4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Web Browsers
This is how we view everything online. Browsers act as a go between for the code used to create sites and the end result visible on your screen. I predominantly use Safari since that is the default browser on my computer, although there are others such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera that can be used.
iPhone
I used my iPhone for a number of things. Primarily it was used to listen to my songs to choose which one I wanted to use and to try to come up with a video idea. Besides that I used it to record some of the shots that were eventually used in my video, including both the newly shot stuff and the archive of content I had access to.
Macbook Pro
This is my personal computer and the one on which I have done the majority of the work for this project. In fact, I'm typing on it right now. Meta right? I used it to write the blog, edit the video, create the digipack and upload everything to the internet.
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is the video editing software that I used to combine all of the footage I had and make the music video. It's a premium and quite expensive program and if I were given a choice to redo things, I wouldn't use it again. I think I'd prefer to use Adobe Premiere Pro, which I have discovered is much better.
Blogger
Blogger is the Google owned Blogging platform that I have been using to share everything about this project for the past year. I also used it in year 12 during my school and music magazine project.
Google Drive
This service is similar to Dropbox or SugarSync. It allows you to write documents and presentations and then upload them to the cloud so that they can be accessed from anywhere. I used this to write notes and posts, then transfer them from one computer to another without the need for a thumb drive.
DaFont
DaFont is a website that allows you to download fonts from the internet and use them in programs such as Fireworks and Photoshop. It allows a more diverse array of fonts and styles when creating something.
Evernote
Evernote is an app I use on both my iPhone and Macbook Pro in order to write documents and posts. I use this app as I do not have home access to Microsoft Office and so have been forced to find a replacement. It is free and does almost all of the things that Microsoft Word can do.
Fireworks & Photoshop
Editing programs that allow to to edit images or create something from scratch. I tried to use this for my digipack but unfortunately the file I made became corrupted and I couldn't use what I had made.
HD Video Camera
I used a camcorder to shoot a lot of the footage I used in my final music video.
SD Card
This is what video is recorded onto when you shoot using a Camcorder. You can then transfer the footage from the camera to a computer for editing and anything else you want to use it for.
YouTube
The world largest online video sharing platform, this is the site that I have used to upload various videos for the project including a lip syncing video, filming practise and my final music video.
Vimeo
Very similar to YouTube, this video sharing service has a better looking player and I uploaded my final video here so I could embed a nice looking video onto the artist's site.
Wix
I used this site to create the online web presence of my Artist. It allows you to design a website, upload images and video and link to other sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Evaluation Question 3
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Showing my music video to an audience has allowed to get a sense of viewer reaction and gather feedback which I would use if I were ever to try and improve the video or make another. Although during the research phase of the project, those I asked about the choice of song responded positively, saying that they liked it and thought it would work well, those same people now say that it is too dated and perhaps a more modern piece of music would have better served the needs of the 21st century viewer.
My decision to use home video style footage in a montage video depicting the life of a teenager and his friends over several years was well received and praised as original and well produced. Unfortunately I think that, like an inside joke, footage of specific people is only truly relevant to those aware of the context. If I were to remake it, I would attempt to provide greater context as to why certain pieces of video were being shown at certain times. I believe this would help commercialise the song and the artist as well.
Showing my music video to an audience has allowed to get a sense of viewer reaction and gather feedback which I would use if I were ever to try and improve the video or make another. Although during the research phase of the project, those I asked about the choice of song responded positively, saying that they liked it and thought it would work well, those same people now say that it is too dated and perhaps a more modern piece of music would have better served the needs of the 21st century viewer.
My decision to use home video style footage in a montage video depicting the life of a teenager and his friends over several years was well received and praised as original and well produced. Unfortunately I think that, like an inside joke, footage of specific people is only truly relevant to those aware of the context. If I were to remake it, I would attempt to provide greater context as to why certain pieces of video were being shown at certain times. I believe this would help commercialise the song and the artist as well.
Evaluation Question 2
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
In order to make my music video and artist conform as much as possible to the conventions typical of the music industry I tried to make sure that there was always a level of cohesion which would tie everything together.
I understand that a lot of people who listen to music in 2013 are unintelligent, spoon fed morons who will listen to anything that's trending on Twitter, but I had aimed to create an audience for Dylan Freeman who wouldn't be likened to the fans of Justine Bieber, but rather a supportive group of fans with ranging levels of emotional and psychological stability. This meant that I didn't force a dumbed down version of the truth upon those who listen and appreciate the music of Mr Freeman.
Branding allows an artist to present a uniform standard but at the same time provide them with the ability to change and grow as an artist. Each time a musician releases a new album, they are redefining their brand and giving something new and different.
I believe that I have created and maintained a level of consistency throughout, conforming to musical convention yet challenging the industry in hopefully interesting ways which make my work stand out.
In order to make my music video and artist conform as much as possible to the conventions typical of the music industry I tried to make sure that there was always a level of cohesion which would tie everything together.
I understand that a lot of people who listen to music in 2013 are unintelligent, spoon fed morons who will listen to anything that's trending on Twitter, but I had aimed to create an audience for Dylan Freeman who wouldn't be likened to the fans of Justine Bieber, but rather a supportive group of fans with ranging levels of emotional and psychological stability. This meant that I didn't force a dumbed down version of the truth upon those who listen and appreciate the music of Mr Freeman.
Branding allows an artist to present a uniform standard but at the same time provide them with the ability to change and grow as an artist. Each time a musician releases a new album, they are redefining their brand and giving something new and different.
I believe that I have created and maintained a level of consistency throughout, conforming to musical convention yet challenging the industry in hopefully interesting ways which make my work stand out.
Monday, 15 April 2013
Evaluation Question 1
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
While making my music video I tried to use as many conventions typical in music and other media as I could. For example, my video opens with a lip syncing of the song's main chorus. I also use a variety of shots and locations including; my school, my apartment, an open field as well as several others. It follows a mostly chronological narrative in terms of the clips, however music videos can fall under innumerable categories in regards and the order of narrative. One video I watched is even set within 45 seconds and lasts almost 4 minutes, utilising slow motion and other notable techniques.
It also defies and challenges media conventions. Specifically in that the entire video is made up of archive footage shot by me over the past two years. I made the decision to do this because I have never seen anything quite like it and I really wanted an opportunity to share all of the video I had gathered of my friends and experiences.
Although I strove to create something new and unique, with an almost home movie feel and an obviously amateur quality, I hope that when you watch it, you understand that a lot of thought went into the video and choosing the clips that represent the evolution of not just myself but also my friends and a way of ensuring that there will always be something tying us together, trapped in the internet eternal long after our friendships have dissolved and we have each gone out separate ways.
While making my music video I tried to use as many conventions typical in music and other media as I could. For example, my video opens with a lip syncing of the song's main chorus. I also use a variety of shots and locations including; my school, my apartment, an open field as well as several others. It follows a mostly chronological narrative in terms of the clips, however music videos can fall under innumerable categories in regards and the order of narrative. One video I watched is even set within 45 seconds and lasts almost 4 minutes, utilising slow motion and other notable techniques.
It also defies and challenges media conventions. Specifically in that the entire video is made up of archive footage shot by me over the past two years. I made the decision to do this because I have never seen anything quite like it and I really wanted an opportunity to share all of the video I had gathered of my friends and experiences.
Although I strove to create something new and unique, with an almost home movie feel and an obviously amateur quality, I hope that when you watch it, you understand that a lot of thought went into the video and choosing the clips that represent the evolution of not just myself but also my friends and a way of ensuring that there will always be something tying us together, trapped in the internet eternal long after our friendships have dissolved and we have each gone out separate ways.
Changes Made During Production
Since September, a lot of changes have occurred regarding my A2 music video project. For starters, I was initially one half of a group along with my fellow Media student, Lauren Guest. We had decided on a song and come up with a premise but unfortunately things deteriorated and we quickly decided to separate and pursue our music video projects individually.
The next major change I encountered was when trying to choose three potential songs for my music video. I had come up with three, in my opinion, pretty solid options, but they were all rejected by my teachers for various different reasons including the references they made and the styles in which they were performed. I recovered from this however and chose three new songs, eventually settling on Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan.
When trying to come up with an idea for the music video I shifted back and forth between two ideas. I eventually decided to combine the two in order to make what I believe to be a better video than what would have been if I'd chosen one over the other.
During the first shooting day, things went horribly wrong. I couldn't get the shots I wanted, things took too long and eventually the people I had harangued into helping me had to leave. I rescheduled but the second time round decided to go in a different direction and actually got some entirely different footage to what I had initially planned.
The next major change I encountered was when trying to choose three potential songs for my music video. I had come up with three, in my opinion, pretty solid options, but they were all rejected by my teachers for various different reasons including the references they made and the styles in which they were performed. I recovered from this however and chose three new songs, eventually settling on Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan.
When trying to come up with an idea for the music video I shifted back and forth between two ideas. I eventually decided to combine the two in order to make what I believe to be a better video than what would have been if I'd chosen one over the other.
During the first shooting day, things went horribly wrong. I couldn't get the shots I wanted, things took too long and eventually the people I had harangued into helping me had to leave. I rescheduled but the second time round decided to go in a different direction and actually got some entirely different footage to what I had initially planned.
Production Diary
September 7
This year I have been tasked with researching, planning and creating a music video set to a song that does not currently have one. My first objective is to choose a selection of possible songs in order to make a decision about which song I wish to use.
September 14
I've chosen three potential song to use for my music video. They are
Heroin - The Velvet Underground
There She Goes - The La's
New York I Love You - LCD Soundsystem
Now that I've narrowed my choices to just three I plan on playing them for the others in my class as well as some other impartial people in order to gauge which one people prefer and gather any ideas they have about how the songs could translate into a music video.
September 21
The three songs I mentioned as having shortlisted were all rejected by my teachers for different reasons and I have been told that I need to choose three more. Heroin was not allowed due to less than subtle drug references, There She Goes, as it turns out, already has a music video that I was until now unaware of and New York I Love You was considered too monotonous and I was told that a potential audience would get bored of it quickly.
I've chosen three new songs which will hopefully pass whatever filters my teachers deem necessary. They are
My California - Beth Hart
Mr Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
Get Down - Sh! It's A Secret
September 28
The three songs I've chosen as replacements for my original, unapproved three, were given the OK by the powers that be.
I played them to my class and the near unanimous favourite was Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. The other two were rejected for being too slow and too excitable. My California could be another New York I Love You, too slow and possibly boring and Get Down was thought to be too cheesy, not worth making a video for.
Now that I've chosen a song, planning will begin for the production of the video.
October 7
I have come up with several possible ideas for what I would like to do for my music video.
One option I think might work well with the song would be to piece together a montage using all of the personal footage I have amassed over the past two years. Since the song is about inspiration and creativity I thought that showing footage of some of the creative people and things I've done would be a good idea.
Another possible idea I had was a video shot entirely in the first person. The story follows a faceless person from the point where he wakes up to the point where he goes back to sleep, using jump cuts to pass time. In order to satisfy the lip syncing aspect of the video, people he encounters would sing at him as though he were in a dream or a musical.
Of these two ideas I prefer the first one as it is more personal and, in my opinion, unique, but I like the other one too and hope to incorporate it in some way.
October 14
Even though I am no longer working as part of a group for the production of my music video, I still worked with my former partner Lauren in order to practice and demonstrate my film making abilities. We got footage of various shots and then edited it together
October 21
This week I played my song to my peers and told them the ideas I had about what I want to do for my music video. The feedback was mostly positive and the people I told my ideas like them. Some even thought that I should combine the two, having a flashback/ montage type thing along with a current first person experience with singing.
The next thing I plan on doing is creating a questionnaire and doing some market research to find out what the typical person looks for in a music video and how they feel about my song choice.
October 28
I made a questionnaire to determine what people thought of my song choice and to find out other significant information about their preferred genres of music, favourite songs and what exactly they like to see when they watch a music video. Hopefully the feedback I get from doing this will help me make my music video as good as it can possibly be.
November 7
While I await the return of all the questionnaires I gave out, I have decided to create the social media presence of my artist. I have created a Facebook, Twitter and Google+ page, as well as a website which contains links to all of the above listed profiles, gig photos and the latest music video produced by the band.
November 14
I have begun to plan and storyboard my music video. I've decided to do this using stills from some of the footage I already have alongside drawings of the parts yet to be filmed. Hopefully I'll finish sometime during this week and will upload the storyboard when I can.
November 21
My storyboard is finished and uploaded so this week I have been preparing to shoot the remaining scenes. This has required that I make a shooting schedule, arranging times and places for those involved to meet. This has actually been tougher than anticipated as there are a lot of conflicting schedules and some people have expressed issue with getting to the shooting locations. Luckily, everything has worked out and filming is set too commence in December.
November 28
While I await the determined shooting date, I have decided to start designing a flat plan of my digi-pack. This encompasses building a representative of what I want the final CD packaging to look like. I have made individual drawing of each of the different parts, cover, back cover, and the four inside sections. From these I will hopefully be able to redesign and improve them using a program such as Adobe Fireworks or Photoshop.
December 7
This week I attempted to film the scenes of my music video that I do not already have previously shot footage for. Unfortunately things didn't work out as well as I had hoped and I didn't get the footage that I needed. Time ran on and people had to leave before we were done, so we decided to reschedule and try again later in the month.
December 14
I scanned all of the images from my flat plan onto a computer and began to recreate them using Adobe software. So far I have done the inside section where the CD will sit and started on the front cover. More should be done soon but I am updating the production diary early this week as I will be unable to do so at the end of the week as normal.
December 21
I went back out to film this week and everything went well. Thankfully, I now have all of the footage I need to make my music video, including the previously shot archive footage, and starting to edit will be my next objective.
January 7
Continuing with my digi-pack has been a priority and I am pleased to say that I have almost finished. The only remaining section that requires any work is the back cover, which shouldn't take too long as the majority of the content for that page will be the track listing for the album. I have also begun to edit together my footage. This may be a bit trickier than I thought as I was unaware when I decided to take this approach that I have over 50 hours of footage from which to choose. I guess we'll just have to see how this goes.
January 14
I recorded a video of myself lip syncing to the first 90 seconds of Mr Tambourine Man. I plan on uploading that in the next few days. I would do it sooner but the upload limit on my computer is very low and it will take a long while.
January 21
TRAGEDY! I finished my digipack and was in the middle of exporting it so I could upload it to my blog. However, during the export something I can't explain occurred and the folder containing the files became corrupt. I have no backups and so I no longer have the digital version of my digipack. I'm not sure what to do about this as it took me a really long time to create everything and I was using tutorials so I still have very little idea about how to use Fireworks or Photoshop. I have two options now. First is that I can spend another month trying to recreate what I have lost and the other is that I can redraw my flat plan to a higher standard and scan it so I can upload images of it in that state.
January 28
The video is almost finished and should be uploaded by next week. It's taken a lot longer than anticipated and I haven't really focussed on much else media related since there was so much footage to sift through and I didn't want to get distracted.
February 14
The video is done and has been uploaded. I've also uploaded the digipack. I decided not to recreate the entire thing in Photoshop and Fireworks, mainly due to the fact that editing the video took up so much time, but I did redraw it and scanned those photos onto my computer. Now that production on my music video project is nearing completion, my next objective is to complete an evaluation of my experience and the processes I went through in order to come up with my final product. This entails answering four questions which I have separated into four blog posts and which will also be uploaded to the site when they are finished.
March 7
My evaluation is going well. I've answered question 1 and question 4 so far and should be getting started on the other two very soon. There's not too much left to say now so I'll just get back to it.
March 21
I've finished my evaluation and everything else on my blog and it's now ready to be marked and graded. The experience of producing a music video from concept through to final product has been fun and educational and has definitely gotten me interested in making more videos like this in the future.
This year I have been tasked with researching, planning and creating a music video set to a song that does not currently have one. My first objective is to choose a selection of possible songs in order to make a decision about which song I wish to use.
September 14
I've chosen three potential song to use for my music video. They are
Heroin - The Velvet Underground
There She Goes - The La's
New York I Love You - LCD Soundsystem
Now that I've narrowed my choices to just three I plan on playing them for the others in my class as well as some other impartial people in order to gauge which one people prefer and gather any ideas they have about how the songs could translate into a music video.
September 21
The three songs I mentioned as having shortlisted were all rejected by my teachers for different reasons and I have been told that I need to choose three more. Heroin was not allowed due to less than subtle drug references, There She Goes, as it turns out, already has a music video that I was until now unaware of and New York I Love You was considered too monotonous and I was told that a potential audience would get bored of it quickly.
I've chosen three new songs which will hopefully pass whatever filters my teachers deem necessary. They are
My California - Beth Hart
Mr Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
Get Down - Sh! It's A Secret
September 28
The three songs I've chosen as replacements for my original, unapproved three, were given the OK by the powers that be.
I played them to my class and the near unanimous favourite was Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. The other two were rejected for being too slow and too excitable. My California could be another New York I Love You, too slow and possibly boring and Get Down was thought to be too cheesy, not worth making a video for.
Now that I've chosen a song, planning will begin for the production of the video.
October 7
I have come up with several possible ideas for what I would like to do for my music video.
One option I think might work well with the song would be to piece together a montage using all of the personal footage I have amassed over the past two years. Since the song is about inspiration and creativity I thought that showing footage of some of the creative people and things I've done would be a good idea.
Another possible idea I had was a video shot entirely in the first person. The story follows a faceless person from the point where he wakes up to the point where he goes back to sleep, using jump cuts to pass time. In order to satisfy the lip syncing aspect of the video, people he encounters would sing at him as though he were in a dream or a musical.
Of these two ideas I prefer the first one as it is more personal and, in my opinion, unique, but I like the other one too and hope to incorporate it in some way.
October 14
Even though I am no longer working as part of a group for the production of my music video, I still worked with my former partner Lauren in order to practice and demonstrate my film making abilities. We got footage of various shots and then edited it together
October 21
This week I played my song to my peers and told them the ideas I had about what I want to do for my music video. The feedback was mostly positive and the people I told my ideas like them. Some even thought that I should combine the two, having a flashback/ montage type thing along with a current first person experience with singing.
The next thing I plan on doing is creating a questionnaire and doing some market research to find out what the typical person looks for in a music video and how they feel about my song choice.
October 28
I made a questionnaire to determine what people thought of my song choice and to find out other significant information about their preferred genres of music, favourite songs and what exactly they like to see when they watch a music video. Hopefully the feedback I get from doing this will help me make my music video as good as it can possibly be.
November 7
While I await the return of all the questionnaires I gave out, I have decided to create the social media presence of my artist. I have created a Facebook, Twitter and Google+ page, as well as a website which contains links to all of the above listed profiles, gig photos and the latest music video produced by the band.
November 14
I have begun to plan and storyboard my music video. I've decided to do this using stills from some of the footage I already have alongside drawings of the parts yet to be filmed. Hopefully I'll finish sometime during this week and will upload the storyboard when I can.
November 21
My storyboard is finished and uploaded so this week I have been preparing to shoot the remaining scenes. This has required that I make a shooting schedule, arranging times and places for those involved to meet. This has actually been tougher than anticipated as there are a lot of conflicting schedules and some people have expressed issue with getting to the shooting locations. Luckily, everything has worked out and filming is set too commence in December.
November 28
While I await the determined shooting date, I have decided to start designing a flat plan of my digi-pack. This encompasses building a representative of what I want the final CD packaging to look like. I have made individual drawing of each of the different parts, cover, back cover, and the four inside sections. From these I will hopefully be able to redesign and improve them using a program such as Adobe Fireworks or Photoshop.
December 7
This week I attempted to film the scenes of my music video that I do not already have previously shot footage for. Unfortunately things didn't work out as well as I had hoped and I didn't get the footage that I needed. Time ran on and people had to leave before we were done, so we decided to reschedule and try again later in the month.
December 14
I scanned all of the images from my flat plan onto a computer and began to recreate them using Adobe software. So far I have done the inside section where the CD will sit and started on the front cover. More should be done soon but I am updating the production diary early this week as I will be unable to do so at the end of the week as normal.
December 21
I went back out to film this week and everything went well. Thankfully, I now have all of the footage I need to make my music video, including the previously shot archive footage, and starting to edit will be my next objective.
January 7
Continuing with my digi-pack has been a priority and I am pleased to say that I have almost finished. The only remaining section that requires any work is the back cover, which shouldn't take too long as the majority of the content for that page will be the track listing for the album. I have also begun to edit together my footage. This may be a bit trickier than I thought as I was unaware when I decided to take this approach that I have over 50 hours of footage from which to choose. I guess we'll just have to see how this goes.
January 14
I recorded a video of myself lip syncing to the first 90 seconds of Mr Tambourine Man. I plan on uploading that in the next few days. I would do it sooner but the upload limit on my computer is very low and it will take a long while.
January 21
TRAGEDY! I finished my digipack and was in the middle of exporting it so I could upload it to my blog. However, during the export something I can't explain occurred and the folder containing the files became corrupt. I have no backups and so I no longer have the digital version of my digipack. I'm not sure what to do about this as it took me a really long time to create everything and I was using tutorials so I still have very little idea about how to use Fireworks or Photoshop. I have two options now. First is that I can spend another month trying to recreate what I have lost and the other is that I can redraw my flat plan to a higher standard and scan it so I can upload images of it in that state.
January 28
The video is almost finished and should be uploaded by next week. It's taken a lot longer than anticipated and I haven't really focussed on much else media related since there was so much footage to sift through and I didn't want to get distracted.
February 14
The video is done and has been uploaded. I've also uploaded the digipack. I decided not to recreate the entire thing in Photoshop and Fireworks, mainly due to the fact that editing the video took up so much time, but I did redraw it and scanned those photos onto my computer. Now that production on my music video project is nearing completion, my next objective is to complete an evaluation of my experience and the processes I went through in order to come up with my final product. This entails answering four questions which I have separated into four blog posts and which will also be uploaded to the site when they are finished.
March 7
My evaluation is going well. I've answered question 1 and question 4 so far and should be getting started on the other two very soon. There's not too much left to say now so I'll just get back to it.
March 21
I've finished my evaluation and everything else on my blog and it's now ready to be marked and graded. The experience of producing a music video from concept through to final product has been fun and educational and has definitely gotten me interested in making more videos like this in the future.
Shooting Schedule
As the majority of my video is made up of previously shot footage, only a small part will require shooting.
What does need to be filmed will all be shot at the same time, on November 14, beginning in my apartment and moving out onto the highstreet I live on. It will be shot in the first person and will utilize jump cuts to emulate the passing of time.
Any pick up shots will be filmed the following week, depending on the availability of those assisting me.
Digi-Pack
Unfortunately I lost the folder containing my digipack and so was forced at the last minute to redraw my rough sketch and take photos of that to use as my final piece. I understand that they are not coloured or made using software but they are the best I could do with what I had.
Chosen Band Name
Ghost Party
I've decided to use Ghost Party as the final choice for my band name. The name comes from a song by rap artist George Watsky called Ghost Party which I was listening to while writing on my blog. I like the song and although it's by no means my favourite, it is very good. After a little while of trying to think of other possible names and then asking what my friends thought, this is the one I decided stick with.
Possible Band Names
Although the artist I've created is an individual I imagine that he'd have a band with him for live performances and necessary recordings. As such, listed below are three possible band names and reasons why I've chosen them.
Ghost Party
I got the idea for this name listening to a song called 'Ghost Party' by rap Artist George Watsky. It stuck in my head for a while after so I decided to put it on this list.
Wyston
This is the first name of W.H. Auden and I thought it was really memorable as it has become an uncommon name in the 21st century. Some people might not even realise it's a person's name.
Captcha
This is the small piece of code on a website that checks whether or not you are human by making you type in ridiculous words. They annoy me and I hate filling them in, so I wanted to use the name for something more entertaining.
Treatment
The concept
The song I have chosen is Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. The main concept behind the video is based around the song's message of creativity and inspired by Johnny Depp choosing to play it at Hunter S. Thompson's funeral just before his ashes were fired from a cannon. Memory and remembering the best times in life are central to the video and so I will use personal footage of myself and my friends that I have recorded over the past two years and combine it with lip syncing to create a montage of a man's past.
Artist style and form
Dylan Freeman, the man I have created to be my artist, is a solo musician, however when he tours, like many others, he has a band to back him and round out his sound. When trying to bring him to life I thought about real people to whom he could be compared and decided that he is an amalgamation of Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac and Kevin Smith. Dylan for the musical aspirations and drive, Kerouac for the adventurous attitude and carefree spirit and Smith for his friendly and sharing nature. The song is a well known classic and as such I felt that the music video should stand back and allow the music to take centre stage.
The song I have chosen is Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. The main concept behind the video is based around the song's message of creativity and inspired by Johnny Depp choosing to play it at Hunter S. Thompson's funeral just before his ashes were fired from a cannon. Memory and remembering the best times in life are central to the video and so I will use personal footage of myself and my friends that I have recorded over the past two years and combine it with lip syncing to create a montage of a man's past.
Artist style and form
Dylan Freeman, the man I have created to be my artist, is a solo musician, however when he tours, like many others, he has a band to back him and round out his sound. When trying to bring him to life I thought about real people to whom he could be compared and decided that he is an amalgamation of Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac and Kevin Smith. Dylan for the musical aspirations and drive, Kerouac for the adventurous attitude and carefree spirit and Smith for his friendly and sharing nature. The song is a well known classic and as such I felt that the music video should stand back and allow the music to take centre stage.
Target Audience
From the results of my questionnaire I have decided to target my music video at people aged between 24-49. Although people of a younger demographic received the song and the video idea favourably, the music lends itself to an older generation more familiar with Bob Dylan and his work. That being said, I hope that people of all ages will enjoy it.
Technology
I will probably end up using a lot more technology, both hardware and software, but for now I think that these are the most important and will likely be used more than anything else.
Possible Locations
Since the majority of my music video will be made up of footage shot by me over the last two years, only a small amount will need to be recorded now. The parts that will need to be shot are the lip synching sections, mainly the chorus and possibly some other lyrics.
This section will be shot outside in the street, with the singer holding the camera and singing directly into it as they walk. There could also be some footage of their feet walking and the view in front of them if, for example, they go into StarBucks and buy a coffee.
Since the whole point of the video is to highlight memories and reflect on what was, this minimal amount of current footage will add to that idea, hopefully making the finished product better.
This section will be shot outside in the street, with the singer holding the camera and singing directly into it as they walk. There could also be some footage of their feet walking and the view in front of them if, for example, they go into StarBucks and buy a coffee.
Since the whole point of the video is to highlight memories and reflect on what was, this minimal amount of current footage will add to that idea, hopefully making the finished product better.
Music Video Questionnaire and Feedback
1. Are you male or female?
2. How old are you?
3. What are your three favourite song?
4. What are your three favourite music videos?
5. Do you prefer to watch music videos on TV or online?
6. What is your favourite musical genre?
7. Do you like Bob Dylan or his music?
8. What do you think of Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan?
9. When you listen to the song, what images or themes come to mind?
10. Do you think this song could benefit from a music video?
I gave 30 copies of my questionnaire randomly to people in my year and several adults in order to find out what my target audience were looking for in a new artist. From the results I determined that a large majority of people questioned were male and preferred listening to modern, upbeat music in the electronic and rock genres. I also discovered that of the 30 people, more than three quarters watched more music videos online using sites such as YouTube and VEVO.
This has helped me as I can now tailor my song choice and accompanying music video to better suit audience tastes, which can only be a good thing.
Music Video Storyboard
Since my music video is going to be made from archive footage, I've decided to make a rough version of a storyboard using still images from some of the clips I plan on using. This way, you can have an idea of what exactly I want my video to look like. The below images are not necessarily in the final order that their associated clips will appear, however it is very likely as this is the order in which the events occurred in my life.
Music Video Narrative
All of the footage I'm planning to use in my music video was filmed at different times and in various locations during the last two years and so the only thing tying it together are the people who regularly appear and the fact that I have experienced everything you will see.
I want to try and maintain as best I can a chronology to how I display the short snippets of my life, starting at the earliest point and working my way forward. This, of course, is merely a guideline and if I find upon starting to edit my footage that a clip works better before it's chronological place I won't hesitate to move it and try something else.
The inspiration for this type of video came to me when I was thinking about Mr Tambourine Man being played at Hunter S. Thompson's funeral. I imagined that if a biopic of his life were ever to be produced, that during the funeral scene of the movie, this song would be played while a montage of his life and experiences would be interspersed with footage from the funeral and would end with his ashes being fired from a cannon. Without the sombre tones of the funeral setting or the impracticality of firing a person from a cannon, I want to try and replicate the scene from my mind with video of my own experiences and video footage.
Song Lyrics: Mr Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
Though I know that evenin’s empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin’
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin’
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
Though you might hear laughin’, spinnin’, swingin’ madly across the sun
It’s not aimed at anyone, it’s just escapin’ on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin’
And if you hear vague traces of skippin’ reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it’s just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn’t pay it any mind
It’s just a shadow you’re seein’ that he’s chasing
It’s not aimed at anyone, it’s just escapin’ on the run
And but for the sky there are no fences facin’
And if you hear vague traces of skippin’ reels of rhyme
To your tambourine in time, it’s just a ragged clown behind
I wouldn’t pay it any mind
It’s just a shadow you’re seein’ that he’s chasing
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
Then take me disappearin’ through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you
Final Song Choice
The song I've chosen to make a music video for is Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. One of the main reasons for this decision is that I wanted to pick a song that I wouldn't lose interest in quickly and since the song is one of my favourite that seems unlikely. I also thought that this song best fit with my ideas of what I wanted to do with the video.
Feedback: Song Choices and Music Video Ideas
Of my three possible songs the only one that the people whose opinion I asked seemed interested in was Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. I asked both teens my own age and adult between approximately 30 and 50 years old and they all agreed that it was the better song lyrically and in terms of usability.
The video ideas for all three songs were liked fairly equally but a few more people than not said that the montage idea for Mr Tambourine Man was a good idea as they hadn't heard of many other A Level music videos employing such a technique.
The feedback I have received regarding my choice of songs and ideas for the music video have helped greatly and will assist me in making my final decisions.
The video ideas for all three songs were liked fairly equally but a few more people than not said that the montage idea for Mr Tambourine Man was a good idea as they hadn't heard of many other A Level music videos employing such a technique.
The feedback I have received regarding my choice of songs and ideas for the music video have helped greatly and will assist me in making my final decisions.
Music Video Ideas
My California - Beth Hart
The lead would be a man, sad and lonely, who feels unappreciated and ignored in his day today life. There would be three settings; a train, an office and the lead's home. In each of these places something will happen to antagonise the lead and make him feel bad.
There will also be a sequence in each location which takes place inside the lead's mind. In his imagination, he is dressed as a soldier and subverts each confrontation so that it ends in his favour, with him looking like a hero.
While all of this is happening there will be shots of the lead writing a letter interspersed in the video. At the end it will be implied that the letter is a suicide note, but instead of committing suicide he throws the note away and walks off, dressed in his army fatigues.
Mr Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan
Over the past two years I've filmed a lot of different things. There's footage of experiences I've had and people I've met and lots of different things I've done and If I chose this song then I would make a montage of all this footage interspersed with video of me singing parts of the song. It would be much more simple than other videos but I think it would work well.
Sh! It's A Secret - Get Down
This video would be shot in my apartment and would be lots of footage of a party. People would be happy and upbeat and lots of them would sing the lyrics of the song. It would be like a music video from the early 90s that would likely have been shown on MTV.
Three Possible Song Choices
Beth Hart - My California
The first of my three possible songs is My California by Beth Hart. I heard this song played during the TV shows Californication and I immediately liked it. Upon researching the lyrics, I discovered that the song, as well as being taken literally can also be viewed as an admission and acceptance of love.
Bob Dylan - Mr Tambourine Man
My second potential song is Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man. Bob Dylan is one of my favourite musical artists and this song is, in my opinion, one of his best songs. Most people are under the misconception that this song is about drugs, LSD to be exact and one of Dylan's dealers however this is not the case. Dylan himself has been recorded as saying that it is about finding inspiration in art and in life.
Hunter S. Thompson arranged for this song to be played during his funeral... while his ashes were being fired from a cannon by Johnny Depp. Just a fun fact.
Sh! It's A Secret - Get Down
I first heard this song from a YouTuber I watch regularly. She only played about 30 seconds but as soon as her video was over I found and listened to the rest of the song in it's entirety. I don't think it's that great of a song but I couldn't get it out of my head and found the upbeat lyrics and music make me very happy. I've chosen it as one of my three possible song choices in case I decide to make a modern, exciting music video.
The first of my three possible songs is My California by Beth Hart. I heard this song played during the TV shows Californication and I immediately liked it. Upon researching the lyrics, I discovered that the song, as well as being taken literally can also be viewed as an admission and acceptance of love.
Bob Dylan - Mr Tambourine Man
My second potential song is Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man. Bob Dylan is one of my favourite musical artists and this song is, in my opinion, one of his best songs. Most people are under the misconception that this song is about drugs, LSD to be exact and one of Dylan's dealers however this is not the case. Dylan himself has been recorded as saying that it is about finding inspiration in art and in life.
Hunter S. Thompson arranged for this song to be played during his funeral... while his ashes were being fired from a cannon by Johnny Depp. Just a fun fact.
Sh! It's A Secret - Get Down
I first heard this song from a YouTuber I watch regularly. She only played about 30 seconds but as soon as her video was over I found and listened to the rest of the song in it's entirety. I don't think it's that great of a song but I couldn't get it out of my head and found the upbeat lyrics and music make me very happy. I've chosen it as one of my three possible song choices in case I decide to make a modern, exciting music video.
Institutions
Infinitum Nihil is a production company owned by Johnny Depp and run by his sister Christi Dembrowski. Founded in 2004, the company is primarily used to develop projects in which Depp is involved in some way.
They have produced numerous films including The Rum Diary, Hugo and Dark Shadows, however have recently begun to branch out into other areas including music videos (they directed a video for The Black Keys) and publishing novels and short stories.
Album Song Titles
The Prejudice of Experience
1. In a station of the Metro
2. This is hell
3. Brave new world
4. All along the watchtower
5. Chronicles
6. Ham on Rye
7. Southern Comfort
8. Pulp
9. The Beautiful and the damned
10. Ask me anything
The songs on The Prejudice of Experience are all named after things that influenced the writing of the album. In A Station On The Metro is named after the Ezra Pound haiku of the same name. This Is Hell and All Along The Watchtower are covers of the songs by Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan. Southern Comfort is named after the brand of Whiskey that Freeman drank during the writing and recording of the album and the remainder of the songs are named after some of his favourite books.
1. In a station of the Metro
2. This is hell
3. Brave new world
4. All along the watchtower
5. Chronicles
6. Ham on Rye
7. Southern Comfort
8. Pulp
9. The Beautiful and the damned
10. Ask me anything
The songs on The Prejudice of Experience are all named after things that influenced the writing of the album. In A Station On The Metro is named after the Ezra Pound haiku of the same name. This Is Hell and All Along The Watchtower are covers of the songs by Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan. Southern Comfort is named after the brand of Whiskey that Freeman drank during the writing and recording of the album and the remainder of the songs are named after some of his favourite books.
Star Profile
Dylan Freeman (29 May 1990) is a French-Canadian songwriter raised in Braintree Essex who was taught at an early age to play the guitar by his father, Henry Freeman, a copyrighter for a prominent ad agency of the time. As a child he loved learning new songs and quickly became proficient enough to begin composing his own music. His father assisted in writing his first songs and by his mid-teens he had an unreleased archive of almost 150 songs.
It was aroiund this time that he discovered YouTube, the world's foremost video sharing service and began uploading videos of himself performing. His channel experienced a surge in popularity and YouTube contacted him asking that he become a partner and recieve money in exhange for placing ads on his videos. He agreed and the money helped him professionally record and release his first full album, A life in retrospect, which reached no. 23 in the iTunes alternative charts and garnered him more fans.
A representative from Sony music discovered his videos and approached him about signing to a label. He agreed and signed to Columbia records with a two album deal. His first album, the eponymous Dylan has been much more successful than his previous efforts with his single All along the watchtower breaking into the UK and US top 10 singles charts.
As well as playing guitar, Freeman can also play the Ukulele, Harmonica, drums and piano, incorporating the different instruments into his music.
It was aroiund this time that he discovered YouTube, the world's foremost video sharing service and began uploading videos of himself performing. His channel experienced a surge in popularity and YouTube contacted him asking that he become a partner and recieve money in exhange for placing ads on his videos. He agreed and the money helped him professionally record and release his first full album, A life in retrospect, which reached no. 23 in the iTunes alternative charts and garnered him more fans.
A representative from Sony music discovered his videos and approached him about signing to a label. He agreed and signed to Columbia records with a two album deal. His first album, the eponymous Dylan has been much more successful than his previous efforts with his single All along the watchtower breaking into the UK and US top 10 singles charts.
As well as playing guitar, Freeman can also play the Ukulele, Harmonica, drums and piano, incorporating the different instruments into his music.
What Music Means To Me
Bob Dylan – Blowin’ In The Wind
I don’t really remember too much of what I was listening too before the age of 10 because as well as popular music my Dad would often play obscure albums or soundtracks and I wouldn’t be able to differentiate between a lot of things. However a number of songs do stand out in my mind as being played regularly and a lot of them have stayed with me up to today and are on my iPod, which I take with me most places. Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash are two artists whom I would consider particularly influential. ‘Blowin’ in the wind’ by Bob Dylan and ‘Jackson’ by Johnny Cash have always been some of my favourite songs and I can listen to these songs as well as many others that they’ve made at any time. I do feel I have to say though that I struggle to find the same connections to many Bob Dylan songs from any album he released after 1976 as I feel he became more corporate and his music suffered as a result of that. This would also have been around the time that he started his ‘NeverEnding tour’ and playing primarily for others instead of himself as he did early in his career.
Owl City – Fuzzy Blue Lights
Before 2005 the only music I really listened to was what my dad would play from his CD collection so on my 11th birthday, just before I went to secondary school I got my first laptop and started to amass my own music collection. I remember finding owl city when I was searching for new music on MySpace. Adam Young, the man behind the moniker ‘Owl City’ has just put out a free EP called ‘Of June’ and it was one of the first Eps to go into my iTunes playlist. Owl City, from then on has become a staple in any iTunes library I make which is saying something as I often delete my entire music collection and start from scratch in order to find new music and keep things fresh.
Girl Talk – Down For The Count
Although the most recent album of four was released in 2010 with the first being released eight years prior in 2002, I only discovered Girl Talk at the end of 2011. The song ‘Down For The Count’ was the first of his songs that I heard and I think that’s why it stands out to me more than some of his others. The way he produces songs is to sample pieces of music from various other artists and to mix them together into something completely new. In his new album ‘All Day’ for example, he sampled over 500 pieces of music from more than 60 different artists spanning a whole variety of genres and decades.
Album Cover Analysis
Coldplay - X&Y
The cover of Coldplay's third album X&Y was created by designers Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton. The coloured block are a graphical representation of the Baudot code, an early form of telegraph communications that used ones and zeros. When translated using the cipher provided in the album's liner notes, the blocks reveal 'X9Y'. It is unclear whether this was a genuine mistake or a deliberate attempt to confuse anyone who might try to decode it.
The cover of Coldplay's third album X&Y was created by designers Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton. The coloured block are a graphical representation of the Baudot code, an early form of telegraph communications that used ones and zeros. When translated using the cipher provided in the album's liner notes, the blocks reveal 'X9Y'. It is unclear whether this was a genuine mistake or a deliberate attempt to confuse anyone who might try to decode it.
The dark blue background emphasises the colour of the blocks and allows them to be presented without interruption as the main focal point of the cover.
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The album cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico was designed by Andy Warhol and shows a banana in the classic Warhol print style. The cover is notable as on the original release of the album, the banana was a sticker, which, when peeled back revealed the flesh coloured interior of a banana beneath.
Although the cover cost more than most others, MGM decided that it was worth paying for, as an album with close ties to an iconic artist such as Andy Warhol was sure to sell in huge volume.
This album was made during the band's transition to a more punk oriented band so the banana could be a metaphor for that, although it is just as likely an abstract print that Warhol and Lou Reed liked.
Bo Burnham - Words Words Words
The cover of Words, Words, Words shows a picture of the artist, Bo Burnham, made up of lyrics from songs on the album. This release is considered the most serious he has released to date and the cover reflects this in comparison with his previous two.
Being a comedian and starting his career posting videos to YouTube back in 2006, he is often considered an unconventional artist and Words Words Words is a way of pushing his style in a new direction.
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