Week 6 - I Stopped, I Shot, I Conquered.

So this week i had a secondary idea, to use my flat as the set for the video. As many music videos don't always make sense with the lyrics or the title of the song. This way i could be as artistic as i wanted, with no boundaries, and use in camera effects, rather then digital manipulation for once. I want to showcase what was possible behind the camera lens, rather then generate a second rate rushed composition on the computer.

Looking at previous work by Michel Gondry, i wanted to use his style, but instead use still shots instead of video. Also i wanted to age my photographs, to make them look like old negatives that havent been processed correctly, the technical term is called cross processing. Using these methods i will make the music video to Monkeys Gone To Heaven by The Pixies, as this track has the best music compared to the instrumental Tortoise song Jeremy gave us. Also The Pixies are an old school band, its always fun to make videos for good songs after all.

Using my flat mate Bhavin Pancholi, course mates Anthony Turner and Jonathan Campion as actors, i shot half the images i needed for the 1 minute music video. The actors worked well with what i told them to do, basically anything funny, but with a edge towards the fact of heaven, as the title of the song went. Using the images i amalgamated a test to see if the images worked as a video with the song, and guess what. It did! The images flowed together on Final Cut Express, as i wanted 3 frames per second. Using this footage i knew what other things i needed to shoot.

Week 6 - Stopping and Shooting The World.

Well this week i got a camera out of the stores and started to take random photos of the public. They did not like this, and i was asked to stop doing it. When i got back to my flat i started to document and photograph simple procedures, such as getting up off a chair and walking into the living room, taking a photograph for each step.

It worked very well, so i decided to make the music video on the random things people do when a camera hits their face. I started out by placing the camera in the hallway of our flat, and asked each of my flatmates to come out in the hallway and talk to me. The results i came out with were hilarious but i was unable to use them as they were swearing in most of the shots i had taken.

Luckily i had another idea to base my stop motion video upon.

Week 5 - Corruption Of The Week.

This week, unfortunately I missed Melvyns lesson. Apparently it was the greatest lesson of all time, and i missed it :(

Luckily this week i started my stop motion video. I tested the theory to see if it was logical and viable, and luckily it worked. I used a pair of trainers in my flat and made them come out of the bathroom and turn and move towards the camera.

After this test i decided to shoot the video officially in stop motion, and emailed Melvyn to see if i gain some actors to my credits. I emailed him, and he replied. Using his advice, i emailed various societies in the University for actors and dancers. Unfortunately none of them wanted to reply, so i was quite dis-heartened by this. Luckily my friends Anthony Turner, Jonathan Campion and Bhavin Pancholi (my flatmate) were at hand to help me out.

As i originally wanted to shoot this week, i found that there was other work for other modules, so I will continue this work next week.

Week 4 - Ideas.

Well after brainstorming in class the style i wanted to do, i started to look for examples of good stop motion videos. Orignally Melvyn showed us his DVD of Michel Gondry, director of Dave Chappelles Block Part (2004). He showed me a music video for The White Stripes called "The Hardest Button to Button". The video is pure stop motion. This is the style i am thinking of using, but instead of using a video camera, i hope to use a digital SLR camera to shoot stills and use them in my video.

Here is an example of stop motion.

Week 4 - The Music Video

After showing off our videos, we were introduced to the next project. To create an original music video, from 2 songs chosen by Jeremy. One was a bizarre mashup of Dubstep and electronically created sounds, it  sounded weird. The next track was "Monkey Gone to Heaven" By The Pixies. It sounded pretty old, originally i guessed it was from the early 80s, but a google search told me it was released in 1989, which was the same year i was born. It was an old song, but not classic status like Michael Jacksons's Thriller.

An idea i had was to shoot a person doing the "air guitar" to The Pixies track. The person will not be moving there legs, only doing the "air guitar". I want to shoot this in the style of Stop Motion, like taking a photo, 3 photos per second. As i have 30-60 seconds to fill this would be hard to do. I like the idea as it is different, and reminds me of the film Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure, and how they did there style of the "air guitar".

Heres an example of air guitar.

Week 4 - Public Broadcast aka Judgement Day.

Tuesday 22nd February 2011.

Today was the day the class had to show there final product to Melvyn and to the rest of the group. It was exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. Would they like my sequence, or would they pan it for being too retro. Well the first couple of people showed there title sequences off, and i have to say they were pretty well made. They had some interesting ideas for the title sequence which did even come to my mind, so kudos to them.

Then came my turn. I was very scared at what the group was going to think of it. Would they like the nostalgia fueled idea, or would they pan it for being too "retro". I played the video sequence and everyone in the room was quite amazed. Firstly my sequence didn't contain "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and The News, it contained The Back to The Future Theme in 8-bit, which was an idea i came up with after researching old school video games. This idea worked out well, as it didn't become boring. Everyone before had the "The Power of Love" as there opening song, so using that theme was a blast of fresh air I suppose for the group.

After my video sequence was shown i was then "critiqued" by the class and by Melvyn and Jeremy.

Firstly the group liked the 8-bit style i went for. It was different and worked well. The music was also a blast from the past as many people don't play 8-bit games anymore and the films theme in 8-bit was a nostalgic event everyone enjoyed. The class liked the video, which was more then i was hoping for, so overall my sequence was successful as a title sequence.

Next was Melvyn and Jeremy turn. They both like the nostalgic style i went for, but said the sequence was still quite simple and basic. Maybe adding in more content and making the sequence a little more fun would liven it up, but overall was a good job. Basic but it worked.

Week 3 - Completion

Well this week i completed the video title sequence. I used all the feedback from Melvyn, who was very helpful. The sequence i put together actually does work as a title sequence, which was something i wanted to do, rather then edit the beginning of the film together and make it look mediocre. Logically the title sequence makes sense as the film was released in the 1980's, which was the era of 8-bit arcade games, so replicating this style was necessary by my standards. Nostalgic is the word.

Well this is the completed take of my title sequence.