NEA - Music Video
Daisy Hawkes - 9111
Product 1: music video
want me improved (youtube.com)
Product 2: website
https://lettycartermusic.wixsite.com/music
Statement of intent
Music Video Brief
You have been given the task of producing a three minute music video for a fictional band/artist signed to Beggars Group, and the working website for the band/artist.
‘A narrative song is a song that tells a story through its lyrics’. Allow any song that may reasonably be considered to convey a sense of narrative or story.
Research
Research Task 1 - audience
The target audience for my music video is upmarket, media literate 16 - 25 year olds. This falls into a Gen Z audience.
General Characteristics
Gen Z is then most ethnically diverse, socially forward, technology fluent and open minded generation yet. Gen Z aso tend to be smarter, and better educated than previous generations, as they have a higher rate of enrollment in higher education, rather than going straight into the world of work.
Gen Z are strong minded and will fight for their beliefs, and can be found leading protests on equality, climate change and politics.
Research task 1 - audience
Gen Z and media
Instead of cable and live Tv, 16 - 25 year olds prefer streaming platforms and downloadable content that can be ‘binged’. Shows popular with Gen Z include Outer Banks, Euphoria, B99, Stranger Things, Sex Education, Wednesday and The Last Of Us.
They also consume small bites of media on social media platforms. TikTok is growing with popularity, and is used primarily by Gen Z. Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are also popular. Facebook is very rarely used by Gen Z
Reports have shown that Gen Z is more likely to be nostalgic than hopeful for the future, this is also shown in the popularity of music and media from previous decades. 70s and 80s music have been popularised by franchises such as Stranger Things and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as the rise of vinyl records and players.
Research task 1 - audience
Upmarket and media literate - what does this mean?
This means that the audience of my music video is going to have a wide knowledge of more high brow media of a range of genres, eras and formats.
This means that the audience for my video is likely to notice and appreciate creative filming and editing. It also means that in order to truly attract and engage them, the video and song choice is going to have to be relevant and interesting.
Research task 2 - industry
Beggars Group is the record label for my artist
Who are they?
Beggars Group are a British record label founded in 1977 by Martin Mills. Beggars Group promote their artists, as well as their music videos, tours and merch. The overall style of the label is varied - it is largely indie music that is less mainstream, with the exception of a few larger artists like Adele and Radiohead. The genre of music is also varied, but is mostly pop and rock.
They are independent and own 5 smaller labels.
Research task 2 - industry
Which artists are signed to Beggars Group?
I think the brief will fit in well with Beggars group as they have a variety of styles and genres, and produce music that appeals to a young audience.
Task 3 - music video breakdown
Addicted to you - Avicii
0.00 - 0.25
Framing - wide shot
Angle - high angle
Movement - aerial shot tracks forward with the car.
Length - 0.00 - 0.11
Framing - medium shot
Angle - eye level, straight shot
Movement - starts down low and tilts upwards
Length - 0.12 - 0.18
Framing - medium three shot
Angle - level
Movement - zooms in slightly
Length - 0.19 - 0.20
Framing - Close up
Angle - level
Movement - no movement
Length - 0.21 - 0.22
Framing - wide shot
Angle - level
Movement - none
Length - 0.23 - 0.24
Framing - medium shot
Angle - level
Movement - none
Length - 0.24 - 0.25
0.25 - 0.35
Framing - medium three shot
Angle - level
Movement - none
Length - 0.25 - 0.26
Framing - medium three shot
Angle - level
Movement - zooms in slightly
Length - 0.26 - 0.28
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - pull focus from background to foreground
Length - 0.28 - 0.30
Framing - medium shot
Angle - high angle
Movement - none
Length - 0.30 - 0.31
Framing - close up
Angle - slightly low angle
Movement - tracks backwards with woman 2
Length - 0.31 - 0.34
Framing - medium shot
Angle - level
Movement - pans slowly to the left
Length - 0.34 - 0.35
0.35 - 0.43
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - tracks backward with woman 2
Length - 0.35 - 0.36
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - pans fast round to the left
Length - 0.36 - 0.37
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - tracks backward with woman 2
Length - 0.37 - 0.39
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - pans to the left
Length - 0.39 - 0.40
Framing - close up
Angle - high
Movement - static
Length - 0.40 - 0.41
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - None
Length - 0.41 - 0.43
0.43 - 0.47
Framing - close up
Angle - level, pull focus
Movement - pan slightly to the left
Length - 0.43 - 0.44
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.44 - 0.45
Framing - Close up/medium
Angle - level
Movement - tracks with knife round to the right
Length - 045 - 0.46
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.46 - 0.46
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.46 - 0.46
Framing - medium three shot
Angle - level
Movement - zooms in a small amount
Length - 0.46 - 0.47
0.47 - 0.50
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.47 - 0.48
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.48 - 0.48
Framing - medium/wide
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.48 - 0.48
Framing - close up
Angle - low
Movement - tracks round to the left with woman 2
Length - 0.48 - 0.49
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - none
Length - 0.49 - 0.49
Framing - close up
Angle - low
Movement - static
Length - 0.49 - 0.50
0.50 - 0.54
Framing - medium
Angle - high
Movement - tilt down
Length - 0.50 - 0.50
Framing - wide
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.50 - 0.51
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - track forward
Length - 0.51 - 0.52
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - track left with woman 1
Length - 0.52 - 0.53
Framing - medium
Angle - low
Movement - static
Length - 0.53 - 0.53
Framing - close up
Angle - low
Movement - static
Length - 0.53 - 0.54
0.54 - 0.57
Framing - medium
Angle - level
Movement - tracks down with bag
Length - 0.54 - 0.54
Framing - over the shoulder medium
Angle - level
Movement - handheld
Length - 0.54 - 0.55
Framing - close up
Angle - high
Movement - tracks backwards with draw/ handheld
Length - 0.55 - 0.55
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - handheld
Length - 0.55 - 0.56
Framing - close up
Angle - high
Movement - static
Length - 0.56 - 0.56
Framing - close up
Angle - high
Movement - static
Length - 0.56 - 0.57
0.57 - 1.00
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.57 - 0.57
Framing - super wide
Angle - level
Movement - static
Length - 0.57 - 0.58
Framing - medium
Angle - low
Movement - handheld
Length - 0.58 - 0.58
Framing - close up
Angle - high
Movement - handheld
Length - 0.58 - 0.59
Framing - close up
Angle - level
Movement - handheld
Length - 0.59 - 0.59
Framing - medium - wide
Angle - level
Movement - handheld
Length - 0.59 - 1.00
Task 3 reflection
This task has taught me about mise en scene, pace and angles. In the music video, as the pace and action in the plot build, the cuts between shots get much faster. By the end there were 5 or 6 shots in the space of 4 seconds, which is much more than i expected.
I really like the music video i chose, i think it illustrated nicely how a narrative can be put to music. It felt like a short film. The Mise en Scene in the video was very important to the plot and how the audience understood what was going on. A secure theme and setting is something i want to implement in my video.
The camera shots in the video were mostly level, but there was a large focus on close up shots. I found this interesting and though it helped move the plot along as there was not dialogue. Important parts of the characters or setting could really be focused in on. I have learnt that in order to make a music video interesting, a variety of creative shots are needed to retain audience attention, and it is even more important when the video is narrative.
Task 4 - comparisons
Anti hero
Anti hero is a mixture between a narrative and concept music video. It follows Taylor Swift interacting with a physical depiction of her internal worries. First, she is faced with all of the people she has ‘ghosted’ and can’t escape them. She is saved by another version of herself ringing the doorbell. This other version is more confident and bolder than her: she teaches taylor lessons, drinks with her and there are several depictions of Taylor not feeling enough. At the second verse a giant sized Taylor is deserted by her friends who think she is a monster. The visuals of this verse line up with the lyrics a lot: her friends being scared of Taylor lines up with ‘monster on the hill’, she is shot at the same time as ‘pierced through the heart but never killed’ and ‘like some kind of congressmen’ is matched with a shot of Taylor pinning a badge saying ‘vote for me for everything’ onto her chest. In the bridge the song takes a break after the line ‘she’s laughing up at us from hell’. There is a narrative scene of Taylor's children receiving her will, and what happens when they learn that they haven’t been left much. They start accusing each other, then a fight breaks out and the song resumes. The song ends with the three versions of Taylor previously seen meeting and sharing a drink on a rooftop.
Anti hero
Camera
In the first section of the video, where Taylor is alone with the ghosts, the camera is focused on Taylor. The shots are mostly level medium shots showing her torso and head. The camera is handheld in the section, and when Taylor looks away from the camera, it pans to where her eyeline is. This shows she is the focus and we are seeing her perspective as well. From the shot where the second Taylor arrives, the camera is no longer handheld, and there is less movement in the shots. This is continued throughout the rest of the video. During the funeral scene, the camera reverts back to being handheld. The filing is slightly shaky, and there is lots of zooming in on faces after a line of dialogue. This creates a comedic effect, as this technique is also used in lots of sitcoms.
Editing
There are very few transitions between shots in the music video - it is mostly straight cuts. This adds to the realism and narrative of the video as it is less cheesy. There are some slow motion shots to emphasise big movements, including Taylor being pushed off the bed, and the big fight at the funeral. At the start, instead of cutting to a shot with a different subject, the camera quickly pans round instead. This keeps the setting connected and adds to the comedic effect and concept of the video. One of the biggest editing features are the two shots of both Taylors sitting and standing next to each other.
Mise en Scene
The music video has a very cohesive colour scheme of warm autumn tones. This is reflected in the set and in the costumes, both of which are modern with a vintage theme. The costumes in this video were very important as they were what differentiated the different versions of Taylor Swift from each other. The setting of the video is in two primary locations: a house, and a funeral. The majority of the video is in different rooms of the house, with the dialogue acne being in the funeral in the middle of the video. The daughter in law at the funeral is wearing one of Taylor’s old outfits, and has her hair styles like her.
The Scientist
The narrative of the music video is based around the line ‘I’m going back to the start’. It is a high budget, professional looking, concept/narrative video. The whole video is filmed backwards. It shows a man going backwards from present day to the aftermath and build up of a car accident he was in, in which the woman he was driving with died in.
He starts in a town setting, goes through the suburbs, over train tracks and enters the countryside, walking across fields, up a hill and through a forest. The journey takes place over a day: the start of the video it is day time, the middle is during the night and the end is bac in the day time again. He walks past a woman lying on the floor, unconscious and back to his car. It drives backwards, with pieces of debris re attacking itself as it drives up the hill and back onto the road.
The Scientist
Camera
The video contains a variety of smooth, professional looking shots. It opens with an aerial close up shot which tracks backwards to a long shot of the singer lying on a mattress on the pavement. The singer is the focus of the majority of the shots, establishing him as the main character. At the start of the video we do not know what has happened. There is a lot of movement in this video: the shots track the movement of singer as he moves, there are also aerial shots that spin. The framing of the shots are varied as well, with some medium head shots, and others super wide long shots which emphasise the backwards movement in the video.
Editing
The main feature of editing in this video is that the entire video is filmed in order than reversed, so the order of narrative is from end to start. I think this is an interesting choice, as it would have been tricky to film and lipsync to the song backwards, so that it fit when reversed. It has a large impact though, and aids the meaning of the song. Although the visuals of the video don’t match up with the specific lyrics, the message and meaning of both are then same. There are two main transitions used in the video: when the location changes or there is a jump in time, the two clips crossfade from one to another; and when the location stays the same it is just straight cuts between shots. The speed of the video is weird - because of the reversal, the movement looks like it is slightly sped up. I'm not sure if this was intentional, or a side effect.
Mise En Scene
The singer in the video is wearing a plain white long sleeved top and black trousers. His outfit is plain and not anything out of the ordinary, suggesting that the day that the video takes place on was a normal day before the crash. The main locations of the video are a town, the suburbs of the town, a railway track, a forest, a field and a road (in that order). The main character is played by the lead singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin, so there isn’t really any other significance there.
A Dustland Fairytale
This is a narrative music video with a narrative split over two time periods. The first follows an older man who has just been released from Prison. He arrives at a Motel, where he is going to stay. At a bar nearby he realises the barman is an old friend and they share a drink. He relives all of the things he’s missed while he was in prison, swimming, good food, driving his car, but he also remembers and is reminiscing about the thing that put him in prison. At the end of the video he goes back to his old lovers house and she hugs him. The second narrative is about the same guy, just 30 years prior. He is young and falls in love with a girl. He goes on dates with her, and she likes him as well. His friend also likes the girl. There is a big fight about the girl between the two guys. The fight ends with the man stabbing his friend, which is what sends him to prison. It is unclear of the friend died, or if it is the same man who was in the bar all of the years later. I think this video is a good example of following the narrative of the song, but using it as a jumping point rather than an exact story to follow. The song is about a love story, with references to ‘Cinderella’ and a ‘Slick chrome american prince’. It is an abstract story about the singers parents. The woman in the song is presented as sweet and beautiful, and the guy is presented as bad, which is reflected in the song.
A Dustland Fairytale
Camera
There is a wide variety of shots in this video. To set the scene, and during the fight, there are lots of wide shots. What the older man is the focus of the shot. It is often either a level medium shot, with him looking down, or a long, high angle shot. These high angle shots reflect his guilt and remorse, as we are looking down on him, and the level shots could represent him making amends. There is a pattern with the angle of the shots, when the man is looking happier the angle is low, and when he is looking sadder, the angle is higher.
Editing
I really like the editing of the video. He transitions are mostly clean cuts, with some fads. At the end of the song there are some parallels from both narratives that line up: one of the cars in each narrative, and one of the two versions of the man walking towards the camera. Both of these shots fade into each other. This cements for the audience that both men are the same. Also at the end of the song, the cuts speed up to meet the pace of the music as it build and the cuts happen on the beat. This build the pace of the video as well, and helps it build up to the big fight and stabbing at the end. As well as the two narratives, there are also clips of the Killers singing the song. This is the sort of format i will have to use in my video, and i think it works well with the song.
Mise En Scene
The Mise En Scene in this video is important for differentiating between the two time periods and linking the two actors playing the man. This is done by similar shots of the car and man (as previously mentioned), and the emotions the older man shows. It is clear from his facial expressions and gesture codes that he is sad and full of regret, which links to the young man’s actions. The prop of the prison notice also establishes this links so the audience can connect the dots. Another important prop is the knife. The young man is seen sharpening it, which foreshadows the fight at the end.
Reflection
Antihero
Anti Hero has taught me the importance of costume and camera movement in a music video. The costumes were important in defining characters, they weren’t over complicated and were similar enough to fit together, but different enough to tell the different versions apart. Although it is unlikely for me to have the same actor playing different characters in my video, the costumes i choose for my characters will have a impact on how the narrative and characters are understood.
The video has also helped me understand how the movement of the camera affects the tone of the video. Fast panning and hand held camera can add comedy, whereas still shots and smooth tracing can build tension and make it more serious.
The Scientist
I liked how the scientist played with order of narrative and how it made the video more engaging. The video can be classed as a mixture of narrative and concept, which is different to a lot of music videos. The unusual order of narrative makes the video stand out, and instead of the audience continuing to watch to find out what happened next, like in a conventional narrative, the audience stay to figure out why the accident happened. An unusual order of narrative is something i could incorporate into my music video, maybe as a flashback or flash forward to keep audiences hooked.
A Dustland Fairytale
For me, the biggest takeaway from A Dustland Fairytale was its editing style. It fit well with the song, was smooth and visually nice. It helped build the narrative along side the speed and drama of the song. If i choose an upbeat song i would like to incorporate a similar technique in my video, using the speed of the song to my advantage. It was a good example of how separate lip syncing can be incorporated in a clean and unobtrusive way, something that i also will need to achieve.
Task 5: website analysis
Website 1: Belle and Sebastian
Links to videos, music, tours, news, photos and shop
Picture of band members - establishes identity and connected theme to audience
Links to social media accounts - intertextuality
Link to latest album on lots of streaming platforms
Muted, clean colour scheme across the website.
The layout isn’t crowded.
Website 2: Lucy dacus
The website is one long page with all of the information in a consecutive page.
The only external links are to a seperate merch website, and social media
Main focus of the page is promo for her latest song and music video
Unusual layout - song title at the top could be mistaken for the artist name
Website 3: Arlo Parks
Initial page from google link. Advertises new song. Choice of link to main website or online store
Links to store, tours, contact and affirmations. Aside from the store, all of the links automatically scroll down to the corresponding segment on the homepage, rather than a separate page.
Home page promotes the new album and the artist - images of both
Establishes brand identity and who the artist is
The blue colour scheme is the same colours as the new album, which also promotes it and makes the site and its adverts cohesive.
Task 6: Performance, concept and narrative
Concept
Daisies ~ Katy Perry
Performance
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats ~ S.O.B
Narrative
All Too Well ~ Taylor Swift
Task 7: Representation
Telephone - Lady Gaga & Beyonce
Gender stereotypes - the video is from 2010. At this time lots of music videos featuring female artists were heavily sexualised. There is a lot of sexulisation in this video - of the women in the prison, of Lady Gaga and her dancers, of Beyonce. A lot of the women in the video are hyper feminine, which conforms to gender stereotypes of the time. However, these women aren't submissive or vulnerable, they are strong and independent. So instead of a negative message, the video is more empowering and confident.
In the prison, there is a wide variety of women from different races, ages, and classes. There is also a mix of more feminine women and butch women. All of the women in the prison are presented as equal, aside from the two guards. These two women are more butch than most of the prisoners. This sends a message that more masculine women are stronger and more powerful, which is a stereotype.
The video has two representations of sapphic relationships. In the prison courtyard, lady gaga is approached by a women and they kiss. This representation conforms to the stereotype that lesbians and queer women are often very butch and masculine. The other relationship is between Lady Gaga and Beyonce - this one is less explicit, they have nicknames for each other, hold hands and there is a shot of them through a heart shaped template. This relationship is a more positive representation, both women are very feminine (subverting a stereotype), they are of different races, both are powerful and strong, but still show affection towards each other,
The second part of the video is set in a 50s/60s style diner. This location is an overall representation of the beliefs towards women at the time. The men are misogynistic, and the two lead characters kills off a man who is presumably a previous partner of beyonce. This subverts the stereotype of this time period, that men are more powerful than women. This part of the video also makes use of comic like speech bubbles and graphic, which reinforces the time period. In the dance number in the diner Lady Gaga is dressed as Wonder Woman. This intertextuality is a reference to how wonder woman was seen as a feminist icon in the 60s, and was a part of the changing beliefs and attitudes towards women in america
Task 8 - the link between lyrics, music and visuals
Song 1: No Rest - Dry the river
Lyrics
Immortal love, time standing still. Seeing a reflection of the person they love in lots of places
Lyrics and Music
Slow movements at the start of the song, builds up to be fast and powerful. Filmed by the coast - dramatic cliffs, sea, coast. Don’t ever see the love interest in the video , past tense.
Class ideas
Video description
Aerial shots of 4 men lying individually on the muddy ground. The shadow of a bird flies over them. Rocks are thrown at the amd fill the space around them. People walk over the men. Aerial and worms eye shots of this. A bird is on each man’s chest. The men start lip syncing with the song. Water is thrown over them. Burning torches are lowered around them. Bright lights shine down on them.
My thoughts on the video
I think the video was quite ambiguous. It is very open to interpretation. I didn’t find it boring even though not much happened. Although it wasn’t what i expected to happen, it sort of made sense with the music. The video has a heavy focus on the music, as the visuals were particularly impressive or distracting.
Song 2: Feel - Robbie Williams
Lyrics
Two locations. Artist signing in a dark room lit from above. The same man walking through an empty house on looking at people together outside. Could be continued in other locations as well.
Actual video
The whole video is in black and white. Tells the story of two farmers/cowboys on a ranch who fall in love. Lots of shots of them on horses. They stare at each other through a fence. He takes a bath outside and rides solo. She passes him whilst driving. She eventually invites him into the car. They make out. A date at a bingo hall.
My thoughts
This is a very hyper-masculine video. It had a high budget and his love interest is a well known american actress. I don’t think the video really fits to the lyrics, there is a lot of potential in the lyrics that wasn’t really fulfilled. The pot of the narrative was a bit jumpy and kept cutting back to previous shots in the story. The lyrics have a theme of isolation, whereas the video was more about a love story .
Task 9 - what does music mean to me?
Song 1: Need You Now ~ Lady A
This song is the earliest memory of music I have. When I was in Year 3 (7 or 8 years old), my mum got a new car. It had the option to connect itunes to the car speaker via bluetooth, so my mum downloaded a playlist of her music and we would listen to it in the car. I remember singing it very loudly in the back of the car with my sister on the way to or from school; on the way to my Grandparents house; on the radio in my bedroom.
The lyrics of the song aren’t particularly important to me, it’s more the song and when I heard it.
Weirdly at this age i have quite a few music based memories? Along with Need You Now, we would also listen to Just Give Me A Reason by Pink. Also at this age I downloaded my first album (well, made that active decision to) - 1989 by Taylor Swift.
Released: 2009
Artist: Lady A
Genre: Country
Era of my life: 2013/14 (aged 8)
Song 2: Hooked on a Feeling
This song is from the summer, during which i spent lots of time in the garden socially distancing with Rosie. I had started to gain an interest in Marvel at this point, so decided to show her the GotG soundtrack. We both fell in love with this song immediately. If I had to pick a theme tune for us it would be this song, its happiness embodied.
Hooked on a Feeling is one of the better songs i enjoyed during lockdown. I didn’t really listen to my own music before this point, more the radio and the Now albums (very generic). My taste in music was very questionable then, and has changed a lot now.
Released: 1974
Artist: Blue swede
Genre: Pop Rock
Era of my life: Mid 2020 (aged 14)
Song 3: Daughter ~ Sleeping at Last
This is my favourite/comfort song at the moment. I love Sleeping at Last’s music, i think it’s very calm and beautiful. This song is my favorite of theirs because it is uplifting and empowering.
I don’t often keep favourite songs for long, but this song has been a constant for about a year now.
Other honourable mentions: Self help ~ Olive Klug, Hits Different ~ Taylor Swift, Eight ~ Sleeping at last, She ~ Dodie
Released: 2019
Artist: Sleeping at last
Genre: Folk
Era of my life: Now
Planning
Music video brief
You work for an independent media production company. You have been given the task of producing a three-minute music video for a narrative song* by a fictional band/artist signed to Beggars Group, and two pages for the working website for the band/artist. You may use an existing song for your music video (this does not need to be copyright free). The music video must feature a narrative appropriate to a music video (e.g. a performance montage, a narrative illustrating or commenting on the song, or a mix of performance montage and other narrative elements). The web pages must promote the band/artist to its target audience and enable fans to interact with them.
The production of the music video must include (as a minimum):
The production of the web pages must include (as a minimum):
Narrative videos to recreate
Video 1 - Oxford comma
With proper planning, i think we could recreate a section of the video. The video is filmed in one continuous shot, that tracks with the artist.
This may be hard to recreate, but as the rest of the video isn’t very complex in terms of setting and narrative, i think it could be done
There aren’t any visual effects or fancy editing in the video, so there is space to add some, it might not fit the vibe of the song however.
Video 2 - windowlicker
Absolutely not.
Really not a fan of this video.
The only part that is suitable to recreate is the tap dancing puddle sequence at the beginning, as the rest is a bit explicit.
The editing would also be hard to recreate, as there are superimposed faces and smiles throughout the video. We also don’t have a limo.
I’m struggling to pick out a narrative?
Video 3 - Right Here, Right Now
This is a cool music video. It looks like it is filmed in one shot, due to smooth transitions between stages.
The start is mostly stop animation, which I think would be fun and challenging to recreate.
The narrative is the story of evolution, following a fish all the way through to a man. The video tracks right for the whole video.
Banana phone task
Shortlist pitches
Song 1: Want Me ~ Baby Queen
My ideas
Pros
Cons
Song 1: Want Me ~ Baby Queen
Moodboard
Song 1: Want Me ~ Baby Queen
Song 2: You’re on your own kid ~ Taylor Swift
My ideas:
Pros:
Cons:
Song 2: You’re on your own kid ~ Taylor Swift
Song 2: You’re on your own kid ~ Taylor Swift
Song 3: Eight ~ Sleeping At Last
My Ideas:
Pros:
Cons:
Song 3: Eight ~ Sleeping at Last
Song 3: Eight ~ Sleeping at Last
Feedback
Want Me
You’re On Your Own Kid
Eight
Next steps
I really like the first song, and the scrapbook concept which was for the second song.
I have decided to merge the two together and ater my narrative. Instead of friends over a summer, the video will follow the story of the main character lowkey stalking her crush, who is also her friend (gender undecided), over the course of the summer. Her crush has a girlfriend and the main character is jealous. She keeps a scrapbook of the summer, and spends the music video looking back and reliving moments of her crush. Throughout the video the pictures and flashbacks get less innocent, starting off as group pictures and memories and ending with videos taken from afar.
I think idea is edgier and more interesting to explore. I prefer this song as it has more editing potential.
Video inspiration
Scrapbook - Isabelle Fries
A relatively basic example of the scrapbook theme. My video will not be digital, although i would like to included elements of the style of this video
Moment in the Sun - Sunflower Bean
I love the colours of this video. They are saturated and warm and i would like to incorporate this into my video. The angles and transitions are interesting, and i like the visual link between everyday activities and memories.
Girls - Girl In Red
This video is about a sapphic relationship. Due to the actors available to me, this is a plot that i think i will include into my video. This video has a retro feel and look to it and is mostly filmed on a handheld camera. As my video will be part of photos in a scrapbook, filming on a handheld camera could make it look like the artist is filming the events.
Video inspiration
we fell in love in october - Girl In Red
Similar to the previous video, i like the way that the relationship is presented and portrayed. It has a good balance between narrative and performance, and the pacing is nice.
Generation Why - Conan Grey
Another good example of the colour and visual theme i want to use in my video. I really like the titles at the start of the video. Each character has distinct colouring and clothing, which makes them easy to distinguish and fits well with the retro feel of the video
What’s it gonna be - Shura
I think the video is amazing. The narrative is well developed and interesting, incorporating a fun twist without it feeling rushed. The narrative is hidden within the plot, with the characters singing along as if they were listening to music. Again, i like the vibe, colours and titles of the video.
Audience
How am i going to attract my target audience?
30 second lip sync
This is Abi, who is going to be playing my artist in my music video.
At the time of recording we were discussing themes of insanity and stalking, which i think have been well represented by abi in the lip sync.
Im planning on moving away from this idea a little bit to soften the music video a bit, so that it fits better with the song.
My Artist
Letty Carter
Hi I'm Letty!
I'm a 19 year old English Literature student with a passion for music, folktales and BBC Ghosts. I live with my roommates and Tabby cat called Tibbles. My music is inspired by modern love, and artists like dodie, Cosmo Sheldrake and Beth McCarthy.
Some fun facts about me:
Artist Logo
Costumes and props
Artist:
Primary colour is Green for jealousy and envy. Casual dress, green shirt and hoodie, plain trousers. Green sunglasses to be worn mostly on her head.
Crush:
Primary colour is pink as she is already in love. Casual clothes – pink top dark trousers, hair down. Matching brown jacket with girlfriend.
Girlfriend/others:
Neutral, tan coloured clothing so that two main characters stand out. Browns, tan, white and grey colours. Avoid black.
Props
There are three main props for the video:
Representation
In the video i have to include two different forms of representation.
I have chosen to include sexuality, gender and age. The main focus of the video is a queer relationship - the main characters crush is another girl, and she also has a girlfriend herself. My cast is all female. As i intend to film in a public place, there will be members of the public in the background of some of my shots, especially at the theme park. There will be kids and parents in these shots, and people of different ethnicity and genders.
Timeline
Timings | Lyrics | Visuals |
0:00 - 0:05 | Intro | Scrapbook laid on the floor. The book is closed and the title of the song is edited on the top. |
0:05 - 0:10 | I wish I thought that I was pretty so that I could turn you on I had a dream | Artist sat in a bedroom setting, on the floor. Pans upwards and artist looks up and sees reflection in a mirror. Over the shoulder shot of her sticking in a photo. |
0:10 - 0:12 | You called me pretty and I told you were wrong And that I look for parts | Zooms in on photo of the sea and cuts to a video of the same visuals. This is a flashback. |
0:12 - 0:25 | Of you in every person that I meet Because my brain is dissipated and you're where it use to be And it’s so typical of me to get so easily obsessed But in my head were in my bedroom and your getting undressed I wanna take you to a rock show kiss you in a | flashback opens on the sea and beach. Pans right to a longshot of a group of friends walking from behind. Cut to similar shot from the front, girls walking towards the camera. Mid Shot of artists crush, then of the artist. The crush looks away. Cut to two shot of crush and gf and then a close up of their hands. Cut with mid shots of the artist singing |
Timeline
Timings | Lyrics | Visuals |
0:25 - 0:30 | Bathroom stall I wanna tell you that you’re mine and put you up against a wall | back in bedroom with artist. High angle above shot of her layout on the floor. Looks at a picture, falls backwards to lie down. |
0:30 - 0:40 | Like a painting or a poster of a teenage crush I play it out inside my head as if you’re with me on the bus And were talking and you wanna look inside my mind I say you can’t because i lost it when i knew you were alive | Cut to theme park footage (flash back). The group have fun at the theme park. Wide setting shots from the top of the ferris wheel. Selfies on the ferris wheel. Maybe some still snapshots |
0:40 - 1:02 | I’ll go anywhere you’ll go Take me to places that I don’t know I’ll go anywhere you’ll go Why don’t you swap for your shadow So I’ll go anywhere you’ll be And i’ll go anywhere you want me Yeah I’ll go anywhere you’ll want me Want me, want me if you want me | Mid shots of artist singing in multiple locations Footage of group playing in arcades. Different angles - from the side, abover, behind and in front. Mixture of group and two shots. Artist looks very in love |
Timeline
Timings | Lyrics | Visuals |
1:02 - 1:05 | Fuck, I’m twenty-something so i tell mydelf to just grow up | Establishing shot of group walking through park |
1:05 - 1:20 | Ditch my pathetic fascination with this unrequited love I spent the whole day trying to convince myself You're nothing special, you’re like everybody else And i stay home coz all my friends are getting bored of me I find a way to fit your name in every sentence that i speak I swear to god i’m not insane | Play Twister as a group. Range of shots and angles Close up of laughing faces and enjoyment Cut between twister and artist singing in the park |
1:20 - 1:25 | But all the flags are red As I’m lying on the floor typing your name into the internet | Duo of close up shots of the artist and crush looking to each other's eyes during twister. |
Timeline
Timings | Lyrics | Visuals |
1:25 - 1:47 | I'll go anywhere you wanna go Take me to places that I don't know I'll go anywhere you wanna go Why don't you swap me for your shadow? So I'll be everywhere that you'll be And I'll go anywhere you want me Yeah, I'll go anywhere you want me Want me, want me if you want me | Artist singing in the park. Close ups, mid shots, high, low angles and wide shots. Some shots cut in of narrative in the park, but not many |
1:47 - 1:59 | Want me, want me, if you want me Want me, want me, if you want me Want me, want me, if you want me Want me, want me, if you want me | Back in bedroom Artist lying on her bed, scrolling on phone Shots of setting, artist and artists POV of the phone Throws phone down on bed and gets up |
1:59 - 2:20 | No offense but it makes no sense You're in her bed then you're driving home and playing my cassette Because you want me and you just don't know it yet All your friends are twenty nine years old And I'm in debt because I'm just a kid Now you're smoking cigarettes Because you want me and you just don't know it yet | Getting dressed montage Trying on 3 outfits in front of the mirror (jump cuts between) sighs , opens wardrobe. Shot from inside wardrobe. Picks out final outfit and likes it Does makeup in small mirror Leaves bedroom through door Split screen with artist singing |
Timeline
Timings | Lyrics | Visuals |
2:20 - 2:33 | Be my guest, go on and waste your life inside her bed, no I bet you get bored having sex Because you want me and you just don’t know it yet | Second split screen with artist singing in different location Artist walks through house, down stairs, through hallway and out the front door |
2:33 - 3:02 | No offense but it makes no sense You're in her bed then you're driving home and playing my cassette Because you want me and you just don't know it yet All your friends are twenty nine years old And I'm in debt because I'm just a kid Now you're smoking cigarettes Because you want me and you just don't know it yet Be my guest, go on and waste your life inside her bed now I bet you get bored having sex | Artist travels on her way to crushes house. (either walking or on a bike, depending on difficulty) She looks determined, close ups and wide shots of her coming round corners etc If on bike, slow motion shots. Flashback montage of crush smiling and laughing in between walking shots |
3:02 - 3;09 | Because you want me and you just don’t know it yet | Arrives at crush’s house. Behind shot of her standing art font door, close up of ringing doorbell. Crush POV of her opening the door. End. |
Plan of Shooting overview
Day 2: undecided
Location: My House
Scenes to shoot:
All of the scenes set at home in a bedroom
Actors Needed:
Props and extra kit
Day 1: 31st August 2023
Location: Southend-on-sea. Essex
Scenes to shoot:
All of the flashback/memory scenes that make up the scrap book:
Actors needed:
Props
Plan of Shooting - day 1
Time | What needs to happen |
10:00 | Cast arrives at my house ready to leave |
10:45 | Arrive in southend |
11:00 | Set up on the beach. Film opening scenes. Walking on the beach, eye contact, hand holding. Abbie singing the song all the way through. |
11:30 | Move on and walk up to Adventure Island |
11:40 | Set up at adventure island and film. Abbie singing song, walking through the theme park, motion shots of rollercoasters. |
12:10 | Go up on Ferris Wheel. Cast get pictures and videos whilst in the carriage, I stay down on the floor to fim the ferris wheel as it moves with them in it. |
12:30 | Lunch break! |
Time | What needs to happen |
13:15 | Head into amusements |
13:20 | Film in amusements. Couples playing on games, mix and match. Having fun as a group and individually. Abbie looking jealous |
14:00 | Leave amusements and head up to park. |
14:30 | Film in the park. Set up twister mat and film with that. Abbie singing again. |
15:15 | Head home! |
Plan of Shooting - day 2
Time | What needs to happen |
10:00 | Abbie arrives at my house |
10:10 | Film abbie singing the song |
10:20 | Film general bedroom footage - making scrapbook, looking sad, getting ready montage |
11:00 | Film abbie leaving the house - walking out of room, down stairs, out front door. Walks through streets |
12:00 | Go to abbie’s house. Film her knocking on the door and then the door opening onto her from the inside. |
Storyboard
This is a rough storyboard of the first minute of my music video. The artist is highlighted in green and her crush is highlighted in pink, which match their costumes.
Halfway Evaluation
How does my artist fit with Beggars Group?
About Letty:
Letty Carter is a new and upcoming music artist. Her music is fun and upbeat, taking inspiration from her life growing up as a quuer teen in modern day society. It is important to Letty to use her platform for good. Her musical inspiration comes from artists like dodie, Cosmo Sheldrake and Beth McCarthy. Letty is currently studying English Literature at university, and lives with her cat Tibbles.
The Beggars group has signed a variety of artists from many genres of music. Their artists are mainly indie and not as large scale as other record labels, so Letty Carter fits with this as she is releasing her first album and single. The Beggars Group brand attracts a young audience, similar to the 16-25 age range letty targets.
Another feature of my audience that goes with the Beggars group is that Letty’s audience is ‘upmarket and media literate’. This means that her audience are people who would be more likely to search and seek out new and upcoming artist, and smaller bands to expand their taste.
Letty’s branding is bright, colourful and has a retro feel to it. This attracts the right audience as vintage and retro media and ‘aesthetic’ has become increasingly popular within her target age range. This fits with the Beggars Group as they facilitate and sign a range of artists, all of which are unique and target a different demographic
Narrative brief
How does my song fit with the OCR brief?
The brief states that the music video must be to a narrative song. Narrative is defined as any song that can be interpreted to have a story within it. Want Me is about the singer fantasising about her crush and her life with them. She is longing for them to notice her, it is the only thing she wants.
How have I adapted the song into a music video?
In my music video the artist has a crush on her friend, who already has a girlfriend. The video shows her jealousy through a series of flashbacks to time spent together. After recalling past events the artists decides she wants to go and confront her friend about her feelings. The video ends on a cliffhanger, with the artist knocking on her crush’s door and it opening. We don’t get to see what happens next.
I think that my plot fits well with the existing narrative in the song, without sticking to it word for word, or straying too far so that it doesn’t make sense.
Website
This is my current website. There is a homepage, about page and store, as well as links to the song released as a single. The images on the website are taken from the music video footage. I have edited the images to have coloured doodles over them. These are in the same colour scheme as the rest of the website, and when the music video is edited i plan on animated similar lines over the top. This will unite the website, video and the social media as they will all have a similar look.
I need to add a gallery section to the website, and a section with the single and full album tracklist and promo. I would also like to add a page outlining a debut tour. The tour posters will have a similar look to the other medi elements.
Audio-Visual task
I am yet to film my audio visual but here are some existing ones that I like:
Social media
The two social media I have set up are Instagram and Twitter. I haven’t got much content on there yet, but i am planning on posting more soon.
Things i am going to post:
The pictures i post will also be featured in the gallery, and the instagram feed is already linked to the website.
Target audience
My target audience is a 16 - 25 upmarket, media literate audience. This means that they consume a variety of media that contains a variety of messages and themes, and have the capability and desire to think about and understand what they are watching or looking at.
I think my music video and brand will appeal to my target audience. My brand has a colourful and retro look to it which is becoming popular within that age range due to other media set in a similar time period, for example Stranger Things. Diversity and inclusion is better than ever in recent years, so my target audience is likely to understand and support the queer relationship shown in the music video and support the message of equality.
Using my social media effectively will be important to attract viewers from my target audience as it is a platform used daily by this age group and makes up a large section of their lives. Using synergy to link my socials to my website and video will subsequently draw them to explore other parts of my artists brand.
Cross media branding
The use of synergy and cross media branding my for my artists will creat links between my different pieces of media and will help draw in my audience.
Features of my branding that are used for synergy:
1 min draft
1min evaluation
Positives
The lip sync is lined up well. The plot of the video is clear and the performance and narrative are well balanced.
Challenges
I had lots of technical issues using Premier, which delayed the editing of my video. My videos are either overstaurated or washed out, so this needs to be fixed.
Next Steps
I originally planned to animate swirls over my video to add extra convergence with my website and socials. Having looked at the time I have left, I am going to focus on completing a fully edited video before attempting any visual effects.
One of the main pieces of feedback I received was increasing the pace in the chorus to match the pace of the music. To do this I am going to introduce faster cuts in the build up.
First draft feedback
I have received feedback from my class and teachers. Across the feedback I received, here are the main points:
Positives
Constructive criticism
Changes made after final draft
I reshot the performance in the Drama studio with pink and green lighting to match the artist branding. Abi wore the same outfit as in the audiovisual, so this creates another convergence. Abbiw was really energetic in the reshoots, and interacted with a block to give a wider range if movement. I shot the performance 3 times, so that I have a variety of performance shots.
I re-edited the video with the new performance and replaced all of the old footage. I think it looks a lot more professional and matches the pace of the song well.
I added and opening title to the front of the scrapbook. The font used is the same as in the website and album cover which creates convergence. I also added an end screen with my artists logo, beggars group logo and a qr code and link to my website.
Final video