Work for Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th September
You'll be working from home in the first, third and fifth weeks of the music video project. This means using every available moment (within reason...) to prepare and to shoot your music video
THEMES
Your video must have a theme. It could be something very simple, like SADNESS or MANIA, it could be something a little more complicated like FEMALE EMPOWERMENT or POVERTY, or it could be something really deep, like THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC or MORTALITY. Basically you can do absolutely anything you want (as long as it's legal. Please don't do anything illegal)
Here's a short list of THEMES you could have your video focus on:
MISERY
ENERGY
ISOLATION
EMPOWERMENT
MOVEMENT
CONFUSION
ANGER
GENDER IDENTITY
FRIENDSHIP
CONFLICT
SURREALISM
VIOLENCE
POVERTY
SPORT
ENCODING THEMES and IDEOLOGIES
It's all well and good saying 'my video is about not being able to communicate with people'. But is it actually clear to people watching it? Is it clear to your teacher who is marking it?
Here are some examples of how you can encode THEMES and IDEOLOGIES in your music video. These are all just SUGGESTIONS and are not the only way to encode an ideology!
LONELINESS: If your video focuses on LONELINESS, DEPRESSION or something similar, you can encode this through bleak and depressing mise-en-scene, empty shots giving a sense of isolation, extreme longs shots, slow fades and gestures such as putting hands over faces
HAPPINESS: If your video focuses on YOUTH, ENERGY, HAPPINESS or similar, you could include fat -paced editing, a montage of close ups of smiling mouths, mise-en-scene of natural, positive imagery, and gestures and movement including dance routines
CONFIDENCE: If your video focuses on CONFIDENCE and EMPOWERMENT, you can encode this through confident gestures, movements, and choices of costume, daring and over-the-top makeup, using several performers in performance shots to demonstrate inclusion and popularity, direct mode of address (looking directly in to the camera), and garments made of leather or denim to symbolise fearlessness
IDEAS for striking shots
Extreme close up of an eye
Close up of water going down plug hole
Close up of cracks in paint
Panning establishing shot of large empty field
Establishing montage of performer: extreme long shot, followed by mid shot, followed by big close up (of face)
Lights shot out of focus
Over the top makeup and costume
Wires and cables
Solid colours
LINKS and RESOURCES
Instructions specifically for making a music video during lock-down