Editing: Effects and Treatment

I wanted my video to have a very cinematic feel and that is why I changed the aspect ratio so it did not conform to the standard 16:9 that most videos are shot in. Many music videos, especially in the rap genre do this as they want to make the production look a look more professional and more like most modern films.


To help with the narrative I edited the colour treatment in my video so that it started off quite dull and gloomy and eventually gets brighter as everything starts to fall into place for the main character. For the first few scenes, I made the scenes and bit darker and added blue as the colour blue does have connotations to sadness.

I made sure to line up the cuts in my editing between the clips to match the beat of the song so that it flowed a lot more nicely than if the music and video were not syncronised.


In a few clips, the video was oddly coloured which caused some of the white colours to look darker and more orange. I used the white balance tool in order to make the colours look less odd.

I proceeded to then make the clip brighter using luma curves. It was shot in very low light conditions and this scene was a turning point of the video so it needed to be brighter. 

For the following scene, I wanted it to have a blinding effect as success in rap videos is usually representing by objects that are bright and shiny. I used the brightness editing option to raise the brightness to the point where you could just about see beyond the light. This gave the scene a "grand reveal" effect as when the headlights went down, this car was revealed and the car was the signifier of success. 

For the close-up shots of the car, I gave the video a slight purple tint as the colour purple has connotations of royalty and luxury. I also raised the brightness in order to make the reflections and "sparkles" stand out more in the video.


To finish off the video I used a cross dissolve effect so that the video faded out into the credits smoothly.
 

Website

https://tawanajokonya.wixsite.com/thegrind

The artist's logo is clearly placed on the top left side of the site. This also appears in the video which is an immediate link that is created. This helps to build the artists brand identity

There are constant plugs of the new single that has been released in the form of a button that takes you to the video, an option to play the track on the website itself and also an option to watch the video on the website. The main media product is the video so it is important to have it visible and easy to access through these different ways.

The website also has links to all the social media of the artist. Social media is a very vital platform in the modern age as it gives artists the freedom to interact with their fans and for the fans to feel more connected to the artist.

The main part of the website shows a picture of the artist and also a description of the artist. The description also pushes the music video and the various social media sites to keep the fans in touch with the artist

Actors

All of the actors that I have chosen are from my target age demographic of 16-25-year-olds. This makes it more relatable towards the target audience.  

The actor will play the role of the "Rich snob" who looks down on the less wealthy character. The social group he represents is "The Rich" and he is also from an Asian ethnic group.

This Actor will play the role of the "Poor man" who works hard to create his own wealth. He represents the "Working class" although he does rise up towards the end of the video.

This actor will play the role of the investor/business partner to the poor man. She represents women but in a way that subverts from the genre conventions of rap music

Timed Analysis

0:00-0:04 Wide angle shot showing a run down area of LA. The camera is handheld so there is no steady cam being used. The video starts which the camera pulling focus and then goes to slow motion. Many of the local residents outside socialising. They are smoking, drinking and having fun like the stereotypical teenagers of these sort of areas would do. As they are older people it could be symbolising their roots and the idea of never forgetting where you came from and supporting those that stuck with you on your way to success.

0:05-0:07 Wide angle handheld shot showing Drake and The Game naturally stood beside an outdoor basket ball court. The Game is giving drake a tour of his home city. Outdoor basketball courts are the stereotypical location for the poorer children of America to socialise. As they are older people it could be symbolising their roots and the idea of never forgetting where you came from and supporting those that stuck with you on your way to success. This could also be showing how these two successful rappers are helping out the communities they were raised in and trying to make them a better place.

-0:11 Establishing shots of the surrounding area showing a restaurant with letters coming off of the sign signifying this is a poor area. 

-0:14 Wide shot of the local kids that are standing amongst the adults that are smoking and drinking. Highlighting the role models that these children have and showing that the expectation of these kids is not very high. The Game came from this area and is boasting about how he made it out and still goes back to help out the people that supported him. 

-0:16 Establishing handheld shots of a high school which high-security gates surrounding it showing that its possible a school for some troublesome kids.

-0:21 Long establishing shot of a COMPTON sign (similar to the Hollywood sign) in a nicer part of the city, showing that the city is moving forward but still has some rundown areas.

-0:26 Mid shot of The Game standing in a tire yard.

-0:29 Close up shot of an aggressive dog that is chained to the front of a house. Highlighting the sense of danger and mistrust in the area. The message of the shot is to trust nobody which contradicts to the song's message about being a strong community.

-0:35 Mid shot of The Game pointing to the sky. Religious connotations which link to the theory of black people stereotypically being religious (mainly Christian)

-0:45 Wide angle shot to mid shot (zoom) of people working out in the streets with run down equipment. The message being that, even though they can't afford the luxuries like a gym membership they are still able to work with what they do have available to them

-0:50 Mid shot showing young girls gripping onto and lookig through a fence as if they see something they want but cannot reach

-0:57 Wide shot of a group of men mainly wearing red which could be a link to gangs as red is the colour worn by the American gang, The Bloods.

-1:09 Two shot of two women stood outside of a beauty shop. This could highlighting small businesses and the community aspect of the song
-1:11 Wide angle shot showing all five women inside this shop

-1:12 Over the shouldr shot showing a group of black men and police cars parked up nearby. Conforming to stereotypes and showing how they live on a day to day basis

-1:27 Low angle shot showing the young girls hanging out of the half open window of a flashy pink car, with exaggerated angry facial expressions. Could be symbolising how they feel trapped.

-1:34 Wide angle shot of Drake and The Game stood in the middle of a large group of locals 

Camera Techniques and Operation

The standard shot descriptions are the Wide shot (capturing the surroundings as well as the subject), Closeup (used to capture fine details on the subject eg emotion) Midshot (Waist and up)

Story boards are rough illustrations that are used in order to help you as the creator to order you thoughts. They may also help the people you are working with understand your vision. You can make this through drawing or still shots.

The rule of thirds is where you use lines to divide the shot and it makes it easier to position your subject

High angle shots make the subject seem weak whereas low angle shots make the subject look dominant.

Continuity is making sure the shots make sense when put together eg costume.

180 degree rule is used to make sure that it looks like two subjects are looking at eachother in two different shots

Shot reverse shot is going back and forth between two over the shoulder shots to make it look as though a conversation is flowing

Stedicam is keeping the camera steady with a dolly or tripod

Focusing on a subject by zooming in in their face for example and focusing then going back to original shot.
Pulling focus is changing focus mid shot

Finished Video

Storyboard V2