Filming commenced on the planned day, with all the actors available and myself and Millie available to film. Technical Info We took two cameras to use on the day of filming; a Nikon DSLR for the filming of the main sections of the footage and a Sony Video Camera for any additional footage or to replace the Nikon had it ran out of charge. We also took two camera bags, chargers and a tripod to film with. The tripod was essential to the high quality framing. angles and also the overall quality of the shots. Alongside the technical equipment, we also took a copy of the storyboard and made sure the correct version of the music track was available on several devices to play out loud and aid with the lip-syncing (we ensured that our female actress had learnt the lyrics beforehand to create the most convincing video possible). We ensured we prepped the actors of the styling and clothing that was essential to their characters, which meant the characters came dressed in slightly alternative clothing but also something that was classy and aesthetically pleasing. Bella, our female actress wore complimenting make-up, and her hair and clothing was suited to her overall look. Lee, our male actor, wore a more casual understated outfit which however still fit into the look we were trying to achieve with the assistance of his styled hair and accessories. We also took a sheet which could be filled out by members of the public if we decided we needed their permission for filming to go ahead e.g. people in the background of shots.
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Planned time: 8am - 10pm
Date: Sunday 6th October
Location: Brighton Beach + Surrounding areas
Prior to this date, we need to ensure we consider the following and also remember to take anything that is crucially important to the day of filming including:
Camera's (fully charged, and a spare incase)
Tripods
Chargers for Cameras
We need to ensure the music from the production is available to hand (for lip sync)
Shot list and Storyboards
Appropriate clothing and make-up for characters involved
Weather appropriate materials i.e. umbrellas, sunglasses
Permission Sheets to gain consent
The above items are essential to make sure that filming is able to commence on the given day. We have checked the forecast so that we can do preparations for the weather conditions, and so far it's predicted to be 20 degrees and sunny, so rain should not be an issue but we should be prepared for altering certain scenes to make the most of the setting and lighting. As it is said to be sunny on this day, we need to consider how we're going to work with the sunlight to get it's full potential in our footage.
iTunes is likely to be the main distributor however other stores would be used. An artist website would be likely to be used to promote the music, production, video and tours and therefore the video would most likely feature here. Hard copies of the album would not likely be funded as with modern technology the album is far more likely to be sold online. The music video would feature on YouTube as well as any advertisements for the video prior to similar music videos. Television channels are likely to promote the album, where as chart show and music television are more likely to promote the music video itself. _____________________________________________________________
I decided to look into the cultural responses to the music video 'Born Free' by MIA
I know that this music video caused a lot of controversy due to it's strong cultural message and so I conducted some research into the messages behind the video and how people reacted to this video.
The music video above is a violent, short-film style video for the promotion of MIA's single 'Born Free'. The main story line features policemen conducting raids on a run-down block of flats, looking for young men with ginger hair only. These men are violently captured against their will and put in buses to be taken away. The red-headed men, including young boys are then brought on the buses to a desert, and told to run for their lives into the sunset over bombs that are underground.
Unsurprisingly, there was a rather shocked response to the out-right violence featured in this video and it was removed from YouTube the same day as it was released, reinstated with an age restriction. However, a few days later it got taken down 'for good' however later re-appeared under the age constraints. The video featured scenes of nudity and brutality. Although the message and general idea behind this story is very relevant and viable, it breached the terms and condition about levels of violence.
MIA said that it was not an attack on a particular political situation, and the idea of the video relates to a lot of real situations of conflict, war, and ethnic cleansing. It sparked emotions online as it was said to have a lot of political resonances to things like Guantanamo, Iraq, and the Taliban. The video cleverly doesn't feature one ethnic group being rounded up and instead uses hair colour to distinguish between people and decide their fate - which is very relatable, powerful and moving to watch as it highlights the unacceptable and violent behaviour in real life situations that are a reality.
However, the controversy was that this video was released at the same time the law was proposed in Arizona that the police could detain anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. Therefore, not only did the violence cause controversy, this also sparked heat among news organisations and politicians who saw this as a direct response.
This video caused a lot of shocked responses due to the violence and brutality conveyed by the footage. We therefore need to ensure in our music video that we don't relate any of the material to cultural issues and debates, as the response is questionable. We are confident in our production that it will not cause any offense, however we need to ensure that we do not make any in-deliberate references or gestures to any cultural, political or lifestyle issues in order to be safe.
Having already addressed the cultural issues that surround music videos, I thought it would be best to look into feminism, and how music can influence feminist responses. In order to do this, I analysed the record-breaking music video 'Wrecking Ball' by Miley Cryus.
This video was released by Miley Cryus, and within the first 24 hours of it's released it exceeded views of 38,000,000 views. The music video begins showing an close-up shot of Miley crying into the camera, questionably reflecting her emotions about her current relationship that is speculated to be rocky. Then, the music video suddenly moves to show a very literal demonstration of her lyrics. The dominant props on the video are the 'wrecking ball' and also the walls being demolished in the background; reasonably relating to the title of the song. However, the controversy is introduced when Miley sits in various states of undress, and at some points completely nude on this 'wrecking ball'.
The video heavily symbolises objectification and sexualisation, her emotions and behaviour are being controlled by a male, which says something in itself. She is portrayed as weak, and defenseless. Miley herself is not a bad singer, so the reasons behind why she feels like she has to get completely naked are not evident.
Miley has come forward and tried to defend her actions in the video, claiming several pragmatics behind her actions on camera. However, this video struck up a negative feminist response. video became most viewed video on YouTube in only 13 hours, so what does this say about the sexualisation and objectification of females? It is questionable whether this video was so popular and successful because of the nudity and sexual themes promoted by Miley, or because of the song itself. If this video is successful because of things like the nudity it features, this sends out a very negative message to young girls and women. Miley is basically promoting the idea that for young women to be noticed and be successful they have to sexually objectify themselves - and in this case it appears to have worked.
This poses a huge worry for feminists, as she is not gaining respect from men, is represented as inferior and is successful because of the way she sexually objectifies herself not because of her music abilities or knowledge.
In our video therefore, it is important that we represent both males and females in an equal manner and give them equal power in their relationship as not to suggest dominance and control on a high level by either gender. We need to make sure that both the male and female characters are shown to have the same levels of control at different points in the video. This could be an issue we need to address in our video as the female is represented as quite vulnerable and the male has power over her, however we feel that by in the end the female walking away from the male and the male being pictured in a negative light, this will equalise this power between them as well as reflecting reality.
We have planned in our filming for the use of the 'male gaze', and although this is argued to oppose feminist views, we will make sure that it is put into context within the story line and so it is clear what is going on and the female character isn't pictured as inferior in any way.
Laura Mulvey who invented the 'Male Gaze' concept
The 'male gaze' is a concept proposed by Laura Mulvey. She suggested that the male gaze occours when the camera is centered around a sexual/attractive feature of a females body. This objectifies and degrades woman to a certain extent, and so although we are using it to make certain themes and feelings obvious to the audience, we need to make sure it is within context and not on a frequent level.
