Making a Music Video #danceishome

Let’s talk music! When you listen to a song, what do you hear? What do you feel? Does it bring up memories? Does it move you?

For the final project this fall, we're using music as the inspiration for making a dance. What's fun is we're making music videos for this assignment.

To begin, we study the music. The students choose a piece of music and we discuss its elements and structure. We then count it out to make a music map, listen for imagery and brainstorm ideas for their concept. Then it's time to plan a dance.

Let’s use our imagination to create an original concept around a song and arrange a dance in a chosen music video style, making our homes the production stage! 

Lessons 1, 2, and 3 will take you through the planning process and lessons 4 and 5 offer methods and guidelines in making the choreography for the music video.

In your house:
Lesson 1: Map Out Your Music
Choose a song you are drawn to and would be interested in working with: 

• Why did you choose this particular song?
• What does it make you think about?
• How does it make you feel?

Map Out the Music

• Determine what the time signature is. Most pop songs are in 4/4 time so you will be able to count it in eights. Some are ¾ time, you can count this a couple ways, sixes (like a waltz) is most common. 
• Map out your music using tick marks.
• In your mapping, establish changes in music, different sounds, etc.​

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​Lesson 2: Listen to the Music
Brainstorm

• Music can evoke emotions and images. Listen to your song and let your imaginations go. In your notebook, describe the emotions you felt, stories or memories that came up, and draw any images that appeared while the music played.
• Pay attention to the music elements like tempo, dynamics, pitch, they will contribute to the emotions. 
• Study your page and begin to assess what you have. Is there a general theme? What type of movement will complement these ideas? 

Lesson 3: Concept Outline
Organize

• Now that you have mapped out your music and studied the sounds and lyrics, it’s time to make an outline of your music video.
• What words/themes are important?
• Determine the introduction: how will you set the scene? 
• Create a concept outline with a beginning, middle and end.
• Keep in mind that choreography steers your CONCEPT video. ​

Lesson 4: Tips and Tools for Making Your Dance 

Use your Music Map, Brainstorm Page, and Concept Outline to help choreograph the dance. 

• ​​​Determine how you will set the scene, camera angle, environment, dancer’s position.
• Determine when to cut the music. It should be a place that makes sense in the music, not abrupt and out of nowhere.​​

• Remember to change your tempos, you don’t have to move fast or slow the entire time. Sometimes holding a pose is the most effective.
• Think about how you want to tell your story. Do you need gestures? Do you need long phrases? Do you need to walk, run, freeze? Laugh, cry, shake, twist?
• Listen to the lyrics and create movements that represent the words and emotions in the song. Gestures are great for representing words. These can be repeated and manipulated to elaborate on your concept.
• Listen to the music and pay attention to the rhythms, clap out the rhythms that you hear. Then create these rhythms with your body, they will not always be audible, you are amplifying the music with different  parts of your body.

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Lesson 5: Putting It All Together:  Make a Music Video

Overall Structure:

• An introduction that sets the scene and tone.
• Beginning that complements the introduction. (This is usually the first verse in the song).
• Middle section that continues to develop your concept.
• End section that creates a resolution or wraps up your concept.

Choreography Guidelines:

• The movement must complement your concept.
• 2  8counts that is a full body movement. Using your arm, torso, legs, head. Dance BIG!
• One movement from the new warm-up or combination.

Filming and Editing Guidelines:

• Choose a location in your home to record the dance. Decorate? Use furniture or props?
• At least two different camera angles.
• 1 ½ to 2 ½  minutes in length. Find a good place to cut the music if the song is more than a minute.

Have fun and tell the story in your own style. ​