Photoshop tutorial

Today we had a tutorial on photoshop and we learned how to blur images to make the atmosphere in a picture appear more busy and dynamic. This is useful as we are going to process the images we take on photoshop for our ancillery task. Below are some pictures that I processed using the photoshop tools.

Student protest, image taken from search engine:

After being processed on photoshop, image now blurred and made to appear energetic through the red hue and the blurred picture:

A busy day in London, image taken from a search engine:

Image after being processed on photoshop, a blue hue is used to convey the mood and the foreground is clear to show that the people are nearer to the camera:

I am certainly going to use Motion Blur in my ancillery task as my music video has a theme of busy people getting on with their lives, therefore it would be relavent.

1. Brief

To create a promotional package release of an album
to include a promo video with 2/3 options:
- Website homepage
-Album cover
Magazine advertisement

2. TOP 40- Tinie Tempah- (pass out)

Below is a selection of contemporary, Top 40 music videos: I have analysed the four micro elements including performance to get a sense of what qualities contemporary music videos share.

3. TOP 40- Roll Deep- (Good times)

4. TOP 40- Usher-(Burn)

5. Rock video #1 Evanescence

Below are a selection of music videos from the Rock genre. By analysing these videos, I have been able to notice significant differences in conventions to the other genres. For example the Rock videos tend to include a band, and the focus is more on the band and instruments rather than the Popular genre, where the artist is made the centre of attention, as emphasised by the recurrent close up shots of the artist, and the 'moments of pleasure' that occur when they look directly in the camera.

Here is an analysis for Evanescence's video, 'bring me to life':

6. Artic Monkeys- (Brainstorm)

7. Rock video Nickleback- Rock star

8. Conventions of a Music Video

From the research I have attained, and the contemporary music videos I have studied, here is my list of the conventions of a typical contemporary music video:
- Lip syncing
- Close up of instrument to indicate genre
- Long shots of the dancers if Pop are band if in the Rock genre
- Change of costume
- A huge variety of shots to correspond with the fast beat
- 'Moment of pleasure' artist may have eye contact with the camera
- Narrative
- Montage editing
- Match on action
- Concept
- Cuts on the beat
- Moving camera to enhance any movement in the footage
- Muted footage
- Cutaways
- Close up of the singers face
- Point of view shots
- Music video will always feel dynamic throuh the overlaying of images
- Anything is possible in the video

9. Bordwell/Thompson Theory- Madonna Frozen

Below are various theories on music videos. Here, Vernallis, Bordwell and Thompson and Goodwin discuss there theories on popular music videos regarding the various types, influences, and techniques used to attain a certain effect:

10. Vernallis theory

11. Goodwins theory

Based on the theories we have studied in class, Goodwins amplification theory seems to be more pervasively found in a conventional music video. This means that the footage is not necessarily based on the lyrics of the song, there is however more a focus on emotions and what the artist is feeling. These emotions are usually portrayed with vibrant lighting, slow motion and persistant 'moments of pleasure' to link the artist to the consumer.

12. LOW BUDGET VIDEO - Saville and Devanda

Below is a selection of low budget videos that were made locally, and could easily be replicated as they were made using simple technological teqniques that does not demand thousands of pounds. I therefore learnt a lot from these videos practically. I personally think that the Trencher video works exceedingly well as it is humourous, unique and rebells the copnventions that are found in a typical modern music video. It was also, evidently, very simple to produce.

Saville and Devanda:

LOW BUDGET VIDEO- Trencher

LOW BUDGET VIDEO - hifani

There are some pratical tips I could take from this video as it is low budget and does not require a lot of props or even different settings. However the fact that there is no lip syncing would not work as the research that I have attained strongly suggests that lip syncing would make the music video work.

Collage- reggae genre

Below is a collage of iconography and screen shots from the bashment/dancehall genre of music. I have placed together pictures that correspond with the West indian theme perfectly. It is evident through the mise en scene that the producers of the videos are attempting to target a young audience as most of the artists shown such as Rihanna, are under the age of 30. I personally do not believe that this genre of music would be approprtiate to produce a music video from because the lyrics tend to be of explicit and sexual nature, and we wouldn't be able to achieve that West Indian theme through setting as the climate we live isn isn't exotic.




here is an example of a Caribbean video, filmed in Jamaica:

General Research

At this point in time I have been put in my group and am researching what genre would be suitable for our music video. We thought about doing a pop video and have analysed Alicia Keys' 'try sleeping with a broken heart' and have thought about a concept for the video. Here are thew lyrics:

Try sleeping with a broken heart- Alicia Keys

This song is about heart break and unrequited love. The beat is quite slow and the lyrics convey a lot of emotion; I would therefore use lip syncing if I were to direct a video for the song. This would both promote the artist and make the song appear more meaningful to the artist.

lip syncing, close up of the artists face and constant eye contact
Even if you were a million miles away I could still feel you in my bed Near me, touch me, feel me And even at the bottom of the seaI could still hear inside my head Tellin' me, touch me, feel me
artist looks away from the camera

And all the time you were tellin' me lies-

Images of the sky, a town with people walking minding their business
So tonight, I'm gonna find a way to make it without you Tonight I'm gonna find a way to make it without you

Lip syncing
I'm gonna hold on to the times we had tonight I'm gonna find a way to make it without you
Footage of a bed to correspond with the lyrics

Have you ever tried sleeping with a broken heart? Well, you could try sleeping in my bed Lonely, on me nobody ever shut it down like you

Footage of girl arguing with boy
You want a crown You made my body feel heaven bound Why don't you hold me

Close up of artists face

Near me, I thought you told me You'd never leave me Looking in the sky I could see your face And I know right where I fit in

This is where there is a climax in the music and the artist becomes more emotional. I would therefore use a long shot so that the viewers can now see the artists body language.

Take me, make me, you know that I'll always be in love With you Right til the end OOh I'll make it without you tonight

Close up of artists face fading out….

So tonight, I'm gonna find a way to make it without you Tonight I'm gonna find a way to make it without you I'm gonna hold on to the times we had tonight I'm gonna find a way to make it without you

13. Genre research

After much research and thought, we, as a group have now chosen to produce a promotional package, including a music video in the genre of garage. This is because it was crucial for us to pick a song that doesn't already have a music video, and that is different from the typical contemporary popular music that has no originality.

'garage is a loose, urban definition for a commercially-oriented, disco influenced subgenre of house music. Like most variants of house, the genre follows a traditional four to the floor house beat, and makes heavy use of synthesizers, samples and soulful vocals, although unlike in more electronically bent Chicago and deep house, presence of acoustic instrumentation is much more common. '

Here is a moodboard of iconography from the garage genre, it is obvious from some of the images, that garage artists like to be represented in a 'hard' manner:

14. Genre research

Here are 5 music videos that I briefly analysed from the garage genre. All artists are british, and so are good examples of the sort of thing my group can accomplish in our promotional package. This research is relevent to my upcoming music video as my group and I are at the place where we are unsure what we want in our music video, what theme to follow and what concept to achieve. Therefore by analysing the conventions of a UK Garage music video, we are ablt to get some idea of what they have in common, and hopefully start to get a vision for our music video. I have uploaded screenshots to illustrate my points.

1. Mis Teeq- Scandellou

2. So Solid- 21 seconds

3. Lisa mafia- All over

4. Wiley- Take That

5. Tinie Tempah- Frisky

15. Conventions of a garage music video

- From the research I have attained, and the garage music videos I have studied, here is my list of the conventions of a typical contemporary garage video:
- Lip syncing- usually to rapping
- Long shots of the dancers if
- Change of costume- usually hoodies, and a lot of black
- A huge variety of shots to correspond with the fast beat
- If the arist is female, 'moment of pleasure' artist may have eye contact with the camera
- Perhaps a narrative but most videos are set in a black underground setting
- Montage editing
- Match on action
- Concept
- Cuts are usually on the beat
- Moving camera to enhance any movement in the footage
- Muted footage
- Cutaways
- Close up of the singers/rappers face
- Point of view shots
- Shaky camera to make the dancing seem more lively
- Music video will always feel dynamic throuh the overlaying of images
- Anything is possible in the video
- A strange conceps- unreal concept that could never happen in real life

16. Album covers

Here are three album covers from the garage genre. I have analysed the mise en scene and am trying to find similarities and differences, and what they all have as a common trait.

1. So Solid Crew- 'They don't know' album :


2. Pure garage


3. Garage classics


Based on the research I have done, it is clear that these Garage album covers share similar conventions but at the same time fall into two groups:

The archtype of a garage album will have no image, but will instead connote the genre with the bold colours and writing. These are effective as they are conspicuous and create the impression that the CD will include many different artists and will not just focus on the one

The other type of garage album seems to focus on the 'sexy' image by using half nude girls to advertise the CD. These girls always seem to be in a tropical setting even though most garage is derived from the UK. Therefore it seems that the artists use these girls in order to connote a sense of wealth and materialism.

These CD covers have influenced me as I have to follow the conventions of my CD cover, however I have decided to use the 1st catagory as I don't feel like the 'sexy' image looks typical to the Garage culture, to me, it more so looks like American RNB.

I will take away the bold writing and colours from these CD'S and use them to draft my ideas for my own.

17. Record label research

Here is some research on three record labels from the genre of UK garage.

1. Bingo Beats:

Bingo beats is DJ zinc's record label created specifically to deliver premier league music from selected artists across the globe. In particular, garage artists. The label is based in East London and has been on the go since 2000 an is still alive today.

Here is example of some beats that are available to buy:
Sigma - All blue (Bingo)
Culture Shock - Quiz Night (Ram)
Sigma - High top (Dub)
Dkay - Waxd rmx (Metalheadz)
Hazard - Busted (True Playaz)
Taxman - Moonraker (Propaganda)
Digital + Spirit - Phatom force (T Power Rmx)
Sigma - Ragtime (Dub)
Commix - Satellite vip (Metalheadz)
Cyantific - Outer limits (Critical)

2. Profilic Recording:

Profilic Recoding is based in Leicester. They will be some new audio during the course of this year and can be followed up on We Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace for up-to-date news and goings on. The selection of garage beats available is said to 'keep underground dancefloors bumping until the early hours'. Here are different beats that Profilic Recoding provide:
- The Volcano Riddim kicks things off with dramatic strings and a speaker rattling bassline.
- The Thekla Riddim goes down a wobbly, almost techy route whilst The Flux Riddim sees more strings and thumping bass take the boom factor up to 11.
- The Phoenix Riddim closes the EP in style with a rising, jumping bass workout.

Profilic Recording is a very popular record label, with over 80’000 combined hits on youtube and while in clubs there’s been continued support from dubstep’s biggest names including Skream, Benga and Toddla T, that underground momentum has now developed into Radio 1 plays from Zane Lowe, Annie Mac and Fabio and Grooverider.

3. Polydor
Polydor Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group and is currently headquartered in the UK.Polydor Records was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. It was first used, as an export label, in 1924. Deutsche Grammophon claimed the rights to the His Master's Voice trademark for Germany, where HMV recordings were released under the Electrola trademark.

18. Audience Research

Below is an example for a questionaire which I asked 10 people of all demographics to fill out. I did this so that I could learn what people think about the garage culture, and what the expectations are:

19. Questionaire results

Here are the results for the questionaire I posted above. I have converted them into a chart to make it visually easier to read:

It is clear from the results that there are a lot of people who indeed listen to the garage genre, which indicated that to produce a video for that genre will be a good idea. And I was not supreised to find out that 60% of my interviewees believed that this was to do with age. Garage is a very youthdul genre of music and usially is exhibited by young artists such as Tinie Tempah, who started out in his early teens. There was also no suprises when I found out that most people would visualise a garage artist in black hoodies, or some sort of obscuring clothing. Based on the research I attained, I also found the same thing; most garage artsits would wear black to connote their urban interests. I was, however suprised to find out that most people would expect a lot of people to be in a garage music video. This has been proved true by some music videos, however I believe that a garage music video could still meet the conventions without the crowd. Finally, the theme of violence seems to be pervasive in the garage genre. I have decided to break this convention as I feel that it is innapropriate and a garage video with a good concept would be suitable.

PLANNING-1. Initial Ideas

I have now been put in a group and will be making a promnotional package with Wesley Jury and Charlotte Puddy. We have completed a huge amount of research into what the conventions of a music video are and the conventions of a garage music video and are now going to proceed with polanning fro our garage music promo. We have chosen our song, "The boy is mine" remix by Brandy and Monica and are now trying to come up with a possible concept for our music video. One idea is to use a greenscreen for some of our shots and have the screen split in black and white. This would convey the difference between these girls.However at this point in time we still need to decide on costume and a clear plot to guide the music video. I have included a blog on this site which describes how 'Wile Out' by Ms Dynamite has influenced my music video, and how the certain concepts of her music video will be utilised in my music promo.

2. Roles in the group

Gabrielle- Director- in charge of scheduling filming and big decisions.
Wesley- Cinematography- in charge of the camera, filming and capturing the cinematographical frames.
Charlotte- Actress/Artist- The artist in trhe music video, the actress

We are all responsible for planning equally and ensuring we all have an input, the poster for our promotional package and the CD cover.

3. Technical support

To broaden our knowledge of the technicl aspects of making a music video, we participated in a workshop to get us familiar with technological machinery such as cameras and photoshop. We first of all went off in our group with a digital camera and took pictures of still objects but used our cinematographical knowledge to make them appear more interesting than they were- for example we thought about framing, camera angles and lighting. This was helpful as we were enabled to see the differences between an average long shot which shows the whole object, to a close/low angle shot which both made the object appear bigger than it was, and obscured information from us as we were unable to see the majority of it.
Here are some pictures of the shots we took:

We then had a lesson where we experimented on photoshop. We took some pictures of eachother in turn and we uploaded them to photoshop. We then experiemented with layering, colour and texture to basicly airbrush the images that we had and to give them a different sense of appeal.
Here are some exapmles of pictures we took:

Here are the photos we prosessed on photoshop:

We also used final cut express to make a trial music video. This was helpful as we were able to practice lip syncing and try out the greenscreen.