Planning Cinematography

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Analysis of Cinematography 

Camera angles must be considered and planned out carefully during producing the storyboard, this enables us to make sure that the video with editing will be continuous. Camera angles are important in music videos and have different connotations depending on each shot. With our music video we are planning to use varied shots ranging from establishing shots to familiarise the audience with their surroundings to shot reverse shots in order to portray and connect two characters, evoking their relationship status or problems again engaging the audience with their emotions, showing a swap in perspective, making the audience aware of each characters feelings but also developing a perspective in which the audience have an insight into further emotions, and are aware of their feelings or mental state.

Our music video will consist of varied camera angles

Close ups will be used, these are popular throughout all music videos but especially mainstream music videos such as pop/RnB genres. Close ups are used in order to develop a relationship between the artist and audience. We want to be able to see the artists facial expressions, and singing which further connects the audience to the lyrics as you watch them mime.



Extreme Close Ups 
Extreme close ups focus on a specific area, as if zoomed, this usually focuses on the facial features of an artist or area to draw attention to movement. This is often used in pop music videos, to express and intensify emotions. Extreme close ups are commonly used on the lips, this can simply add focus on the lyrics through the movement of the lips  miming. However extreme close ups emphasise intimacy, particularly on the lips, a pop artist that often has this feature throughout her music video is Jessie J. An extreme close up on the eyes can also intensify and reveal emotions such as anger or seriousness. This can also emphasise the notion of looking as a extreme close up of the eyes followed by identifying what they are looking at, perhaps a characters body develops and indicates a sexual desire/ viewing characters as sexual symbols.This is specifically used throughout male artists music videos such as Pitbull or Flo-rida as they exploit the female body. Rihanna uses extreme close ups in her video to develop similar characteristics, exploiting herself, they are very common in pop music videos.

Establishing shot

An establishing shot sets up the context of a scene, opening and engaging the audience as it develops an understanding of where the scene takes place. This is often used at the beginning to introduce the setting and open a music video. It is often used in narrative based music videos and can create the effect of a mini film, by including similar features such as this. Above is a screen shot of Paloma Faith's 'Picking up the pieces' music video, which opens with an establishing shot, it also is successful in creating and setting an atmosphere, as it looks deserted connoting  feeling of abandonment.

We have also planned to use establising shots during our music video to familiarise the audience with the location. It will hopefully enable us to show a passing of time through people going about their everyday life, we chose escalators as they are always busy and reveal people returning and leaving. This should portray and add a slight focus on voyeurism, as we are watching, the camera situates the audience in the artists position as if we are there watching and the camera is therefore our point of view.  We are searching for the right person, applying Goodwins theory as 'Where have you been' would be associated with searching for someone.

We have planned a high angle shot on the escalator similar to this image. High angle shots are employed to make characters appear insignificant, weak, scared or powerless and belittled as the camera towers over the character, developing a point of view from another character or from the item/object they are looking up at. High angles are generally used in horror films in order to identify the vulnerability of the fearful character. It is also used to highlight authority and lack of it. Music videos rarely use high angles to express and show the character as most music videos want to show their artists as dominant,  superior to the average person. This would also contradict their personas as they want to be viewed as confident. High angles are probably more likely to be used in narrative based music videos when showing a story, this might be relevant in music videos based with a theme of heartbreak or a drug related theme to emphasise a lack of well being, feeling worthlessness, reflecting their state of mind.  

High angles could be used in a dance genre music video as it allows a clear image/shot of people dancing/raving in a nightclub, which is atmospheric as you feel included in this shot. This is not used to create isolation or insignificance but to highlight everybody together having a good time and enjoying the music, allowing us an insight into this type of lifestyle. 

This could be used in our music video if we were to show a club scene, or if we wanted to represent ourselves as distraught or defeated in 'searching for someone', as we cannot get what we want. 

Low angled shots on the other hand create a contrasting view, depicting the character as superior as the camera looks up the them, this makes us feel weak where as the high camera angle makes us as the audience feel superior. Low angle shots are often used in the rap music genre as this develops the stereotypical powerful dominant personas they are trying to convey, their strong characteristics are emphasised by body language and hand gestures to engage with the music, connecting lyrics with visuals. This allows emotions such as frustration and aggression to be understood and exaggerated. Pop music uses a wide range of shots, therefore low angle shots would be used, artists want to be admired and looked up to  which this can convey. 

We will be using (eye line) over the shoulder shots followed by shot reverse shot to allow us to convey two characters interacting together. This allows the audience to engage with the characters emotions as this shot will reveal facial expressions.




The shot reverse shot continues to create a different perception from each character of how they each feel about each other. This reveals to the audience both characters emotion, developing a better understanding between the situation or emotions conveyed. This is important in ensuring that accurate continuity editing takes place, making sure that the music video flows correctly.






Weather of location
The weather should not effect our filming, if it is raining this could create pathetic fallacy as the rain could evoke our mind set and emotions of saddness, distruption or betrayal. . On the other hand it may create problems if we are attempting to be well dressed or appear glamerous this weather would not be appropriate in allowing us to do this. However it does remian successful in producing a contrast from us and reality, capturing attention as the background would appear dull but we would appear powerful and untouched, at time moment it is rather open as we continue to plan what it is exactly we want to convey.

Health and safety risks
Health and safety will be taken into account at all times, our locations do not really pose any serious specific health and safety risks. When in busy public areas such as Cental London we will have to have consideration making sure we are not being an obsticle or disturbing people going about their everday lives.  An example of this would be filming on the esculator, we will have to attempt to avoid rush hour although we need it to be busy, timing is very important, we will have to make sure to plan our day out. This could also be challenging as we have to remain stable when filming and cautious, we would  have to practise beforehand becuase a tripod would be most appropriate to allow the camera to remain stable however this may not fit so we would have to hand film.

Cinematography used throughout our music video 


Establishing shot 

Establishing shots are used during our video to reveal the setting, forming a relationship between objects and figures. This informs the audience of our surrounding and where we are. It was important to use different establishing shots throughout London to identify us searching in different locations as if running through the city.
Establishing shots are often used to mark traditional land marks, this would easily be identified as London due to Big Ben, it shows where the 'action' is taking place, or in our case moving to/been. We have used traditional, well known places so the audience can refer to these places.

Point of view shots -Hand held

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  Point of view shots have been used to place the audience in this characters position, making them more aware of the surroundings the characters, adopting a feeling or understanding towards the characters moods and emotions. The character running could suggest panic, this alley is also empty which could show isolation
  The camera is also hand held which visually reveals the motion of us running. It has been distorted
  
  
  
  . Over the shoulder 
•  Is a shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person. The back of the shoulder and head of this person is used to frame the image of where ever the camera is pointing towards.
  The over the shoulder shot was originally planned to be used when with the love interest to express the intimite moment the character feels between them, placing us in the characters position, however this is not returned. As the storyboard and planning changed we decided it would be more appropriate to change the shot and not include this in order to have elements of concept and narrative to promote genres of dance and pop. Beforehand it was too involved.
• The image below is an over the shoulder shot of me running through a cobbled road at night time by carnaby street, during this scene it promotes vulnerability as it is placed slightly above me to show me running away, placing the audience in my position. .

 

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Clops ups have been used at the begning of the music video, followed by a series of long shots, this introduces the audience to our characters. It is important to introduce the audience to our characters, as this familiarises us, it ensures that we are the artists. It also captures facial expressions, portraying moods, an example of this is when we are spinning around to firstly suggest we are lost and going round in cirlces, there is no progression. Secondly it literally shows us as happy, promoting fun characteristics which we wanted to express in a girl band  as we carelessly spin around, preventing a feeling of constant seriousness.