Music Video CCR

 1. How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?

        As the song I chose was made in the 70's many of the conventions would relate to that time period. Before filming and editing my music video I researched popular conventions in this music genre. The song I chose "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire falls in the Disco, R&B, and soul genre. Conventions will be presented depending on the style the artist is going for. My product uses conventions such as lighting, props, and camera angles. By using technical techniques I included different angles such as over the shoulder, point of view, and panning. I also included symbolic conventions. My symbolic clips were when I zoomed into my photo as a flashback and then had both my actors pose for a picture that later showed up in the ending scene. When both my actors danced they showed facial expressions and enjoyed the moment creating a happy mood. By also adding these techniques it matches with the lyrics further giving the audience a better understanding of the song. When I researched the conventions in my genre there is lots of lowkey lighting and special effects. Because of this my music video included a disco ball for a prop. This created different colors of lighting since the ball was multicolor. Just like in the original music video, many colors circled around the camera and were later edited in. My music video was mainly an "enjoying the moment" type of film, this also challenges the conventions that many 70's artists used. Like Earth, Wind, & Fire, for example, performed their songs on stage and that was later their music video as well. Many of the conventions in these videos didn't focus on the narrative but more on their performance and their enjoyment to sing. With my music video I hoped this reference was also shown, I allowed the actors to dance freely and most of the structure came from the editing process. Additionally, my music video doesn't target a direct social group but instead those who enjoy the genre. This can be groups such as families/friends, older generations, and people who overall enjoy dancing. 

     2. How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?

       In my music video, the use of storyline and techniques may engage certain people watching. Audiences such as couples may relate to this because the story surrounds a relationship between two people. The idea of the video may be interpreted in different ways but it shows the experience actor #1 had with actor #2. Additionally, my product will engage audiences that enjoy old R&B and Disco music. They can most like be from the 70's or even now because it is still a popular song. People who enjoy messages within music videos may also enjoy this. Because the idea of my music video creates a reminiscing/ flashback effect the video goes through a story. The audience becomes engaged as they are "pulled" into the old photo and can now see what happened during that time. Moreover, my video may be distributed as  social networking, radio, and internet media. 

     3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

  From the begging of my project to the end, each of my skills has grown and developed to help me for future filming. For this project, the use of props helped me create the theme. For example in the scene I transitioned from the photo you can see the album of the song, it then shows actor #2 putting the album on the record player. This further helped my production because record players were popular in the '70s which was the year of the song I chose. I also included stands/boxes to prop my camera onto and get higher up shots. Being able to transition from high-key lighting to low-key lighting helped me see the difference of mood through the video. Since this video also used a lot of transitions my skills of editing developed more. To create the flashback affect I had the opening scene go "into" the photo and then it went into the past. For this to work, I had to align the photo to the screen in order for the zoom to go all the way through. Additionally, the use of different camera angles was a new technique I tried. Filming over the shoulder, and a panning showed me how steady you have to be so your film doesn't come out shaky and blurry. Not only did my camera techniques develop but having to direct was a major part in the filming process. Because my actors were my mom and stepdad, they had little to no idea of what to do. It was important for me to tell them where to stand and move so they had an easy idea on the acting. Because of this, my production skills developed. Overall this project was fun a something I have never done before. Because of this I believe I learned many new things and my skills grew from the last project I created. 

 

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

  For my music video, I integrated both hardware and software technologies. The hardware technology I used were my computer, camera, and USB drive. All of my film was taken on my canon camera and then stored in the memory card within it. After I finished all my filming I took out my memory card and placed it into a USB drive and then into the computer. By having the USB that can hold memory cards I was able to then upload all my videos to later edit. As I did all my editing on my computer this was also an example of integrated technology. Additionally, as I begin editing this is when the software was used. The software I used for editing my music video was Clip Champ. On this software, I was able to do all my transitions, changes of lighting, and rotation effects. This is where I was really able to transform my video and make my idea and storyboard come to life. Moreover, one of the most important aspects of the music video was the actual music. For this, I was able to download the song and then with the photos app on my computer I was able to add it to the video. Lastly, when I finished my editing, in order to publish my video I uploaded it to the software app known as YouTube. This then allowed people to watch my music video who had the link, as well as send the file to others. By integrating both hardware and software techniques I was able to successfully and timely create my music video.