Commission Report

Intro:

Within this report I will be demonstrating and reflecting on my experience working on a commission with a client, Verity Rae Martin, for her music video, ‘All I Ask’, an Adele cover song.  This will be showing the research and developments of my ideas for the video as well as covering my job roles involved in the development into making the video with a client. A critical evaluation outlining my performance will also be included highlighting aspects of professional practice and areas of specialised interest that will enhance my future career within creative film and television production.

About my client:

Verity Rae Martin -

Figure 1. Verity Rae Martin Website Homepage (2016).

Background -

Graduate of The BRIT school, she has been on the live music scene for as long as she can remember. Clocking up thousands of live performances over the years, she has worked with many a producer to get her sound and live show to where it is today.

Her soulful voice has won her national critical acclaim from audiences all over the world, and she has performed at many prestigious events and venues. During her live shows, Verity has been described as, “a powerful force on stage, offering audiences a night of pure pulse, pleasure and passion”.

The debut single ‘Lost in the Song’ produced by Laurence ‘Woo’ Allen (who has worked with artists such as Big Brovaz and Craig David) was released by Triumph Music Group in January 2012. VERITY loves to pass on her knowledge and understanding of the creative arts and in September 2009 opened her first academy in Kent with Britain’s best loved comedy actress Pauline Quirke. It proved so popular that they went onto open a further four in Kent together and you can often spot lots of the PQA students on stage and screen.

Her TV and Film credits include, The Bill ITV, Dreamteam Sky, Midsommer Murders, Little Miss Jocelyn, I Really Hate my job starring Neve Campbell, Spiceworld The Movie, Godforsaken directed by Jamil Dahlavi, commercials and modelling include Ocado, Vision Express, Max Power, MCM, and various advertising for publications to name a few…

First Job Role: Music Video Director

What did my role involve?

·      Directing an actress.

·      Listening to client's song and forming an idea.

·      Organizing dates to record with my client/ actress.

·      Finding a location to film.

·      Researching the music video genre and directors.

·      Doing Storyboards and Shot lists.

What are the industry requirements to be a music video director?

Research from ‘study.com’ say that 4 steps are quite necessary when wanting to be a music video director in the media industry.

            Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree

            Although not required to start a career, individuals interested in becoming music video       directors may consider earning a bachelor's degree in film. Topics and courses covered in   film school include the history of film, camera techniques and the business side of the          industry.

            Step 2: Intern For a Production Company

            Working as a production assistant on a music video is a great way for individuals to gain    hands-on experience and network.

            Step 3: Gain Additional Music Video Experience

            Prospective music video directors may be able to obtain jobs as assistant directors to gain             additional experience. Working as an assistant director will give individuals more         responsibilities on the set and help prepare them for becoming a director.

            Step 4: Develop Connections to Advance in the Field

            It can be beneficial for individuals who are interested in pursuing this career to build          connections with musicians, bands, producers and other professionals in the industry            (study.com, 2016).

Although directing actors can be a challenge, working with Verity was a pleasure as she has had much experience with acting. I could only recall one time I had to direct her in terms of acting and this was only near the end of the song when I had to explain that she had to put more feeling into it, as the song got quite emotional and strong.

            ‘The very best actors make it look easy. Their technique is invisible, they seem to “become”        the character, they seem to speak and move out of their character's impulses and needs, their feelings well up strong and apparently unbidden’ (Weston, 1996: 7).

Music Video Research:

‘Ariana Grande - Problem (Lyric Video) ft. Iggy Azalea’

Figure 2. Ariana Grande - Problem (Lyric Video) ft. Iggy Azalea. (2014)

My client wanted a black and white lyric music video so one example I researched was from ‘Ariana Grande's video Problem’. I examined the black and white and how the director Jones Crow used this method to make the video stand out. What made this video unique was the fact that it remained in one shot and this was the use of close ups of the face and nothing else. What made the black and white effects interesting was the use of lighting.

Justin Timberlake – ‘Suit and Tie’

Directed by David Fincher, who also directed ‘Fight Club’ and ‘The Social Network’. Fincher’s work is often dark, which is what I saw in this video as well, plus knowing he did the social network I can see how he got the chance to work with Justin again. What interesting aspects of the video was the fact they showed the process of how they made the music in the studio and then showed it in an ‘as live’ performance which is an interesting way of storytelling.

Figure 3. Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Official) ft. JAY Z. (2013)

Avichi – Hey Brother

Figure 4. Avicii - Hey Brother (Lyric). (2013)

Although I couldn't find a director of the official lyric video there were things I got from the video I thought I could use in terms of editing. Using the text to appear creatively at certain times when the song lyric is sung was an interesting creative touch. If I was to utilize this within my commissioned video I could see it developing in a variety of ways;

1. It could be done and would look really nice and professional

2. Even though it would look nice, the amount of time to do it might be a little too much work to do

before the deadline.

3. If done correctly, the text needed to be visible in each shot and should have an impact.

Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon

Figure 5. Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon [Official Music Video]. (1988)

Directed by Nancy Bardwell and released in 1999. What I loved about this video apart from the effect of black and white is how it uses transitions between scenes in a very creative and artistic way. How the band is presented but also how at the same time it showed a story.  Not all music videos shows the band or the lead singer lip synching for every shot. This music video shows a story and cuts to a main character representing the music video and what it's about.

My Client's Song:

Adele’s Song: ‘All I Ask’

Since this is a recent song released by the pop artist ‘Adele’, I could find background to the song but when reading the lyrics it seems to be about having one last day with someone you love before moving on. The song in detail is more about having that last request to do the things you and loved one enjoyed doing before saying goodbye.

‘By the album’s penultimate track, it’s hard not to wonder if Adele might perhaps leave the songs about relationships in their death-throes to one side. All I Ask finds her in what she presumes to be her last night with someone, asking to be held “like I’m more than just a friend” and wondering if she’ll ever love again. You will, Adele. He’s called Simon. (Hann, 2015).

So this someone could be presumed to a really good friend to her but she just wanted to want this friend to connect with her like if she was more then a friend.

Editing for my music video:

Some skill requirements are essentially needed if you want to be a music video editor within the industry. Nearly all film, sound and special effects mixing is done digitally, which means music video editors must be competent in editing software. Having the connection with technology is paramount and can be obtained by earning an Associate of Arts in Communication and Media Arts qualification. Other options include a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Film and Digital Production or a BFA in Motion Picture Television Editing. Courses for prospective music video editors may include scripting for electronic media, video production and the art of film.

Skills Required -

            ‘A successful music video editor has a keen eye, open ear and deft hand for telling a good story. The best video editors are so adept at splicing elements together that their work is    invisible. This takes technological skill and artistic ability’ (study.com, 2016).

Challenges faced while editing -

Getting to synch most of the lyrics to the artist’s singing was a challenge because I had to make sure that not all the shots were the same.

What was also a challenge was the placement of text on the screen as most of it was hard to see when layered on he background. In a couple of shots, I had to make do with what I had. Some challenges were actually with the song itself, as there seemed to be a mix up of the lyrics. So I had to talk to Verity about it and make sure if anything could be done before hand to correct this or to do this again another time, or even if that is what she eventually wanted to say in the song anyway.

Things I done in editing:

‘In simple terms, editing is nothing more than putting shots and sounds together. In reality, it is much more than this. I t is both a technical and creative process. It is also intuitive. Anyone can string words together, but not everyone is able to write a good story or a book without a sound knowledge of language. Editing is similar’ (Young, 2013,34).

I had to make sure to make the text feel like the song, so I edited the text’s font to look like handwriting as if the song is about having that one last chance to be with someone before you move on with your life.

Figure 6. All I Ask Final Cut Pro Editing. [Screenshot] (2016)

The black and white effect on the shots worked well especially with the location we shot at. Having the historic Dockyard’s old attractions in the background suited the feel of the music video.

Reflection:

The shoot for the video went surprisingly well and the weather was on my side on the day of filming. We thought we would get some shots outside of the studio where we were filming, although finding a location was a bit tricky. I managed to find a studio named DEF Studios, which is a rehearsal studio, within Chatham's historic dockyard. I managed to book an eight hour session with a date, which I confirmed with my client before the deal for the studio was struck. The outside shots of Verity, were beautifully shot at the dockyard, as we managed to get some shots of a steam train as well as other industrial dockyard equipment.

Since the weather was so nice that day, Verity and I decided to film around the Dockyard and to get more ‘coverage’ and shots that could be edited into the finished video. Directing a music video can allow you to put your own style into it. A music video is very similar to film, the director of Justin Timberlake's music video showed how he can put his own film style into the music video.

I learned that sometimes making a music video or sometimes any video filming project things can often go wrong in terms of vision. At one point I had to ignore the storyboards and visualize what I needed to film on the spot. Problems encountered were often out of my control. One problem that occurred was when the band were in the middle of recording a song and then they lost their bass player. I only found this out when my client Verity told me after I gave her a phone call to get a status report. I also didn't receive the final version of the song we were going to be doing until the near end of my Easter holidays even though I planed us to have filmed by this point. Even though I did storyboards, I informed Verity about having her guitar player to join us on the shoot but unfortunately on the day of the shoot Verity had to inform us that he wasn't going to turn up. I managed to refer to my storyboards, but for the rest of the shoot I had to improvise and visualize on the spot. What made things even more awkward was that I heard in the middle of the song the lyrics had been changed and I wasn't sure if Verity had made a mistake with the song or she did it on propose, so I had to conform with her before converting the final video.

What I could improve on is establishing more boundaries with my client regarding our working relationship such as; if there is information that you need to know, always try and call them just in case you can get more insight and ideas from them. Don't feel like your bothering them just ask if it is an appropriate time to call them, if not ask when they can speak with you.

As a resolution, my client really enjoyed the finished product. She said that it was everything she hoped for and I even got offered a job because of it.

I have learned to always be prepared for the worst, when filming a commission make sure you get full details of what your client wants and what you think could work and try and collaborate, at the end of the day it's up to you making your client happy and giving them what they want.

Image List:

Figure 1. Verity Rae Martin Website Homepage (2016) [Screenshot] At: http://www.verityraemartin.co.uk (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

Figure 2. Ariana Grande - Problem (Lyric Video) ft. Iggy Azalea. (2014) [Screenshot] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJ8s90NLc4. (Accessed: 16/04/2016).

Figure 3. Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Official) ft. JAY Z. (2013) At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsUsVbTj2AY. (Accessed: 16/04/2016).

Figure 4. Avicii - Hey Brother (Lyric). (2013) [Screenshot] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxIiPLVR6NA. (Accessed on 16/04/2016).  

Figure 5. Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon [Official Music Video]. (1988) [Screenshot] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emguA0RIH4k. (Accessed on 16/04/2016).

Bibliography:

Glebas, Francis (2009) Directing the Story Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation. Burlington: Focal Press.

DeKoven, Lenore Changing Direction A Piratical Approach to Directing Actors in Film and Theatre (2006) Burlington: Focal Press.

Weston, Judith. Directing Actors. (1996) Studio City: Micheael Wiesse Productions

Young, Rick. The Focal Easy Guide To Final Cut Pro X. (2013) Burlington: Focal Press.

Web Sources:

ArianaGrandeVevo. (2014). Ariana Grande - Problem (Lyric Video) ft. Iggy Azalea. (Online Video). 1 May 2014. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJ8s90NLc4. (Accessed on 16/04/2016).

Ariana Grande Wiki (2016) Jones Crow. At: http://arianagrande.wikia.com/wiki/Jones_Crow (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

AviciiOfficialVEVO. (2013). Avicii - Hey Brother (Lyric). [Online Video]. 1 November 2013. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxIiPLVR6NA. (Accessed on 16/04/2016).

Hann, M (2015) Adele -  what she's singing about on 25. At: http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/nov/19/adele-what-shes-singing-about-on-25 (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

Hardrockange. (2011) So you want to do commissions? At: http://hardrockangel.deviantart.com/journal/So-you-want-to-do-commissions-214251301 (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

Goo Goo Dolls. (1988). Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon [Official Music Video]. [Online Video]. 25 October 2009. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emguA0RIH4k. (Accessed on 16/04/2016).

IMVDB. (2016) Black Ballon (1999) At: https://imvdb.com/video/goo-goo-dolls/black-balloon  (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

justintimberlakeVEVO. (2013). Justin Timberlake - Suit & Tie (Official) ft. JAY Z. (Online Video). 14 February 2013. At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsUsVbTj2AY. (Accessed on 16/04/2016).

Martin, V (2016) Verity Rae Martin Website. At: http://www.verityraemartin.co.uk (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

PQA (2016) Hello from Verity. At: http://www.pqacademy.com/academy_locator/rochester/ (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

Study.com. (2016) How to Become a Music Video Director: Career Roadmap. At: http://study.com/articles/How_to_Become_a_Music_Video_Director_Career_Roadmap.html (Accessed on 31/01/2016).

Study.com (2016) Music Video Editing: Job Description & Requirements At:  http://study.com/articles/Music_Video_Editing_Job_Description_and_Requirements_for_Becoming_a_Music_Video_Editor.html (Accessed on 31/01/2016).