Class Discussion continued

On Monday we continued the group discussion from my previous post. During this I was able to tell everybody my ideas and receive valuable input for my project. 

Problems:

1. How to not make Alan look like a show off in the video.

In No GTA, Alan raps about different things like girls and money. My main conflict with all of this was to not make Alan look like a show off. I felt that by doing this my video would deliver a different message overall as well as give Alan a more envious image. 

2. How to show his character

Rap has always been a genre of personality. Whether you started in the 80’s or are just starting now like Alan, your career will be guided by two things: personality and lyricism, or personality or lyricism. 

Cardi B serves as an example of artists that lead their career through personality. Although her music is heard on the radio, it’s not too frequently talked about. She makes appearances on talk shows and has achieved more success through the development of her personality than through her music. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPVjHxXvJM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWIJfhfLKLE

Eminem serves as an example of artists who lead their career through both of these aspects. Eminem established himself as one of the best lyricists rap has seen. Although it is not the same now, young Eminem developed a crazy, all in your face personality through which he showed freedom of thought and action, and in which he showed his determination. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNPnbI1arSE

J Cole serves as an example of  artists who lead their career through lyricism rather than personality. Out of his five studio albums, his last two have gone platinum and a third went double platinum with no features. He works to inspire the future generation of rappers through his lyrics rather than a wealthy lifestyle or crazy personality.  Apart from touring after every new album, J Cole does not appear on talk shows or interviews unless they are self produced. He keeps his life very private and strives to build on his name and reputation through his lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5slZHLSnow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNlQU-7y9Fo

My main problem is that I don’t think Alan’s personality matches his lyrics. This makes it difficult for me to understand how to portray him in the video and question whether extra elements need to be brought in. 

3. How to not make it repetitive. 

At the moment my video consists mainly of two things: Cars and a party. My problem with this is that the music video will look too repetitive.To fix this I was planning on adding different scenes and locations. 

Advice/Solutions:

1. Showing off is alright (to an extent). Alan is a rapper, showing off through his lyrics doesn’t go completely off the tracks regarding genre conventions. Having received this advice I realized the advantages of taking that style for the video. By “showing off” I can be more creative with my cinematography to really show the lifestyle that Alan tries to portray through his lyrics. 

2. I find that Alan focuses on his lyricism and his personality. Although his lyricism is solid, he hasn't been able to fully develop his personality. To fix this my classmates said to add different elements to the video. This includes things like a color scheme, extra actors, or developing a storyline. 

I do not like storylines in music videos so I decided to scratch that. I really like the idea of following a specific color scheme. This concept aids in developing my theme as well as in cinematography. Knowing what the primary colors of my video will be can help me in figuring out lighting and other elements. (I will make a blog post about choosing the color scheme for No GTA’s video, website, and digipak.)

3. My video needs to have some sort of purpose. Once I completely understand the purpose of this video I will have a better idea of the shots I have to get as well as the elements that have to be brought in. One of my classmates said that I should include the actual GTA video game in the music video. I really liked this idea and put more thought into it. I would add a scene at the beginning of the video in which two people are playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I would establish that Alan is in the game. This helps establish what is really happening and gives me more reason to show off in the video.

This was a very helpful discussion. I now understand what I have to do to have a complete understanding of the direction my project is taking. 

Class Discussion

Following the discussion we had in class on Thursday, I decided to take everything my classmates were saying into consideration regarding my project. I received input for my music video more than anything else mainly because everyone else is doing film or documentary projects. These are the main things I kept in mind after this discussion:

Mise En Scene elements

Elements like lighting and proper set design are very important. After hearing about this I found a few things I had not taken into consideration when previously planning. 

• The lighting in the Art Basel at LIV video is a part of why parties like that look so intriguing. To make the party scenes in my music video just as intriguing I have to figure out how to set up proper lighting around the house and what colors work best. 
• I need to properly design my set to fit the rap genre’s conventions. Music videos like DaBaby’s Bop include many extras rather than only DaBaby. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28hYUZMufDg

DaBaby - Bop

Although the party scene of this video includes many people at a party, I’m thinking about bringing Alan’s closest friends into the car scenes whether it be inside the car or stationary shots.

Inspiration

During the discussion some people recommended different shows or documentaries to watch. This made me dig deeper into music videos of the genre. I decided to look into new and old rap music videos:
A Tribe Called Quest - Buggin Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxN4nKk2cfk

This is a very playful music video that uses lighting and colors to enhance the fun energy that it has. This video constantly uses closeups to capture the Phife Dawg and Q-Tip’s funny faces. Although I would not make Alan look funny in his music video I could use close ups and his facial expressions to aid in how his rapper persona is portrayed. 

Arcangel- Me acostumbre & The Pharcyde- Drop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqVsfGQ_1SU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKKeqlBQ3Js

Both of these videos show how rap music videos have evolved. Many shots in Me Acostumbre rely on steadicam/gimbal operation while Drop was shot entirely on a steadicam. Having seen these two music videos I decided that most of my video will consist of gimbal shots.

Having seen these videos I came to the conclusion that I can blend these elements together to fit the conventions of the entire rap genre and not just a part of it. 

Project Schedule

Hello!

Below is the schedule for how I will complete my project. Keep in mind that this is sorted by Pre production, production, and post production. Scheduling for things could change if things do not go according to plan. 

Pre Production

February

23-29

1. Finish planning music video
2. Begin website

Production

March 1-14

1. Shoot music video
2. Continue making website 
3. Digipack photoshoot

Post Production

March 15-29

1. Edit Music Video 
2. Edit Digipack
3. Wrap up website

March 22- April 11

1. Show project to peers 
2. Request critique 
3. Make final changes based upon critiques. 

April 12

1. Turn in project

Brainstorming

Hello!

In this blog I will be going deeper into my initial ideas for Lil Tru’s No GTA music video. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-248054651/lil-tru-no-gta

As I mentioned in the previous blog, No GTA is a very fast paced song. Alan raps very quickly over this beat and gives off an energetic feeling that keeps the listener hooked.  After listening many times I realized that to keep the viewer engaged I would have to make the video just as fast paced as the song. This meant finding components that would fit the style that the song takes. I believe that using the following three components will help me achieve this goal:

1. Cars

The component of cars in this video is essential to be able to match the pace of the music. My idea regarding cars in this video was to base one of the shoots around a fast car. This would include shots of the car going being driven fast down a highway or down a regular road. By simply driving the car I can film a variety of shots like some close-ups of Alan driving and rapping and the car by itself on the road. Other than shots of Alan driving, there are many other ways in which Alan can be shown around a car. An example is a shot of Alan performing in front of a car with his friends surrounding him. This would be used as my A-roll for the car portion of the video, and can definitely be a transitional element into the scene that follows. I have taken inspiration from a few different music videos that provide similar visuals to the ones I would like to shoot.

The Weeknd- Blinding Lights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

Bad Bunny- Vete

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5aDUB1NCnk

Migos- Motorsport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v_rtaye2yY

2. Motion

The component of motion in this music video is very important. The use of constant motion throughout the music video not only aids in keeping the viewer engaged, but it gives the video the same fast paced feeling that the song has. The Weeknd recently used this technique in his Blinding Lights music video, using quick shots with motion in them to add to the madness in the video. Some ideas that I had for this video regarding motion were close ups with quick motion in them. These shots not only add to the energy of the video but they serve as good transitional elements and B roll.

The Weeknd- Blinding Lights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ

3. Party

In order for the video to be engaging and not drag on with the same visuals, I believe it is important to switch the scenery. Moving from cars to a party works well because it keeps the same energy and provides new visuals that keep the viewer hooked. My idea for this was to throw a fake party at my house and film Alan and other people as if they were at a real party. This would include B roll of people dancing and having fun at the party as well as Alan by himself, with friends and with girls. While the first part of the video is very centered on Alan, the party scenes revolve much more around him and his closest friends that have helped him achieve his goals. For inspiration regarding cinematography and set design I have turned to Dave Grutman, owner of LIV and many other clubs. If there is anybody that knows how to make a party look good it’s him. 

LIV Miami- Art Basel 2019 at LIV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpPeNy4ftfg

I know I want to be there.

I strongly believe that if I use these three components in my music video everything will fit together well and will look good. I’m super excited to continue planning and further developing these ideas.

Options

Welcome back!

For my A Level portfolio project I have decided to tackle the music promotion project. I am very excited to announce that I will be working with rapper Alan Trujillo also known as Lil Tru. Alan is a senior at Cypress Bay who began developing his rap career in mid 2019. He mainly uses Soundcloud to distribute his music and has become an icon among the Cypress Bay class of 2020 and some of Broward having reached up to 30 Thousand streams on one of his songs. 

My original plan for the music video portion of the project was to use two songs in one video. After speaking to Mrs. Stoklosa I found out that I was limited to only one song. Having listened to all of Alan’s work on soundcloud, I narrowed my list of songs for the music video down to 3. I believe that these are his best three songs so far and I have been able to come up with ideas for each one, but some I have been able to develop more than others. I have attached the link to each song. 

Woah Woah / 30.2K Streams: https://soundcloud.com/user-248054651/lil-tru-woah-woahx

Woah Woah featured Alan rapping over a generic rap beat. I found that the song could have potential to become a music video due to the amount of streams it received. Having 30.2 Thousand streams, the music video would have potential to match the song's numbers. Woah Woah is a song that enjoy listening to, but it is difficult to come up with ideas for its music video. While listening to it I visualize nighttime shots in a city, but not much more than that. I don't think the song has enough versatility to transform it into a music video. Turning this song into a music video could be powerful on the marketing end, however it does not exactly match the style that I want the final product to have. 

Long Time / 1.3K Streams: https://soundcloud.com/user-248054651/tru-long-time-mixedby-melli

Long Time was a  took a similar style to Ugly God's Back to the Basics from his Sophomore record Bumps & Bruises. This song was mainly led by hi-hats and included the use of ad libs, a technique that has been used more recently by artists like Ugly God and Migos. I found this song to be more laid back and slow. Given that, the ideas that I had for this were very different from the other two songs. For Long Time i had imagined something that took A$AP Rocky’s style, particularly projects like A$AP Forever or L$D. This song gives off a more relaxed vibe, so I had pictured the use of different colors, aesthetic scenery, and effect led by cinematography. Alan has good flow and lyricism throughout the song but similar to Woah Woah, it was not the style that I wanted to take for my final product. 

A$AP Rocky- L$D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEG2VTHS9yg

A$AP Rocky- A$AP Forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNzc6hG3yN4

No GTA / 702 Streams: https://soundcloud.com/user-248054651/lil-tru-no-gta

No GTA is a very fast and straightforward song. I found that while listening to this song I was able to come up with more ideas and really develop them. Although the track uses somewhat controversial lyricism, it is easy to cover it up and make it subtle with the use of visuals. While brainstorming for this video the thought of cars constantly came to me. Personally I liked this song and thought it was unique song of his to turn into a music video. The idea for this definitely needs to be further developed, but I believe if it is done correctly it will result in a good screen debut for Lil Tru.

MARKETING!

The marketing project was difficult.

Right off the bat this was a project that intimidated me. However I felt confident in my group because we were each good in specific aspects of the project. Gustavo planned events to promote the census, Valentina made print pieces for our campaign, and I made the videos. For our campaign we researched the 2010 Census campaigns for New York City and Boca Raton. To be able to reach out to large groups of people we wanted inspiration from the New York City census. Knowing this was such a large city, we had to research places like Boca Raton to understand how we could take inspiration from New York’s campaign and distribute it the way it was done in a smaller city like Boca Raton. The goal of our advertising was to 1) bring people together and 2) inform the community about the upcoming census. I think both of these went hand in hand with each other. Our Census Night/Noche Del Censo really does a good job in bringing people together to inform them about the census. Another way we went about promoting was through videos. Each video covered a different topic of how the census could affect weston. The first video covered education and the second one covered quality of living in Weston. 

I think this project is really going to help me with my portfolio project. This project has definitely taught me how to choose what my short film will be about. I concluded it is best to choose a target audience and find what that audience is interested in. The marketing project also taught me how to take a big idea and adjust it to something small. This means if I were to have an idea for a large scale production I could dial it down and still make it work knowing the real circumstances I’m working with. 

Although this project will help me in my portfolio project, it is also scaring me. I am very strong on the cinematography and editing side of film. As for writing and coming up with meaningful stories, not so much. Knowing that I only have myself for this project, it scares me that I can only rely on myself. Unlike being in a group, I have to come up with the idea, I have to write it, and I will gladly shoot and edit it.  I am excited to see the influence that this project has on my final piece. 

Until the next blog.

NEW DECADE NEW BLOG

Welcome back to the blog! 2020 A Level edition!

I only have one semester left until I graduate! Since my last post, I have moved on to A level media studies, a class that really seemed like a challenge, but one that I was very excited to face. I was scared about a few different things going into the A level class. Knowing this was a more serious class that I would have to prioritize, I was skeptical about how prepared I was for this. I had heard about many of the projects that are assigned in the class, and I had a moment of intimidation where I asked myself, "Am I capable of doing this?" 

In the last semester, I have realized that I am more capable of putting pieces of work together than I thought. 

There were a few differences that I found between AS and A level. I find that every lesson taught in AS level set the foundation for projects that we have been assigned in A level.  AS level projects are the training wheels for A level projects. An example of this was our marketing project. In AS level our music industry project focused on making a marketing campaign for a made up artist. Through experience gained in this project, I was able to help make a marketing campaign for the city of weston census in A level. Another project that serves as an example is my film opening. Having made that, I now have the experience on and off the set to put together a five minute film and advertise it for my final project. Having had restrictions on most of the projects we did last year, I really enjoy that we are given so much creative freedom. Although coming up with ideas can be hard for me sometimes, it is helpful that I can choose which way to go with my projects rather than having to adjust to it like I did in A level. 

This is one of the classes that I have enjoyed the most in high school. It has taught me so much and I am very excited to finish the rest of the year in A level strong.