Friday, 18 November 2016

Being the examiner

Today was a very interesting lesson where I was able to experience being the examiner of a music video. In class we watched a couple of different music videos created by students in the past couple of years in media studies and we rated the videos ourselves, discussing what the best aspects of the music videos were and which parts could have been improved.

The scoring was based on four levels:
Level 1: 0-14
Level 2: 15-23
Level 3: 24-31
Level 4: 32-40

This is the A2 mark scheme for level 4 (the highest mark band) for the music videos:
This was a beneficial task for myself as I was able to see what the examiner really looks for in music videos. As this is the main aspect of my media coursework, what better way to prepare for it than to look at previous peoples work so, that I can get a real idea of what the video needs to be like. Obviously my video will be very different as I will have a different genre, characters, setting, song etc, but these will help me identify what key features and skills I need to include in the creation of the video to help me achieve the grade I am aiming for.


The first video is shown below. 



This video was scored 38/40, a very strong A grade. The best aspects of this was the range of shots including great transitions especially between the shots of the band and the references within the name and the location of some of the shots, which shows deep thought was put into the planning of the video and the mis-en-scene also adds to this effect. The only parts which let it down was the length of the video, it dragged towards the end and can lead to the audience becoming dis-interested and the pulled focus was sometimes a little awkward.



The second video was not scored as highly but reached the higher end of level 3 with 28/40. This music video had a much smaller variety of shots but the narrative of the story was very effective with good shots flicking back to a burning picture. However, the shots were very repetitive and the lip syncing was very off which made the video look very amateur. Also, the choice of lighting and clothing was not chosen very wisely as the 'character/artist' blended into the wall and was very unclear to see in some shots.
The best aspects of this video were the camera work which was very steady and the framing was generally good throughout, although there were some focus issues. They pay attention to mis-en-scene and the material is appropriate with a clear understanding of the conventions.





The third video was scored in between the first two with 32/40. The music video has moments of excellence - some framing, mis-en-scene throughout, but is generally consistently high proficient. There are some issues around focus, the rythym of the editing and the use of lip syncing is very minimal which keeps the piece on borderline level 3 and 4 but overall they have incorporated a wide range of shots, the video looks very professional, original and it is clear a lot of effort has gone into it.

From this task, I have gained knowledge on what looks best in music videos, what to keep a close eye on when filming and editing and I have learnt how important the mis-en-scene is in a video to ensure it looks professional and appropriate with the genre type you are using. I think editing is key for a good music video to show off your skills, it okay having a wide variety of camera shots but it's essential to put them together in a suitable way by using the correct and suitable transitions and effects. One KEY thing I have taken from this task is to take multiple takes of each shot to allow me to make the lip syncing as best as possible.
 

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