Friday, 16 December 2016

Assignment 2: Music Video Pre-Production

TASK(s)

In a report, discuss the development of the project and present the research of the production. Production details are required involving the origination of ideas, project research and any production documentation. 

This assignment has been split into 3 separate TASKs and thus make it easier to section off.

In TASK 1 include the following:
  • The music track - how/why was it chosen?
  • Analysis of the music track and the performer's style.
  • Discussion of ideas for music video.
  • Initial creative concept.
In TASK 2 include the following:
  • Location details for shooting.
  • Discussion of possible copyright issues and waivers required for a potential public performance (if necessary). 
In TASK 3 include the following:
  • Plan and production - details required prior to full production.
  • Script/Lyrics.
  • Storyboard.
  • Shooting script (camera movements, takes, angles, continuity).
  • Selection of technical and performance crew, including team roles/responsibilities.
  • Location recess.
  • Risk assessments.
  • Permissions to film.
  • Clearances.
- Production details on origination of ideas, project research and production documentation required -

TASK 1 - Origination of Ideas


Production Team Name: Record Storm - 'Storming the Nation'.
Members: Rebecca Eastwood, Jodie Surtees, Annie Swanson, Mattie Orr and Matthew Tulip
Song: "It's Raining Men" - The Weather Girls
Lyrics: genius.com 

Our track was chosen as part of a classroom activity that involved brown envelopes being selected at random. The first try saw us get Slipknot's Duality, before settling for our final selection, The Weather Girls one hit wonder, It's Raining Men. Here are the lyrics to the song:

Hi - Hi! We're your Weather Girls - Ah-huh -
And have we got news for you - You better listen!
Get ready, all you lonely girls
And leave those umbrellas at home. - Alright! -
Humidity is rising - Barometer's getting low
According to all sources, the street's the place to go
Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half-past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men.
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!
I'm gonna go out to run and let myself get
Absolutely soaking wet!
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah!
It's Raining Men! Every Specimen!
Tall, blonde, dark and lean
Rough and tough and strong and mean
God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah!
It's Raining Men! Ame-nnnn!
I feel stormy weather / Moving in about to begin
Hear the thunder / Don't you lose your head
Rip off the roof and stay in bed
God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy
It's Raining Men! Yeah!
Humidity is rising - Barometer's getting low
According to all sources, the street's the place to go
Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half-past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men.
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men!


Imagery includes bright, vibrant colors which has connotations of womanhood and femininity, coming out in the night on the hunt for men. This is because the men in the video are shown to wear rather darker colors, as well as getting half-naked. The lyrics are rather easy to interpret, the narrative following how it is now raining men and how every woman can now find their perfect guy from an abundance of men. It tends to have a theme of a hunt; a hunt for men. 

Both performers (Paul Jabara, Paul Shaffer) are big women, making for minimum movement and instead sees both rely on their vocal power. Semiotics see symbols such as cardboard cut-outs of buildings and darkly lite lights, giving off a city street like feel, mixed with an allusion to imagery of "hooking up" on a night out. The duration of the video is at 4:54 and includes a rather moderate pace in the movements of both performers, with their image being maintained as the same throughout. 

Ideas for the music video and initial concepts include discussion about animation or a combination of live performances from various locations. Still, this is pre-production, and we are still undecided on what we will be following through on. Animation would be a tough task considering this is our first year doing BTEC Media, so a live shooting of a performance would perhaps be preferred. 

TASK 2 - Research of Project

As of now, location details have not been discussed as in-depth as we would have hoped. Considering this we fall back on initial ideas of potential animation or live performance; however, the location remains undecided. Still, the location is expected to be very local to the area i.e. Sunderland.

Possible copyright issues could include getting a permit in order to gain permission in order to shoot in the desired location, should it be necessary. Public performances require consented clearance as well as safety risk assessments.

Research of the project itself has already been covered in Task 1; nevertheless, this section of the assignment intends to seek and secure potential filming locations where necessary. This would include scouting out and getting a slip of permission in order to film at a specific location. However, since we have settled for a lyric video, some of this paperwork will be ill-refute to the process of our music video production. 

TASK 3 - Plan for Production 

Upon further discussion with the production team, we have concluded that we will be opting for an animated music video, preferably a lyric version of the song. This is due to the limitations we have found when coming up with ideas for our track, as its simple narrative and interpretive style makes it far more difficult to pin down into a conclusive music video. However this does present other problems as well, as it limits the number of roles among the production team. There are five members of our team, if we do conclude that we will go through with an animated lyric video, then certain roles will be rendered unnecessary i.e. cameraman, director etc.

The following are the production team's roles:
  1. Administrator - Matthew Tulip: ensure everyone else is following through on their roles and contributing to the team, as well as keep everything documented and up to date.
  2. Editor - Jodie Surtees: while we shall all be participating in editing, Jodie will oversee the majority and supervise the technical side of things. 
  3. Paperwork Supervisor - Annie Swanson: responsible for filling out the risk and safety assessments, as well as location recess and permission slips, including other necessary paperwork.
  4. Scriptwriter - Rebecca Eastwood: responsible for the scriptwriting and assessing of the lyrics, as well as their interpretation into video. 
  5. Story-boarder - Mattie Orr: storyboard designer for the initial concept of our music video. 
All members will be participating in editing of the music video itself.

Both Rebecca (Scriptwriter) and Mattie (Story-boarder) will be colluding with one another on their individual tasks in an effort to create a formula that will befit the narrative we wish to form for our final product. Although the team will, of course, come together to work on every aspect of our project, there will come times where each and everyone of us will have to work individually and independently in order to gain a credit of contribution. Meanwhile, Annie and Jodie have sorted through and completed the necessary paperwork i.e. recess, permission forms, location bill etc. So far the team is sorting through their own individual pieces of work and thus it has been (so far) unnecessary for the crew as a whole to collaborate. (08/12/16)

A majority of the team tasks have been accomplished. Now all that remains is that each individual complete tasks 1 to 3 and print off their material, in order to be compiled together within a music video production team folder. As for me, I will be continuing to update the progress until all work is complete and all materials printed. Task 3 has befallen to me in order to help operate and administer the planning and pre-production for our music video; however, this has been with the additional help of all team members. As of now we have successfully printed off all materials and are ready to file and collect our materials for submission. (15/12/16)

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