Camera Techniques 1

I have decided to go out and experiment with different camera techniques that i might be able to apply to my video.

For example the disappear effect:

This effect may be useful when it comes to having to synchronize  the music with what is happening within the video. Also in this example i have tried to use the rule of thirds to create an interesting shot composition. 

Destruction Preventer

The group in which I will be creating a music video for, are a Heavy Metal group named - Destruction Preventer.

My knowledge is still limited so i will be editing this post with further details.

They are not signed to a record company, but have managed to produce a CD themselves.
They frequently play live gigs and i have recently attended one to get a feel for the music they produce.

The song I will be making a video for is called 'Casino Cunt'. Therefore i have started to think of ideas, but am unable to create a plan of what i want to do without the list of lyrics and other infomation to make it accurate. Once I the lyrics are known I will be able to create a proposal for the music video.

The Death Metal Genre - Research

Death metal emerged in the early and mid 80s, as a largely underground phenomenon, spawned by the then burgeoning thrash metal scene. The death metal circuit was rooted in the United States and Germany, with numerous bands pushing the thresholds of thrash metal. The genre followed on the speed and complexity characteristic of thrash metal vocals, along with brutally harsh vocals and drum patterns that involved the extensive use of double bass and blast beats. Its harsh sound and themes and imagery make it unpalatable for the masses and mainstream audiences, which is why with the exception of a few bands the music has never really been commercially successful in the mainstream.

Artists who made it famous
Obituary; Cannibal Corpse; Death; Bolt Thrower; Napalm Death; Morbid Angel; Necrophagia; Suffocation

Best known proponents today
Deicide; Behemoth; Arch Enemy; In Flames; Zyklon; Nile

Source - http://www.planetradiocity.com/musicopedia/music_genres.php?mid=131

EG:

Sing When You're Winning album cover & Digipak research

Digipak research

The typical conventions of a digipak, show very little text in the inside covers, where the CD is, but the outside cover may contain more information about what the DVD is about and titles etc. However the inside of the pack, does use the same 'house style' as the outer cover. It is hard to find many DVD digipaks to research from, however CD packs are no different when considering the conventions used in production. For example:

This shows the running colour scheme of white and red, with the use of black text over the top. Only a couple of simple images are used, but because they stand alone and match the house style, the pictures are effective in standing out enough to be noticed. Usually the CD is printed in a similar colour to whatever the digipak house style is. 

Another example would be this CD digipak from 'Vendetta'. This clearly shows a basic image, constant colour scheme, and very simple design for the inside of the cover. 

Therefore when I create my own, I will need to make sure I remmeber to:

- Keep inside cover simple

- Keep it consistent with the house style

- Use more images and less text on the inside

- Use no more than three colours in the house style

-----------------------------------------------------------

This album cover is clearly amplificative of the album title. This cover gives a sense of a 'bad boy' image and maybe also the use of sport could suggest a stereotypical male image as well. This is to appeal to his audience which is obviously mainly female. Also the colour scheme reflects where he is from, as they represent the union jack. All the people in on the cover being Robbie highlights the fact that he is the star who the album belongs to.

Reign In Blood album cover

This album cover uses many horror devices. This is obviously to depict their style of music and how raw it is. There is however vast amounts of religious imagry used on the album cover. For example the rams head could imply a religious meaning, and suggest a sacrificial meaning. The meaning of all the religious imagry is related to the holocaust. This is amplificative of the lyrics in their songs on the album. The distortion is also linked to the activities of Josef Mengele and the experiments he did on women.

This also relates to the genre and the way the band actively tries to shock their audience with extreme topics, and in this case album art as well. More religious imagry may include the pentagram, the mitres on the head of characters and even possibly the suggestion of a sea of blood.

This was also an iconic album which greatly inspired and formed the "Death Metal" genre.

'Nevermind' album cover

When I first looked at this album cover, I was abit unsure of what it meant. I could see that the baby may relate to a sense of innocence and that the money may imply corruption or power.
Yet i did not know quite how this contrast could be used to represent the actual band itself. So I decided to research it and i found:

"
According to Cobain, he conceived the idea while watching a television program on water births with Grohl. Cobain mentioned it to Geffen's art director Robert Fisher. Fisher found some stock footage of underwater births but they were too graphic for the record company. Also, the stock house that controlled the photo of a swimming baby that they subsequently settled on wanted $7,500 a year for its use, so instead Fisher sent a photographer to a pool for babies to take pictures. Five shots resulted and the band settled on the image of a three-month-old infant named Spencer Elden, the son of the photographer's friend Rick Elden. However, there was some concern because Elden's penis was visible in the image. Geffen prepared an alternate cover without the penis, as they were afraid that it would offend people, but relented when Cobain made it clear that the only compromise he would accept was a sticker covering the penis that would say, "If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile."
"
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevermind

After reading this it made things slightly clearer and also helped me to see that the genre of the band as grunge which is represents a rebelion away form the media. Therefore the baby and the money, may represent how people from birth are almost controlled by the media and are attracted to it. This is supported by the fact the money is on a hook, which is symbolic of bait, attracting fish.

The 'nevermind' album therefore, is mainly about persuing sex, losing innosence, and finding frustration in really never being happy, while highlighting the control media has over the population.

Notes on mood-boarding and video ideas

We were told to listen to a peice of music, and then come up with a list of words describing the mood it gives us. Then come up with a list of actions
In my group this is what we came up with for ideas to make the video for this;

--------------------------------------------------------------
Mood:
Cheerful, crazy, upbeat

Actions:
Bouncy castle, circus, trampoline, candy/sweets, quick cuts, circus dancers, pier, unsteady camera, party, performing on the bouncy castle.

Our ideas were completely different to what was actually made. However i think that this task really challenged me to think about what kind of music video i associate the music with and also the representation of the artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwIbb3McVW4
--------------------------------------------------------------

The second video we listened to was called 'We know something you don't know', by DJ Format. Our initial ideas were really different to what was made:


Mood:
Floating, relaxed, authority, urban

Actions:
Driving/cruising, polics, cocktails, lilos, New York, women, bling

This was again completely different from the real video, but again i still think our ideas are a valid perception of what we had to refer to.

I really think this task helped me to look at music videos in a different way, and really help me grasp the concept of producing one.

--------------------------------------------------------------

KEY TERMS -

Illustrative- illustrates lyrics to visuals


Amplificative- amplifies certain ideas


Disjunctive- the visuals and the lyrics don't match