Initial music video planning

Group members

The group consists of four members; Jamie Gregory, Lauren Vale, Dipika Sharma as well as myself.

As two members of the group have previsouly worked together on a media project, they are aware of eachother's work ethic and therefore get on well together. All members of the group were chosen on the basis of a similar line of thought. However each member provides different skills. Lauren has high organisational skills and so will be able to plan the production effectively. Dipika's strenght is the camera-work which will be useful when filming the video. Jamie is able to edit and so his skills will be used when editing. I am most creative within the group. I will be able to put forward ideas to put into the music video and so this will be beneficial when planning.

Inspiration from other music videos

James Morrison - I won't let you go

The music video alternates between the two main aspects of the video; performance and narrative. The performance which is the first aspect establishes the artist. Whilst performing, close ups are used to display facial expression and so emphasise the emotion of the lyrics. This allows the audience to connect with the artist and potentially relate to the words.

The video constantly alternates between the performance and narrative which involves a girl laying in the middle of the street. The visuals are parallel to the lyrics "you keep falling down" which is suggestive of her giving up, The two aspects are interwoven and then come together towards the end as the artist directly faces the girl whilst performing.

Lana del Ray- Summertime sadness

The video to 'Summertime sadness' involves a theme of suicide that is presented as "dying happy". This is presented by the artist standing on the edge of a cliff where she then falls. The cliff is a prominent use of setting due to the intensity of the landscape as well as the excitement it provides. It has the potential to infer varied connotations such as freedom and unhappiness.

 

Demi Lovato - Give your heart a break

 The extreme close up of the photo held by the artist displays the emotional hold the relationship has on her. Photos act as a motif that is repeated throughout and is therefore a prominent use of iconography. It reoccurs across the entire video which is effective as it represents the relationship. 

Throughout the video which involves both performance as well as narrative, flashbacks of the male and female are used to demonstrate their once felt happiness. A contrast is therefore created between the past and present narrative. The audience therefore understands and can potentially relate to the pain felt by the audience.

                                                                                 

Mise-en scene:

Setting:
The most significant location used will be a cliff top which signifies freedom and the 'edge of despair'. This will be used at the ending of the music video. An indoor setting of a room will also be used for flashbacks of the past. It will show the couple in a normal setting where their proximity can be emphasized.

Iconography:
 The most prominent element of iconography that will be used in the music video will be cards which have numerous connotations. Cards are able to signify a 'game' which is able to relate to a relationship in which two people are involved and may be against eachother. As there are 13 types of cards, they can be carefully selected which provides freedom as to what they connote i.e. a king and a queen can be used to illustrate a relationship. As this is the most significant, it will re-occur across the video. It will then be used to show the break-down of a relationship through the use of fire.

Fire will also act as effective iconography as it will show love burning out; showing the end of a relationship between the individuals involved. Fire also has a strong connotation of pain which is relevant to a break-up and can therefore infer the emotions inflicted. As well as being an effective technique of illustrating emotions, it can also be edited to create effective footage.

Costume:
 As the song is of a pop genre, casual clothing will be conventional. This can consist of a checked shirt, jeans and converse for the male and a baggy shirt worn by the female. It will be used in an indoor setting such as a bedroom. In the ending scene which takes place at a cliff top, the female will wear the colour white as it signifies purity and innocence.

Lighting:
High key lighting will be used throughout the majority of the music video as it will take place in an outdoor setting which involves natural sunlight. The landscape surrounding the cliff top will be intensified. The indoor location will also display high key lighting. Low key lighting will only be used to show the performance aspect of the song in which the artist will be against a black background.

Positioning:
The artist will be at the centre of the frame to illustrate his importance as an artist.

Cinematography:

Close ups:
close ups will be used to emphasise the artist's facial expression and therefore display his emotions. This will allow the audience to relate to the artist will also be used to show iconography such as the cards, the burning of the cards and other conventional elements such as the guitar. They may also show the female's costume.

Panning shots:
this will be used in order to show the artist performing which is conventional of the pop genre. It will be related to the performance aspect as a guitar will be seen; music being vital to show performance.

Editing:

Slow paced editing:
When editing the video, slow paced editing can be used to display the narrative. It will enhance the emotions involved in the video and therefore allow the audience to relate to the male and female.

Fast paced editing:
As the narrative evolves, the editing pace can increase. It will be parallel to the music which conforms to Goodwin's theory. This will be used in order reflect the chaos and instability of the relationship. It will intensify the video's impact on the audience by providing excitement.

Straight cuts:
This type of editing will be used to jump from one shot to the other when the pace increases. It will be used to alternate between the peformance and narrative aspect of the video.

Target audience:

The target audience of the music video will be people between the age of 15-22 years old. This is because they will be able to relate to the song as the artist is of a similar age. The concept of the song is also suitable to that age category.

Music video theory

Goodwin's theory:

This theory will be used as the music video will demonstrate the genre characteristics. As it is of a pop genre, it will focus on the narrative and display locations such as a cliff top which is also used in Lana Del Ray's 'Summertime sadness'. A relationship will also be formed between the lyrics and visuals; 'I remember years ago' will be linked to a flashback of the male and female. The video will also display voyeuristic treatment of the female body by showing the female in a baggy top through the use of a tilt. Demands of the record label will also be met by using close ups of the artist in.  order for him facial expressions to be visible which allows the audience to form a relationship with the artist.

Richard Dyer's star theory:
This theory will be be applied to the music video as the artist will be present as a 'star' which is constructed using several elements. The star will be simultaneously ordinary meaning the audience will be able to relate to them as well as extra-ordinary due to their talent.

Planning:

The snapshot above is the initial planning that was carried out during the lesson. All elements such as the mise-en-scene, research, annotation of lyrics were discussed with all members of the group. The initial plan lacks detail however all points will be expanded upon during the next meeting. 

Group meetings and discussions 2 

The snapshot above demonstrates the planning of the narrative for the music video. This was carried out through the use of a simplistic story-board which consists of all the key elements that will be involved in the production. As the story board only involves eight scenes, it lacks detail and so the ideas must be developed thoroughly prior to filming. The storyboard shown above illustrates the main aspects such as the iconography. The guitar is a convention of the genre and so will present the artist in a ordinary way whilst displaying his talent which conforms to Dyer's theory. The cards act as a singnificant motiff that will be used throughout the duration of the video. They signify the relationship which will allow the fire to convey the relationship burning down.