In this preliminary task, my role was the Director of the music video. It was my role to instruct the cameramen and the actors as to what I wanted them to do and what I wanted to see out of the music video. We were limited on the amount of footage we had and the quality of the footage, as there was an issue with some of the footage getting deleted, and people who didn't have experience in filming not getting the shots we wanted as they found it a challenge to get a steady shot. We as a group kept trying to get a steady shot, however some of the footage we shot got deleted. We got all of our shots in a handheld way, without anything to steady the camera, which is the reason why some of the footage is very shaky. Because some of us were inexperienced with the settings on the camera such as the f stop, ISO and shutter speed, we decided not to play around with the settings as we knew we were working to a tight time schedule, if we had more time however, we would have experimented more with the different settings. Some of the issues we came across were not having a set storyboard for our music video, again due to limited timing, however we did decide some specific shots we wanted to see in the video, and we achieved some of these in our video. Another issue we came across was the inexperience in getting a steady shot while filming a person walking towards the camera, as the cameraman and the actor were moving at different speeds, therefore it was a struggle to get a steady and consistent shot. As well as this, some of the locations we used were in partially private places, eg the shopping centre, therefore a lot of people were walking around and entering shots when we were filming which caused some disruption to production. on the other hand, because we got several shots of the same scene, during the editing stage I had a choice on what piece of footage I wanted to use for each shot. To improve my ability to create the video, I need to practice using the different camera settings and familiarise myself with them so that the editing process can be made easier. As well as this, I plan on storyboarding the music video so that I know exactly every shot I want so that it helps with the time management of the entire shoot. Finally, I will practice my filming techniques in using the camera in a handheld format to avoid blurry and shaky footage. The editing stage in the preliminary task has helped me to develop a lot of skills in being able to edit footage, and I will bring all of these skills with me into making my music video.
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From 1.37, my music video sound has been cut as copyright was detected, as seen in the photo below
Male primary character - from a male perspective - targets fans of 'American Pie' as it features two cast members from the movie.
He wants to get the girl.
The only obstacle is another boy standing in his way.
Female secondary character.
Sports referenced a lot.
Male dominance battle.
sung from male perspective
Boisterous behaviour.
Male violence.
Ethnicity
Mainly white.
Alternative rock - typically white people.
Age
High school.
Prom.
PE Lessons.
Lunch break on trays.
Teen crushes.
Features the typically labelled people eg 'Jocks' and 'Geeks'.
headbanging going on behind the band.
Basketball court.
Teen related lyrics.
Childish humour.
Anarchic rock bands.
Tracksuits featured a lot.
Region
American suburbs .
American Pie - inter textual link.
American rock sound.
American sports Jerseys.
'Jocks' and 'geeks' - American labels.
Socio-economic
Popular kids have a car.
Less popular kids don't, they walk or get the bus.
low class E - C1 - strugglers.
Popular kids in the expensive clothing.
Baggy clothing.
Sports Jerseys.
Cheap clothing.
Blumer and Katz - Uses and Gratification theory
Evaluation of the music video
This music video targets the male audience by having the male character play the primary character, while the female plays the secondary character. The music video comes from a male perspective, and targets fans of the movie 'American Pie' (which is an intertextual link) as it features two cast members from the movie, and this mainly appeals to male audiences. The narrative is boy wants girl but the only obstable in his way in another boy. This showcases a male dominance battle over a girl. We see limited male violence and bullying towards the boy labelled a 'loser'. We see one of the main locations is a sports gym/court, which is stereotypically linked to males, therefore appealing to the male audience.
This music video predominantly shows white characters as the protagonist and antagonist, with little reference made to any other ethnicity. As well as this, This music is stereotypically linked to white audiences, therefore may not appeal to an audience of another ethnicity.
The age group this is targeting is clearly the youth (16-25 year olds), as well see High school and Prom featured in the music video. It is clearly an educational setting with the PE lessons and gym being seen, the use of lunch trays which are commonly associated with school cafeterias, as well as the basketball courts being seen in a school associated setting. As well as this, we see the teenage labels being used 'Jock' and 'Geek' which are associated with the youth groups, the idea of teen crushes itself are a symptom of being a teen. we also see the childish humour and bullying situations play out on screen before us which adults may remeber, but teenagers can understand as they may be currently experiencing. The idea of an anarchic band is directly linked to the youth group and therefore appeals to them.
The setting of the music video is clearly in America, most likey the suburbs, which is how it appeals to the American region. Again, there is the use of cast members from the movie 'American Pie' which links to the region being targeted, as it emphasises the American target audience. The rock sound used is clearly linked to the American region,as the teen rock sound has its own identity, which we as an audience can hear in the video. We see the use of American football Jersey's, another identity feature of the music video. Finally the use of the labels 'Jock' and 'Geek' are very americanised terms, identifiably of American origin, therefore helps identify the targeted region.
The socio-economic targeted group is the lower class (E-C1) as students do not have a steady income, are more likely to rely on the mum and dad, and therefore are of a lower socio-economic background. We can see how the popular kids may have expensive cars, whereas the less popular kids have to walk or get public transport. This is where the E-C1 range came from, as the popular kids are slightly richer, wehreas the others are not. We do see a lot of cheap clothing being used, linkin got the socio-economic groups of the people we see. Again the rich kids are seen in the more expensive brands, with the less popular kids in tracksuits or band merch shirts.
Blumer & Katz Uses and Gratification theory highlights that the Wheatus teenage Dirtbag music video has been made to offer the audience a form of pleasure, in how audiences are able to identify with a character, and are able to find relatable themes within the music video. For the target age group which is teenagers possibly 16-25, we can see the typical high school setting, and the 'Jock' vs 'Geek' scenario that goes on typically in an American school setting in media portrayals. There is also the relatability with younger audiences in the reference to having a 'high school crush', as these feelings are a common part of growing up when you are a teenager, and the importance of this in the narrative is what makes it relatable.
In the Young and Rubicam theory,this music video targets 'The Struggler' audience group, in how the youth are not organised, they are in education, not earning a proper living and do not have work experience or the same work ethic as their parents. They have no real responsibilities, therefore take rather than giving back. As seen at the very beginning of this music video, a teenage boy is seen spread across a staircase with cups all around him, implying that he has been at a party and has been drinking. Due this this music video being in the Personal relationship category under Blumer and Katz, the audience would be of a similar nature and therefore are also strugglers themselves. On the other hand, we also see the 'Jocks' as 'The Aspirers' in this music video, as their status is only created by the people wo fear them or adore them and therefore put them there. Although they are of high status, they rely on everyone else to maintain their positions. Everyone else seen in the music video who isn't either a 'Struggler' or 'Aspirer' is in the category of the 'Mainstream', as they live in the everyday, with routines that don't change, they go to school, go home, go to school, go home, etc. Their day to day is a constant and doesn't change. The repetition of their daily routine is their security and this is how they fit into this category.
This music video's demographic Gender
Male and female. Equal representation of different genders, and different sexualities. The lead singer is male however, and we see the males acting the most violent. Rock fans - appeals to both genders, not the stereotypical rock fan.
I want to bring the equal represnetation fo both genders into my own video, the only limitation is that I may not be able to find two same sex people to play a couple.
Ethnicity
Equal representation of all ethnicities. We see interracial couples, which counters the less accepting behaviours. This has been done to support the changing world, and couples who once may have been under scrutiny.
We see the people who are the violent youth being while males.
I may however be limited to only using two white lead characters. Age
Singing about 'The underrated youth'.
Youth gangs
Gang violence in youth.
Youth gun problem.
Youth standing up against the violent stereotypes of their age group.
Teen romance.
Yotuh protest and standing up against the state.
Older youth audience due to the violence.
The innocent youth vs the violent minority youth.
Gun violence is not a problem I want to reflect in my video, however the division and standing out is something I want to incorporate into my video.
Region
Britain with the extreme levels of youth violence and murders happening currently.
Setting looks like a dystopian setting.
Filth and destruction everywhere, therefore is set in the future.
I want my setting to be Urban vs Rural, but dystopian in how techonology is wiped out and is reflective of the 80s. Socio-economic
Lower class
Group E1 - down
Unemployed
Plain and basic clothing
Working class
Students
Blumer and Katz Uses and Gratification theory.
This video has been used for Surveillance, to make people thing about the gun voiolence currently going on, especially in America, as well as the youth violence going on in the UK. This is therefore challenging the youth from both countries to investigate this further, and challenge the state. Currently, we see the youth being the biggest group to protest and challenge the state, again reinforcing the idea that the youth must keep fighting. We see this in the video, which may persuade the audience to stand up themselves.
Young and Rubicam
We see the people present int he video as 'The strugglers'. They are the ones who are the outcasts and are different from the standardised 'average' person in society. These people are the ones who are having to fight because they are different, and they are therefore appealing to the audienc emembers who identify in this category also. Becuase they come under scrutiny everyday, their routine will never stay the same as they have a different battle with every changing day, which we see in this video. We see Yungblud as being the leader and 'The reformer', as well as 'The Aspirer' as he is the one who is trying to fight against the physical and gun violence, as he sees the outside perception of this group, and he doesn't want people to kill them for it. Ultimately, we see him as the one who wants to save the youth, and preserve the innocence that is already there, not eliminate it. We see the dissrupter wants to stop him from doing this and ultimately his old fashion and fixed ways are what lead to the deaths of the innocent youth.
Gender
Male and female focussed. However the narrative of the video will appeal to the female audience more as it is about love. Ethnicity
White and black, however the music video will feature two white lead characters. I will still make this appeal to both ethnicities. Age
16-25
Fun loving
Vibrant colouring
Trendy locations
Glamour of London
80s nostalgia
Teen love
May make an older audience feel younger Region
South East, and the rest of the UK (urban vs rural)
Feature urban and rural settings (Parks vs London) Socio-economic
Low income
E group down
Non-branded clothing
No technology/little technology featured
Natural settings eg Streets, parks (not expensive)
