Hello! Welcome to my A2 Media Studies Blog. You will find texts, videos, podcasts and pictures on this blog that all contribute towards my final A-Level grade. Enjoy!
All of the digipaks I have researched all inter-connect their panels for continuity either through a colour scheme or through pictures. What I have learnt from this is that I need to make sure that my DVD cover links with my video through a particular theme derived from the video. This will ensure that it is as professional as it can be and therefore like a real media product.
Yesterday I managed to complete all filming. I concentrated on getting some shots of Imogen looking younger as those shots will be used int he flashbacks when the character was a young girl. I wanted to include flashback shots to try and explain to the audience how troubled the character is and just how young she was when the problems started. I manged to get a high angle shot of Imogen sat down on a motor way bridge, a medium shot of her running from the camera, and more close-ups of her face which I may use as well. Before I filmed, I searched images on google for the type of shots I wanted to get:
Last week I made a questionnaire asking people aged 18-24 what their favourite music genre was. I then condensed the results into a pie chart:
Pie Chart showing favourite music genre of people aged 18-24
As you can see, alternative, pop and hip hop were most popular. This would mean that as ill Manors is categorised as hip hop, soul and pop/rap, my targeted audience would be 18-24 as it is most popular. Plan B started off as a very niche artist who has developed and grown within the last few years. I still don't feel he is completely mainstream though, as the views and subjects of his songs are controversial and could be classed as niche. As for the song 'Michelle', I would definitely class it within the niche genre. Another reason as to why I would my video would be targeted for 18-24 year olds is because is is taken from 'ill Manors' which is certificate 18. The themes explored within the film are drugs, violence, crime, exploitation, prostitution, sex and gang culture. I would definitly agree that people aged 18 and over could truly understand the video and therefore relate to it in some shape or form, however people over 24 years old could still enjoy this type of video, but it could just be a lesser majority than those younger. Today, drugs are very prominent within society, as well as gang culture and violence which means people can identify with the video in some way. An example of the crime today would be the London Riots in 2011.
Today I watched 'ill Manors' which is where my song 'Michelle' is featured. Directed by Ben Drew (Plan B) I found it really helpful in terms of gaining inspiration for my music video.
Dark lighting- ominous
Skimpy clothing- energetic shot, wanting to escape
Close up of face, shows cuts and bruises, could be a shot to show her determination in wanting to change- looking to the future
Above are pictures of the actual character of 'Michelle' in ill Manors. This is who I am basing my actress Imogen on and feel I have fitted the brief well in terms of costume and make up. What I gained from watching this film and actually seeing the character were the effects of simple camera shots to convey raw emotion. I want to portray an angry and broken girl who is seeking independence and freedom, whereas in ill Manors, Michelle is heavily prostituted and is involved with lots of hard drugs which is quite difficult to watch at times. Overall, I found watching this film inspired me to really think about the character I want to portray, and to plan ahead the types of shots and angles I want, as in the film, less is more.
Ill Manors
Ill Manors is a low budget British crime drama film which was written and directed by Plan B (Ben Drew). The film was produced by Atif Ghani, it features Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Keith Coggins, Lee Allen, Nick Sagar, Ryan De La Cruz, Ahouska Mond and Nathalie Press. The film was distributed by Revolver Entertainment and three studio's called Film London Microwave, BBC Films, and Aimimage. Ill Manors was released on the 6th June 2012, a budget of £100,000, which raised to £453,570 in the UK box office. The film is set in Forest Gate, London which focuses on the lives of eight characters mentioned above, the director Plan B (Ben Drew) has six original songs which connects with the narrative of the film.
Plan B's soundtrack album was recorded during 2011-2012 in the UK at Edge recording studio and the Sanctuary, the album was released after the film 'Ill Manors' on the 23rd July 2012. The producer of the album include Plan B, Al Shux, Eric Appapoulay, David McEwan, 16 Bit, Labrinth and Saul Milton. Some of the recordings were featured in the film which were called Ill Manors, Lost My Way, Deepest Shame and Playing With Fire. The album had debuted at number one in the UK album charts and received positive reviews by critics which promoted the actual film too.
After filming last week, I feel really pleased with the stage I am at. My aim is to have finished filming by the end of January, and then to start editing straight after. Looking at the filming I have done, next time I would like to:
Get some more shots of Imogen upset (close up/long shot)
More urban shots (cluaustraphobia/cramped/busy/unsafe)
Earlier on today I completed my first session of filming. I was really pleased with how it went. I managed to get a variety of shots, including some setting shots to add to the atmosphere. In terms of shots of Imogen, I got some extreme close ups and long distance as well as some panning. I was really happy with Imy's costume and overall look for the filming. Below are some pictures of what she looked like. I wanted to portay a girl who was obviously troubled and involved with the wrong sort of people. Therefore, in terms of her costume, I didn't want her to look very 'cared for' or 'nice' because I feel a more revealing outfit would be much more effective for the kind of concept I want to portray.
Dark eye shadow and red lips- provocative/striking
Hoop earrings, messy hair
Ripped tights and frayed mini denim shorts
Low cut top with necklace, tight tank top, leather jacket
I wanted to create a character who was clearly troubled, but could be recognised as a girl who once was beautiful but has turned to drugs and a bad life to escape from her reality. The leather jackets adds an edge to the outfit, whilst the tight low cut vest top emphasises her intentions and way of life with men. The dark eye shadow adds to the edgy look as well as the bright lips. The hoop earrings and ripped shorts and tights give the outfit a slight cheap and rough look which is perfect for the character I want to portray in this video. I also kept the hair messy and natural to add to her care-free, hostile lifestyle.
I have been thinking about the order of events I would like my video to go in as well as the overall concept of the filming. I want to show the extent to which the character's past has affected her future, but also include flashbacks to hint to the audience what she has gone through in order to end up how she is.
Opening shot
-Character walking towards camera, emotion in face
-Close up of face (heavy eye make up)
When she is walking to the camera, I would like to see if I could slow it down during editing, therefore placing it in a slower motion. This could be effective and add to the eeriness that is presented from the start by the opening music.
Flash back shot
-Character running away from camera
-Dressed in 'younger attire' (hair tied up, more covered up etc, no make up)
The concept of this flash back would be to show the vulnerable little girl that went through the trauma and has therefore ended up going off the rails and down the path of crime and drugs. As it shows she is running away, it adds a sense of drama and mystery as the audience don't know who/what she is running away from, t could be metaphorical but I would like the audience to think about it as it makes it more interesting and dramatic. Ideally I would like to cross fade this shot into another shot, when the lyrics "Back in the day, sexually abused as a child..." are being said.
Middle
-Shots of her anger/upset
-Slow motion shots of smashing bottles, kicking/punching wall
I would like to show her anger at its' peak, but then her vulnerability afterwards to portray the true 'Michelle'. It will also look very effective if shot correctly.
Ending
-More flash back shots intertwined with current shots to show the juxtapositioning between her past and future.
-Perhaps another close up of face (striking, creates a lasting image with the audience)
I don't want to have a typical 'happy' ending as such because I feel it would be too generic and could take the meaning and effect off the shots before of her trouble. However, I would quite like to portray an ending that shows promise/potential hope. I thought about perhaps filming the character running from the camera and taking off various pieces of clothing to show how she is going back to her roots and maybe trying to start again.
In order to help me, as well as watching 'ill Manors', I also watched a short interview with the actress that plays Michelle in the film to further my research and inspiration. You can watch the video below:
