AN - What I have done this week from 20/6/11 to 25/6/11 Part 2: Shot Types and Technologies Used in A2

The next thing I learned after gaining knowledge about the codes and conventions of music videos was the different shot types used in them. The different shot types used in music videos include, mid shots and long shots which are usually used to focus on the performance of the band in music videos. However, these shots could also be used to represent the artist's power over the audience depending on whether or not, there is an audience watching the performance in the music video. Other shot types used include, POV shots and Dutch angles which are sometimes used to give a particular effect in the music video depending on its symbolic meaning and purpose. A prime example of the POV shot being used in a music video is in the video for Lux Deluxe by Cinnamon Chasers.

Besides from different shot types being used in music videos, there is a particular camera lense which is used to create an effect where particular images being shot are distorted in a certain manner, this is called a fish-eye lense. This lens is usually used in action shots and to capture context. Shake Your Rump by the Beastie Boys is a prime example for the use of this lense.


After I learned about the different shot types and the use of the fish-eye lense in music videos, I then went on to obtain knowledge about the different pieces of technology and software that we'll be using during the A2 coursework. In terms of cameras, we'll be using new HD cameras in A2, which are more powerful than the cameras that we used in last year's coursework because they have a wider angle lense meaning that the footage can be shot in HD and the cameras also have SD slots meaning that they can store SD cards, which can hold more data than a tape.


As for the software, we'll be using Final Cut Express to edit our music videos, in comparison to Imovie which we used in the previous course, Final Cut Express is twice as powerful mainly because it has multiple video layers which can be used to create certain effects, such as a glowing image or a distorted one. Many major films were made using Final Cut these include, The Simpsons Movie, Enchanted, True Grit (2010), 300 and No Country For Old Men. This fact proves that the technology we are using in this course is professional, meaning that we have access to the technology that the professionals use. We will be testing out the HD cameras and Final Cut Express in an upcoming task, but I shall speak of it in a later task.