My Music Video

Music Video - Written Reflection

    The song I chose for my music video is called “Here for You” by Kygo feat. Ella Henderson. I chose this song because I wanted a song that was fun to listen to with less lyrics and a good melody and beat to listen too. And “Here for You” was perfect. I made the decision to film my music video is Europe, more specifically France, Amsterdam and Belgium, due to timing. Also I figured that Europe would make a great setting/subject for a music video.

I chose to shoot everything in either panorama or still shots, because I wanted the shots to be easy to follow, and for the music video to be easy to follow and watch. Also the song is simple in terms of the lyrics and melody, so it worked well with the shots I filmed. Also to go with the simple theme I made the clips just cut to each other instead of using a fancy transition, this also made the video easy to watch. I made the pace of the video pretty slow so again, the finish product would be easy to follow. Also because I wanted the audience to be able to see and take everything about each frame in. Plus the song doesn’t have to fast of a beat so the pace of the video came along very nicely.   

By filming everything in Europe and only having a few appearances of the same people, I was easily able to create unity. Also as I mentioned before by using simple shooting style, editing pace and transitions I was able to create unity.

One technical difficulty that I experienced while filming was I couldn't keep the camera still. Due to lack of a tripod I wasn’t able to overcome this problem, I just would have to improve how I held the camera. Another difficulty I had was the editing processes. At first I found it difficult to use Premier Pro, but after some trial and error I was able to figure out the program. 
    Overall I am very happy with the way the final product turned out. I think it looks unified, interesting and well put to together. I do wish my shots looked straighter and were less shaky, but without a tripod I could only do so much. Overall I am super proud of myself and proud of the music video I was able to create over the span of one of the best trips I’ve ever gone on.

Music Videos Through the Ages Write Up

Part 1
1. Overall, all of the music videos throughout the decades were very creative and interesting. There was a wider range of themes and ideas that the artistes used in their videos. From a teddy bear committing suicide to Missy Elliot singing and dancing in front of a large light. I found it really interesting that even though it is such a wide range of music videos all of them are considered to be some of the best music videos out there.
2. I considered Kanye West's music video for Runaway was a work of art. I think its a work of art because its a 30 minute film accompanied by music. Also just like a movie all of the music in the video matches the theme and tone of the video. One of my favourit parts of the video is how visually pleasing it is. The colours Kanye used are so  pretty and work so well together. Also the story it told was so interesting. Although I was unable to watch it all due to the length of the video, the first bit was very interesting. They way Kanye was able to tell this complex story with almost no dialouge was very impressive. Over all  think the music video for Runaway by Kanye West is a work of art.
3.  Throughout time music videos have changes a lot. In the more recent years music videos have become more outrageous with their costumes, sets and concepts. For example Lady Gaga makes some the most well known music videos because they are outrageous. But earlier in music video history they were more dramatic. They used simple camera angles and lighting to create simple looking music videos. There was a part of time when music videos were more like movies for example Michael Jackson's Thriller or Kanye West's Runaway. Over the course of many years music videos have changed drastically.
4. The Arcade Fire music was much more interactive with the viewers then music videos of earlier years.
5. I think music videos will become even more crazy with sets and costumes. But I do hope they go back to the basics and have meaning to the videos.

Portraits

To create these photos I used studio light. I took the 1 large light, raised it to full height and hovered it over the subject. I chose to use the dark background; I had to pull my subjects farther away from the background then usual to make the background look really dark. I wanted a mix between serious expressions and happy expression for these photos I used studio light. I took the 1 large light, raised it to full height and hovered it over the subject. I chose to use the dark background; I had to pull my subjects farther away from the background then usual to make the background look really dark. I wanted a mix between serious expressions and happy expressions; I didn’t want everyone to have the same expressions because I wanted some variety.  I placed all of my subjects in the center of the frame because I wanted a simple composition. The overall theme I have for all of the portraits isn’t conceptual but physical; I made the theme dark backgrounds and cool lighting. I wanted a physical theme because I wanted the photos to look similar. Overall I am really happy with the photos I took.

Art History Presentation

Art History Project

Lighting Workshop

This photo uses studio light. I used the 2 small lights and I placed them, behind Basma, 4 feet from the wall. They were pointed toward the wall and the wall bounced the light back at the camera. I placed Basma a few feet away from the background, I also chose a white background because that was the background that we spent time using during the workshop. Basma has a very slight smile on her face as the expression I really think it ties the whole photo together because the soft expression matches the soft lighting. And finally I chose to shoot this photo horizontally because during the work shop we were told to only shoot that way. Over all I really like this photo for the soft lighting and dramatic feel.

This photo uses open shadow as the lighting. I really love this photo because we were outside and the lighting was still very soft. It was completely over cast that day so I was able to create the soft lighting with out to much trouble. I placed Basma in front of this blue door because it was a very pretty solid background. Also because the blue contrasted very nicely with Basma's dark shawl. I love the facial expression Basma is making in this photo. The smile looks very genuine and I feel like it ties the whole photo together. Just like the previous photo I shot this one horizontally because of the work shop. Over all I really like this photo because of how cheerful it looks.

This last photo is shot using open shadow, but I also used a reflector with the white side pointed up. I like this photo because the lighting causes Basma's skin to look so clear and healthy. I placed her in front of the brick wall because I wanted a simple background so that Basma was the main focus. I like the smile that Basma has in this photo because the lighting makes her teeth look very white and bright. Also because it gives the photo a very happy feel. I placed Basma in the middle of the frame because its an easy way to make her the focal point of the photo, also because it looked really nice with the geometric brick wall.

Protraits

 This is a photo of Marlia using window light. I really liked this photo because of the soft lighting, by using window light I was able to create lighting that wasn't harsh and complimented Marlia. I also like it because of the placement of Marlia, unlike my other photos Marlia is placed off to the side this makes for a very appealing composition. One of my favorite parts of this photo is the expression on Marlia's face, she looks like she is generally happy and that makes the photo much more visually pleasing.

This photo of Sebastian is using open shadow for the lighting. I chose this photo because of the composition. Although Sebastian is placed directly in the middle of the frame I think it makes for a very interesting photo. I also like it because lighting is soft and it really makes all the colors he is wearing and in the background vibrant. And finally the expression on Sebastian's face is very genuine, and genuine expressions always make for the best photos. One thing I would change about this photo is the lighter blue spots on the dark blue background. I think they are very distracting from the rest of the photo.

This last photo is using the direct sunlight. I really like this photo because of the very harsh contrast of the shadows on the face. I think the harsh shadows add a very interesting look to the photo. I also like this photo because of the composition and the expression on his face. Just like the photo above Sebastian is placed in the center of the frame which works very nicely with the patterned background. And finally the expression on his face is very different from the previous photos, instead of being happy and smiling he looks more serious. I think the serious expression ties the whole photo together.

What to Do About Online Art Theft & Plagiarism - Respons

One of the most pressing issues that artists face today is art theft and plagiarism. This article highlights the affects that theft and plagiarism can have on an artists work and the artist them selves.
It informs us that artists are missing oppartunites and losing money when their artwork is stolen, especially when big companies are using their  artwork for commercial use.

This article also talks about the proper legal actions someone should take when they want justice for their stolen artwork. There are 7 steps someone should take, 1. Find out your countries copyright laws 2. Prepare, Monitor & Protect all artwork online 3. Locate stolen artwork online 4. Consider potential gains 5. Gather evidence 6. Send a cease and desist letter and finally 7. Class action lawsuit. Each step is a good way to protect art work or a good way to take action when your artwork is stolen.

I think this article is very helpful for young and even old artists who are struggling with keeping their art. It provides useful steps to keep art safe and it explains all the steps throughly so readers can understand is easily. Over all I think this article is a helpful tool that provides important information that makes the process of saving your artwork from theft and plagiarism slightly easier then before.