Friday, 31 January 2014
24th January first week review
I have researched songs of a similar genre that I would like to do and compared the songs Beyonce- listen and Nina Simmone- Feeling good in my previous blogs that I did off timetable. After choosing the song feeling good. I have created a proposal of what I want to happen as well as props,costumes and who the cast will be.
In order to carry out my proposal and ideas, I researched the songs music video's by other artists of different and similar artists. I discovered Nina's characteristics and signature style to influence the music video. Her signature head wrap influenced other women to wear them in music videos. She had also written songs after events discriminating civil rights had been taken away. For example on bio true story it stated 'She wrote "Mississippi Goddam" in response to the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers and the Birmingham church bombing that killed four young African-American girls. After the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Simone penned "Why (The King of Love Is Dead)." She also wrote "Young, Gifted and Black," borrowing the title of a play by Hansberry, which became a popular anthem at the time.'(A+E Networks, 2014)
I started looking at prices of props and costumes needed such as dresses and musical instruments.
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Music videos I like
Music videos are often a representation of the artists lyrics either shown as a short film or is performance based. I personally prefer music videos that tell a story, as they explain and express the meaning behind the lyrics or what the lyrics mean to the artist. The music videos I've enjoyed the most are by artist Macklemore and Ryan Lewis as there's tell a story. The music video 'wings' I found particularly powerful, as it was inspriring yet had the emotions of loss, childhood, nievety etc. The music video had a child portraying macklemore inbetween clips of macklemore now, wearing the same shoes. This makes the lyrics and song much more powerful as he sings about his childhood it shows a realistic scene of him as a child, explaining the lyrics. It engages with the audience as the video is shown as macklemore telling the audience about a personal part of his life automatically making the music video more interseting to watch, especially for fans.
Even though the lyrics are about a simple topic of nike shoes and how it defines you, the music video brings it to life as it tells a story of how it changed the artists life, and the allows the audience to vislise the effects it had on him as a child Instead of just listening to it.
The black and white shots used added authenticy to the video as well as the song not starting straight away, allowing th scene to be set first, grabbing the audiences attention. It also changes shots in time with the beat of the music. As the song moves along so does the story/visuals.This technique makes the visuals more powerful, I would like to use some of these techniques in my music video.
Even though the lyrics are about a simple topic of nike shoes and how it defines you, the music video brings it to life as it tells a story of how it changed the artists life, and the allows the audience to vislise the effects it had on him as a child Instead of just listening to it.
The black and white shots used added authenticy to the video as well as the song not starting straight away, allowing th scene to be set first, grabbing the audiences attention. It also changes shots in time with the beat of the music. As the song moves along so does the story/visuals.This technique makes the visuals more powerful, I would like to use some of these techniques in my music video.
song options for my music video
Two songs I've picked to possibly make music videos for:
Nina Simmone- Feeling good
Her version of the song was released in 1965 and hasn't got a music video however other artists such as Muse and Michael Buble have produced music videos of there own versions of this song.
Nina Simmone's song has the sub genres of show tune, jazz and blues and lasts for 2 minutes 53 seconds.
When I listen to the song, I imagine the beginning clip in black and white of a black woman in a white dress outside, only showing shots of her hand touching the walls or her lips. This sets the scene before the song plays and she sings 'birds in the sky you know how I feel' a clip of birds in the sky in black and white is shown then she sings. 'Sun in the sky, you know how I feel' and clip of the sun is shown. She continues singing as it films close ups of her, rarely showing her whole face in one clip. Before the beat starts after 'i'm feeling good' she opens some doors. This cuts to a clip in colour of her on a stage/studio in a black dress singing with a microphone, as the band plays behind her. For the rest of the song I imagine it switches from the black and white scene of her walking and dancing up some stairs whilst romancing with gentleman on her way, offering her flowers etc. Cutting to the scene in colour of her on stage with close ups of the band and instruments being played. As she sings the lyrics in both scenes.
Another song choice I was thinking of doing for my music video is Listen by Beyonce from the film Dream girls. This is a similar theme to the song above of glamorous dresses and the genre of soul and R&B. This song lasts for 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
Two music videos have been made from this song, the first one is of a vogue shoot this was of the artist singing into the camera whilst showing clips of her character in dream girls doing a photo shoot. I find this version shows more of the R&B genre as it has Beyonce singing into the camera in a black T shirt, differing from the period the film is set in, modernising the song.
The second one is the clip from Dream girls which I prefer the most out of the two, as it is more story based. The character Beyonce plays is in the recording studio as she sings the song, aiming at the man sitting in front of her, automatically making the lyrics more meaningful rather than in the first one as there isn't a character or person to direct the message of the song towards. It also shows clips of her becoming an independent woman and not letting the man we saw in the recording studio control her and exclude her feelings and thoughts.
I imagine the music video for her song to start off with a woman sat near a window, looking outside with tears in her eyes, then the starts singing.. 'listen, to the song here in my heart'.. as she sings clips are shown in between of her performing and eventually being offered a place to act abroad on a project, it shows her clips of her trying several times to tell her partner of this opportunity but he tells her she isn't good enough etc. He tells her it's best to stay here, as he gets lots of attention from his footballing career he doesn't want her to get attention too, she does what he says at first. Then 3/4 way through the clip she packs her bags and leaves the place they was living together(the same place where she sings from the window) she starts her dream of becoming an actress in L.A and as the song finishes a clip is shown of her ex partner seeing a billboard from the window she sang from crying of her in a big film.
Nina Simmone- Feeling good
Her version of the song was released in 1965 and hasn't got a music video however other artists such as Muse and Michael Buble have produced music videos of there own versions of this song.
Nina Simmone's song has the sub genres of show tune, jazz and blues and lasts for 2 minutes 53 seconds.
When I listen to the song, I imagine the beginning clip in black and white of a black woman in a white dress outside, only showing shots of her hand touching the walls or her lips. This sets the scene before the song plays and she sings 'birds in the sky you know how I feel' a clip of birds in the sky in black and white is shown then she sings. 'Sun in the sky, you know how I feel' and clip of the sun is shown. She continues singing as it films close ups of her, rarely showing her whole face in one clip. Before the beat starts after 'i'm feeling good' she opens some doors. This cuts to a clip in colour of her on a stage/studio in a black dress singing with a microphone, as the band plays behind her. For the rest of the song I imagine it switches from the black and white scene of her walking and dancing up some stairs whilst romancing with gentleman on her way, offering her flowers etc. Cutting to the scene in colour of her on stage with close ups of the band and instruments being played. As she sings the lyrics in both scenes.
Another song choice I was thinking of doing for my music video is Listen by Beyonce from the film Dream girls. This is a similar theme to the song above of glamorous dresses and the genre of soul and R&B. This song lasts for 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
Two music videos have been made from this song, the first one is of a vogue shoot this was of the artist singing into the camera whilst showing clips of her character in dream girls doing a photo shoot. I find this version shows more of the R&B genre as it has Beyonce singing into the camera in a black T shirt, differing from the period the film is set in, modernising the song.
The second one is the clip from Dream girls which I prefer the most out of the two, as it is more story based. The character Beyonce plays is in the recording studio as she sings the song, aiming at the man sitting in front of her, automatically making the lyrics more meaningful rather than in the first one as there isn't a character or person to direct the message of the song towards. It also shows clips of her becoming an independent woman and not letting the man we saw in the recording studio control her and exclude her feelings and thoughts.
I imagine the music video for her song to start off with a woman sat near a window, looking outside with tears in her eyes, then the starts singing.. 'listen, to the song here in my heart'.. as she sings clips are shown in between of her performing and eventually being offered a place to act abroad on a project, it shows her clips of her trying several times to tell her partner of this opportunity but he tells her she isn't good enough etc. He tells her it's best to stay here, as he gets lots of attention from his footballing career he doesn't want her to get attention too, she does what he says at first. Then 3/4 way through the clip she packs her bags and leaves the place they was living together(the same place where she sings from the window) she starts her dream of becoming an actress in L.A and as the song finishes a clip is shown of her ex partner seeing a billboard from the window she sang from crying of her in a big film.
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