Planning: Artist Image

Artist Image

 



 

 Link to theory:
 
Goodwin: will use extreme close-up, close-ups and medium close up on artist to enhance his star image.



Mulvey: Artist is male so do not need to consider this. 



Popular culture: artist will portray popular culture by engaging in activities such as drinking, playing poker/cards. He will also portray popular culture by dancing in the music video. 



Dyer: ‘Star Theory’ Audience and Industry – I will show this by trying to turn my artist into a commodity with his moreish personality and one that the public can relate to. The artist will be portrayed in a handsome way in order to appeal to a female audience. 



Hebdige: I do not want to appeal to a sub-culture nor too niche and audience so I do not need to consider Hebdige in my artist representation. 









Similar artists:

 

 

 



 

 

 



Planning - Storyboard

Storyboard

 

 

 

 

Planning: Cinematography - Shot List

Shot List

 

This form goes to the camera man and allows them to know and be able to envision the types of shots they will be taking

 

 

 

 

 

Planning: Locations

Locations

 

 

 

Here we have planned and analysed the locations for the music video.

 

 

 

 

Our first location is set in the living room of a home. The living room will contain a sofa, table and other furniture. The lyrics that this particular location will be used for are "I want you, to turn up on me every night when I see you, better recognize me when I see you".  This is relevant to the genre due to music videos of this genre, being R&B, usually including scenes that are taken from a home. The use of a home is that it connotes safety, can show wealth and also the style of an artist. Filming in a home is relevant to the target audience because they will be able to familiarise themselves with this location meaning the narrative will not be lost, but understood.

 

Advantages of this location:

 

-Warm conditions to film in

-Easy to obtain

-Lighting is at an advantage and can be altered to filming suitability

-No background noise or interference

 

 

Potential problems and how will they be overcome?:

 

-Finding a living room that suits the style of the video and genre. This will be overcome by testing out multiple living rooms of the members of our group and if needed then friends from outside our filming crew. This is so that our ideas can be expressed and understood thoroughly by our audience.

 

 

 

 

 Our second location will be taken from the inside of a car. The car will be black with black interior and cool gadgets within. This will be used in a few shots as it will be used to highlight the artists track playing on the car's music dashboard. The lyrics, "Sorry if my whip covered in dank, cause I be rolling with this skunk all day". "I be trippin', but this money ain't", will be featured at this point. This is relevant to the scene as it describes where they are what they are travelling in. The car is relevant to the genre as it is a form of transport that viewers would be familiar with taking. This is because the audience, being 15-25+, are socially interested by what car one a no0ther drives so I decided to include this to add a popular element to the music video. Plus, the audience will want to know what car their star drives, this is another reason why I feel it is relevant to the target audience.

Advantages of location:

-Easy to film ( P.O.V shots)
-No background noise
-Warm conditions
-Easy to obtain

Potential problems and how they will be overcome?

-Car accident ( there is a high chance of an accident when driving and filming)
-Gas money ( someone will have to pay for petrol and be legal to drive)
-Police ( It is possible the car can be pulled over if police spot this)

 

 



Planning: Analysing Similar Ideas

Similar Ideas

 

 

 



 

 

 
Artist representation: (costume, body language, positioning)

-Artist is dressed in everyday clothes at the beginning of the video as he prepares to start his day with Jay-Z, we see him relaxed and laughing. This is also repeated mid song when the friends are editing off stage.

-As he approaches the stage to perform, we see he has changed into a smart suit. He confidently approaches the stage with his back turned to camera, this builds anticipation for the performance and we see that his costume is adding to his status on stage and his confident body language.

-When Artist is performing on stage he is the main focus.

-The choreography on stage draws attention to Artist rather than the backing dancers on stage, only occasionally does he join the same routine as the other dancers, this helps to add weight to moments in the song. Artist then breaks away from the routine and regains the audience’s focus.

- Varying camera angles pick up many aspects of Artists’ expressive body language whilst dancing on stage.

-We see that Artist’s costume is fuelling his confidence and expression of self on stage, as he dances and his facial expressions fall in line with the lyrics he is singing.


Video 2: Westlife – Smile 
By Darhyl
Whilst analysing this video, I was mainly interested in the content and visual style of the video. 

Themes apparent in video:
-1940’s Las Vegas life style
-Gambling in Las Vegas
-Love and flirtation
 
Lighting and colour:
-Gives the sense of a smoky, dark Las Vegas bar in the 1940s

-Dimly lit, particularly amongst the audience members, offering selective lighting of women’s body parts, for example, a smile or legs.


-Stage lighting is more intense used to illuminate Westlife’s performance of the song.

-Vague, dreamy lighting used to increase the sensuality of the song.

-Images fading and emerging in time with the song.

Body language and facial expressions of characters and artist:
-Artists are relaxed, calm and happy throughout the piece, both on and off stage.
-Slow and sensual movements from the artists, in keeping with the tempo and content of the song.

-Artists sway slowly to music and gaze engagingly with the other characters / audience members.

-Characters / audience members gaze lovingly back at the artists on stage.

-The characters / audience member’s body language and facial expressions are more energetic as they interact with each other, drinking, smiling, laughing, kissing and enjoying the artist’s song.

-Later in the piece, the artists and character’s interact with each other more vibrantly when gambling.

Setting:
-1930’s / 40’s in Las Vegas
-Poker place
-Champagne / Cocktail Bar in Las Vegas
-Vintage style

Iconography/objects:
-Las Vegas billboard in opening scene to set the scene and context of the piece.

-Champagne and cocktail glasses on the character’s tables showing the traditional setting of a Las Vegas bar.

-Poker tables and poker chips to re-enforce context of Las Vegas and the past times of guests there, entertaining both the characters and the artists.

-Las Vegas casino lights, to add to glitzy setting.

Character representation:

-Characters are seen to be enjoying the specific setting of the piece, all are smiling and laughing and enjoying drinks, gambling and each other’s company.
-All give an impression of being very classy and sophisticated, dressed well, composed and poised.

Artist representation:

- Artist’s are represented as being very loved by the other characters, they seem popular and charismatic, holding the other characters attention throughout.

- Artist’s engage with other characters enjoying Las Vegas and sharing moments of eye contact with them whilst on stage.

-Artist’s seem very comfortable and seasoned within the specific setting, thriving in the environment that they are in.

- Artists are smartly dressed but comfortable 

Use of camera work:

-Camera shots work in harmony with the relaxed setting, following the artist’s journey onto the stage and panning out to their view, the other characters / audience members enjoying their performance.

-Slow camera shots glide over the character’s bar tables and past their glasses, providing glimpses of moments between them, drinking, cheers, kissing, loving looks.

-Camera tends to focus on each artist as they perform solo pieces using close ups and mid-shots, to give more attention to whoever is leading vocals at any moment.

-Vintage filters used to create aged feel. Camera lingers and moves around the artists. 


Video 3: Frank Sinatra – That’s life 
By Kloe
Whilst analysing this video, I was mainly interested in the character representation. 

Body language/movement and facial expressions of artist:
-Main character seems a little sad in mood, perhaps fed up, looking at the ground and walking with little purpose.

-Once he is on the stage and adjusts his costume (putting on hat for example) he perks up and gets a spring in his step, dancing and looking up rather than down to the floor.

-After the tempo of the song picks up he walks with more purpose and presence, interacting with props and scenery around him. 

-As the song builds and positive moments are vocalized, his gestures become more open and expressive.

Costume:

-Main character is wearing a suit, he interacts with the suit to express his mood, playing with his hat and flapping his suit jacket.

-Once on the stage the suit seems to empower him and improve his mood

Interaction with others:

-He seems to be looked down upon by other characters in the piece which makes him lose status.

-When he is chucked out of a venue by another character, this seems to fuel him to become more positive and confident in his body language.

Camera work around him:

-Follows his journey between the streets and the stage.
-Back and white throughout.
-Silhouetted figure when on stage.
-Faded edges.
-Very vintage feel.

From this analysis, some of the similarities I have found are:
-Artist usually wears a suit but in a casual way.
-Black and white colour added.
-Vintage style applied to all / a timeless sense of style portrayed.
-All seem to have the time performing on stage as the focal point to the piece.
-The costumes are most suitable to the piece when the characters are on stage.
-Other characters in all pieces do not add to dialogue or add directly to the direction of the piece but rather enhance lyrics that are being sung, the mood of the piece or the status of the artist.

From this analysis, some of the ideas we will take are:

-The costumes will be similar to what was worn in the Westlife - Smile video (smartly dressed but comfortable)
- Use of camera work in a relaxed harmony towards music
- Use of a smoke and dusty las vegas bar 1940s style


Conclusion
In conclusion, my group and I have analysed three music videos which have influenced our ideas for the music video we are going to create. We have, in depth, shown a description of the narrative, visual style and also the artist/star image which is represented. We hope to that our music video will be able to look as good as our influences as we will very hard to get it to these standards.

Conducting this research has been beneficial to my music video as I now have an understanding of the styling I wish for my video to have. From observing these similar ideas I am able to see the ideas I have thought of, shown to me. This helps me bring my ideas into fruition when creating it so that I can make it to the best of my ability.

Planning: Outline Of Narrative

Outline of Narrative

“Tom Misch – Follow”

Introduction

Here I have included the annotation for the lyrics that will be included in my music video. I have include what theories will be used at what parts, what structure will be made evident and what will be going on within each scene. 

The themes that I feel are present within the music video are:

-Friendship (bromance)

-Dancing

-Having a good time i.e. drinking, smoking around the city.

Narrative

Due to the nature of the song, we want our music video to look quite ‘old skool’ and traditional in its look and style. As it fits the Jazz genre, we want it to look really laid back and stripped back by showing traditional male ideas. Our research into music video has been really beneficial here as it has developed our ideas and allowed us to plan further. The outline of this music video is based around two friends within the city who show their bond of friendship through the interpretation of dance and lavish living.  Our song will feature lots of performance from the male artist to show his star image, but analysing the lyrics has allowed to think about an appropriate narrative to also incorporate within the video. They then venture to spontaneous locations, dressed in smart attire, and explore their hometown whilst keeping in the midst of their friendship. The two friends will be in locations such as a pool bar where they will play poker around a table whilst drinking alcohol and smoking cigarillos. This is one of the many motives the two guys will be on throughout the music video. The title of the song “Follow” symbolizes the affiliation the two males have for one another as they journey on to reach the next best highs, together.

Relation to theories studied and what I will include

Andrew Goodwin

-Notion of looking – we wanted to create a “Christian Grey” type of presence with the use of a tie

-Technical elements e.g. editing – shots will complement the music by being in time with the beat or lyrics, iconography – (alcohol cigarettes etc.), low-key lighting – shots during the day and night to help connote a jazzy outlook as the song is very smooth and sleek

-Relationship between lyrics and visuals

-Star Image will be of ‘Sean De La Rose’, he will lip sync and also sing the lyrics of the song.

-Relationship between music & visuals. What you will hear will compliment what you hear.

 Dyer

-Star image will always be present

-Star will represent cultural values and ideologies e.g. smoking, drinking, playing card games and engaging in dance. This will enhance the star’s persona amongst the audience.

Conclusion

By looking at the lyrics within the song it has aided me in creating the narrative for our music video. I now have a detailed description of what I will be doing.

Planning: Final Idea

Final Idea 

This post was planned and written as a group.

As a group, after thinking about all our possible options, we have now decided on the following song as our final idea. 

Song details: 

* Artist: Sean De La Rose

* Song Title: Follow

* Genre: Jazz

We have decided to choose this song as it combines two era’s of music, old school Jazz along with an Urban, modern twist. We think the genre is unique and the potential videos ideas for this genre will be very interesting to explore. The male artist ideas seem unique and we can be very creative with his ‘star image’ when considering combining the two genres of music, but mainly the idea of Jazz. 

Video content:

 

The video idea is to have a pair of friends who are relaxing with each other and they spend a lot of time in each other’s company. They share similar ideas, beliefs and interests, so much so that they fall in love with the same girl. We are planning to show the girl feature as part of their friendship group and show how both boys long to be with her. They will display their love in their own unique ways, combining elements of narrative, performance and dance.  

 

Video structure:

 

This video idea will show all parts of a conventional music video. We will show performance of the artist as he performs the lyrics, then show some narrative as the two friends engage in each others company and then show them enjoying the company of the same girl. Because the song is so smooth and sounds relaxed, we will also so some concept ideas of locations and the boys breaking out in dance routines. 

Star image:

 

We will follow Dyer’s theory of ‘Star Image’ so he appeals to a mainstream audience. 

-young

-follows popular culture

-dressed smartly but casual at the same time (suit with an open white shirt)

-has hobbies and interests  like pool, playing cards, dancing etc. 

Mise en scene: 

 

Location: 

-deserted but pretty locations 

-parks

-isolated bench

-steps

-arcade playing pool

-round table for activities like playing cards

Iconography: 

-drinking

-cards

-smoking

-pool table

 

Costume:

-smart/casual. Suits and white shirt

 

Lighting:

-Natural from city lights and lampposts

-low-key lighting 

 

Body language and facial expressions:

-artist will have a very relaxed and chilled body language, so will the friend

-the female will be a little more flirty and elegant. 

 

Theory influence: 

Goodwin: will follow his 8 characteristics apart from intertextual references. Music to follow editing pace and visual to follow lyrics. Close-ups on star etc.

Dyer: we will show him following popular culture and having a lifestyle that people will want to buy into and want to be part of. 

Mulvey: we don’t want to show the female in too much of a sexual way, but we  will show her looking quite sexy at times. 

Music video influences (include at least 2 with some analysis)

 

1) Justin Timberlake: Suit and Tie

 

This music video influences us as we like the way he is dressed and the way her interacts with the camera as well as the other characters in the scene. The editing is done in a slow stylish way which is something we also want to do. His character representation is good and it a good example of how dance can be incorporated into the video.

 

2) Westlife: Smile  

 

Again, we really like the way the video is shot and the soft focus it has. The characters are dressed in a way to enhance their ‘star image’ with their casual suits. The natural lighting is really effective and we like the way the female characters are represented in a feminine, yet sexual way.

Final choices in relation to audience feedback (q’s)

The audience feedback was more based around an alternative RnB video, however ideas like the lyrics matching the visuals and having a strong star image is something we will apply. 

Video structure:

This video idea will show all parts of a conventional music video. We will show performance of the artist as he performs the lyrics, then show some narrative as the two friends engage in each others company and then show them enjoying the company of the same girl. Because the song is so smooth and sounds relaxed, we will also so some concept ideas of locations and the boys breaking out in dance routines.   

Star image:
We will follow Dyer’s theory of ‘Star Image’ so he appeals to a mainstream audience. 
-young
-follows popular culture
-dressed smartly but casual at the same time (suit with an open white shirt)
-has hobbies and interests  like pool, playing cards, dancing etc. 



Mise en scene: 

Location: 
-deserted but pretty locations 
-parks
-isolated bench
-steps
-arcade playing pool
-round table for activities like playing cards
Iconography: 
-drinking
-cards
-smoking
-pool table 
Costume:
-smart/casual. Suits and white shirt
Lighting:
-Natural from city lights and lampposts
-low-key lighting 
Body language and facial expressions:
-artist will have a very relaxed and chilled body language, so will the friend
-the female will be a little more flirty and elegant. 

Theory influence: 

Goodwin: will follow his 8 characteristics apart from intertextual references. Music to follow editing pace and visual to follow lyrics. Close-ups on star etc.
Dyer: we will show him following popular culture and having a lifestyle that people will want to buy into and want to be part of. 
Mulvey: we don’t want to show the female in too much of a sexual way, but we  will show her looking quite sexy at times. 

Music video influences (include at least 2 with some analysis)

1) Justin Timberlake: Suit and Tie

This music video influences us as we like the way he is dressed and the way her interacts with the camera as well as the other characters in the scene. The editing is done in a slow stylish way which is something we also want to do. His character representation is good and it a good example of how dance can be incorporated into the video. 

2) Westlife: Smile  

Again, we really like the way the video is shot and the soft focus it has. The characters are dressed in a way to enhance their ‘star image’ with their casual suits. The natural lighting is really effective and we like the way the female characters are represented in a feminine, yet sexual way.

Final choices in relation to audience feedback (q’s)
The audience feedback was more based around an alternative RnB video, however ideas like the lyrics matching the visuals and having a strong star image is something we will apply. 

 

 



Planning: Audience Category

Audience Category

 

 

 

Audience for ‘Follow’ by Sean De La Rose

It is important to know about audiences when creating a music video because if we know who are audience are, we are more likely to know how to appeal to them through the use of conventions. If we identify our audience correctly then it allows us to pick conventions like themes, locations etc that we will use in our music video. It will also allow me to create the right artist representation as I will know to make his similar to the audience. 

My audience:

Age: 12-40+ as it is modern day Jazz  

Gender: both genders 

Race: All ethnicities 
 
Audience category: B-E. I think this song has the potential to appeal to a diverse audience because of the style of the song. 

Income bracket/status: medium to low. Again, can potentially appeal to a large audience.  

Hobbies and interests: going out, relaxing and socialising with friends, dancing, drinking, playing cards

Audience reaction to my video:
I want my audience to respond to this video by ‘audience engagement’ where the audience will be able to read into the message and style of the video. The activities like playing cards and drinking might appeal more to the male audience though. They should have ‘audience expectations’ of the video where they can pre-empt ideas from the genre. Finally, I also want ‘audience engagement’ as I want them to feel connected with my artist and the themes in the music video. 

Why have you identified this group as your target audience?
I have picked such a diverse and wide target audience as I think this song is so mellow that it has the potential to appeal to so many people. It sounds like an old song, following the Jazz genre, but it is sung by a young male therefore I feel like younger people will like it too. The video will express mature and young themes like relaxing with friends and dancing which will appeal to a wide audience.