Research on Gracie Abrams

I learned the ways that pop music videos such as Mess It Up and Risk narrate their stories. The videos by Gracie Abrams have close and personal images and symbols that express her emotions. They can be modeled as good examples on how to narrate in pop music.

One of the scenes in Mess it up depicts the letters falling out of the fridge to form the word she is singing. This visual image displays the lyrics of the song and gives a meaning. The swaying letters are delicate and rigid and the feeling in the lyrics. The intimate shots in a modest background render the situation intimate and relatable. It demonstrates that it is possible to have a big story power in a video with the help of small objects.

                                          

Another memorable scene in the film Risk is where Gracie is lying on the floor and drinking wine. It demonstrates she is at the lowest point of her emotions, as the lyrics regarding heartbreak do. The video is lonely and sad due to a low camera angle and a low light. Her posture reveals that she is vulnerable. The setting of the video is not complicated to give attention to the viewers to her feelings. This is an ordinary manner in which she narrates stories.

In both videos, one can see how close settings, symbols, and gestures can be used to narrate a story in pop songs. The videos by Gracie are emotion-filled even though quiet. They apply images which back up the words and atmosphere of the song.

As the following examples demonstrate in the case of our project, we can indeed employ objects, places, and gestures to reinforce the story by Annie. Even without fancy effects and locations, simple visual stories may make a music video personal and relatable.

Research on Taylor Swift

 In this pop music video analysis, I examined the narration techniques in You Belong With Me and We Are Neverever Getting Back Together. Both videos employ the parts of the story and visual symbols to demonstrate emotions and relationships.

The mirror scene is significant in You Belong With Me. Taylor does not feel secure when she looks in the mirror when she is singing, which can be regarded as comparing herself to others. The visual transformation of the clothes she puts on in the mirror reveals that there is a change in the appearance, and she appears more glamorous than she did in her plain girl next door appearance. It reveals her inner conflict and brings out the idea of the song of wanting to be noticed and appreciated. The setting, the clothes, and intimate shots all assist her to demonstrate emotions without uttering a single word.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together has a scene where the two characters are not together, although there exists a visual wall between the two as they converse through the telephone. This device allows the audience to observe both individuals simultaneously, indicating that they are connected and separated. The distance between the characters is emphasized by the fact that miscommunication and emotional disconnection occur, and the framing allows the viewers to track the conversation without difficulties. The lighten sets and playfulness are contrasted to the tension in the lyrics, as it suits the self-confident and conclusive tone of the song and makes it fascinating to see.

The two videos demonstrate that relationship ideas can easily be shared with the help of story telling, props and visual tricks. Taylor Swift tends to overpower the narrative with symbols, such as mirrors, costume changes, or split-location framing to enhance her brand of relatable star image.

This study will be useful to our project because it demonstrates how we may express ourselves using symbolic imagery and camera tricks to narrate a story and express emotions in a pop music video.

TaylorSwiftVEVO. (2009, June 16). Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me (Official Music Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw

TaylorSwiftVEVO. (2012, August 31). Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Official Music Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64

Research on Olivia Rodrigo

In my pop music video studies, I analyzed the use of storytelling in videos by Olivia Rodrigo, specifically, deja vu and drivers license. The two videos present clear stories and symbols to provide the feelings of the songs.

Particularly relevant in deja vu is the scene in which she was running on the beach. Here she is actually running freely along the beach indicating a contrast to the jealousy in the lyrics. Her facial expressions and body language displays frustration and conflict, yet the beach is so open and expansive that it can be free. The usage of natural light and wide shots makes the scene appear like a movie and also makes it look personal and thought-provoking. The action of the motion in this scene demonstrates how the physical action may reflect the inner emotions- a significant narrative device in pop music videos.

Conversely, there is the emotional detailing in the use of lighting, where lighting is applied in the car, particularly the purple light in drivers license. The shade of purple is dreamy and nearly surreal. Purple tends to signify sorrows, feelings of desire and intensity, so it is appropriate to the theme of heartbreak in the song. The claustrophobic nature of the vehicle confines makes the scene seem intimate and isolated as well as demonstrating that she is alone with her mind. Close shots are shot on her face to make the viewers experience her suffering. The lethargy and minimal movement here are in contrast to the open beach scene in deja vu, which depicts two different forms of expressing emotion visually.

The two music videos incorporate story and performance, but it is subtle. The narration is not forced but rather natural and this makes her appear as a real and a real star. These videos demonstrate the fact that the lighting, the setting, camera movement and symbols can all contribute to the demonstration of emotion in pop music videos.

Our study will contribute to our project. We would like to employ straightforward light effects, dramatic gesture and symbolic background to make the pop song by Annie more touching.

OliviaRodrigoVEVO. (2021, January 8). Olivia Rodrigo – drivers license (Official Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDBbnmKpqQ

OliviaRodrigoVEVO. (2021, April 1). Olivia Rodrigo – deja vu (Official Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci7gQ0jZZ9M

Music Genre

Annie records pop music and therefore we need to make her video as a normal pop video. Pop videos are bright, express emotions, and target a large audience, particularly teens and the young adult audience. They combine performance of the singer with a bare story. The video is typically close shots of the singer and cuts, which coincide with the beat of the song.

The same is done by other pop singers such as Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Gracie Abrams. Their videos and songs revolve around emotions, narration, and everyday things such as love and maturity. Their videos emphasize reality and their appearance, and we need to consider that concerning the video by Annie as well.

Close shots of the singer are commonly employed in pop videos so as to become intimate with the audience. The atmosphere is established with the help of light and colors. Happy songs are sung in bright colors and sad or emotional songs are sung in duller or darker colors. The music is also paced to the cuts in the video.

We shall continue investigating these singers and their videos and publish it in future. That will steer our thoughts and ensure that the video by Annie is authentic to pop without being a copy. 

USA Inquirer. (2024, June 13). Gracie Abrams pays tribute to friends Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift. https://usa.inquirer.net/176355/gracie-abrams-pays-tribute-to-friends-olivia-rodrigo-taylor-swift

Scheduling the Portfolio Project

In our music video project, my partner and I developed a production schedule that would keep us organized and manage our time. The project has a bunch of stages so it is much easier to plan everything in advance.

We divided our work into pre-production, production and post-production to be able to see what had to be done at every stage. That assisted us in determining when to do the research, when to shoot and when to edit.

The pre-production stage is simply a matter of song selection, finding conventions, and drawing up our idea. The production is on filming and ensuring that we nail all the shots. It is in post-production that we do the editing, polish the video and complete the remaining.

This schedule will keep us on schedule and will have a game plan as we roll through the project.

A Level Portfolio Project

In the case of our AICE Media project, my partner and I chose to create a music video. Then we began thinking on who ww could work with. We are thinking of Annie Lemasters. She is a family friend of a friend of ours and we will find it easier to talk and work together. Since we already have this connection, it will be easier to sort ideas, get her vision, and create a video that actually captures her music.

The creation of a music video allows us to explore some of the most important media concepts such as representation, genre conventions, and appeal to the audience. As music videos create an image of an artist, we will have to consider the way Annie appears on the screen. That is finding costumes, sets, lighting, camera angle and editing style- all the details that construct her star image.

 

Our target audience is based on the vibe and the tone of the music of Annie. Once we have locked in a song, we will deconstruct the lyrics to determine whether the video should be story based, performance based or a combination of the two. We also intend to examine other such videos within her genre to get an idea of tropes and expectations of viewers.

 

We are still in the planning phase at this stage. Before we begin to draw a storyboard we must choose a song and develop a good idea. There we will sketch locations and the aesthetic impression.

 

Overall, I am excited about this project since it will allow us to cooperate with a real local artist and will allow us to practice all of the media concepts that we have studied. I believe that this collaboration will assist us in developing something authentic and valuable.

Critical Reflection On Documentary Project

My documentary is a promotion of a foster care organization that also conducts events and drives to make kids feel stabilized and supported. The project I undertook was after spending time volunteering on a Thanksgiving food drive, capturing the actions of the volunteers to pack and present the food into bags that will ultimately be handed to the kids. The style of the video was greatly influenced by abstract, close-ups, cool shots, and easy visuals were used to emphasize on what the volunteers are doing.

The movie displays foster children, volunteers and leaders. Candid shots of food bags organization and packing were taken in handheld and wide shots, which demonstrated commitment and collaboration. We also conducted the interviews with the vice presidents and other leaders in stages to provide a context and background as to why the drive is important and its effect. This combination made it possible to take a sincere and decent glance at the work of the organization.

To make the viewers stay interested, I combined a combination of close-ups with shots featuring a bigger area of the working place and included a reflective soundtrack that sounds uplifting and encouraging. The combination of the observational shots and interviews, which was inspired by both Abstract and Exit through the Gift Shop, ensured that the documentary was energetic and easy to understand as well as to follow through.

Researching these documentaries helped me in decisions relating to framing, pacing and music. The combination of cinematic images, interviews, music, I was able to demonstrate how much the volunteers are committed to their cause and produce an interesting and well-finished story that embodies the vigor and intention of the Thanksgiving food drive.