Planning: Risk Assessment Location 1 (Josh Taylors' House)

I have learnt that there is a lot of preparation needed to make sure the location is a safe environment and that no one will get hurt or any equipment won't be damaged.

Research: Music video (Ansel Elgort - Thief) and Codes and Conventions

Thief
https://youtu.be/U4gsAS8h3p0

The music video opens with Ansel walking to his living room couch to watch what appears to homemade video projected onto his wall as he sighs and rests his head on his hand. These two medium long and long shots imply to the audience that this is Ansel after the events we will see and that he is missing what he had although it is unclear as to what it is as the video is covered by the wall. The medium long shot is slightly angled at a worm's eye view making Ansel appear more important and manly. The rainbow effect from the projector is also a nice way of creating texture in the video as well as to add a shadow over Ansel's face to make him appear more mysterious.

The video then uses fast cuts of Ansel in red lighting as it cuts to him walking into his house. He views himself in the mirror before he walks into the next room but before we see him walk into it there is again cuts to Ansel in different studio lightings. These cuts are very fast and create a more interesting visual for the audience.

The verse then starts as Ansel is backlit by red lights casting a red shadow over his face as he sings into the camera. This could represent love and lust or possibly even danger. The red lighting is also a nice visual texture which makes the video more interesting to look at. 

The video then matches the lyrics of the song with 'I've been living in the darkness, Shadows in my apartment, heartless' as he watches out of his window in a dark room with many shadows cast across his body. These lyrics suggest he is cold-hearted and hasn't been able to express love. 

The video then cuts to Ansel singing into the camera and dancing in a range of medium long, long and close-up shots which cut on the beat to create a coherent and visually pleasing video. The studio lighting is well done with blue and red lighting contrasting against one another creating interesting visual effects. The lens flare that blurs out Ansel's face is a great way to transition him into the next set of studio cuts.

This is the first time we get any context of why he feels so 'coldhearted' with a cut to a girl in her underwear undressing. Her face is hidden but it is implied that they were in a relationship and he may have hurt her emotionally. The lyrics that follow with these scenes of the girl are 'skin on my skin, what a wonderful sin' match effortlessly and help to transition to the 'studio shots' of Ansel singing as he is half naked showing his skin in red lighting.

The next following sequence of events shows Ansel and the girl enjoying themselves in candlelit lighting in the bedroom. Stereotypically this is a romantic type of scenery, however, the lyrics and the way he is on top of her suggest it isn't the stereotypical love many perceive the imagery to come with. The lyrics again match the imagery very well with 'All I know is if my skin bled like the ink dripped from my pen... and drown in all my mistakes'. The bathtub 'water' links to both the 'liquid' blood imagery as well as 'drowning'.

Ansel is then shown getting dressed into an all-black suit as the house appears to be empty. Later on in a couple of cuts though we see Ansel leaving the girl in his bed presuming she is asleep and won't see him leave. However, as walks out the door her eyes open suggesting she waiting for him to go as if he has done this multiple times before. This is again matched to the lyrics of 'I left with her heart Tore it apart Made no apologies Just call me a thief' The lyrics now make sense to the audience as its clear that he was just using the girl for pleasure meanwhile the girl probably invested her heart more into a relationship with him.

The music video then ends with Ansel finishing telling the audience of what he had done by singing into the camera with some last shots of him on the roof of his house at night looking into the city.

Research: Music video (Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa - One Kiss) and Codes and Conventions

One Kiss
https://youtu.be/DkeiKbqa02g

The video firstly starts with a VHS cam recorder style of video, flickering to different landscape textures such as the sky, sand and palm trees. It then cuts to two quick shots of Dua and Calvin with very bright backgrounds. This sets the tone of the visual style relating the dance genre music to 80s synth-style music videos. There is then a medium length shot of Dua Lipa wearing a long blue modern dress which suits her start image, she is in front of a green screen which breaks the fourth wall for the audience as we can now tell all the imagery going forward is fake. The green screen then turns into the inputted background as the camera zooms into her face as the music starts.

The video then cuts to Dua Lipa dancing in highly fashionable outfits that change with the scenery. The whole look of the music video is supposed to make the audience feel like they are on holiday or somewhere relaxing in the sun with all the tropical colours and sunsets implying this throughout the video. There are lots of shots used here too to make it interesting for the audience to watch the video including medium length, long, birdseye, and close up shots.

Dua then sings into the camera with this noticeable studio background set up which instantly adds a vintage look to the video. This convention is done with long and medium close up shots to include the background dancers as well as to promote Dua Lipa's star image. The lighting is very high in contrast, however, this isn't a bad thing as it accentuates the vintage atmosphere of the video. 

The background image then moves to further add a 'fake' atmosphere as well as to create interesting visual effects that could be considered dream-like. 

There are then lots of layering shots of the different 'locations' which add to the dramatic dream-like style. The layering also helps as a transition to the next location and allows the video to flow in a semi-natural way. The dancers also are a big convention of dance genre music videos and help to familiarise the audience with the genre. Their clothes are again very reminiscent of the 80s which again add to the vintage style. 

Calvin Harris only wears one outfit in the entire video compared to Dua Lipa as he is the behind the scenes DJ who doesn't have such a big star image as Dua Lipa. His tuxedo also implies that he is a butler serving Dua Lipa a drink in a holiday destination suggesting that Dua Lipa is the star of the music video and that he doesn't want to take any of the limelight away from her. However, this is contrasted nicely with how Dua Lipa is dressed in a suit further suggesting that she feels that they are both equals and that this song and music video was as much his doing as hers. The hotel poolside location also links into the imagery of a holiday destination for the audience so when they listen to this song they think of summer.

The video then ends the way it started with the background cutting to the green screen behind Dua Lipa as the camera pans down to the camera mans feet. This is a very nice way to end the dream-like visuals pulling the audience back into reality. This could imply how they want the audience to feel when they listen to the song as when they listen to it they are transported to an unreal holiday destination and as the song ends they are pulled back into reality.

Research: Music video (Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do) and Codes and Conventions

Look What You Made Me Do
https://youtu.be/3tmd-ClpJxA

In the opening 10 seconds, a pan of a bird's eye view shot is used to show the audience an overview of a dark horror-like graveyard. Within the pan lightning flashes which adds to the typical stereotype of the horror genre alongside a flock of crows. At the 10 second mark, there is then an assembly of graveyard stones which create the initials 'TS' which stand for Taylor Swift, this brands the music video as her own and reminds the audience who is the star of the production. This only appears for 2 seconds and is a clever use of setting and mise-en-scene to promote the artist. The dark horror genre also may throw off many of the audience as most of Taylor swifts work is more light and romantic which suggests that the artist has changed her brand identity.

The music video then goes on to show Taylor Swift rising from her grave singing into the camera as the lyrics start. Her makeup creates a zombie version of her and fans will be able to tell that the dress she is wearing is the same one from her music video for 'Into the woods'. This suggests that 'the old Taylor' is now 'dead' and her new start image is taking over. She continues to sing into the camera in this long shot of Taylor with tilted graveyard stones as she sings 'Don't like your titled stage' as she resets all the gravestones straight to create her prefered version of the stage. This visual link to the lyrics creates great continuity as well as more emphasis on how she doesn't like how unfair it is that other artists have been praised more compared to her. It may also be a line directed towards the record label for controlling her star image.

 The music video then continues with Taylor Swift singing into the camera with her 'Zombie' version burying the old 'sweet' version of herself in her grave. They then use a flash of lightning to cut from her old self to her new star image surrounded by a bath of diamonds on the beat. This is a very effective cut and connects the different locations seamlessly. The diamond bathtub imagery also suggests that she is wealthy and possesses a lot of power in the industry almost like she is not to be messed with. Later on, as she sings 'you said the gun was mine' she points her fingers in a gun shape to visually match the lyrics. This also is a comment on her media rival Kim Kardashian West for her robbery in Paris and Kanye West for when he said bad things about her in one of his songs.

The bathtub scene then transitions to this 'evil queen' version of Taylor with lots of medium long and close up shots of Snakes climbing up the stairs and wrapping around her throne. This imagery is definitely a comment on the internet and how people call her a 'snake' which is a term created for someone who backstabs others. The snakes then poor and hand her a cup of tea which is also a comment on the internet and refers to the term 'spilling tea' which means when someone gossips mostly about negative topics. The way she takes the cup suggests that she has her side of the gossip to tell and that she is owning up to being a 'snake' and turning the negative stereotype into something she should be confident about. The throne also implies that she is still on top of the music industry even though others like her 'rivals' think otherwise. There is also a further link with the snake imagery as she wears a snake detailed ring on her right hand which can also be seen on her hand in the previous bathtub scene.

The scene then cuts to Taylor Swift crashing a gold car in leopard print clothing posing for the paparazzi clearly searching for attention alongside a pet leopard. This is a direct call out to another mainstream artist called 'Katy Perry' as their relationship across the media was never great. The Grammy award is also a link to her commenting possibly how she doesn't deserve it and that all she wants is attention. This suggests that Taylor is trying to defend her name while she is comparing how 'great' she is compared to artists such as Katy Perry. 

She is then seen swinging in a birdcage with lots of men in suits, most likely keeping her in the cage, surrounding her. She again continues singing into the camera which creates a coherent music video as well as again matching the lyrics to the imagery with 'you ask me for a place to sleep, locked me out and threw a feast'. The imagery shows Taylor in the locked 'kingdom' eating a feast representing the person who 'locked her out' metaphorically. The bodyguards now make sense as they are protecting the 'kingdom' from outsiders such as Taylor but she is now making a statement that she now has her own 'kingdom'. 

After a few character changes Taylor is then in an outfit reminiscing a previous music video she did with all her famous 'friends'. The video was called out on for being fake and how they aren't friends at all, so Taylor is recreating the public opinion with the 'robot' females acting like her friends. 

This scene is wonderfully done representing Taylor as a 'matured new' artist and person standing on top of all the previous 'Taylors' from her career. Many fans will be able to see different Taylors from music videos she has done in the past and the way they are crawling to get to the top is very symbolic of how the 'old' Taylor Swift couldn't be who she wanted to be no matter how hard she tried but now she has made it. 

The song finally ends with the crowd cheering as all the most memorable Taylors are bowing as the stars. This is very clever as it ends her 'old star image' so that her new one can be taken seriously without others saying 'why did she change'. There are many easter eggs in the video for the fans to pick apart and interpret which is also a clever way of engaging with the fans making the views on the video rocket to 953,610,475, therefore, promoting Taylor Swift massively.

Research: Principle photography of stars

For this photo, I really like how warm the atmosphere is created through the two models smiling and holding hands. There is a great use of the rule of thirds with the models' eyes resting on 2/3 of the way of the photograph. Great symmetry is used here as well creating a balanced photo as well as creating an equal presence in both models. The white background allows them to really pop and the lighting is perfect. The mise-en-scene of both models compliments the A/B 16-25-year-old target audience with the girl on the left wearing classy clothes while the girl on the right wears more of a free expressive outfit. However, if I was to re-shoot this I would make sure there is more lighting on the girl on the left as well as to try different angles of this pose, such as a ground perspective to create more of a grand personality for the models.

The comment I received from Flickr complimented the photo implying they liked the photo and the warm atmosphere it portrays. 

I loved this photo as the models pose is strong and sultry which portrays the upper-class demographic very well. Her makeup is minimal for the day and her outfit represents intelligence and wealth with the classy look of the loose shirt paired with the checkered trousers. Again the models' eyes rest on the 2/3 line which follows the rule of thirds and makes for a more pleasing photo to view. I also really love the relaxed facial expression of the model and the way she looks into the camera creates the convention of models looking into the camera to connect with the audience. If I was to re-shoot this I would make sure to not crop the bottom of her foot as well as to position the model towards the middle.

The comments I received from Flickr are very positive commenting on how they love the position of the model and the mise-en-scene. This is helpful as it tells me that I should continue to do further photos like this and that the target audience enjoys it.

I really liked this photo as the soft background complimented the white top and the natural makeup look. Her pose is strong with her hands on her hips implying shes more praised than the normal person and that she may have more wealth on her side. The convention of the eyes looking into the camera alongside the confident facial expression adds to this 'higher power' attitude of the model. I also really like the addition of the hair being tucked behind her ears as it frames the face well and also adds to this 'wealthy' stereotype almost like she is ready to work and handle businesses. The way the model is posed slightly at an angle also adds some dimension to the photo which is more pleasing to the eye than someone standing straight towards the camera with no movement. If I was to re-take this photo I would like to frame more of her body into it to get at least her hands into the photo. 

The comment on Flickr suggests to me that the target audience likes the photo and that I should continue to take more photos like this for my project.

I liked this photo due to the movement it offers which pleases the human eye. The way her hair flows along with the skirt offers a more 3D experience for the audience compared to a still shot of a model. I love how the model is wearing primarily dark colours with some flower details which suggest an 'alternative' feminine personality for the model. If I was to re-shoot this, however, I would take the photo as the models face comes to view and would smooth out the white background as the creases are slightly distracting and don't allow for a coherent photo.

The comments from this photo from the target audience were again positive and commented on how they loved the movement in the picture. This suggests to me that I should continue to take more pictures with 'movement' in them to add more life to the photo.

Research: Target Audience

                           

The demographic set for me in my brief is an A/B audience of 16 - 25. This age range is usually referred to as the 'technologically advanced' generation seeing as most of this age use social media and the internet every day of their lives. Middle-classed to upper-classed teenagers typically are interested in branded items such as designer made fashion and cars. The bigger the brand the more they want it to be perceived as 'cool' and 'trendy' as well as to make it seem like they own a lot of money compared to others their age. The appeal of famous 'designer' brands fascinates the majority of the world yet as teenagers have a mindset that they have to be seen as perfect they are more likely in need of possessing these overpriced objects. Social media plays a very big part in this as if you don't have any social media accounts in today's world as a teenager you are seen as weird and not up to date. Social media also consumes teenagers by promoting these designer items which makes it seem more trendy than it already is. Following celebrities on these social media platforms also influences teenagers as they share their new expensive buys. Overall I believe in order to make my music video seem believable in portraying an upper-class female I would need to show a possession of expensive objects including an iPhone and some designer clothes.