PHOTOGRAPHY progress : concept reflection

 Edited and colour graded pictures (made in Photoshop)

To adhere to the 'dream' concept of my music video, I made sure to use natural lighting and add a slight haze when editing. I wanted the bright colours to reflect that of a utopia (hence why the costumes are white). The low contrast and high vibrancy pictures connote a dream-esque setting which is a predominant feature in my music video. The mise-en-scene further contributes to the overall 'natural' feel of the music video as I stated in my pitch

Raw pictures (unedited)

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS website : Jaden Smith

  Homepage

The main image on the website immediately established Jaden Smith as the artist. In terms of layout, the website seems to take on a minimalist, easily navigational approach. Notably, the colour scheme of the main image is complimentary to the rest of the website and his 'artist logo' at the top right; this creates a concrete house style of the website and perhaps tells us about the artist's personna

A range of merchandise is presented when you scroll down on the home page, again the colour scheme is complimentary of the overarching style that the site is going for. These pieces of merchandise promote, also, Jaden Smith's latest album release and would be very highly regarded by his fans. By having a saturated purple and blue colour palette, the artist is strengthening the concept of his latest release. 

Interestingly, some shots from the music video appear on the home page, accompanied by text at the bottom right which seems to be snippets from the video's screenplay. It outlines the artist's position, action and location. This will especially be appreciated by avid fans who can have this exclusive content only on the website. These shots in particular are close-ups of the star, as expected from a high label artist.

At the bottom of the homepage is all of his album releases along with some information about each one. These 'information cards' show clearly his achievements and previous releases. Once again, a consistent theme is present with the concepts, anchoring his artist personna very clearly, giving him an identifiable and original style. 

More of these information cards about his releases can be found on the 'MUSIC' page of the website 

A key convention of musician's website is the mailing list and further social media links. This allows the artist's fanbase to grow and offers exclusive content, deals and notifications to those who join the mailing list. 

Gallery page 

The gallery page on the website I found particularly interesting as it was home to many shots from behind the scenes of the music video. These pictures are candid shots taken during the shooting due to them being blurry and shot on a handheld camera. Nonetheless, the shots show the artist to be fun and happy, reflective of both his music and his brightly themed concept. Notably, all the models and people in the shots are wearing the official merchandise. This product placement simultaneously promotes the artist and their merchandise.

Genre-wise, the artist is a rapper, but this concept is unusual for this genre, being very childlike and colourful as opposed to the dark and serious tones as expected of rap. By challenging these premonitions, the artist is freely showing his creativity with a new and fresh look, perhaps even rebranding the genre altogether with his own significant style.  

Through analyzing this website in particular, I hope to embed some of the features into my own website and consider them whilst doing my flatplan. Elements that I liked included the overarching colour scheme that was synonymous with the album covers and merchandise, the 'infromation cards' of each release, and the behind the scenes snippets with an extract from the screenplay as a way of taking up space within the home page. 

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 3 : Shoot me - Day6

  Link to music video Day 6 - Shoot me

- I chose this video in particular because it reflects the lyrics very well visually through the narrative that is simple to follow and takes place in a single setting

- I was mostly concerned about analyzing the relationship between the narrative (a couple in conflict at a diner) and the performance (of the band, singing lyrics that depict the narrative unfolding). 

In the presentation I state which sets were used, why they were used and how the visuals and editing represented the lyrics, adhering to Goodwin's propositions of music video conventions. 

 for a better view > case study 3 - shoot me by day6 

PITCH : Music Video

  Link to song choice Only in my dreams - The Marias

Includes : moodboard, shotlist, narrative, location list, themes, visual plans, camera movement, inspiration, artist persona 

for a better view : dreamgirl pitch 

TEST SHOTS and Reflection

 

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

TEST SHOTS and Reflection

 

1) I directed my model to have a pose that incorporates natural framing from her clothing. This allowed a focus on her facial features - further enhanced by her direct contact with the camera. I also asked her to have a natural, relaxed expression to make the shot look effortless  [Close-up shot]

Improvements : the lighting could be better with more of an emphasized contrast between the shadows and light. The cropping of the picture can also be improved by placing the model in the center of the framing. 

Edits made : Some of the edits I have made as seen in panel 2 is making the image warmer to highlight her beige scarf more as it's colour in the original shot seems dull and desaturated. This also made the light softer on her face rather than stark. Next I sharpened the image and inserted a tilt shift which blurred the lower and upper parts of the image to emphasize the model's face. Additionally, I amde adjustments to the shadows and highlights of the picture. I also included a black and white edit which provides a nice contrast of the dark skin of my model and her white clothing and framing. 

2) The next shot is when my model is more in-motion with her pose, her arms up in the air. This time, more of her outfit is revealed but I still coordinated to maintain the direct gaze and subtle natural framing. [mid-shot]

Improvements : Because this was an in-motion shot, the picture itself came out slightly blurry making the editing process a lot harder. In the future for these in-motion shots I should advise my model to move slower, keeping the in-motion posture whilst getting more of a clarifying shot. This shot also does not display her outfit in the best way. There is a lack of contrast and consistency in lighting which also needs to be touched up on.

Edits I made : As this shot was perhaps too blurry to be a main image, I converted it into an out of focus background which seemed to work better. In my edits, I included examples of how I can perhaps utilize this image as a background for adverts which I can have on my website. I included a Helvetica font and simple logo to create a minimalistic theme. 

What I have learnt : Through using advanced equipment such as the light sources, reflectors and plain backgrounds, I was able to become more experienced and confident in using the pieces after experimenting with them. 

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 2 : the Body is a Blade - Japanese Breakfast

 Link to music video the body is a blade music video

- I have chosen this video in particular as a case study because of it's aesthetics, location and shots which are similar to the ideas I have in mind for my final product.

- From analyzing this video, I have developed a clearer understanding of how my video will look; as I will incorporate some of the mixed media elements into my video

for a better view > Case study two : the body is a blade - japanese breakfast 

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS 1 : Care-Beabadoobee

  Link to music video Care- Beabadoobee

- I have chosen this artist and their video for my case study mostly because of it's intertextual references and how well it reflects the genre ; indie, alternative rock 

- I also decided to look further into the artists social media personna and the marketing of the video across these platforms. It was interesting to see what makes up an engaging social media account with fans.

- This artist in particular does a great job in targetting it's audience through merchandise and social media

for a better view > Case study one care beabadoobee mv