Pitch Focus group & Feedback Evaluation

This is the feedback i received from pitching my idea towards my focus group: 

By gathering a focus group i had understood my strong points in my idea and what i can improve on to my idea, this is beneficial because now i can tweak my idea to a more or less ideal version according to the focus group.

The focus group did say a lot of positive things of the idea. One of them being, " i like how it was just upbeat, vibrant and just lively". This was one thing i took into consideration whilst choosing a song, as i knew it would be better to do in a video rather than do the ordinary sad love song which will have no originality to the video. Where as with this song choice i believe that i can experiment with the video and have a lot of ideas on what to do rather than go down the same route like most of the other music video styles.

Another positive i received was, the fact that my target audience was different and sort of a niche target audience was said to be a positive. I also believe that it can be a good thing because then it will be a different sort of video again like i touched on before , however i also think it may welcome critics as not many people may understand the lyrics or even the concept of the video because it is such a niche audience.

A counter feedback i received from the comment on how the target audience was different, was that the target audience is not only male dominated that it can be for females. The idea put through was that it can be a song to dance to and even when women are in gym they can also listen to. This was a great idea put forward which made me realize again that there isn't just one idea i can experiment with the music video for this song i can add so many aspects to the style of the video.

Another idea put forward which had grabbed my attention was that the focus group suggested i could have women in the gym, and that because i mentioned i will be doing a parody style i could even have the women being stronger than the men in the video. This is a front runner in terms of my parody idea's because not only does it establish the parody idea and the comedy but it also shows my target audience can vary from men and women. 

The final suggestion from my focus group which is based on the parody aspect of my video, was that i can bring surrealism and bring in very random stuff to make it funny. This just denotes how versatile the style of my video can turn out to be, as i did mention that i would like to make it funny and i will be experimenting so the word "random" used is very helpful as it does give me reassurance some of my current ideas will actually work.

Overall i am pleased with the information gathered from my focus group and pleased that some of my ideas were approved of also for some of my ideas i have been told how i can improve them. I believe they had pointed out many good points which i will look back and try to embed into my ideas. They also gave me a variety of ideas to choose from which i can look back on if i am stuck on finding ideas, most of the ideas will definitely be under consideration because they were all very good and related well to my idea. 

Beachcombing

In this song the two rappers Frisco and Chipmunk both are set out to perform the song for the camera. This is obviously the Performance style video, which is an aspect which i would like to embed into my video myself. Throughout the video they perform the lyrics in the right manner and the right body language is used. I use this video as an example because of the fact that the two performers express the lyrics properly and it links back to the song, i aim to use my performance aspect like in this video because then people will get the right feel to the song like they did with Chipmunk's which is off a slight inspirational feel to it. Again this is another reason why i have used this as an example i would like to emulate the style because it is an inspirational song, and my song choice is also meant to be inspirational. However this song can be seen as a bit depressing and my song choice is off the opposite and is a high tempo video. One another aspect to this video that i admire is that everything is shown how it is, this video is shot in the urban areas of East London and the gritty background and unvarnished scenes of the gangs are reality.

This video shows a story-line throughout the whole of the video. Therefore it does have some aspects of a narrative style towards it, however the style is not the only thing which has impressed me but the message through the song and the outcome in the final scenes in the video is very inspirational and this video in fact inspires me when doing my own music video. The narrative style is very impressive as there is a development within the story and its as if you are going through the experience with the character in the video. To an extent this is very emotional also which is one aspect i do not want to add to my music video however the whole concept of the inspiration and the narrative video is very eye catching and i wish to add these aspects towards my video.

This is a performance based style video made by Drake and Trey songz, again like the other videos this is a music video which is based on the lyrics of the song and the meaning towards it. Therefore the whole message of wanting to be successful is being portrayed by the two performers, there is nice cars and nice houses shown as inspiration to get these objects in life. The genre of this song is completely different to my song choice, however the concept of wanting to be inspirational and feeding out the lyrics by making a relevant video is one thing which i admire from this Music video and i will use these characteristics of the video when i am making my video to help me. But i will portray it in a more upbeat manner as this is very calm and relaxing, even though the approach to the video swill be drastically apart the same concept should remain as this portrays inspiration very well.

This song is of the performed style video. Out of all the videos which have inspired me lyrically this has to be the best. However this will not help me when doing my own music video, but what will is the fact that the video is even more motivating and links with the lyrics very well to ensure that everyone watching will understand this is a motivational song. My song choice is also a motivational type of song, and i will look to emulate the good body language used in the performance to suggest the enthusiasm because that's what makes this video look that much motivating and inspirational. Overall i believe the style of the video the narrative and performance aspects to it are nurtured very well and are very relevant to the song which leads me to think this is a perfect example of how my video should feel like.

My pitch for my Music Video

Here is the video of myself making a pitch for my music video idea, i put through my ideas and the background information of the song itself. The song is Pure Music Generals- Gym Anthem. I also said all the type of people who will be listening to this type of music, as well as the type of the people who will be in the video themselves.

Analysis of Music Lyrics

Pure Music Generals - Gym Anthem

INTRO:

Get ready for the work out keep it up now!
1 plate 2 plate 3 plate 4 next day you wake up body all sore
see us man we like going to the gym
when we enter its a hype ting
before I train I skip down on the drink
after that man cant even think
winter season gotta get that bulk
be banging every weight tryna look like hulk
summer times coming so I wanna lean up
I clean up, do it all year round
people say that were nuts
on dis ting from nemo and n bucks
pick it up with the left, right duck & hook
you don't get the punch lines slicker than your hooks
you know I be eating right rest all night wake up at daylight

CHORUS:
'Don't be lazy go to the gym
get yourself down and start pumping
it's easy a one hour thing
all year round keep your body moving!'

"VERSE 2"
Yeah go to the gym burn them calories gotta look slim
I'm on a running ting
gotta look trimmed
full body workout go for a swim
yeah but you gotta eat properly
Tuna pasta, chicken for the protein
keep up the cardio keep the routine
train really hard till you fall to your knees
summer times coming and you wanna look lean
pull out the six pack you know what I mean
drink bare water keeps the skin clean
PMG, what, repping the team
pop of the base if you wanna get hench
work on your chest and do the flat bench
don't forget legs, back and your bi's
shoulders abs and work on your tris

Target Audience

Age: 16+- It is only legal to have a gym membership at that age, as well sensible to start weightlifting after your last growths spurts. Therefore I say 18+ is the realistic target market for this sort type of song.

Gender: Mostly male. I believe that the type of lyrics and the heavy weightlifting suggestions seem to rough for a girl to be listening to however it is not ruled out as some women do workout at a very high intensity etc. But this song is mostly based at Male viewers because of the lyrics and the masculinity to the song beat as well as lyrics. 

Interests and Characteristics : Gym, Grime/Rap music, Sport, Motivational and Inspirational music. If they are of an Asian-Desi background then they will be able to relate to the appearance of the members of the group, as well as if they are British then the lyrics will come easier to understand and they can relate to them.

Analyzing  some of the song's lyrics (highlighted on script):

Intro: 

The song lyrics in the first verse of the song establishes the type of song and the genre of the whole song. First of all they established that this is a motivating track, meaning one of their goal was in fact for people to use this song at the gym. One of the main features of the song is about the weightlifting. There are many lyrics even in the first verse to establish that fact that their song is for people who are familiar with the gym terms. Most of the highlighted lines show exactly this, the keywords from them are; "Plates" "drink". One other feature of this song which highlights the target market of Males is the lyric " Winter Season gotta get that Bulk". This lyric is what many bodybuilders and people who go use the gym often tend to during the winter.

Finally there is aspects of Grime and UK urban rap in this first verse also. Lyrics such as, " when we enter its a hype ting" " on this ting from nemo and n bucks". These words are all typically used in the urban background of the UK, in other word "slang".

Chorus: 

In the intro the first few lyrics were to establish that this song was in fact to motivate some people as a gym tune. The chorus emphasizes on this as most of the lyrics are motivating words and almost set out as instructions and with a demanding tune. Another good thing about the chorus is that it is very catchy and the melody is perfect for something to be listening to whilst a workout as it is loud and simple.

Last Verse: 

Again on the last rapping verse, the song is almost repetitive on the message they are sending to the listeners. The first lyric is demanding and is in the motivating tone, " yeah go to the gym burn them calories gotta look slim", this again is what the listeners will like to listen to whilst working out because it will set their right mind frame. However in the last verse the lyric does tend to vary, for example the song is giving out tips on how to workout and exactly how to keep a diet. This is a great for the audience as they will not only be motivated but in fact now know how to stay intact with working out. And finally the lyric "PMG , what, were repping the team", this lyric is advertisement on PMG the group and makes the audience feel as if they are "repping" the team with them. 

Summary:

The music summary: 

Throughout the song it is obvious that this song is for the people who are active and go to the gym. The song itself is a very catchy song, as well as being motivating and overall the target market of being a song to use at the gym is very successful as i believe it is good enough to ironically be a "Gym Anthem".

The song Tempo:

Again it is very catchy and always hyper, which is very effective as it is for the people who are in fact hyper and active at the gym. The sudden song pauses is not very long and the tempo is always very fast which makes it beneficial for the people working out with this on as their productivity at the gym will most likely increase.

Ideas taken from this

This song is very versatile in terms of what type of video i can make from it. But my ideas on how to use this song will be of a performance and parody sub genre. I can use the performance aspect with the people working out lip syncing the lyrics and the parody part by doing to the opposite to the meaning and showing a character who is the opposite of this songs target market. Such as a very skinny character or an overweight person.

Blog reflection week 2

What have you learnt from the video remake?

The video remake of the Thrift Shop has taught me a lot and even improved ideas for my music video.
I had done the Performance part of the mash up. However although I only focused on this the other work done by people on the mash up has given me a better insight on all the different types of music videos. Therefore I believe that now my knowledge is more in depth I can use this for my music video ideas because I can map out what goes with the specific video and recognise what type of video will suit my music video.
As well as the Mash-up video developing my planning skills it has also helped me technically better with the camera, as I was experimenting with many shots. And of course the camera work needs to suit the style of video, which made us be more sensible and think through camera angles and shot types a lot more.
Overall I believe that this experience has prepared me well for my music video task ahead of me, it has made me more innovative with my ideas and planning. It has also made me very wary of what I shoot, as well developing my camera skills.

Music Lyrics

Pure Music Generals - Gym Anthem
INTRO:
Get ready for the work out keep it up now!
1 plate 2 plate 3 plate 4 next day you wake up body all sore
see us man we like going to the gym
when we enter its a hype ting
before I train I skip down on the drink
after that man cant even think
winter season gotta get that bulk
be banging every weight tryna look like hulk
summer times coming so I wanna lean up
I clean up, do it all year round
people say that were nuts
on dis ting from nemo and n bucks
pick it up with the left, right duck & hook
you don't get the punch lines slicker than your hooks
you know I be eating right rest all night wake up at daylight

CHORUS (X2)
'Don't be lazy go to the gym
get yourself down and start pumping
it's easy a one hour thing
all year round keep your body moving!'
Yeah go to the gym burn them calories gotta look slim
I'm on a running ting
gotta look trimmed
full body workout go for a swim
yeah but you gotta eat properly
Tuna pasta, chicken for the protein
keep up the cardio keep the routine
train really hard till you fall to your knees
summer times coming and you wanna look lean
pull out the six pack you know what I mean
drink bare water keeps the skin clean
PMG, what, repping the team
pop of the base if you wanna get hench
work on your chest and do the flat bench
don't forget legs, back and your bi's
shoulders abs and work on your tris

CHORUS( X3)
'Don't be lazy go to the gym
get yourself down and start pumping
it's easy a one hour thing
all year round keep your body moving!'

Verse ( x4)
Lets go
Lets go
Lets go
keep it up now
keep it up now
keep your body moving

CHORUS (X3)
'Don't be lazy go to the gym
get yourself down and start pumping
it's easy a one hour thing
all year round keep your body moving!'

Blog Reflection Week 1

What are your initial ideas for advanced portfolio?

The whole prospect of the advanced portfolio is very intriguing and I wish to approach it energetically. At the end of the year I wish to look back and see that my work for the advanced portfolio was consistent and at my 100 per cent effort at every possible assessment.

 

Who would you like to work with ?

I do not have an outstanding candidate on who I would like to work with, as I believe a friendly and hard working person would do the job as long as there is chemistry between the two of us. However I believe if I were to work with Satveer Degun it would be a very efficient partnership. I get along with him on a personal level and I would enjoy working with him for my advanced portfolio and believe we could achieve very high grades.

 

What are your hope and fears about the project ?

I have a big fear of people knowing the song for the video and will judge my perception of the video as way too similar and have no originality. However on the other side I have some high hopes that my song will be enjoyable and my video will link well to the song and be enjoyable as well.

Permission to use choice of song

Song Choice

 

PMG(Pure Music Generals) - Gym anthem

 

 

 

 

Genre

"Genre as a system"- Neale
Neale a theorist described his theory as; A system of orientations, expectations and conventions which circulate between "industry, text, subject". Basically summing up his theory meaning he believed we had set expectations on what a genre would perform.

A great example of  Neal's work being put into place is via the Notorious music video. In the 1990's hit rapper's video there are many acts which we generally tend to associate with a rapping video. For example, there is a lot on show. Meaning there are the flashy cars, the champagne, the very fashionable clothing of the trend at the time. These are all just characteristics in which we all tend to associate with a rap video. Therefore this video is a prime example of Neale's theory, as everything expected of a rapper was embedded in the video.

Repetition and difference
Repetition is used in many music videos. In fact to a point where a viewer can even become bored or dissatisfied of how much it has been used. For example a repetition would be how many boy bands are in a beach and running having fun, or when the man is chasing the girl throughout the whole music video. However difference is when the viewers so sure that it would be the way they thought the video will turn out to be however it is a total misconception. An example of this would be the ending scene oif Carly Rae jepsons call me maybe.

Also a great example of how difference is portrayed as if a mockery is of the repetition videos, is blink 182s music video. Where everything is almost the opposite of how a classic boy band will make their video. For example a lot of exaggeration was used on the very ironical "small things" you could say which is the title in fact; such as the boys running on the beach however naked. One other small mockery was on the women and men rolling over, in this video they had exaggerated. Viewers will most likely the effect of this rather than the repetition in some videos because it creates humor.

David Bordwell 

David Bordwell is a theorist who believes any theme can appear in any genre.  He also says that a genre can be subverted into another. For example you see this a lot within the hip hop songs, sometimes they have a rap theme with thugs and gangsters but chasing a girl which comes back to a hip hop song. A prime example of this would be of Jay-z ft bey once crazy in love. Where jay z portrays the rap scenery with big chains, and beyonce represents the r&b culture and hip hop with her deeply in love with the man.

AS Work Evaluation

Last year in my AS Media year, i had undergone a few projects. These projects consisted of making some Continuity videos as well as a British Social Realism opening sequence. As my skills developed from one project to another during the year, my creativity had improved along with time also. I believe my ideas for my continuity editing and British social realism opening sequence texts just show how much i have developed in terms of creativity. The first text was very simple, however the British Social Realism opening sequence was very in depth and there was a lot of script writing and we had to emphasise on how everything would look rather than just one aspect. This had improved my creativity, and helped me explore many ideas and ways of doing the work,
During my AS year projects, we used a variety of digital technology, for example the software on the apple mac's were needed to edit and even publish our work. These software were imovie, live type, also we used the you tube website to publish the work, therefore the on line aspect of technology was used a lot.
In order to create our British social Realism opening sequence we needed some innovative ideas, as well as people approving of the ideas we had. Therefore we decided to undergo a focus group for our research. We decided to use them as our research which helped us mould our idea into what we wanted our final product to look like. To make the focus group effective we had to video the whole session, which was then uploaded on you tube and filmed on Flip cameras.
Going back to the software we used for our work, we had to sacrifice a lot of time in order to edit our final work and we had to use this time to put in our post production process. We used a lot of Imovie, where we would cut the clips and frame them or even just make the continuity better. As we already did a continuity editing in the first part of our AS year, it was not difficult to embed the skills we learnt for the continuity editing into our final British social realism opening sequence.
We had studied many British social realism styles of work. For example we had watched and studied at least a foundation of 5 British social realism films. Our camera work was of a rough style like the films we studied which were very handheld and rough camera work. This was one element we learnt and used for our work, another element was the mise en scene we had used run down and un-varnished setting to emphasise the poverty and depressing feeling to British social realism films.