In my initial storyboard, the idea for the long introduction was to have a long, wide angle shot looking down on a couple sleeping in bed. The idea behind the shot was that it would show a distance between the main character and the rest of her life, were she to be lying awkwardly and with great distance between herself and her partner. However, there were several problems with capturing this shot.
First of all, it was very difficult to get the camera at the correct angle due to the fact that I had to hold it at arms length and so I couldn't see the shot as I took it. This added a lot to the filming time of our first filming session. The second problem I encountered was an issue with camera stability. It was practically impossible to keep the camera steady for long enough, and when I did manage, my actors struggled to stay still long enough themselves. The way I chose to get around this was to take a still from the shot and stitch it together multiple times.
After uploading my first completed rough cut of my video to YouTube, I noticed that the audio was very poor quality. Although it took some time to work out what the issue was, I lowered the levels of the audio to remove the crackling.
My revised production schedule is as follows. These are the designated filming dates, within which I must try and get all of my filming done. I only have one evening with my performer so we must be very productive.
1st December - rough cut
11th December - final cut and ancillary / poster / CD package
Although it wasn't in my original plan, I thought that a dolly zoom may be very effective within the context as it would present ideas of distortion, and heavily suggests a spinning head or dizziness which could fit in very effectively with the concept of her struggling to keep on top of what's inside her head.
I didn't use a tripod for the test shots which was clearly a mistake, as there is a strong camera shake throughout. I feel as though the deep green background worked well in contrasting my actress' pale complexion and the washed out nature of the shot, all in all I felt as though the shot could have been very effective.
Here is some test footage I put very roughly to the music. During the filming of these shots, I decided that it would be more effective to have the entire video filmed in the same location, in order to hint at the concept of her being trapped within her own mind, however I was curious to see if the shots I had taken were effective regardless.
Main dates for filming. These are the dates I have set aside to film the bulk of my video, on top of this there will be two or three evenings of shooting extra clips for the lip sync parts.
Light directly in front of actress / model to illuminate face
Light slightly from above or below - depending on mood of shot - in order to illuminate surroundings - creates clinical feel.
Reflector to cast subtle illumination from behind model, provides 'halo' and increases definition, makes subject stand out from background and prevents everything blending into one.
After planning my video in a storyboard, it has become clear that due to the fact that I'm keeping the entire video, a lot of the shots are very similar. In order to avoid a sense of repetition and stop it from becoming boring, I have planned a list of shots in order to increase the variety and simultaneously conform to music video conventions.
-Variation of close ups and mid shots of performer.
-All shots follow general rule of getting closer in as the video progresses.
-Film from different perspectives depending on room space.
-Variation of angles, especially with the actress
-Low angle shot of her throwing pillow over the camera
-Extreme close up of performer to create a synthetic relationship between the star and the audience, direct eye contact with camera is important
-Some shots of performer not looking into the lens- makes it feel as though the audience have been let in on their life, creates a synthetic relationship
-When the actress is swallowing the tablets and drinking, the shots should be at a consistent distance, however angles can alter
-Equal amount of close up aggressive shots to close up laughing shots
It was very difficult to access contact information for the record label Dirty Hit, and in the end all I could find was a general email address. I sent a brief email explaining what I am doing and requested their permission to use the track.
Light bulbs get very hot and will be very close to models' faces
Ensure that lights are switched off between filming so as not to over heat. Ensure that the lights are not too close to models' skin.
Wires will need to track across room in order to provide balanced lighting - trip hazard
Tape wires down where necessary, tuck them out of the way, make sure everyone present is aware of them.
Items being thrown could be hazardous
Extreme caution when throwing items towards the camera specifically as there will be people standing behind it. Make sure that the actress has a safe place to aim.
Glass bottles lying around floor and bare feet
No broken glass, any particularly thin or flimsy bottles should be on the table rather than the floor. No empty cans to be placed on the floor as they can be very sharp.
Both of my models were over 18 at the time of filming, so there was no need for parental consent, however I requested official consent from both of them before we began filming in order to make sure that there would be no issues later on in the project.
Cigarette- not to be shown smoking however it would be implied by a puff of vapour and the cigarette butt being extinguished. Glass bottles or wine glasses - to imply an alcohol issue Pills- scattered around bedside? Books, photos, sentimental items - photo frames - to be thrown in anger or distress
All of my respondents were 17 which means that I can't analyse my answers for target audience age/ maturity, as they're all the same age and technically therefore fall into at least one degree of the intended demographic. Furthermore, some of them went on to say that indie rock was among their favourite music genres. These answers were the most interesting to me as they were likely to reflect some of the expectations of the planned audience.
The purpose of this question was to try and fish out some of the things that make music videos tick with my target audience.
The majority of respondents ticked that an abstract style was the best form of video to view, although, only 11 people took part in my survey so this can't be necessarily classed as conclusive.
This question is fairly self explanatory and just hi lights a few things that should possibly be avoided, or at least worked with very carefully. For example, the unnecessary sexualisation of dancers and people with no ends to provide anything for the meaning other than to be attractive.
This question was interesting, and showed that there was a clear expectation of performance in an indie rock video, but also "reasonably abstract narrative."
The location of my test shots wasn't ideal, so I played around a bit with filters that would add to the outcome of my edit. I also just wanted to test the quality of the tone altering effects and research which of them may be of use later on in my project.
This is not the song I am using for my music video, however I chose to use it in order to test Alice's ability to really sing into the camera. The test was purely to make sure that my performer would be comfortable in front of the camera. I used the opportunity to briefly play around with the editing techniques, but I'm not completely happy with how that particular element turned out as I didn't have a good enough diversity of shots to work with.
Due to limited time, I only filmed from a few angles, these were the best three and the three I chose to work with. I didn't like the location or the tone of shot at all, and the camera lacked a manual exposure function so her face was often incredibly over-exposed in some of the other shots, I put them in black and white not to simulate the tone of my video itself but to make it come across in a slightly more sophisticated manner.
I've taken inspiration from this Disclosure video where there is a very clear contrast in the differing of the character at the start and at the end of the video. Here, the two shots are very similar, same location, same pro(an)tagonist, but her clothing has changed alongside her manner. There is a clear change from the Goddess-like robe she wears at the beginning of the video and the black, wet look leather and bold red lip she transforms into at the end.
Although I would don't want the performer to entirely change outfit as the song progresses, but her clothes will become visibly more worn down and casual, a sleeve slipping off her shoulder as she sings for example.
List:
Performer:
Casual clothes, leggings, loose t-shirt/shirt, no shoes- socks- she is meant to look casual, representation of target demographic - meant to appear relatable.
Actress:
Pyjamas or slacks. Made to appear scruffy, under dressed but comfortable to fit the juxtaposition of the emotions she is feeling.
Using some general test footage I have scanned through all of the available preset effects and filters, I don't want to overly rely on these but I feel that a few of them in moderation could really add to my video. One answer on my questionnaire actually hi-lighted the overuse of filters and effects which has confirmed my initial thoughts on the subject.
This particular effect I feel really fits with the genre I'm working in. Indie pop and rock culture both follow similar ideologies to some extent, pursuing the almost trance-like atmospheres linked with the experiences of seeing the band play live and up close. There is a heavy focus on the sound itself and the emotion being put into the music, however there is also emphasis on the feelings and experiences surrounding the effects of the music. Often this involves filming and editing techniques that are not only of retro style but also quite surrealistic. The "BadTV" effect on Final Cut Pro X offers up a really effective style, maybe flashes of something like this over the performance elements would add to the Indie "vibe," as it almost replicates the feel of being in a live crowd in front of strobe lighting.
The existing video for Palma Violets - Step Up For The Cool Cats provides a good example of this style of thinking, and throughout uses a moderately similar technique. Looking at it closely it would appear that this is not post production but instead was just the initial footage re-filmed through a second screen. This is definitely an idea I will test some shots out for and revisit.
I asked a few people that I know very well to provide some preliminary shots of a few locations I was considering for different sections in the video. These first two photos I'm not too sure about as the room appears very snug and homely, almost too relaxed. Also, while there is room to film in, there is a lot of window space which I would need to be careful about if I chose to film here with regards to the windows' reflections.
- I have thought very carefully about how I am going to light the scenes that I plan on filming in my video, and in order to facilitate the often dark locations I would like to try and use, (the sunset) I am going to use my three continuous studio lights. I may also use a flash bulb which I could use to create a subdued strobe-like effect when filming close up on faces. I also have an idea for a shot which would involve setting up the performer(s) in front of car headlights, where lights would be needed in front of them out of shot in order to keep them from being silhouetted.
Setting
Performance: -Standing in front of their car parked in front of a church?
-A few lines filmed in a studio environment - the pit? my studio?
-Generic outside space at the beach
-Kept in the same room as actress? To portray sense of being trapped within her mind?
Narrative: -White washed bedroom, double bed, white sheets, as empty as possible.
-The beach - sunset
Props
- Cheap glass bottles/ glasses for her to smash in anger - to signify her having been drinking - his side of the bed is clean
-Real bottles
-Pills
-Items to throw - photos, books, bedding
Costume
Within my video it is important that I differentiate between the two main 'characters.'
- The performer- who needs to convey the genre conventions and implied emotions, and the subject - the character entirely separate and fictional from the performer.
The Performer - fairly neutral but with a darker tone. Black skinny jeans? Black skirt, bare legs and Docs? Dark high neck vest top?
- The Character - Dressed in a very casual manner - pyjamas, loungewear. Her makeup and hair is not so important, it's more the effect of her not having the makeup or looking very dressed-down due to the perceived state of her mental state
Make Up
- The Performer - dark makeup to some extent yet relatively 'bare?' - Heavy eyeliner, nude lip? Blank face
- The Character - halfway point between very sweet and effeminate, pink lips rosy cheeks etc, and dark, more aggressive or emotional. 'Bare' face
Performance
- The song that I have chosen is audibly very expressive, and so the performer I choose will need to really sing into the camera and really get into the music, as otherwise, the final product will immediately say student video.
Settings Possibly a motel-like setting? Just as blank of a room as possible - white walls, as empty as it can be. Preferably a large window with venetian blinds for lighting effect.
A possible shot idea I am planning for the intro would be showing her getting into the shower or bath. Simply a towel dropping around bare ankles and a hand turning the tap. It can't be too heavy but simply a suggestion of the idea without causing any issues with modesty of consent.
Another idea is filming her in the car driving with him near the beginning as the singer begins so I will be using my own car in order to achieve this. I am wary however that shooting from inside a car can very easily appear amateur or clumsy so I will do some research into this technique later on. Southwold beach - shots of her sitting alone watching the tide - Wednesday 18th 68 Ashdon Road - Modern room, blank walls, plain bedside table. Easy accessibility and space for camera and tripod movements.
Richard Dyer's star theory basically sets the premise that stars are created by the industry by means of making money. He talks about the concept that the stars are intended to represent real people in a manner that would appeal to the target audience, something that they can relate to.
If we take Demi Lovato as an example, we can see clear development of her character as her career progresses.
Early star image
What was the image established in the earliest videos?
Star image development
Are they shown playing a character / performing?
What visual motifs are associated with them?
How are they sold?
Are close- ups used throughout their work?
How are hair, costume, props, other people used in videos to support image?
How do camera and editing reinforce the image?
Give examples and consider why these features have been chosen?
Wider cultural significance
Why is/ was this star popular at this particular time?
Do they fit into any cultural trends like ‘girl power’, etc?
The basic outline I have finally decided on is that of a young female who is visually very distant and struggling with some form of multiple personality disorder. This could have been effected by the concept within the lyrics of her being cheated on by her boyfriend, who will be present in the video but only hinted at subtly. It would open with them in bed with a lot of space between them, he will be lying on his side with his back to her, and she will be lying on her back with her eyes closed. The music will start as she opens her eyes and there will be a moment of the sound of a siren outside before she wakes up which will carry on into the intro of the song as it's so quiet. I will be applying some sort of filter over the footage in order to make it appear washed out and of a sadder tone to match with the tone of their relationship. The main concept of the video will be that the girl is clearly struggling with something, cutting between being visually very upset, and being more relaxed, hinting towards the idea of some sort of split personality disorder. The lyrics lend themselves directly to the idea of cheating, but also to that of alcohol and drug abuse, and mental struggle.
"The intro to the song is actually quite long, and therefore must be thought out very carefully in order to prevent it from becoming boring as a video. I plan on recording the sounds of a vaguely distant street and placing them over the top of the building noise, a key part of this soundtrack will be a police siren which will be the first sound that the viewers hear. As the screen starts black and fades into a birds eye shot of the couple in a bed, there will be a siren, then her eyes will snap open and the track will kick in, alongside the siren and the quiet traffic." - Treatment 1.0
The video will be split into a combination of shots of the singer and of the actress.
"I believe the target demographic for this music video will be young adults aged 15-28, both male and female. A good way of identifying some music that viewers may also be interested in, and therefore the style, ideologies and concepts, is to check the "similar artists" or "you might like" suggestions on iTunes. Some of the artists that came up were Drenge, JAWS, The Vaccines, Swim Deep and Palma Violets. This information provides a snapshot into the genre and what sort of ideas and concepts my audience may be interested in. See audience analysis. " - Treatment.
I feel as though there would be a roughly equal number of male as female listeners to the track, due to the indie-rock genre and the female lead singer. I would put the intended ages for my video between fifteen and twenty eight. I'm putting the lower end at fifteen because of the nature of the video and the themes running through it which may be slightly too heavy for a younger audience. I'm going for a somewhat grungy effect throughout the video in order to fit with the intended audience psychographic, which I believe will be tailored to in my video as I will include elements intended to appeal to them. For example, the clothing, makeup and the depth of story line.
The song lends itself to a dark theme, and the artist to an indie style, so the tone of my video will need to reflect both of these things.
An ideological characteristic of this style of music and its audience is the raw nature of the music. often bands similar to Wolf Alice go for more emphasis on performance in their music videos, as there is emphasis within the genre of the quality and feel and emotion behind the music itself. However, the majority of videos already produced by the band do not include large amounts of performance, and the videos come from a more entertainment based angle. They tend to throw light on subtle meanings and ideas that come through from the music and the lyrics themselves because this is the style of video that the target audience appreciate. I plan on using some elements of performance in order to appeal to the intended audience and provide a snapshot into the passion behind the music itself, but I also want to create a "narrative" without strictly following a narrative. To almost tell a story and provide something for the audience to follow without explicitly telling a story.
I believe the target demographic for my music video will be young adults aged 15-28, both male and female. A good way of identifying some music that viewers may also be interested in, and therefore the style, ideologies and concepts, is to check the "similar artists" or "you might like" suggestions on iTunes. Some of the artists that came up were Drenge, JAWS, The Vaccines, Swim Deep and Palma Violets. This information provides a snapshot into the genre and what sort of ideas and concepts my audience may be interested in. See audience analysis.
Outline : Silk
This song is a lot more relaxed the entire way through, and I'm visualising a calmer and more reposed video.
It would follow a couple through one day of their lives together, portraying their relationship as very bleak and falling apart. This will be shown by the slightly desaturated and a grey/green hue. There wouldn't be too much in the way of a storyline however there would be an element of narrative in the form of the fact that it is tracking their relationship falling apart. The intro to the song is actually quite long, and therefore must be thought out very carefully in order to prevent it from becoming boring as a video. I plan on recording the sounds of a vaguely distant street and placing them over the top of the building noise, a key part of this soundtrack will be a police siren which will be the first sound that the viewers hear. As the screen starts black and fades into a birds eye shot of the couple in a bed, there will be a siren, then her eyes will snap open and the track will kick in, alongside the siren and the quiet traffic. The rest of the video will include performance shots of some instruments being played but mainly of the singer, together with general shots of the pair. Some brief shot ideas are of her sitting on the beach looking out to the horizon as the sun sets or rises, this could be nearing the end of the video as the song comes to a close or as a part of the beginning sequence as she gets out of bed alone and wanders down to the sea.
Outline : You're A Germ
Within the video, I have decided on two options. I could take some, but not all, of the lyrics literally. Rather than reading into the meaning behind the lyrics, I may decide to keep it relatively superficial and pick out key words and concepts to fuel the content. I was thinking about taking the line "we hear the fight" to determine a recurring theme throughout the video. And cut to maybe slow motion style scenes during the slower sections of the track, and more fast paced chaos during the chorus, perhaps including a bottle being smashed, or someone being chased.
Alternatively, I could take each of the sections of lyrics more literally. For example, taking the opening line "George he rides a bike" and using this as a running theme, possibly opening with shots of someone riding a bike, close ups of ankles, handle bars and wheels spinning, but cutting back to this character throughout the video in order to create some sort of a sense of pattern, rather than just random themes coming together.
I haven't yet decided how much of the video would be performance based, and this will probably depend somewhat on the people I cast and how confident I am that they will take it seriously and act properly. However I have quite a few ideas for performance shots, for example, setting up the "band" in front of a parked car in a serene location with the headlights providing atmospheric lighting and possibly some sort of smoke flare which would be shown up in the bright light.
I will probably end up with a blend of the two ideas, taking specific lines from the track to create the basis for shots and content, but not following the story line. Throughout the video I plan on having quick cuts during the chorus and slower cuts of slower shots (slow motion?) during the verses.
One idea follows a moderately strict narrative, however I would focus on editing the clips together so as to remove any linear elements or feelings from the video. The story will jump back and forth a couple of times, which would be accompanied by the various performance shots.
The video would open with a young girl being filmed intrusively by another character. I haven't decided whether the assailant will remain elusive throughout the video. It would open with a mixture of relaxed performance shots and slow motion clips of the girl, who would be dressed in innocent whites, as opposed to the more aggressive blacks of the singer. As the girl is harassed, the audience can see that she is uncomfortable, however she doesn't lash out apart from to block the camera lens. As the chorus kicks in, suddenly the scene cuts to a bloody fight, bottles are smashed, torsos are kicked and the pair fall over stools and tables. The girl is now dressed in black with much heavier makeup. As the music cuts back to a verse, the scene reverts similar to how it was before, only the actions of the assaulter are visibly more aggressive and provoking, and as the verse picks up tempo you see her snap and react to him, starting the fight, which leads back to where the chorus left off beforehand.
For my final shots, I'm visualising the aggressor on the floor, and the girl standing with the camera up close, or possibly she is holding the "camera" that he began the video watching her through, with a subtle touch of blood on her face and a sadistic grin as she pulls up a lighter before the shot cuts to black.
I also have a couple of brief ideas focussing on and surrounding the juxtaposition of young and old, possibly switching between shots of characters and their "younger selves." I feel as though this could be very effective however it would be difficult to find younger actors who would be reliable and would put the required energy into it. (My brother? Someone's sister?)
My third and final concept would be based around the idea of an alter ego, the character switching personas at different points in the video, correlating with the pace and tone of the music. Possible ideas for transitions are tracking her as she looks into a mirror or a photo on the wall and then as the camera pans back out, her identity has switched.
Visual Elements
As I briefly mentioned, I have a few ideas for lighting in certain settings, but until I have a relatively comprehensive shot list, planning my lighting is going to be difficult. However, I'm going to have access to three portable, continuous soft box light sources, and various reflectors in order to ensure that my shots are lit correctly.
I want a lot of movement in the shots I take, as parts of the song will be relatively slow and I don't want the video to become tired or dull, so the shots would need to remain steady yet not static.
I need various locations within this project, a good number for the abstract performance shots and a good number for the narrative/ conceptual parts.
Music in the indie genre is interesting, the ideology of such music being a heavy focus on the raw, un-industry bias sound. The videos are often trance like or surreal, unrealistic, taking place in either an alternative universe or in one that appears drastically different to how it would be expected to. Indie-pop as a genre is often an eclectic mix of popular conventions and alternative themes, and this song is no exception.
The video is set in an ordinary house party - except it is not ordinary. The guests are wearing scuba suits and an assortment of details within the set are slightly off, such as the fridge filled with bottled water where you would expect alcohol. It includes a lot of close up shots of the performer's face, providing both a star image for the record label to work with, and a very personal, trance like effect. The house is dim lit, low key lighting also adds to the intoxicated impression that the audience is left with.
As Goodwin suggests, there is a strong link between the lyrics and the visuals you are presented with, the song is written adverse to the modern day ways people live their lives, however this isn't always the case, if you look at a constrasting track such as You're A Germthere is little to no contextual reference to the actual lyrics of the song.
At some points, the shot frequency is relatively fast paced, however mostly it is slow cut and the shots themselves are often slow pans and steady tracking shots. This aids the dreamlike atmosphere alongside the grey/green/washed out colour correction. I like the style of this video, there isn't a clear cut narrative and it is somewhat abstract. There is an equal balance of performance shots (the singer alone) and location shots. It is like you're walking around the party with him.
He sings directly into the camera, more often than not making eye contact and creating a personal link between himself and the audience, which is often regarded as more of a popular cultural style technique as it brings the viewer into the situation on a higher level of understanding and relatability, as opposed to in films where the fourth wall remains unbroken and the audience is absorbed in the idea of the narrative being reality for someone else.
In this video, Rhianna goes to the extreme end of non conformity. With her largely young fan base she has gone down the modern gangster style route. Surprisingly, the track is listed as pop on iTunes and other music streaming servers. She completely defies the stereotypical expectations of her older music that the industry may hold over her, and has produced a somewhat disturbing video.
A main expectation of popular music is that it shouldn't include any extremes due to the often young ages of the audience. However, the video is filled from start to finish with strong threatening, violent and gory themes. The end shot is of the artist herself saring dead eyes into the camera, dripping in the blood of her victims and made up to look almost soulless and zombie-like. A long way off her usual glamorous, movie star persona.
She could have chosen to do something so controversial for several reasons, a stand out one being the desire to attract a wider audience to her music.
In this video, P!nk goes out of her way to fight some of the stereotypes of her genre and goes against the very nature of the ideology she was somewhat expected to represent. This could be heavily influenced by the context of the song itself and how it is okay to be different, which is actually a widely accepted theme in her music. There is a clear intertextual reference to Rosie The Riveter; a wartime propaganda hero. The general emphasis of the video being empowerment - "so raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways." One could argue that this itself goes against mainstream pop ideologies as a lot of popular music is based on the ideas of romance, vulnerable women and brooding men. "Stay" by Rhianna for example. However, this ruling cannot be applied to all music in the genre, so although this video is very much about there being more to life than being "cool" it has been done, in fact, in a way which can be perceived in a way that is widely considered just that. The video does, as Goodwin suggests.show certain aspects that the record label will have wanted, for example the close up attractive shots of the artist, as it is important to keep up the star image.
The expected rock ideologies go along the lines of not caring, having a very blase outlook on things and being very hedonistic or rowdy. There is also a lot of expected emphasis on teenage fans, the idea of fangirls and being fan based. Beastie Boys "Fight For Your Right" is an excellent example of this as the whole song is based on the persona of a teenager. "Wake up late for school man you don't wanna go..." The rock genre is generally designed to be relatable to the intended audience, which is, more often than not, a teenage age range. The same can be said about pop, for example the original Michael Jackson "Smooth Criminal" track is aimed at a teenage market, however the content is not specifically supposed to immediately mean anything personal to it's audience, whereas the Alien Ant Farm cover of the song, which conforms to the rock genre, does. The stereotypical expectations of rock are frequently referenced in this video, whilst closely cross referencing the original, from the style of dancing to the typical suburban setting that their audience are likely to relate to. The sophisticated Speakeasy is replaced by a large scale street party, trashed white-picket-fence-gardens showing off the antidisestablishmentarianist attitude and linking themselves to the rebellious teenage ideologies with the red cups and pizza boxes strewn across the perfectly pruned lawns.
The general rock ideology heavily involves the idea of defying the system and so many videos in this genre do conform to implying this in some way.
There is a lot of inter textual referencing within this video to the original, from the styles of dance moves to the pet monkey meant to represent that of Michael Jackson's own pet.
Goodwin's theory suggests that not only should music videos include elements of genre conformity, but that there is often a link between both the lyrics and the video, and the music itself and the video, however this song wasn't written in order to conform to rock ideologies.
