Introduction
In this short unit, we were asked to choose a passion of ours, and develop a 21st century skill related to that passion in our elective classes. I explored the relationship between music videos and musicians, and how cinematography and color can enhance the message of a song. I collaborated with a rap artist who goes to my high school in order to shoot my own music video.
In English and Digital Media, we learned about an assortment of experimental art forms, mainly focusing on lyrical essay writing and creating experimental music in ProTools.
Film Explorations Process
Before getting in touch with the rap artist I worked with, Lil’ Tommazi, I did background research on the structure of music videos and how they can be broken down. I learned that there is usually one main “foundational” shot, whether it be the artist/band playing their song, or a sequence of events, telling a story that correlates with the lyrics of the song. Then, experimental, avant-garde, or abstract shots are pieced in, usually depicting the band/artist under interesting lighting or a unique backdrop. Abstract shot types commonly use color, composition, or cinematography in order to portray emotions within the song that may have been more underlying and not depicted in the foundational shot.
An example of this is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody, ” which cuts back and forth between shots of the band playing on a stage (foundational shot) and the famous shot of the band in a dark room, looking up with only their faces lit. (abstract shot) The lyrics of the song are very self-reflective, and the choice to light up only the band’s faces portrays that feeling of self-reflection and isolation within the mind.
Rap music videos often use the same techniques, but the lyrics in rap songs are usually about the artist and their accomplishments or experiences. I wanted to allude to that in my music video by filming in locations with leading lines, such as grocery store isles, and an empty parking garage, to make the artist seem like the only person in the world. I also wanted to keep the high energy of the song in the video, with fast-paced cuts, handheld and tripod camera movement, fun shots, and bright colors. Some of my inspiration included Tyler, The Creator, Aminé, and The Pharcyde’s music videos.
After filming over the course of 2 days, I imported the clips into Premiere Pro and merged all the clips with the audio file of the song I had. This was the most important step, because it aligned the artist’s lip-syncing to the actual track. In fact, we had the music playing out loud, and let him rap the lyrics to make the audio align better.
I didn’t focus too much on color grading but I did increase the saturation and intensity of almost all the shots. Music videos, rap in particular, are bright and expressive, so I wanted to make sure the energy of the song came across through color. I also had to put a blue tint over the shots in the grocery store because they had a very warm tone, flushing out the artist and not contrasting enough with the shots that followed.
Overall, I’m really happy with how this turned out and I had a lot of fun making it! I can definitely see myself doing more music videos in the future because I love the idea of interpreting lyrics visually, through color, metaphor, or avant-garde tactics. I would really like to try something more experimental and work on my color grading skills.
Experimental Music
In Digital Media, we used ProTools’ instrument plugins and our desktop keyboard accesories to create 60 second songs. I really liked the drumming and EDM style plug-ins but I wanted to start simpler, because I don’t know how to play the piano and I wanted to explore creating simple melodies. I decided to utilize the sound effects in the Xpand tool, and create a meditative ambient song.
Lyrical Essay
In English, we studied the lyrical essay writing form, reading examples such as Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace, Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine, and Book of Delights by Ross Gay. A lyrical essay has no true definition but is often considered a commentary on another source, or one’s experiences. They commonly use footnotes, not to clarify a thought, but to give it a deeper meaning.
I was mainly inspired by the Book of Delights to capture my train of thought in an essay form. I often feel like my thoughts race around in my head, a mix of poetic pros and simple statements. I thought it would be interesting to capture my thoughts on different subjects as I write them, without editing them too much.
I really enjoyed getting to write in this format! It was really new to me and I think I benefitted from it as a writer.
