Raaniya's Portfolio

Our group comprises three members, Dua, Muhjah, and myself. All of us were in different groups last year, so this is a new experience. So far, things are going smoothly, as it only took two days to decide on a song for the music video. We created a playlist on Spotify including the songs that could be a part of the final video. In one discussion, the three of us came to a collective agreement on the song and had good teamwork with regard to planning what were gonna do next to make the video happen. Visit Muhjah and Dua's blog: https://duaasmusicvideo.blogspot.com/  https://themagicblend.blogspot.com/ 

 CULTURAL REPRESENTATION: "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" - Shakira This song celebrated African culture and unity during the 2010 FIFA WorldCup It combines African music, clothing, and visual elements, serving as the anthem for the WorldCup The term "Waka Waka" is a pidgin language term that means "do it" or "work hard", emphasizing the unified and empowered African culture  MENTAL HEALTH REPRESENTATION: "Lovely" - Billie Eilish, Khalid The MV encapsulates the theme of isolation and being trapped in one's mind The singers are trapped in a glass box, not being able to escape. The collaboration highlights the importance of having another person to talk to / companionship. LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: "Rush" - Troye Sivan "Youth" - Troye Sivan   The singer, Troye Sivan himself, is known for advocating LGBTQ+ rights Both these MVs highlight carefree love and sexual exploration.  "Youth" embraces the romantic ...

Since I have the opportunity to talk about my favorite music video, I'll describe "TKN" by Rosalia and Travis Scott. The word "TKN", which is the title of the song,  is thought to be derived from the word "Tekken', a popular Japanese fighting video game. In the game, characters come together as a close-knit team and fight. This resonates with the song's themes of loyalty, protection, family, etc.  The song possesses strong power dynamics and striking symbolism. The atmosphere and setting give off a dystopian vibe, with urban and empty streets as locations. These give a secret, "something in the making" type atmosphere. Rosalia herself is shown as the leader of the pack, as she organizes and guides the children, reiterating the theme of loyalty. In addition, her outfits are bold and vibrant colors, highlighting her confidence and authority. One of my favorite parts in the MV is the use of children. They have synchronized movements and follo...

  MEANING: "Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish prominently depicts the strong bond between Billie and her brother, Finneas O'Connell. It sheds light on the importance of having someone to lean on in times when one faces difficult challenges, which in Billie's case is 'fame'. She emphasizes that her well-being is ensured by her brother through their close-knit relationship and faith in one another, which helps Billie maintain her sense of self no matter how much fame she achieves. Overall, "Everything I Wanted" is used to express Billie's personal struggles while navigating through fame, highlighting the significance of personal relationships, in times of hardship, and in order to maintain one's sense of identity. Furthermore, the music video enhances the theme of escapism, while also highlighting peace, as she is next to her brother, even amidst a chaotic environment. LYRICS: I had a dream I got everything I wanted Not what you'd think...

Camera work is a crucial aspect of filmmaking. This post will discuss various camera shots, angles, movements, and composition techniques. Close-up / Extreme close-up: Focuses on a specific detail or subject, often a character's face. This helps emphasize emotions and reactions. Wide shot: Shows a broad view of a location or scene, which helps in highlighting the grandeur of landscapes Two-shot: Frames two subjects together, usually from the waist up, in a single shot. This emphasizes the relationship and connection between the two characters. Tracking shot: The camera moves alongside, behind, or in front of the character. This creates a feel of continuity and motion.  Handheld shot: This shot is shaky, as the camera is held by hand, creating a raw sense of realism. Aerial/Drone shot: Filmed from a high angle, often using a drone or aircraft. This provides a broad, cinematic view. Static shot: The camera remains fixed on a subject or scene. This draws attention to what the camera i...

 1. PERFORMANCE VIDEOS: Themes: Portrays the artist/band's charisma, and connection to the music.  Visual Elements: Involves close-ups of the artist singing and wide-angle shots of the band, further highlighting the setup and lighting. Textual Focus: Focuses on how the artist/ band's stage presence, along with the audience's response, sets the tone and mood of the song. 2. NARRATIVE VIDEOS: Themes: Since it depicts a story, themes often involve love, heartbreak, struggles, history, etc. based on the message of the song Visual Elements: Involves a cinematic approach of the character's interactions and development, along with the setting, to showcase the song's mood and enhance the lyrics. Textual Focus: Stylized in terms of plot, character development, and emotional resolution. 3. LYRIC VIDEOS Themes: Direct focus on the song's message, creating a sense of relatability with oneself, and the artist. Visual Elements: Involves interactive background, text font, and ...

A digipak is a type of packaging for CDs and DVDs, with one or more trays inside to hold the disks. It has a book-like structure, often featuring custom printed and exclusive artwork by or of the artist. Many artists and labels use digipaks for premium editions of collector's items to make the album feel more special and valuable to fans. Usually, digipaks contain lyrics for the songs, liner notes, behind-the-scenes photos, and bonus content, which makes them deluxe or special edition versions of the album.   Digipaks make use of cardboard, which offers a more aesthetic and eco-friendly alternative to plastic cases. They usually come with extra compartments for booklets, posters, photocards, etc.  They are most commonly used by major record labels to add value and enhance the album's appeal. Independent and Indie artists also use digipaks to provide a more artistic and personalised feel to their albums, compared to standard jewel cases.  Conclusively, digipaks offer...

  A music video is any visual multimedia (like a short motion picture) that is associated with an audio track/ song. The aim of a music video is to visually interpret the song and its lyrics, often enhancing the overall experience of the song and listeners. Music videos can range from simple performance clips of an artist or band, to elaborate narratives, animations, or artistic visuals that highlight the meaning of the song. These also serve as a promotional tool to attract listeners and create a lasting impact on the audience by forming a deeper connection between them and the song. Furthermore, music videos have been made widely available to watch on different streaming services such as Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify. Additionally, artists often post short clips of their songs on social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. either directly or through links. We’ll now delve into the different types of music videos: Concept Video: Concept videos are an art...

  ☆ The Early Era: Short music films, featuring dance sequences were created around the 1920s and 1930s. About a decade later, these were termed as  “soundies” , and were shown in jukeboxes called Panorams(16mm rear projection machines). As seen in the soundie above, it's a musical film displaying a performance. ☆ The Rise of Promotional Films (1960s-1970s): During this era, bands started making short films of their songs. ‘The Beatles’, for example, has set an example of promotional clips through “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964), which uses a cinematographic style, similar to how music videos are nowadays. ☆ The 1980s: The 1980s was a transformative decade for music videos. Here they became a vital part of the music industry. MTV, a cable television network that began as a 24-hour platform for music videos, launched just after midnight, on 1st August, 1981. The first song broadcasted was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. Since this time, MTV has revolutionized the musi...

  The A2 coursework, the advanced portfolio, offers the choice of producing either a music video or a short film. Last year, for the AS coursework, our group opted to create an opening scene, so this year, looking at the opportunity to produce a music video, we collectively decided to work on it, rather than a short film. Since all were already familiar with the A2 coursework while in AS, we were ecstatic about it and roughly started planning it even then, so this year was no surprise, and an easy decision that the music video is the path to pick.

Hi there! I’m Raaniya Junaid, and I’m 17 years old. I’m an A-level student, and my subjects include psychology, media, English literature, and global perspectives. I'll try my best to introduce myself through my hobbies.  I’m an  avid reader , having a particular interest in psychological/ thriller/ mystery novels and   painting/ sketching . In addition, my love for  photography  has grown a lot over the years, which is one of the main reasons for my pursuing media in the first place. I developed this interest during a trip in 2022, during which my dad lent me his DSLR camera. Since then I’ve been trying to improve my photography skills and stealing his camera whenever I get the chance. Other interests include  traveling, listening to music, watching movies/series, and video editing.  Before 2023, I had never imagined having media as a subject, let alone minoring in it, however, my love for photography and videography in general aroused my curiosity an...