MUSIC VIDEOS SIMULAR TO OURS

Before developing our music video, we researched into music videos that would be similar to ours to ensure we accurately reflect an alternative and organic stat image. Therefore I analysed Hozier's music videos Someone New and Take Me To Church.

Hozier: Someone New

This music video conforms to Carol Vernnillis's theory of discontinuity editing, meaning the clips aren't in chronological order. This something we is common in organic music videos because it makes the music video seem messy and 'not perfect', thus reflecting the idea that nothing in life is perfect. Therefore, makes the audience connect with the artist because they come across as 'real' and 'raw' and not fake like synthetic artists that have literally been created by a record label. Therefore, we decided to also used discontinuity editing. Additionally, this music videos uses cross fading to transition from the performance element (Hozier singing in a studio) to the narrative element. This allowed the music video to slow smoothly despite the non-chronnological order. Therefore, this is something we decided to use for our editing. Additionally, the narrative of this music video is something separate from the narrative. Therefore, the artist is exploring a topic that is a 'problem' in everyday life, thus the artist is reflecting an organic star image because he is sharing that he cares about issues in society, thus allowing the audience to connect with him. Hence, this confirmed our choice of using the controversial topic of mental illness and domestic abuse as our narrative for our music video. 



Hozier: Take Me To Church

This music video conforms to Carol Vernilli's theory of discontinuity editing, thus due to both these music videos using this technique, this confirmed our choice to follow this technique. Furthermore, this music video has numerous tracking shots of the characters, thus almost inviting the audience to follow the artist's meanings of the world, hence highlighting him as a alternative and organic artist. Furthermore, this music video explores serious issues in everyday society. This shows that the artist cares about serious issues and is willing to explore them, hence once again reinforcing his alternative and organic star image. Therefore, this also confirmed our choice to discuss serious topics in society in our music video of domestic abuse and mental illness. Furthermore, this music video is in black and white, thus the order solely focuses on the narrative of the music video which highlights the underlying issue of homophobic behaviour in society. However, although this is effective, we decided to have our music video in cover because in order to emphasise domestic abuse we used a development of bruises on the protagonist character throughout the music video, and this was able to be seen through the use of colour in our music video. 

STAR IMAGE

A denim jacket is evocative of american culture and is symbolic of frontiers men in the wild west. We are trying to get our singer to be so called real man that will encourage female audiences to buy in to his authenticity. However we want to also infer that there is a sensitive side to his persona reflected in his lyrics and therefore the juxtaposition of denim and the softness of the white shirt provide that contrast. We want him looking earnestly at the audience so that they can buy in to him and his values, this is important as Richard Dyer states artists should be simultaneously ordinary and extra ordinary. We want him to look like someone that guys can aspire to be and that girls would believe is similar to the guys that they are going out with hence dressing him in casual clothing. However his life and his lyrics and the fact that he is removed from their lives suggests that he is also extraordinary. we want the audience to buy the connotations of our performer that he stands for real heart felt emotion in his lyrics an emotional integrity that is reflected in the music video as well and the choice of colours on the digipak. the look we have ascribed to our singer is akin to similar artists such as Jack Garrett, George Ezra and Hozier who are sold on their organic feel and integrity built through their lyrics.

 

 

COSTUME

OUR ARTIST'S STAR IMAGE

In this clip, my group and I are discussing the star image of our artist. This is something which we showed our actors for our music video in order to help them understand the meaning behind our narrative, thus helping them to get into the role. Thus, the actors were successfully able to help us portray a alternative, organic and indie star image.

SOCIAL REALISM IN BRITTISH FILMS

RESEARCH INTO CD COVERS OF ARTISTS SIMILAR TO OURS

Hozier is an example of a CD cover of an artists that has similar star image to the artist that we are trying to create. The main comparison between the two is they are both organic artists. This means that the record company has to enhance the artist's image and not try to adapt it to fit the 'norm' in society. This is clearly represented through this artist's album cover. 

In this album cover the artist is captured via a mid shot and is fully dressed. This represents the idea that this artist doesn't need to adapt to the 'norm' of being sold as a sex object to get a mass female target audience like synthetic artists have to, for example Justin Bieber. Therefore, synthetic artists go against the norm in their album cover. This is showed in Hozier's music video. For example, he is wearing denim on denim, which in a conformist society is seen as a big 'no no'. Thus, this shows me that synthetic artists aren't conformist and this is represented through their album covers. 

Additionally, the simplicity of the album cover enhances this idea that Hozier is being sold for his music and not for his 'sex image'. This idea is once again reinforced because his face is non-identifiable on the album cover, suggesting  that he wants his music to be the focal point of his star image, and so he is known for his music and not for how attractive he is. 

Therefore, through analysing a album cover of an artists similar to mine, I have learnt to focus on selling the artist's music and not his sex image because his music should represent who my artist is, not his 'conformist' looks.

RISK ASSESSMENT

Risk Assessment-

HIGH RISK:

1)  TRIPPING OVER WIRES- This is a high risk as it is easy to trip over wires whilst filming. In order to minimise this risk we will make sure that the wires aren’t tangled. Also the further minimise this risk I will ensure that the wires are tucked away from where we are filming. 

2)  FILMING NEAR WATER- This is a high risk because a heavy amount of our film is revolved around water during the murder scene. In order to minimise this risk we will place the camera on a tripod, to ensure no electrical fault with the water. 

3)  ALLERGIES TO THE MAKE UP WE WILL USE TO MAKE BRUISES - this are a high risk because we don’t want our actress to have an allergic reaction. In order to minimise this risk we will ask if she has any skin allergies, and test out the makeup we are going to use before filming those scenes.

4)  FILMING OVER A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY- Filming on a bridge alone is a high risk as there is a chance of dropping the camera, so filming on a bridge over a busy road increases the risk even more, thus we have to be extremely careful when handling the camera during the filming at these locations. To minimise this risk, we will use a tripod on wheels to move the filming equipment to avoid dropping it. Additionally, we will be extremely sensible when on the bridge to prevent any chances of us falling off the bridge. 

5)  FILMING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD- This ia a high risk because there are fast moving cars going past so we need to ensure that w aren't filming too close to the edge of the road and make sure we are well on the pavement and out of the way of moving vehicles. 

   MEDIUM RISK:

4)6)  ALL EQUIPMENT IS FULLY COMPLIANT- This is a medium risk because we don’t want to get an electric shock whilst handling the equipment. In order to minimise this risk we will check that the equipment is up to date and that there are fuses in the plus.

57) DROWNING- This is a medium risk because we are filming near a river so there is a possibility that our actor ould fan in. To minimise this risk we will ensure at all times to keep a safe distance from the bank of the water. Additionally, the camera equipment will need to be held securely to prevent nay chances of dropping the equipment. To do this we will ensure, when filming by the water, there is at least one person spotting the person holding the camera to enhance the safety around it. 

LOW RISK:

8) POTENTIAL RAIN- As we are filming in November there is a chance of rain on the days we are going to film because the whether in the UK is extremely unpredictable. This is a risk because our equipment could get wet. To avoid this being a problem we will use waterproofs over the cameras to prevent them from getting wet.

FEEDBACK ON DEVELOPED IDEA

We have changed our idea drastically since we last received feedback from our peers. For example, we have now added 3 new narrative strands after our peers informed us that our video was too simplistic. Thus, with these news narrative strands, the audience are able to make multiple interpretations on what is going on, thus allowing for repeated consumption as they will watch our video multiple times to work our what is going on. Therefore, after these changes we thought it would be appropriate to collect more feedback from possible target audiences members to ensure the changes we have made are impeccable. 

Overall, the feedback we received was more positive than the feedback the we received previously. Therefore, this is reassuring that the changes we have made will be successful in making our music video more interesting, thus allowing for repeated consumption.

INSPIRATION

The shot at 02:26 is a shot that we feel will be very good asset to our music video. However, we have decided to adapt this shot to fit into our narrative. We are going to do this by having Jack (the male abuser) look into a lake, and instead of him seeing his reflection, he is going to see her reflection. This may suggest that he is constantly thinking of her due to his obsession surrounding her.

MORPHING TOGETHER OF IMAGES THAT INFLUENCE OUR IDEA

We want to use morphing in our music video because it shows the difference and the connection between the two actors. Additionally we chose to use morphing because it matches with the slow rhythm of the song. Morphing matches our narrative because it presents how the actors think differently about the same situation. 

This relates with our target audience because morphing together is a mature aspect that can be used to demonstrate the juxtaposition between two or more different things, such as in our music video, the abuser and the victim. Morphing sells star image because it attracts a specific type of audience as it is not a commonly used technique in music videos, this therefore matches the genre we are trying to achieve because it adds a mysterious vibe, and as our music video is mysterious it will help sell this to the target audience. We also feel that our artist is quite alternative and therefore adding something that is not conventional will help sell our artist and our video to an audience that is also less conventional.

LOCATIONS LINKED VITH NARRATIVE

Our aim of the music video is to leave the narrative open to interpretation from the audience through creating a number of different ideas for the audience to pick up on. This will allow for repeated consumption because the audience will be unclear on the narrative.

The first location we will be using is a plain white isolated room, with nothing but a basic mattress on the floor. The plain white room along with the blank mattress represents the idea of purity which juxtaposes with the character’s personality which has been sullied. Furthermore, to manipulate the audience’s interpretation of our music video there will be items which will trigger certain reactions. For example, we are going to place a pair of handcuffs in the background which may connote that violence and acts of sexual assault has been taken place in that room. However, it could equally connote that this character may just enjoy these sort of activities, thus leading to repeated consumption. Additionally, through panning shots we will be able to emphasize the extent of isolation and confinement through the enclosed space of the tiny room. It will further enhance the idea that he has her trapped with no way to escape both mentally and physically. We will use this location intermittently throughout the music video, intertwined with the performance based shots which will take place in a dark room, this again allows us to create another platform of binary opposition through lighting. This could suggest to the audience the contrast of the characters; him representing the darkness that has been brought to the relationship, and her, conversely representing purity.

Another idea that can be picked up by the audience through the isolated room is the idea that she has been isolated from society, so much so to the point that there is no way back. He has left his mark physically through the bruising which will be displayed through close ups and mentally through pushing her to the point of mental illness. Another way that will allow interpretation will be the use of numerous camera angles. Through close ups, for example it will allow us access to facial expressions which in turn can infer different things. One close up we plan on using will display her in a fixed stare, suggesting insomnia. This may be because she is depressed and insomnia is a common behavioural characteristic of the mental illness of depression. However, it may be because she is haunted by the dark continuous memories of his abuse. To confirm this interpretation, we plan on using an extreme close up of her eye, which will cross fade as a transition to the next scene of him ‘performing’ the song.

The second setting that will appear on screen is merely a black space. This will be filmed in a studio via a green screen, with the only element displaying him being through the chiaroscuro lighting. This will be used for the performance based shots of the man singing. The fact that the dark room has no defined walls as creates the illusion if a vacuum which is never ending. This subsequently brings about metaphorical connotations that he has no boundaries, or that he is also mentally ill and does not understand that boundaries do exist within society, thus presenting him as a psychopath to the audience.  On the flipside it may be that actually he also can’t escape this abusive mind set because although he has no boundaries stopping him from doing anything, the eternal black lighting suggests that it goes on forever and he can’t change his aggressive nature.

The third setting we intend on using is a stream in a park. After analyzing numerous music videos, we were inspired by the clever use of mirror shots. Building on this idea, we decided to use this technique but manipulate to make it work in favour of our idea. Keeping going the use of the over the shoulder shot and shot reverse shot, instead of using the mirror we will use a stream and the reflection in the water. However, the aggressive man will be looking for his reflection, yet be presented with her reflection. This implements the idea that she cannot escape his mind. One interpretation of this may be that he has a guilty conscience because she can’t escape his mind. However, it may equally be interpreted that he is so obsessed with her that he constantly is thinking of her, whether this is in a positive or negative light is open to interpretation. Moreover, because he is so obsessed with her, he can’t control himself and so he presents his emotions aggressively which is why he later attempts to splash her reflection away. Additionally, this allows us to explore a number of different camera angles to allow for a variation throughout the video.

The last location we are going to use is a footbridge on the dual carriageway on the A41. We are going to use this location intermittently throughout the music video and intertwine it amongst the other narrative strands to implement the greater extent of the depression, caused by the abuse, to the point of potential suicide. The shots that we will use will subtly bring together physical and mental journey up to the bridge/ up to suicide. We will use a variation of shots to portray the intensity of the act that is potentially forthcoming. These will range between mid-shots, long shots, wide shots, point of view shots and extreme close up shots. The wide shots we use here will display the fast moving cars underneath the bridge and the danger that arises from it, whilst the close up shots will reveal her intense flow of emotions and the different feelings that she is experiencing. We intend to use this narrative strand to end the video on the highest possible extent of suspense and anticipation to leave the audience longing to know the girls destiny, which will In turn result in increased consumption.

To conclude, through presenting a number of different scenes to create a certain mise-en-scene, we are enabling the audience to explore different perspectives of what the case may be, thus ensuring repeated consumption.

SHOT BY SHOT LIST

1.     Horizontal pan across girl sitting on the floor looking down slowly looks up (00:00-00:06)

2.     Medium close up still shot girl staring at camera (slow motion blink) (00:06-00:12)

3.     Cross fade to next shot (black screen) (00:12-00:16)

4.     Medium close up of jack’s face (00:17-00:22)

5.     Side on image of jack looking straight ahead (00:22-00:27)

6.     Morph side image from dark room of boy in to side image of girl in light room (00:27-00:31)

7.     Medium close up point of view shot of girl looking at the floor (at handcuffs) (00:31-00:36)

8.     (shot reverse shot) image of handcuffs on floor (00:36-00:39)

9.     Dutch tilt shot from bottom corner of the room displaying whole room in image girl sat in corner and picks up handcuffs and starts fiddling with them. (00:39-00:43)

10.  Close up of her hands fiddling with handcuffs. (00:43-00:48)

11.  Wide shot of her getting frustrated at bad memories and chucks the handcuffs to the side. (match on action) (00:48-00:50)

12.  Shot of handcuffs landing on the floor in the room (Match on action) (00:50-00:54)

13.  Fade to next shot to studio- hand cuffs in the same place and position as previous shot. Jack picks them up and he is signing (00:54-01:01)

14.  wide shot of Girl stood on pavement of the road with cars going past in fast motion whilst she is in slow motion (01:01-01:08)

15.  Long shot of girl stood on pavement with hair blowing in the wind (01:08-01:10)

16.  Back to jack in the studio him singing line (01:10-01:18)

17.  Mirror in studio he looks in mirror and sees her reflection in the background (01:18-01:25)

18.  Long shot of jack stood centred in the studio, click in the beat before going on to the next line (01:25-01:27)

19.  Number of cross cuts between the beats of close ups of him and her, fading in to each other until end of the line (01:27-01:36)

20.  Extreme close up of his fist balling up after she has appeared in his mind (fist is a thinner opacity and fades to next shot) (01:36-01:37)

21.  Medium close up birds eye view shot of girl lying flat on her back on the mattress in the room looking directly in to the camera (added bruises) camera slight pan back and forth (01:37-01:43)

22.  Wide shot of him walking by the stream (01:43-01:46)

23.  Zoomed shot taken from the other side of the stream of him kneeling down by the edge and looking in to his reflection (don’t see reflected image yet) (01:46-01:50)

24.  Over the shoulder shot of her appearing as his reflection in the water (01:50-01:53)

25.  MONTAGE: until end of beat – one shot of her in the room, one of her walking up the bridge, one of him in the studio then back to one of him in the park running away in slow motion FADE BRINGING THE SHOTS TOGETHER (01:53-01:59)

26.  Tracking shot of her starting to walk up the bridge (01:59- 02:02)

27.  Point of view shot of her walking up to the bridge (02:02- 02:06)

28.  Jack in studio singing medium close up (02:06-02:13)

29.  Long shot of jack in the park against a brick wall looking distressed hand on wall head resting on it.  (02:13-02:16)

30.  Medium close up shot of jack smashing empty beer bottle on the brick wall in normal speed and then changes in to slow motion from when it hits the wall so you see the pieces falling to the ground slowly. (02:16-02:24)

31.  Extreme close up shot of her eyes slow motion blink and a tear falls. (02:24-02:29)

32.  Close up of girl looking at something to the side, breathes, smoke covers her face and her image fades so that all that remains on the right hand side of the screen is the smoke. He is on the left of the screen looking longingly at the smoke that was her. Filmed in the studio (02:29-02:39)

33.  Slow Pan up in the studio of jack to sho what he’s wearing (02:39-02:39)

34.  Medium close up of her in the bedroom with more bruises obviously shown (02:39-02:42)

35.  Back to her getting further up the bridge long shot from top of the bridge looking down (02:42-02:48)

36.  Him in studio wide shot, placed at the side (02:48-02:54)

37.  Drone shot of girl lying flat with arms and legs sprawled out and quickly fly up to show isolation in the middle of the empty field. (02:54-03:01)

38.  Drone shot quite low camera circling her still laying flat on the ground (03:01-03:10)

39. Opaque shot of jack centred singing, as soon as it says ‘all’ start adding in faded shots on top of the image of her in the room more bruises. (03:10-03:17)

40. Wide shot from other side of the bridge walking over the dual carriageway towards the centre (slow motion) (03:17-03:22)

41. Wide shot from pavement of her reaching the centre of the bridge (03:22-03:25)

42. Extreme close up of her hands grabbing the railing tightly (slow motion) (03:25-03:29)

43. Extreme close up of her eye with a faded image of him in her eye (03:29-03:34);

44. Eye fades out so its just jack stood alone in the studio (03:34-03:41)

45. Point of view shot of her looking down at the road with the cars go past. Screen then binks slowly and it blacks out – leaves audience in suspense as they don’t know what happens. (03:41-03:47)