Pre-Production work for E Sting

The Requirements of Working to a Brief

The Requirements of Working to a Brief

Firstly a brief is a set of tasks and rules that must be done and understood, it will include a summary with what needs to be done for the completion of the project. It also has rules which you must follow strictly as they can be quite specific, for example they might say no explicit content in the project or you must use the soundtrack provided. If the client does not read the brief thoroughly they might miss this information and the commissioner will not be happy with the finished product.

A commission is when a commissioner will offer to pay a sum of money to make something for them, for example to turn a script into a film. When commissioned you are then working under the commissioners company and will be given a brief to follow, once you have done everything the brief states the commissioner will then pay then money discussed at the start of the commissioning.

Tendering is the process of trying to win a commission when a company has issued a brief.  The company tendering will make a proposal and a budget explaining how they will meet that brief. If the company like it they will commission them to make it.

There are a few ways to respond to a brief, a unique way it a competition, this way you actually respond to the brief by making the products itself, when responded all the competitors have a chance of winning and this way peoples true talent can be seen. For example the E Sting competition, they released a brief which stated everything that needed to be done and rules such at, you can only use music E4 provided and it MUST be 10 seconds long.

When reading a brief you have to be very careful that you read everything and understand what they are asking from you, for example the brief from E4, it was very important that I read it all and didn’t miss anything out as the rules were very specific. I had to meet 3 specific rules, use the E4 music, make sure it’s exactly 10 seconds long and if we want it to be shown before watershed make she it does not have explicit or violent content. It clearly said stated in the brief if the E Sting is not 10 seconds long it will not be selected, this is why reading the brief is very important.

When given a brief you may have a different idea to what is being asked of you, you could discuss your ideas with the commissioner, however you are working for them and you need to satisfy them by making what they want, for this reason even if you think what they are asking for isn’t as good as what you can make it you have to do it anyways if you want to get the money offered to you. If you have more experience in the media industry you are more likely to have some leeway into changing the commissioner’s idea to what you think would be more effective. When responding to the E4 brief there was a few rules which I have already stated but apart from them it was up to our imagination to create whatever we felt was right. We didn’t have any room for negotiation on the rules, such as, It had to be exactly 10 seconds long, we had to use a song from the E4 library and we had to use the logo, aside from that the production and idea of the project was in our hands and we had the freedom to make whatever our imagination inspired us to do.

When responding to a brief there are a few constraints you need to consider, such as Legal, Ethical and Regulatory. Legal can be things such as copyright, copyright is a serious topic in the media industry and if you are not careful you could be sued for copyright, for example if I was to make an E Sting and use my own music its taking their product without their permission, and because we put in on YouTube for other people to see its breaker copyright rules and I could be sued.  Along with copyright there is slander; slander is where someone makes false accusations against a company ruining their reputation, this is a suable offence. Ethical is making sure you are careful with your products and make sure you do not insult a race/religion. Regulatory, Ofcom has many laws; the main one that applied to us when making our E Sting is the ‘Protecting the Under-Eighteens’

 

Our E Sting was not affected by any of these rules as it was child friendly and appropriate for all ages, this also links to the laws of BBFC and their recommendation on what age your product can be shown to. As you can see none of these below apply to our music video and therefore it can be shown before the watershed.

 

We were both happy with our final product however we did have to make a couple of amendments such as changing the lighting in post-production and taking some unnecessary footage out as it made it look to rushed and not a fluent. There are many reasons you may need to make amendments, our changed were very small however if we had to make a bigger project there are many things to be careful about, such as money issues, for example you may get half way through a production of a film and realise it’s going to cost more than you have so you may have to make a couple of amendments and sacrifices to make the end project doable. Little things such as sound, lighting and CGI are normal amendments which are changed when reviewing your final project over and over to make sure it’s flawless. You may also come across problems with locations, for example it might have been ok to film somewhere a month when planning the production but closer to the day it becomes not useable and therefore puts you in a position where you may have to make amendments to the script and to change the final product slightly.

The reason people respond to a brief is to open doors/gain opportunities and to get money, if you are freelance in the media you are going to respond to a lot of briefs as its your job and main source of income. However a student such as myself respond to competition briefs as they open doors and give me a chance to get into the media industry by showing my talent, when wining a competition it’s a great thing to be able to put on you cv and the prize money or item is just a bonus.

 The brief I responded to for E4 was a great opportunities as it gave me a chance to experiment with creative imagination and also got me used to working to a brief which is great as I’m sure I’ll be working to man in the future and this brief has given me a lot for confidence with working with them. I also learnt a lot about stop motion animation, I may not like it but at least I have learnt it and am now experienced with the process.

I had to multi-skill when working to the E4 brief as I had to control the camera/lighting, I also had to direct and finally had to edit it all together and add the sounds. My contribution to the brief was making the E Sting, I done this by using my own creative imagination and ideas, I was able to do this as E4 didn’t want a specific idea their brief just stated they wanted a 10 second animation with their logo and song in the product.

E Sting Evaluation

Evaluation

I decided to review my animation in a written post. I exhibited my E Sting by publishing it on YouTube, this was great as I had a massive audience and I don’t have to travel anywhere to show people in a screening, after I posted it on YouTube I sent out a questionnaire which contained the following questions. I also showed my E Sting in class and gathered some feedback off peers. YouTube has a great audience as millions of people view YouTube everyday, however i could of shown it to a broader audience by posting it all over social networking sites and using media related sites and discussion rooms to gather a great amount of feedback, If i had the time i would of done some of these but seems i didn't I just had to settle with YouTube and the feedback from peers. 

1. Did you enjoy my E Sting?

2. What’s your gender?

3. What genre would you classify this?

4. What could be done to improve?

5. Could you tell this was stop motion?

6. Did you like the way the scene looked?

7. Who do you think this E Sting was aimed at?

8. Could you see this on E4's channel?

I gathered some results from the questionnaire over 3 days and displayed them in graphs as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 The main constraint we mainly had when making our E Sting was Time management, as time was very limited, this is because we had to create our E Sting in our two or one hour lessons, we managed to create our E Sting in three days, this was only achievable because we were well prepared, IE we set all our props and equipment up the previous day so we didn't waste anytime and we could just crack on and make it. Due to being prepared and dedicated we managed to create it for the deadline.

 

The brief for the E Sting was very straight forward and only had a few vital thing we had to do,  the most vital task was to make sure it was EXACTLY 10 seconds, use one of the music tracks provided and the only other thing was that they cant show explicit or violent E Stings during daytime hours, however they say in the brief that they might be able to after the watershed as long as its within reason. therefore apart from them two we could do anything that came to our creative imagination. With our E Sting it did not conflict with the watershed as it didnt have any violence or explitit content which means our E Sting would be able to be shown any time of the day.

 

 

 

 

 Overall I am happy with our E Sting, the main criticism we had was the lighting, we managed to make it a little better in post production by changing some settings on Premier pro such as Gamma Correction however it didnt properly fix it. these are some scree shots from my E Sting to show the light changes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I have learnt a lot from creating the E Sting and had fun in the process. Working to a brief made it very simple, we had a task and rules on what to do, so we just went straight ahead and created it. This made me happy as i want o work in the media industry and working to a brief is very important, so after completing this task I realised that working to a brief is actually pretty simple. Because of how long it takes and the effort that has to go into making animation I can happily say I am not planing on doing anything like this in the future, its defiantly not my forte.

 

Sail Music Video Pre - Production

Styles & Conventions

Some music videos have performance footage (In-concert and 'as live' footage) , this gives the video a good feel and shows the band and singers tallent. This type of music video is most common with rock songs.





Narrative and interpretive music videos are a way for a band to turn their lyrics into visual meaning, this is very intertaining for the audience. However not all narrative music videos have a visual story to do with the lyrics, some artists choose to have a story which is nothing to do with the song but simply entertains the audience.





Surreal music videos are very differnt and can sometimes shock/entertain the audience with how wiered and funny they can be. Some surreal videos can relate slightly to the lyrics however most of the time they are just suprising and unconventional.





Impressionist music videos are seen as artistic, Instead of telling a story or relating to the lyrics, impressionish music trys to capture the emotional tone of the music itself. Lots of elements are used to capture this emotion, such as light, different colours and soft edges.

 

 

Intertexual: synergy/parody

music videos such as intertexual videos relate to another media product, such as synergy, this is where the music video will be dedicated to another media product such as a film, a good example of this would be New Divide by Linkin Park as it was created for the film Transformers. Parody is a music video which acts humorous about another video, it does this by changing the lyrics and say their is a sexy woman in the video this may get switched to be a big fat hairy man, a good example would be "California Gurls" which was originally "California Girls" by Katy Perry.

Animation

Animation is a unique style and can be a very time consuming process but at the same time its very effective and entertaining. A good example is the music video Feel Good Inc, done by Gorillaz.

Lip Synch 

Lip synch is used is many different music videos, this is where the artist mimes their song within the music video so when played with their original song in the background it will synch and look like they are singing it. This can be tricky sometimes as when slow motion is introduced the artist will have to mime to a faster version of the song so when they are slown down it will match the original pace of their song.

Cutting to Beat

This is a very interesting effect used with music videos, this effect is when a shot cuts everytime a beat is played, this gives the music video a very fast pace feel.

Post Production Effects

Visual effects are used in music video to make them interesting/eye catching and experimental, when editing a music video its important that you use the right effect for the genre of the music video otherwise it can distract the audience and take away the greatness of the song.

 

Split Screen

This effect is where two videos are played next to each other, its usually used in a narrative music video showing two different events, such as two different people living their lives then meeting each other at end, or one person having really good luck and the other having bad luck.

Chroma Key Effects

This effect is very common, its where the artist stand in front of a green/blue screen. When filmed they can edit out the single block colour in the background so that they can change the background in post production. Meaning the artist could be standing in a studio in London but in the video they are on some sandy terrain in Texas.

Camera Movements

These movements can be very effective and gain excitement for the target audience if used in the right way, movements such as crabbing, tracking, tilting and panning.

 

Camera Angles/Shot Types

As well as the movements of the camera there is also the angles and shots, these can be used very effectively, for example going from a wide shot zooming into a close up. The choice of different angles and shot types can change how interesting and smooth the video looks.

Mise-En-Scene

This is quite an important part within a music video, people might think it doesnt matter where the music video is located however depending on the genre of music and the mood of the music it can effect the video greatly if the right Mise-En-Scene is used.

TRACKS - Short Film

TRACKS

Here is our final 10 minute short, It took a while to edit and get it finalised but its finaly done. I am happy with the end reseult and learned a lot about single camera production and now know what I need to improve on if i decide to make another.  

Pre-Production

Single Camera Editing

Single Camera Editing

In this essay I will be talking about the following, how cameras are used and how the footage is shot, how lighting is used in single camera editing, the advantages and disadvantages of sound in single camera production, how a single camera production is edited, single camera genres and formats and how multi-camera techniques differ from single camera.

 

Camera

Obviously with a single camera production only one camera is used, however if there is a slightly tricky scene another camera may be introduced, for example if there is a fight scene or if there is a stunt of some sort, or even a scene with a lot of dialogue. Unlike multi camera productions when filming a scene the actors with have to respectively act this scene over and over so the director can capture it from all required angles. Some director actually prefer single camera productions, this is because they have more control over the camera and they are able to create their own shot and angles up individually, and they can also shoot anywhere they want because there is far less equipment need to be carted around.

 

Lighting

There is far less to worry about when it comes to lighting in single camera productions, this is because it is a lot easier to control the light because you can light each shot individually, unlike in multi camera productions. In multi camera production the light has to be right in each shot which makes it more complicated to do, having this light in all the camera shot can make the scenes look flat and fake like, making it look like it’s been filmed in a studio, this is where single camera productions are good, in single camera because you light each shot individually it gives it a very realistic tone and style to the scenes.

 

Sound

Sound is an important part of filming, yes the shots themselves are important but without quality sound it can affect the product greatly. For example when using built in microphones it’s very hard to engage with the product as the voices and sounds are tinny and not high quality. In single camera productions only one microphone is usually used which is a central or directional microphone, unlike in multi camera where it’s easier to mic each individual person, this can be done because it’s quite common that mics are allowed to be visible within a scene. In multi camera productions where the set is often quite static for example in soap operas gives the opportunity to hide microphones around the scene. In single camera productions the camera is often more mobile and kinetic and the scene may change rapidly. Therefore you cannot hide microphones on the set and have to rely on booms etc. this often leads to the process of ADR – Automated dialogue Replacement this is where actors dub themselves in post-production.

 

Editing

Weather its a single camera production or multi camera production the Post-Production stage is long and tedious as both productions have a lot of footage to go back through and choose the bests shots and footage to create the product. However not all footage is edited after it has been shot, in multi camera productions like live TV the footage is often edited live, this is done using a visions mixer, this allows the editor to switch from camera to camera. This can’t be done it single camera as all the footage has to be edited after the scene has been filmed. There is a lot of wasted film in multi camera productions and people may think it costs more, however it can actually be cheaper as it takes less time to film than a single camera production.

 

Single camera genres and formats

Single camera dominates some key genres such as Crime and Horror this is due to low key lighting and wanting these sort of genres to feel more realistic and to appear more ‘personal’. Single camera has been used to make genres like Comedy and Soap Operas however these are dominated by multi camera productions because they are mostly filmed in studios and sets with three point lighting, some examples are, The It Crowd and Scrubs. Formats that require the product to be churned out rapidly cannot be done with single camera because there is not enough time, therefore wide angle shots, close ups and fast pace fluent movement have to be sacrificed because to be able to use multi camera production these cannot be used as they all involve another camera coming into shot or for the camera not to be static, therefore feature Hollywood movies are filmed with single camera to capture and use the keys camera skills.

Scripts

The Journey of a script

The Commissioning Process

 

Job Roles

The commissioning process is a big area and requires many different job roles, these are as follows.

 

Commissioning Editors

These are the people that help the product through every stage, the main job for them is to look at proposals and see if the new authors/writers work is good enough to be published. Therefore this job has the power to decide whether someone’s work makes it or not.

 

Producers

After the Commissioning Editor has selected someone’s work to be published it gets handed over to the producer who then has to take matters into their own hands. It’s the producer’s job to change the words on paper to visual media, to do this the producer has to organise a production team and go through different stages to make sure the end product is successful, these stages are

Development

Pre-Production

Production

Post-production and marketing

 

Directors

These are the people that change the words on paper to visual media. This requires a strong and creative mind set. To be able to do this process the Director has to select the right crew to make it, the right actors to perform in it and also the perfect locations to fit the script. After All the crew, actors and locations have been picked the director then has to direct everyone to bring the script alive. As well as managing everyone and making sure people are in the right places and doing things correctly the director also has to manage the technical side, this involves special effects, Lighting, Sound and even the camera work/movement. To make sure it looks and sounds right the director has to script edit, shot select and edit, also work closely with the producer to make sure they are happy with the progress.

 

Script editors

 Script editors work alongside the screenwriter to give a second opinion on the script and to help strengthen it, this is done by showing the screenwriter mistakes they might of made, for example there might be a problem/error with the script and it’s the script editors job to see and point these errors out and help to make the script reach its full potential without any plot holes in it. Script Editors are mostly freelance, this is because they are not always needed and they are never needed for the whole production, therefor script editor hops from script to script helping screenwriters perfect them.

 

Agents

An agent works for their clients by securing jobs and making sure they are getting paid the right amount. They do this by keeping up to date with what is currently in production and negotiating contracts and making sure their client is getting the right amount of money for the work they are doing.  As well as looking out for their recent clients it’s the agent’s job to look for new clients.  

 

 

Commissioning Bodies

 

Independent production companies

For an unknown writer it’s very rare they will be picked up by one of the big corporations, therefore they are more likely to target independent production companies, these smaller film companies have limited money and connections, therefore they usually do their own scripts, however sometimes a larger corporation will offer financing to help develop them in return for revenue generated. Examples of smaller companies are, Laika, Film Colony, Blue Sky Studios and Hartswood Films.   

Independent directors/producers

If you have enough money to support yourself with funding you can become an independent director, this means you are in control of what your product will be and how it will turn out. However is you choose to be an independent producer you can finance a screenplay, this means you have more responsibilities because all the decisions are made by you, so reaching the end and finalising the project is harder. An example of a famous director/producer is Robert Rodrilquez.

 

Corporations

BBC writers room is a web page which helps inspire screenwriters, it doesn’t offer contracts or financing but it helps the writers get noticed and this could lead them to getting a contract or financing for their screenplays. Other examples of sites like this are, The Script Factory and Industrial Scripts.

 

The role of the writer

Pre-Production and Editing

When a writer has finished writing their first draft of their screenplay they will go on to write another, however when they write the next they will not look at the first because this helps develop the screenplay as when writing the second draft things will get missed out and this means they wouldn’t have been important to the script. After writing both drafts they are brought together which brings the best of both dialogue and screen directions. After the writer is happy with the final piece it’s vital they get some feedback before sending it or showing it to any production companies, this is because you want to make sure it is flawless and the script is covering the wright target audience. After it had a second opinions if there are not any changes that need mending the writer will be at a stage to send it off to be commissioned. If the script gets commission the writer will be working with the script editor and alongside the producer and director.

Director/Producer Involvement

After a screenwriter has finalised their script and it gets into production they don't really have any input/involvement with the production stage, this is usually because when the script it bought its the producers and directors job to make it into a visual product, this means they can chop and change bits in the script to meet their requirements for making the film, IE changing locations or what a character may look like. Occasionally the writer will have involvement, such at writer Tom Stoppard, a Czech-born British Playwriter/Screenwriter. Theatre writers are very well respected in the media industry and for this reason they are more likely to have a part in the production of the product.  

The main job of the producer is to obtain the script in the first place, when obtaining a script they will discuss the price with the screenwriter and get the rights to the script so they can make changes if needed. When the deal is done the producer will gather a team of story editors to work alongside the screenwriter to edit the script if needed, the once the producer approves all the changed the production of the film can start. As well as finding a script a producer can also commission a script to be written, this means they can pay a screenwriter to write a script for them, meaning they can have a script written on an idea that already exists. 

The director is the visual maker, its their job to change the words on paper into the amazing visual we see on a screen. To make sure everything goes smoothly the also double check the screenplay to make sure everything is flawless without an hick ups which could happen down the line. A director can also write their own screenplays.

 

Legal and Ethical

Plagiarism – this is a big deal in the media industry; this is where someone steals another person’s work and tries to summit it as their own. For example stealing someone’s script and making it into a film. This is why as a writer it’s important to send your script to yourself through the post so if this was to happen to a writer they can prove they wrote the script and they will be able to sue for stealing their work.

Copyright – Copyrighting means you are protected from plagiarism, as explained above if someone steals your work and you are protected and can sue them for plagiarism if they steal your work.

Bias – If someone is bias it means they favourite one side of a concept, without taking another side into consideration.  For example the news uses writers and they have to be very aware of the impartiality rules and guidelines.
 

Making a Living as a Screenwriter

A life for a writer is not an easy life, there is a lot of work and its only for the strong minded and creative imaginative people. Their progress and income can depend on a number of things, such as Agents, Optioning and Time Management.

Agents are a great way for a screenwriter to increase their chances of getting work, its in the best interest of the screenwriter to find a agent that they feel comfortable with and trust as they will be working with each other. Its the agents job to represent the screenwriter and to promote their work and find work for them. To get an agent they first need to send them examples of their work and if the agents believes you are good enough for the industry they will ask for your best work which will be used to show clients and to get the screenwriter work. As a screenwriter it makes their work look more professional if they have an agent and therefore increases the screenwriters chances of getting work, which helps them make a living.

Optioning is when a screenwriter loans their work to someone for a certain sum of money for a time period. In this period the producer may or may not make it into a visual product, therefor during this time nobody else can have access to the script. This is a great way for screenwriter to make money, some screenwriters work is never seen on the screen however they make a living just from optioning their scripts.

Time management is a key skill for a screenwriter, they have time which they need to think of an idea, research that idea then write their script which has to be done at least 3 times (first draft, second draft, then merging them together to get the best of both). All of this has to be done with good time management, otherwise their script might not end up anywhere and if a producer has commissioned them to wright a script for them they will not pay them if its not done by the deadline agreed on. If a screenwriter has good time management it will increase their chances of getting work as they will create more script as they don't waste any time and they will also be reliable and more likely to get more work from a good word said about them.
 

 

 

 

 

The Purposes of a Music Video

The Purpose of a Music Video

The first sighting of a music video was in 1941, this was when a new invention was made in the USA and was put into many clubs and bars. This invention was called The Panoram Soundie; a Panoram Soundie was a jukebox that played short video clips along with the music. Because of this first invention it inspired others to make a way for music to be more than to just be listened to. In 1975 Queen released a music video for their song Bohemian Rhapsody which used advanced visual effects and marks the beginning of a new video era.

Music videos are a way for artists to promote themselves and to promote their songs. For example Videos can promote the artist by simply putting their name on the instruments or in the background scenery.  The video itself is a free advertisement and a way for the artist to promote them, so the more memorable or desirable the video the more views and people are going to be watching it and therefore this will promote the song and the artist. Also if the video is really liked by an audience the director of the video will be promoted too and will give them an opportunity to get known and picked to direct other people’s music videos. An example of this is Pearl Jam where they have the name of the band on the drum kit.

It’s the producer’s responsibility to market the artist in the right way and to get the right target audience viewing and listening to them. For these reasons producers’ market artists differently depending on the type of music they are producing and also how much money can be spent on the video. The more money that can be used for the video means better locations; costumes and effects can be used. Major label bands or artists have a lot of publicity behind them, this is because they are known in the music industry, and because of this a lot of money is given to them which are used for their music videos. In these photos of Britney in the music video Toxic we can see that its a main stream, high budget video this is due to the different location, lots of glamour, different costumes and the use of CGI.

Independent bands/artists don’t have the money/support that major bands/artists do; therefore they have a low budget and can’t afford all the different locations and glamour that show in major band/artists music videos. The producers of independent bands/artists have to suffice with this low budget and have to make a video which entertains the target audience without all the special effects and glamour, these music videos are usually filmed with them just singing and performing to a camera and sometimes have a little narrative.

 

With technology as it is today with many types of media outlets self-produced artists are able to create their own music videos and publish them for everyone in the world to see, for example some of the biggest stars were found on YouTube, such as Justin Bieber, he started uploading YouTube videos of himself singing and after people found him and shared his videos he was found by a producer how signed him and got him into the industry.

Being a music artist is their job and for this reason they do anything they can to increase their income. Before today’s technology, radio was the way to earn money; every time the artist’s song is played they get royalties. In our generation media outlets have increased and there are many ways for an artist to earn more money and to promote themselves more. There are many media platforms that artists use to earn more money. TV is a good platform to increase the artist’s income; the music videos entertain the audience and make the music a lot more entertaining, this also helps them promote themselves which increases their income even more, this is because people who are entertained by the video may really like the music and be more likely to go purchase the artists CD. Depending on the artist and the type of music they play can depend which channel their music is most likely to be shown on, there are many music channels which differ to different genres of music, some of the main channels are Kerrang!, MTV, 4Music and Viva. Computers and the internet have changed the world, it has opened many doors and jobs, and it’s a fantastic way to promote/advertise yourself or your products. YouTube is a money maker, YouTube is an internet site which allows people to post their own videos for everyone to watch, if your video receives a lot of views YouTube will pay you money to let them advertise on it. An artist has to take opportunity’s to use as many media outlets as they can to wider the audience and to extend their income. 

Some music videos are part of a synergy, i.e. related to another media product, for example a film. New Divide is a song by Linkin Park; this song is part of a synergy with the film Transformers, without the music video it shows some brief clips of the film, this is good as the song itself will make money as well as advertising the film and also promoting themselves as a band.

Music videos are a norm in our society now, when you go into work or college/school people will often say "have you seen (arstist) new video" this is a main way in which music videos get attention and entertain people, by doing this is creates free advertisement from viewers who like it and these boost the sale rates of the song. The future for music videos will stay strong and i think the only thing that will change is the advance in technology which means better grapahics and CGI.