Critical Creative Reflection - Music Video
What’s up! You thought I would be done posting about my music video by now, right? Well, it is not the true end till a critical creative reflection has taken place. So take a look down below at my experience:
How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent social groups or issues?
To start, we used typical conventions of contemporary R&B music to better illustrate our music video. After analyzing various music videos as seen in my research blogs, Janiah and I had a good understanding of what makes a contemporary R&B music video. Our adaptation of “Young Dumb & Broke” used the documentary-style approach seen in Good Days by SZA and With You by AP Dhillon (both are songs we didn’t examine fully in a previous blog but skimmed over for general conventions). This meant using medium, eye-level, point-of-view, and tracking shots. This camera placement was significantly more used over any others even in music videos that didn’t follow the cinéma vérité style but belonged to the genre we studied. For example, Best Part by Daniel Caesar used a continuous tracking shot which stood out since it was a simplistic video but that interpersonal connection built from the camera moving allowed for tension in the audience. We wanted the same realistic approach to this video hence we used the most-used camera angles and shots in our music video. Moving on, lighting and color design were heavily important to reciprocate the mood in music videos of the genre. Given Janiah and I’s low-cost production budget we were unable to alter the lighting and color whilst filming so instead we applied a dark filter with a gray hue to give off a gloomy mood for the opening sequence. Last, ambient noise in the opening and ending of the music video was a common theme we saw. Originally we planned to include sounds of the ocean and in the library to give off this effect. As seen in the various production blogs we played around with this feature but in the end, used asmr-like diegetic sound in the opening sequence in the library. Once again adding to the raw story being depicted.
Moving on, this music video serves as a way to represent both social groups and issues prevalent in society. At its core, the video acts as a reminder to slow down as I have touched on in previous blogs. Seeing the target audience would be teenagers, the key message to them is to simply enjoy life by taking time to embrace each moment to ease the daily stress of being in high school. However, I wholeheartedly believe that the societal issue of mental health concerns of all age groups is intertwined with this message. Stress, anxiety, peer pressure, and depression are all very real and prevalent issues in our society that tax the lives of many. Showing how life can get better or how life shouldn’t be taken so seriously can awaken some individuals. For others, it serves as a reminder of how many people deal with these issues and how we [as a society] shouldn’t forget the hidden mental struggles one faces. Gearing back to the teenagers, this video also represents the social group of teenagers very well. Given the video is directed, filmed, and edited by teenagers the accurate representation of teens is justifiable. This music video helps expel the generally negative perception teenagers are given by showing how they are simple beings, just trying their best with what they are given. This representation of teens is a factor Janiah and I have been discussing throughout since we wanted to provide our introspective lens of being teenagers in this ever-evolving day-in-age.
How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?
As for how the music video engages with the audience, we took the initiative to include enticing elements. As previously mentioned the music video fits the genre’s conventions so individuals who like contemporary R&B music are already interested before the plot line thickens. In addition, our video utilizes storytelling to build an emotional connection with the main character played by Janiah. Anyone who has clicked on the video becomes invested in Janiah’s story and the components that make up her life. Individuals may even resonate with her story given the cultural relevance of her experience in society. Overall, this leads to a heightened sense of emotions and interest while watching the video. Audiences quickly become engaged with our music video due to these meticulous choices. But, we also engaged with our audience outside of the music video. We included a teaser-like element before releasing the music video to gain more attention. In the last blog, we announced the date and time of the music video release; A popular technique seen by most artists to build excitement within their fanbase and increase engagement with their audience. This way engagement with the audience could be even more significant.
Considering our music video to be distributed as a real piece of media, not much would change. We would use YouTube to release the music video. This is very typical of how professional music videos are released. Often the artist will release the audio segment on Spotify before posting the music video on YouTube. Oftentimes they use their large Instagram following to encourage and promote their audience to segway to YouTube to watch the music video. This way of doing things can be seen by Drake, SZA, Taylor Swift, and the list goes on. If I were to have a professional release I would follow this same technique. I would use Instagram as a way to promote the release of the music video and YouTube as the publishing platform.
How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
At the start of this project, I had some experience with the production process from the commercial project but this process was more hands-on allowing me to build that skill set exponentially. In total, the project allowed me to fully grasp the steps needed to have a successful project and the importance of each step along the way. Storyboarding, planning, and research are essential steps in producing that I feel are often undermined by filming and editing. Looking closer at storyboarding, learning to storyboard properly was a valuable experience I will be sure to use in all my coming projects. I will be frank, as I storyboarded with Janiah I did not understand its significance in the grand scheme of things which is why it wasn’t as detailed as I would’ve hoped looking back. With my newfound understanding of the critical role of each minor and major step in the production process, I feel more confident in my cinematography skills. As for filming, this project also served as my first directing experience. Since I filmed most scenes and/or guided Janiah on how to film I have become quite the expert on directing. Though I have plenty of room to improve. Something that I often forgot about was when I was filming I should give clear and direct instructions before filming instead of during the filming. This way any ambient noise is still usable. Directing has become a process I enjoy. Making my visions from the storyboard or those Janiah and I have adapted become real through visual formatting was extremely rewarding. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the director of my group from now onwards. I just need to work on making my hand a tad bit steadier if that's the case!
How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware, and online – in this project?
At last, the technological aids in my project were key to my success. To film the video, we decided to stick to using one device to keep the quality consistent. We used my iPhone 11 as the hardware to film since we didn’t have access to any camera and our budget didn’t allow for the purchase of one. Though the quality of the video may have been less than what it could’ve been, the lower quality of some clips helps portray the “broke” aspect of being a “Young dumb, and broke kid”. As for software, we primarily used CapCut given it is a free and easy-to-navigate app for novice editors such as myself. CapCut had all the features we needed such as filters, editing, clipping, and speeding up/down segments so the use of additional software for the bulk of editing wasn’t necessary. For our thumbnail, we used Adobe Express. Once again, it is a free and simple app that contains plenty of fonts and colors making it perfect for thumbnail creation. Given the limited and almost nonexistent budget, using free software and already-owned hardware made our production process more cost-effective. Notably, in the music video itself, a couple of hardware and software were featured — we used the hardware of an iPhone paired with AirPods and the Apple Music software to show music being played and a computer (hardware) and pinnacle, clever, and canvas (educational softwares used in many schools) to show Janiah’s character working on schoolwork.
Take a look here to view this information in a different way: Critical Creative Reflection - Music Video
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