Set Build and Lighting Design

A set design and lighting plan is a very necessary part of a pop video for obvious reasons. Khuleshov states that 70% of meaning is in the visual, only 30% is portrayed through sound. The set and lighting creates the whole meaning of a video, it gives the first hint as to what the band is trying to portray and what the style of music is. However, it can subvert stereotypes of what the audience is expecting. For our new band trying to break into the music world we will need to pay a huge amount of attention to our set build and lighting design as it will be the first thing the audience see of our band. It will also be the audiences first impression of our band and first impressions count hugely in the music industry, especially when it is a new band that will be trying to achieve a larger share of the market they operate in.

Once we had drawn up the set and lighting design plans we had to present them to our technician (Dan) so he could get a feel as to what we are trying to portray. We also played him our song he could understand the stance we were trying and the genre of music which we were operating. We spoke as a group on how we wanted the set to be built and the kind of lighting we wanted, E.G. low key, high key.

When we showed Dan our set design plan we talked through each option, he had a catalogue of studio design options. We chose out each piece of design that we would want in the studio to make it look authentic. He then told us that a couple of months each year he worked at an opera house which was attached to a very grand but dilapidated house. This is exactly the type of location we were trying to create in the studio. The house is called The Grange and is located just outside Winchester, although this will be quite a long way to get or band and all their instruments we are prepared to make the journey in order to get a really authentic looking location. However, we are unable to visit the location before to work out very detailed lighting plans and storyboards. Although, another member of the group and I are visiting the location as part of the crew on another pop video shoot so we will try and look at what we think we can do in the space. We will think about specific areas in which we think will look effective to shoot in, as well as location of lights and possible gels we want on our lighting.

When we showed him our lighting plan he agreed that the lighting should be fairly low key to reflect the mood in the song. We also suggested the possible use of some gels on the lighting to create a sort of "yellowy" tint to the image. He did say this could be done in AfterEffects however, we did not want this tint to go over the whole image, just the people in the image. We decided that the way to get this yellow tint would be to mix several filters in order to get a feeling of depth as well.

This is an example of the colour tint we would like on our image.

Problems We Encountered

Inevitably, a film crew will always encounter several issues when planning any media product. These can have devastating effects for a film crew on a music video, especially if they have the whole crew when each day of shooting costs around £1 million. This means each day of the shoot must be planned with military precision.

We are no exception to this rule, we have needed to plan our shoot day (22nd November) in a lot of detail. However, we have encountered several issues. These are listed below:

• A possible treatment for the video


• Band responsiveness to correspondence


• The location for the video


• Storyboarding for the video

The first issue, the treatment for the video is a very big issue. Initially we were very stuck as to how to treat the video, what we should do with it and how many aspects it should contain. After much deliberation we decided we should have a very strong performance element due to the nature of the song. After deciding this we contacted the band and asked for any input they may have on a treatment for our video. We also asked them if they had any input on the location of the video, they sent us several images and gave us some clues as to what they would like (black and white with a red aspect) and what they wouldn't like (a pub based video). They also sent us several images which inspired them and which they liked the look of for their digipak cover. This helped us massively as we now had more of a guide as to what they wanted in the video and what they felt the video represented. After getting some feedback from the band we finally agreed that the video suited a strong performance element in the video and maybe a small narrative element which they suggested could be drinking or doing something mischievous to go with the lyrics in the song.

The other issue we found was the location. We had tried several locations and they all had restricting factors which meant we could not use them. Such as, other events taking place on our shooting date, meaning they were unavailable. Another issue we found was the large sum some locations were asking for in order to use their locations just for several hours, these sums went up to £2000 for 5 hours. This was simply not feasible as we could not get this amount of money together in such a short space of time. We also found that some of the locations were not willing to allow us to use their location due to our ages and the product we were producing, this was mostly big locations which worked primarily with film not pop videos.
Kings Theatre, Portsmouth

Barn Theatre, Oxted

Wilton's Music Hall, London

Due to our late decision of locations and treatment this meant we had issues in the storyboarding process as we did not know what to draw for the illustration of the storyboard. In such a lengthy process we didn't want to storyboard the wrong thing and have to re-do it all including new illustrations. However, to meet deadlines we did storyboard for the first location. This was necessary to get other stages of pre-production prepared for the shoot day which was quickly approaching.

Our final issue was in the early stage of pre-production whilst we were trying to determine for definite what treatment we wanted to do. We were very keen to use a real band in order to create some sense of realism in the video, so when the opportunity to use "The Toy Hearts" came around we grabbed it with both hands. However the band initially were quite slow and unresponsive when it came to us e-mailing them, this confused us greatly as we needed a band that would be very responsive and quick when it came to decisions and correspondences. We later learnt that the reason for this was they were abroad in America touring, we related our concerns to them and they assured us that they were fully involved in the making of the video and they apologised for their initial lack of urgency in replying to e-mails.

New Location

Locations are an essential part of any music video. They can hugely effect how the audience perceives a new music act. Especially if it is a new band trying to break into the music world.

We contacted many locations to ask if we were able to use them however, during this process we encountered many problems. One of the main problems we had was the date of our shoot, a lot of the locations that we contacted had events on the date we were filming. Another issue we encountered was the cost which they would need in order for us to secure the location, some of them asked for huge amounts of money in which we just couldn't afford. We also found that some locations were not willing to let us use the location due to our status as students rather than big production companies in which could promote them as a business.

Below is a list of locations we contacted, all of which turned our request down:

• Wilton's Music Hall, London




• The Barn Theatre, Oxted




• The King's Theatre, Southsea




• New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth




• Cranleigh Arts Centre, Cranleigh

Here is a copy of an email in which we wrote to The Barn Theatre, Oxted:

To Whom It May Concern,

I am a student from a sixth form college in Surrey and am studying Media A2 level. For our coursework in the A2 year we are required to shoot a pop video, for our video we are shooting a band called They Toy Hearts who are an up and coming band who have just got home from touring in America. I am working in a production team of four people in total. I have visited the Barn Theatre recently to watch The Happiest Days Of Your Life and really liked the look of the theatre and think it would look really good in our video. We would like to shoot the video on the 22nd November for a whole day. I would just like to know how much it would cost and what conditions you have. A quick response would be greatly appreciated so we can make alternative arrangements if necessary.

Thanks
Josh Gorman

Eventually, however we did gain access to a good location named Grange Park. We got access to this through our Lighting Director, he works for them several months of the year int he opera house section of the mansion. Grange Park is located just outside of Winchester in a rural area. It is a very old grand house with a very dilapidated interior, this is exactly the style of location we were looking for. The interior of the house is very dilapidated and contains many rooms all in different stages of restoration. The exterior of the house is very grandiose and very imposing and looks very typically English, which is exactly what we are going for. Luckily we will be able to visit the location on the 5th November as a crew on another music video. This will give us a chance to scope out exactly where we want to shoot and possible shots we can use. Unfortunately as we have only just decided the location we haven't had a chance to storyboard for it, however we will try and do this once we have visited the location on the 5th November.

Below are some pictures of the location, some of the exterior and some of the interior as well.

Here are some shots of the exterior of the house.

Set Design Plan

Set designs are essential for the set design director. This shows them what will be featured in the set, if the set is being built from scratch. It also shows what a location will have in it such as pictures and sofas. It sets out where the members of the band will be placed as well.

We drew the plan on a set design sheet, which featured the name of our group and the title of our song and the day of our shoot. When we drew the final set design we had to go into a huge amount of detail about the location of each item that would be on the set. We also had to be very precise about where band members would be placed and think about whether they would all be seen in a long shot in their positions. We also had to create a brief about what else may be included in the set and possible props we may need to supply which wouldn’t already be in the set. We also needed to state what kind of mood we wanted to create and what kind of feeling we wanted to be portrayed.

Unfortunately, because our locations kept changing due to accessibility and other external factors we did several set design plans. Each included a brief about the location characteristics and what mood we wanted to create. As well as a map of where each band member would be located in relation to the set. Here is an image of a real set design from a media product.

When we designed the studio set we had to think about camera angles as well to ensure we would have in frame what we wanted.Attatched is the set design for the studio aspect of our performance video.

Lighting Plan

A lighting plan is an essential document to the set design team. It shows the set designer what style of lighting the director or cinematographer is going for. It also shows the location of the lights on the set of the shoot, as well as the different types of lights such as Strobe or Redhead. A lighting design is essential for each location that the product will be shot on, for example for our shoot this could be the studio, and an external location such as a field.

Due to our location being changed so often this presented us with an issue as we didn't know whether to create a plan for each location we were thinking of or just do one once we had our final location.

The lighting will be either low key or high key. It may also have lots of different effect such as a red tint or silhouetted. In our video we wanted a low key lighting style, we also wanted a red tint to it. This means we will need tints on the redheads we use. For our video in the studio part of the video we are planning to use 3 redheads in the form of a flood, spot and fill. We also plan to silhouette the other 2 members of the band. We also placed spotlights on the female members of the band to illuminate their faces as they are more aesthetically pleasing and look attractive on screen. However, we are also placing a flood on the male member of the group as he has a very interesting face which would look very good on screen.

Attached is the lighting plan for our studio element of our pop video.

Storyboarding

Storyboards are vital. In the storyboards we worked out the types of shots we were going to use, camera angles, the colours and shapes, the mise en scene, the camera movements, the framing and the way we would edit. So in the storyboard we work everything out, we plan, we test, in the real world the storyboard artist costs a lot less per day than the £1 million plus that the movie would cost.

A professional music video would consist of around 90 shots all detailing in very intimate detail what happens in each shot.

So with our storyboard we are trying to visualize, to work out what is on screen. If it works we will then shoot it and then we will edit it together just like putting a puzzle together.

Unfortunately our plan kept changing from our timeline to our storyboard. This meant our storyboard kept changing right up to the day of filming.

The Storyboard is an extension of the timeline, it builds on what the timeline establishes in the way of images and lyrics. The storyboard includes far more information than the timeline does, it includes:

• A drawing of the image
• The timing of the shot
• The shot action
• The sound in the shot (the song lyrics)
• The style of lighting in the shot
• The edit transition to the next shot
• The shot number
• The shot location
  

In the creation of the storyboard we had to think much more in detail about shot timings. The timeline allows us to see what works and does not, whereas the storyboard allows us to look a lot more in depth into the timings of each shot and the movement in each shot and how it will edit into the next shot, after we have completed all the storyboard we will need to film it on a camera and edit it so the storyboard follows the form that the pop video will take. We will cut it on Final Cut Pro, this will enable us to see how it will look as a total product.

Unfortunately, we do not have animated storyboarding software at our school. This shortens the storyboarding process dramatically. This enables the user to type in what they want the character to be doing, the character then animatically acts out what it is instructed to do.

During one of the guitar breaks in our song we decided that this instrumental should feature a close up on the hands strumming the guitar to the music. This is to exaggerate that the band play their own music, organically rather than synthetically. It also connects the music to the instrument that is being played, this is an example of Khuleshov's theory.

Another shot we have used with the music is the shot where the male member of the band's foot is tapping along with the beat of the song. We used this shot to build momentum in the build up to the song, it helps to gain tension and keeps the audience far more captivated than a shot of one of the band member's faces would. It also adds an element of mystery to the video which is very appropriate for the video given that it is about how people have 9 lives.

Most of out shots will be straight intercuts. This is done for many reasons, one of which is the constant changing of the shot meaning that any other transition would look too "choppy" and may lead the audience to feel unsettled. Another reason for this is that the straight cuts may help to play with the quick speed of the song, rather than slowing it down through fussy editing transitions.

Unfortunately, due to the constant change in location of our second performance/narrative element we have not storyboarded for this aspect. We are also unable to storyboard accurately for this part as we have not visited the location, therefore do not know exactly what it is like. We are however visiting the location on the 5th November, which is 17 days before our shoot. When we visit there we will try and look around to see any scope for some good shots, I will also take my camera to show the rest of the group. We should hopefully be able to storyboard between the two dates of visit.

Timelining

Timelining is the act of placing words and images with timings in the song however, this is only a first try attempt as the storyboard will go further into it. The crucial thing with the timeline is to test out whether it works with the song. This helps the production group to adapt the timings in the song to the images, it uses the lyrics in the song as well as riffs in the song to divide up the song. This enables the production group to see what works and what does not work with the song lyrics and timings.

In our song there are around 7 guitar riffs, this called us a problem for several reasons. We knew we couldn't have extreme close ups for every guitar riff as this would leave the audience expecting what is coming next. It might also bore the audience because they have seen the shot several times so may get restless. This would mean we would have to choose different shots for each riff or vary the shots in order to keep the audience interested and on edge with our video. Due to us not wanting to bore the audience we had to vary the shots we used so we had extreme close ups mixed with long shots.

Another example would be that our group has two females that sing and are young and attractive. The third member of the group is a 50 year old man. So in our timeline we could plan to be more centred around the young and attractive girls than the older, male instrumentalist. But the man has a very interesting face visually which would work on screen, so we may end up shooting lots of close ups of him. I attach copies of my timeline.

Screen Test

When establishing whether to use people in music videos or any widely distributed media product you must carry out a screen test to ensure they look good and "work" behind the camera. This may sound silly but what can happen a lot is an actor wont work behind the camera, causing a huge amount and anxiety to the casting director.

When carrying out a screen test the casting director must think about many things. One of these things is accessibility, this may not be so essential for a big media product but for us is a key thing to think about. We will also need to think about whether the band would work well in an image that we would publish in our Digipak. We would also have to think about their personality and their amenability to being directed and whether they are accommodating enough to take instructions given by the director.

As we are using a real band who are based in Birmingham we felt there was no need to ask them to travel down for a screen test. Instead we looked on their website at their pictures, and some of their videos on http://www.youtube.com/. Whilst looking at these videos we looked at the comments on them, almost every comment was positive and some people had said they had seen them live and they had great stage presence. This gave us a good indication of their cohesiveness on stage. We needed to do this as the mixture of people and age groups could create a strange combination. When we did the camera test we noticed that the two female members of the band looked better on screen as they are more aesthetically pleasing and attractive, whereas the older male member of the band was less attractive. However, he did have a face which worked well behind the camera.But they did work very well on stage and all looked brilliant behind the camera.

Composition Rules

Camera Movement...

There are many different types of camera movement. The two most common camera movement shots are pan and tilt, these both involve the camera moving from a fixed position. A pan shot is commonly used to show a panorama, this is when the camera goes from left to right or right to left from a fixed axis to show the audience looking from one side to another. One of the earliest films to use this was The Great Train Robbery (1903),this used the pan shot to follow the bandits when they flee the train. A tilt shot is often used to display a big building or something of great magnitude. A tilt shot is when the camera looks up or down from a fixed axis to show the audience looking up and down.
In recent years tracking shots (or dolly shot) have started being integrated into film. This shot is when the camera is propelled along 2 cables on the floor, or even a track resembling that of a train. This basically makes the audience feel as if they are looking into the scene, it can also show what the audience might see if they were turning their head.

Editing...

Editing is another detail to consider with a lot of depth. There are many different style of editing which can be used in a piece of video, such as fast cutting or slow intercutting. There are also different ways of stylising editing to either conform or subvert the visual.
Balletic editing is a form of editing which uses a lot of basic conventions to create a stylised technique. Balletic editing often subverts the visual, for example could be used in a thriller or action film to make a fight scene even more uncomfortable. This technique is used in the fight scene in The Wild Bunch when the action takes place following the form of a circle. Each shot is designed so that the action takes place where the last piece of action finished; going on and on creates a circular shape. This unsettles the audience, as they are not expecting the action to follow a shape, especially a soft shape like a circle or an oval. This may be necessary in our pop video as we may want to unsettle the audience when a big narrative event is happening. A pop video director may use this technique if they are trying to make the audience feel unsettled.

To edit our pop video we will be using the editing software Final Cut Pro which is the same software that we used to edit our thriller. I am fairly competent with this editing software.

Shapes and Lines...

Shapes and lines are all read by the audience, whether or not the director thinks they are relevant. The audience is making assumptions about characters and atmosphere within seconds of the frame being shown. As Kuleshov states, 70% of the meaning is in the image so this is a key area to think about when composing a frame. Shapes and lines can be shown in the foreground of the background and the cameraman creates shapes in order to represent certain characters or atmospheres.
If a character is shown sitting to the left of the frame with a circular desk lamp on a table next to them this shows that they are on the “hero” side of the screen and the circle represents reliability. This type of shot can often be used in news interviews when portraying a reliable and slightly heroic politician. In contrast, if a character is shown to the right hand side of the screen and there is a circular desk lamp with a blind covering it this could mean very differently. This shot may show the subject as being slightly villainous and the circle covered by blinds can create an unreliable theme, as well as also being used to signify cell bars showing desperation and isolation.
Lines in the frame also have a huge effect on the audiences’ attitude to the scene. Horizontal lines tend to represent a restful, oppressive and calm scene; this ensures the audience feels some sort of stability. This could be used to settle the audience, possibly in a thriller so that a shocking event can happen which will unsettle the audience. Perpendicular lines express dignity and grandeur; this will lead the audience to feel some sort of insignificance comparatively. Diagonal lines express a sense of movement; this is often used in the climax to action to exaggerate the movement aspect. Curved lines in the background represent some sort of femininity or intimacy; this would ensure the audience feels some sort of coziness and may help the audience to form a bond with the character on screen, this might also help the audience to engage with an enigma on screen. Straight lines help to represent strength, sternness and formality; this creates a uniform in which the audience may feel settled in. Broken lines represent a huge amount about the image as well, they represent informality and disorderliness in the frame, this may prompt a feeling of craziness and unsettledness from the audience. Zig Zag lines can often be found in any frame either where drama is about to take place or just has taken place, they represent danger and hazard.
Another case of shapes and lines to consider is the x and y-axis. These are lines, which go horizontally and vertically through the screen. The x-axis goes vertically through the screen. The x-axis runs horizontally through the screen and controls what the character is perceived as. If they move from left to right the right this will put them in our eye’s comfortable direction of movement, this makes them seem more comfortable and heroic. Whereas if they move from right to left they will appear uncomfortable and unsettling because this is not the way our eyes are used to go. The y-axis moves vertically through the screen, a character’s position on this line can have a huge effect on what the audience perceives of them. If they ascent up the line this will suggest potential difficulty in the future. Whereas if they descend down the line, this suggests their path may be easier in the future. The z-axis is the third line that runs through the screen, however the z-axis line exists only in 3D image. If the character moves into the distance and gets smaller, this would suggest that they are becoming more insignificant. If the character disappears into blackness then this would suggest that in the future they may encounter some difficulty. If the audience comes closer to the camera this may signify that they become more significant to the audience. The direction they go into the distance can also effect what the audience thinks of them. If they disappear into blackness and go towards the right hand side of the screen then this may signify that they may move towards the uncomfortable side. Whereas if they disappear into blackness and move towards the right hand side of the screen they this may mean that they become comfortable in the audience’s mind. A director may use this rule of composition in a pop video at the end if they are trying to portray how the band will become in the future, whether they will move to the right side of the screen or the left and how along the y or z-axis they become. If they ascend up the y-axis this could signify their rise to fame in the future.

Lighting...

Lighting is a key area to observe when lighting a subject. This is because it can have a huge effect on what the audience reads of a subject. There are 2 main types of light, high or low key lighting. High key lighting consists of bright lights illuminating the subject fully. Whereas low key lighting tends to be a less harsh and softer light in which leaves more to the imagination.
A standard studio light set up consists of 3 lights. These are erected in set locations and then tweaked depending on how well they carry out their job to be more effective. The first light is placed just right of the camera, this is commonly called a spotlight or a flood. This is because it is used to flood the subject with light to bring out features. The “barn doors” on this light are opened fully so the light illuminates as much of the set as possible. The second light is placed just right of the spotlight, this is commonly called a fill light and is used to eliminate shadows that may be created by the spotlight. The barn doors on this light are closed to make the light directional and to ensure all possible shadows are eradicated. The third and final light is places at about 45 degrees to the subject, this is called a backlight. The backlight is used to create a 3D effect to the subject; this light can also be used to create a slight “halo” around the subject if placed further behind the subject. At school we have the choice of several redhead lights (400 watts) and several blonde lights (2 kilowatts). Lighting plans will be considered in a huge amount of detail when the director is designing the set for a music video as a light in the wrong location could have devastating effect on how the band are perceived by the audience. We will need to consider these lighting plans in our music video and will need to decide whether we want high or low key lighting, depending on how the image we are trying to portray of our band.

Colour...

Colour plays a huge role in film. It can be used to present a character and help to build their personality. It is usually divided into 3 key areas which all effect how the audience reads the image. The first area is foreground of the image, this means what the audience sees in the foreground colour scheme. This could be objects, such as table cloths or bed sheets which may be trying to portray a certain message about the scene. The second are the audience reads are the background colours; this could include the colour of the lighting or the colour of objects in the background. The third and final aspect of colour is wardrobe. This is a huge factor as it directly effects what we think of a character and our perception of them. Costumes can effect hugely what the audience takes from the frame. As far is costuming is concerned, different colours have a huge range of connotations. Each has their own personality characteristics, good qualities and bad qualities. For example: Black’s personality characteristics are feminine energy and mysteriousness, it’s positive qualities are good potential and powerful, it’s negative characteristics are possible identity crises and may hide from the world. Lighting is also a huge factor to consider, lighting is not simple tungsten of fluorescent. Lighting can have all sorts of different tints and effects, such as a soft lighting and a slightly red light. These different styles of lighting can create different atmospheres within a frame. An example of colour in the form of light is The Wild Bunch which uses a “Washed out” colour effect to create a colourless, bleak tint to the action. Sam Packinpah was very well known for using old school methods rather than using a Mattbox and a coloured filter. This effect may have been created through stretching a pair of tights over the lens to create a grainy, washout effect. Below is a list of colours and their connotations. We will need to look at these very closely when deciding what style of light we want (high or low key) and any possible tints we may want. As well as background and foreground colours and costuming.

Rule of Thirds...

The rule of thirds is one of the most established composition rules. It uses a very basic structure that divides the frame up into 9 boxes by placing 2 lines vertically through the frame, an equal distance apart. Then placing 2 lines horizontally across the frame an equal distance apart. Where these lines meet hotspots are created, hotspots are places in which the eyes hit as they scan the frame. The first and most important hotspot is created in the top left intersection of where the lines meet. This is where the eye first hits as it reads the image on the screen. The second hotspot is created in the top right of the frame, where the next two lines meet. The third hotspot is created in the bottom left corner of the screen, this is because the audience reads the screen like a book and goes from left to right then down a line. The fourth and final hotspot is created in the bottom right corner where the eyes hit next.
This divides the screen up into 9 boxes and 3 parts. All these hotspots have a different meaning and relevance, which the audience reads. As a general rule, the left half of the screen is comfortable space, which the audience reads as positive. In contrast to this, the right half of the screen is read as uncomfortable space, which is read as negative. This is because our eyes are used to going from left to right to read, whereas they are challenged when asked to read from right to left. We make assumptions on who is good or bad based on the side of the screen they enter from; we do all this subconsciously and base our opinions on this. This is why enemies or villains are often introduced from the right, as we read them as bad instantly and it conforms with what we are expecting. The same applies to hero’s or heroines, they usually enter from the left to conform with convention and audience expectations. There is an excellent example of this used in Strangers On A Train (1951) in the opening sequence when we are introduced to both the hero and the villain. This may be used in music videos when trying to introduce a hero or villain to the audience before the heroic (or villainous) action is about to take place.

Camera Position and Angle...

Camera position and angle is an essential area of composition. Camera position and angle can have a huge effect on the subject, it can put many different spins on their character and what the audience reads of their significance. There are 7 main aspects, which will need to be considered. The first is that an up-shot (looking up to somebody) will boost their importance and make them seem more imposing. When establishing a new band this may be useful in some instances when we are trying to make them seem slightly rebellious. However, if overused this may make them seem slightly arrogant and bolshie. The second aspect is the down-shot (looking down on the subject), this will make the subject seem very humble and will slightly belittle them. This shot may be good to film a new band, as it will make them seem humble as a new entry to the music world. The third aspect to consider is to do with lenses and how the lens is used to make them appear. A wide angle shot will make the subject seem insignificant, this may not be used in a pop video, unless this shot upholds the song meaning. The fourth aspect to camera position and angle is also to do with lenses, this is the long lens. If a long lens is used it will make people seem equal, this could be used in pop videos if the director wants to blend the band in with the public or make them seem insignificant against other objects/people. The fourth thing to consider is that the square, on shoulder shot makes people look quite uninteresting and unattractive as it exaggerates the nose and makes the face seem more 2D. This would rarely be a chose shot in music videos, unless the director is trying to present another person (not usually the band) as an uninteresting person. The sixth aspect to think about is the 32 degrees shot. This shot is very often used in interviewing and other very representative procedures so may be used in a music video if a new band is presented. The director may want a member of the band to seem interesting and slimmer so may use this shot. This shot is called is called the 32 degrees shot, this is because it is 32 degrees to the left or right. However, usually this is to the right (from the subject) as it puts them on the left hand side of the screen so they are in the “good half”. The final rule to consider is the “nose in the centre of the frame” rule. Generally, the subject’s nose should be in the centre of the frame. This will put the subject as the centre of interest and make them seem more important than the rest of the objects in the frame. This rule will need to be payed attention to in music videos, unless the director wants to look past the band and focus on something behind them. In which case they may put the nose to the side to get a good view of the other object.

Types of Shot Sizes...

To make a piece of film that complies with audience expectations certain composition rules must be followed. These are essential things to consider if the director wants the audience to feel comfortable whilst watching the piece. There are over 200 composition rules that in order to comply with directors follow conventions religiously during the creation of film. These composition rules can also help to add meaning to the piece, whether the audience realises this or not. This means that the audience reads it subliminally, and makes assumptions of what will happen without them knowing.

Different types of shot sizes
There are 6 main shot sizes. These are: Extreme close up, close up, medium shot, long shot, wide shot and very wide shot. These shots are all used in different areas to convey various meanings, they sometimes help to tell the story the director is trying to portray. Directors use these shots in order to sometimes pre-empt what will happen later on in the film. Certain types of shot are especially useful to help establish enigmas or to help comply with film era’s such as Film Noir. They can also help to form the audience’s idea of someone/something or show particular areas of a person or of the action. Extreme close ups show particular elements such as eyes in very close detail. Extreme close ups are often used to show emotion through the eyes, which are “the mirror of the soul”. Eyes are often where the most feeling is showed so extreme close ups tend to focus on this area. However, they can also focus on non-facial features, such as veins or hands. Close up shots show more of the image, for example a whole face rather than just a particular aspect. Close up shots are usually used to establish details or to establish a star. The establishing a star aspect will be essential for us to consider as we are producing our pop video, many pop video directors if they are trying to establish a new pop star use a lot of close up shots on their face so that the audience can engage with them and recognise them if they see them on a poster or digipack cover. The close up shot can also be used to capture emotion; it can capture emotion on the face particularly well as it shows the whole face not just a particular detail such as eyes or mouth. A medium shot would show for example the bust of a person. This shot is widely accepted as a “comfortable” shot as it isn’t too close up like the extreme close up and close up. It allows us to engage with the person as it shows more of them, but we can still see detail such as face shape and expression. Directors of pop videos may use this shot to encourage the audience to engage with the star as it shows more than a close up would. The third shot is the Long shot, which shows for example a whole body. It is often used in film to help establish action or atmosphere. This shot would be especially popular in an action film if there is a fight scene, this shot would help to establish what is happening. This shot can also be used to help the audience find out an actor’s costume and what props they have, helping us to engage with the star. This may be used in pop videos to ensure the audience engage with the star and see what the star is wearing so we can get an idea in our heads of them and their genre of music and fashion. A wide shot shows less detail than the long shot, it shows possibly 2 or more actors in a shot and some of their surroundings. A wide shot helps to put the subject into context. This is also sometimes called an establishing shot, as it establishes the subject’s surroundings and helps us to realise where they are. This could be used in a pop video in the narrative element to help the audience to discover where the action is taking place. The final shot is the very wide shot, this shot puts the subject in the far distance as just a small figure and shows a very large amount of space around the subject to help establish it’s surroundings. This shot can be used to show a landscape or possibly to put the subject into context. This shot can be used by directors in pop videos to establish the area; it can also be used to show an area of beauty.

Q) The structure of the music industry- and how my pop video fits in.

The music industry is a very complex and controversial topic at the moment. This is due to the recent economic climate and the development of technology incorporating new means of media such as Internet and Blu-Ray.

Music taste is a very contentious issue and is taken very seriously by many people. Many people compare this love of music and culture to a somewhat tribal culture, where any offence on music taste is taken as a personal insult. This dates back a very long time when there became the separation of skinheads and other social group. People believe that any insult on their music taste insults their dress sense, thoughts, beliefs and opinions. They may also take this so far as to say it is an insult on their family and their social class. Journalists and commentators believe that music is currently at the epicenter of popular culture. This means the new generation are growing up with music around them constantly; they are forever being bombarded by literature about new bands, concerts and new albums coming out.

Many artists however are just in the business to make money. There are still the small amount though that are focused on the art of the music and what they are producing rather than who and how many they are targeting. The mainstream more mass marketed music is normally synthetically made. This means they are put together for a purpose, to sell music; they are targeted to a mass audience to try and achieve the highest level of sales possible. A producer will have designed the band before meeting any of the potential members, then they will hold auditions knowing full well what they are looking for in the band. They will have criteria of what each member of the band must fulfill. This list of criteria will have been carefully designed to ensure the largest possible target audience is reached, it will ensure that each band member is single with no children, as well as being attractive and having a quirky character about them. If any of these criteria are absent then the band member will either be discarded or they will be forced to change themselves so that they will fit the criteria. An example of a synthetic band would be The Spice Girls, they all had their own characters (scary, sporty, baby,posh,ginger), this ensures the largest possible audience can relate to them. A synthetic band will often have synergistic connections in which almost every aspect of the production process will be free as the production studio own TV channels and magazines as well, this creates a mutual reliance. A famous example of synergistic connection is Murdoch’s Newscorp. The second type of band is an organic band. This means they are not put together and have entered the industry simply to share the music they make with millions, not to make money or gain awards. Most organic bands have been playing together for a long time and therefore have natural chemistry between them. The record producers won’t have criteria for them to fulfill and often are all quite similar due to them coming from similar backgrounds. The most famous example of an organic band is The Beatles who started performing together in 1960 and made music together up until the 1970s. The Beatles are prime examples of an organic band achieving far higher accolades than more recent synthetic bands have. The Beatles were very astute in that they achieved a dynamic tension between their production and their creative forces. This “dynamic tension” is what many organically made bands are trying to achieve, to synchronize their creative forces and their management so that they work constructively rather than destructively together. Unfortunately we do not have any of these synergistic connections so if we were to market our band for real then we would need to try and get our band (The Toy Hearts) on an appropriate form of the media that will directly aim for our target audience. For our band and their bluegrass style genre we would be aiming to get them shown on The One Show or Later with Jools Holland. If we were trying to get them played on the radio I might contact the John Peel show to try and get them played on there. I may also try and get them played at some festivals as they are British Folk music and a very young generation attends these festivals so getting them interested may help them break into a larger audience without being synthetic, I may also get them on a tour such as The Orange Unsigned Tour. As far as physical literature is concerned I would be particularly interested in getting them into NME Magazine, as well as Q Magazine.

The Pop Video however is only one strand of a multimedia campaign. A multimedia uses more than just a pop video; it bombards its potential target audience as often as possible with methods such as astroturfing. The way in which a multimedia campaign is carried out will vary hugely depending on the scale of operation from the producer. The main difference is the type of producer, there are 4 major producers, these are:
· Universal
· Sony (http://www.sonymusic.co.uk/)
· EMI
· Warner Bros.
A major producer would often spend a lot of money on their artists’ video and album, often around £1million on the album and £500,000 on the video. These major record labels will produce the biggest bands, such as Take That and Britney Spears. There are also many smaller producers, these are known as “Independents”, they typically produce bands such as Lily Allen or Amy Winehouse., for example Factory Records (http://www.factoryrecords.net/). They work on a much smaller scale than the 4 majors; they typically spend around £50,000 on a music video and only around £100,00 on an album. The third and final type of label is a Mini-Independent, which would have no big acts. An example of a mini-independent is me, if I was to create an album and a video for a band. Many mini-independents would be hoping to be bought by a larger label, preferably a major such as Sony Music. The whole music industry has a very complicated relationship with lots of different mediums such as:
· Radio
· TV
· Print Media
· Film
· New Media e.g. Internet
These medias all have a synergy with each other and work very closely together to achieve a technological convergence. The music video has many different uses to the band. It aims to promote a specific single of a whole album by creating a visual comparison to it. It also aims to promote a specific artist or band, for a new band (like ours) we need to make this very memorable or we need to create an “image” so that the audience will remember them and their style. It also needs to feed into their “star image” again, to help create a memorable package. The video must also entertain in it’s own right to create something which is a visual spectacle. The fifth and final aspect a music video is trying to achieve is to reinforce or undermines the meanings in the song. In order to fulfill all of these purposes of a video the video often contains 4 key elements, these are performance, narrative, thematic, symbolic. To conclude, a pop video should create a visual equivalent to the song it is for and should encourage repeated consumption and desire for the artist. As well as providing a polysemic experience for the audience in order to keep interest.

Unfortunately for the major record labels the media industry faces huge threats. In specific the music video is suffering the most, due to new technology and the ever-growing internet. The biggest threat to the pop video in specific is the internet culture, downloading is at its most prevalent. Less people are buying albums but are opting for free downloads off websites such as PirateBay (which has recently been shut down) and LimeWire. This means people don’t buy music anymore and bands are forced to make their money through touring and concerts. They are also turning to alternative method of marketing such as UStream which is a website on which bands can blog on live video feeds. Another issue is MTV being a lot more mainstream and focusing on synthetic bands rather than organic bands.