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Tag: rmit media (page 2 of 2)

Where were the Eggs?

Like all good things, our summer adventure that has been “The Great Belgian Egg Hunt” has come to a close. Where were the eggs? Well – the eggs would have to be the things that we learnt over the process of the hunt, and the ‘Great Belgian’ sounds too heavy so ill leave him behind.

I can safely say that i learnt a lot through these short six weeks. Firstly, the course was very practical, compared to the 12 week studios, the egg hunt took no time in getting us into gear. By the end of the first week we were already conceptualising and creating our end product. This whole notion of practicality and learning while doing was one i really appreciated, I learn best by DOING, and this course had a lot of doing. Especially the filming process, using new equipment, organising extras and directing. Opened me up to a world of learning. For example; I learnt that a video camera would have been better for our wide shots. That its almost impossible to use a 5D in direct sunlight. When working with actors one has to be gentle but give clear direction. All these practical learnings have ensured that next time I am faced with a similar situation I will be more informed on how to act.

Secondly, not to boost his ego – but, Rohan was a pretty great mentor.  I say this not only because because I know he will be assessing this post, but also because he actually had REAL LIFE experience with music video making. For example, from day 1 he was showing us his own work and explaing to us how it was done. This was inspiring, as we quickly learnt that a production does not have to have a huge budget to look good, and there are many ways to achieve a particular look or do an effect. This experience that Rohan had also came through when it came to editing our work, he was able to give us an industry perspective on what worked and what didn’t and often pointed out cheeky editing stunts we could pull off. This adds to my original point about practical learning throughout this course. It was simply the best way for me to learn, to be able to see examples, try things and receive feedback.

Finally, what impact has the studio had on my professional journey? Well, Iv’e realized that i really like music video production! For one, the sound is totally taken care of; dont have to worry about a sound guy – and great sound automatically adds so much value to your production. Additionally, its such a dynamic and diverse field, whereas, often with feature film there are basic filmic and narrative conventions which should be followed. However, with music videos there is room for experimentation that does not take one and a half hours of an audiences life. Furthermore, there is more room for detail, being a student and not having a large budget, its easier to do 3-4 minutes of quality work than making a 90minute film with over 30 scenes. Lastly, I have a passion for music and evoking emotion through music (im not sure im necessarily good at it – but its fun), therefore music video seems to be the perfect space to bring my interest for film and music together. I have actually contacted another two singers in Melbourne and im going to continue making music videos and see where life takes me.

Until next time,

Jordan

Shoot Day in Review

Today was our first class back since the day of our music video shoot, and I still had not seen the rushes of our video. After the shoot I was so totally exhausted that I simply dumped the footage onto the Uni media server and went home. I was unable to review the footage at home because I dont have a CF card reader. However, on Monday morning I came in to return the equipment we borrowed, and I was able to copy the footage to my HDD. Which I still did not review.

However, when we arrived at class I expressed some of my concerns:
– Due to the desired look being a shallow depth of field, I had to push the shutter speed very high and I am concerned about a choppy look to the footage.

– There was lots of direct sunlight and this overexposed parts of our shot.

– The princesses do not look like princesses (Rohan you were right about the Princesses)

After class I went and looked at some of the footage – to my surprise the footage was not THAT badly over exposed, it seems that the LCD on the camera simply made it look worse than it was. Rohan also assured me that the blown out exposure was not beyond repair. As for the choppy shots, this was also not that noticeable – WOOHOO… Looks like we are going to be ok.

But, If i had my time again there are a few things I would have done differently:

– Used an ND filter to deal with the brightness of direct sunlight

– Used a VIDEO CAMERA for the wide angle shots where shallow depth of field was unnecessary. The sensors dynamic range would have been better for the over exposed parts. However, the closer shots we were able to get away using a diffuser.

– Not used a wig for our Rapunzel princess.

BUT I WOULD ALWAYS Like to have a hover board! It made carrying equipment a dream! AmtVoyO-5rz6RzTYJ6oqoE8Y3aeZIWFCgndr5sntaQtM

 

Women in Music Video

This weeks reading was focused around a very interesting topic; namely the representation of women in music videos. Both readings were excerpts fromMusic Video and the Politics of Representation (2007) by Diane Railton and Paul Watson”. The first section was a study on Pinks “Stupid Girl” music video. The video aims to challenge many of the ‘Paris Hilton’ stereotypes of womens beauty and image. However, the discussion was if it was fair to both sexes or simply urged women to be more masculine. Personally, I have strong beliefs in the equality of men and women, thus this video was intriguing for me. Although it did challenge the image of women, it did little to provide an image for what a strong woman could be. In a way it was a critique without presenting a solution and therefore should not be taken too literally as a feminism text, and more of a satirical remark. 

The second reading was where most of my interest was sparked, the treatment of Black vs White women in music video. It compared the representation of Kylie Minogue in ‘Cant Get You Out of My Head’ versus Beyonce in ‘Baby Boy’ – and the results were shocking! I had not realized up until this point that black women are represented in a much more degrading way than white women. The reading suggested that they are portrayed as more ‘animalistic’ and ‘available’, where as white women are ‘untouchable’ and ‘idolized’. After this was brought to my attention I started to notice how often it happens, for example with Niki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’.

It simply has given me headspace to be more conscious of how i portray women when i make my own music videos, and be more critical about the music videos i watch.

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