Final Idea - Extra ideas

Alongside the lyrics, I have discovered some extra ideas which I want to include in my music video. When closely listening to the lyrics it has helped to me to discover some ideas that I wish to use within my video, I have listed these brief ideas below -

- When heavy beat of the music hits have someone pushing out of a bath and the water from the bath splashing around the room, or the vase smashing in slow motion

- Lyrics quote 'Image of a girl that I used to know' within which I will have someone holding a photo with the face blurred out, showing that they don't know the person anymore

- Lyrics quote 'Another chance' where I could role a dice representing chance and opportunity, I could do some over water to link it back to the main theme

Final Idea

After thinking long and hard about my music video, I feel my idea has become too stereotypical and isn't very original, I feel it incorporates too many sterotypical music video themes, such as 'drinking' and 'drug abuse' therefore I have decided to completely change my idea back towards the original idea I had. The original song of 'Alex Clare - Treading Water' gives me more of an open scope and allows me to use more original ideas. I have decided to go back to my original idea of water and want to have a music video based around images and methaphors rather than around a storyline, I feel this is a lot more original and will make my music video different to many others. The main theme which will be running throughout my music video is 'water' as the song is based around water and someone treading water and therefore being stuck and in a limbo state. I wanted to use many different shots of water and build up in impact, starting as a single drip of water and moving on to a big sea or river, showing the fact that everything in life in connected. A second theme I would like to include in my music video is the image of 'vintage' and creating an old fashioned feel to it, I feel I will mainly be able to create this feel through editing and possibly using 'sepia' or 'black and white'. Below is a list of some of the water images I wish to use in my video -

- Tap (dripping water)

- Overflowing Sink

- Rain of window

- Rain on umbrella
- Raindrops dripping from someones face (eyelids and lips mainly)

- Smashed vase full of water and flowers

- Water fall

- River

- Sea

I also considered using a contrast of water to fire but not sure if this would be effective.

Other A2 Media Productions

I've been looking into other A2 media productions that others have done over previous years and this is one that particularly stood out for me as I found it particularly entertaining and you
believe the characters in the piece, it's very different to my piece as mine is more serious and emotional however I feel this has a lot of good shots and I also like the transition from black and white to normal colour -

Aiden Grimshaw - 'Is This Love'

I have found a music video by Aiden Grimshaw for his song 'Is This Love', I feel this music video has many great images, shots and a storyline very similar to mine -

It has a very similar storyline to mine of a main character (male) being in a desperate staet and turning to alcohol and drugs.

The upclose shots of the main character looking tired, rough and desperate are also similar to the ones I want to use for mine,

I also wanted to use similar shots showing the alcohol and drugs the main character is taking to show the desperation and low levels he has met.

The setting of the home of the main male character is similar to one I think I would like to use, I want to create the image that the man comes from a normal, middle class, happy life, but everything has crumbled around him after loosing someone in his life.

The video also shows the man looking at a necklace that seems to belong to a girl, this is similar to the photograph I will use in my video to set up the storyline.

The closing over the shoulder shot is very effective in this music video and leaves the audience questioning 'what now' for the character. This is something I want to create and I want to make sure the audience is still gripped to the storyline even after the music video has ended.

'All I Want' Live

After looking into other covers of the song I have discovered this live version of the song which I feel is extremely raw and beautiful and I feel this version may be one I can use for my video as it has the perfect balance between power and depth and it has more quiet and serene sections but still inhabits the power of the original version -

Other styles of 'All I Want'

After listening to the song many times I decided to see what covers and different genres there were out there for this particular song to discover if I wanted to use the original, a covered version, or an acapella version, below are the videos I found -

The first video I found was a Piano cover by Gabrielle Aplin, I found this piece particularly moving and felt that it had a lot of depth and meaning and the audience was truly drawn into the song in this video, however I also felt that it lacked the dramaticness that the original song had and this made me unsure as to whether I would take this version furthur.

 The second video I discovered was an acoustic guitar cover of the song by a female, I felt this version was a lot more eerie than the original and again had masses of depth and really made the song meaningful, however the instrucmental version wasn't as strong in this version as it is in the original however I feel this version of the song is very moving and I will consider doing the song acoustically.

I then looked into an alternative cover on Ukulele, I feel this was a very different and unique cover and strongly focused on the singer and the lyrics of the song which is something I want, however I'm not sure whether this instrument cover is powerful enough for my music video however I do feel it is very unique and beautiful.

All I Want - Kodaline - Video Ideas

When listening to the song I came up with a few ideas as to what I would wish to do with each section of the music video, I've collaberated these into a Shots Draft to show what kind of shots and ideas I have for each section of the song, please click the link below to see my Shots Draft -

http://www.scribd.com/doc/113796679

Video Storyline

After doing a lyric and video analysis and discovering what I feel the music video and song is about and what message it is trying to portray, I have created my storyline for my music video in brief as an intitial concept to follow -

The main storyline of my music video will be of a man who is around late teens - early 20's who once had a deep and loving relationship with a girl but she passes away, I will keep this as a secret throughout the entire music video until at the end we see her grave and him placing a photo on the grave of them 2. The song talks of loosing someone who once was their life and everything to them and talks of how he must find someone like her, throughout the music video it will show the main male character deteriorating due to loosing the love of his life and how he turns to desperate measures such as alcohol, smoking and agression (mainly self-destruction) as he is so lost and isolated without her. I will also show him searching for someone just like his lost love to fill the gap in his life and also show how everything is falling apart and nothing is going right within his life now he is alone. I want the storyline to provoke emotions within my audience and I want the music video to entice the audience in and make them feel involved in the story, I also hope to show the desperation of the main character and how he has reached the lowest level in his life.

All I Want - Kodaline - Lyric Analysis

As I have decided to focus my A2 production around the song 'All I Want' by Kodaline I felt the best way to get an insight into the song was to do my own lyric analysis and discover what the song meant to me and how the lyrics could appear to my audience as well as what message they put across. To view my lyric analysis please click the link below -

http://www.scribd.com/doc/113791142/All-I-Want-Lyric-Analysis

All I Want - Kodaline - Analysis

After deciding that Kodaline - All I Want would be a more suitable song for my music video I have decided to do an analysis of the video to discover the things I liked about the song and those I can use in my own video. Below is the video in question -

There are many things that I love not only about this song but also about this music video, and while listening to the song I instantly discovered many different concepts and ideas I could use in a music video, below is some of the things I discovered about the music video -

Likes: This music video is divuldged in emotion and after asking a few friends their opinions of the music video I even discovered one friend has been so touched by the music video they had cried while watching it. This music video made my want to watch and re-watch the video as it told a deep and heart warming story, and this is definently something I wish to get across in my video. I want to tap into people's emotions and make them feel involved in the video and not just as if they were watching it.

I also love the feeling of isolation they were able to create and the way they had one main character and followed his story and got the audience truly involved in the storyline.

I also enjoyed the fact that the music video began with speech rather than going straight into the song, and I think this will most definently be something that I will involve in my music video as I feel it helps to set the scene of the video.

The mass use of close up shots and over the shoulder shots at the beginning of the video is something I found gave great depth to the video and introduced the characters of the story well, and feel in my music video I will initially use close up shots.

The pannelling shots of the main character whilst on a run and his dog were also shots which I found worked well and if I can I would like to include some shots like so.

I also liked how as the music began to gain pace so did the drama within the video and I feel that when the music reaches it's most dramatic point so will my music video as these go well together and really create a truly dramatic moment.

The use of incorporating speech into the final section of the video as the music begins to quiet is also something I found worked well to round of the music video.

Overall, I would love to create the same emotion and depth in my music video that this music video has created and I would also like to match my video with the song in terms of percussion.

License Request

After writting to gain consent for the song 'Treading Water' by Alex Clare, I've also discovered a second song I feel would be even better for my music video and have therefore also written to gain consent for this song (All I Want by Kodaline) -

Video Analysis - (Plan B - Deepest Shame)

 

Genre: Hip Hop 

Video Style: Storytelling/Performance

Synopsis: This music video is based around a girl who has got to an extreme low in life and has little left to live for, the music video leads up to a form of attempted suicide

Likes: I really like the emotion within the music video and the intense storyline, you are really drawn into the video and want watch the whole of it to see how her life ends up. The intensity of the video is something that strikes me and I feel that it makes the video something you remember and want to watch again. I also love the shots of the main female character where she has writting on her skin on the emotions she feels and names she's been called, this is a very rememberable shot and very dramatic

Dislikes: There weren't many dislikes I had to this video, I felt that whole video was very strong and had great messages, the only thing I did dislike was the ending and I felt it could have been a lot more intense to match up to the rest of the video

How I'll use this feedback: From this video I can take away the fact that the intensity of it is extremely strong and this is something I wish to create in my video, I also feel that the message and storyline is clear and concise and this is something I want to achieve, I want to ensure my viewers can take away a message from my video and that they remember the video for its strengths. I also love the shots where she has writing on her skin as this is really strong and intense shots that really stick in your mind

Video Analysis - (Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida - Troublemaker)

Genre: Pop

Video Style: Storytelling/Performance

Synopsis: This music video is based around a main guy and girl continually running into eachother and showing the girls 'trouble making' which links back to the lyrics of the song

Likes: I really like the comedy of the video and the relationship, it made me want to continue watchign the video as it had a 'feel good' factor about which is really enticing. The setting are also good, I especially liked the music store setting and the vintage feel to the video. The split screens was also a very clever technique used and I really liked the way they used this to portray the different emotions of different characters at the same time to the same event, I thought this was very clever and modern 

Dislikes: However, I did feel this music video was quite simple and at some times cheesy, although it was very exciting and had a good vibe to it, I did feel that it didn't leave the viewer with any particular message and it wasn't particulary rememberable because of this. I also found the music video quite cheesy and stereotypical at times and this is something I want to desperately avoid when doing my video

How I'll use this feedback: From this video I can see that although the feel good factor is something which I find pleasing and enjoyable in a music video, it isn't the style I wish to use in mine. I was able to discover that in my music video I want to create a more deep and meaningful message from it and leave the viewer feeling moved

Video Analysis - (Ellie Goulding - Anything could happen)

Genre: Pop 

Video Style:  Storytelling/Performance

Synopsis: This music video is set in some form of a futuristic beach, it has one main story running throughout of a couple who are in a car crash, however the music video is very disjointed and tells many different aspects of the story in a non-cronological way

Likes: I really like the setting of this music video and the various shots, reverse shots and slow motion shots of the sea splashing on the rocks and the setting. I also found the close of shots of the singer/main character as you got a real insight into her mind and emotions through this shots and it really connects the audience with the performer

Dislikes: I didn't like the disjointed-ness of the video and felt there wasn't an easy or strong storyline throughout, I found myself spending my time watching the video attempting to work out what the message or storyline was but never truly felt I discovered the meaning. I also disliked the futuristic nature of it and didn't feel it suited the song.

How I'll use this feedback: I will use this feedback within my video by trying to include some upclose and emotional shots as this will draw the audience in and help them to connect with the characters in the video, but I will make sure that the message in my video is clear to the audience so they take away with them a message of moral of some form and feel that they understood the video

Video analysis - (Drake ft. Rihanna -Take Care)

Genre: RnB

 

Video Style: Performance

Synopsis: The video mainly include recordings of the singers performing the song in a blank plain room, with included clips of methaphorical messages such a fishes and birds

 

Likes: I like the intensity of the video as well as the washed out/black and white colouring of it, I also like the relationship and storytelling within the video and how you are drawn into the storyline. The performance factor also stands out for me as it helps the audience interact with the singers. The methaphorical images are also very unique and original and make the video more interesting and enticing as you want to discover the meaning of the video. The lyrics for this song as also very powerful and relatable to many peope and this could be a strong factor as to why many people may wish to watch it

Dislikes: I feel that although the video is good, I feel there isn't a really indepth storyline and without the music the video wouldn't be as strong. Although I do appreciate the simplicity of it I feel more of a storyline and a variety of settings could have helped benefit this video

How I'll use this feedback: From this video I can take away the fact that the intensity and lyrics to the song are something which definetely need to be included in my video, however I feel what this video lacks is a strong storyline and this is something I want to include in mine. However I love the methaphorical images and messages in this video and I think this makes the video a lot more interesting than it would have been without them

Research

From continually monitoring and analysing the results from my questionaire, I have so far discovered that many people show interest and watch music videos until the end due to suspense and the story that is told throughout the video, I've therefore been looked into some videos that use this concept, below is an example of one by Radiohead called No Suprises. I like the simplicity of this video and the methaphorical nature of it, even though the video is so simple its completely unique and intriging and makes you want to watch the video until the end and work out the message of it, I hope to create this kind of feeling within my video and make my video have lots of suspense and meaning, below is the video -

License request

Below is proof of my seeking of permission to use the song 'Treading Water' by Alex Clare. I feel this song will be perfect for the music video I plan to create and hope I am given permission to use it -

Video Analysis - (Ok Go - Here it goes again)

Genre: Pop

Video Style: Filming of artist/Performance

Synopsis: The music video consists of filming of the band Ok Go performing a dance/performance rountine on treadmills

Likes: I like the comical factor of the video and the way that the video makes you want to watch more and see what else comes of it. I also like the way you get to know the band and are introduce to the band through performance. I also like the individuality of the video and the fact that this individuality makes the video memerable and also makes it recommendable to others which allows it to go viral and therefore helps the song and band to become known

Dislikes: I dislike the way the video doesn't really have a storyline and is simply a performance. I also dislike the way that the video simply uses one camera shot and that this doesn't change, I feel it makes the video get to boring and predictable after a while and that this could be a downfall and will make people switch off

How I'll use this feedback: From this feedback I will take note of the way the video is extremely unique and truly is a video that you would recommend to your friends and watch again, I will also take note of the 'feel good factor' the video has as I feel many people who watch music videos like this factor and watch music videos for this reason. I will also take note of the lack of camera shots used so that I know to be sure to create a video which is more complex. I will aswell be sure to make sure my video isn't predictable and has some form of suspense so that the audience stays hooked

Video Analysis (Rita Ora - How We Do)

Genre: Pop

Video Style: Filming of artist/Performance/Storytelling

Synopsis: The music video consists of filming of the artist Rita Ora as she performs (both singing and dancing) in many different locations, it also films her in a party like atmosphere again performing in the center of a group of people. There's no specific story told except for the fact they are at a party scene

Likes: The focus on the artist is something I like, I feel it helps get the audience from involved in the song and understand the lyrics, I also like the atmosphere of the song and the good feeling created from watching the video, I also like the pop genre and think it's a genre which is one of the easiet to create a video for

Dislikes: I don't like the style of the music video as much as I would like something with more of a storyline, I feel it doesn't have much soul/purpose and is simple just a focus on the singer and that this doesn't necessarily make the video very memerable and doesn't really involve the audience in the video

How I'll use this feedback: From this feedback I will take note of the way the video doesn't really involve the reader and will make sure that when creating my music video concept I will involve the audience and really entice them into the video and make them feel a part of it, but I will try to create a good atmosphere within the video whether its a spooky atmosphere or a happy atmosphere

Market research

In order to do some Market Research to discover what kind of music and what style of music videos people are most interested in, I've created an online survey and asked people to fill it out via Facebook, Twitter and Word of mouth, hoping to gain some insight into what style of music video would be most popular in order to help me make a decision on what to do. Below is the link to my survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8TJ36XS

My Brief

I've made a decision of my brief and have decided the most interesting and most exciting brief for me will be to do a music video, I feel that this will be the most exciting and most challenging, I also think its the one I will have most knowledge about as I watch music videos often and therefore know what things work well and what things don't. Within the next few weeks I will be looking into different styles of music videos and deciding on a genre of music to chose and what style of music video to use, I'll be using YouTube to do this research.

A2 Briefs

I've been looking into the briefs avaiable for my A2 media project, below are the few that I am most interested in doing -


1. An extract/packafe from a local TV news programme, lasting approximately five minutes, together with two of the following three options:
- 2 hyperlinked pages from the programme's website
- A generic radio trailer for the programme
- A short title sequence for the programme

2. An extract from a new documentary TV programme, lasting approximately five minutes,together with two of the following three options:

- A radio trailer for the documentary
- A double paged spread from a listings magazine focused on the documentary
- A newspaper advertisement for the documentary

3. A promo package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with 2 of the following 3 options:

- A website homepage for the band
- A cover for its release on DVD
A magazine advertisement for the DVD

I have an interest in all 3 options for different reasons, I feel all 3 options are extremely different, the 1st one I feel will be interesting to do and very factual, the 2nd option is again very factual but I would have a lot of leeway as to what topic I wished to do the documentary on and the 3rd option is the most current one and the one I feel I would have most interest in.

Year 12 Project Evaluation

Our Production -

Our piece was called ‘Mouse-Trap’ it was based upon the play within in a play in Hamlet within which a mother is in love with her son and does anything possible to remove his girlfriend from their lives. But instead of doing so in an incestuous way, we decided to do it in a jealous and  controlling way. The main girl in our piece was also Mousey, which re-linked the title of our piece to the story line and also foreshadowed what was going to happen to Mousey

Creation and production -

We struggled slightly with the creation progress and initially found it hard to create a concept which didn’t give away to much of the story, once we had finally created the concept we then found it difficult whilst filming to use the best shots, and when editing we found it difficult to put all shots together and make it looks clean cut

What went well, challenges and things we would improve -

We felt that the things that went well were the mystery of the piece and the fact that we didn’t give away to much of the story. We also thought the props and location were perfect for the piece

We felt the challenges we faced were trying to make sure the opening sequence wasn’t more like an advert and didn’t give away to much of the story, but at the same time making sure the audience understood our piece and wanted to continue watching it

The areas we would improve if we were to do it again are re-filming of certain shots as some of them weren’t as perfect as they could have been

Our Final Piece - 'Mouse Trap'

                                       Mouse Trap

This is the finished version of our final piece called Mouse Trap. I have thoroughly enjoyed creating this piece and have loved learning many new media skills during the process from our preliminary task to our final production, and I am very pleased with the final result -