Barbican Inspiration

Many shots of our upcoming video are shot in the Barbican area of London. We gained our inspiration from this location from the Shutdown video by Skepta. I like this video mostly due to the setting and outfits which are used in the video. Barbican is a very busy area which is also the home of media so we thought this could be a very good landmark to film at which also has many great locations to film. My favourite shots are taken in the Barbican where we also shot from many high angles to get the best effects. I very much enjoyed filming in the Barbican due to the very chilled out atmosphere with hardly any noise which was perfect for Connor to perform. Also there was many other people filming around so Connor felt more comfortable filming in this location.

Here is some images of the Barbican below in the actual part we filmed our video which you will be able to see in our final video .

Costume Research

Inspiration for Music Video

Today in our group meeting connor advised us to watch the music video ASAP Rocky "Peso". After our group discussion at which we decided we needed more shots at which were scenery aswell as something different. We decided that we needed a female presence and Connor though a section in this music video would be really good next to the graffiti wall. The video can be shown below, the section at which will inspire us is between 1:15 - 1;40. There are shots where ASAP Rocky is in the cafe with a women next to him.

Further research into Locations for Filmin

Below are other locations at which we were we are going to shoot some shots. We are going to perform outside the graffiti wall as shown below. We are also going to film in the great baddow high school dome at which we feel has a good location inside and we feel there is a good low angle shot at which can be found, aswell as some other shots. 

The graffiti wall below shown in the distance is a good location as it is fairly quite aswell as it is a large place so the background isn't as repetitive. Connor also decided that he could invite a girl to be next to him in the shot so that the whole music video is not just of him.

Digipack Research

 

Before creating the digipack for Nikes On My Feet I decided to partake some market research of artists in the same genre as C.DOT so we can gain some inspiration in the creation of our digipack. Below is a Mac Miller album from 2013, he is very much the closest big star to what we are comparing C.DOT to so it is very important to gain ideas from him. He is very much his own artist and is very different in the hip-hop industry. He comes across as very hipster rapper, also being white in this genre can be a challenge to be a breakthrough so he has to make sure he is noticed from the crowd for being a unique artist as you can see from his digipack below. The cover is mainly a very vibrant red with Mac Miller naked sitting by a desk. This does not relate to anything in the album but that is the whole idea of how he portrays himself being a unique white rapper is what we are aiming with to do in C.DOT's digipack.

 



 

The second digipack we have researched a Eminem album from 2000. This is a much different album compared to Mac Miller, how they may both appear as very alike artists they are completely different. Eminem is a more of a dark approach to music as you can see from the album below. Most of his music is about his dark past which is shown in the darkness of the black and white colour below. It shows how his life has changed and this album was a big part in his career. These are both very different albums in contrast to each other how they appear the same but are very different in themselves. Although C.DOT song does not fit in with the album below this is a very good example of how the artists digipack is related to his songs on the album.

 



Storyboard

Below is the Storyboard at which I created 72 shots at which are likely to be in our music video, in the locations and the type of shots we are likely to shoot. The script was an outline of each shot. The storyboard will be there for assistance however it is likely that some shots which change. Due to the pace of our song we may decide to switch shots and therefore I have not timed each shot as it I very difficult to suggest the speed.

Record Label

This is a record label at which we are going to use in our music video. Connor thought about what would complete the authenticity of the artist, and what is one thing that is common in the music industry..... A label. The label is called Illumination Records.

Filming in the Green Room

Today we used the green screen to shoot some of our shots for our music video. This is behind the scenes of our shoot. This idea came from practicing editing using the green screen and we found an effect at which we all thought we would try.

Titles Research

I found this music video whilst researching familiar artists in the genre. In the first introduction they have a nice font and i like the style of the titles and how they emerge. It opens with the record label on a plain black background at which zooms in softly. I feel as though the titles link really well together. The flashing lights in the background links towards the non diegetic sound of the police sirens. Crime is associated to hip hop and this links nicely towards the genre. This opening sequence is something at which i feel has good titles. Although in this music video however i dislike the opening shots.




Below is a Gif of the opening title sequence at which has no sound although there is police sirens as shown in the video above. Throughout the rest of the music video there are little titles as it is more about the music and the shots itself rather than titles. Therefore i feel as though we need to get the titles fitting our genre and at the start and end of our music video. Towards the end of tthis particular music video there is a title at which advertises his social media accounts. This is something at which I will pitch to my fellow peers.

Title 1:

Title 2:

 Title 3:

Title 4:

Title 5:

Title 6:

Title 7:

Locations Research

Below is the list of locations at which we have decided we are going to film shots which will contribute towards our music video.

Location 1:

Below is two photos at which are around the O2 Arena we are planning if it is not busy to film inside however it could still be busy even though we are going on a night where there is no event on. The other photo is outside the O2 and we are hoping that the lights are not to bright that we cannot see Connor lip syncing.

Location 2:
Vietnam Embassy

Location 3:
Shoreditch

Location 4:
Barbican

Similar Artists

Mac Miller

Malcolm James McCormick (born January 19, 1992) best known by his stage name Mac Miller, is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most rappers have a stage name and this is fairly common in the genre. 

This is one of Mac millers album cover for his mixtape. At which shows immediately the hip hop genre is easily identified by his clothes that he is wearing aswell as the font at which shows different colours. This album cover shoes that he is the central figure with others around him as he is the main artist. His name in the left hand colour also advertises himself and the font of this shows us that the genre is hip hop.

This is his website at which is immediately advertising his latest tour on the right shown above, his iTunes account at which will have all of his music at which can be purchased, this already trying to advertise his particular brand. His latest music album GOOD AM is being advertised on the left and this was the first thing which appeared on his what I feel is a dull website with a poor plain background. This website does not fully show the genre of hip hop, there is not a lot on his website at which thoroughly describes himself as an artist it is mainly trying to see his music and tour tickets to his audience as the website is not attractive to a regular viewer like me.

This Photo is a stereotypical hip hop person at which is smoking and the black and white background suggest that he is quite chavy in the sense of his baseball cap. Lots of Rappers have a stereotypical image at which he is meeting with the cigarette and his baseball cap.

This music video Donald Trump has a variety of different costumes at which all fit the hip hop genre and the look at which we want to pull off with Connor. The variety of clothing in this video is a huge change with a continuous change in costumes. This music video is mainly performance based at which rappers are well known for singing straight to the camera. This is a split screen effect which I feel is extremely useful and effect as it is something different for the audience to view at which I feel is a clever effect which we could use in our music video.

Chris Webby

Christian Webster (born October 13, 1988), better known by his stage name Chris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Similar to mac miller he also has a stage name.

This is one of Chris Webby's album cover. This cover shows immediately the hip hop genre is easily identified by his clothes that he is wearing such as the baseball cap the sunglasses. His variety of tattoos also gives him this impression of a rapper. The back ground highlights his name and the album itself multiple times. He is in the centre of the album at which identify he is the main importance. The lead singer in most music videos are normally in the centre of the album cover.  

This website like mac miller's advertises his latest music and the release date. His merchandise is also on screen and this is the typical rapper look such as the baseball cap. His various websites which he uses are identified on the front page such as his Instagram, Facebook and twitter accounts there are links to his pages. This appeals straight to his audience as his fans will then be able to access more from different accounts. The background on the website shows his style and that he is a single performer. I personally like this website as it gets straight to the point at which is advertising his latest music and also his is appealing to his target audience through the use of social media.

This Photo is a stereotypical hip hop person at which he has a absract style top. The black and white background suggest that he has the hip hop look this is further shown with the use of his baseball cap. Lots of Rappers have a stereotypical image at which he is meeting with his clothing such as his top and his baseball cap.


Asher Roth

Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985), is an American hip hop recording artist from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. However he is slightly different to some other artists in the genre beacuase he does not have a stage name.

This is one of Asher Roth's album covers at which is a cartoon drawing. This i feel is quite effective as it is slightly different to what album covers normally are and they are rather different to other hip hop artists album cover. However there is still a hip hop feel despite the lab coats at which are there because of the drugs aspect at which there is a bong and weed is symbolised in this music video which again relates to the hip hop genre with people such as Snopp dog and Wiz Khalifa being well known for this, Asher Roth himself is the centre of the shot at which shows he is the lead singer.

This photo of Asher roth again shows a style of clothing at which is not formal nor smart it is a causal look. The setting of this photo shows that he is in a dark run down place, this is similar to the genre as hip hop is socialised with a poor poverty area. 

Yelawolf

Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known as Yelawolf, is an American hip hop recording artist from Gadsden, Alabama. Similar to the genre he does have a stage name similar to Chris Webby and mac miller.

This is one of Yelawolf's album covers. The first thing which shows me about the genre is the parental advisory sign in the right hand corner. This sign suggests that there is a variety of bad language in the songs contents. In rap songs there a usually a variety of bad language as this is what appeals to its target audience. However in our song there is not bad language so therefore we would not use this sign on our single cover. His name is at the top of the album cover at which he is adveritsing himself. This is highlighted by him being the centre of attention at which is ver similar to other album covers in the music industry. 

This is his website page at which again like all the other websites shown above advertises his latest music. Similar to mac miller he has also made his link to his iTunes page at which is a good source of income and attracts his audience to buy his music. The wolf image flows with his stage name and goes well with the background. Again his name is in the same font as his album cover and this is a good syngery as we feel as though our font will be the same along our album cover and website aswell. 

This is a photo of Yelawolf at which shows he has a unique style at which rappers all look to have individually. He is smoking in this photo at which in most photos above is quite common in the hip hop industry. 

Green Screen Drape

Another cool effect we found was featured in Wiz Khalifa's 'The Sleaze'. This effect is that a green screen is draped over an object, this can then be Ultra Keyed out to create the illusion that the object has video on it rather than being a normal object. Its hard to explain but watch the video. Look out for Wiz laying down on the podium.

Where Are U Now Frame Practice

Today we found out how to do the frame drawing effect i described in my last post. Connor did this by filming a clip in the green screen room, importing it to premier and adding a trippy background. Once i had exported the video, i opened it up in Photoshop. This allowed me to access individual frames. I then continued to use the 'brush tool' to draw on each frame. This was time consuming but if i were to implement onion skinning, i would be able to make a fluid effect. A looped version of about 30 frames is available to view below. This took around an hour for me to do which was time consuming but i feel the effect is worth it. I will hone my skills on this over the next few eeks and hop to use this effect in the music video.

Artist Logo & Font

Today we decided that we needed to choose a name for our artist at which connor is playing. This is something at which connor already decided was C.DOT. However as a group discussion we decided to try to find other names as C.DOT was used in his film opening last year. After pitching our own ideas as a group we decided that C.DOT was the best option. Our group discussion helped us to choose this name and this is a name at which we all liked.

Upon choosing to stick with this title, we continued to make a logo for the artist to use which would add to brand imaging. This can be seen below. I think this logo is effective due to the use of 3 different fonts, one for the 'C', one for the dot and one or the 'Dot'. I feel if this were to be placed on an album cover, website and music video, it would be recognizable. I made the image size huge meaning it would not lose quality. The 'C' is in the font 'Olde English' alon with the dot. The rest is in TopModern (TT).

This is font at which we will be using in to production of our music video.

Shooting Obstacles and How To Overcome Then

Our previous research and constant research as to the locations at which we are going to film our music video cause various obstacles. Some of the obstacles are listed below along with some ideas how we can overcome them.

1. As our locations are in London we must make sure that our locations which we want to film at are not obstructed, this is very difficult to judge as at different times of the day a location could become densely populated. Therefore to overcome this we must make sure that we get the correct footage and check before we leave an area. Filming in London is also quite far away as we would have to get the train and tube to specific locations. To make sure that we don't waste our time by charging the camera whilst we are there or forgetting equipment we will carry out a detailed shooting schedule as well as a props list to ensure that we do not make the mistake of having a low charge camera. By creating a props list it will ensure that we will be able to film the correct amount of footage on one day. 

2. Jake Wynne an editor who gave us a talk about the music video industry as an expert opinion. He asked us about our location and said that it will take some time to find the perfect location as it is busy and it is hard to get camera angles. Therefore whilst we are there we need to be relatively quick when filming and find the right times. Connor however has experienced the location in first hand at a place which he believes to be a good place to film and there is a little street which is not as busy as hake expected. Although to make sure we get the shots we want we will re watch them and make sure that are right before moving position as the footage may not be right the first time.

3. We must try to follow our annotated lyrics and storyboard as much as we can otherwise if we deviate onto anthor path our ideas could change dramatically and we could shoot footage at which may not be as effective as planned. To make sure we follow this we will take our storyboard with us on our shoot.

Steel-O-Matic

This is a Steel-O-Matic video, this is different music video's compiled into one from where different artists have used all types of effects in their videos. These are some of the effects that could possibly be used in our music video.

Risk Assessment

Today we created a shooting Risk Assessment for our trip to London on Monday 12th October. This identify what could go wrong and allows us to be more prepared incase something does go wrong. This also allows us to react in a responsible and calm manner if there is a situation.

Filming Day in London Evaluation

On Monday The 12th of October it was our first day of filming which was in London. We planned the day with a shooting schedule before hand and the day of filming would last from around 10am to 7pm. We went from the different locations to another which can be seen in a previous post where we planned the different locations we would be visiting. As an overall evaluation of the filming day in London it was a very successful day, we had everything organised and planned very well and all the equipment needed. Looking at the footage and the beginning of the editing we are very happy with the shots we have be able to get in London.

Filming Reflection

Today we decided as a group that we need to shoot in various positions so that we are prepared for our trip to London and when we go to Chelmsford Graffiti Wall. We tried a straight body shot and a low angle shot. Below is the result of the Practice shots. The song below is of the two verses and this video does not include the chorus as we felt as this is fast paced this is important that we get the two verses correct.



During editing I experienced this effect whilst using the green screen. Connor was watching whilst i did this and he throughly liked this effect. We then decided that with proper costumer on this effect could be really effective as it is quite abstract.

Shooting Schedule

Today we created a Shooting schedule and decided the dates at which we were filming so that we have enough time between each time to film and edit our shots at which we take. 

Props & Location List

Props and Location list to be filmed in London on the 13th October. This will be filmed in the day from 9am till 3pm. Other shots to be filmed before the 23rd of October.

Props

Camera with spare battery
Tripod
Lights
Green Screen
Many pairs of shoes
5 different outfits in total
Smoking utensil

Possible Locations

London:
Barbican
Vietnam Embassy
Soho
Shoreditch
Highbury & Islington

Other:
The Dome
Chelmsford Record Office

Possible shooting location outside of the Vietnam Embassy.

 

Parrallax Video

This is a parallax example which we created using the photo shoot that we previously shot. This is a possible affect that may be used in our video and is a good realistic idea that we wouldn't be able to shoot in real life.

Photoshoot

Me and Connor decided to do a photo shoot to get some photo's of C.DOT. This may be one of the outfits that C.DOT is to use in the music video so it was crucial that we got some photo's of him which can be used in the creation of the website and the digi-pack. Here are the 3 main photos we captured below.