SP - Beth and Emma: Gorillaz 19-2000 Soulchild Remix

I have been assigned a music video from the 2010-2011 A2 students who attended Ilkley Grammar School last year. 

Firstly, I will go through each of the video product criteria and award either an Excellent, Proficiant, Minimal or Basic depending on my opinion. I will also note one specific detail I think justified my choice: 

1. Holding a shot steady, where appropriate
Proficiant: The first two shots, from 0:00 to 0:03, are abit shakey when i think they shouldnt be. This is my interpretation but the people who made it could want this affect. Apart from that i think that all the shots are steady when they need to be.


2. Framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate
Excellent: There are several examples of good framing throughout this music video but i especially thought at 0:48 is possibly the best one. This is where the camera is in the fridge and when he opens it there is a drink on the left hand side of the shot.

  
3. Using a variety of shot distances as appropriate
Excellent:  Just like the framing, there are alot of examples of shot distances throughout the video. At 1:06 there is an example of an extreme long shot and at 1:13 there is an example of a close-up. These are two opposite shots and there are example of every shot type throught the music video.


4. Shooting material appropriate to the task set
Excellent: The brief for the A2 course is for a group of two or three people to produce a portfolio of productions: a music video as the main text, plus a digipak cover and a magazine ad for the digipak. This group have certainly shot footage that is appropriate for the task set which was to produce a music video and they have it to a high standard


5. Selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting
Proficiant: 'Binge' drinking is a central feature of this video. The students who produced this were keenly aware of the representation issues and this was reflected in the mise-en-scene used with beer cans and vodka bottles frequently used, for example from 0:12 to 0:16. One problem i did find was that a few shots were abit dark but this was only a slight hinderence.


6. Editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer
Excellent: The editing does convey the meaning to the viewer because it shows the actors hangover by quick paced. There are also qiuick cuts and cut away shots that could show the actors confusion and thought for alcohol.


7. Using varied shot transitions, captions and other effects selectively and appropriately

Excellent: Beth and Emma have really gone to town with transitions and effects. This could be because it is showing the actors hangover feelings as some effects are fuzzy for example. Another effect the have used is mullti layering at 2:07 and this is really good and works well at a party scene.

8. Using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task

Excellent: Like i said before, the editing conveys the meaning to the viewer because it shows the actors hangover by quick paced. The editing is good and makes the video look proffesional. In reference to the sound, the track is being lip synced throughout the song, for example at 0:32 to 0:40.

Overall I would give this peice of coursework 36 out of 40

There are a few possible improvements I could make to this product which include shot steadiness and lighting. These are extremely minor things that are wrong with this particular music video but if i could make any changes it would be these two things. There are also a few tips and pointers I have picked up from assessing this music video and applying the marking criteria. It has helped me learn what the examiners really want and looking at a good example that i belive scored highly has given me a few ideas of my own.

Here is the music video 19-2000 Soulchild Remix by Gorillaz (Beth and Emma's version):