everyday life to the video.

Questionnaire Results & Analysis

Since I created my questionnaire last week, I have 15 results that are very helpful.

Questions 1 and 2 have provided me with information about the demographic of my target audience. Firstly, my target audience is mixed in gender, with just over half (53.3%) being male and the rest being female. In addition, my target audience is very young with the majority belonging to the 15-24 age group and only two belonging to the 25-34 age group. This may be because younger people invest more time on social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter, where music videos are commonly shared. Also, a lot of young people idolise artists and as a result watch their music videos.










The next question is the first of many that informs about the psychographic of my target audience, where this one focuses on preferred genres of music. I have found that the favourite genre of music within my target audience is hip-hop, so I am likely to create a music video from this genre. This was followed by electronic, RnB, garage and techno genres. It is also interesting to note that some people used the 'Other' option to include grime as one of their favourite genres. I hadn't considered this genre thus far, so it might be helpful to explore it more.



















The next question asks about the demographic group most represented in music videos of my audience's favourite genres:























The majority of answers mention youth, so I know that my video will definitely have to represent young people in order to make the audience comfortable as they are familiar with this representation. Some answers mention the ethnicity of the group most represented, such as 'white women', 'black teenagers', 'minorities', 'black youth' and 'youth - black and white'. From this I learn that there is a mixture of different ethnicities represented in real products. In addition, two people have said 'working class' and one 'middle class', suggesting that wealth isn't particularly flaunted or associated with the demographic represented.

I found out the reasons why my target audience thinks this is in my next question:

The answers of this question are structured to link with the answer in the previous question, which helps me make more sense of both questions. For example, the first person to take the questionnaire said that 'white females' are the most frequently represented demographic group in the previous question, and stated why in his answer of this question, 'because women are most sexualised and objectified'. The information I have received from this question will be helpful to me when casting performers for my video.

The next question asks about the favourite style of music video amongst my target audience, where performance videos have been most popular. This means that I would be satisfying most of my audience's needs if my video is performance based.




I found out what aspects of music videos are the most important for my audience with the next question, where location and interesting editing have been jointly voted the most important element. This means that during the pre-production stages I will choose the location of my music video carefully, as well as research editing techniques that I can include. The joint second most important aspects are costume and set design/theme, so it is important for me to also consider both of these during the planning for my video in order to maintain the interest of my audience.

The next two questions refer to the actions in music videos. The answers from the first question reveals that the majority (80%) of people prefer the actions of the video to match the beat of the song, so I will definitely make sure to match the actions with the beat. The next reveals that most of my audience doesn't have any preference about the actions matching the lyrics, so it isn't an aspect I need to focus on so carefully.








The last question asks my target audience if they prefer music videos to have a certain theme, where people either answered yes or no and gave their reasons. From the results, I have learnt that themes are popular. This information is useful as some people have given examples to real media products such as Kendrick Lamar's Alright music video and Beyonce's Why Don't You Love Me.