Critical Creative Reflection
In our project for our music video, we aimed to align the conventions of the hip-hop music genre while putting together our own creative elements. Looking back on our research for our “hip-hop” genre, we found that our video incorporates several common features of that genre. For example, the urban setting when shooting some of our music video scenes in a neighborhood. Another example is dancing, as seen in the scene with us freestyling on the escalator. However, we also put some of our own elements, such as unconventional locations, like the low-budget store, CVS, and non-luxurious items, such as prop money, or fake checks, separating from the typical conventions in hip-hop genre music videos. We did this intentionally to bring a fresh perspective to our music video and showcase our creativity in our group. Additionally, our music video represents different social groups and issues. We intended to show in our scenes different socio-economic groups to demonstrate the unity within the community. The video seeks to represent these made-up characters who are wealthier than average, giving back to the lower class, which highlights positive role models who contribute to the betterment of society. While the video maintains an overall fun-loving and positive vibe with dancing and laughing, it addresses subtle economic and social issues. Scenes showing random acts of kindness and community engagement help convey the message of unity and the transformative power of collective positive actions. The video, therefore, is not solely about a fun-loving song but endeavors to intertwine entertainment with meaningful representation, promoting a sense of community and encouraging the viewers to consider the broader social context within which the music is situated.
How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?
When it comes to why our video was more special than others, there are multiple reasons. One, our music video is high quality. When filming our music video, we filmed with the newest iPhone available with the best camera quality, giving our music video an overall better look and feel when it came to our backgrounds, colors, and shots compared to most student-made music videos. A second reason why our music video is special is the entertainment factor of it, the attention it is able to grab in our viewers. In our music video, we use obviously low-budget items trying to represent the high-budget items used in the real God’s Plan music video by Drake. This included using prop money, shopping in non-luxurious stores, and fake checks, but having the characters pretend it was all real. This gives a humorous and light feel to our music video showing how we try to do the same as Drake, yet with the best of what we have. One final reason is the heartfelt nature of our video. In our video, half of our scenes try telling the story of giving to the community, such as giving a car away, paying for people’s groceries, and giving a check to the poor. The video tries to capture genuine moments of community engagement, random acts of kindness, and celebration of diversity, fostering a sense of unity and positivity and an overall uplifting message and engaging visuals, setting our video apart as a meaningful and enjoyable viewing experience. If this were a professional video, we would strategically release it across multiple platforms to maximize its reach and impact. We would first prioritize releasing it on YouTube for its wide accessibility and global reach. Also, the visual nature of the content makes it ideal for sharing on social media platforms, especially TikTok, where short, impactful clips can go viral which would help generate widespread attention to our video. And using other social media channels like Instagram and Twitter for behind-the-scenes content, and engagement with the audience would complement the release strategy.
How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
When it came to the whole process of this project, it really helped with our team’s production skills throughout the whole way. First, it came to the idea generation. When thinking about a song to choose for our project, our ability to identify themes and concepts that resonated with the song’s message improved. When looking for songs, we were able to quickly identify God’s Plan as a good selection, with the understanding of the cultural and social elements within the lyrics and video and translating them into visual concepts for ours. When planning the development of the production of our video, things such as the time the project was to be filmed, when all members could film, where all members could film, and who was taking care of what items and props to get were all necessary in planning. The coordination in all of this helped improve our communication skills and ability to engage with other members of the groups effectively. Additionally with all the limited props and time restrictions we had, planning the budget and resources necessitated improved organizational and logistical skills. Balancing financial constraints while maximizing impact sharpened our resource management abilities. Moreover, we also had to make a storyboard. Making one for this music video allowed me to refine my visual storytelling skills, and demanded a deeper understanding of shot composition, pacing, and how each scene contributed to the overall narrative. The execution of our music video helped improve our production skills in managing on-set dynamics, which demanded improved leadership and communication skills. For instance, when realizing that the weather would be an issue for our car with the bow scene, we were able to quickly improvise, slightly changing the scene to adapt to the current setting and yet still flowing with the overall video, showing the flexibility and adaptability skills gained during spontaneous moments. And finally, in post-production, when having to edit our music video, refining the video for impact sharpened my editing skills. This involved selecting the most powerful shots, experimenting with pacing, and utilizing visual effects to enhance emotional resonance.
How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
For our music video, we integrated technology in many ways. Firstly, when it came to filming, we opted to use the latest iPhone currently, the iPhone 14 Pro. This decision was driven due to the iPhone’s advanced camera capabilities, which allowed us to capture high-quality footage with remarkable clarity and dynamic range. The iPhone’s portability also provided flexibility during on-location shooting, helping to make it easy to film in any location we chose, and choosing what angle we wanted to do now. In terms of editing, we chose CapCut for its user-friendly interface and powerful editing features. Its accessibility made it an ideal choice for a project of this scale, offering a seamless editing experience with a bunch of creative tools, such as text choice, cropping, syncing music, and more. The software’s efficiency and versatility enabled us to experiment with visual effects, pacing, and transitions, contributing to the overall impact of the music video. When it came to blogging the whole process, Blogger was selected for its simplicity. The platform’s straightforward design allowed us to document our journey, share behind-the-scenes insights, and connect with the viewer reading the blog effortlessly. Its user-friendly nature ensured that our blogging process remained streamlined and accessible for both creators and viewers. Ultimately, the choice of equipment and platforms aligned with our goal of creating an impactful music video.
Link to Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uuPnlQ4OAHqqOBbLqgB4mH4zGyaSp1FFIzTur_LN0OQ/edit
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