Abduction

Crashed The Wedding

Risk Assessment for music videos

Risk Assessment for music video

Risk Assessment for Abduction

Risk Assessment Abduction

Music Video Pre-Production

pre-production

story boards

Styles, Codes and Conventions

Styles, Conventions & Techniques

the purpose of a music video

In 1941 the new invention of ‘The Panaoram Soundie’ came about and was popular in bars and clubs in America at the time, it was a juke box which played short video clips to accompany music. Then in 1956 the genre of music-centred films became popular and there was lots of rock ‘n’ roll themed films, for example the Elvis Presley ones. In 1962 music shows such a Top of the pops start up in the UK soon followed by Hullaballoo and others in 1964 in the US. In 1970 the record company realised that these shows were great for promoting the acts and their music so they started to create promos. The first proper music video is considered to be Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975.

Appearances on music shows was good promotion for artists so record companies started to make pre recorded videos of performances for them which meant them and their song was getting promotion. In 1992 on MTV when they played music videos they started crediting the directors and this was good promotion for them as well as the artist who's music video was being played.

Different bands and artists are marketed different ways, major artists like Britney Spears generally have a lot of publicity and a polished image, this can be reflected in their big glossy music videos which tend to have more dancers and special effects used in them. Mainstream artists would most likely have their songs played on channels like MTV Hits and 4 Music. Independent bands and artists don't usually have the funding to make a big flashy music video and most of their videos are performance videos, or videos with a lower budget with less effects and limited locations, these videos are funded by their independent record lables. Self produced artists release videos and music via the internet generally using YouTube.

When an artist gets airplay, in theory they get royalties, and if a artist decides to make a videos in theory the same happens, it is in theory because it is hard to track the consumption of a music video this is because of the many media outlets we have today, so instead an estimate is made and the artist gets paid their royalties accordingly this is why well known artists do better in the charts.

 Music videos originally were just  on TV shows such as Top of the Pops and then channels like MTV who's purpose was to show music videos came about, now there are lots of media outlets to watch music videos on, you can watch them on the internet on sites like YouTube and Vivo you can download music videos from itunes and watch them on your ipod, Ipad, computer or iphone. Music videos are also shown on public screens, the pros to having so many outlets is that there is a lot of variety but a con could be there may be less songs sold if you can just watch the videos on YouTube and Vivo because it is the song for free whenever you want.

Synergy is when a other companies are allowed to use someone elses creations to sell things, an example of this is Hannah Montana, it started as a TV show but brought out other products such as music albums, perfumes, hair accessories, clothing, towels, cutlery, a film, etc. with Hannah Montana on them, Disney benefits from this because it’s like advertising for the show and also they get money because they own Hannah Montana.

I think music videos are popular because they can be entertaining and also help show meanings of songs, music videos put images to go with the words which can help bring songs to life. I also think music videos are popular because people like to see their favourite bands as well as listen to them, it gives them more information about the band and make fans feel closer to the artists.

Single Camera Techniques

The purpose of this essay is to explain the purpose of single camera techniques and productions. I am writing this to understand the features of single camera production.

The footage for single camera productions is shot by using only one camera, by using just the one camera it creates a more realistic and intimate feel for the audience as it gets more into the action and into the scene. Using single camera is popular with directors as they get more control of the shots whilst using just one camera. When using multiple cameras you can be very limited to only a few sets as there sometimes isn’t enough room whereas with single camera productions you can shoot anywhere. For single camera productions whole scenes and parts of scenes need to be repeated many times so that the director can capture it from all the needed angles, the repeating of filming the scenes makes it more expensive if you don’t film it digitally because film stock is expensive. Re-filming shots over again does have an advantage for the actors though as it helps them get into character. With single camera filming the lighting is easier to control because you are able to light each shot. The lighting for single camera filming ads tone and style to scenes as it is very intricate whereas some multi camera productions can look unrealistic as the scenes can end up looking flat and unvaried as the light needs to be adequate for each shot. When filming with single camera there is some amount of overlay required for the shots to make sure the whole scene is captured, it also makes sure it doesn’t have jumpy starts. Sometimes on single camera productions they will use a second camera if the scene has a lot of dialog in it. Sound effects can be added later as with all productions. With multi camera productions a lot of them are able to have the mics visible and people can have individual mics, but in single camera productions a lot of the time a central microphone will do the job e.g. a boom mic. Post-production can take a long time for any production because there is a lot of footage to look though that may not be in the order needed for the narrative. Multi camera productions are able to be edited live for example shows like The X Factor because you can switch from camera to camera on a vision mixer. But this is not possible for single camera productions and you have to do the editing once the scene is filmed.

You must plan very carefully when producing a single camera production , if you don’t get the shot you want you may have to get all the cast and crew back together to do a re-shoot or if you don’t have enough money may have to cut the scene out of the production. So that crew won’t have to write handwritten notes on scripts shooting scripts will be produced for production stages with any changes. Multi camera TV scripts are different for example they use capitalised scene direction whereas single camera scripts look more like film scripts. Things that go into building a story are characters, plot, style and structure. Characters should be interesting and make the story come to life, your plot will come together when you put your character and your story together. You shouldn’t make things too easy for your character in the plot, make them overcome something. Once you have the character and have started to build the plot you can start to create the style, make sure not to change the style part of the way through, stay with the style for the whole story. Most stories have the same structure of  the ‘start up’, which is when people are getting drawn into the story and character, then the ‘spark’ when something life changing happens to the character, then the ‘struggle’ which is the main part of the plot which shouldn’t be easy for the character and finally ‘finishing off’ where  in the climax of the story is finishing off and the character is showing how they’ve changed or what they’ve achieved. When building a scene you need to use the 5 P’s, People, Place, Plot & Progression.

The most common genres with single camera dramas are;

·         Period – which are dramas set in the past, an example of a period drama is Parade’s End.

·         Dramadoc – these are used to dramatise research but are criticised because they ‘blur the boundaries’

·         Crime – crime dramas and thrillers focus on criminals and authority figures, an example of a crime drama is Sherlock.

·         Horror – horrors use single camera to appear more personal.

·         Comedy – an example of a  comedy that uses single camera is The Office.

Single camera dramas can be in a series, which Is a run of episodic programming that will eventually come to an end. Serials do not run for a specific time but are continuas for example Eastenders. You can also have a single drama which is a one off story told in an episode e.g. The Girl.

Narrative structures used for single camera dramas are: Linear, which are when things have a beginning, middle and an end; Non-Linear when things are told with flash back; Realist, which may appear as being quite slow; and Anti- Realist which the audience know is fictional. Open Endings, leave audience feeling irritated sometimes as they may want to know what happens, and example of a film with an open ending is Inception. Closed endings, these offer closure, an example of a film with a closed ending is War Horse. 

Multi camera productions are done when in films and television programmes it wouldn’t be possible to cover everything that’s happening, they use this for sports events, concerts or live competition shows. The advantages are that there are less reshoots, continuity errors are less frequent, action doesn’t have to start and stop regularly and you can broadcast live using a mixing  desk. There are disadvantages to multi camera productions like the lighting can be hard as it must suit all the camera angles, the director has very little control and locations are very limited. 

Screenplay - Final

Rachelle Screenplay - Final

Research and Planning

Analysing the song

Researching the artist- image and representation

Busted are dressed very casually in a kind of 00's skater style. Charlie generally comes across as the most formally dressed wearing a tie more often than James or Matt but its often worn very loosely. Matt usually wears a t-shirt or a Fred Perry polo. And finally James often wears t shirts with open shirts over the top with three quarter length trousers. 

The videos busted made were generally quite fun to go with the narrative with their lyrics and often have them performing in them.

The locations and narratives in the videos generally depend on the lyrics of the song e.g. Crashed the wedding is at a wedding, What i go to school for happens mostly in a school and air hostess is on an airplane.

the commissioning process/ working as a writer

Commissioning

Job roles within the commissioning process:

• commissioning editors-

Commissioning editors are in charge of selecting show ideas and allocating funding to the production companies who are the ones who created the idea to produce the show/ film.

• producers

Producers oversee things such as finance, legal, administration, marketing and personnel. Sometimes producers are the ones who originated the project. Producers must also find a screenwriter and if the script isn't up to standards they can order to have a new one written or hire a script doctor.

• directors

The directors job is to take the idea or script and make it by directing camera men and women and editors in smaller productions, in bigger productions the director is driving the post-production process and directing DoP and camera crew, Art and Design, Sound, Lighting,Wardrobe and Actors.

• script editors

A script editors job is to ensure scripts are suitable for production and work with the writer at each draft of their script giving feedback, suggesting improvements that can make the show have a better continuity when made.

• agents

An agents job is to find work for their clients. They co–ordinate their contracts, and secure appropriate deals for them.

• writers

Writers are the people responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the screenplay, and getting it to development executives.

Commissioning bodies

•Corporations & independent production companies

You can have large corporations or smaller independent production companies, if you decide to sell your product to a production company you would use one of these two. An example of a big corporation would be the BBC. Smaller independent production companies sometimes receive financing from larger ones for the return in money the final product makes, for example BBC Sherlock is produced by Hartswood Films who are a completely independent company which provide shows for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

• independent directors or producers

Independent directors produce their own screenplays and get a lot of power over the final product however being able to afford to do that is quite difficult, examples of directors who also write and direct their own screenplays are Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriquez and Jim Jarmusch. Sometimes they also write for other directors. It is very similar for independent producers but they have the ability to find and find funds for screenplays, it's all their responsibility if the product does not do well if they get that far. Sometimes independent producers like Sue Virtue have to do their own script editing.

• organisations

There are organisations like BBC Writers Room and The Script Factory which help screenwriters and those who work with them, they are there to give advice to help improve work and to help to get it seen. The BBC Writers Room website says "We know how hard it is to be a writer and we believe in finding ways to inspire and inform you, to keep you across changes, giving you access to commissioners and production departments but most importantly to the skills and and experience of established writers." in their section about who they are and what they do.

• competitions

There are often competitions being run to find new writing talent. There is a list of the competitions on BBC Writers Room, Internationally and ones from Britain, that are being run. Usually prizes are financial, generally in exchange for an option. Option is when the screenplay is taken by an person or company who get the exclusive rights for a fixed price for a fixed time, the person who purchased it is able to amend it.

The role of the writer throughout production

• pre-production planning and script editing

In the stages of pre-production there may be suggested changes to make the script more viable by the editors or the readers. Changes made to your screenplays can put you in a difficult position, you sometimes have to chose between keeping your artistic integrity or making changes to have better chances of your work being commissioned . Sometimes changes have to be made because of plot holes or the story being too similar to one that's already been made, most of the time it is to do with the budget or directors option.

• shooting script production, page lock-down and adjustment during shooting stage.

When production starts on a script there will be page and scene numbers decided to make it easier whilst it's being shot. There are special guidelines for when there are changes being made to the script these guidelines are for how the changes should be made and distributed. Page lock-down is very important if the screenplays are to be made effectively, it is when the changes made to the script are coded, they are sent as individual pages instead of making people write lots of notes into their scripts.

Working as a writer

• agent representation & professional presentation

If you have an agent you look a lot more professional and they have contacts which helps because you have more chance of producers seeing your work whether they be from small independent production companies or large corporations like the BBC.

• royalty payments

Royalty payments are the money that writers receives from film and TV, royalty payments are generally split between the writer, the agent (if there is one) and the producers.


Legal and ethical considerations


• copyright - copyright is the ownership of something, it give the creator exclusive rights to the original work.
• bias - bias is when something is favored over another, it is a non neutral point of view.
 • censorship - censorship is the suppression of public communication which may be offensive or harmful, this generally decided by the government. the media outlet or another controlling body.
• watersheds - watershed is when after a certain time the shows on tv can be more adult and use swear words etc.
• libel - Libel is when you make a claim that is implied to be factual but is giving someone a negative image.
• plagiarism - plagiarism is when you take someone else's work and claim it is your own.

Preparation Cards