Editing Audio

This is a screen shot of Alex and I editing the audio (Alex's song) on Garage Band. First we opened a 'New Project' and selected 'New Tracks' from the tracks menu in the toolbar on the left hand side. Then we clicked on the track and chose the setting, female vocals, and then we pressed the red recording button and Alex sang into the in-built microphone. To add loops you drag the selected loop into the timeline. On the left hand side you can adjust the track's volume and layer up different tracks. The 'Reverb' tool is on the right hand side; it's a slider tool which allows you to add depth to the vocals, as if the sound is reverberating off of the walls.

It was a simple programme to navigate and use; first we made sure the room we were recording in was sound proof, Alex then did some run throughs of the song to warm up her vocal cords, we then recorded her singing the song, and then layered on top of that a recording of her playing on her keyboard, we then embellished the track with extra recordings of instruments.

After we finished the actual editing of the track, we exported it and transferred it to my memory stick, which I then took to school and transferred the track to the iMac computer I am editing the music video on. So it was quite a quick and easy process, however I learnt how to utilise a new audio editing software which I had little experience on, so it was a valuable experience as it can also be used to do many other things such as voice overs.

Rough Soundtrack

This is the rough soundtrack for my music video; the song is called Against The Wind written and sung by Alex Williams. Alex recorded and produced it in Garage Band, she was inspired by aspiring artists who post their songs on YouTube, such as, Madilyn Bailey. Her music style is a mixture of Mumford and Sons nostalgia, and Colbie Caillat's dreamy vocals.

Constructing the song took a surprisingly short amount of time - I thought it would be a long and draining process. Luckily Alex had a clear idea of what she wanted the track to sound like, so I let her get on with it, but I still gave her advice and told her my opinions along the way.

When we finished recording the song we asked our sisters (aged 17 and 14 years old - who are within our target audience) and Alex's friends (15 years old - also within our target audience) if they would choose to listen to this song: they all said yes. One of Alex's friends downloaded it to her iTunes and (quote) 'has been listening to it on repeat!' This proves that we have created a song that will appeal to our target audience of 14 - 19 year old girls.

I've attached her song to my 'Practice shots music video' which originally had a Mumford and Sons song as the soundtrack, coincidentally the editing actually fits really well with Alex's song as well. However the software I used to create the music video, iMovie, has cut off the end instrumental of the song, so it isn't the complete version. We will have to investigate why this has happened and hopefully sort it out as we need the full song in an MP3 format so I can sync it with the finished music video.

Analysed Song Lyrics

These are the lyrics to Alex's song 'Against The Wind' which I have analysed (in red pen) to show the deeper meaning I wish to portray through the music video. The song is all about breaking free from the crowd, being yourself and not caring about what other people think of you. I think every teenager can relate to these lyrics as we all go through moments like these in our lives, so this song will appeal to the target audience of 14 - 19 year olds - particularly girls.

 

I have also written down some of my initial ideas for the music video (in green pen) which will illustrate or amplify the lyrics of the song (thus following Andrew Goodwin's music video theory). One of my main ideas is to film most of the shots in an outside location as the lyrics are constantly referencing nature (particularly birds).

 

Alex and I have taken on a collaborative working relationship for creating this music video as she wrote the song and is voicing her own views on what she wants to convey through the video which I am taking on board. Alex is my sister which is good as we both work well together, understand one another and listen to each others ideas, we also both have a very similar vision for the music video.

 

Representation

The stereotypical representation of teenage girls in the average music video is that they are self obsessed, vain, weak, desperate and are almost always singing about disasters in their love life (e.g. Taylor Swift). In a large percentage of music videos (particularly Rap, Hip Hop and R'n' B) women are portrayed as objects of sexual desire and lust which is conveyed through revealing costumes, provocative dance moves and suggestive lyrics, as seen in most Beyonce music videos. These adult themes also follow Goodwin's theory relating to features of voyerism through visual motifs such as mirrors and looking through windows. This style of music video isn't appropriate for young girls who tend to be the common demographic that watch them. These music videos have become an increasingly controversial topic as they don't contain ideal role models for impressionable girls to look up to and fuels the theory that children are growing up too fast and being sexualised in this modern day and age.

I would like my music video to go against both of these stereotypes by portraying the artist as a strong, independent and talented girl which would be subverting the stereotypical representation of teenage girls in society and the media. This independence will be conveyed through the lyrics of her song which will be amplified through the shot types that evoke authority and control (e.g. low angle shots). My music video will definately not contain a voyeristic approach as I think it's wrong to expose girls to inapropriate adult themes, and this style of music video would certainly not fit into the Indie genre. I have already seen through my genre research that most female Indie artists are displyed as care-free, fun, independent, and talented, which is the perfect role model for young girls in our modern society.

Taylor Swift

Kina Grannis

Beyonce

Chosen Singer/Songwriter Profile

My chosen artist is Alex Williams who is a 15 year old student, she enjoys playing the keyboard, guitar, and has a talent for singing. She writes her own songs and we are currently in the process of choosing a song for the music video. I chose Alex to be my artist as I admire the style of her songs; her lyrics are full of emotion and convey key events in her life, which I think would appeal to other teenage girls as they can relate to similar experiences that are depicted through Alex's lyrics. I also think there is a gap in the market for a young teenage girl who writes about the normal experiences of life.

I would like Alex to be represented as a strong and independent individual which will be illustrated through the shot types (e.g. low angle shot to evoke authority) and meaning of her lyrics. This will subvert the stereotypical representation of similar female artists such as, Taylor Swift, who are usually portrayed as self obsessed, vain and reliant on boys. 

Music Video: Style Research

This is a Prezi Presentation on existing music videos within my chosen genre of Indie Pop, which I would like my music video to be influenced by. I like these for a variety of different reasons; the unique style, location, creativity, mise en scene, editing or shot types featured. I have written a short analysis on each music video explaining what I like about them and how I could incorporate the features I like into my own music video.

Music Video: Style Inspiration on Prezi

Music video directors' profiles

Here is a Prezi Presentation about five eminent feature film directors who have cut their teeth on music videos.
I really admire Anton Corbijn's creative approach to film-making which is obvious through his colourful, eccentric and slightly unusual Nirvana music video. I also like Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer which was his first full length feature film, I would like to emulate the light hearted, quirky, indie style of this particular film.

Music video directors on Prezi