R+P Post 29: Rehearsals

In order to ensure that our music video would work perfectly, we had to do rehearsals to help practice before the shoot week.

My lip sync by this point was good this, this is because of the lip sync practice I done during my Preliminary task. However, I still researched for some good tips regarding lip syncs on Youtube. Below is the video I watched.

We decided to focus more on the studio test shoot rehearsal and test out everything that we had planned. 

Through this rehearsal, I was able to...

1. I was able to test my performance skill once more before the actual shoot week.

2. We were able to practice what lighting looked the best
3. We were able to rehearse the different placements of the props beforehand
4. We also made sure that all costumes looked good under the intense light (as the light had a tendency to overpower props/people under it)

This was useful as it helped me practice and get into the correct mind set. It also allowed me to  work on my performance by helping me loosen up and get comfortable.

Below is a behind the scenes video of one of our rehearsal sessions.

R+P Post 28: My kit list

Below are two tables with the location kit list and the studio kit list (the studio kit list has some extra equipment)

The reason why the equipment in the Studio is different is because it is a lot more high tech giving us a more "professional" look for our music video. This is because the set ups can be changed manually through the use of props lighting and set design. One way that the studio shots look professional is through the use of the cyclorama which will help us to achieve an infinite background by ensuring that there are no gaps between the floor and the 'wall'. Another way is through the use of lighting which can create coloured spotlights.

R+P Post 27: Casting

Casting was very important for the performance aspect of the music video as well as the narrative aspect. When looking for actors we needed to consider people who would not only fit the criteria of the youth subculture we are trying to represent but also individuals who are reliable. We chose these individuals because they are already friends and are comfortable with each other and so the acting in that sense would be minimised

Name	Image
Kodie
Abigail
Sena
Budmi
Ayisha
Laith
Sadek
Arme
Anisa
Sayo
Jithmi

R+P Post 26: Set design, location and props

Below are some pictures from the location reccie, majority of our music video will be on location and so this was very important.

Use of the gate - I will be on the other side with the gate acting as a physical representation of a sort of barrier in the relationship This is something we referenced from 2NE1's music video lonely. 











This is one of our locations, which will be used for the narrative. There are two pathways, which both parties of the relationship will walk down representing a separation

Here is a wall with graffiti, which we will be using as a backdrop - many times

Here is the car park we are planning on using - this is most useful, as we needed a large space that still looked cool and urban, a car park was a perfect fit

In terms of set design in the studio we have a few key shots 
1. The projection shots
2. The sofa shots (group, couple, individual)
3. The shot with Ray DJ'ing (sound desk, table, laptop)
4. The shot with Ray and I (sound desk, laptop, table, stool)

In addition to this we do have a props list to help make our music video look more authentic and realistic 
1. Phone 
2. Headphones
3. Sofa 
4. Sound desk 
5. Table 
6. Laptop 
7. Stool

R+P Post 25: Costumes, props and makeup

Costume is very important as it helps to solidify the concept we are trying to create with the youth subculture. The 90s sporty vintage theme is imperative in creating the right aesthetic for our music video. The costume for the DJ was very simple as there is a common theme throughout - T-shirt with an optional hoodie and headphones. For the overall costume theme, we made a clear attempt at having it relate to the location with hints of popular 'street style' like Adidas and Nike.

DJ costume

over-arching costume theme

Makeup is very important as it helps add to the identity of the actors making them look cooler, younger and fresher. The use of bright colours will help add to the liveliness of the song and music video

Props are very important in adding to the authenticity of the music video to help add context to make things much more realistic.

phone - headphones - sound desk

Overall we hope to have our costume, props and make-up connote the genres of R&B/garage music 

R+P Post 24: Planning my digipack

We all made individual album cover research to find the conventions and afterwards we met in a group meeting where we looked at the specific things we wanted our album cover to have whilst also following the expected conventions. Our aim for this task was to create an album cover that was: unique and eye catching. Which also marketed our artist as the primary aim is of course to promote the artist.

Below are some of the ideas that we had for our digipack .

The front panel: clearly has the artists logo made clear as well as clear focal image of both the singer and the producer in a mid shot

picture 1

picture 2

These designs we ended up discarding as they were far too serious for the genre of our artists which had a more fun, party vibe. These designs were inspired by Adele an r&b artist which is why it has a  tasteful black and white feel.

picture 3

This is was a popular idea in the group which demonstrated one of the artists looking away placing more emphasis on the other artist. 

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

Audience feedback to picture 1:  The audience liked this idea of having both of the artists together on the front panel 

Audience feedback to picture 2:  The audience felt like a photo that was straight on would be more appropriate and personable. As well as this they thought there was not enough of Edward and so he is overshadowed.

Audience feedback to picture 3: The audience believed that it was a nice idea and that it would be a fun twist to album covers. They thought that it would make our album cover distinctive and unique.

Overall: We decided to go with a completely new idea that incorporates the advice that was given in the feedback. We decided to have Mahalia on the front panel and Edward on the back panel, which was still a fun twist to album covers. Similarly we decided that having Mahalia on the front made more sense as she is the singer in the duo.

INSPIRATION

The boldness of the artists name was inspired from many album covers one example would be. It is very eye catching

This is the inspiration for our album cover. This album cover was particularly useful as this duo is very similar to our artists with Mahalia being a singer and Edward being a producer. This album cover puts them both at an equal weighting which we too want to convey