After our group has pitched our ideas, we got feedback from
the focus group to improve or change our work.
The ideas which were given to us were:
- To take into caution of the lighting when filming outside.
Such as, not to filming in the dark and when we are doing a sunset scene.
Wealso have to take into account the
clock change as it gets darker earlier.
- To be aware of people around us as they can be looking at
the camera while we are filming.
- To make sure we choose the main singer that suits the
voice of our track
- when choosing our
main person we have to choose a reliable individual
As a group we have decided to choose the song by Owl City- Take it all away
The genre of music we have chosen to do is Generic pop. The synopsis of the song is about a break up which leaves a significant loss in the male’s life. in a part of the lyrics he say ’as I tried to digest the words I couldn't believe’ which shows that he can’t move on and is trying to deal with the situation of the break up.
Narrative of the Music Video: Owl City- Take it all away
The concept of our music video is about a break up. We first start the music video with a shot of the sky with the trees. This is used to set the mood as the setting will be gloomy. As the singing starts, the first scene we decided to show is the couple in a park talking, at this moment the female tells the male that they are breaking up. After there is an argument, we show a long shot of the female walking away leaving the male on the park bench on his own. As we slowly fade into the next scene we show the male walking around London (this is where the main male lip-synchs) and hallucinating about the happy memories that the couple had together. To show the couples past, we decided to make the scenes grey and gloomy to show that they were good memories. As the lyrics go ‘take it all away’ we decide to use a rewind effect where the male tries to pretend that the relationship does not exist. The effects that we decided to use are time lapse, and rewinding parts of the clips to create the effect of the male’s imagination, as he is still distraught about the break up.
The music I have chosen is by Train-soul sister. This is a
contemporary pop music released in 2009. The synopsis of the video is about two
people leading their own separate lives, following their daily routine through
the music video. The song is about falling in love with your best friend. However the music video portrays the
characters as if they met by fate. The definition of soul sister is a male
version defining a soul mate.
On
the walls in the streets, there is an arrow symbol which signifies the
direction of where the two lovers can find each other. Such as in the video
between 2.56 seconds and 2.59 seconds we can see the characters walking as if
the arrows are guiding them towards fate. I like this concept because it is
hinting to the audience the message behind the music video which is inventive. Towards
the end of the video (3.35~ seconds) we see both characters walking towards each other as if
they have been reunited. The angle which was used is a low angle. This shows the
intensity of the main characters feelings as they are both looking into each
other’s eyes. Also you can see by their facial expressions that there is love
between them. This has inspired me to
use actors and actresses that can act well, therefore the emotions between the
character and audience are more meaningful. The music video is both performance based and acting. This makes the music
video look more appealing to the audience, as the main singer is the narrator
of the video which is an idea that I would consider doing in my work. As the
singer sings directly to the camera, it is as if he is talking to the audience
getting them involved with the situation.
The theme/ motif of the music video are about Love and looking for your soul
mate. I enjoyed the creativeness of the music video which fits in well with the
upbeat music. This idea is what I want to link in with my music video, by using
effects to make the music video look more interesting. The lady in the music
video is represented as the ‘soul sister’ for the man. The male and the female
are seen to be the obvious main characters for the music video as they are
shown in more details than the other people; therefore transmit a clear message
for the viewers to distinguish who the main people are. The group ‘Train’ are
the narrators of the music video, but as seen to be invisible to everyone in
their surroundings. I like this idea of narrating the story to the audience, as
it allows the viewers to be connected into the relationship between the characters
which is what I want to demonstrate in my clip.
Stop motion is the technique which is used in the music video, it has inspired me to create something similar to the concept.. Between the seconds of
2.43- 2.53, I like the way the producer has used their imagination with the
stop motion and mixing it up with recordings which is something similar want to
create. As it shows creativeness and something different which many music
videos today doesn't show. However, if the video was all stop motion based,
then it would make the video look choppy which viewers may not appeal to the
clip. Therefore I would understand why they would mix the techniques together.
Camera angle
The camera angles which are mainly used for this music video are close ups and
medium shots. Close –ups of characters are effective when doing a love themed
music video. This is because it creates more affection for the viewers as it
shows more of the facial expressions.It also helps us as viewers to understand
the feelings and an emotion that the characters are showing. This has inspired
me to do this for my video, where the main theme is Love therefore using these
close ups would help me to express the emotions towards the audience. For the
example at 0.15 and 0.25 seconds you can see the close up of the
character, where they have been shot in a similar position. This could relate
to the idea that they are thinking of their soul mate, but haven’t
found them yet.Medium
shots are effects as the camera doesn't show the full body of the character but
gives the message it is trying to get across to the audience. Such as at 3.22 seconds, u can see that she is walking in a direction and there is
no need to have a long shot where it shows her full body. The
main singer in the MV is constantly looking towards the camera, giving the
viewer’s eye contact as if he are speaking to the audience. This is more
meaningful than if a person was not looking at the camera, as there is no sense of connection between the audience and the singer. In the beginning of
the music video there is an establishing shot with sets the scene before the
zooming in on the artist. This gives the idea that this is the main setting for
the music video, as the camera always comes back to this scene. At 0.21 seconds, tracking
is used in the music video which follows the characters. This gives me the idea
to show that the characters are the main people of the music video that is more
effective than if there was just one shot throughout the video. Panning
and tilting of the camera gives the illusion that the viewers are actually in
the music video which gives the sense that they are involved in the scene of
the characters, as they are moving with the camera. The editing of the music
video is very creative which makes it different for the viewers, as the music
is also upbeat, the special effects work well combined with the song as it
relates to the lyrics, which is shown at 1.09 seconds. The special effects which are used in the music video involves words moving across the buildings and floors, showing the creativity of the producers and their advance editing skills. It has
inspired me that I would need good editing skills and the use of
advanced technology, to help me produce a decent footage.
The director/ producers continuously use cuts to change the different scenes to
show the locations of the two main characters, giving the viewer’s insight of
who they are individually. This is what I want to show for my video by making
it clear for the viewers, who are the main characters. When the camera goes back to the band, we can
see that he is lip-syncing. Which is in time with the music as if he is
singing the song directly to us. The slow motion effect, leaves more impact on
the action of the character, this effect is useful in using what I want to do
for my clip. The mise-en-scene for the
music video is in the streets where the two characters meet by ‘fate’ which is
seen as a typical story line but sweet at the same time.
Target audience
The target audience are mainly for anyone who enjoys listening to pop between
the ages of 15-27. As the song is mainly about falling in love with your friend
or looking for a soul mate, many people in the age range can relate to the
situation as it gives a sense of past experience. Also as it is an upbeat
track, people can have relate to those past memories as happy experiences.
The
Script- Breakeven
Synopsis
The music video is about a break up of a couple. The song is about a
one sided relationship, where the female has moved on leaving the male still
hurting. . Even after the breakup the male is reminiscing about the past of his
relationship.
To show the audience that the song is about a broken hearted character, grey
footage is used to present the mood of misery and a depressing scene which is
perfect for indicating a heart break. Close- up shots of the singers face while
he is sitting in a dark room(0.25-0.29 seconds) shows his vulnerability of the break up and how
much pain he is in. However to contrast the grey footage which represents
sadness, sepia footage is used to represent the happier side of the
relationship as the scenes are more gloomier and brighter. Such as between 0.48- 0.55 seconds ,the editing technique that is used is Cross cutting showing two different events happening. This has inspired me to use this technique because it gives the viewers a clear view of the situation of the break up.
The close-up of the
couples shows the intense relationship they had as lovers. This has inspired me
because by changing the colours of the footage's it can represent both the past
and present time of the characters. The director has made it clear for the
audience to differentiate what is happening, without getting the viewers
confused.Also due to the facial
expressions of the characters, you can tell where there were good memories and
where the break up has took a toll on the singer.
The
music video is both semi performance based and semi story telling. As the
singer is performing the song on stage (1.09- 1.27), there is a medium shot of him singingtowards the microphone(1.13 seconds). This shows that he wants to tell the
world what he is thinking and the frustration of the break up,making the situation seem more emotional as if we can feel his
pain.When artists perform music like this, the audience can see from the close
up facial expressions of the artist in the music video that the song that they
have written was possibly based on their own real life. This has inspired me
because I want to show the viewers as if they understand the emotions of the
characters through facial expressions and actions. Therefore would instantly
grab the attention of the audience. The
artist narrates his love that he once had as he says ‘I’m falling to pieces’
which shows his miserable break up as the music shows his lonely journey
throughout the clip.
The
theme of the music video is about a heart break of the main character. Through
the music video there are cuts of the characters having fun with each other (2.00-2.02 seconds),
but the overwhelming breakup leaves him miserable and lost as he wonders
around (3.42- 3.44 seconds) . This has inspired me by using grey footage's as it can make a
difference in the mood of the song. Throughout the music video there are
various cuts of clips which are fast paced in the beginning, this shows that
the break up between the couple happened to fast without them thinking through
it or solving the problem. This then sets
the scene and shows a little insight of the characters emotions and a hint of
what he has been through. at 0.11 seconds, a long shot represents the loneliness of the main
singer, as he makes his one- man journey without his former lover as he gets
out of the car. As
the lyrics states that it was a one sided relationship, the dimly lit room (0.22 seconds)demonstrates the emotions and what the effects of the break up has done to him.
Also the grey editing shows that he has isolated himself in a dark room, while
he is watching the home videos on his phone. That represents that he is
reminiscing about the past; also it shows how much he misses his ex-girlfriend.
The use of a dark lit room shows that the singer is depressed and wants to keep
away from the world by secluding himself and watching old clips on his phone.
The idea of a dimly lit room inspires me because it sets the scene of something
bad that has happened in an individual’s life was inspired by the idea of using
a home video because it shows more emotions as it can relate to happy memories
of individuals lives. There
is a high angle shot at 3.34 seconds, which shows the vulnerability of the singer as he is
singing on stage. During the high angle shot, there is a light shining onto him
which emphasis's his emotions. Therefore makes us, as the audience have
sympathy for him. While the artist is
singing on stage there are many extreme close– ups and close ups of his face showing
his facial expressions, transmitting his emotions to the viewer’s where they
can sense his pain. Lip-syncing is used throughout the music video as it shows
that he is narrating the story for the viewers. The emotions of the singers
face shows the breakup of the character which is significant is how he is
showing the viewers.
Target audience
The target audience of this song are people who have experience of what a heart
break feels like; therefore they feel more connected to the song, the age range
is between 16-30. By relating songs to real life situations, it can encourage
record labels to produce more songs like these which attracts their audience
therefore can help them sell records. As Danny is a song writer, it allows him
to use his emotions while writing songs that enable him to feel connected to
his listeners.
B.O.B- So Good
Synopsis
The song that I have chosen is about a guy who tells the
girl how much he loves her and how lucky
she is have in him in her life. For example , he says ‘ you never had it so
good’. I have chosen this music video to analyse because there are various
locations and mise- en- scene which relates to the song. That’s interests me as
I want to take into caution of these factors.
To set the scene of the music video there is an establishing
shot of France at 0.02 seconds .This has influenced me to set the mood for the viewers which relates to our song choice. France is seen to be the city of ‘love’ where
romance happens. In the beginning of the music video there are lots of tracking
of different areas in France. As the video was filmed in daylight, with the
effect of sepia it gives a positive vibe to the audiences, as it reflect the
idea of romance. The location also fits well with the music and the lyrics.
There is then a medium shot, as the singer is waiting for the female, there is then an eye-level shot where the camera cuts to the streets where the
girl is walking, the camera pans up from her feet to her head. This shows that
they are already a couple as she enters the scene happily. Which indicates that they are going to start their journey together, that
all links up with the beginning as the camera tracks around Frances attractions.
The
music video includes both narration and performance base from B.o.B himself. Lip-synching is used throughout the music video. This shows that he wants to tell
the world, his story with his partner and is directly aiming at the audience,
as he also points towards the camera that is shown between 1.34- 1.40 seconds. This
makes us feel more involved in the music video and giving eye contact towards
the camera. Therefore we feel more passionate for their relationship. The scene
first starts off with the singer sitting down on the table holding a ‘Cuban cigar’
at 0.16, as the camera tracks on him, he is also lip-synching at the same time
as he narrates his actions. The significance of the ‘Cuban Cigar’ could represent
the luxury life he is living with his girlfriend, as cigars are expensive. When
the song goes to the chorus of the song, it shows the singer on a one shot
looking directly at the camera. This is then a change of scene, as he is going
away from the couple story line This has inspired me because it shows brings
out the singers personality and his individuality by lip synching, which also
fits the concept of the theme of the song. By narrating the song and relating
his actions with the words, it gets the listeners involved as if they are part
of the couple’s journey, which then draws attention of being attracted to the
music video. The singer is represented as a ‘lovey dovey’ character who wants to treat his other half well as we
see him enjoying the company of his girlfriend between 0.40 – 0.45 seconds.
This has inspired me because during the scenes you can see that the director
has thought of various locations to fit the song. Also with different
clothing’s wouldindicate a different
day and locations which has inspired me to take into account of mise-en –scene
to make the video look more realistic and to not get the listeners confused
with what is happening.
To introduce the
singer into the scene the camera tracks at the location where the singer is
sitting down, smoking a cigar. As the camera tracks, the use of shallow depth
of field is used at 0.09 seconds to show that he is the main character in the story line I like the use to this technique because it gives a positive vibe at
the very beginning to get the audience’s attention. As the female enters the
scene the camera pans from bottom to top at her body showing that, he is
waiting for her which fits well with the lyrics as he says ‘tonight is picture
perfect’. Showing that the life they have together already is amazing. Also the use of medium shots of the characters
at 0.36 seconds shows their facial expressions that they are enjoying each
other’s company. This has inspired me because to transmit the ideas to the
audiences the perfect life that they have together.
Long shots at 0.57 seconds are used to show both the characters together
walking holding hands. I like this scene it shows explains the relationship
more to the audience. This has inspired me because it gives me the ideas of the
things couples do together, as they are seen doing simple stuff such as walking
down the street or sitting on stairs
enjoying each other’s company. The use of editing in the video uses flashes and
fades, which moves onto the next scene which is indicating the next chapter of
their lives together, it is also easy for the audience to follow the story line.
This has inspired me because the director uses a simple idea instead of
extending the story line which wouldn't bore the viewers. The locations of the videos consists of high
angles, low angles and establishing shots of buildings which shows that B.o.b
can take her where ever she wants and their relationship would still be strong.
This has also inspired to include the various types of camera angles which
allows me to convey a clear message which I want to show the listeners.
Target Audience
The target audience are mainly people who are between the ages of 16-30,
mainly males. This is because at this age range many people have experienced
relationships therefore know how it feels like to be in a couple and giving
your love to your other half. As there are many locations in the music video,
it promotes the romantic areas such as France, Paris where many people at the
age of 18 and over have started travelling. Therefore they would feel some
connections to the area. People are encouraged to buy the record label by relating their
relationship to the song, it gives people the vibe of past experience. As the
song is upbeat which is pop and includes rap , it is more modern therefore many
teenagers would listen to this genre of music , thus be attracted to the music.
The song that I have chosen for my first idea is by Justin Bieber ‘fall’.
The lyric in the song itself is self-explain such as the singer is the narrator
of the song. The song is about a girl who is broken hearted from her previous
relationship. However the guy tries to capture her heart as he has feelings for
her. Such as saying how she lost her ‘wings’ after the break up and he will try
to help her fly again.
Ideas:
The ideas I have thought up for this MV is that I want to link the beginning
scene of the MV with the ending of the MV. In the beginning of the music video
I was thinking about seeing the girl and the boy walking away from the camera
towards the sunset. For the second scene, I decided to make it the main story
line where the girl is sitting at Hyde Park on a bench, but she looks upset
while looking at a photograph of her ex-boyfriend. Then we see the boy walking
up towards her and he tries to comfort her as they know each other already, but
she leaves as soon as he arrives and drops her iPod behind. There will be a
close up of the iPod, which shows the song ‘Fall’ playing when the boy gives
her back the iPod.
On the second day we see that the girl is sitting at the same bench as the
previous day. This time the boy goes up to her and hands her a cup of coffee.
At this moment we see that the guy tries to make her laugh by doing silly stuff
which gets her attention. During the conversation, we see a lot of close up of
the girl smiling and long shots of the acting silly.
On the third scene we have a tracking shot, following the characters as they
are walking together at the Thames. We see that the boy wants to confess something
to the girl, but as he reaches for his pocket to give her something. She gets a
phone call from her friend and has to leave. There is then an extreme close up
of the guy’s hands in his pocket which has a note on it saying ‘I love you’.
Towards the bridge of the song, the setting goes to London Bridge where they
are both admiring the scenery in the evening. The girl is showing signs that
she is cold, so the boy gives her his scarf to keep her warm, this would be
shown as a medium shot. As the boy tries again to confess to the girl the girl
gets another phone call, but this time it was from her ex-boyfriend. However
the boy declines the call, the girl starts to smile. For the last scene we have
a ground shot of the girl tiptoeing towards the guy which is indicating that
they have kissed. There is then a 360 shot if the two characters foot. As the
camera slowly zooms out we see the characters walking away from the camera,
linking to the beginning.As the song
slowly fades away becoming quieter, the scene slowly becomes darker and says
‘the end’.
Props
the things that are needed for the music video are:
-change of clothes, showing that the events are happening at different days
- an iPod, signifies the actually song that is playing
-scarf and gloves which are romantic in keeping the girl warm
-piece of paper which says ‘I love you’ on it
Location
-Hyde park where the characters first meet.
-tower bridgeis near the Thames where the boy confesses to the girl.
-Southbank is where the characters will
be walking away from the camera.
What makes this promo different?
I have chosen o do this type of music video because I wanted to use the
type of stop motion which most professionally made artists hasn’t done a lot of.
By using stop motion, I believe that it can express the characters feelings
even if they have a lack of acting skills which would not be required for the
stop motion clip. Not many professional videos use this type for the whole
video as it can be choppy but I want to include some aspects of normal
recording in the music video.
2) Vanessa Hudgens- Paper Cut
The song is about a girl who has a breakup. Even though she
tries not to think about it, the pain won’t go away.
Idea: The idea for this music video is of an over the shoulder shot of a girl
playing the piano and a close up of her hands playing the keys. The music video
has low lighting but only a light is shining on the girl. She is wearing an
elegant dress while playing the piano and is lip-synching in the beginning
which then fades to the past of when the couples were together having fun.
As we go to the flashback, the mood is grey. We see that the boy and girl is
having fun together such as holding hands, playing hide and seek in the forest,
feeding each other ice-cream, sending flowers to her house, reading together in
the park. Also I want the two characters using a handheld camera as if it is a
home video.
As the girl is walking in the streets she sees her boyfriend arms around
another girl’s hand, indicating that he is cheating on her. Then we see a close
up of her eyes looking at him and him looking back at her, while the second
girl looks confused. At this moment we see a long shot of the two characters
standing a distance in front of each other, while the whole background is dark
and only those two in the light.
The second girl tries to pull the guy away, and we can see that the girl has
tears in her eyes as there is a close up of her eyes. There is a slow motion
effect as the guy walks past the girl. A medium shot is used of the girl, which
then slowly zooms out as she stands in shock. The camera then fades back to the
girl playing the piano again. At the end of the song we see the girl stop
playing the piano and blows out a candle which has a picture of the boy and the
girl together.
Props
- piano where the girl is playing
-dress – the girl is wearing an elegant dress which shows that she wants to
move on, but is still distressed about the past. Sort of like a Miss Havisham
theme from the book of ‘Great Expectations’
Location
-college music room which has a piano inside.
-Hollow Ponds Park and a playground park where there is a forest showing the
couples having fun with each other.
-street where they both see each other
What makes this promo video different?
the lyrics of the song talks about the past , therefore I want to show many of
the MV shots grey which is indicating that there was ‘history’ between the two
characters.Many music videos these days
are more cheerful and uplifting with happiness however, this song shows a
depressing mood as it signifies a breakup of the couple.
3) B.O.B- Lovelier Than You
This song is about a guy who is deeply in love with a girl. All he does is
think about their future together and how he wants there life to be like.
IdeasFor the opening we see a band playing in the tunnel at Cutty Sark (marine
Greenwich). There is a long shot of the group, which then there is a close up
of band mates holding a box and the main guy is holding a guitar which flows
with the song.The girl is walking with
her friends and as she sees her boyfriend in the tunnel, the main singer is
lip-syncing. There is then a long shot of the girl looking shocked as she is
then forced to stand in front of the guy as he sings by her friend. As the guy is singing, we see flashbacks of the couples having fun such as
getting ice cream together, reading a book, bike riding and feeding the ducks
together and filming each other having fun.As we are watching the home video, we see that the couples are holding signs
towards each other as they are expressing their love for each other. Around the bridge of the song, we see that the guy pulls out a ring as he is
proposing to her. As he says ‘dangerously in love’ as the song slowly goes back
to the chorus, you can tell that she is happywhen says ‘yes’ while jumping around and showing her friends her ring.
She then hugs him andat the end of the
song, we see the couples holding hands, we see them walking away from the
camera as they are going out of the tunnel.
Props
Box to use as a drum
guitar as he plays in tune of the music
ring as a proposal
change of clothes as they go back in time LocationFor these locations i thought of using places which are near to each other. Therefore it is easier for the group to travel and we are able to shoot the video in a day which saves time. Cutty Sark tunnel- this is where the male lead is lynching his song in front of the girl Coffee shop, park,Starbucks and ponds represents the happy memories of the couples flashbacks The Royal observatory hill, where we can see the whole of Greenwich is where the male character proposes to the female which is the highlight of the music video. What makes the promo video different?Is it in an unusual setting, which most people wouldn't think of doing? I wanted to create a music video as if it is homemade which
gives it the feeling of an amateur look. Which suits well with the song choice.
