Thursday, 2 May 2013
My Music Video
Here is the complete version of my music video, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and am very pleased with the finished result -
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
For the final question in my evaluation I have done a video -
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
For the third question in my evaluation I have created a power point with some videos included -
Monday, 29 April 2013
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
Sunday, 28 April 2013
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Ancillary text - Magazine article
I also needed to create a magazine article for my ancillary text again to promote my music video, below is one is my final copy -
Ancillary text - DVD cover
For one of my ancillary texts I created a DVD cover to promote my music video, I was very happy with the result -
Monday, 15 April 2013
Finished - Evaluation begins
Today I finished all of the editing of my music video and converted it into a QuickTime file. I am really pleased with the finished product and feel the overall process has gone well! I will be posting the music video at the top of my blog so you can see it. I will now be doing an evaluation of the process and the video so that I can see how my music video truly has been created, how well it's been done, what the audience think of the complete product, and how I could improve. Within my evaluation I will be covering 4 key questions -
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How effective is the combination of your media product and ancillary texts?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
I will be covering all 4 questions using 4 different techniques.
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How effective is the combination of your media product and ancillary texts?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?
I will be covering all 4 questions using 4 different techniques.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Editing
I have now completed a large block of my editing, I have been focusing on this for the last few weeks and have made sure that my music video has clear transitions and good effects that ensure its a strong piece. So far I have had no difficulty with my editing and only needed to re-film one shot (my inhaling smoke shot at the beginning of the video). I have tried to use lots of different editing techniques from overlaying shots on one over (I have done this with a fight scene and a shower shot to show how she is currently in the shower cleansing herself because of the fight she had in the past) too slow motion and reverse (smoking shot and 1st fight scene). I feel all the editing techniques I have used so far have been effective and I am enjoying the editing process!
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Filming finished - Editing begins
I have finally finished all my filming, including the re-doing of some of the shots I wasn't happy with. This means that I can now move into the editing process and work on editing my shots to my best ability to ensure they work well and blend smoothly. A key decision I have made in terms of editing is that I want my video to be in Black and White, I decided this because after watching a few videos in Black and White and thinking about the storyline, I feel it would be best to have my video in this colour as my storyline is also deep and meaningful and I feel B&W will help to establish it better and make it more meaningful and effect the audience more. I have also decided that within certain parts of the video I will use 'Old-Fashioned' editing as this will help me to create depth and ensure the video creates a strong atmosphere which accompanies the deep storyline well. Below are too videos that inspired me to decide to make my video black and white -
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Filming Update
I have been focusing all my time recently on ensuring that I get all filming done on time and to the standard I want, I therefore haven't focused on my blog as heavily over the last few weeks. This post is an update to say that I have stuck to my schedule and only have 2 filming sessions left until I have filmed all key scenes for my music video, so far the process has run smoothly, with my actors being co-operative and helpful and all shots working well. Although some shots were harder to get, such as the horse running towards the camera, as I wasn't able to control the horse and ensure it does as I imagined, but I did manage to get the shot in the end and feel it works well. I feel that my piece is coming together well and will be a successful video. Below is a couple of photos I have taken while out filming -
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Schedule
Now that I have decided on all aspects of my video, as well as deciding upon each shot and scene, I must begin to film, I need to organise my time effectively to ensure I get all my filming done on time and so that my actors are aware of when they will be required to film. I have decided to create an Excel Spread sheet for my schedule, it specifically shows when the filming will be, about how long it will take, what scenes will be filmed then, the location, actors required, props required and costume required. I feel by laying out my schedule in this way it is clear, easy to understand and organised, it allows me to be sure that myself and my actors are constantly aware of filming deadlines and it helps me to be sure I am on track to completing my video. From this I can specifically see the dates, time periods, etc. of my filming, I can therefore stay organised and also tick off when I have completed each shot. I have also left myself with around a week after I finish filming to do any extra shots required or to re-do shots, this enables me to ensure that all my shots are perfect. Below is my schedule spread sheet -
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Props
After considering all other aspects of my music video, I needed to discover what props I would require and ensure that I have these props ready for when we start filming so that the process runs smoothly. I only need a minimal amount of props within my video as much of it is based on the actors themselves and imagery through filming, but below are the props required and when they are required for -
Cigarette - Within the first scene of my music video I will be shooting my main character inhaling smoke for the line 'breathe your smoke into my lungs', therefore I will need a cigarette for her to be able to do this shot
Car - Following this shot and lyric comes another one of 'in the back of the car with you I stare into the sun', I will therefore need a car for a short period of time to film this metaphorical shot
Shower - Throughout I will be including cleansing shower shots to show my main character washing away her pain, therefore I will require a shower to do these shots
Mobile phone - I want one of the fights within the video to be over her being on her mobile phone, to show how he would 'lash out' over small issues, therefore I will require a mobile phone prop for one of my fighting scenes
Bed/ Bed sheets - Another one of the fights will take place on a bed and therefore it is essential I have one for when I am filming, I also require a bed sheet for my main character to wrap around herself when she is in the shower
Cigarette - Within the first scene of my music video I will be shooting my main character inhaling smoke for the line 'breathe your smoke into my lungs', therefore I will need a cigarette for her to be able to do this shot
Car - Following this shot and lyric comes another one of 'in the back of the car with you I stare into the sun', I will therefore need a car for a short period of time to film this metaphorical shot
Shower - Throughout I will be including cleansing shower shots to show my main character washing away her pain, therefore I will require a shower to do these shots
Mobile phone - I want one of the fights within the video to be over her being on her mobile phone, to show how he would 'lash out' over small issues, therefore I will require a mobile phone prop for one of my fighting scenes
Bed/ Bed sheets - Another one of the fights will take place on a bed and therefore it is essential I have one for when I am filming, I also require a bed sheet for my main character to wrap around herself when she is in the shower
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Costume
Costume is a key aspect I need to consider for my music video, for many actors costume becomes an iconic prop that they are recognised for, it can also be used an symbolism for a character and their emotions. Therefore, when deciding on costume for my 2 characters I took careful consideration into the colours and style of the costume I chose as I had to ensure that it was suitable for the character, fit in with my music video and storyline, and was also representative of the characters emotions.

For my male character, my chose of costume was simple, I wanted him to wear the same costume throughout as he maintained the same emotions throughout as angry, violent, with a hint of regret. I wanted him to be relatable to my audience and therefore needed a costume that was simple and 'everyday', I therefore decided on basics of jeans and a navy jumper, although this is very simple it is very effective and creates him as a neutral and everyday character that could be representative of any person. His emotions never change and therefore nor did his costume, but by choosing dark colours I showed the anger and deep violence within him.
For my female character, I needed to take more consideration into what costume she wore as well as what colours they were. I knew that when she was escaping I wanted her to wear white, to represent freedom and cleansing, I also wanted her to wear this colour within the shower when she is washing away her pain and therefore again cleansing herself. I felt that because she was escaping it needed to be some form of 'floaty' and elegant clothing to show her freedom and joy, I therefore decided on a long white baggy dress that would flow in the wind. I felt that if I was to get my character to wear this costume within her escaping scenes it would represent her happiness and freedom.


In juxtaposition to this, I wanted her to wear dark, tight and casual clothes within her abusive scenes, I felt that this would be a good way to show how when she's with her violent boyfriend she feels the opposite of when she's running away, the dark colours will represent the negative and trapped feelings she has, and the tightness of the clothes will again show how she is trapped within them like the relationship; the opposite to her floaty dress which shows herself and her body are free. I want this outfit to be very casual and therefore show how the beatings are a normal, and daily routine, by having her wear a dark hoody with jeans and a black top, it shows the dark and negative colours but also subconsciously shows the audience how the violence is a daily thing and that it has become casual like her clothing.
I feel all my chosen costumes are suitable and represents the emotions and storyline well, I hope the audience view them as suitable and relate the emotions of the characters with the costumes.

For my male character, my chose of costume was simple, I wanted him to wear the same costume throughout as he maintained the same emotions throughout as angry, violent, with a hint of regret. I wanted him to be relatable to my audience and therefore needed a costume that was simple and 'everyday', I therefore decided on basics of jeans and a navy jumper, although this is very simple it is very effective and creates him as a neutral and everyday character that could be representative of any person. His emotions never change and therefore nor did his costume, but by choosing dark colours I showed the anger and deep violence within him.


In juxtaposition to this, I wanted her to wear dark, tight and casual clothes within her abusive scenes, I felt that this would be a good way to show how when she's with her violent boyfriend she feels the opposite of when she's running away, the dark colours will represent the negative and trapped feelings she has, and the tightness of the clothes will again show how she is trapped within them like the relationship; the opposite to her floaty dress which shows herself and her body are free. I want this outfit to be very casual and therefore show how the beatings are a normal, and daily routine, by having her wear a dark hoody with jeans and a black top, it shows the dark and negative colours but also subconsciously shows the audience how the violence is a daily thing and that it has become casual like her clothing. I feel all my chosen costumes are suitable and represents the emotions and storyline well, I hope the audience view them as suitable and relate the emotions of the characters with the costumes.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Casting
Now that I have decided on all other aspects of my music video and am nearly ready to begin filming, I must decide on my actors. I have already established that I want a main female character who the music video is based around, but also that I need a boyfriend for this character who is abusive and violent. I needed to ensure that my actors were local and that they felt comfortable with the storyline of the video, I had to be sure that they would be able to film whenever I needed them too and that they felt OK working alongside one another. I therefore decided to ask 2 of my friends, both with a history in Drama and Acting, to be in my music video. I knew that they were trustworthy and would stick to my schedule, as well as being local and therefore easy to reach if I needed to quickly film a shot or scene. I also knew that they were friends and would feel comfortable with the storyline and would be able to work alongside one-another as a couple. I had already decided that I wanted my main female character to be blonde, average height and average weight, I wanted this character to be an 'anybody' so that people could view themselves as that character and therefore involve themselves within the storyline. Again, I wanted my male character to be of average height and build, but felt that he should have darker hair and appear quite masculine. Therefore when deciding on who would be best suited out of my options, my 2 chosen actors fitted the description and also were local and got along well, this meant that I could ensure the recording would run smoothly and that actors would look the way I wanted them too. Below are my actors -

My first actors is Callum, he is 17 and lives locally, with an A at drama GCSE as well as being part of the local amateur dramatics group, I feel he is suitable for the role. He also has the exact look I wanted to the abusive boyfriend with my video.
This is Susie, she is also 17 and has a GCSE in Drama. She lives locally and has a strong internet in Music and Media. I feel she is perfect for my main character role as she has the exact look I am looking for as well as being able to film whenever needed. She knows Callum well and they both feel comfortable with the storyline and working alongside one another.

My first actors is Callum, he is 17 and lives locally, with an A at drama GCSE as well as being part of the local amateur dramatics group, I feel he is suitable for the role. He also has the exact look I wanted to the abusive boyfriend with my video.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
My Location
After doing some location scouting for my music video and understanding all aspects that effect what location I can use, I have decided on my local fields as my main location for my music video. They are easy and legal to access, safe and secure and present the correct, simple image I want to create throughout my music video. It is also very beneficial that a friend's horse is stored in a field next to my chosen field and that I can film this horse for the shots I want to create throughout my music video. As I also want to have a train shot it is again helpful that within these fields there is a train track bridge which I am able to film. For the indoor location of a house I have decided again to use a friend's house which is local, it is a simple house with cream walls and carpets but has a lot of things within it which make it look 'lived in', I wanted to make the audience believe that my actors live in this house and therefore by choosing a house that has photos, dog baskets, etc. within it, I can trick the audience into believing it is my character's home. My chosen locations are safe, easily accessible, free and aesthetically pleasing, these are all aspects which I needed to ensure my location's were and therefore I know I have chosen suitable locations. Below are some images of my locations, they start at the train track, followed my the horse cage and local fields, and then the home I will be shooting in -
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Location Scouting
I have decided to start looking into the locations I want to use throughout my music video, I have already decided that I require some form of a field location for my main character to running away in, as well as some form of a house for the couple to fight in. I also wish to have some shower shots and therefore needs a suitable bathroom location to film this in. When considering location, I needed to ensure a few aspects when deciding upon where I would shoot, these were
Accessibility - I needed to ensure that my chosen location was accessible for both me and my actors, therefore it needed to be local so that myself and my actors could get to it quickly and easily with no hassle or issue of transport. As filming outside is extremely weather dependant I needed to ensure that when suitable weather was available me and my actors could easily get to my location, this helped me to make a decision that my location needed to be local.
Health and Safety - This was a large influence on me when choosing where to locate my music video, I needed to ensure that all my actors were constantly safe and not in any danger, therefore my location needed to be in a safe location which had no hazards and was near to a public area. This again helped me to secure a decision on my location and chose that it should be local and somewhere I am sure is safe.
Private Property - When deciding on my location I needed to ensure it was legal to use these locations and that I wasn't filming on anyone's private property without permission, therefore when I decided on my field location I needed to ensure I didn't use anyone's private fields but that they were council owned fields free for public use. Again this helped me to decide that my local fields would be best suitable as I know they are for public use.
Cost - As I am on a low budget and don't have large amounts of money to spend on renting locations, I needed to ensure that non of my selected locations would be costly to use and therefore essentially I needed to find free locations to use. This did limit my choices but didn't mean that I couldn't use good locations.
Aesthetic appeal - Finally, I needed to ensure that all of my locations were aesthetically appealing to my audience and also fitted in well with my storyline, if my locations weren't suitable then my video simply wouldn't work and therefore I needed to ensure I found locations that followed my storyline and the image I had created in my head, as well as the images from my storyboard.
Below is a link to a definition of 'Location Scouting', this helped me to establish what I needed to consider when looking for a location -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location_scouting
Here is a YouTube video of some members of a production team location scouting for their upcoming video, this helped me to establish how I could find a suitable location for my music video -
Accessibility - I needed to ensure that my chosen location was accessible for both me and my actors, therefore it needed to be local so that myself and my actors could get to it quickly and easily with no hassle or issue of transport. As filming outside is extremely weather dependant I needed to ensure that when suitable weather was available me and my actors could easily get to my location, this helped me to make a decision that my location needed to be local.
Health and Safety - This was a large influence on me when choosing where to locate my music video, I needed to ensure that all my actors were constantly safe and not in any danger, therefore my location needed to be in a safe location which had no hazards and was near to a public area. This again helped me to secure a decision on my location and chose that it should be local and somewhere I am sure is safe.
Private Property - When deciding on my location I needed to ensure it was legal to use these locations and that I wasn't filming on anyone's private property without permission, therefore when I decided on my field location I needed to ensure I didn't use anyone's private fields but that they were council owned fields free for public use. Again this helped me to decide that my local fields would be best suitable as I know they are for public use.
Cost - As I am on a low budget and don't have large amounts of money to spend on renting locations, I needed to ensure that non of my selected locations would be costly to use and therefore essentially I needed to find free locations to use. This did limit my choices but didn't mean that I couldn't use good locations.
Aesthetic appeal - Finally, I needed to ensure that all of my locations were aesthetically appealing to my audience and also fitted in well with my storyline, if my locations weren't suitable then my video simply wouldn't work and therefore I needed to ensure I found locations that followed my storyline and the image I had created in my head, as well as the images from my storyboard.
Below is a link to a definition of 'Location Scouting', this helped me to establish what I needed to consider when looking for a location -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location_scouting
Here is a YouTube video of some members of a production team location scouting for their upcoming video, this helped me to establish how I could find a suitable location for my music video -
Friday, 22 February 2013
Shot list
'Establishing shot' - I feel it would be great to use an establishing shot within my music video to set up the video and introduce it, this would introduce the location and the characters and allow the audience to instantly establish within their mind the basis of the video and the storyline. I feel it would be good to use a shot like this at the beginning of the video as it would instantly introduce the storyline to characters as the video begins.
'Close up' - I feel that a close up shot would be effective to use within my music video because of the abuse within my storyline, I feel that I should use a close up to show the audience the bruises on the character as well as the pain behind her eyes. It will give the audience an insight into her emotions and ensure that the audience instantly creates a link with a character and the video. I feel it would be good to use this shot throughout the video but would be especially good at the end of the video to close it and leave the audience with the message of the character's pain.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Audience
'Audience' is a key area which I need to ensure I cover, I need to decide what audience I will be aiming at to ensure that my music video is well received by this audience and is popular with it. When considering audience there are many aspects I must look into, mainly this consists of gender and age, but furthermore I need to chose an audience which like this style of music (POP) and my 'storyline' music video style. I initially looked into what gender I felt would be best suited to my music video, after considering the storyline, style of song and gender of the singer (female), I felt that my music video would be most successful if I aimed it at the female audience, I feel that this gender listens to pop music more than males do, as well as the fact that I feel they will relate to my storyline better than the male audience as it is based around a women and portrays a male character in a negative light. Having decided that I will aim my music video at females, it allows me to ensure that when creating the video I have more of a female focus and aim to attract the female audience and consistently reinforce the fact that I aiming at a female audience and therefore ensure that I portray my main female character is a good way and a way that the audience can relate with.
Now I have decided on my audience gender, I need to consider what age range I focus my audience on. All music videos, films, media pieces, are given an 'age certificate' which shows what age the video is suitable for and therefore what age it also isn't suitable for. I must consider all of these age ranges and find which one would be best suitable for me. These age certificates are from the BBFC and must be given to all media pieces to ensure that no one under a suitable age watches them. To the left are the variety of age ranges that I can chose from for my music video, by deciding this before I create my music video I can ensure that I don't include any footage that isn't suitable for my audience. As my storyline has some aspects of violence and disturbing scenes in, it won't be suitable for a 'U' audience, therefore not all ages will be able to watch this music video. However, my music video isn't going to be explicit and will only have minor violent scenes within it, therefore the 18 rating is too high and it also removes a lot of potential audience as they will be too young to watch it. I feel the song itself is simple and not offensive and would be suitable for a PG audience, I therefore think that this age rating would also be suitable for my video. I want to continue this non offensive image throughout my video and therefore by setting an age range of PG I can ensure I do so. Therefore I have decided that a PG BBFC rating would be suitable for my video, it ensures that no one too young is offended or distressed by the somewhat violent scenes within my video, but that I don't remove a large block of my potential audience by setting the age range too high. It also makes sure that I continue to vibes of the song into the music video and therefore ensure it links well.Therefore, I have concluded that my target audience is Girls and Women with PG guidance.
Monday, 18 February 2013
My Storyboard
I have created my own storyboard for my music video so that I have clear understanding of how my music video will run, below is the beginning of my music video, I feel I have come to a final conclusion on all of the parts of the story and some of the shots I want to use throughout, I have thought long and hard about how I can run my music video and what shots and aspects should be used throughout and within this storyboard I have explictly drawn and written about my idea for each shot and why I wanted to use these shots. All the shots I have drawn are basic drawings and will be undertaken with a higher level of quality, but this storyboard basically outlines my music video and gives it a focus, this will make the process a lot easy, more organised and will ensure it runs a lot more smoother. I know have a clear focus on what exact shots I need to get. Below is the storyboard -
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Further Imagery
I have decided upon some further imagery I would like to use throughout my video, I decided upon these through listening to the song multiple times and thinking of what images instantly came to mind while listening to, I then thought about how this imagery would look in terms of being able to understand, I felt many of the ideas would be effective and therefore recorded these, whereas I felt others wouldn't work or would be too hard to create and I therefore disregarded these ideas, below are the imagery ideas with examples images and when I would like to use them within my video -
Opening shot - I want to open my video with an image of a Horse, a Horse often represents elegance and freedom, I want the horse to represent my main character and be trapped within a cage but wanting to run free. I want to refer back to the horse throughout the video to show how her alter ego/past her is trapped just like the horse, I need the audience to be constantly reminded of this
Chorus shot - At the beginning of the chorus throughout the video I want to have my main girl running away through a field and essentially 'escaping' her cruel relationship, I want to split this shot so that throughout the song we see her running further and further away. This shot will represent the present and show how currently she is running away, by continually referring to this shot it reinstates how she is continually running away. I will make the opening shot of the horse a running shot also (if possible) to show how the horse at the beginning represents her trying to escape and throughout we see her escaping
Shower shot - Throughout I would also like to encorporate a shower shot, of the main girl in the shower with the water flowing over her. I feel that this shot will represent how she is cleansing herself and washing away her pain. By continually referring to this shot I can show how she constantly needs to wash away her pain and she is continually being hurt
Opening shot - I want to open my video with an image of a Horse, a Horse often represents elegance and freedom, I want the horse to represent my main character and be trapped within a cage but wanting to run free. I want to refer back to the horse throughout the video to show how her alter ego/past her is trapped just like the horse, I need the audience to be constantly reminded of this
Chorus shot - At the beginning of the chorus throughout the video I want to have my main girl running away through a field and essentially 'escaping' her cruel relationship, I want to split this shot so that throughout the song we see her running further and further away. This shot will represent the present and show how currently she is running away, by continually referring to this shot it reinstates how she is continually running away. I will make the opening shot of the horse a running shot also (if possible) to show how the horse at the beginning represents her trying to escape and throughout we see her escapingShower shot - Throughout I would also like to encorporate a shower shot, of the main girl in the shower with the water flowing over her. I feel that this shot will represent how she is cleansing herself and washing away her pain. By continually referring to this shot I can show how she constantly needs to wash away her pain and she is continually being hurt
Friday, 15 February 2013
Storyboard research
Now I have decided upon my final storyline and song, I need to storyboard the whole of the video and specifically decide how the music video will run. By doing so I can ensure that my music video runs smoothly and that it has a focus and aim. Storyboarding is something that all media productions use, from films to music videos, and they are essential planning for making sure a production runs smoothly and has a basis. I have been doing some research into what the best and most effective way to create a storyboard is, I want to ensure that my storyboard is clear and easy to understand, it is crucial that I can continually refer back to this storyboard, add to it, and use it throughout my production. Below is a great blog post I found on how best to create a storyboard, it shows some great examples and was beneficial in the process of me creating a storyboard -
http://theartcenter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/rad-sechrist-storyboarding-basics.html
Below is a link of an example storyboard, it is professional and is for a cartoon magazine. My storyboard will be a lot simpler and less detailed, however this kind of storyboard is extremely skilled and gives a clear and expressed example of a storyboard, this is the kind of storyboard I wish I could create, but due to lack of skill and time constraints mine will be a lot simpler and will involve a lot less technique -
http://storyboardsecrets.com/blog/amazing-storyboard-gallery-by-tim-burgard/
I will now begin to create my own storyboard, using the tips and evidence from the above links, my storyboard will begin basic with key parts, as the process continues I will add detail and shots.
http://theartcenter.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/rad-sechrist-storyboarding-basics.html
Below is a link of an example storyboard, it is professional and is for a cartoon magazine. My storyboard will be a lot simpler and less detailed, however this kind of storyboard is extremely skilled and gives a clear and expressed example of a storyboard, this is the kind of storyboard I wish I could create, but due to lack of skill and time constraints mine will be a lot simpler and will involve a lot less technique -
http://storyboardsecrets.com/blog/amazing-storyboard-gallery-by-tim-burgard/
I will now begin to create my own storyboard, using the tips and evidence from the above links, my storyboard will begin basic with key parts, as the process continues I will add detail and shots.
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Final Storyline
I found it hard to chose one specific storyline for my business and wished to weight up the pro and cons for each of them, I felt that by doing this I would be able to make things clearer for me and understand which option was best -
From this table it was evident that the 3rd option was most suitable, I feel it has the most pros, and any cons it does have can easily be overcome. I feel this storyline is most touching and will involve the audience, and this is something that it important to me. I also feel that it will be a storyline that allows imagery and methaphors to be used throughout, as well as fitting in well with my chosen song. I have therefore made a final decision on my storyline and can now begin to plan my video!
Storyline
|
Pros
|
Cons
|
A girlfriend who has lost her boyfriend through
death or illness and therefore is longing to have him back
|
This
storyline is extremely thought
provoking and will really involve the audience within the video
|
This
storyline could be hard to portray due to having to pass this message through
images without being too obvious and maintain my metaphorical imagery
|
This
storyline is very deep and meaningful and would allow the audience to get
involved in the video
|
This
style of storyline could be quite hard for some people to watch and this
could reflect badly on the video
|
|
It
would be one strong emotion of sadness that would need to be portrayed
throughout and this is easy to achieve
|
There
isn’t a strong match between the song and this storyline and it wouldn’t be
easy to conduct
|
|
A girlfriend who's boyfriend simply leaves her
and doesn't want anything to do with her any longer
|
This
is a relatable topic for many audience members and would therefore involve
them in the video
|
This
storyline lacks depth and meaning and wouldn’t evoke mass emotions within the
audience
|
As
a storyline this would be easy to express and direct and there are many shots
and scenes that I could use to portray this
|
This
storyline could come across quite boring and simple and therefore wouldn’t
attract a mass audience
|
|
This
storyline does link to the song well and portrays the deep unrequited love
lyrics within the song
|
This
storyline isn’t very memorable and doesn’t allow for much movement
|
|
A girlfriend who is in a either a bad or abusive
relationship but still holds onto the relationship
|
This
would be a very emotive storyline and would fully involve the audience by
subconsciously making the audience involve themselves in the storyline and
feel the same emotions as the characters
|
This
may be seen as distressing to some audience members as it’s a deep and tough
topic
|
This
storyline has a purpose and incorporates an issue in society, although it
dramatices domestic violence it is representative of the issue and inevitably
spreads word of the issue
|
It
could be hard to create realistic domestic abuse with bad actors and lack of
skill
|
|
This
storyline leaves breadth for many shots and scenes that could be created,
from this I have a vast variety of how to structure my video and what exact
shots and parts of the storyline to use
|
Violence
is quite often used in other music video and therefore it would be
questionable is this was original
|
From this table it was evident that the 3rd option was most suitable, I feel it has the most pros, and any cons it does have can easily be overcome. I feel this storyline is most touching and will involve the audience, and this is something that it important to me. I also feel that it will be a storyline that allows imagery and methaphors to be used throughout, as well as fitting in well with my chosen song. I have therefore made a final decision on my storyline and can now begin to plan my video!
Monday, 11 February 2013
Imagery
While doing my lyric analysis, I also thought about what kind of images and methaphors I could use throughout my music video. I wanted to use imagery so I can give my video more meaning and depth and make sure it isn't stereotypical and predictable. I have decided on a few key images to go alongside the lyrics to the song, these are explained below -
'Breathe your smoke into my lungs'
For this lyric I interpretted it as the smoke being someones speech and lies, and the fact she is asking to breathe it into her lungs it shows she is believing and 'inhaling' all the lies he is expressing to her. I therefore want to take this shot literal of my main girl character breathing in smoke, I will do so by reversing a shot to ensure it is clear that the smoke is being inhaled. I also want to smoke to cover the camera lense at the beginning of the shot to create mystery as this will be the first time the main character is introduced
I also wanted a returning motif throughout my music video to ensure that the music video ties together. I have decided upon my motif being my main character, a girl, running away and essentially escaping the deep yet painful love she us currently experiencing. I feel that by encorporating this shot throughout the music video, I can make sure the whole video ties together well as well as reinforcing the fact the 'present' and how she is currently running and escaping the treacherous love; I need to reinforce this fact because I want to encorporate flashbacks to her past life with her boyfriend throughout the music video and therefore need a recurring image throughout that represents the current time, I want this motif to return each time the chorus plays and the lyrics below are sang:
'Lovers hold on to everything,
And lovers hold on, to anything'
'Breathe your smoke into my lungs'
For this lyric I interpretted it as the smoke being someones speech and lies, and the fact she is asking to breathe it into her lungs it shows she is believing and 'inhaling' all the lies he is expressing to her. I therefore want to take this shot literal of my main girl character breathing in smoke, I will do so by reversing a shot to ensure it is clear that the smoke is being inhaled. I also want to smoke to cover the camera lense at the beginning of the shot to create mystery as this will be the first time the main character is introduced
'Still not to old to die young'
I read this lyric as the singer believeing that its not too late to give up on the relationship or life and move on, and I therefore felt that a shot such as hands seperating would represent how she is giving up on the relationship and they are drifting apart.
'Lovers hold on to everything,
And lovers hold on, to anything'
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Key Storyline - Vote for your preference
Before I can begin to think about specific details of my music video, I need to decide upon the key storyline that will run throughout my video. When doing my lyric analysis, I felt that the song was about a love that was deep and meaningful, yet under intense strain. This is where I began to get ideas for a storyline, initially I felt that the music video could just focus on one girl and how she has lost someone who she loved, either a boyfriend or family member, but after listening to the song in more detail, I decided that my storyline should be based around 2 people, a man and women, in a relationship. I felt that the song must be based around their relationship falling apart, and love being lost, but I didn't want my music video to be stereotypical. This therefore led to be deciding upon 3 key ideas for a final storyline, these are explained below:
1. A girlfriend who has lost her boyfriend through death or illness and therefore is longing to have him back
2. A girlfriend who's boyfriend simply leaves her and doesn't want anything to do with her any longer
3. A girlfriend who is in a either a bad or abusive relationship but still holds onto the relationship
I have created a Poll on the right of this blog and hope that I will gain some votes on it to help me decided which storyline is most suitable!
1. A girlfriend who has lost her boyfriend through death or illness and therefore is longing to have him back
2. A girlfriend who's boyfriend simply leaves her and doesn't want anything to do with her any longer
3. A girlfriend who is in a either a bad or abusive relationship but still holds onto the relationship
I have created a Poll on the right of this blog and hope that I will gain some votes on it to help me decided which storyline is most suitable!
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Lyric Analysis
I decided to construct a lyric analysis for my song, I felt that if I did this I would be better able to understand the song and the better I understand the song the easier it is for me to interpret it through a music video. When doing my lyric analysis I paused at each line and wrote down what I felt the lyric meant, then did this again 2 more times and saw if my feelings changed. I then recorded which of the lyrics were most powerful and can be interpretted in multiple ways and involved them in my lyric analysis. Below is the link to my lyric analysis on Scribd:http://www.scribd.com/doc/137408159/ellie-goulding-figure-8-lyric-analysis-docx
If you have an alternative ideas about what the lyrics mean or how you have interpretted them, please comment below. I have tried to read the lyrics in a way that I feel best suits the song and the emotions throughout it, however many people may view it differently and I'd love to hear your opinions.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Storyline
The first thing I needed to consider was what kind of story I wished to tell alongside my music video, I've already established that I wanted to do a storyline music video, alongside a methaphorical, image video. I wanted to combine the both to tell the same story. Therefore, the first thing I need to do is look into the song and discover where methaphorical images can be used and what kind of images I can use. I feel the best way to do this is to do a lyric analysis first of all to discover the meaning of many of the lyrics, and then after I have done this I can discover what kind of images would be suitable, below is my list of things I need to do next to establish the basis of my music video:
- Lyric Analysis
- Decide upon key storyline
- Discover aspects of video that could use imagery
- Chose most suitable imagery for these aspects
- Storyboard
- Shot list
- Lyric Analysis
- Decide upon key storyline
- Discover aspects of video that could use imagery
- Chose most suitable imagery for these aspects
- Storyboard
- Shot list
Sunday, 3 February 2013
License Request - Ellie Goulding Figure 8
As I have finally decided on my song, I needed to right to the record company to gain permission to use this song within my video, Ellie Goulding is currently singed to CherryTreeRecords, which is part of a 'family' of record labels. I simply asked whether I can be granted permission to use it and stated that it will be viewed on my blog and by my teacher and class.
Final Song
After re-looking over my previous video analysis' I have done, I found I particularly liked the song by Ellie Goulding and the music video she created, I decided to look further into Ellie Goulding's music videos and song to discover if there are any I feel I would be able to use for my Music Video, I discoverd this song by her called 'Figure 8', I loved the lyrics and the depth of the song, as well as the music video, it's simple but very effective.
The song talks of how she chased his love around a 'figure 8' and that she 'loved you more than I can take', essentially the song is about an obsessively strong love for someone who isn't bringing happiness to her or returning this depth of love.
I found the song very inspiring and felt that it had a strong potential to provoke emotions in my audience and also help to tell a story that would entice the audience in. The music video also presents some reflective and methaphoric images which I feel are very effective and this is an aspect I want to use within my video.
I'm still going to use the idea of telling the story with images and methaphors, but would like to encorporate another story throughout as I feel this is more effective and ensures the audience understands the video as well as getting emotionally involved in it.
Below is the music video for Ellie Goulding - Figure 8, I have finally decided the song that I will be using and feel this song is both effective and emotionally involving and will be easy to strongly tell a story alongside.
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