POP VIDEO 2009/10

THE BRIEF

As a group we are to develop a concept, image and brand for a new singer, group or band and develop and produce their first pop video, their first DVD cover and their first magazine advertisement. In order to establish the group and especially their image and brand for a particular audience.


FIVE STAGES OF PRODUCTION


1. Research and Development:

Research and development involves first choosing a track for the music video, this could be an original song by the band or a cover song. Then we must develop our idea for how we will present the song in terms of performance, potential narrative, and possible images we could include in the music video. Once our idea is fully developed and we have a solid idea for our video, we must pitch our idea to the commissioning executives/marketing department of the record company. Within this pitch we will talk about the band’s image and their target audience, genre, institutional context, the basic concept for the video and the ideological values behind it. We will have to think about the feasibility of the project in term of budget and logistics relating to special effects, locations, cast and crew. We will do our best to really sell the idea in hope that the project will be ‘greenlit.’

2. Pre-Production

If the project is ‘greenlit’ that means that the second stage of production – pre-production – can begin. This involves planning the shoot day/s and really working out the logistics of it all. This requires group role lists, storyboards, floor/lighting plans, and props list, and cast list, equipment list to be drawn up. A shooting schedule and call sheet will also have to be made for the shoot day/s. If any special effects are being filmed a camera test is advised to avoid running into more problems later on in the production process. Plans must be made for the DVD cover and magazine advertisement.

3. Production

In order for the third stage of production to run smoothly it is very important that we have carried out the previous stages extremely thoroughly. It is important that the band have been provided with music and lyrics a few days beforehand so they can learn the song. It is also vital that everyone is punctual on the day and concentrates on doing their assigned jobs to the best of their ability in order to achieve the highest standard of work.

4. Post-Production

Post-production is the editing process carried out after filming. In this stage the video is compiled, using Final Cut Pro, and put to the music. It is also the stage in which all the special effects are added to the footage in Adobe After Effects.

5. Distribution and Marketing

In this stage the video is released to the general public to promote the band. It can be uploaded onto an official band ‘YouTube’ channel, shown on music television or broadcasted through social networking sites like ‘MySpace’

Links: I gained this information on www.skillset.org/filmbiz and “TV Production” by F. Millerson (Focal 2006)